News & Announcements

Following a two-week rigorous exercise to assess the State’s Aviation Safety Systems, the Republic of Sierra Leone has successfully passed the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) – Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA)-2023 scoring 74.22%, a significant increase above the Abuja Safety Target of 60%. 

The Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) is a programme through which ICAO monitors the fulfillment of the safety oversight obligations by its Member States. USOAP results allow ICAO to assess States’ capabilities in providing safety oversight by assessing whether States have effectively and consistently implemented the eight Critical Elements (CEs) of a Safety Oversight System.

In 2014, ICAO conducted a Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) to assess the country’s progress made in the 2006 Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). After the assessment, Sierra Leone scored 18.06%.

Making a presentation during the debriefing, the ICAO Team Lead, Louis Kweku Opoku expressed thanks and appreciation to the Minister and the entire Aviation sector for their unyielding effort to ensure the successful completion of the exercise. He commended Sierra Leone for the significant improvement in various safety-related areas, noting that the overall Effective Implementation (EI) moved from 16% to a staggering 74%.

He also stated that the draft report would be sent to Sierra Leone in 90 days for comments. 
In his remarks, Hon Kabineh Kallon, Minister of Transport and Aviation thanked the ICAO team for completing the audit exercise seamlessly. He revealed that the Government of Sierra Leone under the leadership of President Dr Julius Maada Bio was committed to building a safe, secure, and globally competitive Civil Aviation System, which has been translated into this milestone. 

“During his address at the First State Opening of the Fifth Parliament in May 2018, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio emphasized developing Sierra Leone’s Aviation Systems by addressing the safety-related deficiencies, and we have carried his vision. Since 2018, we have put modalities in place to achieve this feat. A leap from 16% to 74% is a great achievement. We are happy with the result, but we want to have the best within the sub-region. Once we receive the draft report, we will respond accordingly,”* the Hon Minister stated.  

Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, Director-General of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) stated the result of the ICAO team reflected what Sierra Leone has done since 2018.

He added, “This is a testament to the leap we have taken to make the sector attractive and competitive. Under the leadership of President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone has a new airport that enhanced the success of the audit; the Freetown International Airport (FNA) successfully completed the first-ever Airport Certification process scoring 89%. All these great results revealed the effort the State has exerted. We assure you that we will continue to improve.”

It could be noted this is that the greatest achievement the country has experienced in its aviation history. Sierra Leone’s current score meets the regional safety target and the global average. 

The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali, and the Force Secretary, AIG Hafeez Inuwa, have been ordered to be arrested by an Abuja-based National Industrial Court for violating a court order, which is considered to constitute contempt.

The IG is accused of disobeying a court ruling that required it to restore several police personnel who had reportedly been forcedly retired by the force and who are graduates of Courses 33, 34, and 35 of the police school.

The disgruntled cops went before the court and asked for a ruling to overturn the IG’s decision to force them into early retirement. The IG, the Police Service Commission, and the Force Secretary of the Police were then directed to reinstate the officers who had been forcibly retired by the court, which was presided over by Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi.

The IGP and the other defendants, however, have not complied with the court’s ruling since it was issued on April 19, 2022, when the judgment was delivered.

Justice Oyewumi castigated the IG in a recent ruling issued by the court on June 8, 2023, a copy of which was sent to our correspondent on Tuesday, for the latter’s unwillingness to obey the court in spite of advice from the pertinent parties in the police force.

The court order read, “It is on record of this court that the court delivered a judgement in this case on 19/4/2022 and ordered that the judgement creditors/applicants should be reinstated forthwith. It is on record of this court also that the Police Service Commission, the statutory body that is vested with the power to appoint, promote and discipline the judgement creditors/applicants had ordered the Inspector General of Police to comply with the judgement of this court.

“It is equally noteworthy that the CP, Legal, the Head of Department of the Nigerian Police Force had also issued a legal advice urging the Inspector General of Police to comply with the order of this court vide a letter dated and the Inspector General of Police received it on 27/7/2022 yet he has refused to obey or comply with the judgement of this court.

