Sunday 26 November 2017

Woman locks up 13 year old maid, Leaves her with 2 packets of Cabin biscuit, travels abroad

Woman locks up 13 year old maid, Leaves her with 2 packets of Cabin biscuit, travels abroad


Days after Imohimi Edgal, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, today led a team of policemen to rescue a 13-year-old girl identified as Nkechi Oseh, at No. 30 Adeniran Ajao Estate Anthony, her boss has reported at the police station.

According to the Lagos State police P.R.O, Chike Oti, her boss, Ms Betty Ifeoma, reported herself to the police, this evening, and she is currently undergoing interrogation at the Human Rights section of Lagos State Police Command.

The suspect would be charged to court on Monday 27/11/2017. It was gathered that Ifeoma, a staff of NNPC Lagos state office, was in the habit of locking her up for weeks anytime she is travelling within or out of the country, leaving her with only two packets of cabin biscuit.

After she was rescued, Nkechi who was looking pale and malnourished, said she is an orphan. She said whenever her boss travels and locks her in, she resorts to drinking water from the toilet whenever she is thirsty.

It was observed that Nkechi had been subjected to series of domestic attacks as scars were seen all over her body. She told Edgal that she has been locked up four different times, since her uncle brought her from Igboju in Delta state.

In her words: "I have been locked up for two weeks, one-week, three-weeks when she traveled to London and since she traveled on Saturday. I have been crying before God helped me today."

An empty packet of biscuits and a container of eaten food which was passed through the burglary proof for Nkechi to eat was discovered on the floor. She is currently under the care of the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development

Mugabe gets $10m Lump Payment, Full monthly Salary, Medical Cover, Salary and Protection of Properties Posted

Mugabe gets $10m Lump Payment, Full monthly Salary, Medical Cover, Salary and Protection of Properties

By: Voxblog Editor 

Reports indicated this week that the nonagenarian was also granted immunity from prosecution after his resignation as the leader of Zimbabwe on Tuesday.

According to The Independent , negotiators managed to strike a deal with the country's army generals to enable Mugabe not to go into exile but rather enjoy his retirement in Zimbabwe with all his benefits.

"Government will give him $5 million lump-sum and then the remainder to be paid out in instalments," the report quoted a source as saying.

"Mugabe will also enjoy full medical cover as well as his full monthly salary. In the event of his death, his wife will be given half salary per month."

Zimbabweans witnessed the inauguration of their new president Emmerson Mnanagagwa on Friday after Mugabe's 37 years in power.

The 75-year-old's first speech as leader reached out to the nation at large, pledging "democratic" elections next year.

Mnangagwa also made friendly gestures toward the international community as he seeks to revive a collapsed economy after years of sanctions and corruption.

Our Humanity !

Our humanity will be fulfilled when we see strength in every form of weakness. We shall rise above beasts and predators when we see every foe as having the same nature; when we see every casual walker that we do not have the hope of meeting with on another casual walk as deserving of our love and show of kindness. We shall be truly human when we see the import of our potential action before it is unleashed. We shall be deserving of the nature of the God we profess when we wipe away every tear from the faces of those little ones we fail to share a grain of our freely given mercy. We shall be truly human when we project beyond the present and feel the hope we dash in others who may be leaning on us for succour and trusting us for safety. We shall be truly Christlike when we cease to ruffle filial bond and fan embers of discord on the bases of our personal uplift, material greed and power of domination. We can trust peace to seek permanent habitation with us when we dole out peace in the measure we personally crave; peace unto ourselves, our children and others who may not be related to us (homo homini lupus: man is a wolf unto man.) We shall be truly deserving of the tag of humanity when we see a brother in the subject of our advance fee fraud and a sister in the object of our ritual escapade or a daughter in the focus of our gun. We shall be truly human when we see our humanity as the same as that of the potential victim of our action above  the pile of stolen lucre and the collective wealth we have annexed. We shall be human when we know that the end beckons on both the rich and the poor and that the mercy we show or the seed of love we fail to sow may bloom to the threshold of our little unprotected ones when we are no more and the power we wield today fades away. We shall be human no matter the quantity...Olufemi Aduwo

How drowning Chinese-owned oil firm paid millions of dollars as bribe to Nigerian officials


Refinery  used to illustrate the story.

