Dailyreporters24

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to drag the federal government to court if it fails to investigate allegations that over 149 million barrels of crude oil are missing and unaccounted for.

SERAP openly threatened President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter dated April 22, 2023, specifically stating it wants the government to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to promptly probe the allegations, as documented in the 2019 audited reports by the Auditor General of the Federation and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The organisation is also urging President Buhari to ensure the effective prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the plundering of the country’s oil wealth and the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.

According to the 2019 audited report by the Auditor General over 107 million barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document or tracing. NEITI also reported missing 42.25 million barrels of crude oil in 2019.

In the letter signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation maintained that there is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these very serious allegations.

SERAP further insisted that the recommended steps can be taken between now and the end of the administration’s term of office in order to set the tone for the next administration.

The organisation notes that the government has repeatedly promised to combat corruption and that as it goes into the final weeks of its term of office, the missing crude oil allegations present yet another opportunity to demonstrate the government’s commitment and to uphold its oath of office both as President and Minister of Petroleum Resources.

SERAP also stated that as the President and substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources, President Buhari should prioritise getting to the bottom of these allegations and use the remainder of his term of office to ensure justice and accountability for these serious crimes against the Nigerian people.

The civil society organisation also stated that investigating the allegations and naming and shaming and prosecuting those suspected to be responsible for the missing crude oil would serve the public interest and end the impunity of perpetrators.

SERAP stressed, “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.

“The allegations by both the Auditor-General and NEITI are different from a whistleblower’s claims that 48 million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil allegedly sold in China in 2015 are missing or unaccounted for.

“The reports by the Auditor-General and NEITI suggest a grave violation of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and the country’s anticorruption laws and international obligations, as well as the public trust.

“These damning revelations also suggest your government is failing to prevent and combat the plundering of Nigeria’s wealth and natural resources, name and bring suspected perpetrators to account and recover any proceeds of crime.

“Poor and socio-economically vulnerable Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the stealing of the country’s oil wealth apparently by both state and non-state actors.

“The country’s oil wealth ought to be used solely for the benefit of the Nigerian people, and for the sake of the present and future generations.’’

According to SERAP, the allegations can promptly be investigated and suspected perpetrators named and shamed, saying that taking these steps would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition and improve public confidence in the fight against corruption and related crimes, especially in the oil sector.

“According to the 2019 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF), some 107,239,436.00 barrels of crude oil were lifted as domestic crude without any document or tracing.

“To date, there is no information on the sale of Un-Utilized Crude oil by Refineries for 2019 and no information on crude oil allocations from 30th May to 31st December 2019. The Auditor-General is concerned that the missing crude oil may have been diverted.

“The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) also reported missing 42.25 million barrels of crude oil in 2019.

“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.

“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’ Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.

The clashes had also displaced thousands of civilians who fled the capital, Khartoum, even as some foreign nations, including Japan, Uganda, and Tanzania, had begun evacuating their nationals as the violence, which started on April 8, entered its 13th day on Friday.

Until recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel al-Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary group headed by General Mohamed Dagalo, were allies.

In data made available to Saturday PUNCH by the Secretary-General of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sudan, Adam Mohammed, on Friday, 455 Nigerian students also filled out the evacuation form between Thursday night and Friday.

As of the time of filing this report, a total of 1,717 Nigerian students had filled out the evacuation form.

When asked for updates on the Federal Government’s plan of evacuating the students, Mohammed said, “We have yet to hear from them.”

The secretary-general said about 12,000 Nigerian students were studying in Sudan, adding, “Most of them are currently in Nigeria for the Ramadan holidays because there is no academic activity during the holy month until after Eid.”

Similarly, the President of the Jigawa State Students Association in Sudan, Umar Abubakar, who lives in Mujahideen, Khartoum, said Nigerian students were fleeing their residences for safety as heavy gunshots persist in Sudan, especially in Khartoum.

The Shawwal crescent moon has been sighted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Thursday, April 20.