“This is an officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who swore on oath to uphold the rule of law and same law he has now failed or refused to obey. It is also of importance to state that this court has given ample opportunities to him and the Force Secretary to appear before this court and show cause why they are not to be held to be in contempt of this court, the record of the court evinces that they have both been served the enrolment of order of this court severally yet they both deem it fit to flout the order of this court and desecrated this hallowed chamber and temple of justice.

“Justice is not only for the affluent, it is indeed for the poor and vulnerable also. I pause to say that I wonder what type of head of an enforcement agency like the police, the Inspector General of Police is, if he finds it so difficult or so difficult it seems for him to obey a simple order of court. I also wonder the type of example he is laying for his officers if he as the head of the Nigerian Police Force has chosen/ elected to flagrantly take the law into his advised by the Police Service Commission and his own officer, the CP, Legal to comply. This I must say is preposterous and appalling.

“It is in the light of all stated which are in sync with the record of this court that I hold the Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba and the Force Secretary, AIG Hafeez Inuwa for being in contempt of this court, they are to be arrested and be produced before this Court for necessary action.”

The court adjourned the case until October 9, 2023.

Former Akwa Ibom State governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio was declared winner of the Senate President poll after polling more votes than his opponent and Zamfara West Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari.

Akpabio was declared winner on Tuesday after polling 63 votes and had 17 votes more than Yari who got 46 votes after the exercise on the floor of the Senate.

Treat Williams, the actor best known for his role on “Everwood,” died in a motorcycle accident at age 71.

His death was confirmed on Tuesday by his agent Barry McPherson.

Around 5 pm (2200 GMT) Monday, Williams was riding his motorcycle on a Vermont road when a car cut him off.“He was killed this afternoon,” McPherson, his agent of 15 years, said.He was making a left or a right and a car cut him off.
“I’m just devastated. He was the nicest guy. He was so talented.”

Williams was lifted to a hospital by helicopter sent from Ticonderoga in New York, but could not be saved.

From 2002 to 2006, Williams led the WB series “Everwood” as the kindly Dr. Andy Brown.
More recently, he was seen as Lenny Ross in “Blue Bloods.”

He gained acclaim at age 28 in the movie version of “Hair,” earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Star.He went on to “Prince of the City,” “Smooth Talk” opposite Laura Dern, and “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead.”

In all, Williams racked up more than 120 film and television credits over a four-decade career that was still going strong.He is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant, and their two children, Gil and Elinor Williams.

Hilda Baci was named the new record holder for the longest individual cooking on Tuesday by Guinness World Records.

“Following a thorough review of all the evidence, Guinness World Records can now confirm that Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, has officially broken the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes,” the GWR stated in a statement on its website.

The 26-year-old Nigerian chef worked in the kitchen for four days, starting on Thursday, May 11, and finishing on Monday, May 15, producing almost 100 pots of food.

Hilda made an effort to set a record of 100 hours, but her final total was reduced by about seven hours as a result of an early miscalculation in which she overestimated the length of one of her rest intervals.

Monday in Abuja, the Student Loan Bill was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

According to a member of the Presidential Strategic Team named Dele Alake, the bill’s signing was “fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to liberalize funding for education.”

Tinubu has signed two pieces of legislation since taking office two weeks ago, the second being the Students Loan Act.

Students who are in need of loans will be able to access them thanks to this bill.

On May 25, 2023, the third reading of the bill sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, was approved.

Alake stated that the new rule requires potential beneficiaries to provide documentation of their origins. Alake was joined by other members of the media team, including Tunde Rahman, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, David Adejoh.

“We’re very happy to announce to you that today the President, His Excellency, Bola Tinubu, signed into law the Student Loans Bill.

“This is a promise made during the presidential campaign by the then candidate, His Excellency Bola Tinubu, that he will bring back the student loans issue onto the front burner.

