FG schedules payment of N264bn subsidy by March end

Abuja — The Federal Government, Monday, scheduled to pay off about N264 billion between now and end of March, as subsidy reimbursement applications submitted to marketers as at end of January 2015
    The sum comprises 2014 outstanding debts of N164 billion in addition to N100 billion derived from foreign exchange and bank interest charges.

Already, the amount has exceeded the budgetary proposal of N200 billion in the 2015 Appropriation Bill, which makes analysts suspect that government did not wish to continue with the subsidy system in the 2015 financial year.

The decision was arrived at a crucial meeting with the Ministries of Finance, Petroleum Resources, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and oil marketers in Abuja on Monday at the instance of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The decision to pay off the marketers’ outstanding subsidies plus forex differentials and interest rates became necessary to douse supply pressure on premium motor spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol, which had already started leading to a buildup of queues in some areas around the country, as exclusively reported by Vanguard last week.

Fallout of meeting

Confirming the development in Lagos, yesterday, Executive Secretary, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, told journalists: “The Minister (Okonjo-Iweala) met with marketers and gave a schedule of payment for outstanding subsidy invoices from now till the end of March.”

He said the payment schedule got the nod of principals across the majors, independents and depot market operators, adding that as a result, “product supply that should have gone down will now pick up again. Also, any current tightness noticeable in the market is only temporary.”

Supply pressure

Olawore also admitted that supply was tightened because marketers had reached and exceeded their loan limits with the banks, and as such, are unable to access any more bank facilities.

Already, the CBN had warned banks to be wary of their exposures to the energy industry, particularly, petroleum and power, in order not to plunge the banking industry into another round of distress.

Besides, with the devaluation of the Naira, it became even more difficult to raise loans from the banks.

Olawore said: “Before devaluation, the exchange rate was N171.36 -$1, while landing cost for PMS was N90.67/litre. As inter-bank rate went up to N188-$1, landing cost also rose to N98.36/l . As at today (yesterday), with exchange rate now N199-$1, landing cost rose to N103.45/l, and if it now moves to N215-$1, landing cost will move to N110.84/l.”

Consequently, he argued that the successive devaluation of the Naira had eaten up any benefit that would have been derived from the falling price of oil at the international market, a development that has seen the rise of the pump prices of other fuel products such as kerosene, diesel and aviation fuel.

Impact of devaluation

The free fall in the value of the Naira has started to take its toll on the price of petrol, as the amount the Federal Government is paying as subsidy on PMS, yesterday, rose to N31.08 per litre.

What this means is that Nigerians, as it stands, would be expected to pay about N118.08 per litre of PMS if the product is deregulated and if subsidy on the product is removed.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, in its Pricing Template for PMS, for February 23, 2015, released yesterday, increased the exchange rate used in computing PMS price to N199 to a dollar compared to about N172 to a dollar a couple of days ago.

The review in the exchange rate is coming days after the CBN unofficially devalued the Naira through the closure of the Retail and Wholesale Dutch Auction System (RDAS/WDAS) foreign exchange window, channelling all demands to the interbank foreign exchange window.

As at yesterday, the naira was trading at the interbank market at about N199 to a dollar. The rise in the amount to be paid as subsidy was in spite of the fact that oil prices have remained below $60 barrel in the international market over the last couple of weeks.

Specifically, on February 10, 2015, when the price of crude was $57.90 per barrel, the amount paid as subsidy by the Federal Government was N14.79 per litre, but as at yesterday, the price of crude was a little above $58 per barrel.

In the international market, Brent crude fell towards $58 a barrel, yesterday, extending the two per cent loss in the previous session, as oversupply fears lingered, overshadowing any optimism on the outlook for the global economy.

PPPRA template

In addition, the PPPRA in its updated template released, yesterday, put the landing cost of PMS at $691.32 per metric tonne. Using a conversion of 1,341 litres to a metric tonne and N199 to a dollar, this translates to a landing cost of N102.59 per litre.

The landing cost consists of: Cost plus freight (C+F), N91.13 per litre or N614.12 per metric tonne; Trader’s margin, N1.48 per litre; Lightering expenses, N4.16; NPA charges, N0.78 per litre; Financing, N1.23; Jetty Depot Thru’ Put Charge, N0.80 per litre and Storage cost, N3 per litre.

