Nigeria: N255 Million Cars - FirstBank, Coscharis, Customs State Cases At Hearing

Abuja — IT was another round of startling revelations yesterday as the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation continued the suspended investigative hearing into an alleged purchase of two armoured BMW cars at N255 million by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.

Despite the fact that the minister was absent at the hearing, the Nigeria Customs Service, NSC, First Bank PLC and Coscharis made presentations on their involvement in the purchase of the cars.

According to Committee's Chairperson, Rep Nkeiruka Onyejeocha "tomorrow (today), is sacrosanct, the minister must appear by 10.am.

The minister's letter, requesting to appear by noon was ignored by the committee.

Lagos N10m waiver used to clear armoured cars -- Customs

Stakeholders were, however, startled when the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, DCG, Mannasseh Daniel Jatau, who represented the Customs C-G, Abdulahi Dikko said a N10 million waiver given to Lagos State Government as waiver to purchase vehicles for Eko 2012 Sports Festival was used to clear the cars.

Jatau said "the N10 million import duty payable on the 300 vehicles meant for Eko 2012 festival was used to clear the armoured cars."

He explained that since the waiver was still effective the Customs had no choice than to allow the cars clear from the ports.

Jatau also noted that the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, endorsed the clearance of the armoured cars.

At this point, Rep Zakari Mohammed asked the DC-G to explain the procedure for such a waiver and the exact number of vehicles cleared by the Customs.

Responding Jatau said "the armoured vehicles were cleared because there was an authorisation letter from the Minister of Finance."

Asked whether such a waiver was transferable, Jatau said, "to the best of my knowledge it is not transferrable and the total vehicles were 300 units."

Rep Ahmed Ali queried Jatau further whether it is possible to use such an exemption for another purpose other than what it was meant for as in the case of NCAA.

Rep Jerry Manwe also demanded for evidence to show that such a waiver was granted by the Minister of Finance.

Jatau replied, saying "among the 300 vehicles only three were armoured cars and whether another beneficiary enjoyed the waiver I cannot tell you that because we are not magicians.

"At the clearance point, all the requirements of the law were met and we are under the Ministry of Finance. If you give us till tomorrow, (today) we will provide the evidence you demanded for."

But a copy of the letter authorising the Customs was eventually presented which said "I am directed to refer to your letter dated June 23, 2012, in the above subject matter and to convey the approval of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief to the Lagos State Government for the waiver of Import Duty, Value Added Tax, (VAT, ETLS, CISS, and other port charges in respect of the importation of 300 units of BMW, Ford, Land Rover, Range Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, Escalade, Jaguar and buses (Petrol/Diesel) for use during the 18th National Sports Festival (EKO 2012) to be imported through Messrs Coscharis Motors Nigeria Limited, as indicated in the duly attached list."

He further said that but for the waiver, the Customs Service would have generated the sum of N10, 133, 533. He explained that if the Customs Service knew the diversion of beneficiaries before the vehicles left the port, it would have demanded that import duty be paid on them.

The lenders, First Bank of Nigeria in its testimony refuted claims by NCAA that it was not committed to the bank as regards the loan of N643 million for the cars.

Group Head, Retail Services of the bank, Seyi Oyefeso, told the committee that NCAA is committed to the bank having agreed to, and signed all the documents for the loan that was meant to cover 52 units of vehicles which does not include the BMW armoured cars.

In its own evidence, Coscharis Nig Ltd has maintained that due process was followed in the purchase of the cars and that regarding the exemption of duty, the President of the company, Cosmas Maduka, said it had an agreement with the Federal Government to waive import duties on cars it purchases for the government at a given time.

While the committee insisted that the current price of the vehicle shouldn't have ordinarily exceeded N50 million each, Coscharis outrightly rejected it, saying that could never be the case with BMW B7 series anywhere in the world.

NCAA demanded jerk-up of armoured cars prices -- Coscharis

But in a bid to state the fact, Coscharis revealed that the NCAA demanded a jerk up of the prices of the controversial vehicles from what the company had submitted earlier.

According to the Chairman of the company, Mr. Cosmas Maduka "NCAA told us that the initial price is not proper."

The hearing further revealed that the controversial cars were originally purchased on behalf of the Lagos State Government for the 2012 18th National Sports Festival and later sold to NCAA.

Explaining the controversy, Maduka said that the delay encountered when the company sought clearance from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, when the demand came made it necessary to sell the cars to NCAA. But the Committee insisted that Coscharis deceived the public and the government by saying that the cars were bought for NCAA when actually they were purchased on behalf of the Lagos State government.

Reps Committee accuses Coscharis of ripping off Nigerians

The committee also accused the company of ripping Nigerians off.

According to the Committee, the change in the prices of the vehicle from the initial amount of N70 million to N127.5 million even when the company had admitted that it got waivers from government not to pay Customs duties on the cars cast aspersion on the company's position on the prices.

Similarly, the hearing later took a dramatic turn when the committee discovered that the vehicles supplied were of different make and types.

For instance, a member of the committee and spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed said that the chassis of one of the vehicles inspected by a delegation from the committee was DW68011. He argued that the number differed from what Coscharis gave in their correspondences with the office of the NSA.

But in a swift response, the company refuted it. It quoted the chasis numbers as 68044 and 68432 respectively. It however promised to send the NSA certificate on the cars to the committee.

Earlier, the company had requested to play a video to demonstrate how exotic the cars were in a bid to justify the prices but was turned down by the committee.

FAAN procures two bullet proof cars for MD -- Sen. Uzodinma

In a related development, as condemnation continues to trail the purchase of two armoured cars by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, for the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, there was a startling revelation yesterday that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, equally procured another two for its Managing Director.

Meantime the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET and the Accident Investigations & Prevention Bureau, AIPB, have distanced themselves from the controversy surrounding the purchase of armoured vehicles, saying they were not involved in transactions on bullet proof cars.

Director -General of NIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforom and his counterpart in AIPB, Captain Muhktar Usman, who exonerated their agencies when they appeared before the senate committee on aviation led by its Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodima when they were asked on oath, how many armoured vehicles they bought like their sister agencies within the aviation sector.

