I read with dismay the admittance of OBJ to withdrawing the sum of $17.2m from the excess crude account with dismay and shocking embarrassment for the last population census exercise. Due process anyone? Wasn’t such request for such huge amount of funds supposed to go the Federal Legislatives in Nigeria? Did this revelation need an investigation before it came to daylight? I mean, this is democracy that we are talking about and someone blatantly ignores due protocol and withdraws such a large lump of legal tender as if it was from his private account? One thing quite prevalent in Nigeria from past to present is that schemes or exercises are put in place to facilitate money to be spent unwisely and people made millionaires in a twinkle of an eye.

To some, this poll of beings who actually are Nigerians matter more than the provision of very basic things that affect the common man and the entire populace in general. Misplaced priorities take precedence over the relevant and needy ones just to ensure that money is recklessly blown and a few cronies made happy. Now, no matter what OBJ says that he consulted with the State Governors and Local Government Chairmen over this withdrawal, the money belongs to all Nigerians and prudence coupled with honesty should be paramount before such monumental lavish expenditures are made. For the love of God, where is accountability and transparency in most of these questionable practices? I mean, it cannot always be like this. It just has to stop!

He further gives his reasons for this as fuelling, logistics and payment of 777,000 staff. If I may ask, where there no visibility studies before this all-important census? What emergency was so pertinent that not even the Lower or Upper Houses were informed of the need for extra funds? This event took place in March and nothing was said until now when it was being probed therefore, there is something fishy and dodgy about the manner of its financial extraction. Are we really sure that some of this funds was not used to fund the ill-fated third term ambition? Nigerians deserve a thorough investigation into this suspicious behaviour. Nigerians should demand a full inquest into why their money is being withdrawn under such circumstances and in secret. For a people who are starved of functional basic amenities, it is gross misconduct on the part of The Presidency. This is clear proof of the democracy tyranny exhibited in high places. I sincerely hope that we get to the bottom of this without delay.

DAT'S Y I ALWAYS SAY JUSTICE IS NT 4 ALLIN 9JA. I HOPE ICPC,EFCC AND THE REST ARE AWARE OF DIS?

Wha is the source of this story, please? I haven't been able to confirm it.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200606070024.html, here is the source

Badman: thanks!

Census: Obasanjo Seeks Additional N2.2bn
In a letter to the House of Representatives, through its Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, the President drew attention of the House to what he said was "supplementary expenditure incurred last March from the excess crude account to facilitate the successful completion of the 2006 National Population census." Obasanjo, in the letter dated June 3, 2006, justified the two-day extension he granted the exercise as his response to a plea for intervention from state governors, in the light of the initial delays which greeted the census exercise.

"After due consultation with key stakeholders, I granted an extension of two days, the additional cost resulting from this extension amounted to N2,187,193,480," wrote Obasanjo, adding, "the bulk of this amount was for the payment of allowances to about 777,000 functionaries (supervisors, coordinators and enumerators), while the remaining amount was for fueling, transportation and other logistics."

The President told the lawmakers that "the European Union, which had provided some financial support for the exercise, including payment of allowances, could, however, not meet the incremental cost of the extension due to administrative constraints."

Obasanjo further told the lawmakers that "as no budgetary provision had been made by the government for this supplementary cost, and given the urgency of the situation," he had to discuss the problem with stakeholders, after which "it was agreed that the only way to fund this was to source money from the excess crude account." The president listed the stakeholders whom he said moved to save the "national emergency" as Revenue, Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the governors and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

Following the meetings, further wrote the President, "I granted approval for the money to be debited from the excess crude account, the dollar equivalent of which amounted to US$17,290,064.04 (and), the bulk of this amount N2,07billion was credited directly to the account of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Nigeria office, which wa responsible for administering the allowances."
Source: http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=49990

This is just what i am talking about, and this is just one of the 1,000 withdrawal he has made in the past, thank God he owned up dis tyme

Politicians & media
==============

I wonder what would have happened if the title read like this

OBJ grants over N2b for census from excess crude account

try not to get your mind clouded with all the media, some of them are tools in the hands of the corrupt leaders. Don't believe my title or theirs, just know that money was used for the census. Dont let them be the judge of what is stolen, that job is yours

Me I have said it before, don't save our money. Use it and develop our country.
I hope we won't wake up one day and discover that foreign reserve has gone with the wind.