The regulatory agency also put distribution margins at $104.38 per metric tonne or N15.49 per litre, comprising: Retailers margins, N4.60 per litre; Transporters margin, N2.99; dealers margin, N1.75; Bridging Fund, N5.85; Marine Transport Average (MTA), N0.15; Administrative Charges, N0.15 per litre.

To this end, the PPPRA put the Expected Open Market Price (OMP) of PMS, which is landing cost plus margins, at N118.08 per litre, while the official retail price is N87 per litre, leaving the amount that is paid as subsidy at N31.08 per litre.

Scarcity looms as marketers hoard fuel

Lagos — Scarcity of petrol is looming as queues have returned to filling stations across Lagos, while some of them have stopped selling - 

This is an indication that the cold war between marketers and the management of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has not been resolved.

Vanguard had earlier reported that some of the marketers had accused the PPPRA of corruption and lack of transparency by removing the pricing template on its website against international best practices established by Platts and other organisations that publish oil prices. The marketers had also accused PPPRA of dragging the country back to the “dark days of unbridled corruption in the payment of subsidy to marketers.”

Vanguard learned that the price of petrol at the depot has risen to N90 per litre, forcing stations to shut down operations as well as hike the sale of its product from the regulated price of N87 to N100 per litre.

Vanguard investigation also showed that some of the filling stations along Festac Town have shut down operations, while those selling have brought traffic to their environment.

Of five petrol stations, NNPC, Forte-oil, Mobil, MRS, Total, only Total, Mobil, and Forte Oil had fuel.

One of the male attendants at Total filling station told Vanguard that the cause of the scarcity is an alleged hike in price of the product to N90 per litre at the depot.

“I think the reason for this scarcity could be as a result of the price of petrol product from the depot which has risen to N90 per litre, and some filling stations cannot afford that,” he said.

A supervisor at the Mobil filling station, however, said despite the N90 per litre, the loading scheme in Apapa has worsened, adding: “When we discharge and go for refill at the depot, the process now takes two days before returning to the various stations for sale.”

At Forte Oil on 21 Road, Festac Town, the experience was obvious, as queues had led to serious gridlock, while the product was sold from one pump at N100 per litre.

According to the supervisor, the station had limited supply and did not know when next they would get. Also, at Fatgbems Station, long queues were seen with two out of six pumps dispensing petrol. A female attendant, who refused to identify herself, maintained that they had orders to sell only from two pumps.

Some of the customers expressed anxiety over the development.

Mr. Sunday Saka, a motorist, who said he had been on the queue for more than three hours said: “We have had to face this stress for the past two days, with the queue at the stations. Today, I have been on this queue for more than three hours.

Also another motorist, Mrs. Beatrice Adebanjo, said she had been on the queue for the past two hours without any hope of getting the product.

Missing $20bn: Reps gives Okonjo-Iweala one-week ultimatum to submit forensic audit

     ABUJA—The House of Representatives has yesterday issued a one week ultimatum to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to submit the report of the forensic audit on the alleged missing $20bn

The mandate followed a resolution, passed last week by the House at plenary which directed its Committee on Public Accounts, to investigate the matter.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Solomon Adeola Olamilekan (APC, Lagos) while briefing Journalists on the matter stated that the report “must include the Initial Draft Report, the Executive Summary and Management/Internal Control Letters.”

    Olamilekan noted that the “condensed version” of the report released to the public through a press conference addressed by the Auditor-General of the Federation with the highlight that Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should remit a minimum of $1.48 billion to the Federation Account had rather prompted the demand for complete report.

He said: “Given the weighty allegation of possible loss of $20 billion to the Federation Account arising from alleged non-remittance by NNPC through the ministry of finance, it is curious that the forensic audit was commissioned and appointment of auditors was made by the minister of finance, an indictable official, if allegation is proven, without the involvement or at least input of the Auditor-General, whose office is eminently and exclusively empowered for the duty by the 1999 Constitution.”

