News From Nigeria
. We delight in transforming challenges into tangible opportunities, replies Kaita
It was encomiums galore for leading conglomerate, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc earlier in the week when Coordinator of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Daniel Friday Egga praised the company for its numerous efforts at delivering quality jobs to its numerous clients, including governments and private concerns across the country.
Speaking when the group of students from the country’s higher institutions honoured Julius Berger’s Director of Administration, Alh. Dr. Abdulaziz Isa Kaita with an Award of Excellence in Nation Building, the NANS leader said, for some of us, we grew up hearing about Julius Berger; we grew up seeing the enormous work Julius Berger has put into developing our country Nigeria. Also, we grew up to see that most of the construction works we find here in our country are done by Julius Berger; and we appreciate the quality of work you give to the country.
On the CSR efforts of the company, the student leader had more praises to sing of Julius Berger. Said he, we also appreciate your love for Nigeria by also contributing to the growth of young people of this country, especially with the Academy you opened for making sure you train young people to be able to contribute to the development of our country.
He admonished those in positions of responsibility to always act well, especially in the interest of development for the country saying, as young people we see the need to come together to appreciate those who are doing well in their own endeavours; in their own offices. You may feel nobody is watching you, but Nigerian students have their eyes everywhere. So, we see those who are doing well; we see those who are contributing not just to the development of this country but also to the development of young people. Those are the people, like your good self, we see as role models.
Stressing that NANS on its own has continued to try to put programmes in place to orientate and reorientate young people, mostly Nigerian students, against vices like drug abuse, campus prostitution, campus cultism, Egga, added the maxim, catch them young, as the Association’s guiding philosophy in the foregoing respect. As a result, he continued, NANS has taken it upon itself as a body to always see that we organise sensitisation programs in most of our campuses.
To the Award recipient, the NANS Coordinator said, it is a day that we have chosen to come and appreciate you, to come and say thank for all you have been doing; to come and say thank you for your decades of service to the country, Julius Berger, Katsina state and to the young people of this country. You have given your all, your time, your resources, your energy, making sure that you develop people, making sure that you mentor people and that is why as NANS we have to come to appreciate you today and the little way we can do that is by presenting our plague to you; an Award of Excellence, and to tell you that before you receive your appreciation in heaven, we want to appreciate you here on earth. We are saying to you that over 40.1million Nigerian students are with you; and we will continue to stand with you, whenever, wherever you call on us.
Responding, the Julius Berger Director of Administration thanked NANS for its thoughtful gesture and the moving words of encouragement spoken by their Coordinator.
He said Julius Berger has carved a niche for itself as a renowned engineering construction company that first entered Nigeria in 1965 with the construction of Eko Bridge, Lagos; and ever since then, there has been no going back on our efforts to be partners for progress in Nigeria.
That is why as a deliberate policy, we engage in many activities to further the growth of the country. Like the Academy you mentioned, including serial CSR efforts, we do them to ensure limitless prosperity not just for the company, but for our operational communities and Nigerian nation. And that is why, we delight in transforming challenges into tangible opportunities, Kaita said.
Apart from Egga, other NANS executives at the event include, NANS Director of Programmes, Fabong Godwin Nanla, Director, Gender, Mary Timothy, Director, Media & Protocol, Ahemba T. Enoch, Secretary, Shobande Aminat Olayinka, and the following; Salaudeen Afeez, Onoja Apeh David and Omede Onuche Sunday.
Team Julius Berger at the Award conferment were the recipient, Kaita, Head, Corporate Communications, James Agama, Media Relations Manager, Emmanuel Isibor and Assistant Senior Admin Officer, Bassey Effiong.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio over “the failure to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution, and to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who blew the whistle on the allegations.”
Mr Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of Nigeria’s Senate.
It would be recalled that whistleblower Ningi last month was suspended for three months over his allegations that the 2024 budget was padded by over N3 trillion and that the country is operating two budgets.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.”
SERAP is also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to immediately take steps to ensure the reinstatement of whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.”
SERAP is also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to put in place transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the trillions of Naira budgeted for constituency projects are not embezzled, misappropriated or diverted into private pockets.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “Granting this application would serve the public interest, encourage whistleblowers to speak up, improve public services, and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.”
SERAP is arguing that, “Directing Mr Akpabio to refer these allegations to appropriate anticorruption agencies and to reinstate whistleblower Abdul Ningi would be entirely consistent and compatible with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “The allegations by Senator Ningi amount to public interest disclosures and can contribute to strengthening transparency and democratic accountability in the Senate in particular and the country as a whole.”
According to SERAP, “Suspension of Senator Ningi by the Senate followed a seriously flawed process and it amounts to retaliation.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “Senator Ningi’s status as a whistleblower is not diminished even if the perceived threat to the public interest has not materialised, since he would seem to have reasonable grounds to believe in the accuracy of the allegations of budget padding and corruption in the Senate.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Mrs Adelanke Aremo, read in part: “It is in the public interest and the interest of justice to grant this application. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.”
“Directing Mr Akpabio to refer the allegations to appropriate anticorruption agencies would help to address the lingering problem of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects.”
“Directing Mr Akpabio to refer the allegations to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would also ensure probity and accountability in the budget process.”
“Investigating and prosecuting the allegations of budget padding and corruption would end the impunity of perpetrators. It would build trust in democratic institutions with the ultimate aim of strengthening the rule of law.”
“Years of allegations of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects have contributed to widespread poverty, underdevelopment and lack of access to public goods and services.”
“Allegations of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects have also continued to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens in several communities and the public interest.”
“Combating budget padding would improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of ministries, departments and agencies to effectively and efficiently discharge their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.”
“Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution requires public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
“Section 16(2) of the Nigerian Constitution further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’”
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on the National Assembly including the Senate to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution.”
“Section 81 of the Nigerian Constitution and sections 13 and 18 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act constrain the ability of the National Assembly to unilaterally insert its own allocations in the budget without following the due process of law.”
“Nigeria has made legally binding commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure accountability in the management of public resources.”
“Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on the National Assembly including the Senate to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds.”
“Article 33 of the Convention requires government institutions including the Senate to ensure the protection of whistleblowers against any unjustified treatment. Granting this application would ensure that these commitments are fully upheld and respected.”
“Senator Ningi is a whistleblower, who is protected under article 33 of the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party. Senator Ningi is a whistleblower because of his public interest disclosures on alleged budget padding and corruption in the Senate in the context of carrying out his work as Senator.”
“According to our information, Senator Abdul Ningi, the former Chairperson of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), recently told BBC Hausa that the lawmakers sought the service of a private auditor and discovered irregularities in the budget.”
“Senator Ningi reportedly said, ‘For example, we had a budget of N28 trillion but after our thorough checks, we found out that it was a budget of N25 trillion. How and where did we get the additional N3 trillion from, what are we spending it for?.’”
“According to BudgIT, a total of 7,447 projects culminating in N2.24tn were indiscriminately inserted in the 2024 budget by the National Assembly. 281 projects worth N491bn, and 3,706 projects within the range of N100–500m, worth 759bn were inserted in the budget.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
7/04/2024
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org; news@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
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