RIBADU REPORT:Report of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force

                                               EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

The Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, driven by the need to strengthen the institutions responsible for Petroleum Revenue Management, commissioned the Petroleum Revenue Special Task force (PRSTF) on 28 February 2012. The goal of the Task Force was to support the programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria in enhancing optimization, probity and accountability in the operations of the Petroleum Industry.

As part of this agenda and the issues arising from the various fiscal regimes existing in the sector, there arose an urgent need to establish the streams of revenue flows from the Petroleum sector to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and design systems and processes which would enhance the accountability of each agency or entity.

Going to Maiduguri 3: JTF's Reign of Terror

By Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

Going to Maiduguri 1 

Going to Maiduguri 2

Scene of the blast

As Sani (my driver) approached the palace of the Shehu of Borno in Budum community, the road blocks, the crowded streets and the thickening clouds of chaos and confusion signaled that something was wrong. A bomb blast that went off beside Budum market, injuring three soldiers, had invited ruthless military action and reprisal attacks from JTF soldiers. The JTF onslaught left boldly disconsolate imprints that resonated loudly in nearly every home, in every street, and every corner, within the community. 

Grumbling men, wailing women, unrestrained children and incensed youths milled through the streets, especially close to the smoldering shops and wares strewn in and around what used to be Budum Market. Inestimable quantity of grains of burnt rice, beans, millets, corn, groundnuts, carrots, broken plates, clothing, provisions, drugs and a variety of items littered the entire market area. A handful of local youth rummaged through the ruins, picking objects that caught their fancy. My camera started rolling immediately. 

Governors, Private Jets and Public Accountability

 

Amid widespread speculations of death and a flurry of condolence messages, an official statement  issued by the Special Assistant to the Nigerian Minister of Aviation on Media, Mr. Joe Obi, clarified that no one died in the plane crash involving the Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Danbaba Suntai. The governor and  five other passengers, including the governor’s security detail, survived the crash, though they are reported to be lying in critical condition at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city. 

The aircraft, Cessna 208, which belongs to the State Governor departed Jalingo, Taraba State for Yola on Thursday evening and last reported contact with the Yola Control Tower (1720Z) at 38 miles estimating landing at 1730Z. In addition to being a pharmacist, Taraba governor is also a licensed pilot. He got his license from Aviation School, Zaria in 2010.

As soon as news broke out, especially on the social media, that a serving governor had crashed in his private jet, attention instantly shifted from the crash and the likelihood of survival and spiralled to full-blown unsympathetic outrage.  The reason for the outrage is not far-fetched:  Taraba is ranked among the poorest states in Nigeria with a high population of almajiris (child street beggars). The governor is also among the leading voices clamouring for increasing revenue allocation while currrent state resources remain largely unaccounted for. How could it be possible that a pharmacist-trained governor could afford to buy acquire luxury private jets, build private air strips while majority of citizens under his watch live in abjectly poor conditions? 

Here is a random collection of the questions young Nigerians, especially the northern youth, are asking: 

Mimiko Wins, GEJ Congratulates Him

President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Olusegun Mimiko, the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo state. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati said “as Governor Mimiko looks forward to the commencement of his second term in Office, the President urges him to be prepared to work even harder to  justify the fresh mandate given to him by the people of Ondo state who voted for his re-election on Saturday.”

Why Are Public Officials Afraid of the Social Media?

By Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

A casual glance at the Facebook walls and pages of most public figures in Nigeria reveals motionless and inactive accounts bereft of any form of human or interactive activity. Just about a year ago, especially in the build up to the 2011 elections, the same walls and pages across diverse social media sites were very busy, fanatically inundating online users with campaign promises and brightly-colored pictures of partially-existing and non-existent roads, schools, boreholes and other “development” projects. Citizens were regaled with unsubstantiated stories and claims of achievements in their public and private lives. 

PIB: Examining the Power of Regulatory Agencies to Receive Gifts

By Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

Sections 33 (1), S. 63 (1) and S. 139 (1) of the latest draft of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) empowers the two regulatory agencies: the Upstream Petroleum Inspectorate (UPI) and the Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (DPRA), including the National Petroleum Assets Management Corporation to receive gifts of money, or other property, from third parties.  

Should regulatory bodies accept gifts of money and property from the same entities they regulate? In its recently released policy briefing paper, Spaces for Change argues that such gift-giving may not only upset the pursuit of transparency and accountability urgently needed in the oil sector, but that gift cultures are also fraught with ambiguities and intrinsic susceptibility to corruption.

FLOOD! FLOOD! FLOODED NIGER DELTA!

These photos were taken on October 9, 2012 in Mbiama, Akinima,  Akioniso and Oruama communities, In Ahoada West Local Government of Rivers State, Niger Delta, Nigeria. They have no shelter, no food and no medicines.

Join the campaign...Support flood victims today!

BETWEEN AWOLOWO AND ACHEBE: AN UNUSUAL REACTION

By Tèmítáyò Fábùnmi

It's sheer intellectual laziness to tar Prof. Chinua Achebe's book as the result of a "pathological hatred of theYorubas". But like someone said earlier, lots of folks don't read their Bible, but still spout the mantra "it is loaded" - simply because the pastor said so.

Lay aside the dogma you have been fed by UPN/AG since your primary school days - ostensibly in an environment influenced by people who were products of "Papa Awo's welfare state. Do not take my comment as an "attack on Yorubas", for the same practice abounds across Nigeria where some folks still probably believe Nnamdi Azikiwe had the keys to the River Niger or that Ahmadu Bello had a halo under his turban.

AHOADA FLOOD VICTIMS CRY OUT FOR HELP!!!

A normal trip from Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital to Mbiama, the popular commercial town in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State usually takes about one hour, thirty minutes. That wasn’t the case when Social Action, a Port Harcourt-based NGO visited the area on October 9-10, 2012 to assess the level of damage caused by flood and to document the official responses to the situation by the federal, state and local governments, including the multinational oil companies working in the area, especially Shell.

A heavy traffic from Okogbe axis of the East-West Road signaled that something was wrong: the Okogbe-Mbiama road is flooded to the point where only heavy-duty vehicles could pass. Surmounting all the odds and traffic delays, the team’s visit to the inaccessible communities such as Mbiama, Akinima,  Akioniso and Oruama revealed that these areas have been submerged, rendering thousands homeless, and without food. Scant media reportage of the situation in these communities was also delaying help from reaching those in critical need.