Information reaching Omojuwa.Com has it that EFCC has arrested former FCT minister Bala Mohammed over controversial N1trillion land swap deal carried out between 2010-2015.
EFCC Sources say about 12 properties have been seized from Bala Mohammed and his son, who he allegedly used in buying many properties.
More details about the unfolding development will be published later.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized at least 12 properties from a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, and his son, Shamsudeen Bala.
It was learnt on Tuesday that the seizures were part of investigations into a controversial land swap deal carried out by the minister to the tune of N1tn between 2010 and 2015.
“So far, we have seized about 12 properties from Bala Mohammed and his son, who he used in buying many properties. However, this is just a tip of the iceberg because we found out that there are still a lot of properties to be recovered’’, a source in the EFCC said on Tuesday.
“After investigations, we will arraign Bala (ex-minister) before an FCT High Court while his son will be arraigned before a Federal High Court anytime from now, the source added.”
Mohammed, who has been in EFCC custody for over six weeks, is alleged to have entered into some controversial land deals and allegedly gave some landed properties to his cronies for the construction of malls.
The source said, “We have evidence that the ex-minister diverted funds from Internally Generated Revenue. He also gave land arbitrarily to friends without following due process. Some of the land had even been allocated to other people but seized from them unjustly.”
Already, the commission has grilled a former Chairman of Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, who was also the Chairman of ASO Savings & Loans Plc over the purchase of the N7.5bn ASO Grove Estate at the Maitama area of Abuja by the bank through the ex-minister.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), yesterday withdrew the five-count charge brought against former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed.
The charges marked CR/43/2016 were earlier filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Gudu.
When the case came up yesterday for his arraignment before Justice Abubakar Talba, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Larry Peters applied to withdraw the charge on the grounds that the Commission wants to put it’s house in order.
His application was not opposed to by counsel to the former minister, Chief Chris Uche (SAN).
Consequently, the charge was accordingly struck out by Justice Talba.
The former minister had also filed a motion for bail through his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, before the said court.
The former minister who was last week released on bail upon order of court after weeks in custody, was in court with many relations, well-wishers and sympathisers.
He was arrested and detained since October 24, 2016, when he went to honour an invitation by the Commission.
Credit:
http://sunnewsonline.com/efcc-withdraws-charge-against-former-fct-minister/
?A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Bala Mohammed, has filed a fundamental human right suit before the High Court of the FCT against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over his continued detention by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Baba Yusuf, whom the case was assigned to has already fixed November 24 for hearing.
In his 15-paragraph affidavit filed in support of his suit, the applicant stated that he was invited by the EFCC to report to its office on October 24, 2016 in connection with investigation into alleged ‘lases of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering’.
The affidavit deposed to by Umar Aliyu Usman stated that the Mohammed voluntarily reported to the EFCC on October 24, 2016 and was immediately arrested and detained till date.
He stated that rather being released on bail, he was merely dumped and abandoned in the respondent’s cell since then, wherein he has suffered substantial deterioration of his health and untold psychological trauma and mental torture.
In the suit marked FCT/CV/220/2016 filed by his counsel, Chief Chris Uche [SAN], the applicant is praying the court for an order compelling and directing the EFCC to release him on bail forthwith or immediately arraign him before a competent court of law for trial.
He further sought a declaration that his arrest and detention his arrest and detention since October 24, 2016 till date by the EFCC is illegal, unlawful, unreasonable, unjustified and unconstitutional.
A declaration by the court that he is entitled to be released on bail by the EFCC [Respondent] pending the investigation of allegations against him pending any arraignment before a court of law.
The former minister further asked an order of court enforcing and restoring his fundamental right to personal liberty enshrined and guaranteed by section 35 of the 1999 constitution, which has been violated and is being violated by the respondent.
He asked for the sum of N100m as special and general damages against the EFCC for the illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional arrest and detention.
Credit:
http://punchng.com/detention-ex-fct-minister-bala-mohammed-sues-%e2%80%8eefcc-n100m/
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Bala Mohammed, was on Wednesday taken to the clinic of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),where medical personnel attended him to.
