EXCLUSIVE: Destroyed GTBank documents show how Saraki transferred $3 million to U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Destroyed GTBank documents show how Saraki transferred $3 million to U.S.
The embattled Senate President transferred a total of $3.47 million in 40 installments in four years with his credit card to the United States, a document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES revealed.
He carried out the transactions through Guaranty Trust Bank between 2009, when he served as Kwara State governor, and 2012 when he served as the senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District.
Prosecutors say the beneficiary accounts in the U.S. were also owned by Mr. Saraki.
Some of the senator's companies, during the same period, also transferred thousands of dollars to the U.S. accounts. The companies are Carlisle Properties and West Gate Ltd.
Mr. Saraki is currently facing a 13-count charge bordering on corruption and false asset declaration at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. He allegedly committed the offence when he served as governor between 2003 and 2011.
The politician has denied any wrongdoing and alleged political persecution.
Of the 13-count charges filed against the senate president, two are related to the transfer of the $3.47 million.
Count 11 of the charges filed against Mr. Saraki states: That you, DR. OLUBUKOLA ABUBAKAR SARAKI on or about 25th August, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Tribunal, while being a public officer as the Executive Governor of Kwara State did operate a bank account outside Nigeria when you transferred the sum of $73, 223.28 (Seventy Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand Dollars, Twenty-Eight cents) from your Guaranty Trust Bank Plc domiciliary account No 441441953210 to the American Express Services Europe Limited No: 730580 for onward credit to your American Express Bank, New York card account No:374588216836009 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to paragraph 3 of Part I, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and punishable under paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 23 (2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
Foramfera
Count 12 states: That you, DR. OLUBUKOLA ABUBAKAR SARAKI between August, 2009 and October 2012 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Tribunal, while being a public officer as the Executive Governor of Kwara State and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did operate a bank account outside Nigeria when you transferred the aggregate sum of $3, 400, 000.00 (Three Million, Four Hundred Thousand Dollars) from your Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. domiciliary account No 441441953210 to the American Express Services Europe Limited no: 730580 for onward credit to your American Express Bank, New York card account No:374588216836009 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to paragraph 3 of Part I, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and punishable under paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 23 (2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
A prosecution witness had told the CCT that documents related to the transfer were destroyed in an inferno.
When being cross examined by the defence counsel, Paul Usoro, at the Tribunal last Tuesday, the prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas, said Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB, told the investigation team that the transaction documents had been burnt.
"There were also police reports and affidavit which they (the GTB) swore to show that some documents were burnt," Mr. Wetkas stated.
The document, obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, shows that Mr. Saraki, on August 26, 2009, transferred the $72,223.25 to the American Express Services Europe Limited no: 730580 for onward credit to the American Express Bank, New York card account No:374588216836009.
Following the transfer, the bank charged him a commission of $732.23. It is not clear what the money transferred was meant for.
That same day (August 26) one of his companies, Carlisle Properties Investment, transferred another $49,969.00.
Between September 2009 and October 2012, Mr. Saraki transferred over $3 million.
According to the document, in 2009 the senate president transferred $127,174.05 on September 8; $85,543.88 on October 21; and $127,586.41 on November 11.
In 2010, he transferred $140,319 on January 4; $140,000 on March 15; $84,000 on April 16; $134,000 on May 18; $64,000 on June 21; $80,984 on July 29; $100,000 on August 31; $18,000 on September 2; $$48,900 on October 11; and $183,232.46 on December 8;
In 2011, Mr. Saraki transferred $32,687 on February 21; $30,656.74 on March 22; $111,444.79 on June 22; $43, 651 on July 19; $91,738 on August 16; $10,000 on August 26; $65,000 on August 29; $112,140 on September 27; $147,000 on November 17; and $86,872.10 on December 14.