“And today, that promise he made has been kept. He has just signed that bill into law, which henceforth would allow or enable our indigent students to access Federal Government’s loans to fund the educational pursuit or career,” Alake said.

The presidential adviser claimed that the action would make it easier for people to attend education and was consistent with global standard practice in developed regions.

“This is how it’s done in other developed climes. So this is a boost to our youths and students nationwide.

“Of course, there are prescribed qualification parameters. And that is the proof of indigenship of whoever is to be a beneficiary.

“Of course, there are committees to be set up. The members of committees will be drawn from various bodies to superintend over the efficient and proficient disbursement of this facility,” he added.

Additionally, it was said that even though the bill is instantly effective, the committees overseeing the process will hammer out the application procedures.

Adejoh, the permanent secretary of the ministry of education, implied that the federal government’s current scholarship board will transform into a loan board that might provide educational credit options to qualifying candidates.

“Today, what the President has done goes beyond the symbolism. It is a demonstration of intent in terms of how he wants to handle education as he progresses in his presidency. Once the bill has been signed, that is the most important thing. A bill tells you what should be done. The how is what we are going  to put together.

“What we have now is that nobody shall say money did not allow him to go to school,” he added.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities responded by describing the loan law as favoring the children of the wealthy above those of the poor.

National President, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “The union will react soon but everyone knows our position on student loans because you will end up encumbering the children of the poor with loans and debt after graduating. This is discriminatory. If what I read online is correct, it said it is only for children whose parents earn at least N500,000 per annum. That means if your father earns more, you won’t benefit.”

Similarly, the National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr Anderson Ezeibe, said, “I have not studied the bill and we don’t want to react on the surface. But I have seen one area that will not be practicable.

“It says that students should refund the money two years after NYSC. But what is the provision for someone who is not working after NYSC?  And will they all get jobs immediately after NYSC?”

The student loan bill, according to the National Association of Nigerian Students, is a “way forward” for the nation’s educational system.

The Cordinator, NAN, Zone D, Adejuwon Emmanuel, however, criticized the repayment terms in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Monday.

“Without saying much, student loan bill is a way forward to the educational system in Nigeria, because it will assist student whose parent cannot afford to pay tuition fee to be able to pay with the loan.

“But as good as this is, there are some questions that need to be answered by the government. The ultimatum for repayment is not feasible. As we all know that there is no work anywhere and most graduates don’t  get work immediately, how will they pay back? How will it work when most of our graduates do not get jobs. Is there any plan or opportunity for those that have no work two years after NYSC?”

A former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Uyo, Prof Ini Uko, in an interview with our correspondent, lauded the initiative.

Uko said, “Well, this means that tuition fees will go up. The subsidy on tertiary education will be removed. Vice-chancellors will now be able to introduce tuition fees. This is a good initiative. I am a beneficiary of a student loan and, of course, the people who benefit from it will have to pay back.

“The truth is that we have to stop pretending that the government alone can continue to fund tertiary education. It is not possible.”

A new circular from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited outlines the prices oil merchants will pay for petroleum goods.

About two weeks had passed since the Federal Government had declared the end of fuel subsidies.

In a circular issued on Sunday, NNPCL Retail instructed marketers to think about combining their existing orders that still reflect the old fuel price in order to purchase a truck carrying 45 million liters of gasoline.

According to information obtained by Newsmen, marketers had already ordered one truck of gasoline for around N7.7 million.

The new business circular, however, instructed marketers who had likely bought three trucks at N7.5m (the former price of N171/litre), to combine their purchases or get a refund.

“Following the full deregulation of PMS, NNPC Retail has made the following options available to help customers manage the impact of the additional cash flow requirement: Marketers now have the option of consolidating pre-paid self-owned tickets for fresh tickets in line with the revised price. Interested marketers can engage their respective NRL Depot Representative for guidance on how to initiate this option.

“Also, there is an option for cash refund. Marketers who are interested in initiating this option should send in official request addressed to the MD NNPC Retail.  The request should include evidence of payment and order details (RRR number, Sales quotation number and Meter ticket number). Upon receipt of official request together with the above supporting documents, your refund request will be made processed,” the memo from NNPCL Retail read in part.