If CBN is empty will we be told.

Don't keep the money, put it where we can see it.
Build power stations, refineries, construct new roads, fix old ones

And Please don't deceive us.

This is another type of government magic.

How can you read something in the newspaper and you believe it just like that ? even to the extent of publishing in this popular forum? How are you sure that what you read is actually the truth ? My insinuation is that, in African political settings propaganda is the number weapon to misinform the unsuspecting masses about what is happening in the government, therefore I am not ready to be part of this baseless accusations, and at the same time 2007 is around the corner, our desperate leaders are ready to do anything to make the ruling party is criticised destructively.

Please get closer to the sit of power, before you started making your own political smearing campaign.

And from sit of Power Mr wande what is your report? Since we all believe any publication that does not suit what you think is right is a propaganda? and therefore is not real!

If the paper says obj is a good man, you wont say its a propaganda? right?

Ashiwaju:

And from sit of Power Mr wande what is your report? Since we all believe any publication that does not suit what you think is right is a propaganda? and therefore is not real!

If the paper says obj is a good man, you wont say its a propaganda? right?

It might be propaganda to say obj is a good man. We need to learn how to sift out information from the wheat and shaft.

I dont know what the problem is?
So many other papers reported it and the govt have not refuted it. You can be sure if he didn't say it the govt would have reacted by denying it.

obj is as corrupt as any other politician.this anti-corruption campaign is meant to score cheap political points. i am very sure nuhu ribadu would ve gone deaf now

Ashiwaju,

I dont need to be in the sit of power before can voice my opinions, what I am saying is that,

as Rita marley says "he who feels it knows it", I am a Niger man to core, but I am not a politician but I work to earn my take home pay, and I believe in abolute reality but not an hearsay.

Before you can survive in the suicidal nature of African politics you must know how to manouvre your ways against you opponents, which I believe is what some of the oppositions are doing and our media house are the always the target for easy transformations of this slanderous headlines.

Up yours! @Obj.

Well, the census time was increased by 2 days. Surely, the additional 2 days that the enumerators had to work for must be paid. I wish more Nigerians would use their brains before they jump to conclusion. I am not saying OBJ might not be corrupt, I just don't think this is one of the instances of corruption.

Now, technically, he should have waited for approval by the National Assembly before he spent that $17.2 million. He should be held accountable for not following the rules.

Afeni:

Well, the census time was increased by 2 days. Surely, the additional 2 days that the enumerators had to work for must be paid. I wish more Nigerians would use their brains before they jump to conclusion. I am not saying OBJ might not be corrupt, I just don't think this is one of the instances of corruption.

Now, technically, he should have waited for approval by the National Assembly before he spent that $17.2 million. He should be held accountable for not following the rules.

You seem more confused man! u say people aint using their heads b4 they jump into conclusion? and you said he should be held accountable for not following rules. Well i support you for the second line of holding him responsible for not following due process and who know just how much and how many times have they taken money without due process. And this is just an instances of Corrution i ll say mr afeni.

I am not sure what they call it, but I think it is the "contingency bank account". The president has the right and power to make withdrawings to fullfill emergency runnings of the country from the contingency federation account without the approval of the house.

I guess most of you didnt know that.

Mr. Contigency, We sure know what Contigency means but no matter how urgent it is, the president still has to contact the house just b4 withdrawal, just like Bush did when he needed to raise a more urgent funds for the Hurricane.

Its sure has nothing to do with contigency and you know it

The petro-funds account is probably not a contingency bank account, else this wouldn't be a scandal worth reporting.

Thank you!

modafukin bump!