He noted that “the report has been unduly delayed and its submission also side-stepped the Auditor-General. It is a professional best practice that such reports first come in draft, discussed, fine-tuned before the release of the final report, usually accompanied by the more detailed Management Letter.”

Buhari threatens to back out of Abuja Accord

       

        ABUJA – Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, General Mohammadu Buhari has threatened to back out of the historic Abuja peace accord should the political allies of president Goodluck Jonathan continue with their insults and verbal attacks on his person.

He also warned that no one should regard his patriotic commitment to maintaining  national peace for weakness, stressing that neither president Jonathan nor his aides have the monopoly for the “flagrant breaches to the Abuja Peace Accord.”

    The APC presidential flag bearer also warned the authorities against interfering with the constitutional duties and operations of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC or surreptitiously hound its chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega out of office before the expiration of his tenure.

Buhari’s outburst followed the recent actions of Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose whom he said wished him dead in a paid advertorial and the Director-General of the People’s Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization, PDPPCO who was said to have repeated thrown tantrums over his academic qualifications.

It will be recalled that president Jonathan, Buhari and other 12 presidential candidates on January 10, 2014 signed a peace pact to resist violence before, during and after the general elections.

Speaking in a press conference in Abuja Wednesday, Buhari through the Director, Media, Information Management Directorate of his Support Organization, otherwise called, BSO,  Dr. Chidi Maduekwe  said that it was time the presidential allies stopped attacking his person.

Maduekwe recalled that upon the postponement of the general election which ordinarily would have prompted aggressions, Buhari camp swiftly appealed to its supporters to be calm in the interest of the nation and the peace accord, wondering why the political associates of the president Jonathan had continued to flout the peace accord.

He said: “We are all witness to the recent postponement of 2015 elections by INEC  on the grounds that security chiefs could not guarantee security at polls.

“While the postponement may have been within the constitutional window, the excuse on security seemed not quite germane. This sudden shift became acceptable to us for the sake of the overall interest for national peace . Our teeming supporters were urgently appealed to maintain calm with the assurances that six weeks will soon pass by as if it were just six days.

“Regrettably, following this postponement, PDP government acting in cohort with the close aides and associates of Mr. President have been falling head over hills among themselves as they compete on who delivers most acidic insult, abuse,  incendiary words and inflammatory remarks on our revered Presidential candidate , General Muhammadu Buhari.

“These actions are all in breach of the Abuja Peace Accord jointly signed by all the presidential candidates. This is totally unacceptable and consequently we cannot continue to guarantee the tolerance limit of our teeming supporters nationwide who are daily being inundated with death wish commentaries on the person of General Muhammadu Buhari.

“It has become imperative to ask Mr. President to rein in his aides if he must be seen to walk his talk that, his ambition is not worth any spill of human blood . His aides and associates are disingenuously currently working at cross purposes to this his favorite cliché by daily fanning the ambers of hate, pursuance of death wish and even going as far as stalking of GMB outside shores of this country.

“The memories of a nearly successful assassination attempt on the life of GMB is still fresh in our mind . Our patience, our meekness, our prayerfulness and our patriotic commitment to maintaining  the  national peace  should not be misconstrued for weakness.

“Let it be stated clearly that Mr. President’s aides and political associates do not possess the monopoly for flagrant breaches to the Abuja Peace Accord .The hour has come to henceforth disallow these psychopathic sociopaths that have taken over the megaphone of Mr. President and tell them in very clear terms that enough is enough. We are ready to rise to the occasion to take down any unwarranted, baseless and inflammatory  condemnation shot in our direction henceforth.

“We call on Mr. President to show full commitment to the terms and conditionality of the Abuja Peace Accord jointly entered into and rein in his aides and political associates from further infuriating commentaries ,hate speeches and to stop over heating the polity with their incendiary remarks.”

Also speaking on the INEC, Maduekwe warned that any attempt to tamper with the leadership of the electoral management body at this time of election may prompt negative consequences for the country.

According to him, INEC must be allowed to use the card reader for the election.

“We have all the while been enamored to bear this burden of daily insult and aspersion on our principal because we hope and trust that very soon INEC shall by March 28 and April 11th conduct a transparent free and fair election. Our hope and trust in INEC becomes eroded every time we assimilate these death threats and hate speeches from Mr. President unrestrained hatchet men whose glaring  and questionable  track records  are well known to all and sundry.

