PDP defectors plans exposed by Chief Bisi Akande

Chief Bisi Akande

Former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande, has charged the All Progressives Congress, APC, to be weary of those defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stressing that they are parasites coming to destroy the ruling party if allowed, according to Daily Post..

Akande gave the note of caution while speaking with newsmen at his residence in Ila Orangun, Osun State on his 77 birthday.

He called on the ruling party to be watchful of the new members so that they do not end up killing the APC like they did to the PDP.

Akande said, “We in the APC should be careful, the defection is not a strange thing but I know it is always done by parasites. I have always remained in one line of politics. I have never defected and I will never defect; I will remain in that progressive polity.

“But those who are defecting from one party to the other, by nature, they are political parasites. They have killed the original host, which was the PDP, and they are now coming to the APC, which is the new host. It is for the APC to gird its own loins and prevent the parasites from killing the party, because a parasite has no root of its own but feeds on the little food that the host has.

“So, running away from the PDP to the APC looks good but the APC must be careful in dealing with those parasites.”audget to be more discipline, stating that such a story coming from the Senate was not shocking because its leadership was not a disciplined one.

“Only the budget of the Senate was missing, so that leaves a complication into what is happening. You know, it is borne out of the same indiscipline that led to the hijack of the National Assembly. When the foundation of an assembly is indiscipline- until you remove the cause, you will continue to have this kind of problem in your hands.

“That assembly was not constituted the way my party planned it. It was by hijack and indiscipline which constitutes the way it is. So, you can expect any kind of dissatisfactory stories from such an assembly,” he said.

Corruption: Osinbajo queries BPE chief on N1.5b ‘curious’ contracts

Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo 

Disturbed by the alleged N1.45billion legal and consultancy fees scandal in the Bureau of Public Enterprises(BPE), Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has queried the Director-General of the agency, Benjamin Dikki, on the award of such contracts, according to The Nation.

The controversial contracts include a curious N950million job for the liquidation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) when the company had seized to exist and N500million as consultancy fees to a government department.

The report shown that, the DG is also expected to clarify the alleged payment of N27,188,232,208:20 billion as premium for group life and group personal accident insurance for former staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN).

Another issue is the alleged diversion of N455,266,618;23 meant for the payment of retirement benefits to entertainment allowance for the staff.

The query followed a petition to the Office of the Vice President by a former director of the BPE, Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim.

Kashim said the N950million contract for the winding up of PHCN was unnecessary because PHCN was already a “shell” company.

Before the action of the Vice President, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) had asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the contracts.

The contracts were awarded contrary to the advice of the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) and the BPP, it was learnt.

The BPP requested the EFCC to investigate the payment scandal in a June 27, 2015 letter to the anti-graft agency.

But a fresh petition by the ex-BPE director to the Office of the Vice President sparked the Presidency’s interest.

A letter by the Office of the Vice President to the ex-director reads in part: “I am directed to acknowledge with thanks, the receipt of your letter dated 3rd November 2015 on the above stated subject.

“His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria has further directed that the said document be forwarded to Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) for his due consideration and response.

“Please accept the assurances of His Excellency, the Vice President’s warm regards.”

Earlier in his petition, Kashim said there was rot in the BPE which should be investigated by the Vice President, who is the Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation(NCP).

He said: “Your Excellency, the former DG Miss Bolanle Onagoruwa, was removed partly because she refused to accept the appointment of a prominent PDP lawyer to wind up PHCN for an amount exceeding N1.5bn. ( When the proposal was sent to her, I was one of the Directors she confided in.)

“ As lawyers, we reckoned that it was unthinkable, more so as all the assets of PHCN had been transferred through a presidential order to the Discos and Gencos while all the liabilities were to be handled by Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company ( NEMLCO). PHCN is therefore a shell company.

“Immediately after her removal, the current DG established a committee that awarded the assignment to the preferred law firm. I publicly expressed my disagreement. The DG sent for me and solicited for my support as it was from our bosses. I maintained my position, as a result of which the matter was never tabled at, or brought to the management committee for deliberation and approval before going to NCP.

“ I still maintain that PHCN was a shell company that had no assets and or liabilities. Winding up a shell company surely cannot be done for close to a billion naira. It was fraudulent.

Regarding the payment of over N27billion for insurance premium, the ex-director said at the time, PHCN had no more staff.

