Wednesday, April 2, 2014 | 5
THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com
News Reps panel summons, AGF, CBN, others over alleged missing N59.6b From Adamu Abuh, Abuja, O ensure accountability, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday summoned the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Jonah Otunla, to appear today to explain how about N59.6 billion Service Wide Vote in 2006 allegedly disappeared into thin air. Also to appear before the Solomon Adeola Olamilekanled committee are the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN), Mrs. Sarah Alade and the Executive Director of Finance, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Adeola (Lagos: APC) directed that the AGF bring along, among others, all bank transactions between July and December 2006, a copy of the Federation Account, copies of statements of accounts through CBN for the period under review. Apparently concerned by the un-cooperative attitudes of some of the officials involved in the transaction, he said his committee would no longer tolerate any excus-
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Grand Knight, Mater Christi Sub-Council, Sir Bamidele Famure (left); Supreme Treasurer, Sir Lawrence Okonofua and Metropolitan Grand Knight, Lagos Metro Council, Sir Charles Mbelede during the celebration of the feast of Annunciation organised by Knight of St. Mulumba held at Marian Shrine, St. Agness Catholic Church, Maryland …yesterday.
es from some of the officials of the agencies involved that had been claiming “ignorant at one stage or the other. “ Yesterday, when the NNPC GM Accounts, Mr. Sambo Aliyu appeared before the committee, he tendered a letter written by the Budget Office in response to NNPC’s request to know the whereabouts of the missing fund. Aliyu disclosed that the budget office responded that the money was released to NNPC, adding that the money was not released in liquid cash to the best of his knowledge. Piqued by the response, members of the committee resolved to summon all the heads of the aforementioned outfits to shed further light on the issue. Mr. Dipo Fatokun who stood in for the CBN was also not forthcoming when asked to explain what he knows about the missing fund, saying: “We will need to get the mandates from the AGF.” Mrs. Tayo Toluwase, a director in the budget office also said she did not have all the relevant details on the issue.
Senators disagree on electronic voting, reject one-day general elections From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja EBATE on Bills seeking D introduction of an electronic voting method in the country practically split the Senate into two yesterday even as the lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to have all elections conducted same day. The senators were unanimous in their support of another Bill which seeks to
empower the President to appoint the secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contrary to the existing legislation that allowed the INEC chairman to appoint the secretary. The Electoral Amendment Bill seeking the introduction of a single day general elections which was sponsored by Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC, Yobe State) attracted more
attention as senators expressed fear that it could cause more problems. President of the Senate, David Mark, whose contribution came at the end of the debate, urged his colleagues to consider the capacity of INEC before introducing the one-day election. He lamented the inability of the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to correct what he called a mis-
normal in the appointment of the commission’s secretary. Senate leader, Victor NdomaEgba, argued that the one-day election option could generate serious constitutional problems. According to him, the arrangement could spell doom for democracy in Nigeria should there occur post election crises. Ndoma-Egba said it is better to always have the National Assembly election earlier on a different day so that should
there be a post-election crisis, Nigeria would be sure that the National Assembly is intact. “Again, because of our illiteracy level, holding elections in one day could lead to voter’s fatigue and voter’s confusion.” He is of the opinion that allowing INEC to use electronic machines to conduct elections would be more fruitful to the electoral process.
Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who sponsored the Bill on electronic voting, had argued that “while we appreciate the challenges of the use of electronic voting system in our infrastructure-deficit environment, the Bill seeks to grant the commission the latitude to use electronic voting system when it is ready with the appropriate capacity and technology to do so.”