“While Mr. President has repeatedly said that May 29th handover date is sacrosanct . He is yet to declare that the Independence  and Transparent conduct of elections by INEC are sacrosanct. We also expect Mr. President to unequivocally declare that the rescheduled election dates of March 28 and April 11 are equally sacrosanct.

“The above three declarations will truly take away the wind from these hatchet men and showcase Mr. President as someone determined to walk his talk that his ambition is not worth the spill of any person’s blood . His recent media chat misrepresentation of his sole powers to hire and fire INEC Chairman is not provided for in the constitution. This also needs to be corrected.

“At this juncture in our march towards march 28th,2015, we make bold to warn that  any exogenous effort to interfere ,modulate , attenuate, reposition or juxtapose the INEC leadership will be tantamount to an inglorious and ill-timed behavior that will never resonate positively within our polity at this time.

“This will certainly leave us with no choice but to doubt the transparency of the current electoral processes . Any action by omission or commission   that  prevents INEC from carrying out its constitutional  mandate as presently composed will be a grave consequence to our fledgling democracy. INEC at this crucial time should not be deprived of the credibility it has garnered over the years as has been attested to by both international and local observers”, he said.

Citing Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone as African countries where the technology of card reader had been proven to give credible elections, the BSO’s spokesman said that INEC should be given a chance to conduct the elections using the technology.

“The card Reader gave Ghana it’s freest, fairest and most credible election in recent times. The Card Reader gave Kenya it’s freest, fairest and most credible election in recent times. The Card Reader gave Sierra Leone it’s freest, fairest and most credible election in recent times.

“Nigeria’s INEC successfully supervised the use of Card Readers in the elections in Sierra Leone.

“Jega recently tested the card reader before members of the senate and proved his mettle to the appreciation of the distinguished members.

“We must allow INEC to do in Nigeria what they supported Sierra Leone to achieve. Nigerians want a free, fair and credible election where only Nigerians can decide who leads them. We will not stand with anyone who stands in the way of that freedom by dragging us back to the age of Temporary Voters Card or otherwise.

“Mr. President is on record  for praising INEC in the past in all elections right from 2011. With the current improvement by INEC it is curious that this same agency has now become the whipping boy for PDP chieftains and aides of Mr. President. Any effort to destabilize INEC at this hour will be a perilous endeavor that should never be contemplated”, Maduekwe warned.

Buhari To Be Disqualified On March 19

       The presidential candidate from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari, may be banned from contesting in the forthcoming presidential poll.

According to Vanguard, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, fixed March 19 to commence hearing on seven separate suits.

However, both Buhari and his party, who are respondents in the matter together with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintained that they would not agree to take the service of the court procedures which they said were not authentically served on them.

They dared the propriety of orders of Justice Adeniyi which had allowable the accusers to serve the originating summons on them through replaced incomes.

Justice Adeniyi had on February 2, directed that the court processes be served on the defendants by publishing same in three national dailies.

The court also granted an order of synopsis of time within which the defendants must respond to the suits.
Though, both Buhari and his party contended that there was no urgency in the matter to permit the court to hear the suits in urgency.

Thus, in separate preliminary objections filed by counsel to Buhari, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and that of the APC, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, they called on the court to set-aside all the instructions it has made in the matter so far.

They further opposed that the subject matter of the suit bothers on pre-election issues which they said is not time bound, adding that it can be determined even after the March 28 presidential poll.

But, Chief Mike Ozehkome, SAN, who represented the accusers yesterday, advised the court to advance hearing on the matter so as to determine Buhari’s fate before the presidential election.

His proposal enraged Buhari’s lawyer, Olanipekun, SAN, who contended that the suit challenging the certificate his client submitted to the INEC, has nothing to do with the election itself.

“My lord what he is saying is that this case must end before this election. It is a wrong impression. 

This case has nothing to do with the conduct of the election. What if the presidential election was held on February 14?”,Olanipekun queried.

