http://newsdirectonline.com/newstory.php?ID=11843

Respite may not seem the way of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aides as some major players in his past regime maybe under the searchlight of the nation’s anti-graft agency, which is out to position itself in good light in the face of heavy criticisms while under the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s watch

.Also in the watch list is the former petroleum minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, who has been facing series of allegations of corruption and the NIMASA boss, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Alison-Madueke, got the shocker of her life when the CBN governor knocked hard on her with the allegation of $20 billion missing fund from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),an organisation that was under her watch. It was denied by both the federal government through the finance ministry and the ministry of petroleum resources that such money was not missing.

The drama that followed the controversial issue got so exciting that it pitched the finance ministry against the CBN governor until the Presidency under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan could not handle the scandal leading to the eventual suspension of the CBN governor.

In September, 2014, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former CBN governor, had written an alarming letter that shook the nation that was battling with credibility and corruption issues. The former CBNgovernor had raised the alarm that out of atotal of $67 billion worth of crude oil that was shipped out of the nation’s shores under Jonathan, only $47 billion could be accounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as payment to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

On his insistence that NNPC was withholding $20 billion, the ex-CBN governor stated at a Senate hearing on the matter that; “Let us know what happened to the remaining $20 billion We have accounted that out of $67 billion that NNPC shipped, $47 billion has come to CBN,” Sanusi had further retorted that, “NNPC must show where it got the authority to buy kerosene at N150 and sell at N40, and then put the burden of loss on the federation account.

”Sanusi’s revelation it was believed led to the rough ride he had with former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who on February 20, 2014 announced the suspension of the controversial CBN boss and replaced him with Mr. Godwin Emefiele, a former Zenith Bank Plc chief executive officer who resumed duty on June 42014 after the expiration of Mallam Sanusi’s tenure ended on June 1.

However, in a development that might look like a soft- landing at least for now for the former minister, she has been reported to be outside the country, undergoing a new round of treatment for breast cancer, according to a family source knowledgeable about her condition.

The source disclosed that Mrs. Alison-Madueke is currently in a hospital in London where she started a fresh round of therapy on Friday. The treatment was described as a daily therapy that will last for one week, according to the source.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke left Nigeria on May 23, 2015 on a British Airways flight.

Then President-elect, Muhammad Buhari, was also on the same London-bound flight, raising speculations that the former minister might have hurriedly booked herself on the flight for the opportunity to speak with President Buhari.

However, a source on the flight told SaharaReporters that Buhari quietly but firmly rebuffed all efforts by Mrs. Alison-Madueke to hold a conversation during the six-hour flight.

The former petroleum minister has not returned to Nigeria since that trip. Our source also disclosed that Mrs. Alison-Madueke, whose tenure as minister was marked by several billion-dollar scandals, underwent surgery last year to remove tumours from her breast.

As one of the closest ministers to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Alison-Madueke was at the centre of a controversy over more than $20 billion in oil revenues that the Nigerian National PetroleumCorporation (NNPC) reportedly failed to deposit at the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NNPC is an agency overseen by the Petroleum Minister.

Owing to the pervasive corruption in the oil sector, President Buhari has indicated that he would personally run the Petroleum Ministry.

In the same light, the former coordinating minister of the economy and minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was accused during the Obasanjo’s administration of planting her relation in the centre of the negotiation for debt forgiveness by the Paris Club, which was alleged to be one of the reasons she was removed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Hmmmmm

Also, she was accused of not accounting for the excess crude fund under the Jonathan’s administration, when the new governors’ forum was constituted, where she urged the governors to probe their finance commissioners whom she alleged had been coming to Abuja for the sharing of the funds.

This is in addition to the $20 billion NNPC missing fund which it was believed that the fraud happened under her watch.

Another big shot in the administration of Jonathan that might not find fresh relief in the Buhari-led administration is the NIMASA director-general, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi. His major crisis included his alleged withdrawal of $30million without the approval of the board.

It was alleged that the director-general withdrew funds secretly to pursue the Tompolo project agenda of acquiring boats for the maritime security.

According to Nigeria Standard, an online news portal, there was disagreement within the agency’s management over the award of contract to a firm that allegedly belonged to ex-militant, GovernmentEkpemupolo, alias Tompolo. The contract was a supply of five boats for the patrol of the Nigerian waterways.

