Sunday, April 4, 2010
A Different Kind of Religious War
2 Apr 2010 15:00 Africa/Lagos
A Different Kind of Religious War
WACO, Texas, April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Who do you say that I am?" asked Jesus of his disciples. And the rest of humankind has been struggling to answer that question ever since.
Nowhere has answering this question been more divisive and more of a struggle than in resolving the tension between two seemingly rival claims: Jesus was both fully human and fully divine, and Jesus was only fully divine. This schism was central to Christianity during the Church Councils of the fifth century, when it seemed inevitable that the church would abandon its belief in the humanity of Jesus.
It also is a schism that led directly to the collapse of Roman power in the east, to the rise of Islam, to the destruction of Christianity throughout much of Asia and Africa, and to the strengthening of Christianity in Europe. The mainstream Christian church kept the belief that Jesus was fully human - but at the cost of losing half the world.
This battle to "keep" Jesus human is recounted in "Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years," written by Philip Jenkins and published this month by HarperOne. Jenkins, a religious historian with joint appointments at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and Penn State University, explores the violent and bloody controversy that erupted between the Western and Eastern churches. These battles, says Jenkins, had enormous impact on the future of Christianity and the world.
It was the Council of Chalcedon, near Istanbul in 451, that seemingly settled the matter, formulating the statement that eventually became the official theology of the Roman Empire. This acknowledged Christ in two natures, joined together in one person. This Chalcedonian definition stands today as the official view of Jesus for the vast majority of Christians.
"During the fifth century there were two sides, both of which thought Christ was God," Jenkins says. "What varied was the idea of how much humanity he held. The view that won and became orthodoxy was the view that Christ was both fully human and fully divine. The view that lost was the 'One Nature' view - the idea of Christ in which the human nature was wholly overwhelmed by divinity.
"But Chalcedon was not the only possible solution, nor was it an obvious or, perhaps, a logical one," Jenkins writes. "Only the political victory of Chalcedon's supporters allowed that council's ideas to become the inevitable lens through which later generations interpret the Christian message."
And, the "official victory of Chalcedon," as Jenkins terms it, came with a cost. Violence, bloodshed and death occurred, driven both by the quest for the "right belief" and the secular concept of honor prevailing at the time, which fostered vendettas and feuds. People of the fifth century had no qualms in justifying violence to support their view of the Christ they worshipped.
The struggles recounted in "Jesus Wars" remind us today that beliefs form and reappear throughout time - and must be engaged and confronted. While the violence prevalent then is abhorrent in today's world, the church must still explore new ideas - or risk extinction.
Writing in "Jesus Wars," Jenkins says, "...dialogue can itself be a positive thing, a way in which Christian thought develops its own self-understanding. A religion that is not constantly spawning alternatives and heresies has ceased to think and has achieved only the peace of the grave."
About Philip Jenkins
Dr. Philip Jenkins, one of the world's leading religion scholars, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion, a position he has held since 2009. He is also is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, where he has taught since 1980. An historian by training, Jenkins' work has been lauded in many different disciplines including sociology, criminology, and religious studies. Jenkins earned his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. in History from Cambridge University. He is the author of 24 books, more than 100 book reviews and approximately 100 book chapters and refereed articles.
Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com
Media Contacts: Jill Scoggins, 254.710.1964, jill_scoggins@baylor.edu
Source: Baylor University
CONTACT: Jill Scoggins, +1-254-710-1964, jill_scoggins@baylor.edu
Web Site: http://www.baylor.edu/
Re: I Am Ashamed Of Naija Retarded Music
Nigerian Hip-hop artistes. Photo Credit: Ikuku Records
Re: I Am Ashamed Of Naija Retarded Music
The street music of a failed state cannot be different from the warped psyche of the people.
The Nigerian music industry is not booming.
Majority of the artistes are suffering since the industry collapsed years ago.
The few people who are posing and posturing as "I have made it" hip hop artistes are living in Fools Paradise.
Bankers can afford to live in Ikoyi and (not in the BQs) and young Turks of the Nigerian business world can afford condos in the US.
But can you mention only 10 of the hip hop Nigerian artistes who can afford to live in a N150 million house in Park View Estate or any of the GRAs?