Senator Uzodima in an interview, confirmed to newsmen that the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Mr. George Uriesi, had confirmed on oath that his agency bought 202 operational vehicles and two bullet-proof cars for the MD.

He said: "Investigation is still on-going and it will not be fair for me to pre-empt the outcome. FAAN did confirm that among the operational vehicles they purchased, four of them are armoured vehicles, two for the MD and two for the minister.

"We told them to go back and put everything in writing and make comprehensive statements on all vehicles purchased so until they come back on Monday we cannot rush into conclusion.

"The FAAN MD said they did a funding arrangement with a commercial bank. This investigation will be a very deep one so that at the end of the day, we do a holistic approach and look at how the sector will be repositioned so that all anomalies will be corrected."

The Senate Committee on Aviation had on Tuesday queried FAAN over the purchase of four bullet-proof cars in the agency's inventory.

The FAAN MD, George Uriesi told the Uzodinma-led committee that the vehicles included two Lexus limousine cars and two Prado SUVs, adding that the limousines were bought at the cost of N60 million each and not N70 million being insinuated.

For Goodness’ Sake Let Us Go to The Proposed National Conference and Talk

–– Professor Nwosu  is former Minister of Health and ex-Special Adviser (Political Matters) to the President

By A.B.C. Nwosu

A very prominent Nigerian insisted that Nigerians have very short memories and are therefore in need of constant reminders of their past if mistakes are to be avoided in the future. For this reason I begin by reminding ourselves that on Monday 24th June 1994, in the wake of the annulled 1993 June 12 Presidential Elections, General Sani Abacha inaugurated a National Constitutional Conference. Paragraph three (3) of his forty-four (44) paragraph address was explicit: “you have the mandate to deliberate upon the structure of the Nigeria nation-state and to work out the modalities for ensuring good governance; to devise for our people a system of Government guaranteeing equal opportunity for all, the right to aspire to any public office irrespective of the State of Origin, ethnicity or creed, and thus engender a sense of belonging in all our citizens”.

The country welcomed that opportunity of a national dialogue and conversation even from a military dictator like General Abacha. The East accepted the Conference. Ditto the South-South, the Middle Belt and the North. These zones elected their first elevens to the Conference. Only the South-West “boycotted” the delegates election to the Conference whilst contriving to ensure that the zone was fully represented by its prominent sons like late Dr. Tunji Otegbeye, Dr. Bode Olajumoke, late Chief Oluwole Awolowo, Senator Jonathan Odebiyi, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, Ambassador Dapo Fafowora, Hon. Dr. Victor  Olunloyo, Chief Abayomi Akintola etc.
The Chairman of the Conference was Hon. Justice A. G. Karibi-Whyte with Hon Justice Mamman Nasir as Deputy Chairman. The membership list ranged from late General Yar’Adua to late Ikemba Odumegwu-Ojukwu and included serving (current) and former Senators and Governors. They discussed any and everything, often in the most rancorous manner and published their Conclusions and Reports in two volumes.

Their Reports and proposed Draft Constitution were signed by Hon Justice Saidu Kawu CON and Hon. Dr. Joseph Wayas, Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Conference Commission; and by Hon. Justice A.G. Karibi-Whyte and Hon. Justice Mamman Nasir, Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Conference proper. Nigeria did not break in the Constitutional Conference of 1994/1995. It will certainly not break now. Therefore let us go to the proposed conference and talk.

I have read with much sadness Segun Adeniyi’s write-up titled “Another organised waste of Time” (back page ThisDay, Thursday October 3, 2013). With all respect, I disagree completely with him. In my view, Nigerians talking to themselves so as to build the foundations for nationhood cannot be an organised waste of time. For Mr Adeniyi to say that is simply professional pessimism. Was it not one of our founding fathers who posited decades ago that Nigeria was a country on a journey towards nationhood. Are we still not on that nationhood voyage? And would a successful National Conference not be one of the ways for the attainment of true nationhood?
To worsen matters Segun Adeniyi conjured up the magic word “Sovereign” to obfuscate issues. President Jonathan did not use the word “Sovereign” in his broadcast. He also did not use the word “sovereign” as he inaugurated the Conference Committee. Indeed no Head of State of Nigeria (military or elected) has ever used the phrase “Sovereign National Conference”. The South-East geopolitical zone has also been careful not to demand for a “Sovereign National Conference”, especially since 1999 that there have been elected Governments at the Centre and at the States (Federating units).

What many Nigerians expect is a National Constitutional Conference with FULL CONSTITUENT POWERS to discuss and overhaul the defects in the 1999 Nigerian Federal Constitution which most Nigerians agree is grossly defective (I shall explain what I mean by FULL CONSTITUENT POWERS later in this write-up). Most Nigerians believe that the time to overhaul (not amend) this grossly defective Constitution is now, because nothing that is grossly defective delivers good and perfect results. Simply put, a Constitution that is built on unjust, inequitable, and wrong foundations does not last. Before I continue, there was this curious piece by Is’haq Modibbo Kawu (Vanguard, Thursday 3 October 2013 p.17) titled “Now They Will Have their National Conference” which predicted that the conference “will be dead on arrival…because “tribes” sitting in conference will not invent any golden bullets that can shoot the problems of our society.” Tribes? Who still talks of tribes In today’s Nigeria? Kawu goes on to insist that the proposed National conference is about President Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid. Haba Is’haq!
I was however happy to read at the back page of ThisDay Sunday October 6, 2013 Simon Kolawole who “on principle” was not opposed to the National Conference but insisted that “Constitution is Not the Problem” (with Nigeria). I disagree: The 1999 Constitution is a problem, a big problem! Constitution is law; the Supreme Law of any nation which determines the way the nation is governed. If it is wrong, it is wrong. I respect Mr Kolawole’s arguments nonetheless.

