Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
Ghanaians oppose contract for 'corrupt' Nigerian Company
New Housing Deal Stinks
A Nigerian businessman at the head of the repackaged $200 million housing project, a replacement for the ill-fated STX Korea initiative, is at the centre of a litany of corruption-related cases in a number of states in the northern and southern parts of the oil-rich country.
Snecou Group of Companies has been contracted by the Ghana Government to construct 4000 houses at the outrage cost of $200million, and a Parliamentary approval has been sought, even though the company has a dodgy background.
Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, E.T. Mensah laid the documents in Parliament last Friday.
A top-notch policy advocacy grouping, Imani Ghana, made the disclosure over the weekend in a statement raising objection to the deal, especially against the backdrop of the shadowy background of the chairman of the Snecou Group of Companies, Prince Nicholas Uwachukwu.
The Snecou chairman reportedly used four of his companies to loot $40 million belonging to the northern state of Nasarawa, Imani cautioned Ghanaians, especially the authorities.
Besides the shadowy integrity of the Nigerian group of companies, the unit cost of the houses, according to Imani, was exorbitant and therefore not in the economic interest of the country.
“Clearly, the average cost of a unit ($77,000) is exorbitant in this scheme of things. In cost terms, the deal is worse than the STX one,” Imani stated. The advocacy grouping pointed out that while it supported ventures which were in the interest of the nation, it stood for “the judicious use of public resources, and a greater commitment to due diligence on the part of public purse holders”.
While referring to the Order Paper already laid before the current session of Parliament, Imani pointed out that “it should not have advanced from committee level in the first place much less laid before the full House.”
According to Imani, the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works & Housing which referred to a Supplier’s Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the corruption-enveloped Snecou Group of Companies, as well as details of the project, was the same instrument used to design the ill-fated STX deal.
By the terms of the deal, Imani explained, Snecou would raise $77.3 million for the construction of 1000 houses for the police and military as government settled the emanating debt.
Imani pointed out that “in October 2010, the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of the Republic of Nigeria indicted the Chairman of Snecou, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, of using four of his companies to loot $40 million of public funds belonging to the State of Nasarawa. The 171-count charge (charge sheet – FHC/LF/CR/8/2010) preferred against Prince Ukachukwu in the Federal High Court in Lafia contains several references to Snecou. The EFCC accused Snecou and its Chairman of collecting huge sums of money from the state for various projects and failing to execute. In total, $80 million of embezzled funds were evidenced in the report.”
In another southern state of Bayelsa, the group of companies has been cited in a number of multi-million dollar abandoned projects. “Similar concerns have been raised about Snecou in connection with billions of Naira in construction contracts in Bayelsa state. In one case, Snecou won a contract to build a hospital valued at $120 million in the state. After huge payments had been made to the company, the project was finally abandoned,” Imani posited.
The advocacy grouping, in view of the foregone, counselled that the report, now before Parliament, be returned to the committee for the appropriate diligence to be conducted into the background and track record of Snecou and its chairman, Prince Ukachukwu.
Turning to a Buyer’s Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Italconstruct Limited, a local real estate company, for the supply of 4000 houses at a cost of $200 million, the terms of the offer did not improve on the one made by STX, according to Imani.
“At $50,000 base cost per unit, it is likely that the final price per unit will hit $60,000 or more. This is considerably above the ministry’s own threshold of $10,000 for affordable housing in Ghana.”
Imani pointed out that Italconstruct offered two-bedroom houses for sale on its website at just a little above $25,000 and therefore wondered why “the company should be quoting more than $50,000 per unit for a large-scale project whose capital costs are being fully underwritten by the state”.
DAILY GUIDE has been reliably informed that the affordable houses initiated by the Kufuor-administration had been sold out. An anonymous person told DAILY GUIDE that “when I went to the Works and Housing Ministry to make an enquiry, a notice was pasted to that effect.”
A Nigerian businessman at the head of the repackaged $200 million housing project, a replacement for the ill-fated STX Korea initiative, is at the centre of a litany of corruption-related cases in a number of states in the northern and southern parts of the oil-rich country.
Snecou Group of Companies has been contracted by the Ghana Government to construct 4000 houses at the outrage cost of $200million, and a Parliamentary approval has been sought, even though the company has a dodgy background.
Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, E.T. Mensah laid the documents in Parliament last Friday.
A top-notch policy advocacy grouping, Imani Ghana, made the disclosure over the weekend in a statement raising objection to the deal, especially against the backdrop of the shadowy background of the chairman of the Snecou Group of Companies, Prince Nicholas Uwachukwu.