Similarly, INEC through its lawyer Mr. Hassan Liman, SAN, yesterday, said it would file a initial objection to challenge both the capability of the suits which were filed by the two plaintiffs, Mr. Chukwunweike Okafor and Mr. Max Ozoaka, as well as the jurisdiction of the court to entertain them.

It should be noted that the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal reserved its judgment concerning the President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest presidential election in March.

President Jonathan is key opponent of the opposition candidate General Buhari in coming poll.

Bash Ali Arrested, Charged To Court For Constituting Public Nuisance

        When did they start arresting people for constituting public nuisance? Lol Nigerian boxing icon, Bash Ali was arrested last week Wednesday Feb. 11th in front of a bank in Abuja for constituting public nuisance. Not only was he arrested, he was locked up in a cell and charged to court for the offence.

According to reports, the boxer and three other boxers had gone to the Nigerian Export Import Bank, NEXIM, in Abuja last week to demand for the sponsorship the bank was asked by president Jonathan to give to the Boxers Association for a Guinness Book of Record fight. When they didn't pay him attention, Bash Ali and the men allegedly created drama in front of the bank premises The management of the bank called in the police and accused the boxer and the others of threatening to bomb their bank building.

The four of them were arrested and charged before an Abuja based court for constituting public nuisance and threat to live. They were remanded at the SARS prison that day. When interrogated, the former Boxer accused the bank manager, one Mr Henry Orya of demanding a 10% commission from the $30 million US sponsorship fund the presidency allegedly instructed the bank to give the boxers as sponsorship. He denied the allegations that he threatened to bomb the bank premises.

“I never said I will bomb their office. If any institution owned by government disobeys the order of Mr. President because of corruption, that institution should be closed down. That is what I said”he said


The bank has denied they ever asked him for bribe, saying they didn't give him the sponsorship because they don't sponsor sports activities
"NEXIM does not finance sports activities. Notwithstanding this explanation, Bash Ali did not relent but decided to adopt every means to extort the $1, 000,000. 00 from the Bank" the bank in a statement said.Bash Ali and the other three men are due to appear in court on March 4th when the case and his bail application will be heard

ISIS Fanatics Kidnap 90 People From Christian Villages In Syria

         According to a breaking news report this morning, ISIS militants have kidnapped about 90 people from Christian villages in Syria after they seized two Assyrian villages from Kurdish forces in the northeast province of Hassakeh.

The militants reportedly attacked the Christian villages near the town of Tel Hmar in the early hours of yesterday. This is coming about two weeks after Egyptian Coptic Christians were kidnapped and beheaded in Libya.

US Woman Kidnapped In Kogi State

       A US missionary worker has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Kogi state. According to the spokesperson of the Kogi state Police command, Mr Sola Colins, the kidnapped woman who's an American citizen was kidnapped inside her school premises at about 10am yesterday February 23rd.

"She was whisked away at around 10:00 am (0900 GMT) Monday. The kidnappers were "unknown gunmen...(who) came into the school premises shooting sporadically to scare away people before taking (the hostage) away into the bush" he said.

BBM To Allow Users Customize Their PINS

   In a move that we actually saw coming, the Canadian company, BlackBerry, will now allow users customize their BBM pins.

The notable changes in the new BBM include, vanity PIN’s, removable ads and a new avatar badging. These features are now up for testing.
New Features
BBM will now offer a new service called Subscriptions that will allow users to pay for exclusive access to specific features. What’s included in this first release of Subscriptions?
Vanity PINs: have a fun idea for a PIN? Looking for an easier PIN to communicate with friends? Try out this new feature and customize your own personal BBM PIN!

Remove Ads: hide sponsored ads and sponsored invites in BBM with this subscription.

Avatar Badging: Show off your special BBM status with a badge. This badge also appears on display pictures that have an active subscription.
Subscriptions can be purchased using available payment methods in the BBM Shop. Subscriptions is available at a monthly cost and requires ongoing payments to continue the subscription.

According to reports, custom PIN options shows it will cost $1.99 per month, while the option to remove ads will be $0.99 per month. There’s no telling if these prices are final, as it is a beta and subject to change but it’s interesting to note them either way.

To download the new BBM for now, you have to be part of a very limited beta testers group. Its not available publicly for now.

