Connect with us

Politics

EFCC asks Mark to account for N5.4b

Published

on

EFCC arraigns Bola Labinjo, 4 others, over alleged oil theft

…As NLC begs governors to utilize Paris Club refund for salaries, pensions***

Former Senate President David Mark is to account for over N5.4billion slush cash and campaign funds traced to him, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Part of the money is N550 million, which is part of the $2.1billion controversial arms procurement cash, according to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sources.

Mark is also expected to respond to issues raised in the Panama Papers bordering on his relationship with some shell firms.

But Mark insisted yesterday that no 2015 presidential election campaign fund for Benue State was given to him.

Detectives will today grill Mark on four issues.

Mark it was learnt, requested to be allowed to travel home to Otukpo, Benue State, after his preliminary grilling at the EFCC on Thursday, to fetch documents to exonerate himself from the allegations.

 

“The firms were allegedly used to launder money, evade tax and dodge sanctions.”

Mark, in a statement by his Media Assistant Paul Mumeh, yesterday faulted the EFCC and insisted that he kept a clean record as a public officer.

The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports wherein it was reported that former President of the Senate David Mark was quizzed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over some alleged financial transactions.

“To set the record straight, Senator Mark was invited by the EFCC via a letter addressed to the National Assembly to answer questions on the 2015 presidential election campaign funds as it concerned Benue State.

“As a law abiding citizen, Sen. Mark honoured the invitation.

“Curiously, they also alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paid over N2bilion into the National Assembly’s account which he, as the then President of the Senate,  allegedly shared among the 109 Senators (including PDP, ACN, and ANPP) in 2010. Again, to the best of his knowledge, Sen. Mark is not aware of such transaction.

“This simply did not make sense to any right thinking member of the society.  Sen. Mark wondered why anybody would think that PDP will pay money into National Assembly account. He, however, clarified all the issues raised before returning home.

“Sen. Mark believes in due process and rule of law. He has maintained a clean record of public service over the years and will continue to uphold the highest standard of conduct expected of public servants.

“Sen. Mark’s house has since become a pilgrimage of sort to politicians across party lines, friends and well-wishers identifying with him at this moment.

“He however appealed to his supporters, friends and associates to remain calm and see his current travails as a price he has to pay for leadership.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is the first and only official statement from the office of Sen. Mark on this issue.”

In the meantime, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked state governors to prioritise their activities and ensure that they use Paris Club refund to pay workers’ salaries and pension.

President of Congress, Comrade Abubakar Wabba said that governors, who have refused to pay salaries and pension were not doing so because of the lack of money, but because they have not considered the payment of salaries as a priority.

He urged workers to ensure that such governors are voted out during the next election.

Wabba said: “Most of the governors have abused the trust of the President Muhammadu Buhari, especially those that are not paying. They will go begging that once the money is released, they will use it to pay salaries. This is about the third episode.

“The Chairman of the Governors Forum once made a promise publicly that they were going to use the money to pay salaries. Even in his own state, he did not use the money to address Labour issues. So, we are tired of this whole deceit of going to beg the President because they know he is passionate about workers and pensioners.

“They will get money and come back to do something different. In states where they are not paying salaries and pension, you have seen what is happening with the rate of crime on the increase and people dying from starvation and frustration, while kidnapping is on the increase.”

Wabba said the governors should know that it is in their own interest to pay workers and pensioners their entitlements.

He noted that social consequence of not paying is glaring in those states because of the rise in criminal activities there.

The NLC President said: “Our position usually is that they should prioritise the payment of workers and pensioners entitlement because there is no way you can have peace and development if workers entitlements are not being paid. It is arising from that that the President has continually told them to go and settle these liabilities.

“We hope that with the little commitment they have made, it will work out this time around. If they pay, fine, but if they don’t pay, they should also know that they will not receive the support of the workers and pensioners. Right now, there are about nine states that are in this situation and we use this medium to thank those governors that are paying as and when due.

“If they don’t pay, we have said it over and over again that workers should vote them out. They should know that if they don’t pay, the workers will not support them and if they pay, the workers will be happy and support them. That is the position we have taken long before now and that position has not changed.

“For governors that have done well, we have asked workers to go and support them. It is actually in their own interest to settle all categories of workers so that workers can support them and also be very productive.”

Nation with additional report from Citizen

Latest News

NAGAFF Vows to Stop Kwankwaso from Taking Over NNPP

Published

on

NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

…Votes N150m take off professional fees for lawyers to begin litigation warfare!

Members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) will vehemently resist the taking over of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) by the group noted to be loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

It would be recalled that the NNPP was originally founded by the National Association of Government-Approved Freight Forwarders NAGAFF, largely to provide a credible platform for maritime industry stakeholders to make a national impact within the nation’s political space.

It. would also be recalled that the former Governor of Kano, Senator Kwankwaso latched on the NNPP, after his effort to run as the flag bearer of another political party was dimmed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.

NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Presently, a statement issued by the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Clement Iwegbuna, lamented that what started as a child’s play is becoming a reality with the body language and actions of Senator Kwankwaso to highjack NNPP from the original owners, the members of  NAGAFF.

In a swift move, the president of NAGAFF, leading the pack of resourceful young freight forwarders said the original are poised to match money for money and contact for contact to retrieve NNPP from the people tagged ungrateful.

The statement revealed that the sum of N150,000,000 has been contributed as a take-off professional fee for the lawyers to take on the serial litigations upcoming.