This is coming at a time when the former minister has met his bail conditions, but still being held in EFCC custody.
It was gathered that owing to the fact that Mohammed’s health condition deteriorated,he was allowed to see doctors at the EFCC facility. The nature of the illness was not disclosed.
Sources, however,said, the former minister returned from medical treatment abroad before going to honour EFCC invitation.
Before travelling abroad, it was gathered, Mohammed had undergone surgery at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Daily Sun gathered that Mohammed has fulfilled his bail condition. He was asked to produce two directors in the civil service, one of who must own a landed property in the FCT to stand surety for him. This has been fulfilled.
In the meantime,the EFCC has taken custody of the international passport of Mohammed. There is no indication when the former minister will be released or why he is still being held despite fulfilling bail conditions.
In a related development, Mohammed, Dr. Reuben Abati, ex-senior Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, former Nigerian ambassador to Ghana, Musliu Obanikoro and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, continued to
get solidarity visits yesterday in custody.
Among those who visited them were Senator Jeremiah Useni, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, former Minister of Culture; Ambassador Iliya Damagua, Chief John Dara; Hon HilaruIlea, Hon Salisu Ningi and Aremo Adekunle Alao.
Others are Chief Babatunde Ajala and Jonathan Asaka of the Christian Information Network
Credit:
http://sunnewsonline.com/bala-mohammed-ill-meets-bail-condition/
A House of Representatives panel has concluded plans to summon former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Mohammed over the issue of land swap policy. The committee on FCT chaired by Rep Herman Hembe (APC, Benue) said yesterday that Mohammed would be summoned to explain his role in the land swap policy as head of the ministry of FCT.
The House had on December 15 mandated the committee to examine the land swap policy following a motion on the matter. Hembe told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the committee would determine the effectiveness and otherwise of the policy, level of infrastructural development in the designated districts as well as its benefits. The committee is also set to determine the status of allotted but undeveloped plots within Abuja city centre as well as abandoned capital projects within the territory and make appropriate recommendations to the House. Asked if their action would not be misinterpreted to mean witch-hunt of the past administration, Hembe said: “I was in the last House and I was also a member of PDP. But the bottom line is that what is wrong is wrong. We’re looking at what had been done wrongly.”
The 20 local government Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State have endorsed the immediate past Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, as the next national chairman of the party.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Bauchi, the spokesman of the 20 PDP chieftains, Bala Abdullahi Dan, who is also the party’s chairman in’Alakaleri’ local government, described the ex-minister as a young, vibrant politician and founding member of the party who has remained committed to the party.
Dan said it was their desire that the position of the National Chairman of the PDP remained in the North-east, adding that Muhammad, is the best man to succeed Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu because he played a vital role during the 2015 PDP presidential campaign.
He argued that the bane of the PDP has been lack of internal democracy, which led to dictatorship as few leaders hijacked the party to the detriment of loyal members.
He explained that what the main opposition party needs to overcome the challenges ahead was to choose a national leader that would be guided by the ideals of the founders such as equity and justice.
“Our appeal is based on three facts: Eligibility, sincere concern for the party and zeal to serve. Bala Muhammed is a man who can move the party to the next stage of progress without rancour, discrimination and other vices,” he said.
Read More: thisdaylive
Former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed and Governor Ayodele Fayose have differed on the arrangement for the next national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In what appeared like a consultation visit on his ambition to become PDP’s national chairman, Bala had on Sunday, visited Fayose at the Governor’ s Lodge in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Governor Fayose, who spoke to journalists shortly after the meeting, said, “It is a normal thing to have ambition. It’s a good development, but in my opinion, I think the party needs the caretaker committee now rather than a substantive chairman.
“Secondly, we need somebody who can take his time and use this interregnum and put the party into proper position. We do not need somebody, who is trying to just finish the tenure of a former leader.
“The time we are now, is quite a challenging time and it is not a time for someone to say he wants to just complete a tenure. We should allow the caretaker committee to take over and put proper elections in place for new executives of the party.