Ebonyi State House Of Assembly Building Totally Razed Down

     Ebonyi State House of Assembly complex was totally razed to the ground this morning Feb. 24th after a fire broke out from the Accounts department and spread to the media section of the complex. The cause of the fire has not been ascertainment but workers in the complex are suspecting it was an arson.

Skales Girlfriend Defends Her Man, Comes For Wizkid, Others

She tweeted this as her man came under fire from Wizkid and others yesterday. She actually wrote 'can you afford a girl like me?" Lol..girl, are you for sale? #Justasking. Read the tweets after the cut...

Heavy Shots Fired! Wizkid & Skales Call Each Other Out Over ‘Azonto’ Song

Sighs!

Okay. So this just happened on Twitter and I’m sure it’s on it’s way to becoming one of the jaw dropping gists of the Industry as former EME label brothers and respected acts Wizkid and Skales shade themselves on Twitter over ownership of the familiar ‘Azonto’ song.

It might be that someone thought to set the records straight but we’ll never know for sure. Speaking of which, why hasn’t Banky W cleared the ruckus seeing as he was their team lead at the time? He’s probably in best position to say whose tent we should be pitching although Legendury Beatz has pointed out that they made the beats and was “fully paid for” by Starboy Wizzy.

As the drama unfolds, please join the conversation by commenting if you’re #TeamWizkid or #TeamSkales.

See their tweets below (read from bottom up).

Emir Sanusi & apos ;s Car And Other Pictures From The Coronation Ceremony .

Below are pictures from the coronation ceremony of Emir of
Kano, Emir Muhammad Sanusi ll. Present at the event are.....
General Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, General
Abdulrahman Dambazau, Father Mathew Kuka, Speaker
Aminu Tambuwal, Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Dutse,
Governors: Ibrahim Gaidam, Kashim Shettima, Babangida
Aliyu, Rabiu Kwankwaso amongst many other invited
guests. See more pics:

Gen . Buhari Speaks On Obasanjo Publicly Endorsing Him

In an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN this
evening, APC presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari reacted to former president Obasanjo publicly
endorsing him. When asked by Amanpour how he felt about
it, Buhari said;
"I am happy about it. It means more supporters and more
confidence for those still sitting on the fence. He's well
respected. No serious issue can happen (in Nigeria) without
people seeking his opinion and listening to it"Continue to
read what Obasanjo said about Buhari yesterday
At the launch of his controversial book, The Watch, in Kenya
yesterday, former President Olusegun Obasanjo endorsed
Buhari, saying;
"The circumstances [Buhari] will be working under if he wins
the election are different from the one he worked under
before, where he was both the executive and the legislature,
he knows that. He’s smart enough. He’s educated enough.
He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?”

I Will Hand Over If I Lose - President Jonathan

Jonathan, in a live media chat apparently organised to
douse the tension generated by the postponement of the
general elections, spoke among others, the alleged plot to
sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, insurgency and
corruption.
Before and after the polls were shifted from February 14
and 28 to March 28 and April 11, there were rumours that
the President and the Peoples Democratic Party were
nursing a sinister plot not to hand over power.
But Jonathan told a panel of interviewers that he was not
desperate to remain in power. He said such “insinuations
and wrong information” were meant to discredit him by his
political opponents.

He said,“Let me assure Nigerians that a new government
will be formed on May 29.They should not be perturbed
about rumours that we are planning to send Jega on a
terminal leave and other rubbish that is being circulated.
“In 2011, I said I will conduct a free and fair election and
that if I lose, I will happily move on and that it should be
recorded.
“Then I just concluded the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s
tenure. I said I will be happy to go if I lose. I said this nation
is more important than anybody. Anyone who wants to hold
the office of President and feels he is more important than
the nation is not right.
“So if as of 2011, I made a commitment that if I lose I will
go, it should tell you more about my stand on free and fair
elections.
“But now, Nigerians have given me the opportunity to be
here for four good years and so if the elections are
conducted and I lose, of course, we will inaugurate a new
government.
“The rumour that I will not hand over or that I am scheming
to prolong my tenure are insinuations; they are not true.
Those are insinuations; it is quite unfortunate that so much
wrong information is floating in the system.”
Jonathan faulted the claim by Jega that INEC was ready for
the elections. He said the information given to him by
security chiefs was that poor distribution of Permanent
Voter Cards could have caused a security challenge in the
country.

