August 2015 – Page 2

August 10, 2015

Buhari’s Probe Is Part Of The Change We Want- CACOL

By admin / Sunday, 09 Aug 2015

Against the backdrop of some analysts and Nigerians who had reacted that governance goes beyond the ongoing probe of corrupt public officials by the Buhari’s administration, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders has asserted that the probe is in order.

The group emphasized that the Nation should be serious about making a difference and it advised that we must understand that we cannot accomplish anything significant on our own because meeting the great challenges of our time requires cooperative efforts.

CACOL had initially agreed with the President when he said, “At home we face enormous challenges. Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems.”

The Coalition of anti-corruption organisations considered that Buhari’s speeches and powerful agenda have reflected seriousness and passion for the responsibilities of his new office but had yet to spell out practical blueprint that would make the nation’s economy one of the fastest growing emerging ones in the world for the purpose of engaging youths for productive activities, which they described as one of the pillars of his campaign promises. Nigerians believed the economy, infrastructure, youth employment and other critical sectors should also be given equal attention by the President.

The group asserted that its hope was rekindled because President Buhari had maintained that he would not waste his administration’s precious time on probing every past administration before his as doing so would only amount to sheer distraction which, at the end of the day, would have left the very core of governance unattended to. This implies that he is not ready to stop at anything until he has been able to achieve his promises within the limit of what is achievable during his tenor.

In his reaction, Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL said that the only mission or agenda under which Nigerians voted Gen. Muhammadu Buhari into power was to explore the possibility of putting to an end an era that cannot sustain Nigeria and replace it with an era of new hope and new initiatives. For the first time we have a President we can fully describe as being progressive despite all the political shortcomings.

“Even if probe is going to take the four years of Buhari’s tenure, he needs to clear the mess. Even at that, Buhari has been working because there are areas of improvement in the power sector, the oil sector is been re-engineered, Nigerian’s integrity has been restored in many countries, foreign relations has been strengthened, prosecuting in the war against corruption and war against insurgency, etc. The probing is worth it because the nation has been soiled for so long and the dust table needs to be cleared. President Muhammadu Buhari didn’t stop at anything.” Adeniran said.

Debo Adeniran concluded by imploring President Buhari not allow himself to be distracted in any way, in his quest to fight corruption nor get carried away in his probe crusade. Nigerians want to operate in an economy that will reward their effort, not the one that will further frustrate them so, as he concentrate on pursuing his anti-corruption crusade he should also ensure that other sectors of the economy get the same attention he gave insecurity and corruption.

Source: Universal Reporters.

August 6, 2015

Expose chronic bank debtors and their collaborators, CACOL tells FG

Posted by Editor on August 6, 2015

Biodun Abimbola

Following the release of bank debtors in the country, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has called on the federal government to go further by exposing and punished all those that collaborate with the defaulters.

Reacting to the amazing long list of chronic debtors as recently published in some national newspapers, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has come out to laud the development which it describes as a bold and proactive on the part of the affected banks.

Commenting, the coalition’s executive chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran, said that the step would no doubt open a new chapter in the core role of the banking industry in the economic base of this country.

Adeniran, opined that the relationship between the banks and their patrons especially in regard to advancing credit facilities to project financing remains a veritable tool for promoting the overall industrial strength of any state and which on a broader scale contributes prominently to determining its overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP).He posited that those chronic debtors and their collaborating bankers should be seen, not only as corrupt elements but also as saboteurs of the nation’s economy. “What do I mean? The ‘big men’ especially politician-businessmen, use their state connections and influences to intimidate the banks into granting loans for projects that are neither thoroughly scrutinized to predetermine their credibility or viability as the case might be, as demanded by the practice nor obtain commensurate collaterals so as to ensure that such loans are adequately secured. And what about the Central Bank too that is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of oversight and supervision of the activities of these banks?

“Where were they while these unethical practices went on unabated? I dare say, that whatever action is to be taken to deter this dishonest, irresponsible acts should not be restricted to just embarrassing the chronic debtors by publishing their names, steps should be further taken to expose and query their collaborators in the affected commercial banks as well as the Central Bank” he declared.

He decried the common practice whereby the banks openly discriminate against the less privileged loan applicants, regardless of the viability potentials of their projects.

