News
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an amendment to the excise duty rates for alcoholic beverages and tobacco with effect from June 4, 2018.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance, said the new excise duty rates were spread over a three-year period from 2018 to 2020 in order to moderate the impact on prices of the products.
The minister said the new excise duty regimes followed all-inclusive stakeholder engagements by the Tariff Technical Committee of the Federal Ministry of Finance with key industry stakeholders.
According to her, the upward review of the excise duty rates for alcoholic beverages and tobacco was to achieve a dual benefit of raising the government’s fiscal revenues and reducing the health hazards associated with tobacco-related diseases and alcohol abuse.
“The Tariff Technical Committee (TCC) recommended the slight adjustment in the excise duty charges after cautious considerations of the Government’s Fiscal Policy Measures for 2018 and the reports of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund Technical Assistance Mission on Nigeria’s Fiscal Policy.
“The effect of the excise duty rates adjustment on trade and investment was also assessed by the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment and it adopted the recommendations of the TTC.
“Furthermore, peer country comparisons were also carried out showing Nigeria as being behind the curve in the review of excise duty rates on alcoholic beverages and tobacco.”
Following the president’s approval, Mrs. Adeosun said the new excise duty rate on tobacco was now a combination of the existing ad-valorem base rate and specific rate while the ad-valorem rate was replaced with a specific rate for alcoholic beverages.
“For alcoholic beverages, the current ad-valorem rate will be replaced with specific rates and spread over three years to moderate the impact on prices,” she said.
“This will curb the discretion in the Unit Cost Analysis (UCA) for determining the ad-valorem rate and prevent revenue leakages.
“For tobacco, the government will maintain the current ad-valorem rate of 20 per cent and introduce additional specific rates with the implementation to be spread over a three-year period to also reasonably reduce the impact on prices.”
Under the newly approved excise duty rates for tobacco in addition to the 20 per cent ad-valorem rate, each stick of cigarette will attract a N1 specific rate per stick (N20 per pack of 20 sticks) in 2018; N2 specific rate per stick (N40 per pack of 20 sticks) in 2019; and N2.90k specific rate per stick (N58 per pack of 20 sticks) in 2020.
The Minister explained that Nigeria’s cumulative specific excise duty rate for tobacco was 23.2 per cent of the price of the most sold brand, as against 38.14 per cent in Algeria, 36.52 per cent in South Africa and 30 per cent in Gambia.
The new specific excise duty rate for alcoholic beverages cuts across Beer & Stout, Wines and Spirits for the three years 2018 to 2020.
Under the new regime, beer and stout would attract N0.30k per centiliter (Cl) in 2018 and N0.35k per Cl each in 2019 and 2020.
Wines would attract N1.25k per Cl in 2018 and N1.50k per Cl each in 2019 and 2020, while N1.50k per Cl was approved for Spirits in 2018, N1.75k per Cl in 2019 and N2.00k per Cl in 2020.
The minister added that the new excise duty regimes are in line with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) directive on the harmonisation of member-states’ legislations on excise duties.
It would be recalled that the ECOWAS Council of Ministers had at its 62nd and 79th Ordinary Sessions in Abuja in May 2009 and December 2017, respectively, issued directives on the harmonisation of the ECOWAS Member States’ Legislations on Excise Duties.
The directives seek to harmonise member-states’ legislations on excise duties of non-oil products and also stipulate the scope of application, rate of taxation, taxable event and amount.
PT
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari did not promise an absolute crime-free Nigeria while campaigning for the presidency in 2015.
Shehu stated this on Sunday while reacting to criticism triggered by the death of several persons from the herdsmen-farmers crisis and other security issues in some parts of the country.
“I think that nobody, no politician should try to deceive Nigerians by saying that there is a country without lawlessness,” he said during his appearance on Channels Television’s SundayPolitics.
“Even when he campaigned – the President, yes, committed to ridding the country of terror but he would never have said that this country would be 100 per cent without criminality,” he added.
Shehu, however, said that the Federal Government is working hard to ensure the safety of the lives and property of Nigerians in all parts of the country.
As part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the killings, he further gave a brief on President Buhari’s scheduled visit to Benue State on Monday, March 12, having visited Taraba.
The presidential aide recalled that a statement was issued to the effect that the President was embarking on the visits after he had received all the reports he had commissioned.
He added that President Buhari believed it was time to go around and see things on the ground and make important decisions on what to follow.
On the President’s engagement in Benue, Shehu said: “The programme, as it stands now, is as we had it in Taraba. There will be a meeting of stakeholders in the State House.
“The President will listen to all the parties in the conflict and thereafter, he will deliver his own homily and, of course, sympathies to the people over the unfortunate losses of persons and property.”
He further faulted claims that the President’s visit to the state is politically motivated, saying his principal was engaging in more of acting than talking to stop the killings.