This time his arguments focused on how the delegates will be elected and/or selected/appointed, how the Conference shall arrive at its decisions, and how to give effect to the Conference decisions. Unlike him there were no suggestions to the National Conference Committee. Curiously he also makes a statement which I completely disagree with, that “for now the 1999 Constitution is sufficient for the development of Nigeria”. I sincerely hope that Mr Kolawole is implying by that story that Nigerians are doing okay or that Nigeria will be okay under the 1999 Constitution if only our leaders were “good people”. Does a good Constitution not prevent bad governance by ensuring that all act within the law? In my view, the structural defects in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria need to be corrected so as to engender good governance and fast-track meaningful and sustained development of Nigeria such that it can take care of its large population. If we do not eliminate debilitating defects in our Constitution that currently stifle development of states and geopolitical zones from within these States and Zones without waiting for the “almighty oil revenue” Nigeria cannot actualise its destiny. I shall now focus on the “self-evident truths” of today’s Nigeria and why we must talk now. First, every sincere Nigerian knows that we ceased from 1966 to be a TRUE FEDERATION. 

This was a consequence of the 1966 crises and 1967-70 war. But over forty (40) years after the war we must examine what we have now become, restructure it and move forward. One important principle of Federalism is that federating Units (States) and the Central (Federal) Government must be mutually interdependent. No one unit should owe its existence to the other. But right now in Nigeria, States (Federating units) depend on the Federal Government to pay salaries!
Another “self-evident truth” is that the 1979, 1989, and 1999 Constitutions breached basic principles of Federalism by the outrageous concentration of powers at the centre. This I have stated has tended to stifle competitiveness and the capabilities of Federating units (States) and has resulted in another “self-evident truth” of Nigeria that the groundnut, cotton, cocoa, oil-palm, rubber, hides and skin and coal-mining industries, etc have disappeared because everyone waits for the “almighty oil revenue”. I am therefore of the very strong view that restructuring the present Nigerian Federal arrangement and transferring, devolving more powers, responsibilities and resources (revenue) to the federating units will accelerate rather than retard the country’s economic growth and development.
Simon Kolawole is correct that those who presently benefit from our present curious and unjust Federal system will strongly resist any proposed changes. My hope is that they as rational human beings will be persuaded by superior arguments.

For example by what superior argument should Federal Government be responsible for Local governments in any true Federation? Where are the other Federations where Local Governments are under the purview of the Central Government? And why should “resource control” provoke virulent and violent reactions in a true Federation? Does it not make sense that whatever is on top or below my land belongs to me and can only be appropriated by mutual agreement only because my neighbours, my fellow citizens and I are mutually interdependent? What therefore should be provocative about “resource control” and Sovereign Wealth Fund that cannot be discussed by a National Conference and be amicably resolved? For how long can injustice and wrong endure in any society? Will dialogue, discussions and amicable resolution of recurring and unsettled issues of Nigeria’s Federalism and nationhood not make for sustained peace, harmony and development of the country? For me, it is time we accepted these “self-evident truths” of our warped “Federalism” and resolved to undress, address and redress them through the proposed National Dialogue, if we truly seek to be a nation.
A third “self-evident truth” is that the sheer hardship of everyday living has made most Nigerians cynical and pessimistic about the future of their country and major overhaul in our Constitution and governance system are required to propel us to true Nationhood and development. Important and critical principles of Nationhood are equality of citizens (all men and created equal), freedom, security of lives and property, justice and rule of law, and a sense of belonging to the nation-state by the various component units. My position is that the proposed National conference provides us with an opportunity to address these areas and move forward as a country; cynicism and sarcasm do not solve problems. We must either accept the Conference as a good opportunity and resolve to make it work, or we become apathetic and let the opportunity go past this generation.

There is no middle course. I believe that our aim should be to evolve through the National Conference and desirable Constitutional and governance arrangements in our Federation that will make us live peacefully as one nation, because True Federalism remains Nigeria’s best choice as a plural society. For the objectives I have canvassed in this write-up to be achieved, I have said that the proposed NATIONAL CONFERENCE must have FULL CONSTITUENT POWERS.
What do I mean by “full constituent powers”? I shall preface what I mean with a story. Once upon a time (actually may 1999), President Obasanjo appointed me as Special Adviser on Political Matters.

One of my very first acts was to facilitate the appointment of an all-party Presidential Committee under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Yusuf Mamman (Alliance for Democracy) to identify and rectify structural defects of the 1999 Constitution. The Committee submitted several reports but these remained mere recommendations because the Committee was appointed, and not elected. Consequently for this National Conference proposed by President Jonathan to have full effect and achieve stated objectives, it must be backed by force of law, and not less than seventy per cent of its members must be elected through popular mandate organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In my thinking, the mandate of delegates to the Conference should neither conflict with Executive mandates of President and Governors nor with the legislative mandates which remain valid till 2015. This shall be achieved through sub-division of senatorial districts, three per senatorial district, where there are several ethnic groups within a senatorial district, this plurality must be reflected in the representation. If I may elaborate; all ethnic nationalities In Nigeria are dispersed within the one hundred and ten (110) Senatorial districts. In cases where there are several ethnic groups within a Senatorial district, no ethnic group within that district shall send more than one (1) delegate to the National Conference.

This exercise by INEC (using the option A4) preferably shall quickly produce a total of three hundred and thirty (330) delegates for the National Conference thereby conferring on it the power to adopt a Constitution since their mandate constitutes collectively a National mandate. Such a Constitution shall be presented to NASS, State Assemblies and Mr President merely to process and formalise the decisions. For this to be achieved, the Conference shall appoint within it a Constitution drafting group to produce a Draft Constitution Pari Passu with the debates, based on the decisions and agreements reached. Consequently I would suggest that the bill to be presented to the National Assembly setting up the Conference should stipulate that once the Constitution has been adopted by the National Conference it shall ultimately become law so that delegates know this ab initio.

Traditionally, Organised Labour, Professional Associations especially the Bar Association and other institutions of Civil Society have always been represented In Constitutional Review Bodies set up by Governments in the past. I would recommend a major departure from this, and advocate a massive infusion of youths between the ages of 30 to 40 years, fifteen per geopolitical zone into the conference. The future belongs to them and they have shown excellent capabilities in the banking, IT and Communication sectors. This proposal will introduce ninety (90) of such patriotic youths into the Conference with their vision of a “new” Nigeria, their energy and immense technical capacity. Thereafter Specialists from the Nigerian Bar Association and National Council of Women Societies should also be appointed to the Conference. In totality I therefore envisage four Hundred and fifty (450) delegates made up of 330 elected delegates (over 70%), 90 selected youths and 30 appointed members from the Bar Association and National Council of Women Societies.
  Finally the present situation in our country is one of serious scepticism and loss of faith in the system, consequently everything humanly possible should be done to inaugurate the Conference before January 2014. Delay will create serious credibility problems for Government.

