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By Iyke Durumba Trending in the last couple of days is the news that the newly-inaugurated National Economic Council has raised questions about the disappearance of $2.1bn from the Excess Crude Account and the illegal withholding of about N3.8tr due the Federation by NNPC. It was said the NEC mandated Govs Oshiomhole, El-Rufai, Dankambo and Emmanuel Udom to investigate the shortfalls. First, I don't think there's any living Nigerian (apart from possible culprits) who will object to a probe and possible recovery of missing funds. We can only have 24/7 electricity, good roads, jobs etc if the govt has money to invest. If it's all been stolen, no deuce, we'll keep suffering. May I just make a few observations: 1) It's in very bad taste and an indication of a dubious intention to have an Oshiomhole on that probe panel. This is a man who in several public pronouncements has already made up his mind as to the conclusions. He's already badly preju...

Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the Youth Takeover of the United Nations On July 12 2013, the first ever Youth Takeover of the UN took place, organised by the President of the UN General Assembly, UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown and A World at School. A World at School and partners brought together hundreds of young education advocates from around the world, including Malala Yousafzai, who made her first public speech since being attacked by the Taliban in Pakistan. We worked with more than 100 organisations to bring together the world's leading young education champions - including Malala - and organise the unprecedented Youth Takeover of the UN. In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown, Respected elders and my dear brothers ...

Abuja. June 30, 2015 THERE WAS NO “UNAUTHORIZED SPENDING” UNDER OKONJO-IWEALA: $2.1BILLION ALLEGATION IS LATEST CHAPTER OF POLITICAL WITCH-HUNT The allegation by some governors that former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spent $2.1 billion out of the Excess Crude Account “without authorization” is false, malicious and totally without foundation. We want to state categorically that no unauthorized expenditure from the ECA was made under Okonjo-Iweala’s watch in the Finance Ministry. Decisions on such expenditure were discussed at meetings of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) attended by finance commissioners from the 36 states. It is curious that in their desperation to use the esteemed National Economic Council for political and personal vendetta, the persons behind these allegations acted as if the constitutionally recognized FAAC, a potent expression of Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, does not exist. But Nigerians know that coll...

Release date: June 29 2015 Lagos June 29 2015: Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja seeking for an order that only salaries and allowances approved by the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for legislators will be payable to the members of the current 8th Assembly of the National Assembly. The court is asked to order for the refund of any excess payment above what the Commission has prescribed, made to legislators of the 5 th , 6 th and 7 th Assemblies.   In an originating summons filed on Friday June 26 2015, LEDAP is also seeking a declaration that only the RMAFC has the constitutional power to stipulate the salaries and allowances of public officers of the federation including legislators by virtue of Paragraph 32(d) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution. The suit further seeks for an order that the proposed payment of aggregate sum of N8.6bilion Naira...

‪By Ubong David Yesterday I had discussion with some friends and we bared our minds on leadership, governance and politics. Then the issue of people who occupied political offices came up. While I was commending Katsina State for producing the youngest Speaker of State House of Assembly at age 32, I was made to understand that 70 percent of Katsina State House of Assembly fall between the age bracket of 30 and 35 years. Wow, what a courtesy for youth leadership by Katsina State. I think it will not be out of place to call Katsina a Model State for Youth Leadership in Nigeria. It may interest you to know that the Chairperson of Commonwealth Youth Council, Ahmed Adamu is also from Katsina State. That state has exceeded the 30% Affirmative Action for youth that we are glamouring for and we expect Katsina State House of Assembly to be the best in the country owing to the fact that there will be ideas and innovations that will be brought to governance. I hope to embark on a study of...

By Ubong David I woke up to read narratives from some of my friends on facebook questioning the rationale for some PDP supporters to defend Bukola Saraki. To me, these are people who should know it better that the office of the Senate President is the No. 3 highest position of the land in a democratic setting like ours and immediately one ascend that position, he automatically become Nigeria Senate President and not a political party Senate President. It is either they are ignorantly trying to mislead the public or emotionally express their sympathy to gather support for their party leaders to mortgage democratic processes with impunity. Sen. Bukola Saraki, Nigeria Senate President Nigerians are more enlightened people to be silenced on very sensitive issues such as the election of principal officers of the National Assembly. These educated illiterates should know that the office of the President, Vice President, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Repr...

By Ubong David I have observed with total dismay a media offensive launch against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki by a paid agent Omoyele Sowore and his sensational online media platform, Sahara Reporters. The campaign to blackmail Bukola Saraki is the last weapon left in the hands of those who want his head to be cut off for refusing to dance to their tune. It is unfortunate that APC as a party has engaged the services of Sahara Reporter s to execute this cheap blackmail.    Senate President Bukola Saraki with US Ambassador to Nigeria How do Sahara Reporters just woke up few days ago to realized that Bukola Saraki has dual citizen of United Kingdom and Nigeria? The latest is that he is a thief. Where was Sahara Reporters and its sponsors when Bukola Saraki was serving his state as executive governor for 8 good years? Where was Sahara Reporters and its sponsors when Bukola Saraki was elected as a Senator in 2011 and re-elected in 2015? Oh, they just...

Press Release Wednesday June 24 2015, 4.51pm Lagos, June 24 2015: The Legal Defence and Assistance Project ( LEDAP ) today calls on the Houses of Assembly of Osun , Ondo , Oyo , Imo and Edo States to commence the impeachment of their State Governors who are unable to pay salaries of their civil servants for financial recklessness and profligacy. President Mohamed Buhari’s regimes must immediately open transparent and independent investigations into the misuse of public funds, including huge sums of money borrowed from the capital market by the ex-Governors of Benue , Enugu , Rivers, Abia , Akwa Ibom , Plateau and Zamfara States. The failure of these states Governors to pay salaries of their civil servants, who constitute less than 2 per cent of the population of the states, shows a total failure of governance and profligacy on the part of the Governors. The monthly allocations from the Federation account is more than enough to meet the basic governance obligations of ...

PRESS RELEASE RE - APC’S PRESS RELEASE: UDOM EMMANUEL MUST DECLARE HIS ASSETS AND DISCLOSE STATE’S FULL DEBT PROFILE Our attention has been drawn to the Press Release by the APC dated June 23, 2015 with the above caption. Let me on behalf of the 5 million people of Akwa Ibom State thank the All Progressives Congress (APC) for finally agreeing that elections did take place in Akwa Ibom State on April 11, and that Udom Emmanuel of the PDP was massively and overwhelmingly voted into office as the Governor of our dear State. With this acknowledgement, I hope the APC can now join hands to build our State and support the people-centric programmes of the Udom Emmanuel administration. Shortly after Governor Emmanuel was sworn-in, he hit the ground running and to show a total dedication to his main campaign promise of rapid industrialization, he has already set up a technical committee for the realization of the Ibom Deep Seaport, made up of thorough-bred professionals, with the dead...