CAN PRESIDENT BUHARI BE CORRUPTED WITH ESTACODES!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.   

(Looking at Nigeria and the World's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

CAN PRESIDENT BUHARI BE CORRUPTED WITH ESTACODES!

As Nigerians kept wondering why Major General Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, increased his speed in junketing across the world, in spite of our debt portfolio which has hit a record high of USD$34billion, the Grapevine just quipped, “Maybe because of a very cogent reason that Estacode is the only Forex earner among his 18 Jumbo Official Allowances”!

The President and his Vice are entitled to the following allowances according to Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFA), which is empowered by Section 32(d) of  Part I, Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Apart of monthly salaries of NGN1, 171,568.00, and NGN1, 010,524.17, respectively, both men are also entitled to monthly: Hardship, Consistency allowances which run into thousands of Naira! Others are; Personal Assistant, Constituency, Vehicle fuelling/maintenance, Domestic staff, Entertainment, Recess, Newspaper/periodicals, Utilities, House maintenance, Security, Special assistance, Furniture, Wardrobe, Duty tour (per night), Accommodation, ESTACODE, and Medical Allowances, which are not published in the public domain! 

Similar jumbo allowances are also paid to other political office holders of the National Assembly (NASS), State Governors, and perhaps some staff of the Judiciary, and MDAs Staff of less than 2 MILLION in population, who take the LION SHARE of the common patrimony while the WORK FORCE is abandoned to take their share through BRUTAL FORCE as it has unfolded in unbridled INSECURITY being perpetrated through terrorists, kidnappers,  bandits,  murderers, assassins gunmen, suicide bombers etc,  under President Buhari’s watch!

AND in spite of the fact that Nigeria is in dire strait with this worst type of complicated insecurity and in spite of the truth that the President has just 18 months to retire from Aso Rock Villa, he had in his second term travelled SIX times – the latest being from 25th October-11th November, 2021, a  period of about 15 days traversed North Africa’s Riyadh/Medina and Mecca, for an Investment Summit;  to Glasgow, Scotland, for a Climate Change Summit,  and  in two days of his return, headed straight to France apart of earlier London journey for MEDICAL TOURISM (30th March, 2021 – 15TH April 2021), which kept him in Britain for 16 days! In 2021 alone he has travelled SIX TIMES outside of Nigeria and at least 52 TIMES SINCE 2015 to 2021 and had expended approximately NGN 4billion in the junketing having visited 30 countries cutting across Four Continents – including Africa!

THE FOREX VALUE OF ESTACODE ISVERY ENTICING!

Early in his first term between May 2015- January 2016, the President spent millions of the very scarce Naira in globe-trotting to Chad, Germany, France, Ghana, India, Iran, United States (twice); many of which should have been designated to his Vice, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries or even Political Aides and squandered the meagre resources left by the malfeasant PDP consecutive Administrations of 16 years!

OR were the foreign trips planned to generate a mass of estacode allowances in such hard times and possibly make up for the 50% Salary Cut which he ordered from his salary and that of his Vice?

BUT President Buhari once told an audience of the Oxford University that his frequent foreign trips were targeted at restoring NIGERIA’S BAD IMAGE caused through brutal military regimes just as Ex-President Aremu Obasanjo, who had a record of 97 foreign trips journey to his credit during his two terms (1999-2007), in office! 

Estacode, a nomenclature for monetary travel allowance in Nigeria is a colonial heritage still in practice among Federal/State civil servants, politicians, diplomatic staff etc, on foreign official assignments! 

Under the British Colonial masters, estacode was officially scrutinized by relevant agencies of government before formal payment was initiated and there was virtually no loophole for malpractices or manipulations but in 61 years of independence the process of implementation has been corrupted that it stinks to high heavens!

According to International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), estacodes released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), under President Buhari’s watch from 2015-2021 stand at over NGN3.77billion! 

This information was corroborated through the Currency  Operations Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBNs), annual report of 2020, (released Thursday 4th November, 2021), which stated that a total amount USD$3.95 billion was procured in 2019 alone to fund estacode and personal travel allowances to MDAs and also to fund Bureaux De Change operations! 

Allegations of gross abuses in the forms of over-bloated, forged, improvised, non-existent but faked journeys for purpose of fraudulently collecting Estacode Allowances during foreign travels in both the public/civil service had become house-hold gist in Nigeria but because no civil servant nor politician had been brought to justice the racket continued unabated while the Federal Government has approved a comprehensive review of the Financial Regulations in respect of the various allowances being enjoyed by personnel of the MDAs – including the estacode!

Presently, a Committee has been set up by the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), to consider, review and recommend appropriate Duty Tour, Estacode, Repatriation and Overtime allowances and also consider, review and recommend appropriate imprest amount for relevant public servants and political office holders.

