Corruption: EFCC moves against Odili, others

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

ABUJA—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is set to reopen the trial of high profile politicians whose corruption cases had either been delayed or put in abeyance as a result of court injunctions.

A top management officer of the EFCC told Vanguard, yesterday, that the commission under the leadership of acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was bent on reopening all the corruption cases involving top politicians, who were shielded by the court through perpetual injunctions that had temporarily tied the hands of the commission from prosecuting them.

Odili

Top on the list of those whose cases are to be reopened, is former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, who secured a perpetual injunction from a Federal judge barring the EFCC from investigating his eight-year tenure over alleged graft.

Justice Ibrahim Buba had granted a perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from probing graft allegations its operatives levelled against the former governor.

The commission, however, filed an appeal against the ruling, which was described as strange by legal pundits. But the appeal has not made progress since it was instituted over four years ago.

However, the top EFCC operative vowed in an interview with Vanguardthat all stumbling blocks to reopening the cases and similar ones would be removed by the Magu administration at EFCC with a view to bringing the former governor to book.

The top operative said that the new Criminal Justice Administration Act of 2015 has removed the stumbling blocks to prosecuting those who looted the nation’s treasury.

The senior management official of the commission said: “Let it be made clear that the EFCC will go after all cases that are deserving of investigation. There is nothing like perpetual injunctions anymore in our criminal administration justice code.

“We have a duty to investigate all cases since we are empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate all such corruption-related cases and that is what we are asked to do.

“We are empowered by Section 15 of the new Criminal Justice Administration Act to investigate all cases irrespective of injunctions. We cannot be stopped,” the official said.

The source confirmed that top officials in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who abused their office by fritting away huge national cash and assets would be summoned to clear the air on why they breached public trust.

Among those slated for questioning are former Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy in the last Administration, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and some former officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, who handled the disbursement of funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA.

Asked when the officials would be summoned, the official said no date had yet been fixed, adding, “I will find out and get back to you.”

In the meantime, the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has established a Procurement Fraud Unit, PFU, to strengthen the fight against corruption in the country.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement to Vanguard, last night, that Magu made the disclosure in Abuja yesterday during a meeting with leaders of a coalition of civil society organisations.

Uwujaren said that Magu expressed concern over the increasing rate of procurement fraud and told his guests that the PFU would contribute immensely to the anti-corruption battle when it became operational.

“I am so concerned about procurement fraud. I am thinking of establishing a unit dedicated to procurement fraud. When put in place, it will go a long way in checking corruption,” Magu said.

How Rivers people received lawmakers’ sack

By Jimitota Onoyume

Nullification of the election of three senators in Rivers State and 12 members of the House of Representatives who were all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Appeal court is dominating discussions in virtually all parts of the state.

In drinking spots, commercial buses and several other places the main talk is the judgement of the Appeal court. Some people expressed strong fears that the development could heighten security tension.

Fear of insecurity: A resident in Dioub area, Mr Tuotamuno, said if about 100 persons lost their lives during the last   general elections as alleged by the All Progressive Congress, APC, when it held its Black   Rivers day rally, then there was need for people to worry about what the security situation might turn out to be during the rerun elections ordered by the Appeal court.

Adequate security

“I am just disturbed. I hope there will be adequate security for the elections. We saw the crisis that marred the Bayelsa govenorship poll in Southern Ijaw “, Tuotamuno said.

Another resident of the same Dioube area, who gave his name as Stephen, said there was no need to panic as government will certainly have measures in place to arrest any ugly situation during the elections.

I won’t be distracted —Wike

Wike

Meantime, in what looked like a veiled reference to the court verdict, Governor Nyesom Wike said he will not be distracted from the goals he had set out to achieve for the state.

The governor, who spoke during inspection of some of his projects, said his mandate derived from the massive votes from people, stressing that they came out in their large numbers to vote for him.

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Anambra NASS polls: Umeh, Ekwunife back to the trenches

Uba, Nwoye, others free

By Vincent Ujumadu

FOLLOWING the nullification of the March 28, 2015 National Assembly election for Anambra Central senatorial district, the two major opponents in the poll, Chief Victor Umeh, former national chairman and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA  and Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are back to the trenches. They are peparing for another showdown. The rerun election is likely to take place in March, next year.

