OIL MRKETERS IN $2.4 BILLION SLEAZE,says Presidential Committee Report

A Nigerian presidential committee said on Tuesday that fuel traders fraudulently collected 382 billion naira ($2.38 billion) last year in subsidy payments for fuel that was never delivered.

The probe commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan is the latest in a string of investigations into a petrol import subsidy that is rife with corruption and a massive drain on state finances.

"The first (step) is the recovery of the 382 billion naira," AIG Imokhuede, the head of the committee told reporters at the presidential villa after submitting the report to Jonathan.

"The next is possible criminal investigation and prosecution of the OMT (oil marketing and trading companies) ... also, the external auditors and any government functionaries who served will be further interviewed to determine the roles if any in the issues that were discussed."

Imokhuede did not name specific companies but some of the world's largest oil traders import petrol into Africa's most populous nation, along with marketers owned by some of the richest and most powerful Nigerians.

Nigeria is among the top 10 crude oil exporters in the world but due to decades of corruption and mismanagement it has to import most of its refined fuel needs.

Nigeria scrapped subsidies on gasoline imports on January 1, potentially saving the country over $6 billion. But more than a week of strikes and protests erupted across the country against the higher cost of motor fuel, forcing the government to partially reinstate them.

Nigerian legislator Farouk Lawan led a parliamentary probe into the subsidy earlier this year, uncovering $6.8 billion in fraudulent payments over three years.

RISK OF SHORTAGE

But now his committee's report is being called into question over allegations Lawan demanded, and took part of, a $3 million bribe from one of Nigeria's richest oil tycoons to remove him from the list of fraudsters.

Lawan's lawyer said he took $500,000 offered by the tycoon, but only in order to expose him, saying he disclosed it to parliament and left the cash with parliament.

Lawan's report not only highlighted the fuel traders crimes but also pointed the finger at high level politicians, including Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. Jonathan's probe has focused on oil companies rather than government officials.

The Finance Ministry has held off subsidy payments until probes into marketers have been completed, prompting anger from importers and risking fuel shortages.

People queued for petrol at inflated prices in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta on Tuesday. Nationwide fuel shortages and a spike in prices risks further public unrest.

Fuel union Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON) is shutting down fuel distribution facilities this week and another labour group, the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA), threatened to join them within 48 hours if government did not pay outstanding subsidies.

The subsidy is stretching Nigeria's finances and draining oil savings. The minister of state for finance said in June Nigeria only had 370 billion naira ($2.29 billion) left to pay subsidies, out of the 888 billion in the 2012 budget.

The central bank has said the subsidy budget will run out well before the end of the year, which means they will need to raid savings to pay for it. Powerful state governors have said they will take the federal government to court for what they call "illegal" over-budget subsidy payments.

source: (Reuters/Google)

BREAKING NEWS:President of Ghana dies

Ghana President John Atta Mills has died after being taken ill, the presidency announced on late today(Tuesday), but details of his death remained unclear.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the republic of Ghana," the statement said, adding that the 68-year-old leader of the West African nation died a few hours after being taken ill.

source:AFP/News Republic

Nigeria Wants Looted Benin Artifacts Return by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments  Nigeria, is demanding the return of 32 artifacts from the collector, Robert Owen Lehman.

The artifacts were said to have been looted during the Benin Massacre of 1897 and said to have been illegally taken by the British Expedition as spoils of war.

Mr. Lehman, a banker and a great-grandson of a founder of Lehman Brothers, had purchased the Benin sculptures between the 1950s and the 1970s.

Yusuf Abdallah Usman, Director General of the Commission, issued a statement saying “Without mincing words, these artworks are heirlooms of the great people of the Benin Kingdom and Nigeria generally. They form part of the history of the people. The gap created by this senseless exploitation is causing our people untold anguish, discomfort and disillusionment.’’

Asked whether the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,U.S planned to return the objects, Dawn Griffin, a spokeswoman for the museum, said only that “we have not received any correspondence from Nigeria.’’

U.S. Congress is pushing Obama to label Nigeria’s Boko Haram a terrorist group

As attacks by the Nigerian militant group-Boko Haram become increasingly violent, some members of the United States of America (USA) Congress are criticizing the Obama administration’s refusal to formally designate the group a terrorist organization.

