EXPLOSIVE: N29 Billion Fraud Discovered In Niger Delta Ministry?

Alleged fictitious contracts totalling N29 billion in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, between 2010 and 2011, have been uncovered.

But the minister of Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has denied any involvement in the alleged dirty deals.

The scam involved payments for phantom projects, over-budgeting and violation of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) guidelines for the award of government contracts.

According to official documents made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday by Anti-Corruption Network, a whistle-blowing organisation headquartered in Abuja, the award of these fake contracts, which had been ongoing, violated the BPP rules but were nevertheless fully paid for with the authority of Nigeria's Ministry of Finance.

Examples of such non-existent projects, which the group said have been exhaustively investigated and found to be fraudulent, are: contract for the canalization of Odoubou-Bololou creek project in Ogbaba- Gbene, Burutu LGA, at a cost of N1.259bn; contract for land reclamation and shoreline protection at Ogbobagbene, for which the sum of N2.431bn was fraudulently paid; and the contract for canalization training of Foupolo-Bunu Ndoro creek project in Burutu LGA for which N2.370bn was paid even though the project did not exist.

According to a Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs document obtained yesterday by LEADERSHIP at the media briefing convened by Anti-Corruption Network, contract for land reclamatinon /shoreline protection project at Ogbobagbene, Burutu LGA, Delta State, under the watch of the ministry and awarded in 2010 at the cost of N5,813,743,373.92 was found to have been over-funded to the tune of N12,925,132,704.00.This was despite the cost-reduction review totalling N1,067,349,380.28 given by the BPP.

Briefing journalists yesterday, the executive secretary of the anti-corruption group, Otunba Dino Melaye, said over N29bn had been siphoned through a list of fictitious contracts by the ministry, adding that, also in 2010, a contract for land reclamation/ shoreline protection and canalization in the Niger Delta region, Batch 1, was awarded by the ministry to one Messrs Hanslum Construction Ltd and six others at the sum of N14,270,966,124.99.

"We are resolute to expose corruption at all levels. We are going to take this fight to the next level by not only exposing them but also going to court to challenge those who perpetrate it. In the Niger Delta Ministry, it is unfortunate that we have discovered three phantom projects. They are not just phantom but non-existent. We say that it is satanic, the collaboration between the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Finance in this scam," he said.

He noted that the anti-corruption network would send copies of the documents proving these scams to the presidency, the ministers of the affected ministries as well as the relevant anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and the ICPC for further investigations. The move, he said, would be followed by a court action against the key players of the fraud, adding that, as a whistleblower, he owed it a duty to the nation to uncover corrupt dealings wherever it was found.

Elder Orubebe has denied any knowledge of the alleged fraud of N29billion meant for the contracts' funding in his office.

The minister, who described the allegation of embezzlement of public funds as very untrue, a fallacy and a miscounted one, said via telephone that he was open to an investigation by "any authority".

Orubebe, who further described the allegation as cheap blackmail by unrepentant liars and cheap popularity seekers, advised them go back and check their facts as the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy would never release funds without carrying out proper inspection of projects sites.

"The minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy cannot allow that at all; there is no way the minister will approve funds for projects that are not on ground. Projects are inspected before the release of funds," he stated. "If we had done a fraud on such a massive scale, wouldn't they have found out? In 2010 and 2011 we carried out contracts according to the funds availed us and have lamented bitterly of shortfalls and there are just three allegations out of the hundreds of contracts."

Our papers are open to scrutiny. Every allegation they have made, we have countered. We have got the documents for everything. I have all the facts and figures to show the allegations are false," Orubebe told LEADERSHIP.

Jonathan wants Ribadu report submitted Friday

Meanwhile, barely a week after the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu-led Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force announced that it had discovered shady deals and crude oil theft in the petroleum industry, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave a marching order to the task force: it should present its report to him on Friday this week at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Jonathan also ordered two other committees set up by the federal government early this year on different aspects of the petroleum industry to submit their reports to him on the same Friday.

A statement issued by the special adviser to the president, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Jonathan's directive was in furtherance of "the administration's commitment to transparency, probity, and accountability in the petroleum sector".

"President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that a comprehensive report of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force chaired by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu should be presented to him this week," he stated.

The statement made available to LEADERSHIP reads in part: "The Committee, which was set up in February 2012, was required to, among other tasks, determine and verify all petroleum upstream and downstream revenues (taxes and royalties, etc) due and payable to the Federal Government of Nigeria, and to take all necessary steps to collect all debts due and owed; to obtain agreements and enforce payment terms by all oil industry operators.