He added: “The DG one day invited me to his office. He informed me of a memo that would be sent to Management Committee for its consideration and approval. He suggested that we should pass it, since I was the one that usually chaired such meetings. It was to approve for transmission to the chairman of NCP the payment of N27,188,232,208:20 billionas premium to Great Nigeria Insurance Plc for group life and group personal accident insurance for PHCN staff. I told him it cannot pass, for even a law 101 student knows the cliche ‘No premium No cover’.

“And in any case at that time PHCN had no staff. However, I learnt later that the same paper came to BPE with all the necessary approvals, and I believe the money was paid.”

On retirement benefits, Kashim alleged that the amount approved for BPE staff was converted to Entertainment Allowance.

He said: “ One of the items approved by the NCP was Terminal Benefits for exiting staff. It was to take effect from 2015. For that purpose NCP approved for inclusion into 2015 national budget the sum of N455,266,618:23. The staff due to retire in 2015 are:(1)Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim(Director), (2)Hajiya Fati Abubakar (Director);and (3) Afolabi Mathew(Deputy Director).

“ The amount approved by the NCP as terminal benefit was meant only for three of us retiring in 2015. It meant that BPE should in 2015 seek NCP’s approval for staff retiring in 2016. (As a matter of fact there will be only one retiring staff in 2016).

“The DG by these acts has wrongly converted our terminal benefits to pay management staff entertainment allowances. This he did to calm the restiveness of the management staff as he had completely spent the internally generated revenue on his weekly trips to Zuru in Kebbi State to campaign for a political party (in deed he  even bought a pilot vehicle fitted with a siren to facilitate the trips).

“Let the DG BPE Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki tell Nigerians by publicising the minutes of meetings where in those matters were presented to the management committee of the BPE and that it deliberated and recommended to the NCP for approval in line with the extant law. The BPE is the secretariat of the NCP. Matters going to NCP have to be discussed and approved by the management committee. Why none of the payments in question came before the committee was because I objected to it, so the DG went elsewhere and got the memos approved after which he disbursed the money. And it was my stance that made the DG in an attempt to pay me back, to circumvent NCPs approval that amended the BPE Staff Condition of Service, just to ensure that I don’t get my terminal benefits.

“Not only that, he equally converted the approved sum for retiring staff in 2015 to be converted into recurrent management staff entertainment allowance.”

In its defence, the BPE said its ex-director lied and misled the public in his petition to the Vice President.

The BPE, in a statement by its Head, Public Communications, Alex E. Okoh, said: “Kashim lied when he stated,  “….. The former DG Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa was removed partly because she has refused to accept the appointment of a prominent PDP lawyer to wind up PHCN for an amount  exceeding N1.5billion… immediately after her removal the current DG established a committee that awarded the assignment to the preferred law firm.”

“The fact is that the National Council on Privatisation at its 3rd Meeting of 2013 held on Thursday May 9, 2013 had approved the engagement of Messrs J K Gadzama as the consultant for winding up of PHCN.  Benjamin Ezra Dikki was appointed acting DG on 27th November, 2013, over six months later.”

On insurance premium, the BPE added: “The provision of Group Life Insurance Policy for employees is mandatory and compulsory under Section 4(1) (5&6) of the Pension Reform Act 2004. The maxim of no premium no cover does not apply here where the law explicitly provides, ‘Every employer shall maintain Group Life Insurance Policy in favour of each employee for a minimum of three times the total annual emoluments of the employee and premium shall be paid not later than the date of commencement of the cover’.

“Thus, PHCN Successor Companies as employers of labour before privatisation were mandated by law to provide these classes of insurance to its employee in compliance with the Pension Act.

“It was established that there was an Insurance Policy between GNIP and PHCN.  Premiums were outstanding  for year 2011/2012 amounting to N13,607,151,141.10 and renewable for the year 2012/2013 at the sums of N13,581,080,774.10, totalling  N27,188,232,208.20 for which payment was outstanding.  PHCN had already filed claims with GNIP for 267 staff that died in active service for compensation to the relations/widows of the deceased.

“GNIP did not pay the claim because PHCN did not pay premiums due for 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. PHCN submitted these claims to the Implementation Committee set up by the National Council on Privatisation for the processing of entitlements to PHCN Staff  that  then made representations to the then Minister of Power.

“The Minister of Power presented the matter to the Vice President in a memo dated 23/12/2013.   It was subsequently presented to and approved by the National Council on Privatisation at its 3rd meeting held on August 4th, 2014, for payment.  BPE transferred the sum to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for further action.

