Fuel scarcity: We paid N90bn for products, received nothing, marketers allege

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association on Thursday said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation lied when it said DAPPMA members owe the oil firm N26.7bn.

According to DAPPMA, its members had, in the past one month, paid over N90bn for petrol supply but had yet to receive any cargo from the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of NNPC.

On Wednesday, the NNPC attacked DAPPMA over a claim by the association that its members had no petrol in their various tanks despite NNPC’s claims of importing millions of litres of products.

NNPC also stated that DAPPMA members owe it the sum of N26.7bn for products received from the corporation, adding that the statement credited to the association on the fuel supply situation, especially Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) was “very unfortunate.”

But in his reply to NNPC’s claims, the Executive Secretary for DAPPMA, Olufemi Adewole, said it was unfortunate for the national oil firm to attack and accuse marketers falsely.

In a statement issued by Adewola on Thursday, the association said, “It is an undisputable fact that DAPPMA members have paid for petrol supply (with bank funds) for over one month, the value of which is in excess of N90bn, yet PPMC/NNPC had no cargo to allocate to them.

“As such, how can we be held responsible for hoarding?
“PPMC/NNPC does not transact business with DAPPMA members on credit, hence we are not aware of any indebtedness to PPMC/NNPC by our members.

“We again reject any attempt to blame marketers for the shortfall in supply, as it is not our making since NNPC has been the sole importer since October 2017.”

Adewole said marketers had continued to sacrifice to keep the country wet with fuel despite over N600bn debt owed DAPPMA members and over N800bn owed marketers as a whole by the Federal Government.

He said, “The essence of our initial press release was to shed light on salient issues surrounding the shortfall in current petrol supply which is presently solely handled by the NNPC. It was not an attempt to join issues with PPMC/NNPC with whom we are partners.

“NNPC’s view of our press release stating our side of the story and seeking to defend marketers for the very first time against the unwarranted accusations of hoarding and profiteering is rather unfortunate.”

The association, however, assured Nigerians, irrespective of NNPC’s stance, that all possible steps were being taken to cooperate with PPMC/NNPC to eliminate the fuel queues nationwide within the next few days.

Punch Report

Lagos bridges under threat of collapse from parked trucks

• Residents sitting on gunpowder keg, warn experts
• Govt parleys stakeholders, threatens sanction 

Some bridges in Lagos are at a risk of buckling under the weight of parked heavy-duty trucks.
The Ijora, Eko and Carter Bridges are under great strains from immobile articulated vehicles, a situation worsened by recurring gridlocks and the deplorable state of roads leading to ports and tank farms.

Other bridges affected by similar stress are those at Abati Barracks, Ojuelegba and Stadium.
The Guardian recently counted 85 articulated vehicles conveying containers of various sizes parked between the Ijora and Jibowu Bridges.

An empty 20-feet container weighs 2,000 kilogrammes. A 40-feet container doubles the kilogrammes. With an average truck weighing about 14,000 kilogrammes, the total weight of 25 stationary trucks on the Ojuelegba Bridge could be around 450,000 kilogrammes.

This is besides the weight of other vehicles. The implication is that the four bridges on the Western Avenue area of the city – Ijora, Stadium, Ojuelegba and Abati Barracks – pack a massive 1.53 million kilogrammes on an average day.

The load on these bridges, not originally designed to host heavy static vehicles, and a lack of consistent and thorough maintenance could spell tragedy.

Structural engineer and immediate past President of NIStructE, Oreoluwa Fadayomi, said: “When these vehicles are stationary on the bridges for a long time, they have negative impacts. These include deterioration, bridge-fatigue, damage or even collapse. Moreover, there is no money anywhere now to build these kinds of solid structures again. Bridges are made so that vehicles keep moving.”

He warned: “There is also the risk of a fire. If any of the articulated vehicles catch fire, there would be a chain reaction, which can cause severe damage to the bridge. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder because the bridges are weakening daily, as tankers, trucks and articulated vehicles park on them due to traffic congestion.”

He urged government to address the causes of vehicles parking on bridges and ensure proper and timely monitoring of the facilities. “Something should be done to stop it very fast because of the negative effect on the infrastructure and possible disaster in the event of a collapse,” Fadayomi added.

The challenge on the bridges is exacerbated by construction on the Apapa Road and the current fuel scarcity in the country. As a result, many vehicles are forced to stay permanently on the bridges for weeks, due to lack of loading bays in tank farms and oil companies.