"The presentation of the Committee's report will take place on Friday, November 2, at 11am, at the State House, Abuja."

Abati noted that the president further directed "two other committees set up by the federal government earlier this year on different aspects of the country's petroleum industry to also present their reports" to him on Friday, November 2, 2012.

Similarly, the senior special assistant to the president on public affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, in a release made available to LEADERSHIP, said the president had not even seen nor received any copy of the Ribadu Committee report. He said what had been released to the media prematurely is a draft copy which will be subjected to clarifications and due process from the originating ministry before the official handing over to the presidency.

"President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should be commended for his personal resolve to fight institutionalized corruption in Nigeria. President Jonathan ordered the probe of the oil industry for the period of ten years (2002 - 2011) which also covers the tenure of his administration. No president in our history has gone this far and this explains why the rot in our system has persisted for so long.

"President Jonathan approved the appointment of a well-known anti-corruption crusader, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who ran against him at the presidential poll on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

"It is also noteworthy that the secretary of the Committee, Mr. Supo Sasore, was a former attorney-general of Lagos State under an ACN government.

President Jonathan's unwavering and commendable determination to fight corruption is clearly demonstrated by his approval of the appointment of credible Nigerians, anti-corruption crusaders and members of the opposition party in the committee," Okupe said.

The president's aide said Jonathan was committed to exposing fraud at all levels including the oil sector as illustrated by the Aig Imokhuede committee on fuel subsidy.

Source: Leadership

UPDATE: Orubebe Speaks

Elder Godsday Orubebe, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs has threatened to drag former House of Representatives member, Dino Melaye, to court over allegations that the ministry awarded fictitious contracts to the sum of N29 billion.

Elder Godsday Orubebe

Melaye, who is the Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, had at a press briefing in Abuja, Monday, alleged that over N29 billion had been cornered through fictitious contracts by the ministry.

He said the contracts include land reclamation/shoreline protection and construction of canals. He further alleged that the ministry was involved in payments for phantom projects, over-invoicing and violation of Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, guidelines for the award of contracts.

SURPRISING: Godswill Orubebe Now Power Minister?

President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed Godswill Orubebe as the new Power Minister.

Reuben Abati, the president’s spokesman said this on Wednesday.

Mr Orubebe was the former minister of the Niger Delta ministry.

The president also made a minor change to his cabinet.

The president swapped the Minister of State for Power, Gauis Dickson, with the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Zainab Kuchi.

The change takes effect from next week, Abati, the president’s spokesman said.

The president is yet to give reasons for the reshuffle.

More detail soon....

Source: Premium Times

SCARY: 14 Nigerian Men Die Daily Over Prostate Cancer?

The Coordinator, National Cancer Prevention Programme, Lagos State branch, Dr. Abia Nzelu, has said that prostate cancer kills 14 men everyday in Nigeria.

Nzelu, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday, noted that the figure was based on studies.

She said that a large percentage of Nigerian men report their cancer cases late when the symptoms had already manifested and attributed the situation to ignorance.

According to her, people die unnecessarily, even when they were diagnosed because there are no facilities to treat them.

She said, “Prostate cancer, the second commonest cancer in men, kills 14 men in Nigeria every day. This is not acceptable because it can be prevented.

“India has over 120 comprehensive cancer centres and we don’t have even one centre that has everything to take care of any kind of cancer that can carry out world class research.

“We need something like this in our own country, because apart from the fact that those that have, can afford it and travel, what of those that cannot?

“In Nigeria, cancer is like a death sentence, that is why most deaths here are unnecessary; they are untimely.

SCARY: 14 Nigerian Men Die Daily Over Prostate Cancer?

The Coordinator, National Cancer Prevention Programme, Lagos State branch, Dr. Abia Nzelu, has said that prostate cancer kills 14 men everyday in Nigeria.

Nzelu, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday, noted that the figure was based on studies.

She said that a large percentage of Nigerian men report their cancer cases late when the symptoms had already manifested and attributed the situation to ignorance.

According to her, people die unnecessarily, even when they were diagnosed because there are no facilities to treat them.

She said, “Prostate cancer, the second commonest cancer in men, kills 14 men in Nigeria every day. This is not acceptable because it can be prevented.

“India has over 120 comprehensive cancer centres and we don’t have even one centre that has everything to take care of any kind of cancer that can carry out world class research.

“We need something like this in our own country, because apart from the fact that those that have, can afford it and travel, what of those that cannot?

“In Nigeria, cancer is like a death sentence, that is why most deaths here are unnecessary; they are untimely.

MYSTERY: Dead Man Discovered In Well, Community On Rampage?