He wondered why banks would disregard a favourable feasibility report on a potentially viable project from a fresher in business, say, a brilliant young entrepreneur or a fresh graduate with a brilliant business idea, insisting on him providing a commensurate collateral, even before looking at his papers, while the ‘big men and women’ with unauthenticated projects and with low business acumen, are expressly considered; just because they are whom they are.He affirmed that any act of compromise in generally accepted norm and practice is indeed an act of corruption and should be so treated.

According to him, a country’s GDP and economy could only be said to be growing through the empowerment of the yet-to-be established industrialists and not adding to the already established. That amounts to choking up the economic base, narrows its spread and ultimately preventing possible growth in other sectors and human materials.

CACOL is therefore calling on the federal government to engage the main actors in our banking sector as a way of finding a means of overhauling and reengineering the sector, so as to ensure that the economy is broad-based through its project financing policies. Banks owes it a social responsibility to make its services available in all forms to both the haves and the have-nots in the society. Prerequisites for qualifying for credit facilities should be relaxed be made more elastic in such a way that every innovative and developmental minds would cultivate a general sense of belonging in the economic arrangement of this country.

Source: Newsverge.

August 6, 2015

EXPOSE AND PUNISH THEM: CHRONIC BANK DEBTORS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS; CACOL DEMANDS

Commenting, the coalition’s executive chairman, Debo Adeniran, believes that such step would no doubt be opening a new chapter in the core role of the banking industry in the economic base of this country. He opined that the relationship between the banks and their patrons especially in regard to advancing credit facilities to project financing remains averitable tool for promoting the overall industrial strength of any state and which on a broader scale contributes prominently to determining its overall GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

Debo Adeniran posited that those chronic debtors and their collaborating bankers should be seen, not only as corrupt elements but also as saboteurs of the nation’s economy. “What do I mean? The ‘big men’ especially politician-businessmen,use their state connections and influences to intimidate the banks into granting loans for projects that are neither thoroughly scrutinized to predetermine their credibility or viability as the case might be, as demanded by the practice nor obtain commensurate collaterals so as to ensure that such loans are adequately secured. And what about the Central Bank too that is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of oversight and supervision of the activities of these banks? Where were they while these unethical practices went on unabated? I dare say, that whatever action is to be taken to deter this dishonest, irresponsible acts should not be restricted to just embarrassing the chronic debtors by publishing their names, steps should be further taken to expose and query their collaborators in the affected commercial banks as well as the Central Bank” he declared.

He decried the common practice whereby the banks openly discriminate against the less privileged loan applicants, regardless of the viability potentials of their projects. He wondered why banks would disregard a favourable feasibility report on a potentially viable project from a fresher in business, say, a brilliant young entrepreneur or a fresh graduate with a brilliant business idea, insisting on him providing a commensurate collateral, even before looking at his papers, while the ‘big men and women’ with unauthenticated projects and with low business acumen, are expressly considered; just because they are whom they are. He affirmed that any act of compromise in generally accepted norm and practice is indeed an act of corruption and should be so treated. According to him, a country’s GDP and economy could only be said to be growing through the empowerment of the yet-to-be established industrialists and not adding to the already established. That amounts to choking up the economic base, narrows its spread and ultimately preventing possible growth in other sectors and human materials.

CACOL is therefore calling on the federal government to engage the main actors in our banking sector as a way of finding a means of overhauling and re-engineering the sector, so as to ensure that the economy is broad-based through its project financing policies. Banks owes it a social responsibility to make its services available in all forms to both the haves and the have-nots in the society. Prerequisites for qualifying for credit facilities should be relaxed be made more elastic in such a way that every innovative and developmental minds would cultivate a general sense of belonging in the economic arrangement of this country.

Finally, Mr. Adeniran would want those collaborators too exposed and punished.

TemitopeMacjob (Mrs)

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

5^thAugust, 2015.

August 5, 2015

CACOL BACKS PRESIDENT BUHARI”S MARCHING ORDER ON AUDIT QUERIES

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders CACOL has commended President’s Muhammadu Buhari’s move towards tackling administrative and bureaucratic corruption in government.This came on the heels of an order that was contained in a statement made available to journalists by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that all audit queries be answered within 24 hours.

The President also directed the Auditor General of the Federation to resolve all outstanding audit queries within the next 30 days; an order that followed the President’s displeasure over the practice in which audit queries remained unanswered for long periods, sometimes running into years, under previous administrations.

The Executive Chairman of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran, commended Buhari for living to his billing and for being proactive on his administration’s war against corruption at all levels of government.

“The President has proven to be a man that can be decisive when the occasion demands for it; it’s beginning to show that his promise to confront corruption headlong is not just a mere political gimmick”. Adeniran said.

