Constituency projects: ICPC to storm Kano, Benue, other states

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Constituency projects: ICPC to storm Kano, Benue, other states

 

The Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it is set to commence tracking of its first phase of constituency projects in 12 states.

This was contained in a brief statement signed by the commission’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative launched on April 2, 2019 by ICPC, is aimed at ensuring satisfactory execution of all constituency projects as well as obtaining value for money.

Members of the Steering Committee for the initiative included Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Budget Office of the Federation, and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Other members are Premium Times, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) among others.

According to Okoduwa, the first phase of the exercise will commence in 12 states across the six geo-political zones of the country.

“At least five projects have been identified for tracking in each state.

“The zones and states include North Central; Kogi and Benue, Northeast, Adamawa and Bauchi while others are Northwest, Sokoto and Kano.

“Southeast has Imo and Enugu, Southwest, Lagos and Osun; South-South, Akwa Ibom and Edo.”

 

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Buhari Made It Dangerous And Risky To Be Corrupt - Owasonoye

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Buhari Made It Dangerous And Risky To Be Corrupt - Owasonoye

The Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Bolaji Owasonoye, yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari has made it more dangerous and risky to be corrupt in Nigeria.

Owasonoye also told newsmen in New York that Buhari’s administration had not had any high-profile scandal in its three years.

According to him, in the past, the most high-profile cases or issues of corruption were virtually traced to the seat of government when people claimed they got approval to do things.

He said: “in the life of a government that has spent about three years, you would have found by the third year many high-profile scandals’’.

“Don’t look at generalisations when people say ‘oh, this is happening’ but there is no evidence of it or it’s been investigated and all that”.

“How many people now, even if they are accused of being corrupt under this government, would say they got approval to be corrupt from the highest level?.

“President Buhari has not been equivocal about his abhorrence and disgust of corruption. That does not mean that corruption is 100 per cent gone, no.

“But we’re challenging corruption and using legal measures as best as we can to deal with it.

“You just need to look at the number of cases that have been filed since the inception of this government, to understand, even if those cases are not concluded,” he said.

Owasonoye, particularly, said the opening up of defence contracts by the Federal Government, was a bold step that had never been taken before in history except by Buhari.

“I am not aware of how many countries where the government opened up defence contracts to say ‘this is what happened, this was wrong, this is the consequence, this is what we found’.

“Nigeria is one example. Usually all over the world, defence contracts are sacred. They know there’s a lot of corruption in defence contracts but people don’t talk about it but President Buhari opened it up.

According to him, huge recoveries in asset and money have been made in the current dispensation.

“Sometimes as they say that ‘a prophet has no honour at home’. The world recognises what President Buhari is doing much more than Nigerians recognise what President Buhari is doing.

“We are very cynical people, we have been disappointed many times. So one can understand when people are cynical, sometimes they say ‘oh, nothing is happening or nothing will happen.

“But to the extent that the African Union and President Buhari peers recognised and chose him as the AU Champion for anti-corruption, surely there must be something they have seen, which is positive.

“They didn’t choose any other leader, they couldn’t have chosen some leaders that we know in Africa. But they chose him”.

Owasonoye, who is the nominee for the Chairmanship position of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), advised Nigerians to support the government in its anti-corruption crusade.

“From where I sit, I can tell you that it’s much more dangerous and risky to try to be corrupt now,” he said.

                                                  

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The Group TD Charges INEC To Collaborate With EFCC, ICPC To Curb Electoral Fraud

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The Group TD  Charges INEC To Collaborate With EFCC, ICPC To Curb Electoral Fraud

 

A human rights group, The Democrat (TD) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), to curb electoral corruption in the forthcoming general elections in 2019.

The group also called on the National Assembly to empower INEC in the fight against electoral corruption, through prompt passage of relevant laws to check electoral fraud.

Spokesman of the group, Comrade Kehinde Ojoawo in a statement  made on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, said INEC and the National Assembly must collaborate with anti-graft agencies to enforce laws regulating the maximum expenditure on election and forbid all forms of material and financial inducement by money bags at party level and polling booth.

The aim of such collaboration, according to Ojoawo, was to “minimise the influence of money in 2019 general elections.”

He further urged “INEC to shun corruption and be on top of situation regarding the conduct of elections in the country.”

He expressed concern over electoral violence.

While describing violence as a threat to the credibility of elections and political participation, Ojoawo called on INEC to “tackle electoral violence by sanctioning political parties and candidates that make use of thugs in election.”

Ojoawo said “INEC must ensure proper monitoring of campaign of all the political parties and candidates. We are also calling on the electoral body to collaborate with armed forces to guarantee adequate security in the 2019 general election”.

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Ekiti Youths, FUOYO Students Petition EFCC, Calls For Investigation Of The VC, Soremilekun

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Ekiti Youths, FUOYO Students Petition EFCC, Calls For Investigation Of The VC, Soremilekun

Scores of students from Ekiti State under the umbrella of Nigeria Youths Coalition (NYC) on Wednesday stormed the Ibadan regional Head office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to protest what they described as “financial misappropriation” at Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State.

The protesters, who were led by the Coordinator and the Secretary of the group, Comrade Shina Awopeju and Comrade Tetteh Ebenezer, respectively urged the EFCC to investigate financial misappropriation by the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Kayode Soremilekun.

The youths in a five-page petition submitted to the office of the anti-graft agency, a copy of which was made available to us, itemised various allegations against the Vice Chancellor, Professor Soremilekun.

The offence allegedly committed by the VC include: “illegal purchase of Prado jeep at inflated price of N25 million.

“Purchase of two Nigeria-used Toyota Camry (2006 model) at the sum of N5.25million and four Toyota Camry at N10.5million, payment of N40.1million into a bank account belonging to Kodelac Nigeria Limited in Ile-Ife, Osun state without following procurement guidelines of payment.”

The youths also alleged that N19.1million was paid twice for a-2-block laboratory at Ikole campus of the institution.

The youths claimed that “N1.98 million was paid into unknown account operated by the University with a commercial bank for unknown contract.”

The petition also said that a Tokunbo CRV car was purchased at N23.9million for the Governing Council Chairman of the institution.

Awopeju, while addressing journalists shortly after the submission of the petition, declared that the group comprised students and youths from Ekiti State.

While dismissing the insinuation that the group was being used by some group of people to fight the Vice chancellor of the institution, Awopeju informed journalists that “the move was in support for the anti-corruption crusade of the federal government.”

But the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Soremilekun while responding to the allegations, said it was all lies.

Soremilekun in a telephone conversation with journalists said “It is all lies. We are under investigation by the EFCC and the ICPC already. If they have good intention, why going that far?

“It was handwork of one of the principal officers of the institution who was suspended. The petition has been flying around for sometime now.”

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