“I would have thought that if he had intended to inject politics into it, he would have been on the plane the morning after the incident,” Shehu said.
“But he chose to act, rather than to talk and as you have seen yourself over this period of time, there was intervention by law enforcement, there was intervention by NEMA and aid agencies.”
The President’s spokesman further took a swipe at a group of people whom he accused of leveraging the tragic incidents to score political points.
According to him, “They are just celebrating and exalting over all of these matters instead of coming together so that we can solve the problems.”
Daily Post
The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), sitting in a plenary session have elected Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji of Nigeria as President of the Court for a three-year term with immediate effect.
Judge Robert Fremr from the Czech Republic was elected First Vice-President with Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of France as Second Vice-President.
‘I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my peers as President of the International Criminal Court. As I take up my duties, I feel encouraged that I am able to rely on the wide experience of the two Vice-Presidents, Judge Robert Fremr and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, both of whom I have closely worked with previously. I look forward to working together with them as well as with all the judges, all the Officials and the staff of the Court in a spirit of collegiality.
I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my peers as President of the International Criminal Court. As I take up my duties, I feel encouraged that I am able to rely on the wide experience of the two Vice-Presidents, Judge Robert Fremr and Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, both of whom I have closely worked with previously
I also look forward to collaborating with the Assembly of States Parties, civil society and the international community at large, acting together to strengthen and reinforce the Rome Statute system, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of which we celebrate this year’, President Chile Eboe-Osuji stated following the election.
‘I am also grateful to the previous President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, and Vice-Presidents, Judges Joyce Aluoch and Kuniko Ozaki, for their work and leadership,’ he added.
Background of Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji.
Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji was born in Anara in Imo State, Nigeria, on September 2, 1962.
He obtained his bachelor of laws degree from the University of Calabar, Nigeria.
He obtained his master of laws degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and doctor of laws degree from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986 and practised briefly there.
After achieving his Master’s degree from McGill in 1991, he worked as a barrister in Canada. From 1997 to 2005.
During his stay in Canada he worked as a barrister and law lecturer.
Judge Eboe-Osuji worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as prosecution counsel and senior legal officer to the judges of the tribunal. From 2005 to 2007.
Working for the Special Court for Sierra Leone as senior prosecution appeals counsel in 2007/08 and returning to the ICTR from 2008 to 2010 as Head of Chambers, he became the Legal Advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2010.
He has authored two books and numerous law journal articles in international law.
On 16 December 2011, he was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court. He won the office in the fifteenth ballot in the Assembly of States Parties with 102 votes.
The Nigerian born judge in 2014 recused himself as a member of the bench that tried the case involving Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta who was standing trial with his vice William Ruto for crimes against humanity following the Kenya’s post election violence in 2007.
The work of the ICC Presidency:
The Presidency – consisting of the President and the two Vice-Presidents – plays a key role in providing strategic leadership to the ICC as a whole.
The Presidency coordinates with the other organs and seeks the concurrence of the Prosecutor on matters of mutual concern.
In accordance with the Rome Statute, the ICC’s governing treaty, the Presidency is responsible for the proper administration of the Court, with the exception of the Office of the Prosecutor.
The Presidency oversees the activities of the Registry and provides input into a broad range of administrative policies affecting the Court’s overall functioning.
Furthermore it conducts judicial review of certain decisions of the Registrar and concludes Court-wide cooperation agreements with States and international organizations.
Africanews
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC-led federal government of failing to protect the 110 girls abducted by Boko Haram from Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe state.
The former Vice President said the APC government failed to use 150,000 policemen guarding VIPs to protect the abducted schoolgirls.
In a chat with ThisDay, the Waziri of Adamawa described government’s failure to protect the girls as ‘carelessness.’
He called on the authority to take firm action to forestall a recurrence in the country.
According to Abubakar, ”Let me paraphrase Oscar Wilde and say that to lose one set of girls to Boko Haram may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose another set, looks like carelessness.
”As an opposition party, the APC was vocal to the point of exploiting the issue of the Chibok girls’ kidnapping. They did not cut the Jonathan administration any slack.
”They criticised that government every step of the way and some may even claim that they undermined the then government’s efforts at resolving that unfortunate incident.
”So, it is rather surprising that a set of people who were so unsparing in their critique of the previous government would be in a situation whereby they have allowed these same terrorists to kidnap 110 girls.
”What would I have done differently? Recently, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chief Mike Okiro, revealed that 150,000 policemen were guarding various elites and those we know as ‘big men’.
”If I had my way, I would have recalled all of those 150,000 policemen who are not performing core police duties and send them to provide security for every school in the North-East region. That to me would be a better use of their time and services.
”We already know that Boko Haram has an agenda to cripple Western education in Nigeria. So, how could we have left those schools unguarded? Why should the police be guarding VIPs who can afford personal guards and leave vulnerable girls unguarded?