Delegate at national confab raises concern over killing of Christians From Terhemba Daka and Karls Tsokar, Abuja ONTRIBUTIONS by Pastor C Emmanuel Bosun yesterday accusing politicians of manipulating religions as a tool to cause distraction all over the nation created an uneasy calm among delegates at the ongoing National Conference in Abuja. Effort by a delegate and former Governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero to stop Bosun, a delegate on the platform of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) from going ahead with his submissions was turned down by the Deputy Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi who presided over the session. Pastor Bosun had bemoaned the wanton killing of hundreds of Christians across Nigeria, stressing the need for the conference to address the issue with a view to putting an end to the massacre and avert the resultant effect of a division of the country. His words: “Nigeria as of today is producing widows, orphans in thousands. Mr. Chairman permit me to show
you this stone. I picked this stone personally in a village called Dogo Nahawa in Jos at the mass grave of 501 Christians slaughtered in one night. They were not thieves and they were not criminals but were killed because they chose to be Christians. “Our country today is facing a terrible calamity as religion has become a manipulative tool that is being used to cause destruction all over the nation. This conference needs to address religion squarely before religion is used to scatter Nigeria. Mr. President in his speech on
pages 14 and 15 made reference to the need for us to review the constitution because it is inadequate. “And when we look at the issue currently on ground, the bloodshed that is all over Nigeria, we find at the root, constitutional inconsistencies. Section 10 of our Constitution says the government is prohibited from adopting any religion as state religion, and the same constitution gives room for establishment and funding of one religion. “In the 1999 Constitution Sharia is mentioned 73 times, Grand Khadi 54 times, Islam
28 times, Muslim 10 times and there is no single mention of Christ, Christian, Christianity or church. “Some mischievous elements have taken this lapse in the constitution to come to the ungodly decision that probably the state is an Islamic state, and wonder what Christians are doing here. “Hundreds of our churches are being burnt, Christians are killed and in fact it has reached the stage of genocide and I will cite just one example. “In just one denomination in Plateau State, the Women’s Fellowship as at 2001 had 500 registered widows. By 2008
In the 1999 constitution Sharia is mentioned 73 times, Grand Khadi 54 times, Islam 28 times, Muslim 10 times and there is no single mention of Christ, Christian, Christianity or church. Some mischievous elements have taken this lapse in the constitution to come to the ungodly decision that probably the state is an Islamic state so what are Christians doing there. Hundreds of our churches are being burnt, Christians are killed and in fact it has reached the stage of genocide and I will cite just one example. In just one denomination in Plateau State the Women’s fellowship as at 2001 had 500 registered widows. By 2008 they had 900 registered widows, as at February 2014 they have 25,000 registered widows. We have to talk to ourselves.
they had 900 registered widows, as at February 2014 they have 25,000 registered widows. We have to talk to ourselves. “There is the need for us, according to what Mr. President mentioned, for this conference to take a closer look at the constitution of Nigeria and make recommendations that will facilitate redressing every imbalance therein so that all the citizens in Nigeria can live peacefully and in harmony. If we set Nigeria on fire for whatever reason none of us will be able to live there. “We Christians do not hate the Muslims, we are prepared to live together in harmony. I live in the South-West in which Christians and Muslims live together and there is peace there. We want to see that peace all over Nigeria, in the North, South, East and West.” But raising a Point of Order to draw the attention of the presiding officers to a violation of the Conference rules, Adamu Aliero argued that the submissions by Pastor Bosun was
irrelevant to the discussions and capable of dividing the delegates, and called on the chairman to prevail on him to discontinue with his submission. “Our rules say a delegate must confine his contribution to the subject under discussion and may not introduce matters irrelevant thereto. My Chairman, the speaker is bringing issues not related to Mr. President’s speech. “We are discussing Mr. President’s speech and I, therefore, want the Chair to call him to order. He is bringing diversion, he is bringing issues that are very, very sentimental, he is bringing issue that cannot even be verified. He is dividing the house, I therefore call on the Chair to call him to order.” But ruling on the matter, the Deputy Chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi said: “I cannot uphold your point of order. “However, I appeal that there are a lot of grievances that have brought us here. This is for all to speak your minds. I therefore cannot uphold your point of order.”