“You would recall that I told Muazu he had to go and he’s gone now.
“This time we must entrust the party into the hands of credible people who would not use it to redeem their name or for personal gains.
“So, to me, there isn’t much that a substantive chairman can do in just five months now.
“And I advise that everyone should go back to his base and do the needful at the grassroots. You can even be a leader without followership.”
“ What I also wish to say again is that for me, it is the turn of the Souh-West to be the national chairman of the party
The South-west and the South-South have had their turns and of course he next presidential candidate of the party would be from the north. So I believe it is the turn of the South-West to have the national chairman. We have to allow the north in the party to begin to search for a credible presidential candidate for the party, “ he said.
Read More: sunnewsonline
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Bala Mohammed, and five others are in the race for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, it was learnt yesterday.
Others are Prof. Ahmed Alkali, a former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Minister of State for Power Mohammed Wakil and Deputy National Publicity Secretary Jalo Abdullahi.
Some governors are pushing for ex-Governor Sule Lamido, a onetime National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP and ex-Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema.
But party leaders, including some members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), are insisting that the Northeast should retain the position.
Read More: thenationonlineng
The reality of leaving the posh Aso Rock Presidential Villa has finally dawned on President Goodluck Jonathan…
While the President recedes into a solitary retirement, having been abandoned by some friends and associates, the activities of some of his cabinet members remain in the realm of public discourse on how they failed Jonathan. Jonathan’s troubled mandate has led to a $60billion debt for his successor, Muhammadu Buhari. It is inconceivable in Nigeria’s history that the nation will run into another debt trap because his predecessors, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, left the economy in a stable condition. While Obasanjo secured debt relief for the nation, Yar’Adua left about $40billion in foreign reserve. Yet, some members of Jonathan’s team failed him. These powerful cabinet members wore a larger-than-life image and were actually untouchable. More importantly, their latitude placed the majority in servitude.
Namadi Sambo
Constitutionally, Vice President Namadi ought to be the coordinator of the nation’s economy but he was technically denied the opportunity by his boss. He was, however, in charge of the National Economic Council, the management of the power sector, the privatisation of government-owned companies, especially the power sector. Although seven new plants have been inaugurated under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs), only 4,700 megawatts will be added to the national grid. Two major challenges affecting the energy sector are poor gas supply and transmission of the megawatts.
Persistent outage nationwide in spite of the over $16billion invested was one of the campaign issues against Jonathan. In fact, Jonathan in 2011 assured the nation that before the end of his tenure, Nigerians would have sold their private and noisy power generators. Instead of fulfilling the promise, most homes, offices, Ministries, Departments and Agencies are in perpetual darkness. The crisis of confidence between the VP and ex-Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, also slowed down progress and almost eroded the little gains made in the sector. Sambo was seen as unfair to the North in the privatisation programme and it was one of the reasons most Northern elite conspired against PDP.
Anyim Pius Anyim
Though the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is an appointee of the President; he is the spirit of the cabinet because of his role as the political guardian angel. Apart from his primary duty of giving the presidency a direction, the SGF is expected to advise the President on the application of the principles of equality and Federal Character in appointments in order to preserve the unity of the country. The outgoing SGF, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, came into the cabinet with a cosmopolitan credential but he has ended as a tribal bigot and a local champion. Worried by the marginalisation of the South-East in the past, Anyim used every opportunity to favour the zone in flagrant violation of Section 14(3) of 1999 Constitution. The section says: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity…”
Out of 50 key appointments made by President Goodluck Jonathan, the South-West belatedly had three. It was evident that Anyim never forgave his clash with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was the President of the Senate and he went all out to deal with the region. The same neglect of the North-East, North-West and even North-Central accounted for the loss of the presidential election by Jonathan in these four zones. As at the time Jonathan was seeking re-election, he was already wearing a tribal cloak. This reflected in the huge votes he got from the South-East and the South-South on March 28. The President realised the tribal colouration of his administration very late in the day. He sacrificed and attempted to salvage the situation but he could not survive the gang-up by these four zones. Anyim also veered off his mandate by engaging in partisanship with the coordination of the selection of 12 million signatures for the re-election of Jonathan by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN). Unsuspectingly, the President did not realise that TAN was a deft move by Anyim to escape being purged from the cabinet. He had his cake and ate it but Jonathan was the ultimate loser.