Previous attempts by the Federal Government and Lagos State authorities to curtail the problem have proved abortive. The office of the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, has on several occasions given ultimatums to truck drivers or even deployed force, to no avail.

Most of the bridges were constructed during the 1970s oil boom. The nation would need $8 billion yearly to close up the huge gap in its public infrastructure and about $14 billion every year to fund infrastructure. Regrettably, current spending on infrastructure is an estimated $6 billion.

Also, for decades, budgets for capital expenditure by federal and state governments have been on the decline while recurrent expenditure has been rising. The average government budget for capital expenditure has been about 25 per cent.

According to the past President, Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE), Dr. Samuel Ilugbekhai, the state of the bridges is one of gross structural abuse. He stressed that they were not designed to bear enormous weight from static trailers and tankers, and warned that their life spans could be shortened.

Urging government to put more effort into solving the problem, he noted the difference between buildings that house car parks and bridges. While multi-storeyed parks are designed for the specific purpose, bridges are intended to carry transitional loads within seconds. “They are not designed to retain loads for one hour, two hours, days or weeks,” Ilugbekhai said.

Also, President of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers, Eddy Atumonyogo, said besides the destructive strain on the bridges, aesthetics is also compromised, with engine oil and other pollutants threatening surfaces.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Godwin Eke, however said government is aware of the dangerous state of the bridges. He said talks are ongoing with Ogun State to provide a loading bay where vehicles, especially those along Western Avenue, could park.

He disclosed that government has also engaged stakeholders like the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), with a view to solving the problem.
He added that if these efforts fail, the authorities might have to resort to towing the vehicles away.

Guardian Report

Stranded commuters beg Federal Govt to end petrol scarcity

Hundreds of stranded commuters on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway on Wednesday in Lagos appealed to the Federal Government to end petrol scarcity which affected transport cost.

The commuters disclosed in interviews that scarcity of petrol caused an increase in transport cost and reduced the number of commercial vehicles in operation.

A correspondent, who took a trip to the highway, reports that hundreds of commuters were stranded at various bus stops, including Ilepo, Iyana Ipaja, Dopemu, Cement and Ikeja Along.

They scampered for spaces in the few available commercial vehicles.
Transporters also increased fares at Iyana Ipaja, Dopemu and Cement bus stop by 100 per cent or more.

Commercial buses charged from N400 to N500 from the bus stops to Yaba instead of N200, and demanded from N200 to N400 for transport from the bus stops to Oshodi as a against N100 or N150.

A food vendor in Ikeja, Mrs Husna Shehu, appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to end fuel scarcity to alleviate the suffering of road users and other Nigerians.

“The government should make petrol available in large quantities so that it will be a bad business for anyone to hoard it,” she advised.

A technician in the Aluminum Village, Mr Tayo Sijuanu, said that he spent up to N1,000 from Sango Ota to Dopemu.

“Before, I was not spending more than N200 to get to this place, but today the situation is different; we want government to help us,” he said.


An engineer, Mr Tomi Adekanbi, however, blamed the increase in transport fares on greed among transporters.

Adekanbi said that queues of vehicles had reduced in many filling stations, implying availability of petrol.

“All these big buses called ‘Parker’ use diesel, and diesel is not scarce; so, why are they charging N300 for a trip to Oshodi,” he asked.

Mr Solomon Onyekwere, a civil servant, who said that the government was committed to ending fuel scarcity, called for sanctions against greedy transporters.

“The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) collected N200 for transport to Oshodi this morning instead of N100 because people are desperate and tired standing on the road,’’ he said.
In interviews, some transporters said that fuel had yet to be available.

A bus driver, Mr Wasiu Ifalana, who plies the Sango-Oshodi Route, disclosed that he queued for hours to buy fuel at an exorbitant price on Tuesday and had to transfer the cost to passengers.

“I have a fixed amount I must deliver to the owner of this bus daily, after spending hours at the filling station. How can I meet up?” he asked.

Another bus driver who simply identified himself as Sunny also said that fuel had yet to be available.
He appealed to the government to end the scarcity fast.