The designation would put the group on a watch list and would bar American individuals and entities from providing it with financial or other resources.

Johnnie Carson, the ranking U.S. diplomat for African affairs, has been quick to condemn the group’s actions. He noted that some of its members have been slapped with U.S. sanctions, but he argued before Congress recently that Boko Haram isn’t a homogenous organization.

“We believe it is an organization of several parts,” Carson told the House of Representatives Sub-committee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights earlier this month.

“We believe the individuals we have designated represent a core group which is desirous of attacking not only Nigerian targets of interest but also international targets of interest.”

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” has targeted primarily Christians in an attempt to create an Islamist state governed by Shariah law in Africa’s most populous nation.

The group claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in December that targeted churches across the country and claimed the lives of dozens of Nigerians.

To some critics, Carson’s explanation doesn’t stand up against the group’s increasingly militant efforts.

“The U.S. government has a lot to learn about Boko Haram and their intelligence should remain high, but that should not be an excuse for inaction,” said Morgan Roach, a researcher at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research center in Washington.

Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., introduced a resolution in the House in May urging the State Department either to designate Boko Haram a terrorist organization or explain its reasons for not doing so.

He introduced the resolution in response to the group’s increasing aggression, including the Christmas bombings and an attack on the United Nations offices in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, he said.

“We’re seeing a growing body of work, not a diminishing body of work, and I think the more those activities carry on the greater the demand will be for the Department of State to explain the position that they’re taking,” Meehan said.

Given the advancement in Boko Haram’s attacks, particularly its increased use of homemade bombs, some U.S. officials suspect that the group is receiving technical support and training from other extremist groups in the region.

Gen. Carter Ham, the commander of the U.S. military’s Africa Command, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have explicitly said that Boko Haram now is allied with two other major African militant groups, al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Somalia’s al Shabab, both of which the State Department has designated as terrorist organizations.

“I think (given) the amount of training and the quickness with which Boko Haram has been able to improve their tactics, improve their attacks, we have to be looking a bit more closely at where this is coming from,” Roach said.

However, much disagreement among experts remains about Boko Haram’s ties to the other terrorist groups. Unlike the other groups, Boko Haram’s rhetoric is focused on Nigeria, not the United States, said John Campbell, a senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. Slapping it with the designation might limit the ability of non-governmental organizations and the State Department to work in Nigeria, Campbell said.

“Designation makes you feel good, but it’s an extremely blunt instrument,” he said.

The designation is exactly what groups such as Boko Haram want, argued William Minter, an activist on African and other international issues, adding that it could help the group raise its profile and aid in recruiting members.

But it also might prod the Nigerian government to improve its security efforts, Meehan and others say.

President Goodluck Jonathan has followed a strategy of diplomacy toward the group but his attempts at engaging it in a dialogue have failed, Roach said.

Jonathan last month fired his national security adviser, Patrick Owoeye Azazi, and replaced him with Sambo Dasuki, the cousin of Nigeria’s most prominent Muslim leader, in an attempt to build bridges between the mostly Christian southern half of the country and the mostly Muslim north.

Designating Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization “would put pressure on the Nigerian government to say, ‘We take this threat seriously,’ ” Roach said.

Meehan said the United States also needed to take this potential security threat seriously, to avoid domestic disaster down the line.

“We don’t get to choose those who are making threats against the country, nor do we get the luxury of choosing how we might characterize them,” Meehan said.

