Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, March 28, 2018
5 News
FAAC: Civil servants face bleak Easter unless... Continued from page 1
most civil servants in the country may have to spend the Easter celebration without salaries as the FAAC meeting on Tuesday failed to disburse funds to the three tiers of government over disagreement on the amount to be distributed. The FAAC meeting, meant for the distribution of revenue to the three tiers of government was on Tuesday stalemated as the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under-remited oil revenue accrued to the Federation
as at March 27, 2018. The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, who presided over the meeting, said the FAAC could not disburse the allocation for February because the NNPC had failed to remit its full statutory revenue generated for the month to the Federation Account, insisting that until the NNPC remits the revenue, the FAAC could not hold. But documents available to The Daily Times revealed that the NNPC had remitted a total of N52, 584,842,443.38 to the federation account on three occasions from two
different accounts. The NNPC in a letter addressed to the Director, Banking & Payments System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, dated March 26, 2018 ref: GFAD/ CBN/O&GRFN/18/003 titled “Transfer of February 2018 Crude Oil Receipts into the Federation Account with CBN,” stated that “upon receipt of this mandate, please pay into the Federation Account the Sum of N21,672,127,159.82 (Twenty-One Billion, Six Hundred and Twenty-Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty-
Nine Naira, Eighty-Two Kobo)” as settlement of November, 2017 Domestic Crude Oil Cost”. Also, the NNPC in another letter bearing same date and reference number addressed to the Director, Banking and Payments System Department of the CBN, titled, “Transfer of February, 2018 Gas Receipts into the Federation Account with CBN;” directed CBN to pay the Federation Account the sum of N13, 481,404,990.28 (Thirteen Billion, Four Hundred and Eighty-One Million, Four Hundred and Four Thousand, Nine Hundred
L R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara with Senate President,Sen. Bukola Saraki , during the National Assembly 2nd Joint National Budget Hearing(2018 Appropriation Bill)..... onTuesday
and Ninety Naira, TwentyEight Kobo). While in the third letter addressed to same director, titled “Joint Venture Cash Call Fundinf for February, 2018,” the NNPC directed the CBN thus: “Upon receipt of this mandate, please pay into the CBN/JV Cash Call Account with CBN the sum of N17, 431,311,293.28 (Seventeen Billion, Four Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Three Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety-Three naira, Twenty-Eight Kobo). Both letters were signed by Oluwaniyi O.J and Amunike MO. The Daily Times further gathered that one of the controversies was that Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and Modify Carry Agreement (MCA) - PSCMCA Royalty crude oil and gas is the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) royalty earnings paid in form of crude and gas by oil firms. The crude oil and gas are then sold by NNPC on behalf of DPR and the proceeds remitted into DPR’s JP Morgan Account on monthly basis. According to available documents, the FAAC Sub-Committee noted that DPR had accounted for all NNPC’s lifting sales revenue due for payment in January, 2018 except Sterling Oil lifting valued at $6,166,200 with invoice number DPR/ ROY/12?049/2016/.
But the DPR representative confirmed to the FAAC meeting on Tuesday that it was yet to receive the $6,166,200. Consequently, the Sub-Committee directed DPR and NNPC to reconcile the matter and report back at the next meeting. Idris said: “Anything that has to do with the revenue is constitutional and statutory. We appeal to Nigerians to know that indeed we are sensitive to the issue; we are very sensitive to the fact that we are approaching festivity; the state governments as represented by the Honourable Commissioners of Finance are very sensitive to this issue. But again, we have to follow the constitution and the necessary laws for distribution of the revenues. “And it is on this note I inform you the honourable members of the press and indeed all Nigerians that the meeting has not been concluded. And we will look at the revenues figures as submitted by the NNPC and reconcile such figures and then sit immediately and upon that, we will share the revenue immediately. I sincerely feel that we have to explain this to Nigerians bearing in mind that public servants, workers in federal, state and local government levels deserve to have their salaries and all other commitment of government as it affects the Continued on page 6
Atiku in Rivers, declares intention to run for President in 2019 Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has finally broken the ice as he declared his intention to offer himself to contest for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Abubakar made his presidential ambition known on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, when he spoke at the Government House, during a visit to Rivers State to consult with Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Leaders. The former Vice President said that he was offering himself to set the country on the path of growth after the alleged serial fail-
ure of the APC. Atiku, the Turaki Adamawa, said that since 2015, the APC Federal Government has destroyed the education, health, and infrastructural sectors through poor budgetary allocations and releases. He said: “Since 2015, we have not seen a 100 kilometres constructed by the APC Federal Government anywhere in the country.” He said that the APC Federal Government has destroyed the foundation of unity and cohesion of the country. “I have never seen Nigeria so divided along religious, ethnic and regional lines. This division is as a result of the mismanagement of the APC,” he stated.
The PDP presidential hopeful called for the unity of the country, saying that no component part of the country could progress alone and called on Rivers PDP Stakeholders to support his ambition to emerge as the party’s Presidential candidate. Speaking at the occasion, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike declared that all Nigerians must take up the solemn responsibility of sacking the nonperforming APC Federal Government in 2019. Governor Wike urged all PDP members irrespective of their status to ensure that the march to the Presidential Villa was not truncated by disunity. He urged all PDP presidential aspirants to contest
within acceptable limits as the race was not a do-or-die affair, but a movement to oust a failed APC Federal Government. Governor Wike said, “Every presidential aspirant must see himself as a member of the larger PDP family. We must do everything to ensure that PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in 2019. “Only one aspirant would become a candidate. We will do everything to ensure that the party comes out with a candidate that has a track record to upstage the APC.” The governor said that he has received former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and now Atiku Abubakar, noting that other aspirants would be
offered the platform to consult with Rivers PDP members. “God will make sure that the right candidate emerges. When the right candidate emerges, we will team up and remove this bad government. “There is no benefit that Rivers State has gotten from this APC Federal Government. All the APC Federal Government is doing is plotting to rig the 2019 elections,” Governor Wike said. He said that the former Vice President has the right qualification to fly the PDP flag, noting that he should extend his consultations. Also speaking, former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said
that Atiku Abubakar was a detribalised Nigerian, with the capacity the rescue the country. Former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel during the visit, said Nigeria needed Atiku Abubakar to revive the country. Atiku Abubakar was accompanied to Rivers State by Gbenga Daniel, Okwesilieze Nwodo, former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa and Senator Abdul Ningi. The former Vice President also met with State and Federal Lawmakers, Caretaker Committee Chairmen of Local Government Areas and party leaders from within and outside the state.