PM NEWS Report

Doctor, parents, sister die in Benue road crash

The Igbo community in Jos, Plateau State, have been thrown into mourning following an auto crash involving a family of four who were travelling for a wedding in Anambra State.
The victims were indigenes of Ufuma in the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Although details of the crash were still sketchy, PUNCH METRO learnt that the four victims, out of eight members of a family, were killed when a vehicle in which they were travelling had an accident between Aleyede and Oturkpo in Benue State.

The victims are a patent medicine dealer, Simon Onwubalili; his wife, Ifeoma, who was a staff member of the National Examination Council; a graduate of Medicine awaiting induction into the NMA, Dr Ijeoma Onwubalili; and her sister, Gracious  Onwubalili.

However, the driver of the car with number plate, Abuja ABC 105 PH, and one of the family members, Marvel Onwubalili, survived the accident.
They were said to be going for Ijeoma’s traditional wedding scheduled for December 31, 2017, when the accident occurred.

It was also gathered that the induction of Ijeoma in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was to take place in the first quarter of 2018.
The first son of the family, Onyedika Onwubalili, confirmed the incident, saying “Yes, it is true,” but gave no further details.

Another family member, who did not want to be named, said the incident happened on Sunday.
He said, “Simon Onwubalili and his family left Jos on Saturday en route to their hometown of Enugu Abor in Ofuma, in the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Their chauffeur-driven Toyota Highlander somersaulted on the way. The man had a thanksgiving service in church penultimate Sunday and shared the invitation cards of her daughter’s induction into the NMA.
“They hired a driver to take them home where Ijeoma, who recently graduated as a medical doctor, was to hold her traditional marriage on December 31, 2017.

“Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it as the journey was cut short somewhere along Oturkpo-Enugu Road. The driver was speeding and suddenly found himself in the path of an oncoming vehicle. In an attempt to avoid the vehicle, the car somersaulted several times and they died.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Moses Yamu, said he would get back to our correspondent.
But he had yet to do so as of press time.

Punch Report

Suspected ritual killer arrested with dead baby – Police

The Ogun State Police Command says it has arrested a suspected ritual killer, Ajiboye Olusola, with the corpse of a baby.

Olusola was reportedly apprehended on Friday, December 22, 2017, at the Sapade Motor Park by some commuters who were uncomfortable with an offensive odour coming from a polythene bag which the suspect carried.

Olusola, who was said to have boarded a vehicle heading for Lagos, became a guest of the police after the commuters alerted policemen from the Isara division, who found the baby’s corpse in the bag.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said when the 42-year-old was queried on how he came by the corpse, he claimed that he was taking it to Lagos for burial.
Oyeyemi noted that the suspect did not provide any convincing explanation to the cops.

He said, “The suspect was arrested at Sapade Motor Park when he was about boarding a vehicle with the corpse, which was wrapped in a polythene bag. The odour coming out of the bag aroused the suspicion of people at the motor park, and they quickly alerted the police.

“Upon the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Isara division, CSP Yusuf Taiwo, led policemen to the scene and the suspect was promptly arrested. Upon searching his bag, the corpse of a dead baby was found.

“On interrogation, the suspect claimed that he was coming from Offa, Kwara State, and heading for Lagos, where he intended to bury the baby. Not satisfied with the claim, he was taken to the Isara division for further investigation.”

Oyeyemi said the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran.

Punch Report

Travellers, motorists stranded as petrol sells for N400 per litre

Many Nigerians on Sunday shelved their planned trips to different parts of the country for Christmas, as the current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit pushed up transportation costs, with black market operators selling the product to desperate motorists for as much as N400 per litre.

After more than a year of relief from fuel scarcity in the country, fuel queues returned to filling stations across the country in the first week of December and has worsened since then.

In Lagos, many filling stations were shut while the few that sold the product had long queues of desperate motorists and other petrol seekers, with the attendants having a field day as they charged between N200 and N500 extra before selling to buyers in jerry cans.

In Kano, many motorists spent at least five hours in queues at filling stations, a development a motorist, Mallam Wada Inuwa, described as “energy-sapping and agonising.”

Inuwa, who wondered why fuel scarcity had become a tradition, particularly during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, appealed to the appropriate authorities to take proactive measures to address the ugly trend.

Lots of Nigerians, especially traders from the South-East, who had planned to travel to their respective home states from Kano for the Yuletide, had to shelve the trips.

Transporters increased the fare for the Kano-to-Lagos route from N7,500 to between N10,500 and N11,000, with only a few buses willing to undertake the trip.