Refinery used to illustrate the story.

As the Chinese-owned Addax Petroleum winds up its operations on December 10, a confidential document has emerged showing how the company paid millions of dollars in bribes to Nigerian officials to secure juicy contracts in the oil industry, VoxBlog can report.

According to the report, there were payments for "questionable transactions" to Nigerian lawyers and a company owned by politician Emeka Offor, with a huge chunk of the money believed to be used to bribe government officials, VoxBlog can report.

The document, a report by leading audit firm Deloitte obtained this week by Swiss newspaper, Le Temps, said payments in excess of $20 million were made to four Nigerian "legal advisors" (one of them based in the U.S.), while more than $80 million was paid to Mr. Offor's Kaztec Engineering Limited for questionable projects.

"We have concerns over payments in excess of $80 million, which were made by Addax to Kaztec regarding construction projects for the Antan and Udele/Ofrima developments," the audit firm stated in the document dated November 18, 2016.

"$70.8m was paid in 2015, including $48.7m for the Antan development, which was suspended in early 2015, and $15.8m for value engineering work on the Udele Ofrima development. This value engineering work has not taken place."

The audit revelations on the misuse of Addax corporate funds came amidst moves by the company, a subsidiary of Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Petroleum Corporation, to wind up some of its operations across the world.

Last August, it announced a proposed closure of its corporate offices in Geneva, Aberdeen, and Houston as oil prices continued to shrink.

In 2001, the Olusegun Obasanjo government granted a fiscal incentive of graduated rate of royalty based on the volume of crude oil produced from OPL 98/118, now OML 123, 124, 136, and 137, as against the flat rate of 20 per cent obtainable in the industry. The fiscal regime was deemed to become effective on January 1, 2000.

Addax claimed it committed a "significant investment" in excess of $3 billion in the development of the contract areas.

However, in July 2011, the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Department of Petroleum Resources raised an objection to the fiscal regime.

In 2014, Addax Petroleum dragged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation before a federal court in Abuja over allegations of miscalculation of oil royalties and taxes and a breach of their 1998 Production Sharing Contract regarding the OMLs.

Joined as respondents in the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1099/2014 were the Ministry of Petroleum Resources/Department of Petroleum Resources and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

But just four days before leaving office, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan negotiated a controversial out of court settlement with Addax Petroleum, agreeing to pay the company $3.4 billion (about N1 trillion).

'Questionable legal fees'

In 2015, it was  reported how then Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, negotiated the shocking deal in what industry experts said was reminiscent of the infamous Malabu Oil deal in which the same Mr. Adoke was involved in.

"The parties expressly acknowledge and agree that this Agreement is being executed and delivered as part of a legally binding commercial transaction in full and final settlement of all disputes concerning or related to the applicable fiscal regime in respect of OML 123, 124, 136 & 137," the agreement stated.

"The parties agree and acknowledge that time is of the essence with regard to the Settlement Agreement."

The audit report stated that high-level bribing of Nigerian government officials was instrumental in clinching the settlement.

However, in a letter to Addax dated September 7, 2015, the NNPC reversed that agreement in a decision endorsed by then newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari, in one of his first moves to clean Nigeria's monumentally corrupt oil industry.

The Deloitte report alleged that a significant proportion of Nigerian contracts involved bribing of government and other related officials and kickbacks by Addax management.

The allegations included the use of company funds to buy a 75,000 Swiss Francs (about N30 million) Chopard watch intended as a "gift" for the then Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The watch never reached Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

Another allegation was the use of a Bermuda based company called 'Winfield' to purchase about $150,000 worth of gifts to an unnamed Nigerian official.

"The Nigerian official is alleged to have chosen the goods whilst in China and Addax paid for the goods through Winfield," the audit report stated.

There were also allegations that the Addax Chief Executive Officer acknowledged that the Nigerian legal payments were used for purposes other than legal work, with him quoted as saying "what the lawyers do with the money after we pay it is none of our business, it's only the result which counts."

