Posted by From GODWIN TSA AND ADESINA AYEKOTI, Abuja on
The annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] opened in Abuja on Monday with a startling revelation by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, that a whooping N1.5 trillion generated as revenue from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] in the last 10 years has not been remitted into the Federal Account Allocation Committee [FAC].
The annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] opened in Abuja on Monday with a startling revelation by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, that a whooping N1.5 trillion generated as revenue from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] in the last 10 years has not been remitted into the Federal Account Allocation Committee [FAC].
Bankole who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference vowed that nothing would stop the report of the probe panel on the Independent Power Project from being presented to the public.
The speaker made the disclosure as the former Chief Justice of Nigeria [CJN], Justice Alfa Belgore, expressed displeasure over indiscriminate removal of state chief judges and incessant election petitions in the country.
Bankole, who said the fraud was unearthed in the course of the on-going investigation of the corporation, disclosed that the Lower House was coming out with a law that would regulate the way and manner government revenue was being spent in compliance with the principle of transparency and accountability of the present administration.
Speaking on the crisis in the Niger Delta states, Bankole wondered why in spite of the huge sums of money accruable to the states from the Federation Account, the region was underdeveloped.
He, accordingly, charged members of the state assemblies in the South-South region to probe their governors and ask questions on how their moneys were being spent.
The speaker further noted that revenue accruable to a particular state in the Niger Delta region was more than that shared by the 19 northern states from the Federation Account.
The South-South, according to him, 'is, therefore, in the fore-front of both economic and political gains and have no reasons whatsoever to complain about underdevelopment.'
President Umaru Musa Yar' Adua, in his speech on the occasion, restated his administration's commitment to translate the ideals of the constitution into practical benefits for Nigerians through positive actions founded on sustainable policies.
Speaking through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Mike Aondoakaa [SAN], President Yar' Adua said his administration would continue to protect the constitution, uphold the rule of law, and ensure the participation of all sections of the polity in the governance process.
He announced that 'today, Nigeria has one of the most credible legal systems in the world, characterized by a judiciary which has demonstrated its capacity for independence, as envisaged by the constitution. My administration shall continue to give the judiciary the necessary support it needs to continue to function in an independent, impartial and courageous manner.'
Earlier, Justice Belgore who condemned the way and manner state governors were impeached in the last dispensation called on the National Assembly to clear the controversy on what constituted an impeachable offence.
Thousands of lawyers in the country have assembled in Abuja for the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA], which opens in the Federal Capital Territory.
The conference is expected to produce new officers who will pilot the affairs of the national body for the next two years.
The conference is also to brainstorm on current issues bordering the nation's judiciary and the way forward.