The Snecou chairman reportedly used four of his companies to loot $40 million belonging to the northern state of Nasarawa, Imani cautioned Ghanaians, especially the authorities.
Besides the shadowy integrity of the Nigerian group of companies, the unit cost of the houses, according to Imani, was exorbitant and therefore not in the economic interest of the country.
“Clearly, the average cost of a unit ($77,000) is exorbitant in this scheme of things. In cost terms, the deal is worse than the STX one,” Imani stated. The advocacy grouping pointed out that while it supported ventures which were in the interest of the nation, it stood for “the judicious use of public resources, and a greater commitment to due diligence on the part of public purse holders”.
While referring to the Order Paper already laid before the current session of Parliament, Imani pointed out that “it should not have advanced from committee level in the first place much less laid before the full House.”
According to Imani, the report of the Joint Committee on Finance and Works & Housing which referred to a Supplier’s Credit Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the corruption-enveloped Snecou Group of Companies, as well as details of the project, was the same instrument used to design the ill-fated STX deal.
By the terms of the deal, Imani explained, Snecou would raise $77.3 million for the construction of 1000 houses for the police and military as government settled the emanating debt.
Imani pointed out that “in October 2010, the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of the Republic of Nigeria indicted the Chairman of Snecou, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, of using four of his companies to loot $40 million of public funds belonging to the State of Nasarawa. The 171-count charge (charge sheet – FHC/LF/CR/8/2010) preferred against Prince Ukachukwu in the Federal High Court in Lafia contains several references to Snecou. The EFCC accused Snecou and its Chairman of collecting huge sums of money from the state for various projects and failing to execute. In total, $80 million of embezzled funds were evidenced in the report.”
In another southern state of Bayelsa, the group of companies has been cited in a number of multi-million dollar abandoned projects. “Similar concerns have been raised about Snecou in connection with billions of Naira in construction contracts in Bayelsa state. In one case, Snecou won a contract to build a hospital valued at $120 million in the state. After huge payments had been made to the company, the project was finally abandoned,” Imani posited.
The advocacy grouping, in view of the foregone, counselled that the report, now before Parliament, be returned to the committee for the appropriate diligence to be conducted into the background and track record of Snecou and its chairman, Prince Ukachukwu.
Turning to a Buyer’s Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Italconstruct Limited, a local real estate company, for the supply of 4000 houses at a cost of $200 million, the terms of the offer did not improve on the one made by STX, according to Imani.
“At $50,000 base cost per unit, it is likely that the final price per unit will hit $60,000 or more. This is considerably above the ministry’s own threshold of $10,000 for affordable housing in Ghana.”
Imani pointed out that Italconstruct offered two-bedroom houses for sale on its website at just a little above $25,000 and therefore wondered why “the company should be quoting more than $50,000 per unit for a large-scale project whose capital costs are being fully underwritten by the state”.
DAILY GUIDE has been reliably informed that the affordable houses initiated by the Kufuor-administration had been sold out. An anonymous person told DAILY GUIDE that “when I went to the Works and Housing Ministry to make an enquiry, a notice was pasted to that effect.”
POLITICS: PDP'S 'PLOT' TO CRIPPLE FASHOLA, OSHIOMHOLE, OTHER ACN GOVTS REVEALED
PDP plans to strangulate ACN states financially - Lai Mohammed
The Action Congress of Nigeria has exposed the callous and evil plot of the People's Democratic Party to arrest development and progress in all ACN states by manipulating banks, including the apex bank, the capital market, financial institutions and regulatory authorities to withdraw financial support to all ACN states through a sustained campaign of blackmail , calumny and arm twisting.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed the party said it can authoritatively reveal that the first phase of this plot is for the PDP to make available to the Honourable Ministers of Finance and National Planning and Director General of the Debt Management office false representation of the debt profiles of ACN states accompanied by wild and unsubstantiated allegations financial recklessness and improprieties against ACN states for deliberation at the next meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
According to the party the Federal Government will then enlist the support of the Central Bank Governor who will table the contrived damning indictment before the Bankers Committee who in turn will unsuspectingly withdraw their financial support from all ACN states.
But the People's Democratic Party led Federal Government will not stop at this. It will thereafter manipulate its appointees at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other relevant regulatory authorities to block the ACN states access to the capital market even as the same Federal Government itself had resorted to the same Capital Market to fund its own deficit budget, the party elaborated.