”We are spending billions trying to encourage girls to go to school only to allow them be abducted by terrorists. I condemn these abductions and I urge the federal government to take firm action to ensure that it would never reoccur in Nigeria.”
DailyPost
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of APC Adalci Buhari Saka have given Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal 48 hours ultimatum to declare whether he is with President Muhammadu Buhari or not.
Addressing a Press Conference at the NUJ secretariat, Sokoto, the group threatened to take further action if the Governor fail to make his stand known within the stated period.
The group further accused the Governor of anti-party activities which they said should be thoroughly investigated and dealt with as a matter of urgency.
"We don't understand his romance with the leading members of the opposition PDP which was widely publicized, " it stated
It added " He has a strong relationship with Governor Wike who is the perceived leader of the modern PDP and the national chairman of the party. He visits them and they come and visit him in Sokoto as well. "
Spokesman of the group, Professor Bashar Lawal asserted:"We are giving him 48 hours to declare whether he is with Buhari or not and if he fail to do so we will do what is necessary."
Lawal who was flanked by members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), alleged that the Governor was undermining the war on corruption by terminating all corruption cases against members of his cabinet.
They further alleged that billions of public funds were squandered in the name of the electorate but there was no conmensurated social infrastructure.
"But they keep blaming the federal government despite receiving successive funding as bailouts, Paris club refunds in addition to the regular monthly subvention from the federal government," he said.
Members of the group also accused the Governor of persecuting members of the defunct CPC, citing the consfication of farmlands worth N300 million of the former gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of APC, Barrister Aliyu Sanyinna and the demolition of part of the school owned by their spokesperson, Professor Bashar.
When contacted, one of the APC stalwarts, Magaji Gusau dared them to take any action if they have evidences to back their claims.
Gusau was the one who officially reacted to the group's earlier allegation of marginalization.
DailyTrust
National Electoral Commission (NEC) Sierra Leone Saturday released 50% or 1.3 million processed votes from the 3.17 million registered voters for the March 7 presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.
According to the official results, the candidate of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) Dr Samura Kamara led with 43.20% followed by rtd Brig. Julius Maada Bio of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) 43.09%, while Kabdeh Yumkellah of the National Grand Alliance (NGC) is third with 6.69% of the processed votes.
The two female presidential candidates got 0.1% each.
NEC chair Mohamed N'fah Alie-Conteh told a Press Conference at NEC HQs in Freetown that the remaining results would be released as soon as possible.
If none of the 16 candidates contesting the presidency gains 55% of the votes cast in the first round, the two frontrunners will go for the run-off balloting two weeks after the declaration of the first round results.
The winner will be the nation's fifth president and will replace outgoing President Ernest Bai Koroma, who has served the constitutionally allowed two terms of five years each.
Registered Sierra Leoneans also voted to elect MPs for the 124 contested seats in the 144-member parliament from among 789 candidates.
An incident in the nation’s capital involving some youths who reportedly attempted to cause trouble and loot shops following the release of the first partial results of the polls, was swiftly brought under country by the security services.
The elections were the fourth set of polls since the end of the country’s 11-year civil war in 2002, but the first time that the national authorities would fully take charge of electoral processes since the departure of the UN Mission in 2014.
The Senator representing Kaduna Central District in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has declared that it is just a matter of time before the Governor of the State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai betrays President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the Senator, El-Rufai is not new in the game of using and dumping leaders having allegedly betrayed the likes of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umar Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.
He said this while explaining how the crisis in the Kaduna chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, started in an interview with Vanguard.
According to him, “It came in different stages- the one that began with me and the one that is continuing with Senator Hunkuyi and others.
“There are both ideological and political differences between me and (Governor) El-Rufai.
“He came from a political establishment. For the 16 years of PDP rule, he spent 13 years as a PDP man, he was never known until 1999 when he was appointed the DG of Bureau of Public Enterprises and later, Minister for FCT.
“This was a man who used to call Obasanjo his mentor and he used to call (late) Umar Yar’Adua his mentor and teacher and he used to call Jonathan Goodluck his very good leader, and now, it is Buhari.
“What I know is that the Nasir- el Rufai that betrayed Atiku, betrayed Obasanjo, Jonathan, Atiku will also betray Buhari.”
Punch
No fewer than 53 policemen, serving in the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, say they have yet to be paid their Risk Caution Allowances since 2015, when they were posted to the Presidency.
This was disclosed in an anonymous petition that the policemen filed to President Muhammadu Buhari and which was obtained by our correspondent.
It was gathered that apart from the 53, who had allegedly not been paid their allowances at all, there are 127 other policemen who claimed that they had yet to be paid their allowances in full.
According to the petition, the 53 policemen have been languishing in poverty over the past two years with their allowances being withheld. They urge the President to look into the matter.