Oil marketers on Monday confirmed the development.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria’s Operations Controller, Mike Osatuyi, confirmed the news. However, he acknowledged that some marketers would find it challenging to raise the substantial sums needed to place an order for petroleum goods.

“Where do you want us to get such money from?” Osatuy asked.

 “The price difference is huge and most can’t afford it. So what we will start seeing is that instead of ordering for one truck, marketers can now go for maybe a quarter or half truck just like it’s being done for diesel,” he said.

“Where do you want us to get such money from?” Osatuy asked.

 “Since NNPC said we consume 66 million litres daily, we are sure that it would drop to as low as 30 million litres soon,” Osatuyi said, corroborating what a former Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, and Chief Executive Officer, 11 Plc, Tunji Oyebanji, had  told The PUNCH last week.

Oyebanji claims that eliminating fuel subsidies will put an end to fuel smuggling and reveal Nigeria’s actual daily gasoline usage.

Oyebanji added that smaller downstream businesses would close their doors and be bought out by larger businesses if the NNPCL increased the price of fuel.

“Removing petrol subsidies is one of the best decisions Nigeria would ever make because smuggling would stop. This is the time we will know the real petrol consumption of Nigeria, likewise, many smaller stations will fold up and would get acquired by bigger ones” Oyabanji said.

Recall that Tinubu, during his campaign, had promised to give student loans as part of efforts to develop the education sector and also build the youth capacity. 

Tinubu made the promise at the British Royal Institute in London. 

“Youths are the greatest asset of tomorrow,” Tinubu said in Chatham House while fielding questions from participants at the event, adding that they will be part of his “all-inclusive” government, pointing to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. 

“The education system is to change. We would overhaul it and tinker with some areas with the philosophy that no one would be left behind. There will be student loans for all. We are going to reform the Almajiri system, We are equally going to build more schools, recruit more teachers and train them,” the former Lagos state governor said. 

To further help young people, he said if elected, his government would equally introduce technology hubs where youths can acquire digital skills to better develop their leadership skills. 

“Youths can even develop technological languages on their own and make a better 21st-century approach to governance in Nigeria,” he said. 

Monday’s event focussed on economic and foreign policies as well as national security among others.

Fellow Nigerians, 

2. It is exactly three decades today since Nigerians went to the polls to exercise their inalienable right to elect a President of their choice to lead the transition from military dictatorship to a representative government of the people. 

3. The abortion, by military fiat, of the decisive victory of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the June 12, 1993, presidential election, up to that time, the fairest and freest election in the country’s political evolution, turned out, ironically, to be the seed that germinated into the prolonged struggle that gave birth to the democracy we currently enjoy since 1999. 

4. In rising to strongly oppose the arbitrary annulment of the will of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in that historic election, the substantial number of our people who participated in the struggle to de-annul the election signified their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as a form of government that best ennobles the liberty, the dignity of the individual and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity. The fierce opposition to the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed was the equivalent of the battle against colonial rule by our founding fathers that resulted in the gaining of Nigeria’s independence in 1960. 

5. Just like the anti-colonial movement, the pro-June 12 vanguard demonstrated, once again, the enduring validity of the 19th-century historian, Arnold Toynbee’s eternal postulation, that civilization and societies experience progress as they are forced to respond to challenges posed by the environment. The unjust annulment of a widely acknowledged free and fair election was a challenge that elicited resistance by a resurgent civil society, leading ultimately to the attainment of our ‘second independence’ as exemplified by the return of democratic governance in 1999. 

6. Fellow compatriots, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but every June 12, for the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. 

7. We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself. 

8. Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle, and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave them yesterday for the liberty that is ours today. 

