Falana gives EFCC 13 grounds to prosecute Oduah[Read 8,599 times]

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission 13 grounds to prosecute the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, and “her agents” for gross misconduct in the purchase of two armoured cars at N255m.

In a November 2, 2013, letter to the EFCC chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, Falana also gave the commission up till November 8 to make available to him the investigation report on the matter.

Relying on the Court of Appeal’s decision in the case of Dogogo v EFCC (2013), the lawyer threatened to sue the EFCC if it failed to carry out its “statutory duty”.

He accused the House of Representatives committee before whom Oduah appeared on October 31, of deliberately not asking her the relevant questions on the “criminal enterprise”.

But he said facts and circumstances of the “illegal transaction” had established, among others, that “there was no appropriation for the sum of N255m for the acquisition of armoured cars in the Appropriation Act, 2013.”

He also said the minister “exceeded her approval limit as only the Federal Executive Council can approve any transaction of N100m and above; and the transaction did not comply with any of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.”

Other grounds canvassed by Falana include, “The prices of the two cars were inflated by the auto company in connivance with the aviation minister and the management of the NCAA.

“The loan of N643 million sourced from the First Bank Plc for the purchase of operational vehicles for the NCAA was not approved by the National Assembly.

“The repayment of the loan in 36 months by the NCAA is tantamount to contract splitting in contravention of the Financial Guidelines of the Federal Government.

“That the Aviation Minister admitted her involvement in the extra budgetary purchase of the cars when she gave illegal approval before directing the NCAA officials to “do the needful”!

“The Media Assistant to the Aviation Minister who claimed that the armoured cars were purchased for the “safety” of his boss has not denied the official statement.

“The Ministry of Aviation conspired with the auto company to evade the payment of appropriate duties on the armoured cars to the coffers of the Federal Governmen as they obtained duty waiver by false pretences from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

“The First Bank Plc  entered into an illegal loan agreement with the NCAA to finance the illegal transaction from the internally generated revenue of the NCAA. Under the law loans can only be approved by the legislative arm of government fo fund capital projects and not for the purchase of cars.

He therefore asked the anti-graft agency to hasten to try the minister and her agents “for gross economic and financial crimes as they wilfully violated the relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Public Procurement Act as well as the relevant Circulars and Financial Guidelines of the Federal Government.”

He threatened to apply for an order of mandamus to compel EFCC “to carry out your statutory duty” if it failed to acceded to his request.

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N255m car scandal: Airlines stop payment of charges[Read 8,867 times]

Oduah

Domestic airlines have announced that they will no longer remit charges to aviation agencies until the sector is rid of corruption.

The carriers, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, said the decision took effect from November 1, 2013.

In a statement on Sunday, the spokesman of the group, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, complained that heavy charges were being imposed on the airline operators by the aviation agencies.

He added that despite this, there was a lot of corruption in the system, citing the latest armoured car scandal involving the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.

Tukur said, “Due to the ongoing crisis, we have resolved to stop all remittances payable to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and other relevant aviation bodies, as the numerous charges have the potential to cripple our operations.

“This will continue pending the time they reform or come clean on the taxes and charges they have collected, which ran into several billions of naira in a couple of years. They also need a reform to comply with the global practices and standards.

“The suspension of payment of taxes and charges took effect from November 1, 2013, and we call on the Federal Government and all concerned to set up an investigative panel to resolve these anomalies.”

The aviation industry has  lately been embroiled in controversy over the propriety of new tariffs imposed by the NCAA on non-scheduled commercial airline operators among other charges that have made it difficult for them to cope.

Tukur added that the airlines were in dire straits occasioned by the imposition of security charges, landing and parking charges, remittance of five per cent taxes on every ticket sold, fuel tax, multiple navigational charges, airport taxes, and expensive office spaces, among others.

The carriers expressed disappointment with the obsolete infrastructure at the nation’s airports and the malfunctioning navigational tools, which they said had contributed to numerous crashes in Nigeria.

Tukur said the association was studying the involvement of two of its members in the reported bulletproof car scandal, noting that they might be sanctioned if found culpable.

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Police Disrupts G-7 Govs Meeting In Abuja Threatens Members With Arrest

DPO ASOKORO POLICE UNIT, ABUJA, CSP NNANNA AMAH IN ORANGE-COLOURED T-SHIRT INFORMS GOVERNOR RABI’U MUSA KWANKWASO OF KANO STATE TO STOP THE NPDP MEETING AT THE KANO STATE GOVERNOR’S LODGE YESTERDAY.