The party recalled that the People's Democratic Party when it had no answer to Lagos State's unprecedented developmental successes under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu employed this same devious plot and would have succeeded in arresting the phenomenal success of that administration but for the financial ingenuity and resourcefulness of the former governor.
The recent unrelenting and sustained smear campaign against the ACN governors by the do nothing People's Democratic Party is nothing but a prelude to this grand conspiracy to financially cripple all ACN states . Rather than emulate the giant strides of the ACN states especially in the areas of security, youth employment, infrastructural development etc, and make life more meaningful and bearable for the millions of citizens under its watch the People's Democratic Party has true to character resorted to this evil plan to stunt the growth of the ACN states and condemn the people of these states to a life of misery, poverty, chaos and hardship as is the norm in almost all PDP led states, the party noted.
The People's Democratic Party led Federal Government is advised however to immediately retrace its steps otherwise it will face a people's revolt and anger the like of which it has never witnessed as the the citizens of all ACN led states will rise in with one voice to resist with all means at their disposal any attempt by the clueless PDP led federal government to truncate the unprecedented era of peace , progress and development currently being enjoyed in these states after the locust years of the PDP.
The Action Congress of Nigeria has exposed the callous and evil plot of the People's Democratic Party to arrest development and progress in all ACN states by manipulating banks, including the apex bank, the capital market, financial institutions and regulatory authorities to withdraw financial support to all ACN states through a sustained campaign of blackmail , calumny and arm twisting.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed the party said it can authoritatively reveal that the first phase of this plot is for the PDP to make available to the Honourable Ministers of Finance and National Planning and Director General of the Debt Management office false representation of the debt profiles of ACN states accompanied by wild and unsubstantiated allegations financial recklessness and improprieties against ACN states for deliberation at the next meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
According to the party the Federal Government will then enlist the support of the Central Bank Governor who will table the contrived damning indictment before the Bankers Committee who in turn will unsuspectingly withdraw their financial support from all ACN states.
But the People's Democratic Party led Federal Government will not stop at this. It will thereafter manipulate its appointees at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other relevant regulatory authorities to block the ACN states access to the capital market even as the same Federal Government itself had resorted to the same Capital Market to fund its own deficit budget, the party elaborated.
The party recalled that the People's Democratic Party when it had no answer to Lagos State's unprecedented developmental successes under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu employed this same devious plot and would have succeeded in arresting the phenomenal success of that administration but for the financial ingenuity and resourcefulness of the former governor.
The recent unrelenting and sustained smear campaign against the ACN governors by the do nothing People's Democratic Party is nothing but a prelude to this grand conspiracy to financially cripple all ACN states . Rather than emulate the giant strides of the ACN states especially in the areas of security, youth employment, infrastructural development etc, and make life more meaningful and bearable for the millions of citizens under its watch the People's Democratic Party has true to character resorted to this evil plan to stunt the growth of the ACN states and condemn the people of these states to a life of misery, poverty, chaos and hardship as is the norm in almost all PDP led states, the party noted.
The People's Democratic Party led Federal Government is advised however to immediately retrace its steps otherwise it will face a people's revolt and anger the like of which it has never witnessed as the the citizens of all ACN led states will rise in with one voice to resist with all means at their disposal any attempt by the clueless PDP led federal government to truncate the unprecedented era of peace , progress and development currently being enjoyed in these states after the locust years of the PDP.
Monday, 3 September 2012
CHELSEA SELLS MEIRELES TO FENERBAHCE
MEIRELES DEPARTS FOR TURKEY
Posted on: Mon 03 Sep 2012
Raul Meireles has today joined Fenerbahçe on a permanent transfer.
The move was completed before the close of the Turkish transfer window later this week.
Meireles joined Chelsea on transfer deadline day last August and made his debut away at Sunderland, assisting a Daniel Sturridge goal with a long through-ball.
The Portuguese international's ability to play in a variety of roles in midfield meant he was regularly deployed by both Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, starting 37 games last season and coming on in a further eight matches.
He scored six goals including important long-range strikes in Di Matteo's first game in charge at Birmingham in an FA Cup replay, and at home to Benfica that sealed a Champions League quarter-final win when the team was under pressure.
He was a second-half sub during the FA Cup Final victory over Liverpool but missed the Champions League Final due to suspension having played the whole of the semi-final versus Barcelona.
This season, prior to his transfer, the 29-year-old started one match and was a sub on two occasions. In total he made 38+10 appearances.