I also recommend a six (6) month duration for the National Conference such that a new Constitution shall be ready by August 2014. In my opinion this is possible because the basic framework already exists in the 1979, 1989 and 1999 Constitutions of the Federal Republic. I hope that I have addressed some of the fears expressed by Simon Kolawole as well as convinced truly progressive-minded Nigerians that there is more to gain from the proposed National Conference if the Organising Committee and Government do their work well. And we need to help and encourage not disparage them.
–– Professor Nwosu  is former Minister of Health and ex-Special Adviser (Political Matters) to the President

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WELCOME TO THIS 21ST CENTURY:

NaijaExposed.com

Our Phone --- Wireless
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Economy------ Cashless.
What's next?

Wonder what the next century will be...

Cash for Jobs : Banking sector job scam

By Funmi Komolafe

 This report is the culmination of weeks of  investigation into the scam that is disguised as tests for unsuspecting job seekers in the banking sub-sector of the Nigerian economy. The findings are shocking as much as they are bound to affect your sensibilities of decency and morality. Because of the sensitive nature of this matter, more so the broad scope of our on-going investigations, particularly the need not to jeopardize this work, we have deliberately decided not to reveal the identities of the job-seekers and the bank in question – mind you, some other banks are involved in this scam. However, as we gather more facts and by the time the investigation runs its full course, we may then be able to disclose the identities of all the parties concerned.

Sometime in 1986, the then minister for labour and productivity, then Rear Admiral Patrick Sebo Koshoni, during his ministerial press briefing announced that about one million Nigerians were unemployed.

Even at that time, the figure he gave was regarded as an under estimation of the problem of unemployment which became visible in many Nigerian homes about three years earlier.

Indeed, during the last days of the civilian presidency of President Aliyu Usman Shehu Shagari the problem grew fangs, but it was the government of military president Ibrahim Babagida that officially took steps to address the issue of unemployment especially among the youths. The Babagida administration through his ministers of labour sought and got the assistance of the International Labour Organisation to create jobs in the informal sector. The consequence of which was the setting up of the National Directorate of Employment to create jobs in the informal sector.

Apart from this, another minister of labour in the Babagida administration, then Brigadier-General Ike Nwachukwu, during a ministerial briefing called on banks to use part of the huge profits to engage a number of young graduates. All of these efforts didn’t do much to tackle the unemployment problem as it got compounded with the high number of graduates turned out by the universities.

The influx of foreign investors into Nigeria did not stem the tide of unemployment either. Rather, it was the era in which Nigerians were subjected to the worst working conditions in the name of attracting foreign investors. Many of these so-called investors have subjected Nigerians to dehumanizing working conditions. The Ikorodu factory fire of 2002 in which workers were roasted comes to mind. That wasn’t an isolated case. A particular company owned by the Chinese located in Ogba Lagos, had its machine chop off hands and fingers of employees and the organization has not been sanctioned in any form.

It was also an era in which the so-called “ New Generation Banks” came into business. Banks pretending to be doing business in a manner unknown to the older banks. These ‘ new generation banks’ barred their employees from trade union activities. They also do not belong to the Nigeria Bankers Employers Group or even the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association ( NECA).

It was and still is a culture of impunity.

Even with the pretensions to new ways of banking, they are not known to have created jobs that have been of any significant impact on the economy.

However, a current development in a bank prompted an investigation which culminated in this report.
Ms. Josephine ( actual name withheld) a graduate of the University of Lagos some two years ago, while desperately searching for a job, she got on line to a company “ U Connect” . The company on its web site listed its services as “ Recruitment, Outsourcing, Placement, Training , Quality and Management”.

This graduate was then invited along with others to come and write tests for a job.

President Jonathan and Emeka Nwogu, Minister of Labour and Productivity. while at the the background job seekers scramble for few job opportunities.

“We were not told what type of job it is” she said. “After we had about three tests, some of us were shortlisted and then invited for another round of tests when the recruiting officer told us we were being engaged on behalf of a bank”.

After the first round of tests, Josephine and others were told that U Connect has concluded its own side of the recruitment and that the Bank (name withheld) though quite accessible would take over. The bank did.

After another round of tests, the applicants were congratulated for scaling through. If they thought their problems of joblessness were over, and a new life was ahead, they were dead wrong.

The applicants, young graduates (men and women), were told to go and find for the bank 10 customers who must open new accounts with the bank and deposit at least N100,000 ( One hundred thousand Naira). In other words, they were to source for the bank One Million Naira. Simple, No money, no job.

Ngozi, (real name withheld) was able to find new customers who deposited about N850,000 . With that, she thought she would be commended. Rather, she was booted out. She was disqualified from the training programme, the next phase of her tests because she failed to find customers who could deposit One million Naira.

Another applicant who was able to raise a million Naira from four depositors was knocked off the next state.

 Why?

She was told that she had not met the requirement of securing for the bank 10 depositors.

Another applicant, Akintoye (real identity protected) was able to source for 10 Customers who met the deposit target of One million but his aches had just started. The young graduate, was told that to be allowed to participate in the training programme to be conducted somewhere in Ikeja, he must source for the bank, a Guarantor who must deposit with the bank N2,000,000 (Two million Naira).

Why?

”We were told that the training programme is quite expensive and that it would be conducted by Havard Business School. We were also told that we would have to sign a bond that we would not quit the services of the bank for any reason within two years. If we do, then the Guarantor forfeits his deposit”.

Sunday Vanguard obtained a copy of the letter issued to the would be employees.

It states “ Thank you for honoring our interview invitation; please be informed that you are required to do the following:
”Option 1: Open 10 accounts with a total cumulative balance of N1million (Minimum of N100,000 in each of the accounts) OR ”Option 2. : Open a fixed deposit of N5million for 180 days.