“I wanted to get 30 litres at the black market and I was told to pay N12,000. At some filling stations in Maryland, Lagos, petrol attendants were collecting N500 extra to sell in kegs,” Mr. David Okoko told one of our correspondents.

Mr. Femi Likolo said he refused to buy five litres for N2,000 at the black market somewhere in Mile 12 and had to queue at a station for over three hours.

A motorist, Mr. Julius Opawale, said the scarcity had had a cascading effect on transportation and food prices, among others.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr. ‘Laoye Jaiyeola, said, “As long as you are importing fuel, you will be subject to the vagaries of foreign exchange control. As long as you are doing regulated pricing, uniform pricing, it can’t work. We need to allow appropriate pricing.

“So long as we are importing, we are going to pay the price. But when we do it locally and we have our pipes laid and can transport the products to every part of the country, we will solve the problem. So, let’s hope that all the refineries locally that are being worked on will come to fruition soon.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday broke his silence on the lingering fuel scarcity in the country, saying he had directed the regulators to end hoarding of the product and price inflation.

He said he had also been assured by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that the situation would improve significantly in the next few days.

Buhari stated this in a statement he personally signed and posted on his verified Twitter handle, @MBuhari.
Describing the fuel crisis as regrettable, the President sympathised with Nigerians who he noted had been enduring needless fuel scarcity.

The President stated, “The fuel scarcity being experienced nationwide is regrettable. I sympathise with all Nigerians on having to endure needless fuel queues.

“I am being regularly briefed, especially on the NNPC’s interventions to ensure that there is enough petrol available during this period and beyond. I have the NNPC’s assurance that the situation will improve significantly over the next few days, as new shipments and supplies are distributed across the country.

“I have also directed the regulators to step up their surveillance and bring an end to hoarding and price inflation by marketers. Let me also assure that the relevant agencies will continue to provide updates on the situation. I thank you all for your patience and understanding.”

My conversation with Buhari on petrol scarcity – Baru
The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, on Sunday revealed some of the things he discussed with President Buhari as regards the prolonged scarcity of PMS.

According to Baru, after telling the President that the major reasons for PMS scarcity were hoarding and diversion of products to neighbouring countries, Buhari immediately responded by ordering security agencies to secure Nigeria’s borders as well as increase surveillance.

The NNPC boss, who stated at a press conference in Abuja that the Federal Government had been resisting intense pressure to increase the pump price of petrol, noted that the landing cost of the commodity as of Friday was N171.4 per litre.

By adding the N14.3/litre for other cost elements like the retailers’ margin, bridging fund, dealers’ cost, transporters’ pay, etc., as captured in the last published template of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, to the landing cost of N171.4, the pump price rises to N185.4/litre.

Baru stated that the NNPC had been subsidising the cost of petrol, as the commodity’s most recent landing cost was N171.4/litre, while its official pump price was N145/litre.

When asked what he discussed with Buhari on Saturday, Baru replied, “Mr. President has already responded as part of the discussion we had yesterday (Saturday). He indicated that part of the resolutions of our discussion is to get the security and regulatory agencies to beef up their enforcement and surveillance of the distribution of products.

“This is because part of my briefing to him was that there is still significant hoarding and diversion, where trucks that are loaded to supply products to specific stations get diverted elsewhere, as well as being smuggled out of the country.

“And the immediate response of the President was for him to direct the border agencies as well as the internal security organisations to ensure that all trucks that are loaded deliver to the stations they are meant to deliver to.

“And, of course, part of my briefing, in the same light, was the fact that a lot of stations outside the cities have products and are selling at a much higher price than N145/litre, which should not be.”
Explaining why the government had been under pressure to increase the pump price of petrol, Baru stated that this was because the landing cost of the commodity was higher than the regulated price at filling stations.

“The landing cost moves with the CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) price of PMS. As of Friday, the CIF price was in the neighbourhood of $620 per metric tonne. With the official exchange rate of N305 to the dollar, the landing cost should be N171.40 per litre,” he said.

He, however, insisted that the government would not raise the price of petrol, adding that the NNPC would continue to sell petrol at an ex-depot price of N133.28/litre to marketers, who should be able to make considerable profit when they dispense at N145/litre.
Fayose to sell petrol to motorists today

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, said he would sell petrol to residents on Christmas day at the pump price of N145 to lessen the burden of fuel scarcity on the people during the festival.
The governor said he would use the fuel in government dump for the purpose to teach the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government how to be responsive to the people.