Hell was let loose recently in Abayawo,  Ilorin, Kwara State capital, Southwest Nigeria after a middle aged man’s corpse was recovered from a well at Ile Alowo-Eru in the area.

A mob, suspected to be kinsmen of the victim, identified as Kabiru Yellow of Oju Ekun area in Ilorin, went on the rampage in Ile Alowo-Eru, vandalising properties to evenge the death of their kinsman, whom they believed did not accidentally fall into the well but was murdered because of a woman.

While the police claimed that Yellow accidentally fell into the well and died, the angry mob alleged that Yellow was murdered and thrown into the well on the allegation that he was found with a woman betrothed to a man from Ile Alowo-Eru.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Yellow had escorted the woman identified as Rasidat Imam who had paid him a visit in his house at Oju Ekun when he was accosted in Abayawo area by some men who accused him of dating the fiancée of their kinsman.

Enraged by the circumstances of Yellow’s death, his family members and sympathisers, were reported to have vandalised some  vehicles parked by the roadside before torching some buildings in the area.

Security men from Oloje Police Station were later mobilised to disperse the mob while men of the state fire service were invited to put out the fire set by the mob.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Olufemi Fabode,  did not confirm if any arrest was made during the rampage but stated that the remains of Yellow had been deposited in the morgue at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

According  to Fabode,  Abu Baba, who reportedly  challenged Yellow over his relationship with the woman, when he saw them together was already in police custody for interrogation,  adding that investigation on the circumstances  that led to Yellow’s death was still ongoing.

Source: PM News

KADUNA BOMB: Suicide Bomber Planned To Kill Over 1,000 People?

Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State ,yesterday, said the aim of the suicide bomber that blew off himself and killed eight worshippers at St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Badarwa, Kaduna last Sunday was to kill the entire 1000-plus worshippers attending mass that day.

The governor, who returned from a one-week holiday, Sunday evening, took a tour of the bombed church and visited the injured taking treatment in five different hospitals, saying government will foot their bills and “assist” owners of affected property near the church.

Meanwhile, normal activities have resumed in the town with schools, markets, shops, and all public offices opened. But, a convoy of armed soldiers patrol the major streets of Kaduna to establish their presence.

Speaking at a press conference, yesterday, after what he said was a five-hour tour to see for himself what happened, Yakowa said: “I have gone to the affected church, and I have visited all the injured patients and I am deeply saddened by what happened, but I thank God, because it could have been worse.

“I met the officiating Priest during the Mass Service. His name is Rev. Father Mike Bunni. He was able to tell me that the bomber was very determined to kill all the over 1000 worshippers in the church. And you could see how daring he was. He did not go through the gate. He drove straight against the fenced wall of the church.

“The Priest said if the fence of the church was not strong, he could have driven through the walls of the church and detonated the bomb there. But the bomb went off just outside the door of the church and brought it down. That was why the casualties were not that much. Four were killed. That was what I was told. About 100 were injured. So, you see, we have to thank God for his infinite grace, because the situation could have been worse.

“I was at the 44 Army Referral Hospital, St Gerard Hospital, Garkuwa Hospital Barau Dikko and Multi-Clinic Hospitals. I want to say that though they are in various degrees of pain, they are all in high spirits. I spoke to them, and they all said it was an act of God.

“The Priest told me that no amount of terror will frustrate him from worshiping Christ, and that terror cannot dictate how we worship God.

“I want to use this opportunity to also say that no amount of wickedness of terrorism will deter us from pursuing our agenda of peace, development and security. The few evil ones in this state cannot frustrate the state.

“All the victims will be treated at the expense of the state government, and I have assured all the Medical Directors of these hospitals. We will also assist the owners of the damaged property near the church. And this means that we have to spend on what we have not planned for.”

He then thanked all that came out to assist the victims and praised Christian youths for not going into reprisal attacks.

The Deputy Speaker, Kaduna House of Assembly, Dr. Dogara Matto, spoke at the press conference and said the House was ready to pass into law under 24-hours any law that would improve peace and security in the state.

The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, also addressed the press and said: “I want to appeal to all our youths to always refrain from taking the law into their hands by taking on innocent people each time this kind of evil takes place. Evil cannot set the pace on how we should leave with one another. I thank them for heeding to this advice.”

Source: Vanguard

The President Brought Hope To The Floods By Reuben Abati

Barring any other development of equally impactful effect, the great event of the year 2012 for Nigerians would probably be the floods that submerged many communities across the country, forcing a rude awakening about the reality of climate change and Nigeria’s share of this global phenomenon. Which is ironic in one sense more than any other, for when President Jonathan travelled to Rio de Janeiro to attend the Earth Summit, known as Rio+20, in June, many had criticized him for paying attention to “an irrelevant subject.”