In March this year, Zhang Yi, Addax's CEO in its Geneva Office, and the Legal Director were arrested and charged with the payment of millions of dollars to some lawyers and an unnamed company in Nigeria.

In June, Addax Petroleum reached an agreement to pay 31 Swiss Francs (about N12 billion) fine in Geneva to settle the bribery allegations.

In the new document seen by Voxblog  the law firms who received the over $20 million controversial payments from the company "in relation to side letter negotiation in 2015" included Ahmed Raji and Co, Pollie Okoronkwo Immigration Attorneys, Solola & Akpana Chambers, and Consolex Legal Practitioners. VoxBlog contacted the named law firms.

Some of the concerns raised by the audit in the legal payments were unprofessional conduct, low standard documentation not of the standard of reputable law firms; unverifiable information (addresses for example), provided on invoices; "extremely vague"scope of work which, in some circumstances, it was virtually impossible to determine what the law firms did; and inconsistent and contradictory explanations for the payments by management.

"We have not received sufficient audit evidence that their payments were legitimate business expenses compliant with all relevant laws and regulations," the audit firm continued.

"We suspect that some of these funds may have ultimately been utilised to bribe government officials to receive a favourable settlement in relation to the side letter as has been detailed in the whistleblowing allegations in this letter."

On the payments made to Kaztec Engineering Limited, the audit stated there was lack of adequate supporting documentation for the payments made in 2015 and, also, a lack of evident commercial rationale for a significant portion of the payments.

It noted that number of internal reports that were suppressed by management had expressed concerns about significant overpayments to the company.

"We have not received sufficient audit evidence that these payments were legitimate business expenses compliant with all relevant laws and regulations," the report stated.

"We suspect that some of these funds may have ultimately been utilised to bribe government officials to receive a favourable settlement in relation to the side letter as has been detailed in the whistleblowing allegations."

Audit report 'a joke'

Deloitte said rather than Addax Petroleum management acting upon its audit recommendations, it chose to terminate its appointments with the firm in Nigeria, the Isle of Man, and the UK.

Mr. Offor is a controversial Nigerian politician who became broke in 2017, barely two years after donating $10 million to the Carter Centre to fight river blindness.

He did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Pollie Okoronkwo, a U.S.-based immigration attorney, did not also respond to e-mail requests for comments.

The Nigerian law firms, however, pushed back vehemently on Deloitte's claims of questionable payments made to them and the likelihood that it was used for bribing officials.

"If they said they didn't know what the payment (to us) was for, then it's a joke," Okey Egbuchu, a partner at Consolex Legal Practitioners said when contacted by Voxblog.

"It was a court case, so it's a matter of records that we had representation so it's not an issue at all. We represented (the company) in the matter, it's a public record that you can look at, it's at the federal high court in Abuja.

"They paid for our services, it's been a while now so I don't have it (the case) offhand but it involved plenty of money, hundreds of millions of dollars."

Henry Chibor, a partner at Solola & Akpana Chambers, said his firm never worked for Addax, adding that he was not aware of any audit report.

"We didn't do matters for Addax, I don't know what you are talking about, any person can go and write whatever he likes," Mr. Chibor told VoxBlog.

"If you have such document, I think that the only way forward is for us to see it then we will be able to answer anything. I can't sit here and begin to talk about a company that has no legal relationship with us, we didn't work for.

"Because any person can write anything he likes, until we see it then we'd know what the person is talking about. Addax that has gone down a long time ago, what did Addax do with Solola & Akpana?"

Ahmed Raji of Ahmed Raji and Co said his firm was approached by Addax in 2014 and they started work for them in early 2015.

"We did work for Addax, we were given letter of instruction and we did our job and then we agreed on fees," said Mr. Raji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

"Addax is worth about $4 billion, they had an issue that was threatening the entire state and then they contacted us as lawyers, we have letters of appointment and we did our work and we were paid our fees, I don't know where they got that one from," the lawyer said about allegations that part of the legal fees was used in bribing Nigerian officials.

"If they know any public officer that we bribed, let them name him.