source:The Kansas City Star.com

FLOOD KILLS 35 IN JOS

Torrential rainfall in  Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria yesterday forced a dam to overflow, causing flooding that left at least 35 people dead.
In addition, it destroyed more than 200 homes, according to the Red Cross.
"We have recovered the bodies of 35 people that drowned in the overnight flooding," said Manasie Phampe, head of the Red Cross. "About 200 homes have either been submerged or destroyed."
The confirmed victims so far included a 90-year-old woman and a three-month-old baby, adding that the toll could rise, he said.
"Rainwater and water from the Lamingo dam which overflowed swept across several neighbourhoods in the city," he explained. "We are still searching for more bodies as many people have been declared missing."
The downpour in Jos began at roughly 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday when many of the city's residents were at home for the night.
"I have lost seven of my children in this disaster," said Alhaji Abdulhamid Useini, who described heavy rain pounding his neighbourhood for nearly three hours, which also swept away some of his livestock.
The area coordinator for the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Alhassan Danjuma Aliyu, called the flood "devastating" and said police and other rescue bodies were searching the affected areas in hopes of finding survivors.
NEMA was also trying to quickly bring in added relief materials to care for those who lost their homes, Aliyu explained.
"We hope to get these materials to them before the end of today," he said.
The head of search and rescue committee of the Muslim community in Jos, Sani Shuaibu, said the search was still on for 25 bodies still missing.
"We are still looking for 25 other bodies that are still missing and the figure of the missing may rise as families come forward to register their missing family members," he said.
"Most of the dead were children between three months and 13 years that were swept away by the flooding in their sleep. We picked the drowned along the river bank... We have two camps where around 700 displaced people are sheltering with little food and water supplies."
Much of the country has been affected by heavy seasonal rainfall, including Jos in the centre of the country and the economic capital Lagos in the south, where flooding has caused several road closures and other damage.
The rainy season typically runs from March to September.Last week, at least three people were killed by flood waters some 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Lagos in Ibadan, an area where 102 people died following torrential rains last year.
At least 20 people died from flooding in Lagos last year, while 24 were killed after rains inundated a neighbourhood in Nigeria's largest northern city of Kano.
Nigerian papers have in recent weeks been filled with commentary criticising officials for failing to put in place measures to mitigate the impact of the annual, often severe floods.
In 2010, flooding affected roughly half a million people in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.

Muslim Brotherhood clinches Egypt's Presidency

Mohamed Morsy,Egypt's President Elect

Islamist Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood was elected president of Egypt with 51.7 percent of last weekend’s run-off vote, defeating former general Ahmed Shafik, the State Election Committee says today while (Sunday) while announcing the result of the presidential poll.

He succeeds Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown 16 months ago after a popular uprising. The military council which has ruled the biggest Arab nation since then has this month curbed the powers of the presidency, meaning the head of state will have to work closely with the army on a planned democratic constitution.

Thousands of Brotherhood supporters burst into cheers on Cairo’s Tahrir Square, waving national flags and chanting "Allahu Akbar!" or God is Great, greeting a dramatic victory.

Morsy, a 60-year-old, U.S.-educated engineer who spent time in jail under Mubarak, won the first round ballot in May with a little under a quarter of the vote. He has pledged to form an inclusive government to appeal to the many Egyptians, including a large Christian minority, who are anxious over religious rule.

The military council will retain control of the biggest army in the Middle East, whose closest ally is the United States. Morsy has said he will respect international treaties, notably that signed with Israel in 1979, on which much U.S. aid depends.

"President Morsy will struggle to control the levers of state," Elijah Zarwan, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said in Cairo. "He will likely face foot-dragging and perhaps outright attempts to undermine his initiatives from key institutions. Faced with such resistance, frustration may tempt him fall into the trap of attempting to throw his new weight around," Zarwan told Reuters. "This would be a mistake."

"His challenge is to lead a bitterly divided, fearful, and angry population toward a peaceful democratic outcome, without becoming a reviled scapegoat for continued military rule."

State of Insecurity--President Sacks Security Adviser, Minister of Defence

By Lateef Lawal

The re-organisation of the nation’s security may have begun with the sack yesterday of the National Security Adviser to the President and the Minister of Defence.
The National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi has been immediately replaced by Sambo Dasuki , a retired colonel.
Colonel Dasuki had served as Aide de Camp (ADC) to former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
He is the son of deposed Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, who was sent packing by late military dictator, General Sani Abacha.
The news of their sack was contained in a terse statement released by the spokesman to the President, Mr Reuben Abati. No reason was given for their removal.
Before the latest development, there have been several calls for the removal of the National Security Adviser, General Azazi and the Minister of Defence, Haliru B. Mohammed over high level of insecurity in the country and especially the inability  to curb the terrorist activities of the Boko Haram sect with their constant serial bombings, bloodletting which has led to several hundreds of death and maiming of innocent civilians and in some instances soldiers and policemen.
However, recently at a public gathering in the South-South part of the country, Azazi attributed the rise in the activities of the Boko Haram sect to the heightened politicking of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) towards the 2015 Presidential race.
He was then randomly condemned by the top hierarchy of the PDP who did not mince word in calling for his removal as it was wrong of him to have accused the ruling party which produced the government under which he was employed as its National Security Adviser.
It will be recalled that the President himself in a rare outburst told Nigerians sometime ago that there were ‘’Boko Haram’’ sympathisers in his cabinet and other government operatives.