Since it has been discovered that the very bulk of corrupt tendencies and execution start from the civil service and more often than not, corrupt politicians have been known to have received informal training or tutelage from top civil servants who have perfected the act of corruption. As technocrats, these top civil servants are well versed in the administration and management of accounting records, an advantage many use to perfect the art of doctoring and altering of records. They know not only how to perpetrate corrupt act but are also experts in concealing it.

So by tradition, they train elected and appointed political office holders on how to perpetrate corruption and cover their tracks. That is why when you hear of massive looting taking place in a particular section of governance by a minister or Head of a parastatal, one begins to wonder how such massive looting could have been made possible without the active connivance of these elements in the civil service because they are the ones responsible for the day-to-day operations and record-keeping.

We have also discovered that in most cases appointments to the ministries or parastatals come as a way of patronage to party faithfuls and not essentially on merit.So, in most cases, ministers appointed are strangers to the terrain; as such,many of them are being exposed to avenues that facilitate corrupt practices. It is these career civil servants that provide the in-house trainings; not only trainings to administer but also trainings to steal. They remain the engine-room of official corruption in government.

Basically, President Buhari’s directive is quite in order. Audit queries are not supposed to be kept in archives or in suspense but are to be responded to immediately. Even in a situation where by relevant documents and files to support or back up the reply are not immediately available, it should be so stated there in. Response is supposed to be spontaneous to audit queries; so as not give room for possible compromise.

“There is no justifiable reason for delays in answering queries because if anything is found amiss, it is the person in-charge that should provide the explanation”.

For those criticizing Buhari for restricting the probe exercise to Jonathan’s administration; they are certainly acting in ignorance; they do not know what is involved in probing. One major thing they fail to realize is that the first thing a fraudster does when carrying out his unwholesome act is to cover his track so as to make future discovery impossible. Beside doctoring and altering, perpetratro seven go as far as destroying relevant documents that could lead to discovering their acts. Given this scenario and the complexity inherent in the exercise of probing, therefore, Nigerians should not be surprised if probing Jonathan’s administration alone covers the entire 4-year tenure of Buhari’s administration.

President Buhari should remain undaunted and should not allow himself to be distracted in any way, in his quest to save Nigerian from being killed by corruption. He should confront, chase, nail, shame and possibly demolish corruption by whichever means possible. Nigerians expect no less.

Buhari should be more confident that Nigerians remains solidly behind him on any step taken by him to rid the society of the scourge called “corruption”.

Temitope Macjob (Mrs)

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

3^rd August, 2015.

August 4, 2015

CALL TO THE CLERK TO WITHHOLD SITTING ALLOWANCES OF LAWMAKERS THAT FOLLOWED SARAKI’S WIFE TO THE EFCC

3^rdAugust, 2015

The Clerk

National Assembly

National Assembly Complex

Abuja, Nigeria

Dear Sir,

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) is a group of civil-society, community-based and other non-governmental organizations with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons by any means possible at all levels in Nigeria.

As concerned Nigerian, our Coalition was taken aback last week to see the large entourage of Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, which comprised mainly of the elected ‘honourable’ lawmakers from both the higher and lower chambers of the National Assembly.

These lawmakers and supposed representatives of the Nigerian people, reportedly accompanied Mrs. Saraki, who was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to answer to allegations bothering on corrupt practices, in a show of solidarity with the accused.

It is disheartening that a total of twenty-five legislators could abandon their statutory duties to follow Mrs. Saraki to the office of the EFCC and waited for over six hours the exercise lasted.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL is particularly disturbed and miffed at what could be termed, not only a show of shame, but a clear departure from what their primary constitutional duties are.

Although they reserve the right to presume the innocence of Toyin Saraki until convicted, so could decide to show their support, but doing that at the detriment of their constitutional duties is highly reprehensible.

Meanwhile, our findings showed there were sittings in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on the said day, Toyin Saraki, went to the EFCC. This presupposes that the 25 lawmakers boycotted the sittings to perform the shameless role of ‘bodyguards’ to Mrs. Saraki. It is highly condemnable that our lawmakers would leave their statutory role of law-making while playing the meddlesome interloper, thereby diminishing the exalted chambers they represent.

As much as we do not have much against their show of shame, however, paying the lawmakers’ sitting allowances for these days they didn’t sit would amount to double jeopardy of our dear country.