The highest paid actor in Nollywood was only paid about N3 million (less than $30, 000) and their biggest pay was when Globacom contracted some of them to promote their products and services. Over 90% of them are poor struggling actors and actresses.
The fact is most people in Nigeria love fooling themselves in desperation to catch up with the Joneses while the few who belong to "The real McCoy" class are not noise makers on air.
Many young hip hop artistes in Nigeria or what they call rap wannabes in the US come to our office looking for opportunities.
One of them suddenly collapsed and died last month whilst online and that was the end of all his efforts. Rumours circulated that he was into Yahoo-Yahoo Internet scams for a sponsor who makes his millions from scams.
Studio engineers and DJs who do not know what a chord is are now producers.
The result is the "try your luck" hip hop music of retards on air in Nigeria.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Do You Know that You Pay More Tax than General Electric?
Do you know that you pay more to the IRS than General Electric?
This is the revelation made by Forbes on April 1, 2010, and it was not meant to spin you on April Fools' Day.
Read the following extract from the report.
How did this happen? It's complicated. GE's tax return is the largest the IRS deals with each year--some 24,000 pages if printed out. Its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission weighs in at more than 700 pages.
Inside you'll find that GE in effect consists of two divisions: General Electric Capital and everything else. The everything else--maker of engines, power plants, TV shows and the like--would have paid a 22% tax rate if it was a standalone company.
It's GE Capital that keeps the overall tax bill so low. Over the last two years, GE Capital has displayed an uncanny ability to lose lots of money in the U.S. (posting a $6.5 billion loss in 2009), and make lots of money overseas (a $4.3 billion gain). Not only do the U.S. losses balance out the overseas gains, but GE can defer taxes on that overseas income indefinitely. The timing of big deductions for depreciation in GE Capital's equipment leasing business also provides a tax benefit, as will loan losses left over from the credit crunch.
But it's the tax benefit of overseas operations that is the biggest reason why multinationals end up with lower tax rates than the rest of us. It only makes sense that multinationals "put costs in high-tax countries and profits in low-tax countries," says Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation. Those low-tax countries are almost anywhere but the U.S. "When you add in state taxes, the U.S. has the highest tax burden among industrialized countries," says Hodge. In contrast, China's rate is just 25%; Ireland's is 12.5%.
Corporations are getting smarter, not just about doing more business in low-tax countries, but in moving their more valuable assets there as well. That means setting up overseas subsidiaries, then transferring to them ownership of long-lived, often intangible but highly profitable assets, like patents and software.
Continue reading.In Pictures: What The 25 Top U.S. Companies Pay In Taxes
Friday, April 2, 2010
Update on the Allegation of $10.8 Billion Tax Evasion Fraud against Chevron and its Associated Companies. 3
The following are more exhibits from the over 80 documents ABZ Integrated Limited has approved for publication on the Untold Story of the Update on the Allegation of $10.8 Billion Tax Evasion Fraud against Chevron and its Associated Companies. As stated earlier, the remaining documents will be published on this case until justice is done.
Daimler AG and Three Subsidiaries recently resolved to pay $93.6 million in criminal penalties after their indictment in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation, and we expect the same resolution on this case against Chevron and its associated companies in Nigeria.
Daimler AG and Three Subsidiaries recently resolved to pay $93.6 million in criminal penalties after their indictment in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation, and we expect the same resolution on this case against Chevron and its associated companies in Nigeria.
Daimler AG and Three Subsidiaries To Pay $93.6 Million in Criminal Penalties for Foreign Corrupt Practices
1 Apr 2010 21:17 Africa/Lagos
Daimler AG and Three Subsidiaries Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation and Agree to Pay $93.6 Million in Criminal Penalties
Combined Criminal and Civil Penalties of $185 Million to be Paid
WASHINGTON, April 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Daimler AG, a German corporation, and three of its subsidiaries have resolved charges related to a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation into the company's worldwide sales practices, the Department of Justice announced today.
At a hearing today before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon in the District of Columbia, Daimler AG's Russian subsidiary DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (DCAR), now known as Mercedes-Benz Russia SAO, and its German subsidiary, Export and Trade Finance GmbH (ETF), each pleaded guilty to criminal informations charging the companies with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. As part of the plea agreements, DCAR and ETF agreed to pay criminal fines of $27.26 million and $29.12 million, respectively.