For whichever option you choose, please go to any Bank branch closest to you to obtain account opening forms for this exercise.

This exercise
A minimum of 10 account opening forms for Option 1
a minimum of 1 account opening form for Option 2
”All accounts must be tagged for reference and easy tracking.

Also, find below the format for which the details of the account opening exercise should be sent to the underlisted email addresses…………..

(A list of the bank’s staff email addresses are provided for the applicants but because of the scope of this investigation we are not at this moment going to reveal some details about the bank as this may jeopardize on-going investigations into this scam).Deadline for the exercise is : 18th October 2013 by 12 noon

The format to send the details of account shows: S/N, Name, Account Number and Amount ( N).
However, the letter was not signed. All efforts to speak with Corporate Affairs Manager of the bank were unsuccessful as the line was not available.

Having gone through Nigeria’s labour laws, one cannot find a single sentence that supports these conditions given to applicants by the bank.

Further investigations showed that U-Connect, the company where this started sent this SMS to the affected applicants “You are invited for an interview ( GRADUATE TRAINEE LEVEL 1) on Thursday 27/06/13 by 12 noon at U-Connnect, 5, Ogbunike str, behind Avalon House, off admiralty way, Lekki 1, Lagos. Come with photocopies of all credentials , CV and passport.

Sunday Vanguard called U-connect to ask if it is registered with the ministry of labour and productivity.
A female voice responsed, “ yes we are” but she seemed not sure and said, “I will connect you to the Human Resource Dept. I’m only a front desk officer”.

At the back ground, a male voice instructed her to tell the caller to “call back”. She got back on the phone and asked that we call back in 30 minutes.

The call was made to U-connect on October 10, 2013.

Since then, it had not been possible to reach the company on the phone again.
Because of the nature and sensitivity of this development, the outcome of further investigations suggested that U-CONNECT may not be a registered member of the Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPan) which is affiliated to the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association.

HuCaPan has a Code of Coduct which was launched early this year by the permanent secretary, federal ministry of employment, labour and productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh.

Objectives of the Code of Conduct – “ This Code of Conduct sets out the principles that shall guide the Private Employment Industry. The standards in this Code of Conduct shall be observed by all those involved in Private Employment industry in Nigeria. This principle based approach is intended to maintain and enhance consistency, fairness, transparency, accountability and diversity in recruitment practices. This Code provides Private Employment Agencies with a clear and concise guide to the approach it must take to ensure a fair, open and transparent process that produces a quality outcome and commands public confidence. It is intended to contribute to the development of best practice in the field of recruitment and general human capital development.

”This Code of Conduct shall provide a framework based on the global best practice employment principles. It recognizes that Private Employment Agencies require flexibility to deal efficiently and effectively with the diverse range of services they provide. Accordingly, the Code shall enable Private Employment Agencies to adopt strategies and develop processes to implement the principles effectively. All agreements signed under this Code must also comply with relevant employment and equality legislation in Nigeria”.

Code of Conduct- Principle 3 Respect for Transparency of Terms of Engagement states “PEAs shall ensure that workers are given details of their working conditions, the nature of the work to be undertaken, rates to pay and pay arrangements and working hours. This principle obligates Private Employment Agencies to inform employees of the conditions applicable to the contract or employment relationship”.

Principle 4 Respect for free-of-charge provision of services to jobseekers “PEAs shall not charge directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, any fees or costs to prospective employees and workers, for the services directly related to temporary assignment or permanent placement”.

All that is required is registration with the federal ministry of labour and productivity.

Trade Unions kick, call for CBN sanction
The acting general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Chris Uyot said, “ Labour is concerned but government should be interested too. This is a serious matter. The situation in the country should not be an excuse for multinationals and banks to exploit our youths. We’ll hold the Central Bank of Nigeria responsible.”
Comrade Uyot vowed that NLC will support whatever action the unions in the banking sector take.

He emphasized, “This act is a form of corruption. They are making prostitutes of youths. It is simply Corporate Prostitution. It is not enough for the government to claim to be tackling corruption without addressing issues like this. We condemn it in totality. The banks should not be allowed to turn Nigerians to slaves”.

The President of the Association of Banks, Insurance and Allied Institutions, Comrade Olusoji Salako also condemned the conditions given by this accessible bank in totality.

He told Sunday Vanguard, “We are against such things. It is alien to our sector. By the time you make money a condition for employment, why are we talking about money laundering. So, even armed robbers, and 419 people can make deposit with such a bank”.
Salako condemned in strong terms the conditions attached to the training of new employees.

“ Placing value on training is improper. The duty of the organization is to train people. We are against this. If it is true, it is uncalled for . It is against the standard in the industry. The Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) should call the bank to order”.

So, why do these banks get away with non-compliance with labour laws, what can ministry of labour do?
Comrade Salako said, “the federal government should develop the political will to enforce our law”.
He said, unfortunately, those who run these businesses where unions are not allowed , where labour laws are violated with impunity make up the government’s National Economic Management Team.
“They are the big donors to the government’s party and programmes”.

He recalled that during the administration of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, representatives of labour were included in the Economic Management Team but the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan excluded labour’s representatives.

Contact with Government

Sunday Vanguard contacted the minister of labour and productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu via an sms and he replied that the ministry had noted it. It is expected that action would be taken.

NLC condemns employers’ tactics in banks . Rising from its national executive council meeting in Kaduna,
The Nigeria Labour Congress, in a communiqué signed by its President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar and Ag. General secretary, Chris Uyot in its observation on casualisation condemned the cash for jobs policy in the banks.
It stated: NEC-In-Session observes that there is a resurgence of casualisation of workers in the public and private sectors across the country. This unholy practice induces slave labour, prostitution, psychological trauma and the violation of the rights of these workers and does not in any way stimulate productivity .

What employers of Labour are trying to do is take undue advantage of hapless applicants or workers. Exploiting the weak defences of this category of people is not only morally reprehensible but defies logic. Even if the private sector, out of corporate greed, indulges in this unwholesome practice what justification does government have in doing so?