To this end, since those who accompanied Toyin Saraki to the EFCC’s office didn’t attend the sittings, allowances due for these days are to be deducted from regular payments as a matter of must.

Aside withholding their allowances, we equally urge the leadership of the Assembly to query this untoward attitude of these ‘dishonourable’ parliamentarians, as failure to do so would encourage the perpetration of greater shenanigans by our elected lawmakers.

Thanking you for the anticipated understanding and cooperation while hoping you will address the matter with the utmost urgency it deserves.

Yours faithfully,

Debo Adeniran

Executive Chairman, CACOL

www.deboadeniran.com

dadnig@yahoo.com

08037194969

August 3, 2015

Withhold Sitting Allowances Of Lawmakers That Followed Saraki’s Wife To The EFCC- CACOL Tells Clerk Of The Senate

By admin / Monday, 03 Aug 2015

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) a group of civil-society, community-based and other non-governmental organizations has asked the Clerk of the Senate to withhold the salaries of the lawmakers that followed Saraki’s wife to the EFCC.

In a statement signed Debo Adeniran the Executive Chairman of the group, said; “As concerned Nigerian, our Coalition was taken aback last week to see the large entourage of Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki which comprised mainly of the elected ‘honourable’ lawmakers from both the higher and lower chambers of the National Assembly.”

Speaking further the group said; “These lawmakers and supposed representatives of the Nigerian people, reportedly accompanied Mrs. Saraki, who was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to answer to an allegation of corrupt practices, in a show of solidarity with the accused. It is disheartening that a total of twenty-five legislators could abandon their statutory duties to follow Mrs. Saraki to the office of the EFCC and waited for over the six hours that the exercise lasted.”

According to the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL , it said is particularly disturbed and miffed at what could termed, not only a show of shame, but a clear departure from what their primary constitutional duties are; “Although they have the right to presume that Toyin Saraki is not guilty until convicted, so could decide to show their support, but doing that at the detriment of their constitutional duties is highly reprehensible. Our findings show that there were sittings in both the House of Representatives and the House of Senate on the said day Toyin Saraki went to the EFCC. This presupposes that the 25 lawmakers boycotted the sittings to perform the shameless role of ‘bodyguards’ to Mrs. Saraki. It is highly condemnable that our lawmakers would leave their statutory role of law-making while playing the meddlesome interloper, thereby diminishing the exalted chambers they represent.”

“As much as we do not have much against their show of shame, however, paying the lawmakers sitting allowance for the days they didn’t sit would amount to double jeopardy for our dear country. To this end, since those who accompanied Toyin Saraki to the EFCC’s office didn’t attend the sittings, they should not be paid for those days. Aside withholding their allowances, we urge the House to query this untoward attitude of these ‘dishonourable’ honourables as failure to do so would encourage the perpetration of greater shenanigans by our elected lawmakers. Thanking you for the anticipated understanding and cooperation while hoping you will address the matter with the utmost urgency it deserves,” it said.

Source: Universal Reporters.

August 3, 2015

Children: Jamb, The Need For Improved Efficiency

By admin / Sunday, 02 Aug 2015

Reports recently indicated that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have announced a reduction in its cut-off mark for students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.

The examination body reduced the cut-off mark to 180 for admission to degree programmes, and 150 for national certificate in education, national diploma and national innovation diplomas.

The new directive was revealed at the 2015 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Degree, Nigerian Certificate of Education, and National Diploma.

At the meeting, JAMB also announced its new policy to redistribute candidates to universities other than their first choice; a policy where applicants are reassigned to other universities with lower number of candidates.

The benefit of the new policy as explained by JAMB Registrar was adopted to help needy universities with lower number of candidates and assist JAMB candidates have better chances of admission in universities they are reassigned to; an effort geared towards helping candidates of over-subscribed institutions gain admission to other federal or state universities rather than wasting their scores.

The development, which generated sharp criticism from stakeholders almost paralyzed activities in some of the most sought after universities in the country.

The Child Help in Legal Defence of Right to Education in Nigeria, CHILDREN Project in its own contribution to series of reactions of stakeholders, parents, students etc is of the opinion that the JAMB seems to have proven itself to be incompetent over the years.

We see the stance of the institution allowing universities to conduct their own exam before they can admit students, as a way of subjecting eligible students to the harrowing experience of having to write two exams, an exercise we consider as unnecessary and stressful. Such exercise could only mean that the Nigerian universities have lost confidence in the ability of JAMB to conduct credible and usable exam. And, of course, one of the ultimate benefits of an exam is how useable it is.