One of the affected policemen, who spoke with one of our correspondents and pleaded not to be named, confirmed that the Risk Caution Allowances had not been paid since 2015.
“We have names in the petition to prove to the government that we are not lying. The authorities in the Villa should invite those persons and find out from them. We believe that the President is not aware of this delay. The allowances may have been approved a long time ago and mismanaged by a few powerful officers in the Villa. That is our fear,” the policeman said.
The petition is titled, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s mobile policemen plead over unpaid Risk Caution Allowances from May 2015 to date.
It read in part, “About 127 police officers attached to the Presidency have not been paid the balance of their risk caution allowances and about 53 mobile police officers that started working with the present government since 2015 have not been paid anything.
“The 53 policemen since the past two years have been languishing in poverty. Most of these policemen did the data capture and were given the presidential tags. Those behind this delay are some of the superior officers like the Squadron, the Principal Staff Officer and the leader of the Presidential Vehicle Movement.
“The excuse given by the superior officers was that the affected policemen were boys to the former Squadron leader, one SP Mau’su.
“These superiors have started transferring these affected policemen out of the Villa to some states and replacing them with their own boys, who did not suffer and were not there to bear what the policemen went through. We are pleading with our father and President, Muhammadu Buhari, to look into these sufferings from the beginning of his government till date.”
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood, however, said all allowances and salaries of policemen attached to any place were being paid regularly, noting that they had yet to get such complaint from the Villa.
Moshood said, “The emoluments contain the salaries and allowances. Outside that, there is also insurance coverage provided by the Force and the Federal Government.
“This set of people you talk about have not complained to the Force headquarters. We don’t have such complaints. The police are not aware of any risk allowance being owed anyone.”
A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said police authorities should be blamed for the non-payment of the RCA of some of their men posted to the Presidential Villa.
The source explained that the problem was caused by police authorities, who he said kept posting more men into the Presidential Villa than the number that could be catered for.
He, however, said not all policemen fell into the category of those that had not been paid.
Punch
The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has angered a number of his colleagues for lifting the veil on the N13.5million illegal allowances members of the upper legislative chambers receive each month in addition to their legitimate salaries and allowances.
Some lawmakers who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES but asked not to be named said the revelation by Mr. Sani has damaged the reputation of the federal legislature while possibly pitting constituents against their representatives.
The aggrieved senators and members of the House of Representatives said some of their colleagues were already discreetly working out modalities to deal with the Kaduna lawmaker.
Mr. Sani had in an interview with TheNews revealed that he and his colleagues receive N13.5 million monthly as “running cost”, aside a N700,000monthly consolidated salary and allowances which they also receive.
Mr. Sani’s revelation is the first by a lawmaker from the Senate since the clamour by Nigerians for a full disclosure of lawmakers’ earnings.
The revelation has sparked widespread anger among Nigerians who had always criticised the lawmakers for arbitrarily allocating jumbo pay to themselves at a time the country remained in dire need of funds for developmental projects.
Ironically, Mr. Sani’s colleagues are criticising him for coming clean on the secret allowances lawmakers receive while majority of Nigerians wallow in poverty and disease.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said the revelation has the tendency of turning their constituents against them.
They said the revelation might instigate their constituents to make more financial demands from them.
The lawmakers vowed to take necessary steps to make the next one year difficult for the Kaduna senator.
“He has brought his useless activism to the chamber creating the impression that we are all thieves without telling Nigerians details of what the money is used for ,” one lawmaker said. “There are are always ways of dealing with characters like that. Just wait and see.”
Part of the punishment the angry lawmakers are considering is to pressure the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to exclude Mr. Sani from subsequent ‘secret meetings’ of the senate, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.
They plan to prevail on Mr. Saraki to stop inviting him for such meetings, especially those where finances might be discussed.
The lawmakers are also weighing the option of recommending a probe of the whistle-blower to Mr. Saraki.
For them, Mr. Sani would have to explain why he turned himself to the senate spokesperson, speaking on behalf of others.
If adopted, Mr. Sani would be investigated by the senate’s ethics committee which shall recommend a punishment.
But some lawmakers are cautioning against any open rebuke of the senator, saying that might generate even more public anger against the Senate and its members.
Many Nigerians, including civil society organisations have commended Mr. Sani’s action.
However, if eventually probed and found guilty by the ethics committee, Mr. Sani faces up to six to 12 months suspension.
In March 2017, when the former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume asked for investigation of allegations of importing a bullet proof Range Rover with fake documents involving Senate President Bukola Saraki and that of perjury involving Dino Melaye, the committee recommended 12 months suspension.
The suspension was later reduced to six months by the lawmakers.
Similarly, in the House of Representatives, a lawmaker from Kano, Abdulmumin Jibrin, was suspended for 180 days for revealing what is today known as budget padding.
