Jailed South African athlete, Pistorius, to be released August

South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius, who was jailed for five years in 2014 for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend, will be released on probation by 21 August, South African authorities said.

Pistorius will be released after a recommendation from South Africa’s correctional services department, the BBC reported Monday.

Pistorius was acquitted on murder charges. A state appeal against the ruling is due in November.

South African law allows Pistorius to be released having served a sixth of his sentence.

South African Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise told the BBC that the case management committee at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where Pistorius is being held, made the recommendation last week.

N19.2bn Fraud: Ex-Gov Sylva’s case adjourned till June 10

The case involving a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has been adjourned till June 10, 2015.

Mr. Sylva along with Francis Okokwo, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku, allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers.

At the last adjourned date, the trial judge had fixed Monday, June 8 for ruling on two pending applications by the defendants challenging the competence of the charge and the jurisdiction of the court.

The counsel to Mr. Sylva, L. O. Fagbemi (SAN) had brought an application before the court praying that the charges be quashed, while counsel to the fourth accused person, Ajayi Olowo, in his own application, challenged the jurisdiction of the court.

 

The counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had argued that there was indeed a prima facie case against Mr. Sylva and his co-accused, adding that the court had jurisdiction to try the case since the offences committed took place in Abuja.

 

However, rather than give a ruling today as expected, the case only came up for mention in court.

According to Justice Mohammed, “hearing is already concluded, but certain issues have now come up, which will delay ruling as was expected.”

He attributed the new development to a letter dated June 1, 2015, which he received from Mr. Jacobs.

 

He said that the prosecution was requesting to amend the charges against Sylva, because “the case against Sylva before Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High Court had been withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP.”

He noted that the prosecution, according to the letter, intended to consolidate the charges against Mr. Sylva.

 

Justice Mohammed thereafter adjourned till June 10, 2015 to give his ruling, noting that the content of the letter must be part of the proceedings

APC rejects election of Saraki, Dogara as Senate President, House Speaker

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as totally unacceptable and the highest level of indiscipline and treachery the conduct of Tuesday’s inauguration of the National Assembly that led to the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.

”Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker. The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision.

”The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members,” the party said in a statement issued in Abuja Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.

”Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration,” it said.

APC decried a situation in which some people, based on nothing but inordinate ambition and lack of discipline and loyalty, will enter into an unholy alliance with the very same people whom the party and indeed the entire country worked hard to replace and sell out the hard won victory of the Party.

”There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party,” the party said, vowing to resolve the matter using all constitutional and legal means available to it.

Meanwhile, the APC has asked all its loyal Senators-elect to please report to the Senate to be sworn-in in order to discharge their constitutional duties.

APC Picks Lawan, Akume, As Sole Candidates For Senate Presidency and Deputy…Bukola Saraki, Others Boycott Primaries

The All Progressives Congress yesterday, Saturday 6th June, announced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator George Akume as sole candidates for the position of President and Deputy Senate President of the 8th Senate respectively.

This followed a primary election conducted by the National Working Committee of the APC at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

National Secretary of the Party, Mala Buni, who served as returning officer announced that 33 Senators were accredited to vote after which Lawan got 32 votes and one vote was declared invalid.

Buni said, “By the powers conferred on me by the NWC of the APC as the Chief Returning Officer of this election after having certified that Dr. Ahmed Lawan has fulfilled all the requirements of the party, he is hereby nominated as the sole candidate of the party for the position of Senate President of the 8th Senate.”

A similar procedure was adopted in the election of Akume. Akume got 32 out of the 33 votes.

In his acceptance speech, Lawan said while he was grateful for the confidence reposed in him by the party and his colleagues, he was saddened that his colleagues “in the other camp” did not participate in the process.

He pleaded with the NWC to assist him in winning over all other senators in the National Assembly because he would require their support not only to win on Tuesday but also to provide leadership at the legislative arm of the government.

President Muhammadu Buhari to slash his salary

According to Punch, there are strong indications that in fulfilment of his campaign promise to reduce the cost of governance, President Muhammadu Buhari may have concluded plans to slash his salary and reduce his personal emoluments.

It was learnt that the President expected the Vice-President and other political appointees to take a similar decision.

Saturday PUNCH gathered in Abuja on Friday that the President would have made his decision public but chose to consult with his close associates on how best to approach the issue without being seen as dictatorial.

According to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, President Buhari will

earn a monthly salary of N3, 514, 705. He is also entitled to a regular hardship allowance and 50 per cent of the basic salary, which is N1,757,350.50.

There is however no information yet as to what percentage of Buhari’s salary and emoluments will be slashed. But it was reliably learnt that the President would also reduce State House budget.

Other areas being considered by the President included appointment of aides and the possibility of implementing the report of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.