The document also shows that in 2012, he transferred $50,000 on January 4; $145,000 on January 27; $7000 on January 27; $94,754.63 on February 10; $60,000 on April 12; $70,000 on May 11; $55,000 on May 17; $89,411.74 on June 12; $45,000 on September 6; and $45,308 on September 24; $130,000 on October 11; $77,000 on February 17; $77,000 on February 20; $70,648.44 on March 29; $70,000 on July 4; $138,000 on July 16; and $45,000 on September 5.
Just as Mr. Saraki was making the transactions, his companies were also transferring monies to the U.S. totalling $2,099,257.00.
For instance, apart from the August 26 transfer in 2009, Carlisle also transferred $59,964 on September 7; $99,961.30 on October 16; $109,000 on November 11; $50,000 on August 12; and $150,000 on December 31.
In 2010, the company transferred $40,000 on April 14; $44,000 on April 15; $134,000 on May 14; $64,000 on June 17; $40,000 on July 23; $90,000 on August 27; $10,000 on August 30; $9,974 on August 31; $6,900 on September 1; $7,974 on September 2; $42,600 on October 5; and $183,000 on December 6.
In 2011, it further transferred $32,000 on February 21; $30,700 on March 17; $40,730.35 on May 5; $111,400 on June 7; $43,660 on July 18; $48,800 on August 10; $43,000 on August 16; $25,750 on August 29; $40,250 on August 29; $112,800 on September 26; and $150,200 on November 17.
In 2012, $146,975 on January 26; $71,000 on May 11; $5,450 on June 7; and $5,000 on December 7 were also transferred by the company.
None of the companies is currently being prosecuted. Nigerian law, however, prevents some public officials including governors and senators from operating a foreign account; a law Mr. Saraki is accused of flouting.
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On CBN's nepotic recruitment

On CBN's nepotic recruitment
Nigeria is the archetype of animal farm as captured in George Orwell's allegorical novella, Animal Farm.
Name all "juicy" agencies and government departments in the country, and you will see the employees bearing "big" surnames. It has been the trend before Buhari but we expect the trend to change in favour of a common man under Buhari.
Take CBN's posh recruitment as a case point. We do not mind if due process was followed to employ their sons, but when due process is stood on its head to promote nepotism, Nigerians have every right to speak up.
The ruling elite is denying the sons and daughters of a common man chance to work in competitive places despite swearing to an oath of fairness.
After laboring and waiting for hours in scorching sun to elect their parents into political offices, this is how they paid us back by employing their sons and daughters -- who were mostly outside the country when we staked our lives to elect their parents into office.
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NNPC withheld N824.7 billion oil revenue in 6 months of Buhari’s govt – Reports PT

NNPC withheld N824.7 billion oil revenue in 6 months of Buhari's govt – Reports PT
"A new report on Thursday said despite President Muhammadu Buhari's attempt at ensuring transparency in the oil sector, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, still withholds billions in oil revenues from the government account.
The report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, titled "NNPC still holds blank check" said that within the first six months of the Buhari administration,the NNPC withheld over $4.2 billion (about N824.7 billion) out of a total of $6.3 billion (N1.24 trillion) revenues realised from crude oil sales in the second half of 2015.
The withheld revenues represented about 66 per cent of the total revenue – $1.4 billion earnings from Nigeria's regular crude oil exports for the period; $3.4 billion from domestic crude oil sales, and $1.5 billion from oil sold from the corporation's upstream subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC oil fields.
The report said only $2.1 billion (about N413.7 billion) was transferred to the Federation Account.
The group said the unremitted revenues for the six months was about 14 per cent more than the amount withheld by the corporation under the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the first half of 2015, and about 12 per cent higher than the share withheld in 2013 and 2014.
The report said the figure of unremitted oil revenues in 2015 contrasted sharply with 2005 figures, which showed the NNPC remitted about 68 per cent of its total oil sale earnings to the Federation Account and kept only 32 per cent that year.
The report said while part of the withheld funds was used for servicing Nigeria's share of the joint venture operating obligations, the NNPC did not fully explain what the other retained revenues from domestic crude and NPDC oil sales were used for.