Chelsea Football Club thanks Raul for the part he played in such an historic and successful year, and wishes him well at his new club.
He joins a Fenerbahçe squad containing former Chelsea winger Miroslav Stoch plus ex-Premier League players Joseph Yobo and Dirk Kuyt.
Culled from www.chelseafc.com
The move was completed before the close of the Turkish transfer window later this week.
Meireles joined Chelsea on transfer deadline day last August and made his debut away at Sunderland, assisting a Daniel Sturridge goal with a long through-ball.
The Portuguese international's ability to play in a variety of roles in midfield meant he was regularly deployed by both Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, starting 37 games last season and coming on in a further eight matches.
He scored six goals including important long-range strikes in Di Matteo's first game in charge at Birmingham in an FA Cup replay, and at home to Benfica that sealed a Champions League quarter-final win when the team was under pressure.
He was a second-half sub during the FA Cup Final victory over Liverpool but missed the Champions League Final due to suspension having played the whole of the semi-final versus Barcelona.
This season, prior to his transfer, the 29-year-old started one match and was a sub on two occasions. In total he made 38+10 appearances.
Chelsea Football Club thanks Raul for the part he played in such an historic and successful year, and wishes him well at his new club.
He joins a Fenerbahçe squad containing former Chelsea winger Miroslav Stoch plus ex-Premier League players Joseph Yobo and Dirk Kuyt.
Culled from www.chelseafc.com
N24m ROASTED 'CHICKEN COCAINE'
N24m ROASTED 'CHICAINE'
***Man arrested in Lagos with N24m worth of cocaine stuffed in roasted Chicken
Cops confiscate cocaine valued at $150K.
Suspect allegedly told officers he hoped to start business with the drug money.
LAGOS, Nigeria — A man was arrested at the Murtal Mohammed International Airport, Lagos after cops said he arrived toting roasted chicken with an unusual stuffing: $150,000 (about N24million) worth of cocaine.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spokesman Mitchell Ofoyeju said Monday that suspect, Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, arrived at Lagos’ MMA (International) this weekend from Sao Paolo in Brazil.
Ofoyeju said Chinweuwa told investigators he had hoped to start a business in Nigeria with the drug money.
Chinweuwa could not immediately be reached for comment as he remained in custody of the anti-drug agency Monday. Ofoyeju said Chinweuwa had yet to hire a lawyer.
Nigeria is a major transit point for drugs coming from Latin America and going to Europe and the U.S.
***Man arrested in Lagos with N24m worth of cocaine stuffed in roasted Chicken
Cops confiscate cocaine valued at $150K.
Suspect allegedly told officers he hoped to start business with the drug money.
LAGOS, Nigeria — A man was arrested at the Murtal Mohammed International Airport, Lagos after cops said he arrived toting roasted chicken with an unusual stuffing: $150,000 (about N24million) worth of cocaine.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spokesman Mitchell Ofoyeju said Monday that suspect, Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, arrived at Lagos’ MMA (International) this weekend from Sao Paolo in Brazil.
Ofoyeju said Chinweuwa told investigators he had hoped to start a business in Nigeria with the drug money.
Chinweuwa could not immediately be reached for comment as he remained in custody of the anti-drug agency Monday. Ofoyeju said Chinweuwa had yet to hire a lawyer.
Nigeria is a major transit point for drugs coming from Latin America and going to Europe and the U.S.
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Bayelsa News: N200m contract winner commits suicide
INCREDIBLE: Man wins N200m contract then commits suicide
A 34years old man
identified as, Tari , yesterday in Yenagoa committed suicide by drinking a
mixture of insecticide know as Sniper and liquid Bleach few hours after securing
a state Government road contract worth N200million for the construction of the
Egbedi road in Kolokuma/Opokuma area of the state.
Tari,who is an indigene
of Trofani Community in Kolokuma/Opokuma area of the State and a graduate of the
University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State,swallowed the poisonous mixture in
the early hours of Friday and was found writhtling in pains by close
relatives.
SOB gathered
that the incident occurred at the home of the deceased located within the Civil
Servant Estate behind the office complex of the State Scholarship
board.
According to Family
sources,the mother of the deceased,who is identified as a retired Civil Servant
and other family members,were shocked beyond words at the incident. None could
however give reasons for the decision of the deceased to take his
life.
While some family
sources have started ascribing the tragic end to some mysterious powers,others
claimed that the deceased had,in the past few days,been receiving threat calls
on his mobile phone. They claimed the mysterious callers have been threatening
to kill him over an undisclosed deals.