NAGAFF accused Kwankwaso of court abuse with the institution of a court case involving INEC at Kano State High Court. “And so what does it take someone who held the position of minister of defence and member of the national assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to know that it is out of jurisdiction to do so.

NNPP is a national party and INEC is a federal commission. “Let Nigerians be told that there is a new order in Nigeria judiciary at the moment. If Senator Kwankwaso likes let him, Elder Buba Galadima and all of them who are the former members of the National Working Committee led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu who was alleged not to be able to write a statement at the state police command, Abuja when he reported a case against Mr Phillip Oyana the Zonal Secretary North Central of New Nigeria Peoples Party.

“Our young, vibrant and informed lawyers shall meet him and his cohorts in court. Once again we hold no malice against any person. All members of NNPP and NAGAFF are children of God and always ready to show love to all manner of people who may come our way,” the statement further said.

The statement directed and appealed to all members of NAGAFF and NNPP to keep the peace of the society and be law abiding and respectful to the constitution of Nigeria.

“Regret to note that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had avoidably prided himself to have brought NNPP to relevance and recognition. Tell the American marine that trash for the fact that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso forgot to note that NNPP is as old as People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria spanning over 24 years in existence. He joined less than 2yrs ago.

“We consider Senator Kwankwaso as someone who is avoidably arrogant and proud for no good reasons. This is because NNPP provided him the opportunity to contest the Presidency of Nigeria 2023 with great men like the current president of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party

“Let it be on record that if NNPP were not winning elections for the period under review it would have been deregistered like the one he facilitated which was called Alliance National Party. As a matter of fact, the current headquarters of NNPP in Abuja is the same office used by the defunct Alliance National  Party whose chairman was one Moshood.

“We also know that the current executive Gov of Kano Alhaji Abbah Kabir who was shortchanged in the previous elections took advantage of us as children of God to be protected and today those evil men could not stop him from becoming the Gov of Kano State.

“Therefore senator RABIU MUSA Kwankwaso should be taught the principles of humility and gratefulness to people who have been nice to him.

“In all of these, he may wish to distance himself from elder Buba Galadima if he wants to make headway in politics. The former President, Gen. Buhari did realise and distanced himself to combine with Asiwaju B. A. Tinubu, the grand master to become the President of Nigeria.,” advised.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Reps. Summon Minister, Perm.Sec. Over $300m Antimalarial Funds

Published

on

Following perceived hanky panky, the House of Representatives Committee on Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis has summoned the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof.Mohammed Pate, over alleged misappropriation of 300 million dollars anti-malaria funds.

“The Committee has resolved that the Permanent Secretary be arrested if she failed to honour the summons, having failed to appear three times”, Rep. Amobi Ogah, the Chairman of the Committee who read the resolutions in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed.

Ogah expressed displeasure over the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry at the resumed sitting of the committee on Tuesday.

“Malaria is now an epidemic in Nigeria. The government has always wanted to help the people but most times the civil servants are our problem.

“This money has been made available since 2021. We have been inviting the Permanent Secretary. This is the third time we are inviting her to come and explain to us what has happened.

“Have they used the money? If they have not used the money, where is the money? It is a matter of simple explanation. But they have been running away, calling all manner of people to talk to us,” he said

Continue Reading

Latest News

We Didn’t Pad Budget -Adaramodu

Published

on

…Senate explains alleged N3trn 2024 budget padding

Senate on Tuesday explained that the N3trillion alleged to be padded in the 2024 budget was actually statutory transfers to first-line charge agencies of government not domiciled in the ministries.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity Sen.Yemi Adaramodu gave the explanation while speaking with journalists on the suspension of Sen. Abdul Ningi over alleged padding of the 2024 budget.

Adaramodu said the 10th Senate needed to be treasured as a pillar of democracy and would only do what would promote national interest

He said there was nothing like budget padding, saying that the false narrative on N3trillion padding was a demonstration of the error of arithmetic and innocence of procedure by the protagonists of budget padding.

“The N3 trillion is for statutory transfers of government agencies on the first lines charges.”

He listed the agencies to include Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)Public Complaints Commission, National Judicial Council, North East Development(NEDC), Commission Niger -Delta Development Commission Commission(NDDC) among others.

$22.7bn: Senate announces new financier of Kaduna-Kano rail modernisation

The Senate

He also dismissed the issue of the provision of N500 million as constituency funds to senators, describing the allegation as a fairy tale.

He urged journalists to study the 2024 budget to investigate allocations to the National Assembly.

He said the issue of budget padding was a negative connotation and a serious crime in budgeting, hence senate didn’t take it lightly.

“It is a matter of integrity, The issue of budget has been put to rest as the protagonist of the budget padding was called to substantiate and they could not prove it but the allegations can not just go without being attended to.

“The Appropriation Act is a public document and when it was done,it was done in the public glare and it was N28.77 trillion and so for some to say N25 trillion was what was approved is scary.

“Statutory transfers for agencies on first line charges, that are not domiciled in the Ministries was what Ningi said was padded, that the allocation can not be traced.”

He reiterated that the N3trillion was not padded, was not missing, but was for agencies of government that were placed on first-line charge.

He also said the allegation that a section of the country was allocated more funds than other regions was not put in the right perspective, saying that allocations were done sectorally.

The Senate image maker said the integrity of the National Assembly was in question, hence the matter was treated with the seriousness it deserved.

Continue Reading

Editor’s Pick

Politics