The security clampdown on members of the G-7 governors continued yesterday as truckloads of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Asokoro police station – CSP Nnanna Amah, stormed the Kano governor’s lodge and attempted to disperse a meeting that was on-going citing ‘orders from above’.

Although the governors stood their ground daring the policemen to do their worse, CSP Amah threatened to arrest them if they refused to cooperate by stopping their meeting immediately.
Governors Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Rabiu Musa kwanwaso, Sule Lamido, Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Murtala Nyako and some top leaders of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) including chairman of the faction, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje were among those at the meeting.
It was learnt that no sooner had the meeting begun by 7pm yesterday than four truckloads of armed policemen arrived at the lodge and demanded to be allowed into the premise but they were stopped by the security details of the five governors who were already manning the gate to the premises.
In the ensuing commotion outside, the governors stepped out to see what was happening when they were told that policemen were at the lodge demanding to be allowed into the venue of the meeting.
The governors then invited the leader of the police team CSP Amah into the lodge to brief them on his mission; he was on orders to stop the meeting or arrest them.
Citing their rights under the Nigerian Constitution which guaranteed them freedom of association, the governors challenged the police officer daring him to go ahead and arrest them. The DPO was said to have stood aloof for a while before beating a retreat but left his men behind while the meeting continued.
Governor Kwankwaso, who spoke to newsmen at the end of the meeting with officials of the party, confirmed the incident, saying the DPO told them that he had orders from the Presidency to stop their meeting or arrest them.
“I see this as an affront not only on me as a person; because as a citizen of this country I have the right to associate, but I see it as an affront on the entire people of Kano State, since I have their mandate as a governor.

“We have not seen this type of thing even in the dark days of the military and it is unfortunate that this thing would be happening in a democracy where the freedom of every individual is guaranteed,” he said.
His statement was corroborated by Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and National Secretary of the faction, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the nPDP, Chukwuemeka Eze flayed the police action, saying the caucus of the new PDP were meeting to review progress reports, accept the reports of committees and take important steps on the future of the movement.
“Sadly, midway into the meeting, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Asokoro Police Unit, CSP Nnanna Amah, burst into the scene and ordered the meeting stopped, threatening to mobilize troops to abort it if his order was not obeyed. According to CSP Ama he has the directive from the Villa to arrest the Governors if the meeting is not stopped”.
Eze, however, disclosed that before the arrival of CSP Amah, the governors had gone far in their deliberations and mandated its caucus to fashion out modalities for its next meeting to be held immediately after the proposed peace talks with President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the options before them which he said includes; either to remain in PDP or accept the proposal of APC or join PDM, VOA or form a new political party.
Governors Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto and Abdulfatai Ahmed of Kwara State were absent at yesterday’s meeting but were said to have sent their apologies, which was accepted by the caucus.
Other leaders who attended include Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe State) and Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa State) and former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Sam Jaja.

Syria: Assad Seeks End To Rebel Backing From Foreign Powers - naijaswap

Syria: Assad Seeks End To Rebel Backing From Foreign Powers

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has told UN-Arab envoy that peace talks can only take place when foreign states supporting rebels withdraw assistance.
Assad said this during a meeting with peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus on Wednesday.
“The Syrian people are the only ones who have the right to decide on Syria’s future, and any solution or agreement must have the acceptance of the Syrian people, and reflect their desires,” Assad told Brahimi.
The meeting came as part of a regional tour aimed at  garnering support for a US-Russian peace initiative for Syria planned next month in Geneva.
In seeking a solution to Syria’s civil war, in which an estimated 115,000 people have died in 31 months, Assad also warned that there must not be “any foreign intervention”.

“Putting an end to support for the terrorists and pressuring the states that support them is the most important step to prepare… for dialogue,” Assad said.
Since the start of an anti-Assad revolt in March 2011, Damascus has systematically branded the uprising-turned-rebellion as a foreign-backed plot.
“The success of any political solution is linked to putting an end to support funnelled to terrorist groups,” he added.
UN-Arab League envoy Brahimi also agreed with Assad that the Syrians themselves need to find a solution to the conflict ravaging the country, State television reported.
“The efforts being made for the Geneva conference to be held are focused on finding the way for the Syrians themselves to meet and to agree on solving the crisis as quickly as possible,” Brahimi said in the meeting, his first with Assad since December last year.