In general, the report said despite the on-going reforms in the oil sector, the NNPC under the present administration was still retaining a major share of oil sale earnings and spending at will.
Foramfera
Some of the reforms by the Buhari government, the report noted, have cut the number of passive, well connected middlemen that pocketed billions of oil revenues, while the administration has cancelled costly, unbalanced NNPC swap contracts as well as seek more efficient replacements.
The report lamented that recent announcements on NNPC reforms and the latest drafts of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, failed to adequately address how NNPC and the government would share future oil revenues
"Until government establishes a clear, legally enforceable rule governing which revenues NNPC can keep and how they can be spent, oil sector corruption and waste could return to their prior devastating levels once the president (Buhari) leaves, or prices rise," the report noted.
While encouraging government to push ahead with its reform plans for the oil sector, NRGI stressed the need for NNPC to adopt new financial controls and transparency measures for its subsidiaries, especially bordering on the several billion revenues retained each year from NPDC operations and its oil trading and marketing subsidiaries.
The Institute also called for the immediate replacement of the 445,000 barrels per day crude oil allocation for domestic refining with a fit-for-purposemechanism for supplies to the country's four refineries.
"The government should move to curb the corporation's discretionary, unaccountable use of much-needed public funds. Until the government instates clear rules for NNPC financing, both the controversies and the underlying revenue leakages will persist," the report said.
Describing the NPDC as one of the Nigerian petroleum sector's "great black boxes", the report said some of the oil from the company's fields went to its strategic alliance partners, two of which were paid in oil for purportedly shouldering the company's financial obligations.
From the production of an average of 30,000 barrels per day of Okono grade crude during the period, the report said NNPC retained all earnings ( about $12.3 billion over the past decade) from the offshore Oil Mining Lease (OML) 119 owned wholly by NPDC"....Premium Times.*****************Where'sthe MinisteRAIL of Petroleum and president of Refublic of Nuzeria?
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Sunny Ibanga wants Buhari to sanitise the oil sector

Sunny Ibanga wants Buhari to sanitise the oil sector
-Give private investors timeline to set up refineries
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Sunny Ibanga says the Federal Government should conclude the arrangements with private investors to build refineries in the country to discourage the importation of refined petroleum product.
He said since there has been interest in the past from such investors, any conditionality that could cause a delay should be jettisoned to ensure effective and immediate implementation since it has been discovered that sabotage by certain Nigerians led to the present fuel scarcity, hence 'sacred cows' should not be accommodated again.
Chief Ibanga, who made the appeal while hosting the Muhammadu Buhari Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, MBO State, Zonal and a National delegation at his country home in Utu Ikot Ekpenyong near Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State commended President Mohammadu Buhari for taking positive steps to stem the crisis in the petroleum sector.
He said when Nigeria have more refineries the constant fuel crisis will be reduced and jobs will be created than the present situation where the government is spending millions of naira on importation of the product.
"We should support any move by the government to curtail sharp practices which resulted in the present hardship Nigerians are facing. The fuel problem is affecting every sector of the economy, now the common man can't buy foodstuffs in the market because prices are skyrocketing every day, all due to the fuel scarcity issue," he said.
The elder statesman, who donated a secretariat to the State MBO commended the officers for their tenacity and commitment to promoting the programmes of President Buhar's administration adding that such selfless sacrifice shall not be in vain as Nigeria will become great again.
"I am really impressed to see young and matured men come together to do all these things without placing money as a yard stick. Today the values we have handed over to our youths are discouraging. People no longer believe in morals any more, unless we returned to the days honesty was the best policy, where people valued integrity above everything, we will keep running in circles.
"Is good that we now have a group of serious Nigerians, who have taken it upon themselves to promote good values and respect people with integrity. I am happy because things are changing for the best." he added.
The State coordinator of MBO, Mr. Emmanuel Isidore thanked chief Ibanga for his support, promising that members of the group will not join the bandwagon to celebrate corruption and impunity.