“As mentioned earlier, at a special meeting held, on January 12, 2013 the NCP set up an Implementation Committee, chaired by the Minister of State for Power to handle the processing and payment of entitlements of PHCN Staff based on the approvals given at the same meeting.

“This Implementation Committee chaired by a Minister comprised of representatives of various Ministries and Agencies, was superior to BPE management.  Thus no single one of the forty tranches of payments to PHCN Staff ever came to the BPE management for consideration.

“It is in compliance to the same process that the Insurance premium payment did not have to come to BPE management as insinuated by Ibrahim Kashim.

“Once the implementation Committee processed and verified PHCN Staff entitlements, it advised BPE and BPE remitted the relevant sums to the office of Accountant General of the Federation that effected payments as appropriate.”

The BPE denied allegation of diversion of retirement benefits of BPE staff including the entitlements of Kashim.

It said: “The Bureau in its desire to ameliorate the plight of its former staff who retired and the financial dislocation they went through before they could access payments from their RSA, decided to explore the provision of Section 4(4) (a) on the Pension Act which gives employers the discretion to make additional payments of benefits to its retiring employees.

“It was intended to provide a cushion of funding for retiring staff pending when they were able to process and access their RSA’s.  Consequently, the National Council on Privatisation approval was sought to create terminal benefits for the Bureau’s staff who are retiring.

“This was, however, subject to the approval of the Salaries and Wages Commission, the body that has the statutory powers to approve Salaries and Allowance of Public Servants.  The Salaries and Wages Commission declined approval of the Terminal Benefits on the grounds that the Bureau cannot be singled out of the entire Public Service for such special treatment.  Once the Salaries and Wages Commission does not approve the benefits, such cannot be included in the budget template and be funded.

“By the provisions of the Pension Act and the determination of the Salaries and Wages Commission, there is no terminal benefit payable to Mallam Ibrahim M Kashim or any staff.

“We wish to emphasise that all retirement benefits are paid by PENCOM in line with the Pension Act and all the ex-director’s records have been forwarded to PENCOM for payment. He has been advised to follow up with PENCOM for payment.”

With The Nation

The eagle in a storm

The new year opened with turmoil in the Chinese stock markets as prices fell dramatically, leading to a global selloff. In just one week, global stock markets lost over $2 trillion US dollars! Other news in the global markets saw the price of a barrel of crude oil fall below $35 per barrel, down from a high of $62 per barrel less than 12 months ago. That’s down 50% in 12 months and 71% in 24 months!

Since the beginning of last year, 2015, the price of copper has fallen by 30%; iron ore is down by 42%; platinum has also been a disaster, losing more than half its value from less than three years ago. Agricultural commodities have not fared much better on global markets. Last week the South African rand hit an all-time low of 16:1 against the United States dollar and it’s still falling!

Your small business in Harare, Lagos or Nairobi may not have anything to do with China, or with any commodity like oil, iron ore, or platinum, so you might be asking yourself, “What’s that got to do with me?” Answer: EVERYTHING! It has everything to do with you, and its impact is going to be very personal... Brace yourself, there’s a storm on its way!

You might even be sitting at your desk as a civil servant, or supervising children at school as a teacher, or upholding the law as a policeman; or maybe you’re a pensioner, and you’re also saying to yourself, "I'm not in business; I don't know anything about these things, so what’s it got to do with me?” Answer: EVERYTHING! It has everything to do with you, and its impact is going to be very personal... Brace yourself, there’s a storm on its way!

You look at the sky and see rolling black clouds. The wind is picking up and you say to yourself, “A big storm is on the way.” Even though rain isn’t yet falling, you know the signs of a heavy rain storm and that you must button things down and secure yourself properly. Or maybe you’re one of millions on the continent today suffering another rainless sky, for months on end, putting your fields, crops, livestock, perhaps your whole life at risk...

These are "signs" in weather conditions. Those who are experienced in such things can usually say with a degree of certainty that a storm is coming. However, if you do not understand these matters, or you blissfully decide to ignore them, you’ll suffer a serious drenching or worse.

In business economics we also have signs, and we're seeing these warning signs right now. They're not any different from the black clouds and the wind, or the clear sky and the drought. They're all linked. The stock markets of China and New York may seem far away, and global commodity prices and exchange rates may seem irrelevant to your village, but they’re linked to the real economy in which you live and work!

The next 12 months or more will be very tough, particularly in emerging markets. Many African countries will find it hard going. Consequently, it will be tough for citizens, especially those who are most vulnerable. The weaker your country's economy going into the storm, the tougher it will be. Similarly, the weaker your company or employer, the tougher it will be...