His suspension was recommended by the House Ethics Committee which also prescribed that Mr. Jibrin will also not be able to hold any position of responsibility for the span of the current National Assembly.
Contacted on Saturday, Mr. Sani said he preferred not to comment on his colleagues’ moves. He promised to make comments if the need arises in future.
PT
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The House of Representatives has again queried the N24bn which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation claim it incurs monthly on payment of subsidy on imported Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.
The lower chamber described the expenditure as “an act of illegality” as the funds are allegedly paid without appropriation by the National Assembly.
The landing cost of a litre of PMS is said to be N171, leaving a difference of N26, but the government-approved pump price is N145.
The price differential and other challenges, including allegations of smuggling by syndicates, leave a monthly subsidy bill of N24bn.
The Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Mr. Joseph Akinlaja, told SUNDAY PUNCH that a full-scale investigation into the “back-door return” of subsidy payment would start this week.
Akinlaja also confirmed names of officials that had been summoned to appear before the House probe panel.
He said the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru; and the heads of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company and the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency had been summoned to appear at the session.
Akinlaja reiterated the National Assembly’s stance that subsidy was neither captured in the 2017 budget nor in the 2018 budget still awaiting passage by the legislature.
He said, “What they (NNPC) is doing is illegal. We don’t know where the management got the approval to make the payments.
“They did not approach the National Assembly for any approval. That is why we say they have questions to answer. They need to tell Nigerians whether subsidy is back?
“We have an investigation to conduct and it will start next week (this week) for stakeholders to come and talk about this subsidy and other renewed challenges in our oil industry, particularly the supply chain in the downstream sector.”
Akinlaja recalled that the NNPC, a government corporation, had been the sole importer of products for several months after private importers boycotted importation.
He said reports at the disposal of the committee suggested that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria; the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association; and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria were collectively owed N800bn by the government for previous importation.
He added that as a result of the mounting debts, IPMAN, DAPMAN and MOMAN stopped importing products, leaving the NNPC alone to handle the challenge.
The lawmaker added that the “surprise” now was whether the NNPC was paying subsidy to itself, “but essentially doing so without authorisation by the National Assembly.”
He disclosed that the position of the committee had been that the executive should forward a supplementary budget, covering the N800bn, to offset the debts so that the marketers could resume importation.
Akinlaja also told SUNDAY PUNCH that the supplementary budget had yet to come while the NNPC hadn’t sought any approval from the National Assembly.
NNPC’s subsidy payments illegal, say senators
Also, some members of the Senate, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH, described subsidy payments by the NNPC as illegal as it was without the approval of the National Assembly.
Some of them however noted that there was no way the corporation could have maintained the official pump price of PMS at N145 per litre when the landing cost of the commodity had risen to N171 per litre.
A member of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Gas), Senator Adesoji Akanbi, stated, “We all know that the landing cost is more than the regulated pump price. It means that the government must bear the cost of the differentials. And for the fact that the general election is approaching, the current administration will not want to raise the pump price.”
Another senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, faulted the corporation for not seeking legal backing for the payments. “They just don’t want to do it,” he said.
The lawmaker asked why it was difficult for the Federal Government to use the differentials between the appropriated oil benchmark and the increasing crude oil prices to augment the gap between the landing cost and the pump price.
“It is indeed illegal and they should have quickly sought the approval of the National Assembly. I agree that it should not be illegal; there should be a way to go around it without breaking the law,” the senator said.
Even if FG pays N650bn debt, we can’t still import fuel –Marketers
Meanwhile, oil marketers in the country have said they will still not be able to import the PMS even if the Federal Government clears the N650bn debt it owes them.
On Monday, oil dealers, under the aegis of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, suspended the 14-day ultimatum it issued the Federal Government to pay the N650bn debt.
DAPPMA had threatened to disengage oil workers if the government failed to comply, but suspended the move after the government made commitments to pay.
The Executive Secretary, DAPMMA, Olufemi Adewole, however, told one of our correspondents that despite the government’s commitment to clear the debt, petroleum product marketers would not commence PMS importation.
When asked if marketers had started importing PMS since the government had agreed to pay the N650bn debt, Adewole said there was no plan for such.
He stated, “Importing PMS is not as if you just go to the depot, load and come out. If you are importing PMS, you will agree with your supplier in Amsterdam or Europe or Russia; you nominate a vessel; they give you a date that you are going to load the vessel; you then load the vessel and it takes about two weeks for it to come to Nigeria.
“And first and foremost, the money has to be paid but right now, the money is still not there. We don’t have the money to do all that. We have suspended the ultimatum but marketers still don’t have the money to import. So on importation, that is off it right now.”