Some banks have gone to the extent of compelling their employees to meet a target of 6million a month and securing of bonds that make a mockery of plantation slave labour. Congress does not see how this terrible practice stimulates productivity.

NEC resolves that the Nigeria Labour Congress shall henceforth lead its affiliate unions against any employer identified to be engaged in these unwholesome practices by employing all known trade union actions until such employer retraces its steps”.

For hundreds of thousands of youths hoping to make a career in banking, their dreams may never be realised.
It is clear now that possession of the requisite qualification isn’t enough, he or she has to be connected to those who are able to save millions of Naira otherwise, no job.

It’s simply an era of Cash for Jobs.

Nigeria The Underperformer: The dangerous mix of corruption and poverty, by Walter Carrington

 A former United States ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Walter Carrington, speaks on the challenges of corruption in Nigeria and the mismatch between growth and poverty as it relates to the much touted VISION 202020.   He admonishes Nigerians to rise and harness the plethora of potentials in the country for the common good while not leaving behind the womenfolk. 

  
EARLY ASSOCIATION WITH AFRICA/NIGERIA

I am transported to a time some sixty years ago, when I too, was an eager student about to graduate into an uncertain world. The Second World War had recently ended and the Cold War, pitting the United States and Western Europe against international communism, had even more recently begun. There was genuine fear that, with both sides possessing nuclear bombs, a deliberate or accidental launching of one of these weapons might start an unbreakable chain of retaliatory actions which would result in the annihilation of most of the world’s population.  That was the world that I left university to enter.   But there was a more optimistic world yearning to be born.  The First World War had led to the break up of defeated Germany’s African empire.  There were many here on the Continent and in the Diaspora who believed that the Second World War had so weakened the victorious allies and emboldened their colonial subjects that the time for African liberation could not be far off. How fortunate I was that, when I was just a fortnight further along my life’s journey than most of you are on this day, I made my first visit to the continent of my ancestors.  Two weeks after receiving my first university degree in 1952, at a convocation such as this, I was on my way to Senegal as one of eight American delegates to an international youth and student conference which was to be held in its capitol, Dakar.  There I met many young people who in less than a decade would join with older freedom fighters to haul down the British Union Jack and the French Tri-coleur from their government buildings and replace them with the flags of their newly independent countries.  Some of you may have noticed that I did not mention another major colonial power – Belgium.  The delegation from their largest colony, the Congo, included but one African. Congolese until 1954 were allowed to receive no more than a basic primary education unless they were studying for the priesthood.  As a result, at    independence in 1960, there were only 17 university graduates in a country with a population of 13 million. That’s fewer than the number of you sitting in any one of the rows before me today.

*AFRICA SHAPED MY DESTINY

That first trip to Africa was to change the direction of my life. Before I was 30 years old I had traveled twice to Africa at a time when few members of my generation in America had been here even once.  My second trip was to Nigeria leading a group of students on a program called the Experiment in International Living. It occurred the year before Nigeria’s Independence. We traveled throughout the country living with Nigerian families in Lagos and Ibadan in the West; Enugu and Port Harcourt in the East; and Kano and Kaduna in the North. Regrettably, Ilorin was not a part of our itinerary. That trip tightened the hold Africa had on me which I had first felt at that youth conference in Dakar.  I embraced the opportunity offered to me by administration of John F. Kennedy to help set up the Peace Corps in Africa.  I would spend the next six years living in Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Senegal and then most of the following four years traveling from Washington to towns and villages throughout the continent overseeing the work of development being carried out by a dedicated group of young Americans.

1960, when Nigeria and most of West Africa became independent from British and French rule, was the beginning of a decade of great expectations.  I remember coming back to Africa in 1961 to establish the first Peace Corps program in Sierra Leone.  What great hopes there were that West Africa would become the model for the rest of the continent.   East and Southern Africa had been held back by their white settler populations from achieving independence peacefully.  I remember that I used to jest that every country in West Africa should have an image of a mosquito emblazoned on their new flags. For it was that malaria bearing insect which had caused this region to be christened as the “White Man’s Grave” driving Europeans to search for greener, healthier pastures on the other side of the continent in which to settle down with their families.

Much has changed in Africa from those days of my youth more than half a century ago, but so much more needs to be done.  The end of colonialism brought about governments of the people; each country’s first elections brought about government by the people, although in too many cases not for long, as authoritarian presidents for life and military dictators took over.  The return of democracy once again gave Africans the right to decide by whom they would be governed and for how long.  But elections, even when free and fair, rarely brought about governments that were for the people.  Rather they tended to be for the elites; for the rich and those who hoped to become rich through government contacts and contracts.

Walter Carrington

*RENAISSANCE: BETWEEN DESIRE AND DELIVERY

Throughout Africa we hear slogans such as “African Renaissance” and “Africa Rising.” On this day of celebration for you graduates and your families I suppose that I should be upbeat and commemorate a bright new Africa into which you are about to emerge. But to do this would, I fear, only contribute to a sense of complacency about the condition of the overwhelming majority, not only of your fellow country men, but also of all who live on this continent. No, I would rather instill in you a sense of urgency. For this is not just a day of celebration but also of preparation.  In order for you to do your part in making this world a better place you must understand the world that awaits you.

POVERTY AND THE CURSE OF ABUNDANT RESOURCES

First of all I ask you to ponder a perplexing paradox.  Africa is the world’s richest continent in terms of natural resources and yet by all measurements developed by the United Nations its peoples are the poorest.  In terms of education, health, and most standards of living they lag behind the rest of mankind.  Why, oh why, should this be so?  A few Africans may indeed be rising but too many others are falling.  The old maxim that the rich get rich and the poor get poorer seems all too true as the gap between Africa and the rest of the world grows ever wider.

The latest Human Development Index of the United Nation Development Program better known as the UNDP was released in March of this year and lists the world’s 46 lowest ranked countries.   37 of them are in sub Saharan Africa.  All of the bottom 26 are African with the single exception of Afghanistan. All rate lower even than Haiti.  Out of 187 countries surveyed, oil producing Nigeria is ranked 153, the lowest, by far, of any non African member of OPEC. Indeed, with the exception of Angola (which ranks 5 places higher than Nigeria) all other members, including war ravished Iraq (107), are included in the ranks of the more developed.   Your neighbor, Niger, at 187 has the dubious distinction of coming in last.