Daimler AG entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to the filing of a criminal information charging that company with one count of conspiracy to violate the books and records provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. Daimler AG's Chinese subsidiary DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (DCCL), now known as Daimler North East Asia Ltd., also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to the filing of a criminal information charging it with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. In total, Daimler AG and its subsidiaries will pay $93.6 million in criminal fines and penalties.
According to court documents, Daimler AG, whose shares trade on multiple exchanges in the United States, engaged in a long-standing practice of paying bribes to foreign government officials through a variety of mechanisms, including the use of corporate ledger accounts known internally as "third-party accounts" or "TPAs," corporate "cash desks," offshore bank accounts, deceptive pricing arrangements and third-party intermediaries. According to court documents, Daimler AG and its subsidiaries made hundreds of improper payments worth tens of millions of dollars to foreign officials in at least 22 countries - including China, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and others - to assist in securing contracts with government customers for the purchase of Daimler vehicles. The contracts were valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. In some cases, Daimler AG or its subsidiaries wire transferred these improper payments to U.S. bank accounts or to the foreign bank accounts of U.S. shell companies, in order for those entities to pass on the bribes. Within Daimler AG and its subsidiaries, bribe payments were often identified and recorded as "commissions," "special discounts," and/or "nutzliche Aufwendungen" or "N.A." payments, which translates to "useful payment" or "necessary payment," and was understood by certain Daimler employees to mean "official bribe." According to court documents, certain corrupt payments continued as late as January 2008, after the Department of Justice had begun its investigation. In all cases, Daimler AG improperly recorded these corrupt payments in its corporate books and records. Daimler AG admitted that it earned more than $50 million in profits from corrupt transactions with a nexus to the territory of the United States. Daimler AG also admitted that it agreed to pay kickbacks to the former Iraqi government in connection with contracts to sell vehicles to Iraq under the U.N.'s Oil for Food program.
"In a decade-long scheme involving tens of millions of dollars, Daimler AG and three of its subsidiaries brazenly offered bribes in exchange for business around the world," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division. "Using offshore bank accounts, third-party agents and deceptive pricing practices, these companies saw foreign bribery as a way of doing business. The guilty pleas and deferred prosecution agreements entered today by Daimler AG and its subsidiaries should serve as a message to other companies subject to the FCPA and conducting business around the world that corrupt business is bad business."
In connection with its guilty plea, DCAR admitted that it made improper payments to Russian federal and municipal government officials to secure contracts to sell vehicles by over-invoicing the customer and paying the excess amount back to the government officials, or to other designated third parties that provided no legitimate services to DCAR or Daimler AG. When requested, DCAR or Daimler AG employees caused the wire transfer of payments from Daimler AG's bank accounts in Germany to, among other destinations, U.S. and Latvian bank accounts held by shell companies with the understanding that the money, in whole or in part, was for the benefit of Russian government officials.
In connection with its guilty plea, ETF admitted that it made corrupt payments directly to Croatian government officials and to third parties, including two U.S.-based corporate entities, with the understanding that the payments would be passed on, in whole or in part, to Croatian government officials, to assist in securing the sale of 210 fire trucks.
In connection with its deferred prosecution agreement, DCCL admitted that it made improper payments in the form of commissions, delegation travel, and gifts for the benefit of Chinese government officials or their designees in connection with sales of commercial vehicles and Unimogs to various Chinese government customers. DCCL admitted that in certain cases it used U.S.-based agents to facilitate the bribe payments.
Under the terms of its deferred prosecution agreement, Daimler AG agreed to retain an independent compliance monitor for a three-year period to oversee the company's continued implementation and maintenance of an FCPA compliance program, and to make reports to the company and the Department of Justice. DCAR, ETF and DCCL are covered by the monitoring provisions of the deferred prosecution agreement with their parent company Daimler AG. Daimler AG also agreed to fully cooperate with investigations by U.S. and foreign authorities of the company's corrupt payments.
Today, Judge Leon also entered a separate judgment against Daimler AG resolving a related civil complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Daimler AG agreed to pay $91.4 million in disgorgement of profits relating to those violations.
