<\/p>\n
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe and the<\/p>\n
Minister of State in the ministry, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, have been<\/p>\n
named in a N2 billion bribery scandal. This is coming\u00a0 in spite of the<\/p>\n
anti-corruption posture of the President Mohammadu Buhari-led Federal<\/p>\n
Government.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pointblanknews.com uncovered a bribery scheme by the two ministers<\/p>\n
concerning\u00a0 a recent part-payment\u00a0 of\u00a0 N15 billion to contractors owed by<\/p>\n
the ministry. The contractors executed projects under the fertilizer<\/p>\n
subsidy programme, Growth\u00a0 Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS), introduced<\/p>\n
by the administration of\u00a0 former President Goodluck Jonathan in order to<\/p>\n
enhance farmers’ access to subsidised fertilizer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The amount is part of a N56 billion debt owed the contractors by the<\/p>\n
Federal\u00a0 and state governments participating in the programme but the<\/p>\n
ministry is in charge of payments to contractors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
All participating states gave an Irrevocable Standing Order (ISO) for<\/p>\n
their portion (25%) of the Subsidy amount to be deducted directly from<\/p>\n
their statutory monthly allocation from the federation account as due. The<\/p>\n
Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), as the agency<\/p>\n
in charge of the administration of the program has the responsibility of<\/p>\n
coordinating, managing and effecting the payment of the subsidy to all<\/p>\n
participating inputs supplier companies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is a Federal government<\/p>\n
initiative aimed at subsidising the costs of major agricultural inputs,<\/p>\n
such as fertiliser and seedlings for farmers, yam tubers and yam<\/p>\n
plantation, yam tubers and yam plantation based on the GESS policy, the<\/p>\n
federal and state governments equally contribute the balance of 50 per<\/p>\n
cent being the approved subsidy amount for onward payment to participating<\/p>\n
inputs (fertilizer) suppliers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Farm Inputs Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FUISAN ), is the<\/p>\n
association that made the programme successful.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But following the release of N350 billion by government for the payment of<\/p>\n
contractors owed by government as contained in the 2016 budget, the<\/p>\n
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was allocated funds<\/p>\n
including N15 billion to effect the part-payment to over 50 contractors<\/p>\n
owed by the ministry.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Following the release of the money to the ministry, the two ministers<\/p>\n
called a meeting of all the contractors owed by the ministry in Abuja. At<\/p>\n
the meeting, Chief Ogbeh confirmed the release of some funds to the<\/p>\n
ministry including N15 billion being part-payment for work done by the<\/p>\n
contractors, most of which were carried out in 2014.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The contractors were assured that payment would be made in such a way to<\/p>\n
cover all the contractors owed by the ministry pending the release of more<\/p>\n
funds by government. The ministers assured the contractors that they would<\/p>\n
be paid on “pro-rata” basis. But to the chagrin of the contractors, the<\/p>\n
ministry expended the N15 billion on only three contractors, one of which<\/p>\n
was Notore Chemicals PLC, a fertilizer and agro-allied company linked to<\/p>\n
Chief James Ibori who is currently serving jail time in U.K for<\/p>\n
corruption.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pointblanknews.com investigations showed that the payment was a product of<\/p>\n
a decision to deduct N2 billion from source and concentrate the payment on<\/p>\n
only three contractors, who were part of the deal. The three contractors<\/p>\n
were paid N13 billion leaving in the lurch the rest of the contractors,<\/p>\n
who were earlier promised payment on pro-rata basis.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A group, Society for Good Governance (SGG), is therefore asking the<\/p>\n
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC)<\/p>\n
to investigate the payment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“We are, by this petition, asking the ICPC to carry out a comprehensive<\/p>\n
investigation into the payment to determine why the ministers and the<\/p>\n
permanent secretary reneged on the earlier arrangement to pay all the<\/p>\n
contractors who have been owed for many years now and decided to pay only<\/p>\n
three contractors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“We urge you to look into the deal between the two ministers, the<\/p>\n
permanent secretary and the three contractors that resulted in the payment<\/p>\n
of N13 billion to them. What happened to the remaining N2 billion. Why<\/p>\n
renege on the payment of the other contractors?”, the group queried.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A source familiar with the development told Pointblanknews.com that the<\/p>\n
decision to pay only three contractors a whooping N15 billion was curious<\/p>\n
after the minister had promised to expend the part-payment on all the<\/p>\n
contractors involved.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“The question on everybody’s lip is why pay only three contractors after<\/p>\n
the agreement\u00a0 that all the contractors would be captured . These are<\/p>\n
people who collected bank loans to execute these projects. The initial<\/p>\n
amount borrowed has not been paid and they are not\u00a0 even talking about the<\/p>\n
interest that has gone out of the roof after many years”, the source said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe and the Minister of State in the ministry, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, have been named in a N2 billion bribery…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n