The principal lesson lies in how Nigeria shares with the rest of the world, the increasing challenge of climate change and its consequences, described in the Rio+20 document as “an immediate and urgent global priority.” The floods were caused according to the experts by excess rainfall, which resulted in the overflooding of Rivers Benue and Niger and their tributaries, from Taraba, to Adamawa, Kogi, all the way to the states of Southern Nigeria. Natural disasters had always seemed to the average Nigerian like something that affects other people, and seen on CNN, and if there had been any knowledge of floods, it was regarded as something rare, occurring as a marginal reminder of the Biblical Flood. But this year, the floods reminded us all of how vulnerable our lives have become, and the sameness of both the rich and the poor in the face of natural disaster. Houses were submerged, farmlands were flooded, persons were displaced; the rich and the poor cried.

This conflict between man and nature playing out on our shores, underscored the pivotal place of environmental challenges in the unmaking of human habitats. With water, an indispensable resource unleashing its power, the ordinariness of every man was exposed. Steven Solomon writes sentiently in his book Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization (2010), that “by grasping the lessons of water’s pivotal role on our destiny, we will be better prepared to cope with the crisis about to engulf us all.” That pivotal role is ambiguous. We had failed to pay attention to this. In many of the affected communities, houses had been built on riverbeds, along flood plains, and reclaimed land, and for decades, persons had gotten used to living in those places, naturally and successfully, having no reason whatsoever to imagine the kind of tragedy that crept upon the land this year. When the floods finally recede, many of the affected houses would no longer be habitable: adjustments have to be made by both people and the authorities.

In the meantime, we can look back, with pleasure, on the quality leadership that was demonstrated in managing the effect of the floods and in providing immediate relief for the affected persons. The incident brought government closer to the people; it highlighted the value of strategic institutions such as the National Emergency Management Agency, which deployed human and material resources nationwide, and worked with other agencies such as the Red Cross, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the state governments to ameliorate the people’s suffering. Deservedly, NEMA has received fulsome praise for its efforts. Needless to state that NEMA and other government agencies were responding to a strong charge from the very top, for as the flooding occurred, President Jonathan immediately directed that all relief measures should be mobilized to assist the states and the people. The moment called for leadership. And the President took charge as expected.

He also promptly set up an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee led by the Minister of Environment to go round the country to assess the extent of the floods. That Committee presented its interim report to the President at a meeting attended by state governors and the leadership of the National Assembly. The following day, President Jonathan addressed the nation and announced a 17.6 billion Naira relief fund for all the states, which was immediately made available for their use. All the affected states had set up displaced persons’ camps and were actively providing feeding, accommodation and health services. Further, President Jonathan constituted a National Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Committee co-chaired by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, to raise funds to complement government’s efforts in assisting the flood victims, and to mobilise the general public to support the initiative. With these steps, the administration had pushed the management of the flood crisis to the level of high national priority, generating nationwide empathy in the process.

In addition, President Jonathan announced that he and Vice President Namadi Sambo will visit the affected states. In the week that followed, Nigerians saw their President, without his trademark attire. This had given way to simple shirt and trouser, rolled up sleeves, and a face cap. The President travelled to Kogi, Rivers, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Taraba, Adamawa, and Benue states. He went from one camp to the other, identifying with the people, empathizing with them. He listened to their stories. He shared their agony. His own village in Bayelsa had also been submerged. When he went home to his village, Otuoke, he met his compound flooded up to chest level.

In Kogi, he was told that a man who took a loan for his farm, and had lost everything, contemplated suicide. Everywhere he went, the President took a message of hope, advising the victims not to commit suicide, but to remain confident that with government on their side, there is hope. Together with the state governors, he thanked the relief agencies and all the persons who had come to the rescue of the victims. He didn’t listen to official versions alone; he personally invited spokespersons of displaced persons to lay their concerns before him. There had been a baby boom in many of the camps: women who had given birth in the camps brought their babies to the President. He carried the babies, and posed for photographs with them and their mothers, the most impressive being a photograph of the President with four new-born babies and their mothers at the Makurdi camp.

But the visit to the various camps was not without the touch of occasional comedy. In one of the states for example, one gentleman who felt that the spokesperson for the victims did not convey their feelings fully enough insisted on having a say in the matter. Some officials tried to prevent his intrusion. But when it was President Jonathan’s turn to speak, he collected the microphone and took it straight to the agitated fellow. Speak! It was with much ceremony that the man proceeded to narrate how people who were not affected by the floods were thronging the displaced persons’ camp to collect food meant for the victims and how this was already causing problems.