The criminal case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief John S. (Jay) Darden and Deputy Chief Mark F. Mendelsohn of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section. The department acknowledges and expresses its appreciation for the significant assistance provided by the staff of the SEC during the course of this investigation. The department also acknowledges the significant contributions to this investigation by former Fraud Section Trial Attorney Amanda L. Riedel.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
CONTACT: U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2008, TDD
+1-202-514-1888
Web Site: http://www.justice.gov/
Daimler AG and Three Subsidiaries Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation and Agree to Pay $93.6 Million in Criminal Penalties
Combined Criminal and Civil Penalties of $185 Million to be Paid
WASHINGTON, April 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Daimler AG, a German corporation, and three of its subsidiaries have resolved charges related to a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation into the company's worldwide sales practices, the Department of Justice announced today.
At a hearing today before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon in the District of Columbia, Daimler AG's Russian subsidiary DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (DCAR), now known as Mercedes-Benz Russia SAO, and its German subsidiary, Export and Trade Finance GmbH (ETF), each pleaded guilty to criminal informations charging the companies with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. As part of the plea agreements, DCAR and ETF agreed to pay criminal fines of $27.26 million and $29.12 million, respectively.
Daimler AG entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to the filing of a criminal information charging that company with one count of conspiracy to violate the books and records provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. Daimler AG's Chinese subsidiary DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (DCCL), now known as Daimler North East Asia Ltd., also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to the filing of a criminal information charging it with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions. In total, Daimler AG and its subsidiaries will pay $93.6 million in criminal fines and penalties.
According to court documents, Daimler AG, whose shares trade on multiple exchanges in the United States, engaged in a long-standing practice of paying bribes to foreign government officials through a variety of mechanisms, including the use of corporate ledger accounts known internally as "third-party accounts" or "TPAs," corporate "cash desks," offshore bank accounts, deceptive pricing arrangements and third-party intermediaries. According to court documents, Daimler AG and its subsidiaries made hundreds of improper payments worth tens of millions of dollars to foreign officials in at least 22 countries - including China, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and others - to assist in securing contracts with government customers for the purchase of Daimler vehicles. The contracts were valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. In some cases, Daimler AG or its subsidiaries wire transferred these improper payments to U.S. bank accounts or to the foreign bank accounts of U.S. shell companies, in order for those entities to pass on the bribes. Within Daimler AG and its subsidiaries, bribe payments were often identified and recorded as "commissions," "special discounts," and/or "nutzliche Aufwendungen" or "N.A." payments, which translates to "useful payment" or "necessary payment," and was understood by certain Daimler employees to mean "official bribe." According to court documents, certain corrupt payments continued as late as January 2008, after the Department of Justice had begun its investigation. In all cases, Daimler AG improperly recorded these corrupt payments in its corporate books and records. Daimler AG admitted that it earned more than $50 million in profits from corrupt transactions with a nexus to the territory of the United States. Daimler AG also admitted that it agreed to pay kickbacks to the former Iraqi government in connection with contracts to sell vehicles to Iraq under the U.N.'s Oil for Food program.
"In a decade-long scheme involving tens of millions of dollars, Daimler AG and three of its subsidiaries brazenly offered bribes in exchange for business around the world," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division. "Using offshore bank accounts, third-party agents and deceptive pricing practices, these companies saw foreign bribery as a way of doing business. The guilty pleas and deferred prosecution agreements entered today by Daimler AG and its subsidiaries should serve as a message to other companies subject to the FCPA and conducting business around the world that corrupt business is bad business."
In connection with its guilty plea, DCAR admitted that it made improper payments to Russian federal and municipal government officials to secure contracts to sell vehicles by over-invoicing the customer and paying the excess amount back to the government officials, or to other designated third parties that provided no legitimate services to DCAR or Daimler AG. When requested, DCAR or Daimler AG employees caused the wire transfer of payments from Daimler AG's bank accounts in Germany to, among other destinations, U.S. and Latvian bank accounts held by shell companies with the understanding that the money, in whole or in part, was for the benefit of Russian government officials.
In connection with its guilty plea, ETF admitted that it made corrupt payments directly to Croatian government officials and to third parties, including two U.S.-based corporate entities, with the understanding that the payments would be passed on, in whole or in part, to Croatian government officials, to assist in securing the sale of 210 fire trucks.