Other allowances enjoyed by MDAs according to Rule 130102 include but not limited to: kilometre, disengagement, hotel accommodation, duty tour books, projects and overtime BUT without admitting glaring infractions of the estacode allowances, the Committee was also charged to recommend additional sanctions against infringements against financial regulations and extant laws! 

QUESTION: What foreign socio-economic assistance have the poor masses of Nigerians gained from Buhari’s Government in SIX-AND-A-HALF-YEARS of his foreign jamboree of hand shaking/speech making other than increase in INSECURITY through the nation’s very porous borders!

UNITED ARAB EMIRATE arrested sponsors of terrorism in DUBAI but Mr. Buhari has not been able to arrest ONE single sponsor in his cabinet! TURKEY’S President came visiting the other day and asserted that some members of the Islamic terrorists who attempted to overthrow him on 15th July, 2016 were resident in Nigeria unknown to Buhari and his security outfits! 

******Below are some excerpts of one of our past Editions: VOL. 5. NO. 130, dated 7th February, 2016. 

PRESIDENT BUHARI SHOULD APPLY THE BRAKES ON FOREIGN SPACE SHUTTLES!

“The fact that President Muhammadu Buhari, had an impeccable antecedent, a humble and distinctive character, a charismatic personality and had always displayed a frugal and Spartan kind of life, in spite of being a soldier for an appreciable period of time could not be faulted by his antagonists, before, during and after the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria! In fact, PMB was and still is an acceptable and likeable global leader who had endeared to himself to the rich and the poor alike. 

“Within the last eight months, President Muhammadu Buhari  (PMB), had made spirited efforts to bolster a new image as the Change crusader for the Nigerian Republic by attracting international attention for support in the areas of security, economy, the industry and general social welfare packages for the majority populace which had been suffocated with corruption as a way of life and could have drowned in the miry clay of national degradation without divine intervention at the last 2015 General Elections!

“The President had met with all of the world powers Presidents, Heads of States and Governments from all the continents throughout the globe and had solicited for all-round co-operation for the revival of the drowning “giant of Africa”

“But tongues are wagging on all sides of the political, social and economic divide, among the opposition and the social media of the TALAKAWAS who now wonder why it should take so many space-shuttles to get the country back on track – especially when ONE SPACE JOURNEY COSTS A WHOOPING US$350.000 – 500.000 million, all expenses paid - ESTACODES and sundry allowances of an enlarged 80-member presidential entourage at such an austere time according to “Black Market” foreign exchange auditors;

ANY GAINS FROM THE GLOBE-TROTTING?

“We did not criticize PMB’s 8-month international trips for the very plausible reasons that they were desirable for the much-needed co-operation mentioned in previous paragraphs and we were very correct in that Nigeria had become the beehive of foreign commercial investments by business entrepreneurs from all countries visited by the President.

.“In the meantime, Mr. President should delegate his overseas trips to his Vice and other diligent subordinates who will perform creditably and make him proud! 

The President’s last journey to France was fraught with danger as it was reported that his aircraft landed amidst very bad weather but we thank God that his detractors did not have the luxury to rejoice over his demise because he is the LORD’S anointed President and deliverer for the nation of Nigeria for eight consecutive years of two terms (2015-2023)!”

BUHARI SHOULD STOP ALL FOREIGN TRIPS, AND TOUR THE 36 STATES OF NIGERIA INSTEAD! 

CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE MATTER IS THAT THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIME COMMISSION (EFCC), SHOULD BE ORDERED BY MR. PRESIDENT TO SEIZE ALL ESTACODE ALLOWANCES FOUND IN THE BANK ACCOUNTS OF ALL PRIVILEGED (1) MDA  OFFICIALS; (2) THE ENTIRE EXECUTIVE BEGINNING FROM MR. PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET; (3) NASS LEGISLATORS  (4) ALL STATE GOVERNORS  AND THEIR CABINET MEMBERS; (5) ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT  CHAIRMEN AND THEIR COUNCILLORS; AND REPATRIATE SUCH INTO THE FEDERATION ACCOUNT TO PAY OFF SOME OF THE MONIES BORROWED FROM THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN ORDER TO LEAVE A GOOD LEGACY BEHIND!

NO OFFICER IS EXPECTED TO SAVE UNUSED ESTACODES IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS BUT MUST DECLARE THE SURPLUS TO THE ACCOUNTING OFFICERS WHO IN TURN MUST REPATRIATE THEM ACCORDINGLY!  The Eighth Commandment in Exodus. 20:15 says, “Thou shalt not steal”! We shall all give account of our stewardship to GOD at the appointed time!.

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  Zion faith Bible Believing church or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, 

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.  

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08080243066. g-mail-dvdolufon@gmail.