__There is a storm coming.

Now let me tell you about the flight of the eagle. Prophets and Kings of the bible world absolutely loved watching this majestic bird. They believed the eagle is the only bird that flies during a storm. It's developed a flying technique (a skill) they call "mounting" the wind (as though it were climbing a stairway). The eagle has so mastered the storm that it not only flies during storms, but can find opportunities to prosper; it can actually use the storm to its advantage.

Even in these storms, those with the correct mindset will prepare themselves. They will train themselves to understand the times, and learn to prosper in its headwinds… they will mount on wings as eagles!

Yes, it’s going to be very tough, and for some of you, tougher than anything you could have imagined, but you must not be discouraged or wearied. And when you come through it, you will be much better at what you do. Just don't be afraid, and don't panic. In this series I will remind you of some of the things you must do to prosper like the eagle.

This year we must be serious, very serious. Africa expects it of us.

With Strive Masiyiwa

Americans missing in Iraq

The US embassy says "several" Americans have gone missing in Iraq after local media reported that three US citizens had been kidnapped in Baghdad, according to Aljazeera.

"We are working in full cooperation with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans," US embassy spokesman Scott Bolz said.

Bolz did not identify the missing Americans or say what they were doing in Iraq.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said "due to privacy considerations" he had nothing further to add about the missing Americans.

"The safety and security of Americans abroad is our highest priority," Kirby said.

The comments by US officials came after the Arab news channel, al-Arabiya, citing its own sources, reported that three Americans had been kidnapped by militias in Baghdad.

Iraqi media reports said the Americans went missing in the south of the capital on their way to Baghdad International Airport.

A Western security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, told the Associated Press news agency on Sunday that he had been told that three Americans went missing 24 to 48 hours ago.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Kidnappings in Iraq have been carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Shia militias, as well as criminal gangs demanding ransom payments or disgruntled employees seeking to resolve workplace disputes.

The incident comes after a week that has seen a deterioration of security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm.

ISIL claimed a number of attacks in Baghdad and neighbouring Diyala province last week that killed more than 50 people, including a high-profile attack on a Baghdad mall. The string of ISIL attacks on civilian targets within areas of Iraqi government control follow battlefield losses, most recently in western Iraq.

Last month, Iraqi troops pushed fighters out of the centre of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar province in Iraq's Sunni heartland.

Burkina Faso begins mourning after 12-hour siege by al-Qaeda fighters which left 28 people dead.

Burkina Faso has begun three days of national mourning after al-Qaeda fighters killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.

The national mourning began on Sunday, a day after government soldiers and French forces ended a more than 12-hour siege at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou's business district.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said the people of Burkina Faso must unite in the fight against "terrorism".

He also announced on the national broadcaster, Burkina 24, that security forces would be stepping up their efforts to thwart future attacks and asked people to comply with the new restrictions.

"These truly barbaric criminal acts carried out against innocent people, claimed by the criminal organisation al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), seek to destabilise our country and its republican institutions, and to undermine efforts to build a democratic, quiet and prosperous nation," said Kabore.

The attack, which began on Friday night, was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso.

The al-Qaeda group, claiming responsibility for the killings, released an audiotape titled: A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts.

When the gunfire and explosions finally stopped, authorities said 18 were killed in the hotel and 10 were killed at the nearby Cappuccino Cafe.

Among the victims was a Ukrainian woman who was co-owner of the cafe with her Italian husband, Gaetano Santomenna, according to Ukrainian officials.

Although Santomenna was not at the cafe and survived the attack, the couple's son, Michel Santomenna, nine, was killed, according to the Italian foreign ministry.

Paolo Gentiloni, Italy's foreign minister, called the child's death "a horrendous crime" in a tweet, which also expressed sympathy with the boy's father.

The toll includes six Canadians, according to Canadian officials.

Others killed include seven citizens of Burkina Faso, two Ukrainians, two Swiss, two French and one each from the US, Holland, Portugal and Libya, and one French-Ukrainian, according to Burkina Faso officials who released a partial list.

Other bodies were being identified.

The American - Michael Riddering, 45, of Cooper City, Florida - had been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2011, where he and his wife ran an orphanage that also provided shelter to abused women and widows.

He is survived by his four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.

Swiss authorities said its two nationals who were killed were also in Burkina Faso for humanitarian reasons.

With Aljazeera