In connection with its deferred prosecution agreement, DCCL admitted that it made improper payments in the form of commissions, delegation travel, and gifts for the benefit of Chinese government officials or their designees in connection with sales of commercial vehicles and Unimogs to various Chinese government customers. DCCL admitted that in certain cases it used U.S.-based agents to facilitate the bribe payments.
Under the terms of its deferred prosecution agreement, Daimler AG agreed to retain an independent compliance monitor for a three-year period to oversee the company's continued implementation and maintenance of an FCPA compliance program, and to make reports to the company and the Department of Justice. DCAR, ETF and DCCL are covered by the monitoring provisions of the deferred prosecution agreement with their parent company Daimler AG. Daimler AG also agreed to fully cooperate with investigations by U.S. and foreign authorities of the company's corrupt payments.
Today, Judge Leon also entered a separate judgment against Daimler AG resolving a related civil complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Daimler AG agreed to pay $91.4 million in disgorgement of profits relating to those violations.
The criminal case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief John S. (Jay) Darden and Deputy Chief Mark F. Mendelsohn of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section. The department acknowledges and expresses its appreciation for the significant assistance provided by the staff of the SEC during the course of this investigation. The department also acknowledges the significant contributions to this investigation by former Fraud Section Trial Attorney Amanda L. Riedel.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
CONTACT: U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2008, TDD
+1-202-514-1888
Web Site: http://www.justice.gov/
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Shell Starts Production at Perdido - World's Deepest Offshore Drilling and Production
20:00 31 Mar 2010 Africa/Lagos time
Shell Starts Production at Perdido - World's Deepest Offshore Drilling and Production
Houston, March 31, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Shell today produced its first oil and natural gas from the Perdido Development, the world’s deepest offshore drilling and production facility. Located in an isolated, ultra-deep sector of the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido marks a new era in innovation and safely unlocks domestic sources of energy for US consumers. The facility sits in approximately 2,450 meters (8,000 feet) of water, which is roughly equivalent to six Empire State Buildings stacked one atop the other, and will access reservoirs deep beneath the ocean floor. Perdido smashes the world water depth record for an offshore platform by more than 50%.
“Perdido is an impressive project in a strong Gulf of Mexico portfolio that continues to grow,” said Marvin Odum, Upstream Americas Director, Shell Energy Resources Company. “Perdido presented technical challenges unlike we’ve ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell’s team used its expertise to open this new frontier and confront complex reservoir characteristics, extreme marine conditions, and record water depth pressures. Perdido demonstrates what companies like Shell can do when US federal lands and waters are opened to responsible energy exploration and production.”
From the first lease purchase to today’s production, the Perdido Development required an industry workforce of approximately 12,000 people, including employees and contractors. Shell designed, and operates, the Perdido host spar, a floating production facility, which is jointly owned by Shell (35%), Chevron (37.5%), and BP (27.5%).
The facility will produce from the Great White, Silvertip, and Tobago offshore fields, requiring perhaps as many as 35 wells over the life of the fields. Tobago sits in more than 2,900 meters (9,600 feet) of water and surpasses the world depth record for a completed subsea well. In addition, all Perdido subsea fields will utilize a unique and innovative subsea separation and boosting system to enable oil and natural gas recovery.
“This is a new frontier in many respects,” said Odum. “Perdido’s floating production facility can be expanded to serve the future potential in the area, and we can apply the technology and expertise utilized at Perdido to other similarly challenging environments in the future.”
The Perdido Development will ramp up to annual peak production of more than 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Also in the Gulf of Mexico, Shell recently announced another deepwater discovery at Appomattox, which is in addition to recent exploration success at West Boreas, Vito, and Stones. These discoveries underpin the potential for four new production hubs.