The UNDP’s Index, in arriving at its rankings, surveys life expectancy, mean and expected years of schooling, gross national income per capita, standards of living, quality of life, and child welfare.  What it does not disaggregate is the status of women about which I will have more to say later.

An earlier UN report in 2007 predicted that in little more than a year from now, in the year 2015, nearly a third of the world’s impoverished will be black Africans.  This would be a significant increase from one fifth fraction which was the case in 1990.

MISMATCH BETWEEN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

The proponents of the Africa Rising thesis point to the significant economic growth experienced by some countries on the continent during a time of economic retraction in much of the developed world.  Growth indeed there was although often from a rather low base.  Nigeria’s was impressively a little above 6 and a half percent. But how much was this a case of growth without concomitant development?   According to the latest IMF estimates Nigeria has the second largest economy on the sub continent with a GDP or gross domestic product of 270 billion US dollars behind only South Africa whose GDP is 375 billion.  Thus Nigeria, the 7th largest country in the world by population, has only the 40th largest economy by GDP.  It is overly dependent on an oil and gas sector which provides 70% of its federal revenue, but is the source of a much smaller percentage of jobs than agriculture which employs 70% of the country’s labor force.  But Nigeria suffers, as do so many other highly endowed extractive natural resource countries, from what economists label as the “Dutch disease” whereby other sectors of the economy such as agriculture and manufacturing are relatively ignored.

At Independence in 1960 Nigeria’s annual agricultural crop yields were higher than those of Indonesia and Malaysia. Today they have dwindled to half as much.  The fact that Nigeria’s current yield per hectare is less than 50 percent of that of comparable developing countries dramatically demonstrates how much Nigeria has abandoned its once promising agricultural sector. Until Nigeria is able to rely less on capital intensive sectors of the economy and more on labor intensive ones it will be difficult to see how it will meet its ambitious goals to make the country one of the world’s twenty most important economies.  Diversification is urgently needed to make the economy less vulnerable to downswings in petroleum prices. Even when oil prices were historically high the national unemployment rate, instead of falling, rose from 21percent in 2010 to 24 percent in 2011.  As the African Development Bank report pointed out, Nigeria’s recent economic growth has been mainly driven by the non oil sector because of high consumer demand.  The cruel irony is that whatever Nigeria and others in Africa might do to improve their economies their efforts in the short run could be undone by a renewed global financial crisis.  As I was writing this there was still much uncertainty over the consequences that might ensue if the United States failed to meet its international debt obligations.   Thus this continent remains at the mercy of a world financial order over which it has little or no influence.

File photo: Unemployed youths at Alausa, Ikeja

FLIGHT OF HUMAN RESOURCE

Those of you who will be earning a university degree this week are among the most privileged of your generation.  Over twenty million young people between the ages of 15 to 35 are unemployed.  An overwhelming number of them do not have the education you have received. They are part of a burgeoning army of unemployed even as the economy is growing.

You however will become a valued part of Nigeria’s unmatched pool of human resources. No country on this continent has historically had such a richness of human capital. Unfortunately, during the days of military dictatorships so many of your best and brightest fled abroad. Students overstayed their visas and professionals remained abroad, so reluctant were they to return home.  As a result over 3 million Nigerians live and work in the United States and Canada to say nothing of the large numbers in the United Kingdom. They everywhere excel in their contributions to all sectors of our society.  I have said many times to American audiences that I regard Nigerians as the most accomplished immigrant group in the United States. What made  Nigeria the country that I looked up to for so long was the fact that  it produced some of the most educated, most talented black people to be found anywhere on earth.

My country and others around the world profit from Nigeria’s greatest export – her accomplished people.  I often ask Nigerians who are legally in the U.S. why they remain.

CORRUPTION AS AN ALBATROSS

The two major impediments to going back which they cite are their fears of the omni presence of corruption and the growing absence of security. They cringe whenever they hear Nigeria belittled on television comedies because of 4 1 9 schemes.   They have so much to contribute to their homeland and ways must be found to create the environment which will invite them to return and reverse the brain drain which does so much damage to the body politic.
A cure must be found for the corrosive cancer of corruption. I congratulate you, Vice-Chancellor Ambali, for the University’s Anti-Corruption and Monitoring Unit.  Your address on the Occasion of the Public Presentation of the ACTU Handbook two months ago is one of the best that I have read.  With your indulgence I would like to repeat a few of your words which cannot be heard too often.
As we all know, corruption is the most terrible monster that confronts Nigeria but we must all work hard to tame this monster. In other words, I am certain that virtually all the problems associated with governance would be removed if we can all summon the courage to tackle corruption and banish it from our activities. Development doesn’t have a bigger enemy than corruption and the development of Nigeria is hinged on ridding our polity and politics from corruption and corrupt practices.
I salute this university’s motto of character and learning – probitas doctrina. It is an axiom fit for a whole nation to adopt.    But I regret to say that I have seen too many good people of high character yield after putting up a good fight.  Which is why efforts must be redoubled to create an environment in which character and virtue are rewarded and not scorned.    Now, I know from my Sunday School days that being faced with temptation can be good, for if you can resist it you will be that much stronger.  But let us not put too much temptation in their path.  All of you, old and young alike, have a duty to do all you can to make the society in which these students and those who come after them matriculate is a society in which getting rich quickly is no longer a cherished goal; in which corruption is to be shunned and not envied; a society in which freedom and democracy flourish.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN

Earlier I mentioned the role of women. They are estimated to carry on about 70% of economic activity in Africa but they own but a paltry two percent of the land and are woefully under employed in the formal work force. And they are, in so many other ways, continually discriminated against.  They remain victims of ancient patriarchal customs.
Half of your generation are women as, of course, are 50 percent of all Nigerians. Yet their participation in the workforce is extremely low. Only 33 percent of Nigerians who are employed in the formal sector are women.  No nation can long endure and prosper which wastes the talents of so many of their citizens.  President Jonathan has done better than any of his predecessors in bringing women into the top ranks of his government.  A third of the members of his cabinet are women and he has appointed the first female Chief Justice.  Yet, too much of the old sexist culture remains in the country.  It is an anchor holding back its progress.  Women’s family inheritance rights in too many states remain subordinate to those of their brothers even if the boys are younger than them. Too often they are sexually harassed on the job.  No task will define the moral fiber of your generation more than your willingness to be committed to do as young people around the world are doing – rejecting sexism and seeing that women in law and custom enjoy equal rights to dignity and opportunity. No nation can prosper utilizing manpower alone. The freeing up of women’s power is essential to progress.