International Council of Tourism Partners announces Riviera Maya Destination Marketing as new member from Mexico

The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) announced that Riviera Maya Destination Marketing in Mexico has joined the alliance as a destination member.
The Mayan civilization has been a thing of wonder for the whole world. All of its extraordinary accomplishments have been remarked upon by scholars and scientists in untold numbers; their perfect mathematical calculations, its numbers system, its way of predicting the cycles of the seasons and the proven ability of its members to navigate the seas. All true marvels, even today.
At tourist destination of Riviera Maya, also known as the Mayan Riviera, historic ruins of the Mayan culture meet modern conveniences of travel delights and holiday making. 
Riviera Maya Destination Marketing provides a bounty of tourism and travel information from this sacred land that has been venerated for generations. 
It is a universe filled with knowledge and wisdom that never fails to surprise you with impressive edifices, where there are totems that bear inscriptions still to be deciphered and, perhaps, forever undecipherable. 
There are thousands of canals in this universe, created by man to connect the communicating vessels along with observatories from which to study the rest of this vast universe.
Chairman of ICTP, Juergen T. Steinmetz, said: “Riviera Maya is truly a quality cultural destination offering a vast array of ecological activities for its guests. The region offers a magical combination of the historic and the modern, a truly remarkable vacation destination.”
General Director of Riviera Maya Destination Marketing, Mr. Dario Flota, waxed poetic of the many eco-friendly and cultural adventures awaiting at this destination: “Here, sinuous paths wind their way through the heart of the jungle, through the remaining vestiges, the temples and cities of an ancient, extraordinarily advanced civilization. Subterranean rivers flow through the Earth's entrails, and the sacred underground waters are surrounded by lush vegetation that will restore your desire to live life to its fullest.”
For more information about Riviera Maya Destination Marketing, visit: www.rivieramaya.com .


ABOUT ICTP


The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a new grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. The ICTP logo represents the strength in collaboration (the block) of many small communities (the lines) committed to sustainable oceans (blue) and land (green).


ICTP engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. ICTP advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, and fair coherent taxation.


ICTP supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organization's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programs that underpin them. The ICTP alliance is represented in Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Bali, Indonesia; and Victoria, Seychelles. ICTP membership is available to qualified destinations free of charge. Academy membership features a prestigious and selected group of destinations.


ICTP has members in Anguilla; Aruba; Bangladesh; Belgium, Canada; China; Croatia; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; The Gambia, India; Indonesia; Iran; La Reunion (French Indian Ocean); Malaysia; Malawi; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands, US Pacific Island Territory; Pakistan; Palestine; Rwanda; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sultanate of Oman; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Yemen; Zimbabwe; and from the US: Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.


Partner associations include: African Bureau of Conventions; African Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth; Africa Travel Association; Alliance for training and research in the field of social and solidarity tourism (ISTO/OITS); Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association; Cultural and Environment Conservation Society; DC-Cam (Cambodia); Hawaii Tourism Association; Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management; International Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre(IHTRC); International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT); International Organization of Electronic Tourism Industry (IOETI); Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence, Zambia; Positive Impact Events, Manchester, UK; RETOSA : Angola- Botswana - DR Congo - Lesotho - Madagascar - Malawi - Mauritius - Mozambique - Namibia - South Africa - Swaziland - Tanzania - Zambia- Zimbabwe; Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, China; SKAL International; Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH); Sustainable Travel International (STI); The Region Initiative, Pakistan; University of Florida: Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute; University of Hawaii; University of Technology Mauritius; and vzw Reis-en Opleidingscentrum, Gent, Belgium; and University of Technology Mauritius.