"If a lawyer opens an office and people walk in and they say 'look, this is our problem.' You look at the magnitude of the problem and you say this is my bill. And you do your best. If they now want to be basking in the euphoria of speculation, they can go ahead and try it and then we'll meet up.

"And if you are speculating that somebody had tried to bribe a public officer, as good auditors won't you go and ask them? Won't you know an audit trail and look at inflows and outflows from the account?"

"Because it's very sickening, you are talking of bribing public officers, who are the public officers? Name them. Our accounts are there, they didn't say we were paid in cash, where is the outflow to any public officer if they are not a useless and irresponsible set of auditors? This is our story, this is my argument and there is nothing like that."


Friday 24 November 2017

Restructuring: Nigeria's Unity Must Be Our First Focus, Says Saraki



President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola, has emphasized that unity is a prerequisite for Nigeria's development, stability and greatness. 


Speaking in Calabar, at the retreat held by the Southern Senators' Forum, Saraki insisted that "we must always put Nigeria first" in the ongoing debate about restructuring of the country and other similar agitations.


"As a nation, unity is a prerequisite for development, stability and greatness," the President of the Senate said, "Unity is the first focus. Without unity, we can achieve nothing. And yet we know that, since the end of the Nigerian Civil War, our unity has never been more challenged than at the present time. 


"There are agitations across the length and breadth of this country that threaten our unity. And this time around, the threats are multi-faceted, and the vagaries of modern times have made the issues even more challenging than in the early post-independence era."


He further stated that the founders of Nigeria's Constitution had envisioned the current agitations, and had put in place guidelines to ensure that the entire country must be on the same page in order to take drastic decisions.


"In seeking to carry out any reform or restructuring, it is worth bearing in mind that the founders of our country, in their wisdom, had laid down some guidelines, making clear that it cannot be done by a simple majority, but rather by a two-thirds majority," Saraki said, "To this end, we must all be on the same page. We cannot bully or browbeat others into accepting our point of view or positioning. Whatever we do must be by consensus, with the buy-in of all critical stakeholders in the debate."


Saraki also emphasized that Nigeria is not alone in its current predicament, stating that in Africa and the rest of the world, similar agitations are making governments and those they rule over to question their continued  co-existence, amid new and persistent threats to their unity. 


"The ripples of Catalonia's failed referendum bid are still being felt in Spain. In other parts of the Western hemisphere, the rise of right wing populism - amid concerns about immigration and illegal migration -  is fueling suspicion and injecting an element of the unpredictable into once stable societies. 


"Britain's shock Brexit vote not only brought about a seismic shift in the political dynamics of that country, it also prefigured the dawning of Trumpian America. Sections of U.S. society are now locked in a fractious debate about what it means to be American. From anthem protests by African American football stars to the debate over Confederate statues to inflamed confrontations in Charlottesville, the United States is roiling with its own agitations. In the Middle East, a location of historical disagreement  over borders, religion and statehood, the solutions seem far off.


"In all of this - the ability to dialogue, to listen to one another, to seek to understand the other person and to accept each other's differences – is important in this issue of unity. Indeed, unity must exist before you can even talk about restructuring or reform. And so, Distinguished Colleagues, one of my messages to you today is this poser: How Do We Stay Together?" he said.


Saraki also stated that it is the responsibility of legislators to find the necessary clarity that will allow substance to override parochial considerations and crude sentiments. He also stated that Nigeria's democracy is built around compromise, and Senators have a responsibility to reassure their constituents and inculcate in them a sense of belonging that will also them to always put Nigeria first.


He further challenged the Senators from the Southern part of the country to play their own role in boosting the profitability of commercial enterprises in their states, thereby creating an economic boom that will enhance the unity of the nation and provide more opportunities for people.




Signed:


Sanni Onogu
Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate​


















Not Yet Uhuru

Emmerson 'Crocodile' Mnangagwa, whose firing from his vice presidential position set the military coup in motion, has now clearly defeated Grace Mugabe from succeeding her husband. But his victory does not mean any better Zimbabwe's political or economic progress. Mnangagwa is not called 'Crocodile' because of his love for democracy, human rights and socio-economic development. He was the minister of state security during the Gukurahundi massacres in which thousands of Ndebele civilians were killed and is widely believed to be responsible for the massacres.This crocodile must not allow to crawl too long .

