Headline
Group Drags Buhari To Court For Spending N1.48trn On Refineries Maintenance In 5yrs Without Crude Oil
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sued President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration over failure to probe N1.48 trillion allegedly spent on maintaining the country’s four refineries between 2015 and 2020 believed to have been stolen, mismanaged or diverted into private pockets.
Joined in the suit as Respondent is Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The government reportedly spent N10.23 billion in June 2020 on three refineries that processed zero crude. Also in 2021, the government approved $1.5 billion (about N600 billion) to repair the Port Harcourt refinery. Despite the huge spending, the refineries are still not working while fuel scarcity persists.
In the suit filed last week at the Federal High Court, Lagos by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo, SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to investigate the spending on Nigeria’s refineries, and alleged mismanagement of public funds budgeted for maintaining the refineries since 1999.”
READ ALSO: NIN-SIM: SERAP Tackles FG Over Planned Blocking Of 72 Million Telephone Lines
SERAP is also seeking “an order of mandamus to compel President Buhari to ensure the prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the importation and distribution of dirty fuel into Nigeria, and to identify and ensure access to justice and effective remedies to affected victims.
“An order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to instruct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to jointly track and monitor the spending of public funds to rehabilitate, operate, and maintain Nigeria’s refineries.”
The filed suit read in part: “Nigeria has made legally binding commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure accountability in the management of public resources. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected.
“Directing and compelling President Buhari to probe allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the money meant to repair the country’s refineries would advance the rights of victims of corruption to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition.
“Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of the government to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.
“High-ranking public officials, including officers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited suspected of complicity in the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector, and the importation and distribution of adulterated fuel have continued to enjoy impunity.
“According to reports, petroleum products with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification were recently imported into the country.
“NNPC reportedly stated that the methanol-blended petrol was imported into the country by a few suppliers through four premium motor spirit cargoes under its Direct Sales Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement.
“According to reports, for every 200 litres of the adulterated product, 800 litres of petrol with good quality would be required for the blending to be done.
“According to reports, the government spends over N264 billion annually to operate and maintain the country’s refineries. Successive governments have reportedly spent trillions of Naira to rehabilitate, operate and maintain the refineries that have produced little or no fuel.
READ ALSO: SERAP Drags Buhari, Lai Mohammed To Court Over Failure To Publish Twitter Agreement
“The government reportedly spent $396 million for maintenance of the country’s refineries between 2015 and 2020 alone. Despite this huge spending, millions of Nigerians continue to lack access to full and unhindered supply of fuel.
“About N82.82 billion was reportedly spent in 2015; N78.95 billion in 2016; N604.127 billion in 2017; N426.66 billion in 2019; N218.18 billion in 2019, and N64.534 billion expenditure was recorded from January to June 2020.”
However, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit,” VANGUARD reports.
Headline
Ugandan President Ignores S’Court Ruling, Approves Law To Try Civilians In Military Courts
Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, on Monday, signed a new law allowing civilians to be tried in military courts that critics said could be used against opposition leaders ahead of next year’s election.
The new law comes despite a ruling by the Supreme Court in late January that it was unconstitutional for civilians to be tried in military courts as was the case for opposition leader, Kizza Besigye.
Besigye, 69, was abducted by armed men in Nairobi in November and re-emerged a few days later at a military court in Uganda, where he was charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty.
READ ALSO: Police Uncover 17 Skulls In Ugandan Shrine
Following the Supreme Court ruling, his case was moved to a civilian court.
But the new law provides for “exceptional circumstances” under which civilians can be subjected to military law, including the “unlawful possession of arms, ammunition or equipment,” one of the other charges Besigye is facing.
The signing of the law was announced by Uganda’s parliament on X.
Besigye’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago, told AFP that the law was designed to facilitate the “illegal detention and trial of Besigye and others”.
Besigye has been in jail for more than the six-month legal limit for detention without trial.
Uganda’s other major opposition leader, Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, told AFP, “All of us in the opposition are being targeted by the Act.”
Human rights lawyer and activist, Eron Kiiza — who was jailed by a military court for six months for alleged misconduct while defending Besigye — said he would legally “challenge the Act”.
Rights groups said Besigye’s abduction and trial for treason were linked to the election in January when 80-year-old Museveni will seek to extend his 40 years in power.
AFP
Headline
Turkish President, Erdogan Calls Putin, Accused Israel Of Threatening Regional Security
…says “lawless attitude” of Netanyahu’s govt “poses threat to international system
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of threatening security in the Middle East during a phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, his office said.
“The spiral of violence that began with Israel’s attacks on Iran has put the security of the entire region at risk,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.
His office said he told Putin that the “lawless attitude” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “poses a clear threat to the international system”, adding that the Middle East “cannot tolerate a new war”.
READ ALSO: Netanyahu Says Israel’s Strikes On Iran Have ‘Clear Support’ Of Trump
The Kremlin said Putin and Erdogan used the conversation to call for an “immediate” end to fighting between Israel and Iran.
“The leaders called for an immediate end to hostilities and the settlement of contentious issues, including those related to Iran’s nuclear programme, exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.
Turkey has stepped up its diplomacy since Israel launched aerial attacks on Iran last Friday and Tehran struck back on the weekend, in their most intense confrontation in history.
Headline
Iran, Israel Need ‘To Fight It Out’ To Reach Deal – Trump
US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iran and Israel — who are locked in an exchange of military strikes — to “make a deal,” but suggested they might need to “fight it out” first.
“I think it’s time for a deal,” Trump told reporters, as Israel and Iran exchanged a fresh barrage of missile strikes and threatened more devastation in a conflict that appeared to be intensifying.
“But sometimes they have to fight it out, but we’re going to see what happens,” Trump said, speaking at the White House before heading to Canada to take part in a G7 summit.
READ ALSO: Netanyahu Says Israel’s Strikes On Iran Have ‘Clear Support’ Of Trump
After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marks the first time arch-enemies Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.
It began Friday, when Israel launched attacks that have killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and struck military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.
Trump refused to answer a question about whether he had asked Israel to pause airstrikes on Iran.
Earlier, a senior US official told AFP that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he believed the two sides “should make a deal, and will make a deal.”
There are “many calls and meetings now taking place” on the issue and peace could be achieved “soon” between the longtime adversaries, he said.
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