Qatar and UAE also announced that Eid Al-Fitr would be celebrated on Friday, April 21, following the sighting of the crescent moon.

This means Eid Al-Fitr will be on Friday, April 21.

Therefore, Thursday was the last and 29th day of Ramzan 1444 AH.

The Shawwal crescent was observed using a technique of astronomical imaging. It was observed across the Kingdom in all observatories including Sudair and Tumair.

The Saudi Supreme Court confirmed the sighting and announced Friday as the beginning of Eid.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, has emerged winner of the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State.

As announced by Professor Mohammed Mele the state Returning Officer, Fintiri who is the incumbent governor of the state scored a total of 430, 861 votes to defeat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aisha Binani who got 396,788.

Recall INEC had on Sunday suspended collation for the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa after the embattled Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa Ari announced APC’s Aisha as the winner the Saturday supplementary election.

Ari’s declarationm was contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Section 25 of the Electoral Act, 2022 empowers only the returning officer to announce the result and declare the winner of an election at the state collation centre in the case of election of a governor of a state.

By Nasir Ahmad Bello.

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kashere Ward of Akko local government area of Gombe State, on Tuesday, expelled the Senator representing Gombe Central in the National Assembly, Danjuma Goje, over alleged anti-party activities.

Daily reporters24 reports that the party at the Kashere ward level had recently constituted a panel to probe the alleged anti-party activities of the Senator and former governor of the State, during the just-concluded 2023 elections.

Addressing journalists in Kashere, the APC Ward chairman, Tanimu Abdullahi, explained that the party took the unanimous decision to expel Goje after finding him guilty of anti-party activities such as his failure to attend the Gombe State APC campaign rally presided over by the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, failure to attend the presidential campaign rally in the State, which was attended by President-elect and vice president-elect.

Abdullahi added that the Senator was also accused of boycotting all campaign tours of the party in his Central senatorial zone, Akko federal constituency, State constituency and ward units.

“The committee also deliberated on the allegations against Goje of hobnobbing with opposition parties and their candidates with the intent to undermine the success of the APC in Gombe State and Nigeria in general.

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Muslims across the country to look for the new moon of Shawwal on Thursday.

This is coming as the month of Ramadan 1444 after Hijra ,2023, draws to an end,

This is contained in a statement issued by Director of Administration of the NSCIA, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, said on Tuesday

Consequent upon the advice of the National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC), the President-General enjoins the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Shawwal 1444 A.H. immediately after sunset on Thursday, 29th Ramadan 1444 A.H, which is equivalent to 20th April 2023.

“If the crescent is sighted by Muslims in accordance with the moon sighting and verification standards, then His Eminence would declare Friday, 21st April 2023 as the 1st of Shawwal and the day of ‘Eid-el Fitr.

“However, if the crescent is not sighted that day, then Saturday, 22nd April 2023, automatically becomes the day of ‘Idul Fitr,” Usman-Ugwu said.

The statement urged Muslims, in addition to the established and traditional Islamic leaders in each locality, to also contact the members of the NMSC to report any credible and positive sighting of the crescent of Shawwal 1444 AH.

It also urged Muslims to in the spirit of Ramadan, to remember that Zakatul Fitr (special Ramadan charity) is a compulsory food-levy imposed on privileged Muslims, to be given to the less privileged in the society.

The statement , therefore, urged all concerned to ensure that they do not only comply but comply on time.

It said, “The stipulated practice is to give out the prescribed measurement to beneficiaries in the last two days of Ramadan and not later than before the ‘Id prayer.”

While felicitating with the Nigerian Muslim ‘Ummah and the entire Muslim world on the auspicious occasion of the 1444 A.H. ‘Idul Fitrz the Sultan also beseech Allah to grant everyone the opportunity to witness many more of it.

“The council encourages all Muslims to pray fervently to the Almighty Allah, especially during the concluding part of Ramadan, for the peace, security and development of Nigeria,” the statement said.