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Politicians who visited Aso Rock in the past were given $100, 000 – Presidency

Politicians who visited Aso Rock in the past were given $100, 000 – Presidency
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu has revealed that under previous administrations, a chief or politician who pays a visit to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa is handed $100,000 or $50,000 when leaving.
Speaking in an interview with Leadership newspapers, the presidency official, however, pointed out that his principal has put a stop to the practice as such cash gifts are now diverted into productive services and the provision of infrastructure.
In the words of Ojudu, "In the past, somebody would come to Aso Rock, a chief or a politician. And they package $100,000, $50,000 for him. The man gets back to his hotel room, dashes his driver $500, dashes his PA $1,000, his girl friend $200. This has stopped. Such money must go into productive services, medical services, infrastructure etc.
"Let's do something that is enduring for our people. All these stop gap measures, going as subsidies, we're going to stop them. Let's make our refineries work. Don't let us make millionaires of a few and poor people of millions."Theseare the kinds of problems we're having now. In the process of change, all these things are bound to happen. This is one year, but again, this new government never envisaged things will be this difficult.
"When we were campaigning, oil was still $112 per barrel. Nobody could have thought it would just crash and become $33 per barrel. We're now on $40 per barrel. Nobody envisaged that our foreign reserve could go as low as $28 billion.
We were importing food. We were importing medication, we were paying school fees of millions of Nigerians abroad. What the government is doing now is: let's take subsidy away from these individuals that are getting it.
Let's take money off bringing in food, let's grow what we're going to feed on. This is going to take some time; it's not something that is going be done overnight. Nigerians will have to be patient. I can understand. People call me every day that, they can't pay school fees, they can't pay house rent. But again, if we want Nigeria to grow, if we want sustainable development, we cannot but breakaway from the past. It is this breaking away from the past, that is causing the pain we're going through as a nation.
"What people are saying is just like saying 'bring back corruption'. They don't know what corruption has done to this country. You vote about a billion naira for a hospital, and N800 million is taken away by corruption, and you have only N200 million left. So, there won't be medication, there won't be ambulances etc you can imagine how many people die due to such act. They stash such money outside the country. They buy houses in America, buy private jets etc.
"Do you know the havoc that corruption has done to this country over the years? That is why we now have half-baked graduates. Do you know what corruption has done to our infrastructure over the years? Look at the Abuja-Lokoja Road. What you have now is not the original design. Look at how much has been voted for that road, and several other roads across the country.
How long are we going to continue with that kind of situation? We have a president that is sympathetic, who is not going to build a new house, who is not going to buy a house in London, or Dubai; but who has dedicated his life towards solving our problems. The damage of so many years is not going to be corrected in just 10 or 11 months.
"We also have to understand that people who are victims of the fight against corruption are trying to fight back. The Escravos that supplies gas has been damaged. Pipelines are being burst all over the place. We need to continue to appeal to our people to realise that this damage you're doing, you're doing it not to Buhari, not to Osinbajo, you're doing it to yourself."
Thepanaceareports
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APC wins Yobe bye-election

APC wins Yobe bye-election
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won the Amaturu/Tarmuwa/Gujba/Gulani Federal Constituency bye election held on Saturday.
The Yobe federal constituency seat became vacant following the appointment of Khadija Bukar as a minister in the federal cabinet.
Prof. Sunday Alao, the Returning Officer of the election, on Saturday in Damaturu declared APC candidate, Abdullahi Kukuwa as the winner.
Kukuwa scored 23,745 votes, while his closest rival Nasiru Hassan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 6,990 votes.
Adamu Dina of the Advance Congress for Democracy (ACD) scored 163 votes, while Jibrin Ladan of the National Conscience Party (NCP) scored 139 votes.
Mr Zannah Ibrahim, Yobe Commissioner of Police said there was no violence recorded in any of the four local government areas where the election took place.
Abdullahi Kukuwa was member of Yobe House of Assembly representing Gulani Constituency.
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