9. The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it. 

10. We have traversed the dark, thorny path of dictatorship before and those who experienced it can readily testify to the unbridgeable gap between the dignity of freedom and the humiliation and degradation of tyranny. True, rancorous debates, interminable wrangling, ceaseless quarrels, and bitter electoral contestations may be perceived by some as unattractive features of democracy. But they also testify to its merit and value. 

11. This year, we held the seventh in the cycle of elections that have become sacred rituals of our democratic practice in this dispensation since 1999. 

12. That the polls were intensely contested is in itself positive evidence that democracy is well and alive in our land. It is only natural that even as those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed. But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections. 

13. Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph. Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man. 

14. For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, in whose memory June 12 became a national holiday, democracy is eternal. 

15. It is about the rule of law and a vibrant judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated. 

16. The recent harmonization of the retirement age for judicial officers is meant to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy. The reform has just started. 

17. The democracy that will yield the right dividends to the people who are the shareholders means more than just freedom of choice and the right to get people into elective offices. It means social and economic justice for our people. To the winner of June 12, democracy offers the best chance to fight and eliminate poverty. Thirty years ago, he christened his campaign manifesto, ‘Farewell to Poverty’ because he was convinced that there is nothing divine about poverty. It is a man-made problem that can be eliminated with clearly thought-out social and economic policies.

18. It is for this reason that, in my inauguration address on May 29, I gave effect to the decision taken by my predecessor-in-office to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and free up for collective use the much-needed resources, which had hitherto been pocketed by a few rich. I admit that the decision will impose an extra burden on the masses of our people. I feel your pain. This is one decision we must bear to save our country from going under and take our resources away from the stranglehold of a few unpatriotic elements. 

19. Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country. For your trust and belief in us, I assure you that your sacrifice shall not be in vain. The government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives. 

20. The democracy MKO Abiola died for is one that promotes the welfare of the people over the personal interests of the ruling class and one where the governed can find personal fulfillment and happiness. That is the hope MKO Abiola ignited throughout our country in 1993. 

21. On this year’s Democracy Day, I enjoin us all to rededicate ourselves to strengthening this form of government of free peoples that has been our guiding light these past 24 years. In particular, those of us who have been privileged to be elected into public offices at various levels in both the executive and legislative arms of government must recommit ourselves to offering selfless service to the people and delivering concrete democracy dividends in accordance with our electoral promises. 

22. On my part and that of my administration, I pledge anew our commitment to diligently fulfilling every component of our electoral pact with the people – the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda. 

23. We shall be faithful to the truth. Faithful to equity. And faithful to justice. We shall exercise our authority and mandate to govern with fairness, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to always uphold the dignity of all our people. 

24. On this note, I wish us all a happy Democracy Day celebration and pray that the light of liberty shall never be extinguished in our land. 

25. Thank you all and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
                 

President Bola Tinubu has been sued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project for “failing to investigate the allegations that USD$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion public funds of oil revenues and budgeted as fuel subsidy payments are missing and unaccounted for between 2016 and 2019.”

SERAP sued Tinubu in the Federal High Court in Lagos, requesting a mandamus order to swiftly look into claims that N3.1 trillion and USD 2.1 billion in public funds went missing and were not found between 2016 and 2019.

Furthermore, they are requesting a mandamus order to compel President Tinubu to instruct anti-corruption organizations to immediately look into fuel subsidy payments made by governments since 1999, identify and expose suspected offenders, prosecute them, and reclaim any proceeds of crime.

Additionally, SERAP is requesting “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Tinubu to use any recovered proceeds of crime as palliatives to address the impact of the subsidy removal on poor Nigerians, as well as to put in place mechanisms for transparency and accountability in the oil sector.”

In the suit, SERAP argues that: “The allegations that US$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion of public funds are missing and unaccounted amount to a fundamental breach of national anticorruption laws and the country’s international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party.”

SERAP also stated that “The Tinubu government has constitutional and international legal obligations to get to the bottom of these allegations and ensure accountability for these serious crimes against the Nigerian people.”

According to them, “Directing and compelling President Tinubu to promptly probe, name and shame and bring to justice the perpetrators and to recover any missing public funds would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation, and guarantee of non-repetition.”

