Newspaper Review: EFCC Set For Dasuki, Dokpesi’s Trial As Soyinka Speaks On Biafra

Major Nigerian newspapers are today, December 9, focused on different issues. Some of which are money laundering charges against Sambo Dasuki, Raymond Dokpesi and others, the controversial oil subsidy removal and the Biafra agitation.

The Nation reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed money laundering charges against Dokpesi, former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, former Sokoto state governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda and former director of finance, Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA), Shaibu Salisu.

The Nation front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

It was learnt that the suspects have been served copies of the charges and some met last night with their lawyers, which indicates that they may be arraigned before the weekend.

Dokpesi, who is the chairman of AIT/Ray Power has been charged along with his company – Daar Holdings and Investment Limited, for violating the Money Laundering Act, the EFCC Act and the Public Procurement Act.

Dasuki, who is charged along with the others, is already standing trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja for alleged illegal possession of firearms and money laundering.

Most of the accounts of the high-profile suspects have already been frozen by the EFCC.

The federal government has said it is committed to bringing to justice all those involved in looting the country’s treasury and plunging Nigeria into its current socio-political predicament, The Punch reports.

The Punch front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

At a media briefing yesterday, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture said the looting under the immediate past administration negatively affected the capacity of the nation’s Armed Forces to deal with the Boko Haram menace.

“The dilemma of the government is how do we redress past wrongs and injustices and at the same time not abuse the rights of people.

“What I want to assure you is that nobody, who was responsible for getting us into the situation we are today, either by stealing us blind or by sponsoring Boko Haram, will go unpunished; but we shall follow due process,” he said.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the price of oil has continued fall. As at yesterday, it fell below $37 per barrel and international Brent crashed to below $40 for the first time since early 2009. The prices may fall further.

The Guardian front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

Lamenting the crash in oil price, Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) said the decline had far-reaching implications in its efforts to meet obligations.

Ahmed Kuru, the managing director of AMCON, who noted that it had about N5.6 trillion debt to honour in the next 10 years, said falling oil prices reduced government’s ability to meet its own commitment.

Vanguard reports that the World Bank has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to remove petroleum subsidy, saying now is the best time for the government to scrap the subsidy.

Vanguard front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

Speaking at the launch of the new edition of Nigeria economic report, John Litwack, the World Bank’s lead economist said the best time to remove fuel subsidy is now when global crude oil price is at its lowest level.

He noted that the Bank foresaw continuous decline in global crude oil price.

According to Litwack, scrapping the subsidy would not push retail pump price beyond an average of N100 per litre, or generate the kind of pressure that would negatively impact on the people beyond what they are currently facing.

In other news, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has said the agitation for Biafra cannot go away as Biafra is an idea, Daily Sun reports.

Daily Sun front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

According to him, once an idea has taken hold, that idea cannot be destroyed and even if you destroy the people that carry the idea on the battlefield, it is not the end of the story.

Soyinka who said the agitation did not come to him as a surprise, advised the government to the South East and find out why the people are agitating for another country and see how they can remedy the situation instead of issuing threats to the Biafran agitators.

Speaking on his choice of President Muhammadu Buhari as a better candidate in the last presidential contest between him and former president Goodluck Jonathan, Soyinka said his preference was borne out of his conviction that he was a better candidate.

He said the situation in the country was such that he reckoned that another four years of Jonathan could be disastrous for the country.

Complete Sports front page, Wednesday December 9, 2015.

 

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