When probed further on whether marketers would import PMS once they get their payments from government, Adewole replied, “If the money is paid and the price is okay; in other words, if we bring it in and the landing cost is not above N145 per litre, then we can go ahead and import. Even if the money is paid today and the landing cost is above N145, we still cannot import.
“So many things came together and that is why we were boxed into a corner. At a point when they still owed us, we were still importing because the price was below N145 and we can still land and sell the product at N145. But when we could not get our money out, could not sell at N145, and were borrowing money to pay staff salaries, then, we just felt that what’s the point? We have been talking to them but they seem not to be doing anything.”
But the spokesperson for the NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu, said the rise in crude oil prices in the international market and the increase in the volume of PMS consumed across the country had contributed to the hike in the amount spent as subsidy on petrol.
Ughamadu, who insisted that the NNPC was not paying subsidy but making under recovery, stated that Nigeria’s petrol consumption jerked up from about 35 million litres per day to 50 million litres.
He said, “It was clearly stated in a presentation we made a few days ago to the Customs. In effect, the higher the crude oil price, the wider the landing cost of products and the larger the under recovery.
“All these factors depend on the consumption level. The higher the consumption level, the wider is the under recovery. It is important to state that under recovery is part of our credit management structure.”
The oil firm had announced last Sunday that it was spending N774m daily as subsidy on the 50 million litres of PMS consumed across the country every day.
Punch
Prof. Remi Sonaiya, the presidential candidate of the KOWA Party in the 2015 elections, has said she will contest again in the 2019 presidential election.
Sonaiya expressed her optimism that she will make it in the primary, despite interest from four other KOWA aspirants.
She stated this while speaking at the commemoration of the 2018 International Women’s Day at the WFM91.7, Arepo, Ogun State.
The event was organised by the Media Women Forum, with the theme “Mobilising women for politics.”
“Yes, I am coming out. I am planning to run as one of the aspirants in KOWA Party. Four other people have indicated their interest in the ticket, so let’s see what happens after our primary,” she replied when asked if she was planning to contest next year.
“My message to women is that the time to stand is now; the reason is that we have short-changed ourselves as a nation. We cannot have a developed nation without women’s involvement. We have the skills and abilities to prepare for leadership.
“By leaving the leadership position to men alone, we have denied ourselves our rights. I really hope that women will be determined and stand, in not just talking about the situation of things, but assuming responsibilities. We should not be begged to take charge.”
DailyPost
The Federal Government is making progress on the establishment of modular refineries with the arrival of one set of package shipment already in the country and undergoing Customs clearance.
The Niger Delta Inter-Ministerial Committee, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, informed members at its presentation meeting in Abuja that the refinery would be installed in Delta.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President on Saturday indicated that another set of refinery equipment would arrive the country in April and would be installed in Rivers.
The operation of the modular refineries would include the involvement of communities where they are located.
Osinbajo said this would ensure that communities benefit directly from the refineries which would help create jobs and engage youths in the region.
NAN recalls that in December 2017, the Inter-Ministerial Committee received a report that 38 licensed privately-financed greenfield and mini-modular refineries’ investors had so far indicated interests in the establishment of refineries in the region.
At that event, no fewer than 10 of the licensed investors were at an advanced stage of development.
Also, the NDDC reported at the meeting its progress in the implementation of its projects in the region.
It stated that in 2017, a total of 372 projects covering roads, bridges, electricity, water, amongst others, were completed by the commission.
The development projects include the 25.7 km Nembe-Ogbia road, which would be inaugurated soon; the construction of Otueke Internal roads in Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa; Kira Dere Mogho road and Bridge in Gokana LGA, Rivers.
It also includes the construction of Iselu-Okaigben-Idung-Boko-Onicha Ugbo road, in Edo/Delta States; the Orie Ukwu Amaoji market road, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State and the Ashikem-Ufono-Betwaswan road in Obudu, Cross River.
The Commission is also working with all related parties, including AMCON, to ensure the establishment of 6,000 barrels per day Amakpe modular refinery to be installed in Eket, Akwa Ibom State.
The NDDC said it had established Job Placement centres expected to engage about 208,000 youths in the Niger Delta.
To help reduce unemployment and youth restiveness in the region, the NDDC centres would match existing vacancies with available skills within the region.
On the progress of Ogoni clean-up, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) under the Ministry of Environment, is set to commence the procurement process for contracting experts for the remediation and clean-up of impacted sites.
This process is open to competent national and international companies involved in environment, water and livelihood projects.
The final draft of the Strategic Implementation Work Plan (SIWP), which provides a framework for the development of the Niger Delta, was also submitted to the committee.
Meamwhile, the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta, is set to admit students into the institution for the 2017/2018 academic year, and start lectures in April.
A total of 196 students have so far been accepted into the University while 76 applications were pending.