Buhari, had on Tuesday sought the approval of the National Assembly to appoint 15 special advisers, unlike former President Goodluck Jonathan, who had 23 special advisers and scores of special assistants.

It was gathered that the President, who in his inaugural speech, said the Nigerian economy was in deep trouble, might not increase the number of special advisers from 15 as part of the measures to cut down cost of governance.

It was also learnt that the President might look into the report of the Oronsaye committee and the White Paper on it. The committee had said that out of the existing 541 MDAs in the country, only 163 deserved to exist.

A top member of the APC, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said that the President had also concluded plans to submit some bills to the National Assembly for the implementation of some of these cost-saving measures.

But President Buhari had, at various fora, faulted the budgetary process adopted by successive Peoples Democratic Party-led administrations over the past 16 years.

A close confidant of the President, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, had in his inaugural address to the people of the state, announced a fifty per cent cut in his salary and that of the deputy governor.

One of the President’s acolytes, and South East Zonal Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu told Saturday PUNCH that, left to him alone, President Buhari would not bat an eyelid before taking such a decision.

He, however said:

“But you see, the circumstances now are different, he has to do a lot of consultations because the composition of the National Assembly means he has to consult across party lines.

From the little I know of him, his desire like he said during the campaigns and afterwards, is to reduce the cost of governance across board and this cannot be done without consultations. We can’t have a situation where he will be seen as trying to make other party members look bad by taking a salary cut while others are not carried along.

He is committed to cutting cost across board and I see him reducing the pecks of that office to an acceptable level and this becomes even more compelling because of the economic mess we have found ourselves in.”

Another associate, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, also told Saturday PUNCH that another area likely to take a hit is the Presidential Air fleet which is reported to have about 10 aircraft. He explained that the cost of maintaining this number of aircraft is one area that is likely to attract the President’s attention.

According to him, the President who has experienced governance at the highest level is not one to do things in a hurry without consultation and thinking them through.

Fashakin noted that critics may accuse the President of not acting fast enough without putting things in perspective. He said, for example,

“The President has not taken any definite action. Ordinarily, people will not even expect the service chiefs to still be operating now, but because of the exposure and maturity that we are having in government; with a person of President Muhammadu Buhari’s stature, he studies a situation before taking action. He won’t just appoint ministers to fulfil all righteousness, he will do a thorough job and this is a democracy which he has subscribed to.

He promised to cut the cost of governance to an acceptable level and this is even more so when the economy like every other aspect of our national life is in tatters.”

Attempts to get a reaction on issues raised from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, were unsuccessful. Calls to his mobile phone did not connect while a text message sent to him was yet to be delivered as of the time of filing this report (8:11pm).

It may be recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had made a provision of N348, 342,741 as its proposal for honorarium and sitting allowance for the State House in the 2015 budget.

The breakdown of the expenditure on travel and transport showed that the president will be spending N1, 306,834,350 on local travels and transport and the sum of N621, 067,913 on international travel and transport.

The travel bill of the president for 2014 was higher than the provision for 2014. The 2014 budget made a provision of N2, 378,862,017 for the office of the president for local and international travels.

For food stuff/catering materials supplies, a provision of N142, 472,537 was made for the office of the president.

The 2015 budget proposal included a provision of N131, 911,315 for fuel and lubricants for the State House. The breakdown showed that plant/generator fuel will consume N35, 344,855; motor vehicle fuel will consume N85, 843,802 while cooking gas/fuel will consume N10, 102,858.

For 2014, the State House received lesser provision of N122, 855,267 for fuel and lubricants. This was broken down into motor vehicle fuel, N79, 950,407; plants and generators, N33, 476,963 and cooking gas/fuel cost, N9, 427,898.

A provision of N60, 847,647 was made for the office of the president for advertisement and publicity.

For the State House, N287,514,283 provision was made for welfare packages; N174,537,975 for refreshment and meals; N215, 635,715 for food stuff and catering services; N31,582,475 for medical expenses; and N35,495,233 for publicity and advertisement. These provisions are likely to be reviewed downwards

President Jonathan, PDP Dragged to court over N70m debt on Campaign

The Former President of Nigeria – GoodluckJonathan – and his party, PDP, have been dragged to court of Law by a telecoms company, Silon Concepts Limited, over a debt of N70 million owed by the party during the recently held general elections.

The suit was filed on Thursday, June 4, 2015, at a High Court sitting in Abuja.

The sum is meant to be payment for the ‘voice SMS campaign broadcast’ the company sent to eligible voters on behalf of the PDP Presidential candidate, former President, Goodluck Jonathan.

Also joined in the suit are two PDP chieftains and members of the party’s campaign organization, Ahmadu Ali and Senator Nenadi Usman.

The plaintiff is also seeking an additional payment of N15m as the cost of the suit.

Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential election to All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who is now President Muhammadu Buhari