He berated the Federal Government for “failing the people and turning the Yuletide into a period of gloom with the fuel scarcity and poor finances.”

Fayose spoke while swearing in the 16 newly-elected local government chairmen at the Government’s House where he charged them not to distance themselves from their people.
The governor stated that Nigerians would not welcome the release of any Chibok girls at this point in time.

He said, “They don’t have the clue about the problems facing the country. We will sell petrol to people at the pump price of N145 per litre and we are pumping out petrol that we have in the government dump to do that.

“We are going to locate a filling station to use for the sale on Christmas day in Ado-Ekiti.”
 NARTO kicks against PEF scrapping

The National Association of Road Transport Owners has kicked against the proposed scrapping of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, saying that the body plays an important role in making available petroleum products at government-approved prices to Nigerians.

NARTO stated this on Sunday in Ibadan in a speech delivered by its National President, Dr. Kassim Bataiya, during the executive council meeting of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Downstream, Senator Kabir Marafa, had called for the scrapping of the PEF.
‘Petroleum minister should be sacked’

The lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, on Saturday said Nigerians could have called for the sacking of the Minister of Petroleum Resources but for President Muhammadu Buhari being the occupant of the office.

Sani, in a Facebook post on Saturday night, spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing scarcity of petrol across the country.

While Dr. Ibe Kachikwu is the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Buhari has held on to the portfolio of Minister of Petroleum Resources.
The situation, according to the senator, has left everything to become more perplexed, puzzled and bewildered.

The post read, “If we ask the President to sack the Group Managing Director of (the) Nigeria(n) National Petroleum Corporation, they will say the GMD reports to the Minister of State for Petroleum.

If we ask the President to sack the Minister of State for Petroleum, they will say the Minister of State reports to the Minister of Petroleum. If we ask the President to sack the Minister of Petroleum and appoint a competent one, everything becomes more perplexed, puzzled and bewildered.”

In a related development, the lawmaker representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, said the current fuel scarcity was frustrating the celebration of this year’s Christmas by Nigerians.
He said while the scarcity was a reality, Nigerians never expected it.

Punch Report

Petrol pump price hits N250 per litre

The supply and price of petrol in Anambra have worsened as customers now pay between N250 and N300 per litre in the state.

Most filling stations in Awka and its environs had the product but refused to dispense.

However, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) monitoring and enforcing the situation, compelled marketers to sell the product at the government regulated price of N145 per litre

The team, which came from Enugu Office, also sealed 12 filling stations, including an NNPC mega station for hoarding the product.

The team, led by Mr Daniel Atama, however, met stiff resistance at Stanel Service Station which set its meter at N145 but was not dispensing, in spite of the long queues of motorists who had waited for over 24 hours.

The DPR efforts to get the owners of the station to sell proved abortive as the manager said he would only sell at whenever he wished and would not take orders from DPR.

Atama subsequently placed a seal order on the station for hoarding the products but an official of the station pulled the seal off immediately and threw it away right before the DPR team.
The DPR agents, however, left the station to avoid a brewing crisis.

But reacting to the development, Mr Chris Orage, General Manager of the station said he did not remove the seal placed by the DPR.

Orage said the station had limited products and was trying to manage the queue.
He denied defying the DPR orders because the station enjoyed support from some highly placed people in Anambra government.

At an NNPC mega station, the entrance was closed while motorists waited patiently for them to start dispensing.

The DPR, however, entered the station and demanded that the underground tank be dipped to check if the product was available.

The DPR sealed the station when the attendants refused to obey the instruction after which the manager was called on phone and directed that the officials be allowed to check if the product was available.

However, it was discovered that about N12,000 litres of petrol was available and DPR also ordered instant dispensing of the product.

One of the motorists at the mega station, Mr innocent Uzor, said they were patiently waiting because the station usually sold at night.

“We are here because we know they have fuel and they sell at N145, they usually sell at night.
“We thank the DPR for this enforcement, these marketers just make us suffer, may be because it is Christmas,” he said.

Customers at ARCON filling Station, Unizik junction, NIPCO Amawbia and other stations were jubilant as the marketers were made to revert prices from between N200 and N220 to the normal price of N145 per litre.