It has become clear that JAMB is not adequately coordinated; its invigilation machinery is open to abuse and compromise, thereby rendering the entire conduct of the exam itself incredible and lacking in merit, a development that usually culminates in half-baked or absolutely unqualified candidates coming out with amazingly high scores that eventually qualifies them for admission.

The Universities, on their own part, having discovered overtime this anomaly, upon observing the abysmally poor performances of such ‘compromised’ candidates in their class works, have so far opted for a way out by conducting another round of examination, now known as post-JAMB exams.

He who comes to equity, they say, must come with clean hands. Thus, for JAMB to confidently justify its constitutional authority of conducting qualifying exams for admission into the tertiary institutions in the country, it must look in-house and ensure that its turn-out in exams merit the marks scored. This would save the innocent candidates from having to go through the harrowing experience of writing exams twice before they are deemed qualified.

Understandably, the institutions themselves, may not be complaining so loud as such post-JAMB examinations rake in huge amounts of money for them at the end of the day. One fact that cannot be disputed and which confers legitimacy on every individual institution’s decision in this regard, is its unfettered independence and right to determine which material is good enough for admission into its courses. The prerogative of determining qualifications for admission constitutionally lies with the institutions concerned.

To this end, JAMB has to sit up, do a thorough in-house overhaul and come up with reforms that will eventually restore the needed confidence from both the tertiary institutions as well as the applying candidates. It is by so doing that this incessant crisis over cut-off marks, arbitrary distribution of candidates to institutions other than their choices, among other things, could be resolved.

Source: Universal Reporters.

August 1, 2015

CACOL: Saraki’s Wife’s Entourage To The EFCC; A National Embarrassment

By admin / Friday, 31 Jul 2015 05:21PM

Well-meaning Nigerians were taken aback as they watch on their TV set the large entourage of Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the senate president, which comprised mainly of the nation’s ‘honourable’ law-makers from both the higher and lower chambers.

These national law-makers and supposed representatives of the Nigerian people, reportedly accompanied Mrs. Saraki, who had been invited by the anti-corruption agency to come and answer to an allegation of corrupt practice, in a show of solidarity with the accused.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL is particularly disturbed and miffed at what it terms not only a show of shame and gross irresponsibility but a clear anti-thesis of what their primary constitutional duty is.

One cannot but wonder how far President Buhari would be able to go in his avowed war against corruption in this country, if the very law-makers who are expected to give him the needed support through the provision of enabling legal frame-work with which to successfully prosecute the war, are openly, though tacitly, fraternizing with corruption by turning themselves into bodyguards of a suspected corruption criminal”.

Press reports have it that a total of twenty-five legislators abandoned their statutory duties to follow Mrs. Saraki to the office of the EFCC and most of who waited for over the six hours that the exercise lasted. “They are doing the jobs Nigerians didn’t elect them to do.

Although they have the right to presume that she is not guilty until convicted but do not have the right to portray her innocent of the allegations made against her, even before being interrogated.

The lawmakers’ conduct presupposed that they are determined to intimidate the EFCC in its task of tackling corruption. It’s sad that they choose to abandon their statutory role of law-making while playing the meddlesome interloper, thereby diminishing the exalted chambers they represent.

Their case could be likened the incident to that witnessed during Obasanjo’s days, when Bode George was being accompanied by shameless praise-singers who had to roll out drums, clad in ‘Aso Ebi’ and danced in and around the court premises in solidarity with the accused each time he appeared in court to answer to corruption charges.

CACOL observes that, this singular act by these legislators, is a clear indication that certain members of this very important arm of government, if not called to order, are out to make the job of eradicating corruption or at least, stemming it to the barest minimum, by Buhari’s administration, more complex and difficult than ever envisaged.

The Coalition of anti-corruption organisations therefore calls on Nigerians to get ready and be set to confront anybody, group or institution, that is out to frustrate President Buhari’s efforts at wrestling to submission this gargantuan, seemingly untameable monster, called corruption and save Nigeria from its destructive tendencies. We should share President Buhari’s assertion that “if we fail to kill corruption, corruption will kill us”. It must be seen as a collective responsibility; Buhari can’t do it alone.

We are asking Nigerians not to spare corrupt characters, whoever they may be, but adopt CACOL’s slogan to “name, nail, shame and shun corrupt leaders, anywhere, everywhere”.

Source: Universal Reporters.