NIGERIA THE UNDERPERFORMER

Nigeria has been too long an underperformer on the world stage.  It has ceded to South Africa the pride of place as Africa’s leading spokesman.  When the G-8 or other gatherings of the world’s most powerful nations occur it is more often to Johannesburg that they call than to Abuja on those all too rare times when they seek an African perspective.  In its second century as more than a geographic entity, Nigeria, must at last realize its full potential.  Even now, as woefully neglected as it has been, its manufacturing sector produces a large proportion of West Africa’s goods and services. What it has done for the region it can certainly in the years ahead do for the entire continent. You are indeed the giant of Africa.  Your population of close to 170 million dwarfs all others. You are, by far, the continent’s largest and most appealing market. Surely Nigeria can raise the future amount of its exports to members of the African Union beyond its current level of 11 percent.   Africa’s success is crucial to Nigeria’s own. Even if it accomplishes all of its 2020 goals by 2050 it will find it difficult to long prosper as an oasis in a desert of impoverished countries.  It will become the attraction for massive illegal immigration as has the United States to its poorer neighbors to the South or has Europe to the peoples of the poorer countries of Africa, India, Pakistan, and the Caribbean. That is why it is in Nigeria’s enlightened self interest to be concerned as much about the plight of its neighbors as it is of its own.  Those are the responsibilities that the members of the club of the world’s most powerful nations which Nigeria wishes to join must shoulder.

Nigeria has the potential to be in fact the giant of Africa which it has always thought itself to be.   Its agricultural output is already second to none on the continent and 25th in the world. By making it more of a priority Nigeria could become a major player on the world’s commodities market. It must refine at home more of its 37 billion proven barrels of oil which is the world’s sixth largest reserve of crude oil. Its 187 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas is the eighth largest gas deposit in the world. Its flaring must be stopped and the gas harnessed to meet the country’s mounting energy needs. The pipelines carrying oil and liquefied natural gas must be better protected for both ecological and economic reasons

LOOKING AHEAD

The second century must be dedicated to diversifying this economy away from its overdependence on oil and to adding value to Nigeria’s treasure trove of the other natural resources lying beneath its soil. This can be done by sending not raw materials abroad but rather enhancing their value at home through a revitalized manufacturing sector, which refines and finishes the more than thirty different minerals lying beneath the nation’s soil.
The question must now be asked, why is Africa’s most endowed country, which earns $57 billion dollars a year in oil revenues not yet able to solve its persistent problems of electric power and infrastructure?   The African Development Bank report has summed it up thusly:

“After decades of neglect, infrastructure in Nigeria is in a dilapidated state. The ranking of overall infrastructure is very close to the worst rank in Africa. Power supply is erratic, roads are in a state of disrepair, and the railway infrastructure is in a poor state. The erratic supply of electricity has continued to plague every aspect of the economy and it is viewed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as the bedrock of the country’s future growth, if addressed.  Billions of dollars have been spent on the power sector by various administrations but without success because of mismanagement and implementation problems. However, with the political will to tackle mismanagement in the infrastructure sector and the desire to find a solution to the infrastructure problem in the country, there have been some improvements in the state of infrastructure in the country.”

File: President Goodluck Jonathan at the famous Wall Street on Monday, September 23, 2013, closing the bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Let me turn now to the great moral shame of our time – the persistence of poverty.  Towards its elimination the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank promulgated in 1999 a Poverty Reduction Strategy Program (PRSP). Those two agencies have over the years ruffled nationalist feathers in a number of developing countries because of the austerity and conditionality requirements which they have imposed. Nigeria has not filed a PSRP progress report since 2007.  It has enacted instead its Transformation Agenda 2011-2015     It is imperative that poverty reduction be a major goal of the agenda and not a marginalized one as it appears to have been so often in the past in too many countries. If not, then progress will be limited and the plight of the poor will become even more hopeless.  One of the most important challenges your generation faces is to find ways to address continuing inequality so that all Nigerians are able to benefit from economic growth.

One hundred years before I first came to Nigeria in 1959, on the eve of your Independence, one of my heroes, the father of Black Nationalism, Martin Delany, in 1859 on the eve of the American Civil War came to these shores in search of a homeland for the enslaved sons and daughters of Africa held in captivity in America. He wished to see a great state built in Africa.  As he put it: “a nation, to whom all the world must pay commercial tribute.”      Sailing aboard a ship owned by three African merchants he arrived in Abeokuta.  His one-year stay resulted in the signing of treaties with western Egba Chiefs giving American blacks the right to settle in their areas. The agreements were never followed up because the Civil War broke out just as Delany returned to America.  He served as a medical doctor in Abraham Lincoln’s army which ended slavery and resulted in blacks becoming citizens of the United States.

I speak to you now, on the eve of Nigeria’s second century and in the twilight of my years, as more than an in-law who first came to Africa as a student in search of my heritage and returned four decades later to find my destiny in my lovely wife – Arese.

I speak to you young people as an octogenarian optimistic enough   to believe that I will still be around to see Nigeria become the fulfillment of Delany’s dream of a great African state to whom the world must pay tribute.
Yours is the pivot generation. One that can and must turn Nigeria around as mine and the one that followed changed America forever.  Nigeria is calling you.  Heed her call so that in the words of your National Anthem ‘The labors of your heroes past shall not have been in vain.”

Being extracts from the UNILORIN Convocation Lecture, ON THE DAWN OF NIGERIA’S SECOND CENTURY: CHALLENGES TO A NEW GENERATION, by WALTER C. CARRINGTON, O.F.R., former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, delivered last Monday