Soon after the declaration of Ekwunife as the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Umeh went to the tribunal to challenge it. After months of legal fireworks at the election tribunal sitting in Awka by the two parties, the tribunal headed by Justice Naya Aganaba, declared that the election substantially met the requirements of the electoral act and that Ekwunife was duly elected.

Not satisfied with the decision, Umeh appealed against the judgment and the Appeal Court judges nullified the election on the ground that it did not meet the required standards.

Shortly after the outcome of the judgment filtered into Awka, many people converged in groups to discuss the matter, while others went jubilating in the various local councils that make up the senatorial zone.

While some said that Umeh  ought to have been declared winner by the Court of Appeal,  others said the decision of the court to order for a rerun of the election within 90 days was fair to both parties in view of the alleged irregularities  that  characterised the polls.

Mixed views

However, there were those who expressed happiness that the rerun election would be conducted on a clean slate as there would no longer be ‘order from above’ to decide who should go to the Senate to represent Anambra Central as was the case on March 28.

I will win rerun polls — Umeh

Uche Ekwunife acknowledging cheers from supporters

Expressing happiness at the decision of the Appeal Court, Umeh boasted that he would win the rerun election.

His words: “I am happy that the Court of Appeal did not sustain the electoral fraud that took place in Anambra State on March 29 during the collation of the results from the seven local government areas. By coming with a decision that election should be repeated is an improvement over the previous impression created that the election was good and that Uche Ekwunife, won.

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ExxonMobil launches excellence reward scheme for A-Ibom schools

By Tom Moses

EKET—IN line with its commitment to the development of education, ExxonMobil, a major oil company in Nigeria, has launched an academic reward programme to encourage excellence in public primary schools in Akwa Ibom State.

It was gathered that 5,011 pupils have already been selected for the reward that will see the best 10 academically performing pupils in each class from primary one to six across 85 schools, receive mathematical sets, pencil pouches, water bottles and exercise books.

Speaking during the pilot presentation of the items to pupils in primary schools drawn from the company’s neighbouring local government areas of Eket, Ibeno, Esit Eket and Onna, at a ceremony held in Eket, Joint Venture Maintenance Manager, Mike Attah, reiterated the company’s history of partnership with the state government culminating in the upgrade of facilities in both primary and secondary schools.

“In the last four years, we have commitment of over N57 million under the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC/MPN) Mobil Producing Nigeria Joint Venture Secondary Scholarship targeting indigent students from Akwa Ibom State.

“In addition, over N4 billion had been spent on the NNPC/MPN Joint Venture Undergraduate Scholarship to Nigerian students and it may interest you to know that 50 percent of this amount or N2 billion has gone to students from Akwa Ibom State.”

42 S’East, S’South groups parley on rallies for true federalism

By Emeka Mamah

Enugu—A coalition of 42 South East and South-South groups, yesterday, met in Enugu State, to finalize plans for the mega rallies to sensitise Nigerians towards “restructuring the country along the lines of true federalism.”

According to the organisers, the rallies earlier planned to hold in 13 cities and towns in the South East, would now hold in 20 cities and towns within the two zones.

Speaking, the convener of the meeting and the founder of Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, Evangelist Elliot Uko said, that the peaceful marches for true federalism had become important since the country had been run as unitary administration, imposed by the military since 1966.

He said:  “For 49 years, Nigeria has been boiling consistently, sometimes silently seething with rage inside; sometimes the lava would hot up and the hot coke gushes out like a volcanic eruption.

“Imposed peace of 1970 has worn out, everybody is on edge. June 12, 1993 election would not have been annulled if Nigeria was practising true federalism. It was annulled because of the winner-takes-all altitude of any holder of central power in Nigeria, which keeps the stakes so high that the struggle for centre is usually fierce and victory usually vindictive.

“The Niger Delta militancy and Boko Haram, among others, would never have happened if Nigeria practised true federalism where regions are free to develop their zones, according to their culture, faith and style. We have been deceiving ourselves for too long.

“With Boko Haram still on the rampage in the North East and Shiite Muslims wahala erupting now in the North West, added to the Biafra agitation in the East, you’ll wonder why any sensible person will want Nigeria to continue with this unacceptable 1999 Constitution. The belief of the Federal Government that force will quench this tension is false and counter-productive.

“Nigeria clearly needs a new constitution, one built on true federalism. This unitary structure is clearly not working.”