Atama warned that the exercise would be a continuous one and that unscrupulous marketers should stop fleecing the public as there was no increase in the cost of petrol.

But the Managing Director of ARCON, whose outfit was also sealed for allegedly reverting to N200 after the DPR officials left, said it was impossible for them to sell at N145 because the landing cost was much more than that.
The MD, who did not disclose his name, said he would rather have his station sealed than sell at a loss.

PM NEWS REPORT

Badoo Strikes again, wipes out family of three in Lagos

The deadly Badoo members have struck again at Ibeshe area of Ikorodu, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, killing three members of a family.

PM News gathered that the corpses of the father, mother and a teenage son were evacuated from the house at Ibeshe by emergency officials and the police on Thursday.

The Badoo members were said to have struck at the early hours of Thursday as they gained entrance into the bungalow building in a remote part of Ibeshe to carry out the dastard act.

A source told PM News that the family wiped out by the cult members was simply identified as Aro family.

It was gathered that a guest who was with the family was also attacked by the cult group, but survived and is now undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Ikorodu.

Efforts to get the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Chike Oti to confirm the story proved abortive as several calls made to his mobile phone were not picked.

Last week, Lagos Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi had boasted that he had exterminated the dreaded Badoo cult members from Ikorodu as several arrest had been made.

He said the police effectively partnered with the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC and the local vigilante group, Onyabo to  drive Badoo and the militants away from Ikorodu.

PM NEWS Report

Kidnappers kill abducted manager after collecting N10m ransom

The police have arrested seven suspects who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a 64-year-old man, Mr Ubani Onyema, after collecting N10 million ransom.

Abba Kyari, Team Commander, Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), confirmed the arrest on Wednesday in Lagos.

Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said the victim, a production manager in Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Ltd., was kidnapped by gunmen in Woji area of Port Harcourt on Oct. 16.

He said that a ransom call was made to the hostage’s company demanding N100 million.
“Eventually, the ransom was negotiated down to N10 million, which was paid to the kidnappers despite not getting a proof of life.

“IRT operatives deployed to Port Harcourt by IGP Ibrahim Idris swung into action as the hostage was not released after the ransom was paid as negotiated and agreed.

“Unrelenting follow up by the IRT eventually led to the arrest of seven of the kidnappers. Suspects confessed to various roles each played in the kidnap.
“They admitted that the victim died on the very day of his kidnap as a result of gunshot wounds he sustained during the incident.

“They still went ahead to collect a ransom of N10 million,” Kyari said.
He said that the arrested suspects, including the gang leader, allegedly confessed to the crime.

According to him, the gang leader organised the kidnap and recruited the hostage keepers who brought the two cars used while his deputy purchased the pre-registered SIM used in negotiating and picking up the ransom.

Among the kidnap masterminds were three men who worked in the same company with the victim and a cultist who provided the arms.

“Items recovered from the gang include one AK-47 rifle and two vehicles used in the kidnap.
“Effort is ongoing to arrest other fleeing gang members, recover arms and the body of the victim which they confessed to have dumped into a river,” Kyari said.

PM NEWS Report

BUDGET: N16BN PADDED IN FASHOLA’S MINISTRY – SENATORS

Senators yesterday said they discovered N16billion ‘frivolous’ items in the power wing of the ministry of Power, Works and Housing under the supervision of Babatunde Raji Fashola.

This was revealed when the Minister of State for Power, Mustapha Baba Shehuri appeared before the Senate Committee on Power.

Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi) drew the attention of his colleagues to the items saying, two budget items amounting to N16bn appeared in both the power ministry and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

An analysis of the main budget of the power ministry showed that N4bn was allocated for Kashimbilla transmission on page 47 and N12bn for counterpart funding for transmission lines and substation projects on page 48.

He said “The N4bn and 12bn appeared on TCN budget when they came to defend their budget. Why are you presenting the same now? The figure is misleading.”

Responding, the minister said it was the same budget but Abaribe interjected saying, “No minister, the figures are separate. We have the budget of TCN.”

Vice Chairman of the committee, Bukar Mustapha (APC, Katsina) said: “What Aliero mentioned is truly worrisome. Kashimbilla budget has nothing do to with the ministry. There are many, this has been the problem of the power sector...”

The Senators also raised issues on budgetary provisions for the purchase of vehicles that appeared in three places amounting to N768million.