President Muhammadu Buhari had approved an increase in the take-off grant allocated to the University from the N2 billion earlier announced to N5 billion
This sum was included in the 2018 budget presented to the National Assembly in November 2017.
Similarly, an additional N1 billion was approved by the President to support essential infrastructure works and staff recruitment in the University in November 2017.
The Delta State Government has also donated two 500KVA generators to the University.
The Maritime University was granted approval in January by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence undergraduate degree programmes in three faculties namely: Transport, Engineering and Environmental Management, beginning with 13 departments from the 2017/2018 academic session.
In attendance at the meeting were the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani; Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jubril; and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere.
Also in attendance were the Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside; and the Special Adviser to the President on the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd).
Others include the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Adamu A. Rasheed; the Vice-Chancellor of the Maritime University, Prof. Mrs. Ongoebi Etebu; and representatives of other relevant MDAs.
NAN
Shortly after his appointment to reconcile all the crises among members of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) was announced early February, former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu, hit the ground running by holding a series of meetings with several conflicting groups.
He first held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari before visiting the national secretariat of the party for the first time since 2015.
He also met with some party stalwarts individually and in groups in Abuja.
Chief among the party members he met with were the Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, now a Senator representing Kano Central.
Mr. Tinubu was also in some states considered the hotbed of APC crisis such as Kano and Kaduna.
His team also went to Sokoto where he met with party leaders in the state including Governor Aminu Tambuwal, his predecessor, Aliyu Wamakko, and the national vice chairman (North-West) Inuwa Abdulkadir.
In all the visits, it was clear that the former Lagos state Governor was relishing his new assignment and was determined to succeed.
However, few days after his visit to the APC secretariat and meeting with the leadership of the party, where he reportedly got their assurances of support in his assignment, Mr. Tinubu wrote a damning letter to the APC’s national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, accusing him of sabotaging his “presidential assignment”.
In the letter, which was also copied to President Buhari, his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo and the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tinubu told Mr. Oyegun that “disappointment greeted me when I discovered that you had swiftly acted in contravention of the spirit of our discussions”.
He also wrote that “Instead of being a bulwark of support as promised, you positioned yourself in active opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of APC.”
He said Mr. Oyegun mentioned Kogi, Kano, Adamawa and Kaduna States as the worst crisis-hit chapters, but regretted: “You have taken it as your own personal ambition to thwart my presidential assignment in these key states.”
Since that open altercation and the decision by the APC to extend the tenure of the Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC) and states executives, the enthusiasm with which Mr. Tinubu began his assignment appears to have diminished.
The reconciliation team he led is yet to meet with any known party unit involved in crisis since after the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC which held last Tuesday.
APC got its highest number of votes in 2015 presidential election in the North-west but the zone is today experiencing what appears to be the worst form of crisis in the party.
As things stand, there appears to be a number of APC crises Mr. Tinubu would not be able to resolve.
Kano
In Kano, the immediate past governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is locked in a serious battle with his predecessor and long-time political benefactor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Both men have made it clear that they would never work again politically. In fact the feud between the two leaders have transcended the political to personal.
Since he left office in 2015, Mr. Kwankwaso went to Kano only once, and that was to commiserate with Mr. Ganduje on the death of his mother.
His second attempt to return to the state where he was Governor twice was aborted by Mr. Ganduje.
The current occupant of the Government House also gave out his daughter in marriage to the son of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state last weekend and Mr. Kwankwaso was conspicuously absent.
The marriage ceremony was attended by President Buhari and 22 state governors among others. On the same day of the wedding, Mr. Kwankwaso held a political meeting in nearby Kaduna where he told his supporters that he was surprised “people wasted their time to attend the wedding of a divorcee”.
At the level things have gone, it will take the unthinkable to reconcile these two anytime soon.
Kaduna
The crisis in Kaduna state APC is one that can be said to be nearly impossible for Mr. Tinubu to resolve.
Even as Mr. Tinubu was busy holding meetings towards reconciliation, a faction of the APC in the state led by a serving Senator, Suleiman Hunkuyi, issued a query and subsequently suspended Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The faction also suspended his political adviser, Uba Sani, the commissioner for finance, Abdu Kwari, and the acting state secretary of the party, Yahaya Pate.
Mr. El-Rufai responded swiftly as the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency (KAPSUDA) demolished the secretariat building of the faction which ordered the suspension of the governor.
KASUPDA later claimed the demolition was part of operations the agency was undertaking across Kaduna metropolis in compliance with its mandate.
Kaduna APC is currently divided into three factions: the ‘Restoration APC,’ led by Tijjani Ramallan, a media mogul and Suleiman Hunkuyi, a senator; the ‘APC Akida,’ led by Senator Shehu Sani, also a senator and the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Hakeem Ahmed; and then the ‘APC Government House,’ led by the governor and his deputy.
