Nigerian Activist Seeks Probe of Adoke, Diezani
by ISE-OLUWA IGE on Sep 4, 2014
National Mirror, Nigeria
A human rights activist, Timi Frank, yesterday requested a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, and his Petroleum Resources counterpart, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, over purported shady and illegal deals in the Nigerian oil sector.
Frank, in the suit, is also requesting the court to issue a separate order compelling the anti-graft agency to prosecute the two high ranking government officials should they be indicted.
He named the EFCC, Alison-Madueke, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Adoke as respondents in the case.
Frank, who claimed he had tried in vain to get the purported shady deal in the oil sector investigated, approached the court by way of a mandamus application compelling the EFCC to probe the quartet for alleged fraud and financial impropriety perpetrated on Nigerian people in respect of the purported shady and illegal deals in the Nigerian oil sector.
The suit was filed on July 15 but is yet to be assigned to any judge due to the ongoing vacation of judges.
The activist stated as part of the grounds on which he anchored the suit, that the second and third respondents (Alison- Madueke and Adoke) had allegedly defrauded and are still defrauding Nigerians through what he called non-remittance of revenue to the Federation Account as stipulated and provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), oil theft and bunkering in Niger- Delta and fiscal terms of the Production Sharing Contracts.”
The plaintiff stated that the EFCC had earlier shunned his letter dated June 30, 2014 requesting it to investigate the ministers with a view to prosecuting them “if they are found wanting.”
In the suit which was filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Abdulkadir Abdullahi, the plaintiff also accused the ministers of “complex swap transactions between Pipelines and Product Monitoring Company and some counter parties.”
He stated in a supporting affidavit, “that the swap contracts include the ones signed between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Societe Ivorienne de Raffinage, between PPMC and Duke Oil Services Ltd and between Duke Oil Services and Taleveras Petroleum Trading BV.”
He said the possible areas of loss of revenues to the Federation Account included but were not limited to terms of sale, unjustified use of intermediates, verification of ‘equivalent value’ and importation and transportation of products.
He alleged that the failure of the NNPC and the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Alison-Madueke and Ministry of Petroleum Resources) to remit foreign exchange to the Federation Account in a period of rising oil prices has made the Central Bank of Nigeria management of exchange rates and price stability extremely difficult and that the aftermath or effect is that the economy has to pay a high price in very high interest rates and tight monetary conditions.
On fraud allegedly perpetrated by the three respondents in the name of paying of kerosene subsidy, the plaintiff said, “In dollars, every vessel imported by the NNPC with the federation money cost about $30 million and it was sold for $10 million or $11 million, generating rent of $20 million/vessel to the syndicate.”
CNS indicts major oil companies in oil theft
by UBONG UKPONG on Sep 4, 2014
National Mirror, Nigeria
Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, yesterday said the Nigerian Navy knew all those involved in crude oil theft in the country.
This is even as he threatened to mention names of those involved, alleging that oil companies in the country were also culpable.
The CNS disclosed this at a meeting in Abuja with chief executives of oil companies where they discussed issues bordering on crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other related crimes in the nation’s maritime domain.
While stressing the persistence of maritime security challenges in Nigeria and the unconcerned attitude of the CEOs of oil companies towards solving them, Jibrin declared that he had evidence including pictures to prove that the oil companies were most culpable in the crimes.
According to the navy chief, “This meeting is convened to discuss some of our security challenges that we have in the maritime sector, particularly oil theft and illegal bunkering.
“When a meeting of this nature is called, the IOCs must take it very seriously; after all, it took me almost seven and half months to call for this meeting and specifically we said we were not going to accept representation not that those of you representing your various companies are not competent enough to discuss, but to drive home the point we wish to make today is to make the point very clear that we have a serious challenge and we need the cooperation of the chief executives to be able to provide solution to the daunting security challenges with respect to oil thefts.
“Particularly it has become very worrisome that we have not been able to check this. And I personally believe that it had gotten to a point that instead of pointing accusing fingers at each other, we shall be mentioning names, including the major stakeholders.
“We cannot pretend to say that the oil companies do not have hands in some of these illegalities. To pretend is to allow you continue; and on my part, you will not pretend.