SERAP further noted that “Allegations of corruption in fuel subsidy payments suggest that the poor have rarely benefited from the use and management of the payments.”

In their case, SERAP’s attorneys Kolawole Oluwadare, Adelanke Aremo, Valentina Adegoke, and Ayomide Johnson argue that without holding human rights violators accountable, there can be no economic development or sustainability. Nigerians who are poor and socioeconomically vulnerable shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for the theft of the nation’s oil resources as state actors and non-state actors siphon off public funds.

“Investigating and prosecuting the allegations, and recovering any missing public funds would serve the public interest, ensure justice and accountability, and end the entrenched impunity of perpetrators.”

“According to the audited reports between 2016 and 2019 by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit N663,896,567,227.58 into the Federation Account. The Auditor-General fears that the money may be missing.”

“The NNPC also reportedly failed to account for the allocation of crude oil to refineries in 2019. 107,239,436.00 barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document. The Auditor-General fears that the crude valued at N55,891,009,960.63 may have been diverted.”

“The NNPC in 2019 also failed to remit N1,955,354,671,268.66 and N55,157,702,848.74 of generated revenues into the Federation Account, contrary to Section 162(1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]. The Auditor-General fears that the money may have been diverted.”

“The NNPC also failed to account for N4,572,844,962.25 of ‘domestic gas receipts’, thereby ‘reducing the distributable revenue in the Federation account.’ The NNPC also in 2019 failed to account for 22,929.84 litres of PMS pumped from refineries and valued at N7,056,137,180.00.”

“The NNPC also ‘illegally classified’ 239,800 barrels of crude oil valued at N5,498,045,220 as ‘crude oil losses.’”

“The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in 2019 also reportedly failed to remit US$1,278,364,595.49 in revenue to the Federation Account. The money was deducted by the NNPC from the Oil and Gas Royalty assessed by the DPR.”

“The DPR in 2019 also deducted N19,840,081.29 as ‘stamp duty’ payments from contractors and consultants but the DPR instantly paid back the money to the contractors and consultants instead of remitting it to the treasury.”

“The DPR in 2019 also paid N137,225,973.35 to contractors and consultants for various contracts and consultancies but failed to deduct stamp duty.

“The DPR also paid N11,856,088,271.92 as salaries for 2019 but failed to deduct N118,560,882.72 as the contribution of 1% Industrial Training Fund (ITF). The DPR in 2019 also failed to transfer US$35,738,342.95 year balance.

“The DPR in 2018 also withdrew without any explanation US$759,387,755.10 from DPR Signature Bonus Account rather than paid the money into the Federation Account.”

“Subsidy records show that N443,940,559,974.80 was paid as total subsidy for 2016 but the money was not budgeted for.  The payments were for outstanding Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) commitments for the year 2015. However, there was no payment in 2016. Only outstanding payments for previous years 2014 and 2015 and interest payments were made in 2016.”

“The Auditor-General fears that the oil marketers that received the subsidy payments may not have been ‘eligible to draw from the Petroleum Support Fund as the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) failed to provide any document on the payments.”

“N39,141,210,181.74 was also paid from the Federation Account in 2016 to different Oil Marketers in 26 transactions, being Payments of Interest and Foreign Exchange Differential on Subsidy but without any document.”

“The NNPC also made ‘zero profit’ and recorded ‘losses from its joint ventures in 2016. This is contrary to expectations that profits should be made from the joint ventures.’”

“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Abuja in 2016 paid N14,490,000.00 for the supply of 3 Nissan Almera Saloon vehicles 1.5 to the Ministry without proper documentation. The purchase of ‘the vehicles were made through direct procurement without competitive bidding by at least three companies, as required by Financial Regulations. There was no advertisement and bidding for this contract.’”

“Although ‘N12,442,500.00 was approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement for the vehicles, the Ministry made an overpayment of N2,047,500.00 to the car company.’”