Another major problem for Mr. Tinubu in Kaduna is the feud between Governor El Rufai and Senator Shehu Sani. Mr. Sani is currently the biggest critic of the Kaduna governor.
Zamfara
In Zamfara state, the battle is between Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa.
The bone of contention between Mr. Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central in the Senate and Mr. Yari could be traced to the nomination last year of Ahmed Mahmoud to represent the state as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).
![Gov. Abdulazizi-Yari of Zamfara State. [Photo credit: THISDAY]](https://i2.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2018/02/Abdulazizi-Yari.jpg?w=600&h=364&crop&ssl=1 "Abdulazizi-Yari")
Mr. Yari strongly opposed the nomination of Mr. Mahmoud on the grounds that he was not Zamfara state. He subsequently wrote a protest letter to the president of the Senate which eventually led to the dropping of the nominee.
Since then, the feud between the two APC stalwarts have degenerated and is causing serious disaffection among party faithful in the state.
Sokoto
In Sokoto state, the APC does not appear to have a major crisis requiring the attention of Mr. Tinubu, although, a chieftain of the party, Muhammad Bashar accuses Governor Aminu Tambuwal of side-lining Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) elements in the state.
The CPC was founded by President Buhari and was one of the legacy parties that dissolved to form the APC.
The trip by Mr. Tinubu to the state was actually to find a way of resolving the conflict between National Vice Chairman, Inuwa Abdulkadir, and Governor El Rufai.
The political differences between Mr. El Rufai and Mr. Abdulkadir had led to the demolition of the house of the APC leader in Kaduna in April last year.
The house, located at Yakubu Avenue, Kaduna, was pulled down by officials of KASUPDA while he was in Abuja for a party meeting.
Mr. Abdulkadir, who expressed shock over the development, wondered why the government carried out the demolition when the matter was before a court.
“The demolition of my house is a personal threat by the governor. We are in court over the issue. The matter is still in court. They should have waited for the court to decide,” he said.
Mr. Abdulkadir also told The Herald newspaper that “It is personal because of our differences in political views and opinions. He wants to intimidate me because of political issues, but I will not be intimidated, I am not a bootlicker.
“We are in the same party, I am the leader of the party, my role is to ensure fairness and equal treatment of all party members.
“If he thinks he can fight me by attacking my property, so be it! That will not make me change my position”.
Kogi
Kogi state is another major battle ground in the APC. The crisis involves one between the Governor Yahaya Bello and the party executives on one hand as well as between the governor and another serving Senator, Dino Melaye.
A faction of the party believed to be loyal to Governor Bello last week, announced the sack of the chairman of the State chapter of APC, Hadi Ametuo, and other members of his executive committee.
The purported sack was announced by Ibrahim Ahovi, who said he was the acting state chairman of the party.
However, the National Secretariat of the party issued a statement on Saturday saying that neither the state nor zonal executives constituted in whatever name nor form can expel anyone from the party, adding that only a convention of the party can do so.
The statement issued by APC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi said “we restate that the State Working Committee of APC in Kogi State led by the Chairman, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo remains the only recognised executive committee of the party in the State.
“Any disciplinary action being contemplated must be referred to the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC). That is the position of the constitution,” he said.
The feud between Governor Bello and the Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, appears to be unsolvable.
Matters got to a head when a recall process was initiated against Mr. Melaye reportedly on the prompting of the governor.
![Dino Melaye, Senator representing Kogi West. [Photo Credit: Punch Newspapers]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2017/08/Dino-Melaye-.jpg?w=600&h=333&crop&ssl=1 "Dino-Melaye")
The Senator also survived an assassination attempt in his constituency and he promptly accused the Chief of Staff to the governor of being the plot.
The Federal Government is currently prosecuting Mr. Melaye for making that “false” allegation.
Governor Bello is also engaged in another fierce battle with the Senator representing Kogi Central district.
Mr. Ogembe within the week reported the governor at the floor of the Nigerian Senate, accusing him of sponsoring thugs to attack his supporters after a failed attempt to disrupt an empowerment programme he organised for his constituents.
Senators took turns to rebuke Mr. Bello and expressed worry over the “undemocratic” conduct.
The lawmakers subsequently set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the governor’s latest action.
Adamawa
Another major APC crisis is the one in Adamawa state which pitches two factions led by former Governor Murtala Nyako and current Governor Mohammed Jibrilla against each other.
An additional crisis requiring the attention of Mr. Tinubu is one involving the Senate President Bukola Saraki and the NWC, Speaker Dogara and other National Assembly members against Bauchi governor, Mohammed Abubakar.
Others are the feud in Borno state between Governor Kashim Shettima and Senator Abubakar Kyari, Senators David Umaru (Niger East), Aliyu Abdullahi (Niger South) and Governor Sani Bello, Magnus Abe and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; as well as the intractable battle between National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank.
PT