Jonathan Explains What He Meant By ‘ Stealing Is Not Corruption ’

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday clarified what he
meant by stealing is not corruption, saying he was quoted
out of context.
Responding to questions during a presidential media chat on
Wednesday, the President explained that the remark flowed
from a discussion he had with a former chief justice of the
federation, who told him of how he had to distinguish
straight acts of stealing from other forms of corruption he
acted upon.
“People who told you I said stealing is not corruption did not
tell you I said stealing is good.
That is why philosophers say that the primary reason
people disagree is because people use one statement to
explain two typical things or vice versa.
“I made that statement because I quoted the former Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Mustapha, (when) I called a meeting
then, with the anti-crime organisations and the judiciary.
“The CJN, Mustapha decided to take a look at the files that
dealt with corruption and more than 80 per cent of them
were just cases of stealing. But people use corruption to
cover all. What I am saying is that let us go to the South-
West and go to a typical community and they look at you
and say this man is corrupt, people will be looking at you.
But call that same man “ole”, that is thief, and see what will
happen to him. Our people hate thieves more than corrupt
people, yet most times, we use corruption to cover the
lapses.

“A thief should be called a thief and treated as such. In my
village, when an adult steals, they strip him unclad,
humiliate him and his family, but if you say this man is
corrupt, they won’t know what you are talking about. We are
using corruption to cover it all up.
“So, let us communicate properly. It was not me that said it,
I quoted Mustapha. He examined the corruption cases and
he saw that they were just cases of stealing.
“We are identifying thieves; we can talk about what the
agencies are doing. We have made more convictions in this
period than before. But I always say that the answer is not
convicting more people. We must make sure that they don’t
steal. Do not put the money where they can steal it. That is
what we are doing.”