Zimbabwe Not Yet Uhuru

Emmerson 'Crocodile' Mnangagwa, whose firing from his vice presidential position set the military coup in motion, has now clearly defeated Grace Mugabe from succeeding her husband. But his victory does not mean any better Zimbabwe's political or economic progress. Mnangagwa is not called 'Crocodile' because of his love for democracy, human rights and socio-economic development. He was the minister of state security during the Gukurahundi massacres in which thousands of Ndebele civilians were killed and is widely believed to be responsible for the massacres.This crocodile must not allow to crawl too long .

In Paris, top Saudi officials make first synagogue visit ever

By Voxblog News

Secretary General of the Muslim World League Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Kareem al-Issa, who previously served as a Saudi justice minister, and Khalid bin Mohammed Al Angari, Riyadh's current ambassador to France and a former Saudi education minister, were received in the French Jewish community's largest house of worship.

Among the religious leadersto greet and escort the Saudis at the Great Synagogue of Paris were the Chief Rabbi of France, Chaim Korsia, and the Rabbi of the Grand Synagogue, Moshe Sebbag.

As part of the visit, Rabbis Sebbag and Korsia permitted the Saudi dignitaries to view a Torah scroll and discussed the meaning behind various adornments in the sanctuary's interior. The Saudis remarked that it was their first visit ever to a synagogue, reported the Post.The interfaith visit in Paris arrives as Israel and Saudi Arabia appear to be preparing to strengthen diplomatic relations. Notwithstanding Saudi Arabia's historical animosity toward Israel, and the notorious anti-Semitism of the kingdom's founder Ibn Saud, both Middle Eastern nations face an ascendant Iran, bolstered by the nuclear agreement it signed with Western powers in 2015 that left the Islamic Republic flush with cash and free to continue developing its "non-military" nuclear program.

Among the signs pointing toward a shifting landscape in Middle Eastern alliances are developments such as a 2017 visit to Israel by former Saudi general Anwar Eshki, who arrived in Jerusalem in July and met with Israeli officials, including Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold.

While Iran has yet to be caught violating the terms of the agreement explicitly, its military facilities continue to operate without oversight or inspection by outsiders, and its policy of funding and arming Islamic terrorist groups in the region such as Hamas in Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue unabated

Thursday 23 November 2017

After receiving full N17 billion for water project, firm seeks additional N32bn


A project verification team from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission has accused SCC Nigeria Ltd, handlers of the N17.1 billion Otukpo Multipurpose Dam Project in Benue, of abandoning work after receiving full payment.

Samson Eletuo, the Team Leader, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Otukpo that less than 35 per cent of the job had been done.

"The handlers have received 100 per cent payment. The contract sum was N17.1 billion. That has been paid, but the work is barely 35 per cent," Mr. Eletuo said.

Mr. Eletuo, Deputy Director (Finance) of the commission, said that the N17 billion was paid to the construction firm three years ago.

He expressed surprise at the level of work at the site, saying that the commission would take further steps to ascertain what happened.

NAN reports that the project, which was awarded for N17.1 billion in 2010, took off in March 2011 and was to be completed within 36 months.

The dam was expected to provide a 130-million cubic meters reservoir and a 3.3 KV hydro power plant for effective water supply upon completion.

Charles Abana, Deputy Team Leader of the verification team, who also spoke with NAN, suggested a careful review of the contract to provide potable water supply and electricity to the immediate community.

"In the initial contract agreement, hydro power, portable water supply, irrigation and the construction of the dam were included in the project.

But hydro power and water supply have been removed from the specification, yet the handlers say they are asking for additional N32 billion in a review.

"For such a massive review to be done, what is already on the ground should justify the money earlier collected.

"Our major concern is that government should get the value of money spent on projects across the country. We do not seem to have such value on this particular job," he said.

Sabastine Oteba, SCC Resident Engineer, however said that the company had already requested a contract review to N49 billion "to overcome technical issues".