Okonjo-Iweala
The apparent collapse of the economy under the watchful eyes of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, showed that she might have been over-priced or over-rated for the job. The indices have clearly indicated a sick economy but the minister kept on reassuring the nation that it is healthy. The liabilities are as follows: fuel subsidy scandal; outstanding N200billion fuel subsidy; $60billion debt for Buhari administration; the mismanagement of the controversial $20 billion or $1 billion oil cash; borrowing of N473billion to pay salaries; the depletion of Excess Crude Account to a paltry $2billion and arbitrary granting of waivers. Today, annual budget implementation is less than 50 per cent, capital projects are stalled and most states cannot pay salaries to workers. Even Oknokjo-Iweala’s colleagues knew that her economic pill was voodooist. It was in this hard-time circumstance that Jonathan sought the mandate of the electorate who rejected him at the poll. Nigerians voted for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to change the status quo. Notwithstanding her braggadocio, three major newspapers in the country have written editorials to write off Okonjo-Iweala’s so-called performance. In his verdict, a former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, said: “Our public finance is haemorrhaging to the point that estimated over N30 trillion is missing, or stolen or unaccounted for, or simply mismanaged.
“Under you as Minister of Finance and Coordinator for the Economy, the basket of our national treasury is leaking profusely from all sides. Just a few illustrations! First you admit that oil theft has reduced oil output from the average 2.3-2.4million barrels per day (mpd) to 1.95mpd, meaning that at least 350,000 to 450,000 barrels per day are being stolen. On the average of 400,000 per day and the oil prices over the past four years, it comes to about $60billion stolen in just four years.”
Bala Mohammed
About emerging as the worst Minister of Federal Capital Territory since 1975, under Sen. Bala Mohammed’s watch, a less than three to five-kilometre road leading to his office from the NTA axis could not be completed for five years. He was more preoccupied with allocation of plots of land than building on the legacies of his predecessors. Once Bala Mohammed gets praises from the Presidential Villa, he is okay even if the residents are in pain.
He struggled to manage his predecessors’ projects haphazardly. Some of these projects are the Vice President’s residence, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua highway to the airport, Kubwa-Zuba expressway, and Senate President’s and Speaker’s official quarters. A few days ago, Mohammed wanted the President to inaugurate the Umaru Yar’Adua highway when it was obvious that the project (paid for upfront by the administration of the late President) has not been completed. A clever Jonathan said he was only around to inspect the project (not to commission it).
The ‘legacies’ of Bala Mohammed include non-functional street lights, decrepit six districts in the FCT, high rate of crimes, general insecurity, dysfunctional CCTV, dilapidated school structures, poor waste management system, importation of one-year life span buses for mass transportation.
The inability of Mohammed’s administration to live up to his promise to rehabilitate the UN Building destroyed by Boko Haram and insecurity in Abuja contributed to the erosion of confidence in Jonathan’s administration by some countries like the US, the UK and others.
Diezani Alison-Madueke
Arguably the most powerful minister Nigeria has ever produced, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke presided over the oil sector with such a tight grip as if she is on an everlasting assignment. In the last five years, she has incurred the wrath of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) which are divesting in Nigeria’s oil sector. Some of her defects in office are unending fuel scarcity nationwide; fuel subsidy scam; instability in NNPC having worked with five Group Managing Directors; alleged lavish spending of a whopping N10billion on chartered flights by NNPC for her use and other operations; $20b oil funds unaccounted for; fall in the sale of crude oil; non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB); award of N4billion pipeline contracts to ex-militants and militia leaders; increase in oil theft and lack of accountability.
