…As Fayose slams FG over hiring of Malaysian experts for N458m***

The Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), have alleged that the opposition of the 19 commercial banks to an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja on the Bank Verification Number is a sign that the banks are working against the anti-corruption policy of the current administration.

The court last month ordered the banks to freeze all accounts without Bank Verification Number.

The government and the minister made the allegation in their response to an application by the banks challenging the jurisdiction of the court to make the freezing order of October 17, 2017.

Nigerian government stated in its response to the banks’ application that the banks also refused to comply with the court order directing them to disclose the accounts in their custody without BVN.

A counter-affidavit deposed to by Usman Dakas,  on behalf of the Federal Government and the AGF, stated, “The applicants (the banks) do not wish to comply with the interim order of this court and disclose the accounts without BVN and their holders in order to frustrate the plaintiffs’ anti-corruption policies that would benefit the entire nation.”

The government’s lawyer, Mr. Danjuma Tyoden, also canvassed similar argument in his written address filed along with the counter-affidavit.

He argued that the banks were not only frustrating government’s constitutional responsibility to abolish corrupt practices, but were also  opposing the court’s order so that they could continue to keep the funds in the accounts without BVN, trade with funds and at the end declare fat profits for their various shareholders.

Tyoden stated, “The applicants have filed this motion to frustrate the plaintiffs’ constitutional responsibility to ‘abolish corrupt practices’ and the clear directives and regulations of the Central Bank of Nigeria on the BVN scheme so that they can continue to keep the funds in the accounts BVN and be trading with and declaring fat profits for their various shareholders.

“Is it not worrisome that, while the banks are happy not to allow the customers, whose accounts are not covered by BVN, to operate the said accounts, yet they want the interim order of this court, directing them to disclose these accounts and their holders, dismissed and or struck out?”

The government also argued that the banks refused to comply with the court order directing them to furnish the court with details of accounts without BVN in their custody because if done, the suspicion against them would be proved.

The government’s paper stated in part, “We submit that the refusal of defendants/applicants (the banks) to furnish the plaintiffs with the facts relating to the accounts in their custody without BVN is because, if produced, the suspicion of the plaintiffs would be proved.

“In fact, if the defendants/applicants have nothing to hide, why are they refusing to file the affidavit of disclosure as ordered by this court?

“The funds in the accounts not covered by BVN is not their (banks’) property, why are they now scared of forfeiture and crying more than the bereaved, when the law allows opportunity to be given to the account holders to show cause after publication, before a final forfeiture order is made?”

The government also maintained that it was the customers who owned the funds in the accounts without BVN that ought to complain and not the banks.

It wondered that banks which admitted that they had the responsibility to enforce the due diligence and Know Your Customer provisions of the Money Laundering Act were now, by their application, seeking to shield their customers and doing their case for them.

In the meantime, Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has questioned the rationale for the Federal Government’s hiring of consultants from Malaysia with N458 million to help Nigeria build her economic capacities.

“The Federal Government’s action is a clear vote of no confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and economic experts in the country,” Fayose said.

In a statement, Governor Fayose said “out-sourcing consultancy for the conduct of study that would aid the implementation of the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is tantamount to telling Nigerians that they all lack capacity to govern their own country.

“It is shameful that Nigeria, which produced the likes of African Development Bank (ADB) president, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; treasurer and vice president of the World Bank, Mrs. Aruma Otteh; independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered Plc, United Kingdom, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, among others, is now paying people from Malaysia to revive its economy.”

The governor further queried:” How can you hire foreign consultants that would work for 13 weeks to conduct a study on how to revive the economy of a country like Nigeria and pay them N458 million?”

Fayose said the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Buhari lacked clue as to how to solve our country’s economic problems. “Now they have just confirmed that truly, they are clueless.

“By hiring economic experts from Malaysia, President Buhari and his men have confirmed that they have no capacity to govern this country.

“It was the cluelessness of the Buhari’s government that made the exchange rate that was N197 to $1 as at May 29, 2015 rise to as much as N500 to $1 before it came down to about N370 to $1. Today, official rate is N305 to $1.

“It was this same cluelessness that made one bag of rice that was N7,000 at the time Buhari took office to rice to as much as N22,000 and made more than 25 states to be unable to pay workers salary regularly owing to dwindled revenue from the federation account.”

The governor lamented the report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), an agency of the Federal Government, that the number of unemployed Nigerians rose from 7.51 million at the beginning of October 2015 to 11.19 million at the end of September 2016.

“This was caused by Buhari government’s cluelessness. The president and his men do not know what to do. It is therefore left for Nigerians to use their votes to show Buhari and his APC the way out of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in
2019,” Fayose said.

Meanwhile, former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, has pledged to rebrand the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure victory for her, if given the mantle of leadership.

He made the promise in Benin City at the weekend during a visit to the Edo State chapter of the party where he informed members of his intention to run for the national chairmanship position.

Daniel scored the Buhari low in economic growth and security. He said the APC has not achieved anything tangible to win the 2019.

“The missing Chibok girls are still not found, herdsmen are killing people daily and ravaging parts of the country. The alarming cases of kidnap among others across the country is a sign of a failed government.”

The Edo State PDP chairman, Dan Orbih appreciated the visit. He said the party was determined to ensure a credible candidate emerge as its national chairman.

A group, the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has, however, commended President Buhari, over the country’s ranking in the war against terrorism.

The SHAC Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Abubakar, made the commendation at a press conference in Abuja yesterday.

According to him, the recent ranking by the Institute for Economics and Peace, is a reflection of Buhari’s good leadership.

Abubakar said the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) was also an attestation of the success of the service chiefs in the war against terrorism in Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin.

The group stated that the ranking was not a surprise, given that the military’s efforts had reduced the Boko Haram activities by 80 per cent.

It urged Buhari to intensify efforts to ensure that terrorism is totally eradicated in the country.

Citizen with additional report from Guardian NG