Al-Qaeda offers camels for Obama's head

A Somali Islamist militant group is offering rewards of chickens and camels for information on the whereabouts of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, mocking the millions of dollars the United States has offered for leaders of the al-Qaeda affiliate.
Fuad Muhammad Khalaf of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia made the offer after Friday prayers, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant organizations.
"Whoever reveals the hideout of the idiot Obama will be rewarded with 10 camels, and whoever reveals the hideout of the old woman Hillary Clinton will be rewarded 10 chickens and 10  roosters," he said, according to SITE.
On Thursday, the US State Department offered a reward of $5 million each for the whereabouts of Khalaf and three associates, as well as $7 million for information about al Shabaab founder and commander Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed. A bounty of $3 million was offered for the location of two other officials of the organization.
Al-Qaeda said in February the al Shabaab group, which was branded a terrorist organization by the US government in 2008, had joined its ranks.
Al Shabaab, which has controlled large parts of Somalia, faces pressure from Kenyan troops in the south, Ethiopian troops in central Somalia and African Union forces near the capital, Mogadishu.

source:ChinadailyEurope

SUICIDE BOMBER KILL 12 IN BAUCHI

A lone suicide bomber early today detonated a car-bomb killing at least 12 people  at a church in Bauchi State, Nigeria.
The bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the Living Faith Church, in Yelwa, on the outskirts of the state, targeting Sunday-morning worshippers.
Security men at a road nearby road block disclosed that the bomber forced his car through the checkpoint and drove into the church.
Although an eyewitness at the scene confirmed to have seen 12 bodies removed from the building, the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours, as typical of such attacks.
The Bauchi State commissioner of Police has already confirmed the blast, describing it as a suicide effort.
Responsibility for the attack has not been immediately claimed by any group, but natural suspicion at once falls on Boko Haram, the predominantly northern Islamist sect that has, for the past two years, been battling the Federal Government in its bid to enthrone Islamic Sharia Law, exterminate all forms of Western education, and secure the release of its members across Nigerian prisons.
Boko Haram’s last Sunday morning attack on Christians was an April 29 bombing and shooting of Christian worshippers at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), killing at least 15 people and wounding scores more.

NUFBTE WARNS FG ON DANGERS OF FOOD IMPORTATION.

By Lateef Lawal

The Federal Government has been told to stop further importation of food items into the country in order to encourage local industries.
The National President and Secretary of the National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees, Comrades Lateef Oyelekan and Lamidi Danjuma in an interview with reporters at the MMA2 on one year of President Goodluck Jonathan administration, said the government has failed in infrastructural development.
The duo declared that the government was under test run with the cost of manufacturing on the high side and called for the subsidizing of food items by government to enable Nigerians have access to good food.
The union explained that it was the duty of government to provide clothing, shelter and food for its citizens adding, that government has no business importing perishable items into the country.
“We don’t need any importation of perishable items; government must encourage and support the manufacturing companies”
They condemned any attempt by the government to increase electricity tariff and warned government to stop further importation of generating sets and improve on the power situation in the country to boost the survival of local industries.
The union leaders accused the government of President Jonathan for being insensitive to the plights of Nigerians adding, that there has been total collapse of infrastructure in the country under the present leadership.
According to them, lack of good road and rail network has negatively affected the business in the country with multi-national companies relocating to other neighbouring countries for a better environment.
They condemned the granting of licenses by the Ministry of Labour to individuals for the recruitment of contract staff in some companies adding, that the battle line has been drawn as the union will deal decisively with companies involved in it at the appropriate time.
According to the duo, with the engagement of contract staff, permanent staff were being phased out from the system adding that if posed danger in the sector, and called on the Ministry of Labour to halt such action in the interest of safety, industrial harmony and peace.
On the sack of over 250 workers by the Dangote Company in Ikorodu last year, the union warned that they would soon act as the management has failed to honour all the calls for meeting to resolve the situation.
Comrade Oyelekan noted that the workers were sacked because they opted to join workers union to protect their welfare and management ill-treatment.
Describing the action of the company as illegal and infringement on the fundamental human right of the affected staff, he called on the Group Chairman of Dangote, Alhaji Aliyu Dangote  and the Minister of Labour to step in with the aim of resolving the impasse by recalling the sacked workers.