The oil sectors stank to such extent that an external auditing firm, PWC was commissioned by the presidency to look into the account of the NNPC. Under Diezani, the nation does not know how much oil it is selling, the whereabouts of the proceeds and the accruals from the excess funds gained from crude oil benchmark. The minister by her actions and inactions became a liability to the presidency, to the extent that Jonathan’s government was judged by the rot in the oil sector. Unfortunately, the President could not muster courage to check the perceived excesses of the minister. Nigerians, however, voted out Jonathan on March 28 because they were tired of the story of corruption in the oil sector.
Musiliu Obanikoro
The lousy ex-Minister of Defence, Amb. Musiliu Obanikoro virtually abdicated his constitutional responsibilities and used the influence of his office to embark on ‘Operation Conquer South-West’ for Jonathan. Backed by the Armed Forces and other security agencies, he went about the conquest mission as if there will be no tomorrow. Along the line, he burnt his fingers in Ekiti State where he was accused along with others of engaging military intelligence to rig the governorship poll for Governor Ayo Fayose in 2014. The video of the plot went viral and Obanikoro’s gangster politics was a stigma for Jonathan.
But Jonathan tolerated him because he needed votes from the South-West electorate. Rather than support Jonathan, the sophisticated South-West voters proved a point that the region believes in Omoluabi (a perfect gentlemanly conduct) and not gangster politics. Obanikoro was one of the reasons Jonathan lost South-West and why Lagos State was impenetrable for PDP. When Jonathan realised this, it was too late. The President made Obanikoro a Minister of State for Foreign Affairs to drum a message into his ears that he knew all along that he was not an asset. The ego of Obanikoro was deflated on the date of his swearing in when he was announced as a Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. It took the intervention of some of his colleagues to cheer him up by saying “a minister is a minister.”
Jelili Adesiyan
Twice, the President was shocked that the Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, is a political paper weight. As part of the dummy sold to the President, Adesiyan was touted as a politician who could tackle the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West having been part of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD). Jonathan was oblivious of the fact that Adesiyan’s appointment was used by the lobbyists to shore up his image, which was battered as a result of his arrest over the assassination of the late Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige.
Since coming on board, Adesiyan attracted more controversy to Jonathan administration with the use of policemen to intimidate political opponents. His impunity reached its peak with an assault on a former Governor of Osun State, Chief Isiaka Adeleke, by his police/security aides. That singular thug-like assault cost the PDP a big loss in Osun State during the governorship, presidential and National Assembly elections. Since the humiliation of PDP, Adesiyan has withdrawn to his shell pretending to be concentrating on a job he has not made any impact since he was appointed.
Abba Moro
The tardiness of the Ministry of Interior, especially the Nigerian Immigration Service, under Abba Moro led to a disastrous recruitment exercise which caused the death of 15 graduates in March 2014. For a year, the administration of Jonathan suffered an image crisis and it could not recover during the poll. The rating of Jonathan fell when he succumbed to pressure from some National Assembly leaders and governors to retain Moro, a former local government chairman who adopted local benchmark in his attitude to issues, including such a recruitment tragedy.
While Jonathan treated Moro with kid gloves, a minister in the same shoes in South Korea resigned from the cabinet. By the time Jonathan came up with N75million compensation for the families of the recruitment scandal on March 15, 2015, it was obvious that it was because of his re-election bid rather than empathy for the deceased. Nigerians voted for change, not the re-election of Jonathan.
Mike Onolememen
In February, the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, wasted no time in scoring himself a little below 50 per cent in office. Speaking on a radio programme, he said the Federal Government had completed only 62 out of the 133 projects awarded.
He said: “What is important about all these projects embarked upon by this government is that out of 133 of them awarded by the Jonathan administration, 62 have already been completed and tremendous progress has been made on the rest. When we set out to reposition our roads, we noticed a gap in the funding of road infrastructure in Nigeria. If you merge our requirement, which was an average of about N500billion yearly, against the budgetary provision of about N120billion, it is clear that we needed to do something quick to bridge the gap.”