This led to the withdrawal of $30 million from the agency’s account without Ministry of Transport’s approval.It was alleged that the ex-militant’s company, Messrs Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, had demanded N60 million monthly from the DG to police the waterways but the agency had in a controversial contract signing approved the sum of N49.7 million monthly. Tompolo has to date allegedly collected the sum of N250 million.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reacting through the Chairman of Ogun State Chapter of the party, Engr BayoDayo warned the anti-corruption agency not to be used to witch-hunt anybody

.“Okonjo-Iweala did not do any bad thing for Nigeria, she gave her best, so why the harassment?” he asked

Dayo asked the new government to learn from the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that refused to probe past government despite several breaches including Halliburton scandal among others.

The new government should concentrate on its assignment and refrain from distraction which probe and witch-hunting represents” he advised.

Calls made to the line of The Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren,were not picked and text messages sent were not answered as at the time of filing this story but impeccable sources close to the organization informed Nigerian news direct that the arrests of these officials will be made anytime from now.

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to quiz the Contd from Pg 9

immediate past Minister of interior Abba Moro and the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service Mr.David Shikfu Parradang.

Nigerian NewsDirect gathered that the former minister and the CG would be questioned over the N6bn realized from the sale of forms to jobless Nigerians early last year which they could not account for even when they were asked to do so .

A top source at the commission’s office who confirmed this to our correspondent explained that the former minister, the CG and other key officers involved in the exercise would get their letters of invitation this week adding that it had become necessary for the principal officers in the NIS scam to come and explain to the commission why they refused to refund the N6bn to the jobless Nigerians.

The House of Representatives panel on federal character had at the twilight of the 7th assembly directed the Nigerian Immigration Service to stop the planned recruitment for not following due process and insisted that the said N6bn be refunded.

The decision was sequel to a meeting between the House of Representatives panel and Comptroller General of Immigration which ended in a deadlock as the authorities of the Immigration service and the ministry could not convince the panel the procedure its used in carrying out that botched exercise and the failure of the ministry to refund the N6bn it realized during the exercise from innocent jobless Nigerians.

Mindful of the expiration tenure of the 7th assembly and the federal executive council, the ministry and the Immigration service turned down the directive by the House panel, an action the EFCC is coming in to investigate and punish those found guilty and ensure the recovery of the N6bn

.The bone of contention was the inability of the Comptroller General of Immigration Mr.David Shikfu Parradang and his team to convince the committee on how the service intended to ensure that salaries of the newly recruited personnel would be paid, given the state of the economy and the fact that there was no budgetary provisions for it.

Also miffed by the inability of the immigration service, headed by its Comptroller General to convince the parliamentarians in concrete terms how the service intends to offset the over N6 billion cumulative fee of the N1,000 collected by the service from applicants during the aborted exercise as well as not first seeking approval of the federal character committee of the parliament, the chairman of the committee Hon. Idris Ahmed ordered the immigration comptroller to stop with immediate effect the planned recruitment and to refund the N6bn to the said applicants.Speaking exclusively with our correspondent in Abuja, Hon Idris Ahmed who chaired the committee in the last 7th assembly expressed dissatisfaction over what he described as “Impunity of the highest order and insincerity” on the part of the last government, for going ahead with the exercise without budgetary provisions and clearance from the federal character commission.The chairman was particularly unhappy that the Immigration service and the ministry of interior could not refund the N6billion realized from the sale of forms to jobless Nigerians, yet planned to go ahead with the exercise without following the due process “Things must be done in a transparent and fair manner” he saidThe Immigration service and the interior ministry under Comrade Abba Moro had last year conducted a failed recruitment exercise where jobless Nigerian died in stampede, the exercise was cancelled and monies paid by applicants were to be refunded before the next exercise which had not been done up till now.Expressing dissatisfaction over the issue was Senator Dr. Bukola Saraki who faultedthe poor handling of the ill-fated Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise by the leadership of the 7th senate.Saraki who spoke with journalists in Abuja during the weekend expressed concern that the Senate did not act on the report of the probe instituted by the upper legislativechamber on the unfortunate incident during which many applicants lost their lives.According to him “The 7th National Assembly allowed itself to be enmeshed in fights and political wars that only served selfish purposes and party politics with little general public good, the result of which was the further dilution of public perception of the Assembly and the weakening of its general influence and authority” he said
http://newsdirectonline.com/newstory.php?ID=11843

http://newsdirectonline.com/newstory.php?ID=11843 Lalasticlala ishilove pls do the needful

Baba bring back our money no mercy.

Ok,1st TC.

Carry on

am I to read all that this early in the day?

Jona might end up in jail after all.

Story.............. na for your dreams that one dey happen?