It was further gathered gathered
that the relatives and sympathizers,after discovering the grievous act of the
deceased,rushed him to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) for treatment and
reportedly took him to a Church after his condition deteriorated.
Expectedly, family members were too devastated to speak as they wailed and cursed over the incident.
Speaker of the State Police Command, Mr. Fidelis Odunna, said no official report on the incident had been made at the time he was contacted. He however said operatives of the command would be deployed to investigate
the incident.
NIGER DELTA NEWS: TEMPERS RISE OVER AMNESTY MILLIONS
Ex-Militants, Joseph Evah on collision course over amnesty allowance
...Evah is short-changing us - Ex-militants
…No, am not but I will deal with them - Evah
Former freedom fighters (ex-militants) under the Phase 2 Amnesty Programme, have accused prominent Ijaw leader and National Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah, of shortchanging them in the payment of their monthly amnesty allowances.
The aggrieved former foot soldiers of the accused the Ijaw activist, who they claimed got the contract to handle their disbursement, of fronting for amnesty official in a multimillion fraud in the payment of their monthly allowance.
Speaking under strict condition of anonymity this morning, the ex-militants of former Gberebeha Camp in Lagos, told Nation Evening Express that over 400 of their members from the are being systematically shortchanged by Comrade Evah and the amnesty official.
"Our counterparts under the leadership of Tompolo (Chief Government Ekpemupolo) and others are paid N65,000 per month and their payment is done monthly and regularly. But (Comrade) Evah pays us N55,000 out which we are asked to pay N10,000 to his community as development levy," they lamented.
They further claimed that the Ijaw leader adopt a method of payment that ensures that they are only paid twice in three month, adding, "He keeps the money in his account for weeks and pay the past month towards the end of the preceding month. Thereafter he tells us that we have been paid for the current month."
However, Evah, who spoke with our reporter from Ghana this morning, denied the allegation. He said, "I am not a militant, I never had any camp so how can I be responsible for the payment of militants?"
He further stated that he organizes programme and source sponsorship for programmes which beneficiaries are required to pay "something" for the development of their communities.
"(But) They don’t want to pay community levy; they do not want to contribute. I have told them (that) I am going to deal with them and I will deal with them," Evah vowed.
But his accusers claimed that the scheme is carried out in connivance with members of the Amnesty Office, who forward their petitions back to Evah, who in turn victimizes the authors to serve as deterrent to others.
"We are suffering oppression here; our petition to even the Chairman, Mr. Kingsley Kuku was forwarded to him (Evah) along with telephone numbers. In retaliation, he removed their names from the list and they have not been paid since then. He warned us that similar fates await those who speak out against the deal," our source added.
NIGER DELTA NEWS: IYC WARNS NORTHERN GOVs
PIB: Ijaw youths warn Northern Governors
'Don’t start problems that will overwhelm you'
The umbrella body of Ijaw youths in the Niger Delta, Ijaw Youth Council, has warned the Northern Governors' Forum over its opposition to the Petroleum Industry Bill and call for the review of the sharing formula of oil proceeds.
IYC said the forum's opposition to the PIB as voiced by the Chairman and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Aliyu Babangida, was capable of leading the country to a disaster.
Governor Aliyu stirred controversy recently when he called for a review of the crude oil revenue sharing formula as well as alteration of the PIB, which gives the Minister of Petroleum Resource almost unlimited powers.
However, the President of IYC, Miabiye Kuromiema, cautioned that the statement could unleash fresh violence and unrest and advised the NGF and its parent body, the Nigeria Governors' Forum, to tread with caution.
He said, "We recognise that it is provocative, it is divisive and the forum led by Dr. Aliyu is leading this country to a disaster by such pronouncements. They and even the entire Governors' Forum are pushing this country to a precipice of disaster and I do not think they have the capacity to withstand the disaster that will arise."
Similarly, Kuromiema also waved aside the controversy generated by multibillion-naira pipeline surveillance contracts to former warlords, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), Tom Ateke, Boyloaf, Asari Tokubor and others.
Revelation about mouthwatering contracts to the ex-militant leaders have led to widespread criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan's policies and cuddling of the repentant warlords.
However, the IYC President said the beneficiaries are eminently qualified to get such juicy contracts, stressing that there was even need for them to earn more.
Meanwhile, Kuromiema expressed the determination of the IYC to actualise the struggle for resource control, stressing that it would achieve the effort through legal and civil means in the Niger Delta.