Former Pres. Jonathan and Diezani face probe over $6.9m campaign stages

The ongoing probe of former Pres Jonathan's administration by President Muhammadu Buhari is to find out the  dealings behind the alleged purchase of 3 mobile stages, that cost $6.9m, Presidency source has said.
According to a document, which was obtained from the Presidency on Saturday, the deal, which is now a subject of investigation, was allegedly carried out by Jonathan; his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the numerous accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for the purpose of buying 3 pieces of 40-feet mobile stages for use by Jonathan during mass public speaking events. According to the document, apart from the fact that the sum for the stages was “incredibly inflated”, there is currently no evidence that the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn.The document read"
“While the cost of mobile stages ranges in sizes and designs, only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the US spend hundreds of thousands on their huge stages way bigger than the 40-feet stages.
“Even then, those musicians and superstars would not pay over $2m per stage, according to industry sources.
“The process of procurement of the three mobile stages was neither known to extant Nigerian laws and due process regulations nor were the offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General in the know, according to the investigators.”It added that the phony purchase was carried out in late 2011, a few months after Jonathan won the presidential election for a full term after having completed the term of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.Jonathan’s CSO was said to have initiated a memo to the former President on October 17, 2011, asking for the purchase of three mobile stages.He was reported to have written in that memo to Jonathan that memo referred to “my earlier discussion with Your Excellency on the security implication of your public appearances and your subsequent directive on the need to procure a secured presidential platform.”The Presidency source said on the same day, without any financial advice or purchase order reviews, the former President approved the request to buy the three stages and minuted the memo to the then Minister for Petroleum Resources.In his minute, Jonathan was said to have written, “We have discussed this, please deal.”According to the document, on the same October 17, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administrative Matters, Mr. Matt Aikhionbere, did another letter on the strength of the President’s approval requesting the minister to take action on the request to purchase the stages for $6.9m.It added, “By the next month, an NNPC payment voucher, number 3840336, was already in place, revealing that the money was released.
“NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.
“It was first routed from the US bank to an NNPC account in Zenith Bank account number 5000026593, Maitama branch in Abuja, from where the money was sent to a private account.
“The sum of $6.9m was then credited to a Sterling Bank account of one J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, a company investigators said was registered by Obuah.
“The CSO himself, according to investigators, has not been able to show proof of the purchase and his memo irked his bosses at the SSS that he took the initiative to write requesting for the stages, an action which officials said was way above his pay grade.”
“The former President approved the procurement of the mobile platforms without due process and bypassing the Procurement Act; neither was there an appropriation in the 2011 budget for such facility,” the document quoted investigators as saying.It added that neither the then Minister of Finance nor the Director-General of the Budget Office was aware of the deal.
“Investigators say this is just one of the several instances, where the Jonathan administration used secret NNPC accounts to fund many questionable projects and for alleged personal financial aggrandisement.
“Already, the CSO has been questioned over his role and activities in the Jonathan Presidency. It will be recalled that he was arrested, detained, questioned and later released.The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh is set to respond to the allegations.  Punch

President Buhari to head Ministry of petroleum for 18 months

According to Punch, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to head the Ministry of Petroleum for 18 months before appointing a substantive minister for the ministry.

Eight Boko Haram Members Have Surrendered In Borno

It's already happening. The good Lord has started answering our prayers. According to Daily Post,
No fewer than eight members of the terror group, Boko Haram, have denounced terrorism in Northern part of the country. Chairman of the youth vigilance group, Apagu Istifanus, told Journalists on Friday that the ex-sect members surrendered in a town around Mussa in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

According to him, the eight claimed they were tired of killing innocent persons.

Contractor sues FG over Jonathan’s N9.2bn stoves

A contractor handling the N9.2billion worth of clean cook stoves and wonder bags awarded by the administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan has sued the Federal Government. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Fatima Mede, revealed this to State House correspondents on Tuesday shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of the ministry’s activities inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Mede said the contractor approached the court to order the government not to terminate the contract following the emergence of a new administration.ADVERTISEMENTThe Jonathan-led Federal Executive Council had on November 26, 2014 approved N9.2billion inclusive of Value Added Tax for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cook stoves and 18,000 wonder bags. The contract was awarded to Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited and there have been several calls on the present administration to terminate the contract. Confirming the legal action, Mede said the ministry had briefed the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation on the development.She said the government would appear before the court to argue its case, however, she did not say if there were plans to terminate the contract.She said
“The matter is in court right now, so there is a limit to how I can talk about the issue of cooking stoves.
“The contractor took government to court asking the court to grant an injunction for government not to terminate the contract.
“We will go there and argue our case, the government will go, we have briefed the Attorney General’s office.
“We will present our case on the issue that led to the contractor taking us to court, it will be explained and the court will decide.”Mede said during her team’s meeting with Buhari, the President raised concerns over environmental degradation in the country.She said the President was aware that the sustainability of the country would depend on how well the environment was managed and that the rate of desertification and afforestation in the country was alarming. Stating that over 43 per cent of Nigerians were affected by the effect of desertification. The Permanent Secretary also pointed to the conflict between the herdsmen and farmers because of forced migration.She said the President had directed that to reduce the rate at which wood was being cut down for cooking, the ministry should consider promoting the use of LPG especially in the cities.  Punch

Names Of Bank Debtors in Nigeria: Helen Esuene Included

The Central Bank of Nigeria-initiated name and shame campaign of banks’ delinquent debtors gained further momentum on Wednesday as First City Monument Bank Limited and Ecobank Nigeria published their lists.The lists have the names of popular companies, whose directors are prominent Nigerians appearing among the high non-performing loan defaulters.

Jonathan former aides, Abati, Adegbe, Obua, others stripped of passports

According to a report by Vanguard, about 12 of former president Jonathan's former aides, including presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, Aide-de-Camp, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe and  Chief Security Officer, Gordon Obua, have been stripped of their official/presidential passports.

The Cheating Syndrome

Would you want to know the secret behind fidelity? keeping your marriage/relationship strong?
Read this as sent to stella dimoko:

JAMB Says HND Will Soon Be Changed To Bachelor Of Technology

The Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde has said President Muhammadu Buhari is willing to implement the waver that will end the Bsc and HND dichotomy.
Buhari had received the updated report on the Bsc and HND controversy, which was presented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, MacJohn Nwaobiala last Tuesday.

Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister among 4 killed after their private jet crashed into a car auction

Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister are thought to be among 4 people killed after a private jet owned by the family crashed into a fireball after overshooting a runway while trying to land outside London.
The £7million Embraer Phenom 300 was owned by Salem Aviation in Jeddah, which is controlled by the dead terrorist’s family. Details after the cut...

WELCOME TO. AUGUST

Happy new month people. wishing you the very best of your life encounter. kisses*