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Vanguard front page, Friday December 11, 2015.
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Today, December 11, major Nigerian newspapers are focused on the ongoing investigations into the $2billion arms deal, EFCC getting ready to probe Oknojo-Iweala over her involvement in the deal and the trial of some prominent people over the arms deal. Vanguard reports that former minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala may soon be summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to shed more light on what she knows about the arms budget said to have been diverted by bigwigs of one of the political parties. Also to be summoned are some serving and retired top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who helped in the disbursement of the arms cash to the beneficiaries.
It was gathered the anti-graft commission decided to summon the former minister and the apex bank officials following the discovery that the bank played an active part in wiring various sums of money to persons and institutions at home and abroad without paying attention to due process.
According to The Nation report, the EFCC will begin the trial of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, ex-minister of finance, Bashir Yuguda, a former director of finance in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu and six others for alleged misappropriation N10billion today.
The Nation front page, Friday December 11, 2015.
The N10 billion was allegedly distributed to delegates to the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The suspects have been divided into two groups for trial before Justice H.Y. Baba and Justice P.O. Affen of the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory.
Dasuki, Salisu, Aminu Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are in the first group and are facing a 19-count charge.
Meanwhile, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the former chairman of DAAR Communications Plc who is also said to be involved in the shady arms deal is facing a fresh probe, The Punch reports.
The Punch front page, Friday December 11, 2015.
The EFCC said it had opened a fresh probe into the payment of N8.4bn by the federal government to Dokpesi.
This was disclosed by the counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs while opposingDokpesi’s application for bail as canvassed by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), during Dokpesi’s appearance in court in Abuja.
He was arraigned on Wednesday along with his firm, Daar Investment and Holdings Limited, on six counts of money laundering and procurement fraud, instituted against him by the EFCC but hpleaded not guilty to all the six counts.
After the arraignment, Justice Kolawole ordered that Dokpesi be remanded in the EFCC custody.
In other news, Daily Sun reports that Yakubu Dogara, the speaker of the House of Representatives has insisted that former chairmen of the board of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) between 2010 and 2014 must account for the billions of naira spent on railway projects without any results.
Daily Sun front page, Friday December 11, 2015.
It was alleged that over N1 trillion was expended on railway projects within the period under review.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Ad-hoc committee set up to investigate activities of the Ministry of Transport, management of the Subsidy Re- investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), management of the NRC and contractors who handled rail projects from 2010 to 2014, Dogara said the former NRC chairmen, Bamanga Tukur, Abubakar Kawu Baraje and Haliru Bello must appear before the panel.
Tukur and Baraje have washed their hands off the alleged scam, denying any involvement in the contracts award.
According to Baraje, he was appointed in May 2013 and voluntarily resigned on November 12, 2013, adding that he only presided over one board meeting.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the federal government has decided to borrow money to fund its capital projects and meet other obligations next year.
The Guardian front page, Friday December 11, 2015.
This is as a result of reduced revenue following crude oil price crash. The country’s crude oil production declined by 205,300 barrels per day in November, according to the latest report of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and other members of the cartel produced beyond their respective quotas during the month.
Speaking at the seventh yearly Bankers Committee Retreat, in Lagos, yesterday, the minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun said the country has a Debt-to-Gross Domestic Product which is as low as 12 per cent to hold on to “and that gives us some space to manage our deficit budget, which is aimed at stimulating growth.
Complete Sports front page, Friday December 11, 2015.