The reality is that most of the arterial roads in the country are bad; they include Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway; Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Ajebandele-Shagamu Road. Onolememen, in September 2014, assured the nation that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be completed 18 months earlier than
Chinedu Nebo
The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, is a prayer warrior in the cabinet but the magic wand has not effected any change in the power sector. He does not have the capacity to manage the sector like his predecessor, Prof. Barth Nnaji. The installed capacity of the power sector is now 4,700 megawatts but generation is a little over 2,000megawatts in spite of the privatizsation policy. As at May 19, it was reported by a daily that eight distribution companies have declared force majeure in their operations. Besides the eight, the Bureau of Public Enterprises has engaged in a share buyback deal leading to the payment of N29.2billion to Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company(IEDM), which is the investor in Yola Electricity Distribution Company.
The situation in the power sector is clumsy, unstable and scaring to investors. The epileptic power supply nationwide worked against Jonathan during the poll.
Aminu Wali
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, has been running a lack lustre ministry, which has not earned the confidence of the diplomatic community unlike the case when the late charismatic ex-Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, was in charge. Jonathan’s administration is bowing out with its international reputation at its lowest ebb because there is no effective salesman in charge. This setback was obvious during the last elections when the US and the UK issued a joint statement warning against alleged plans to tamper with the results. The conspiracy was obvious because the foreign affairs policy has been on a wheelchair.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried reports of last-minute looting of the nation’s resources, hurried recruitment into the public service and rushed privatization of key financial institutions by the present administration.
The party, in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned that such flagrant actions will have serious repercussions.
APC said that apart from the instances of such cases that had been reported in the local media, the party had been inundated with calls and messages by concerned Nigerians, alerting it to the unscrupulous actions of some officials serving under the Jonathan administration.
It said while Jonathan’s government remains in office till the midnight of May 28 and governance in the country will not stop because a new president has been elected, “it is incumbent upon the outgoing administration not to create any more problems for the incoming government than it had already done, or to tie the new government’s hands through some suspicious actions.”
The APC further noted that while the incoming Buhari administration will not get itself bogged down by an endless probe of the activities of the Jonathan administration, however, all actions taken since the result of the May 28 presidential election was announced may come under the searchlight.
‘’For example, the National Council on Privatization, which is headed by the vice president, has just approved the financial bid opening for transaction advisers for the privatization of the three development finance institutions in the country – the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and Nigeria Commodity Exchange. The question is: what is the rationale for rushing this exercise with just weeks left for this administration?
‘’Also, there have been reports, yet unrefuted, of a planned hurried recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service after a previous attempt ended in a national tragedy and the fleecing of innocent job seekers by mindless federal government officials. Apart from the fact that this last-minute recruitment is suspect, it is irregular.
‘’The Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPSB) is only empowered to recruit, promote and discipline only senior officers (levels 8 and above). The power to recruit, promote and discipline junior officers is vested in the different services, in this case the Nigeria Immigration Service.
‘’Therefore, the recruitment exercise now being conducted by the Federal Civil Service, under the auspices of the Presidential Committee to Assist on Immigration Recruitment, usurps the functions of the Board as it relates to recruitment of senior officers (level 08) and that of the Immigration Service as it relates to Junior Officers (levels 07 and below),’’ the party said.
It also called attention to a published report that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, plans to use the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to carry out a secret employment of no fewer than 500 workers before the end of April 2015.
‘’We do not know if this report, as well as others, is true. But if indeed these rushed privatizations and hurried recruitment exercises -in the twilight of the Jonathan administration – are true, they raise serious questions concerning the reasons behind such actions. We are, therefore, compelled to call on President Jonathan to call his administration officials to order, lest they engage in actions that can later embarrass his administration.
‘’This is against the backdrop of the precarious situation into which the Jonathan administration has plunged the nation’s economy, no thanks to years of ceaseless and unprecedented profligacy by the outgoing administration, as well as mind-boggling acts of corruption and looting of the public treasury by some administration officials and their collaborators,’’ APC said.