He wanted the authorities to share the money that had been sent to the states by the Federal Government, directly among the victims in order to shut out non-victims who want “to shorten their ration”. President Jonathan deplored the cruel activities of those seeking to profit from other people’s misfortune, but patiently, he told the man that he had not come to discuss food, because all the state governments according to reports were doing a lot to assist the victims, and nobody would die anyway in any of the camps because of food. While government is providing necessary short term relief, the Administration is more concerned about how the people will manage their lives after the flood, how to prevent the outbreak of any kind of epidemic, how to rehabilitate the affected persons and how to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Indeed, there has been so much pre-occupation with the “sharing” of either food or money, and journalistic nitpicking over the ecological fund, whereas the Jonathan administration’s response to the crisis is much broader and comprehensive comprising short, medium and long-term measures. From the outset, the President had ordered an informed, multi-perspective analysis of the incident and its aftermath to guide interventions. A mapping of the affected areas has been done, the nature and extent of the damage has been properly studied; engineers have been dispatched to the states to assess the infrastructural impact of the floods. On all his visits to the states, President Jonathan was accompanied by the House Committee Chairman on Environment, Hon. Uche Ekwunife and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Clever Ikisikpo.

He was also joined by the Director of Army Engineering, whose department had gone round to assess the damage and was providing the President with preliminary engineering analysis. Bridges linking communities collapsed, roads were washed away. Public infrastructures in the affected communities need to be fixed, and the military was also called in to help. In the wake of the floods, fears were expressed about the possibility of drought in the coming year. President Jonathan promptly directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to intervene, and a National Flood Recovery Production Plan was immediately launched. Under this plan, the Federal Government is providing high-yielding, flood-resistant seedlings and fertilisers for farmers, technical assistance and other incentives to boost the national yield, as well as releases from the national strategic grains reserves. The Ministry of Agriculture has since allayed fears of a food crisis, noting that the bulk of the country’s farmlands remain unaffected.

Similarly, the Federal Ministries of Works, Water Resources, Health and the Environment have been directed to design other relief plans. In all of these, the Federal Government is collaborating with the state governments. The Ministers travelled to each state ahead of the President with their teams, and they were on the ground to provide necessary information. In the few states where there is no State Emergency Management Agency, President Jonathan has asked NEMA to work with the state governments to set up such agencies to further strengthen the country’s preparedness to tackle emergencies. When the floods occurred, there were also reports of a certain Cameroonian connection to wit that due to excess volume of water caused by excess rainfall, the Cameroonian authorities had released water from Lagdo dam; some other dams in Nigeria also had to be emptied raising the hydrological level in many places.

Fact: the floods were predicted as far back as March by the relevant agencies. But we all took the predictions for granted. We are all such lucky people we often imagine that the worst cannot happen here. Even when government advises the people accordingly about likely dangers, the natural response is to resist official wisdom and insist that in a democracy, the people have a right to everything including self-immolation. To prevent artificial contributions to the effect of climate change, nonetheless, the administration has taken the additional step of reviewing available infrastructure that can serve the purpose. To this end, President Jonathan has directed that the dredging of Rivers Niger and Benue be expedited. He has also visited the Kashimbila Dam in Takum LGA, Taraba State, which is under construction. The buffer dam is designed to provide power and irrigation services, but more importantly to hold water released from Lake Nyos in Cameroon with a holding capacity of 18 million cubic litres. There are plans also, as part of long term intervention measures to build dams on the River Benue as well as dykes in identified vulnerable plains.

President Jonathan has brought to the delivery of all these measures, passion, action and commitment. He asked the engineers in charge of the Kashimbila Dam when they think they are likely to complete the dam. “2013 sir!” He told them he hopes the promise will be kept because the nation cannot wait.

The promptitude with which he has personally attended to the flood crisis has been commended by many an observer; the actual truth is that this is the nature and character of the man that Nigerians chose as their President in April 2011. He is one of the people, so he understands their feelings, and he speaks their language. He is informal, people-committed and devoted to the assignment that Nigerians have given him. He does not see the Presidency as a privilege-posting; he is committed to serving the people and making a difference, and he has removed “do-or-die” inclinations from the country’s electoral process. Nigerians, this includes those with politically determined ocularity, should see that whenever they are looking for someone to stand by them, Goodluck Jonathan is the leader that they can count upon.

Source: Daily Post