Headlines from mainstream Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday, August 30, are focused on the the reason given by the federal government on why northern youths who issued quit notice to people from the south-east were not arrested, amongst other top stories.
Thisday newspaper of Wednesday, August 30. Photo credit: NAIJ.com screenshot
Thisday reports that following accusations of bias, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), proffered a reason as to why the proponents of the quit notice to Nigerians of South-east extraction residing in the Northern part of the country were not arrested.
Speaking in Abuja Tuesday, Malami said the government resisted pressure to go after leaders of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum after it gave due consideration to the security implications of arresting them.
Malami has come under attack in recent days over his request to the court to withdraw the bail conditions granted to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, while ignoring the antics and divisive remarks made by the Arewa youths, even though they were later to rescind their eviction notice.
The AGF, however, said the government would not hesitate to wield the big stick against anyone or group found to have engaged in any form of lawlessness in any part of the country.
According to him, “Government considered the security implications on the issue. Let me state that government is alive to its responsibility and whoever is found wanting will be prosecuted. This administration is determined to provide good governance and promote justice, peace and fairness.”
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Malami spoke on the issue shortly after he established an investigation unit in his ministry, with the mandate to investigate “sensitive and important cases”.
He blamed the rift between himself and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, over prosecution of high profile cases on negative media reports.
He admitted, nonetheless, that shallow investigations were a major reason some cases were thrown out by the courts.
He said the new unit that was established in the Ministry of Justice would henceforth “coordinate and form part of every investigation in Nigeria”, adding that the move had become necessary in view of apparent lack of “legal expertise in the conduct and process of investigations by the various security agencies in Nigeria”.
Guardian newspaper of Wednesday, August 30. Photo credit: NAIJ.com screenshot
The Guardian reported that except the Federal Government pays all petroleum subsidy arrears of over $2 billion (N720 billion) owed oil marketers, many employees in the downstream sector may soon be thrown into the labour market.
Already, the oil marketers have disclosed plans to embark on mass retrenchment of workers as government fails to pay the outstanding subsidy owed on the importation of petroleum products, accrued interest on loans from banks and exchange rate differential.
The government’s delay in the payment of the over N720 billion debt has made marketers to halt the importation of petrol, leaving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to become the sole importer of the essential commodity. The marketers said as a result of the non-payment of interest and foreign exchange differentials, they had gradually become financially handicapped to continue operating profitably.
Both the ministry of Finance and the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) could not be reached for comments last night. Text messages sent to the mobile phones of their spokesmen — Lanre Oladele (finance ministry) and Salisu Saleh of the PPPRA— did not elicit any response as at press time, even as several calls put to their phones rang out. But presidency sources had confirmed to The Guardian that efforts were being made to settle all outstanding issues in the sub-sector.
The marketers, who operate under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN); Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN); Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA); and Independent Petroleum Products Importers (IPPIs), added that government’s delay in settling all the debts was threatening massive investment in the downstream sector.
A statement by the marketers after their joint meeting in Lagos yesterday which was signed by their legal adviser, Patrick Etim Esq, revealed that many petrol sellers and oil companies are owing their workers over eight months’ salaries due to the inability of the Federal Government to pay the debt.
The marketers appealed for an urgent intervention of government by the authorisation to pay outstanding interest and foreign exchange differentials owed them to date to save their businesses from total collapse. They alleged that government violated the agreement reached with them on payment schedule.
They claimed that the commercial banks that lent money to them for the importation of petrol were still in despair following the weight of the indebtedness of the oil sellers, even as their operations nationwide were fast grinding to a halt. They said the hope that the outstanding subsidy would be paid following the intervention of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, appeared to have been shattered as the payment promised to be effected in July 2017 was yet to materialise.
The statement read in part: “This is devastating to marketers as we are being dragged daily by banks on debts owed and under threat of putting our tank farms under receivership.
“The condition of the contract is that the government shall pay the difference between the landing cost and the selling price of petrol (as fixed by government) provided that the landing cost is higher than the selling price.
“The government approved the landing cost which fluctuated as it depended mainly on the international price of petrol and exchange rate of naira/dollar. A key term of the government’s contract with marketers is that the under-recovery payments shall be paid to marketers within 45 days of submission of documents evidencing discharge of petrol cargo and trucking out from storage.”
Punch newspaper of Wednesday, August 30. Photo credit: NAIJ.com screenshot
Punch on the other hand reported that there are strong indications that the Federal Executive Council will, at its meeting on Wednesday (today) decide on the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
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The minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who gave this indication in an interview with journalists on Tuesday, said the university lecturers had deliberated on the offers made to them by the government at a meeting on August 17.
Also, the union, in a statement on Tuesday, said it would call off its strike after receiving a positive response to its demands from the federal government.
The lecturers boycotted a meeting which was scheduled to hold between the government and the union on Tuesday.
ASUU, on August 13, began a nationwide strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement an agreement it reached with the union in 2009.
The union also alleged that the Federal Government did not implement the Memorandum of Understanding the two sides signed in 2013.
The Nation newspaper of Wednesday, August 30. Photo credit: NAIJ.com screenshot
Watch this NAIJ.com TV video of drivers in Abuja celebrating Buhari's return.
ROSY CREST
Wednesday, 30 August 2017