Not satisfied by the minister’s response, Abaribe adjourned sitting and said a comprehensive list of the issues raised would be sent to the ministry ahead of a new date.
 

Daily Trust Report

2018 BUDGET: Senate uncovers padding, items duplication

ABUJA—THE Senate, yesterday, uncovered padding of proposed expenditures in the Ministry of Power and duplication of items in the 2018 budget estimates. In the budget proposals, the Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South-led Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, discovered that N120 million, N480 million and N288 million respectively, were budgeted for the purchase of utility vehicles by the ministry headed by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

In the case of NEPZA, it emerged that the agency had raised its 2018 personnel budget by N205 million. That was besides the claim that the same agency in 2017 succeeded in padding its budget by N122 million. According to the lawmakers, duplication of items has remained a recurring episode, where the Ministry present the same items repeatedly in the budget and ask for more funds to execute them.

During the 2018 budget defence yesterday, the Committee members queried the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Mustapha Baba Shahuru and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Frank Edozie for duplicating items in the budget. In the 2018 budget, the Ministry earmarked N100 million for transfer and management of office files with the senators expressing anger over what they described as repetition of projects by the ministry.

The duplications were discovered when Senator Clifford Ordia, PDP, Edo Central raised the alarm over the duplication of purchase of utility vehicles, captured in three separate pages of the budget document, just as he asked the Minister and the Permanent Secretary to explain how the Ministry would spend N100 million to transfer files, despite another huge provision for ICT. Senator Ordia said: “I need to understand this thing. Look at the different pages.

You earmarked N120 million, N288 million and N480 million for the purchase of vehicles. I do not understand. Are these vehicles different? If you add up this figure, it gives you about N888 million. “You also said that you want to spend N100 million on transfer of office files.

How do you intend to do that? The people in your office, what have they been doing? I can also see from your estimates here that you captured another item for ICT, different from the N100 million for transfer of files. You need to explain these things.” Corroborating Ordia, Senator Hassan Mohammed, APC, Yobe South, who took a swipe at the ministry officials, said that as lawmakers, they were tired of being bombarded every year with the same items, adding that the Ministry must put its house in order.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who revealed that the 2017 budget (capital) of the Ministry only recorded 18 per cent performance, said: “We will take it that the 2017 budget was abysmally low at only 18 per cent performance. This is unacceptable and I need to put it on record.” Senators were surprised when the Minister of State, Shahuru, could not respond to questions posed to him and appealed to the committee to allow the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Edozie to provide answers on his behalf.

There was, however, a mild drama when the Senators vehemently rejected his proposal that the Permanent Secretary should answer all the questions because he had already introduced himself as the representative of Fashola. Turning down Shahuru’s request, Senator Abaribe said: “You were sent here to represent the Minister. It means you are here to respond to our questions. Last week, we invited the permanent secretary to respond.

Today, it is your turn. “My colleagues asked me how come you are the person here and not Fashola. But I told them since you were also a Minister, you could be here to on behalf of your Minister.” Babatunde Fashola, however shunned the Committee as he failed to appear before the Senators for budget defence, despite his assurance, last week, that he would come in person to defend the 2018 budget of the power sector.

Defending Fashola, the Minister of State told the lawmakers that Fashola was attending to other state matters. Last week, the committee walked out Fashola over his alleged “unpreparedness to face the committee for his 2018 budget defence” because he did not come with necessary documentations. Speaking on Fashola’s refusal to face the Committee, Senator Abaribe said: “Maybe Fashola decided to snub us because of some media reports, last week.

But he ought not to have been angry by that. I am sure that was why he sent you because he did not want to come here. “I said it that it was deliberate that Fashola did not show up. What we need to scrutinise the budget was not provided. We needed some things to make the process easy. Nobody is satisfied with these vague items.

We are going to have to adjourn this meeting, pending when we will get these submissions from you.” Abaribe asked the Minister of State and the Permanent Secretary to inform Fashola that he must present himself at the next yet -to-be date for the budget defence session. 

The Minister of State and other officials of the Ministry were asked to go back and return prepared next time. Abaribe said: “We are asking you to inform the Minister to be here to properly respond to all the questions we need to ask.

We will do a comprehensive letter asking for explanation on items where we have raised questions. That will guide you in giving your submissions. We need you to be prepared when next you come.”

Vanguard Report.