JEGA MET WITH APC LEADERS IN DUBAI, SAYS PDP

The plot to remove the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has
thickened as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Presidential Campaign Council (PDPPCO) yesterday finally
alleged that he is working with the All Progressives
Congress (APC) ahead of the forthcoming election.
Director of media of the PDPPCO, Femi Fani-Kayode, who
made the allegation during a press conference, further
alleged that Jega met with some leaders of the APC in
Dubai.
However, when asked to provide evidence of these
allegations, Fani-Kayode declined, noting that he was aware
that the allegations were weighty and would expect Jega to
react.
He threatened to pass a vote of no confidence on Jega if he
fails to respond to the allegations of partisanship and live
up to his responsibilities as an independent electoral
umpire.
This is coming against the background of alleged moves to
either force the INEC chairman to resign or make him
proceed on terminal leave from March 1, in anticipation of
the end of his tenure in office on June 30.
However, the spokesman of the PDPPCO stated that Jega
deliberately refused to tell Nigerians the whole truth about
the postponement, “thus providing the APC a questionable
platform to accuse us of complicity in the decision to
postpone the elections”.
He added that the statistics of Permanent Voter Card (PVC)
collection for states and geo-political zones before the
postponement of the elections buttressed “Jega’s contrived
grand conspiratorial alliance with the APC to fraudulently
secure victory in the elections”.
He continued, “We must state here and again that the
decision to postpone the elections was INEC’s since it is
constitutionally saddled with that responsibility.
“The commission has done just that and it had at the press
conference hinted that it was having challenges with the
distribution and collection of the Permanent Voter Cards
(PVCs). The commission had claimed substantial readiness
for the general elections despite that as at 5th February,
2015, the total number of PVCs collected was 45, 829, 808,
representing 66.58% of the total number of registered
voters.
“We had immediately commended the INEC on the grounds
that the postponement would enable the 23 million eligible
voters who had not collected their PVCs to do so before the
new dates announced for the elections.
“But we have now realised how Professor Jega had
disingenuously presented the reasons for the postponement
of the elections at the press conference, making it look as if
the problem was mainly security. We would like to say that
the major issue that informed INEC’s decision was the
deliberate attempt by the commission to disenfranchise
over 23 million eligible voters who are yet to collect their
PVCs.
“The matter is that INEC has failed in its responsibility to
produce and distribute PVCs to about 34 per cent of
registered voters who would require the cards to vote in the
elections. “We express our concerns today that Jega may
have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections
through the manipulation of the production, distribution and
collection of PVCs such that emerging trends have
consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of
the country that would traditionally vote for President
Jonathan of their PVCs whilst the parts of the country that
would traditionally vote for the APC presidential candidate,
General Muhammadu Buhari, are already armed with their
PVCs.
We Don’t Join Issues With Political Parties – INEC
Meanwhile, The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) yesterday asked the PDP to produce evidence that its
chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, is working with the opposition
APC.
The chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode
Idowu, said as much as the commission does not join
issues with political parties, any allegations made against
its chairman must be backed by evidence.
“INEC does not join issues with political parties. If you have
evidence of such activity, bring it forward.
“INEC is an umpire. It cannot afford to be joining issues
with political parties it is umpiring, otherwise you will not be
able to do its job. This commission is focused on
conducting elections on March 28 and April 11. We will not
be distracted”, he said.
“Our Campaign Organisation would want Professor Jega to
answer the following questions:
“Why are the PVC collection rates in the North Central,
South-South, South West and South East much lower with
the highest being 57%? Is it because these geopolitical
zones may be pro-Jonathan? Why does the North West zone
which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state) have the
highest collection rate of 80%?
“How come the North East also has 75% collection rate
when, in fact, three states in this zone, Adamawa, Borno and
Yobe, have been under the attack of Boko Haram
insurgents, a development that has led to the displacement
of many residents? Did the Internally Displaced Persons
come back there to collect their PVCs?
“Why is it that North Central zone, which includes states like
Plateau and Benue that traditionally vote PDP, has a
collection rate of 48% when North East and North West have
between 75 and 80% collection rates?
“INEC would have us believe that as far back as January
2014, the PVC distribution would be done in phases.
”Can Jega explain to Nigerians how Kano, Adamawa, Borno,
Kaduna and Katsina, which were slated for Phase 3 and
actually kicked off in November 2014, have achieved a
75-80% PVC collection rate whilst many states slated for
Phases 1 and 2 and even some others in Phase 3 are still in
the 40-50% collection rate range?”
Commenting on the allegation that Jega held meetings with
APC stalwarts, Fani-Kayode said “pieces of information at
our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with
APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to
perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible
voters. Besides, we have information that the PVCs that
Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not
arrive before the elections. These PVCs are still in China
and Prof Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit
his electioneering permutations.
“Can Prof Jega show Nigerians proof that the Chinese
company printing the PVCs has been paid in full by
disclosing the total contract sum and the amount paid to
date? Can Prof Jega show proof of arrival or expected date
of arrival of all PVCs for the elections? Can Prof Jega tell
Nigerians how he could have distributed 23 million PVCs
within 5days to election if there hadn’t been a
postponement?”
“The pieces are beginning to fall into place:Could this be
why Prof Jega has refused to allow citizens use their
temporary voter cards despite pleas from the National
Assembly and well-meaning Nigerians? Does it make sense
to disenfranchise 23 million citizens (a third of the eligible
voters) because INEC says it wants to avoid rigging? The
2011 elections were adjudged the most transparent by
Nigerians, the international community and the INEC
chairman himself without the use of PVCs. So what has
changed?
“Is this why APC leaders and members insist on non-
postponement of the elections even when they know that 23
million Nigerians may not vote? Do they know something we
do not know?
“Prof Jega said on National Television on 23rd of January
2015 that INEC is doing everything possible to ensure that
before the end of January all the cards have been produced
and made available. That deadline of end of January has
come and gone and we still do not have the PVCs. Is he
being sincere?
“We hereby challenge Prof Jega to be honourable and
transparent. He should publish accurate information on the
state of PVCs: how many PVCs are in the country? Where
are they located state by state? When would the others
arrive from China? How does he plan to distribute them
before elections?”
”Prof Jega should respond to these allegations of
partisanship and ineptitude, and live up to his
responsibilities as an independent election umpire. If he
refuses to do so, we may end up losing confidence in him.”