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| Federal Republic of Nigeria Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. |
National Mirror, Nigeria
A human rights activist, Timi Frank, yesterday requested a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, and his Petroleum Resources counterpart, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, over purported shady and illegal deals in the Nigerian oil sector.
Frank, in the suit, is also requesting the court to issue a separate order compelling the anti-graft agency to prosecute the two high ranking government officials should they be indicted.
He named the EFCC, Alison-Madueke, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Adoke as respondents in the case.
Frank, who claimed he had tried in vain to get the purported shady deal in the oil sector investigated, approached the court by way of a mandamus application compelling the EFCC to probe the quartet for alleged fraud and financial impropriety perpetrated on Nigerian people in respect of the purported shady and illegal deals in the Nigerian oil sector.
The suit was filed on July 15 but is yet to be assigned to any judge due to the ongoing vacation of judges.
The activist stated as part of the grounds on which he anchored the suit, that the second and third respondents (Alison- Madueke and Adoke) had allegedly defrauded and are still defrauding Nigerians through what he called non-remittance of revenue to the Federation Account as stipulated and provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), oil theft and bunkering in Niger- Delta and fiscal terms of the Production Sharing Contracts.”
The plaintiff stated that the EFCC had earlier shunned his letter dated June 30, 2014 requesting it to investigate the ministers with a view to prosecuting them “if they are found wanting.”
In the suit which was filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Abdulkadir Abdullahi, the plaintiff also accused the ministers of “complex swap transactions between Pipelines and Product Monitoring Company and some counter parties.”
He stated in a supporting affidavit, “that the swap contracts include the ones signed between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Societe Ivorienne de Raffinage, between PPMC and Duke Oil Services Ltd and between Duke Oil Services and Taleveras Petroleum Trading BV.”
He said the possible areas of loss of revenues to the Federation Account included but were not limited to terms of sale, unjustified use of intermediates, verification of ‘equivalent value’ and importation and transportation of products.
He alleged that the failure of the NNPC and the 2nd and 3rd defendants (Alison-Madueke and Ministry of Petroleum Resources) to remit foreign exchange to the Federation Account in a period of rising oil prices has made the Central Bank of Nigeria management of exchange rates and price stability extremely difficult and that the aftermath or effect is that the economy has to pay a high price in very high interest rates and tight monetary conditions.
On fraud allegedly perpetrated by the three respondents in the name of paying of kerosene subsidy, the plaintiff said, “In dollars, every vessel imported by the NNPC with the federation money cost about $30 million and it was sold for $10 million or $11 million, generating rent of $20 million/vessel to the syndicate.”
CNS indicts major oil companies in oil theft
by UBONG UKPONG on Sep 4, 2014
National Mirror, Nigeria
Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, yesterday said the Nigerian Navy knew all those involved in crude oil theft in the country.
This is even as he threatened to mention names of those involved, alleging that oil companies in the country were also culpable.
The CNS disclosed this at a meeting in Abuja with chief executives of oil companies where they discussed issues bordering on crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other related crimes in the nation’s maritime domain.
While stressing the persistence of maritime security challenges in Nigeria and the unconcerned attitude of the CEOs of oil companies towards solving them, Jibrin declared that he had evidence including pictures to prove that the oil companies were most culpable in the crimes.
According to the navy chief, “This meeting is convened to discuss some of our security challenges that we have in the maritime sector, particularly oil theft and illegal bunkering.
“When a meeting of this nature is called, the IOCs must take it very seriously; after all, it took me almost seven and half months to call for this meeting and specifically we said we were not going to accept representation not that those of you representing your various companies are not competent enough to discuss, but to drive home the point we wish to make today is to make the point very clear that we have a serious challenge and we need the cooperation of the chief executives to be able to provide solution to the daunting security challenges with respect to oil thefts.
“Particularly it has become very worrisome that we have not been able to check this. And I personally believe that it had gotten to a point that instead of pointing accusing fingers at each other, we shall be mentioning names, including the major stakeholders.
“We cannot pretend to say that the oil companies do not have hands in some of these illegalities. To pretend is to allow you continue; and on my part, you will not pretend.
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