"The N32 billion increment has become necessary because the cost of items has gone up.

"The hydro power aspect of the project has been removed, but we had agreed that the project foundation should be six metres. We have taken it to 11 meters," he said.

He said that the project would involve 2000 hectares of land for irrigation, 13 kilometres road, in addition to the dam.

Mr. Oteba said that the handlers abandoned the job three years ago, after spending more than the N17.1 paid to them.

"The company has a certificate of N9 billion that is yet to be paid. The money was incurred after the N17.1 billion was used up," he said.

He explained that the review was done by experts in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources

Grace Mugabe: The president's typist who nearly became Zimbabwe president

Grace Mugabe: The president's typist who nearly became Zimbabwe president

ZIMBABWE

The spectacular rise and fall of Zimbabwe's uncompromising First Lady, Grace Mugabe, had an unusual beginning: an office affair.

It was the early 1990s when President Robert Mugabe's eye fell upon one of his shy young typists.

She would become his wife, a ferociously ambitious politician and, more than two decades later, a contributor to the downfall of her 93-year-old husband.

President Mugabe is trying to cling to power after the military took over this week in response to his purge of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, a liberation war fighter and Grace's sworn enemy.

Mnangagwa's aides even accused her of trying to poison him with ice cream from her dairy farm this year. She denies this.

Grace, now 52 and under house arrest in Harare, had been calling for Mnangagwa's removal for weeks as the two fought an increasingly bitter winner-takes-all contest to succeed the man who has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

It wasn't the first time Grace had wielded influence over her husband. When it appeared former vice president Joice Majuru was in line to succeed Mugabe in 2014, he fired her following public rallies at which Grace derided Majuru.

This time she appears to have gone too far.

The purge of Mnangagwa and many of his comrades irked the military, who had no intention of allowing Grace and her youthful Generation 40 (G40) faction of the ruling ZANU-PF to take over the political reins.

Deeply unpopular among much of the Zimbabwean public due to her alleged corruption and volatile temper, Grace does not have the liberation credentials the military believe are required to be a Zimbabwean ruler.

The lavish lifestyle that earned her the nickname "Gucci Grace" and the political ambition that almost propelled her to the presidency were not evident when she met her future husband.

"He just started talking to me, asking me about my life," she told a South African journalist in 2013. "I didn't know it was leading somewhere. I was quite a shy person, very shy."

At the time, they were both married. President Mugabe's wife, Sally, was desperately ill and died in 1992. Grace and Robert were married in 1996 and have three children.

"DIS-GRACE"

At first Grace stayed out of politics and was better known for her spending habits, including buying mansions in South Africa, rare diamond jewellery, and Rolls-Royce limousines for her playboy sons.

Then there are the repeated allegations of violence.

In Singapore in 2009, photographer Richard Jones says Grace flew into a rage when he tried to take her picture. She ordered her bodyguards to hold his arms back while she punched him repeatedly in the face. Grace denies the assault.

In August this year, Grace was accused of beating a young South African model who was partying with her sons.

According to Gabriella Engels, Grace burst into a hotel room where she was talking with friends and whipped her with an electric cable as bodyguards looked on.

Grace says she acted in self-defence after Engels tried to stab her with a knife.

The reports of lavish spending and explosive temper earned her the title "Dis-Grace" back home in Zimbabwe, where an economic crisis had left most of the 16 million population mired in poverty and unemployment.

Zimbabweans also question Grace's credentials. Eyebrows were raised in 2014 when she gained a PhD in three months. Her thesis, on the changing role of the family, has never been published.

This hasn't stopped her trying to reach the political summit.

When Majuru was removed, Grace became head of the ZANU-PF Women's League, giving her a seat at the party's top table.

She used her political platform to take on Mnangagwa and his allies and made a push to succeed her frail husband.

"They say I want to be president. Why not? Am I not a Zimbabwean?" Grace said at a recent rally

Child Mother



Prof.Mohammed Alamin an environmentalist and current MD of Federal Housing Authority posted with 15yrs  mother of twins children in Delta State