Perdido fast facts:
* One day’s production from Perdido is equivalent to the energy needed to fuel 500 cars for 15 years
* First commercial production from the Lower Tertiary reservoir in the Gulf of Mexico
* First Gulf of Mexico full host subsea separation and boosting removes about 2,000 psi of backpressure from the wells
* First spar wet tree Direct Vertical Access (DVA) wells
* The project achieved 10-million hours without a Lost Time Injury
* Located 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the Texas coast in Alaminos Canyon Block 857
* The Great White field represents about 80% of Perdido’s total estimated production
* Perdido’s project life is expected to be about 20 years
* Construction of the Perdido host spar began in late 2006
* Topsides were mated with the spar in a single lift in early 2009
Royal Dutch Shell plc
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 100 countries with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects including wind and solar power. For further information, visit www.shell.com
Contacts:
Shell Media Relations:
Shell US Media Line · 713-241-4544
International, UK, European Press · +31 70 377 3600
The Netherlands Press · +31 70 377 8750
Shell Investor Relations:
The Hague · Tjerk Huysinga · +31 70 377 3996 / +44 207 934 3856
USA · Harold Hatchett · +1 713 241 1019
For additional stories, photographs, a map of the area, video, and animations of the Perdido Development, visit the Perdido Web site.
Cautionary Statement
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this document “Shell”, “Shell group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this document refer to companies in which Royal Dutch Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which Shell has significant influence but not control are referred to as “associated companies” or “associates” and companies in which Shell has joint control are referred to as “jointly controlled entities”. In this document, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as “equity-accounted investments”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 34% shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
This document contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''will'', ''seek'', ''target'', ''risks'', ''goals'', ''should'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this document, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell’s Annual Report and Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2009 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, 31 March, 2010. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this document.
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this document that SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.
# # #
Update on the Allegation of $10.8 Billion Tax Evasion Fraud against Chevron and its Associated Companies 2
UPDATE ON THE ALLEGATION OF $10.8 BILLION TAX EVASION AND FRAUD AGAINST CHEVRON AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPANIES BY ABZ INTEGRATED LIMITED
THE DOCUMENTS OF PROOF.
By Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited.
THE DOCUMENTS OF PROOF.
By Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Untold Story of the $10.8 Billion Tax Evasion and Fraud By Chevron Nigeria Limited and Its Associated Companies
Update on the Allegation of $10.8 Billion Tax Evasion Fraud against Chevron and its Associated Companies 1
On 1st July, 2005, ABZ Integrated Limited, a Nigerian company based in Abuja broke the news of the $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud by the Nigerian branch of the Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX Euronext: CHTEX), an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, (see annexure 1b).
Following the disclosures, ABZ was duly engaged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria under the Executive Chairmanship of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (see annexure 1a) as a consultant for the recovery of the unpaid taxes from Chevron Nigeria Limited. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) under Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili acknowledged the engagement and financial entitlement of ABZ Integrated Limited (see annexure 5b).
In the last quarter of 2005, the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), under the chairmanship of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, had a public hearing on the allegation of $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron Nigeria Limited. And in September 2006, the Chairman vindicated ABZ and confirmed that Chevron evaded tax as alleged and was ordered to refund the sum of $492 million. NEITI’s auditors also validated the claims of ABZ. But Chevron has only refunded a fraction of the total Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded, without paying the penalties required by PPT Act. And ABZ has not been paid its entitlements since Chevron has refunded the sum of $866 million of the Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded so far.
This is the untold story of the whole financial scandal as reported by Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited.
~ Nigerians Report
UPDATE ON THE ALLEGATION OF $10.8 BILLION TAX EVASION AND FRAUD AGAINST CHEVRON AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPANIES BY ABZ INTEGRATED LTD
THE UNTOLD STORY
In July 2005, when ThisDay Newspaper published ABZ Integrated Ltd’s open letter to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the allegation of $10.8 Billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron Nigeria Ltd, some Nigerians believed it. Some took it with a pinch of salt. While some dismissed it with utmost disbelief.
Before ABZ took that bold step, an in-dept investigation of the activities of Chevron had been painstakingly undertaken. This culminated in a 106 –page report being forwarded to EFCC on the 12th of May 2005, with over 400 page annexures (Annexure 4).
The way and manner the relevant government agencies in Nigeria reacted to the issue was very shocking and unbelievable. Organizations such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiary NAPIMS, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) etc, stood in stout defense of Chevron’s position and treated ABZ with disdain and scorn. We were undaunted because we were very sure of what we stated and were prepared to defend it till the last day.
Following our publication, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), under the chairmanship of Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili, held a meeting of stakeholders in Nicon Hotel on the 9th of August 2005. NEITI issued a press release (Annexure 5a) on the outcome of the meeting confirming inter alia:
(i) That ABZ was duly engaged as consultants by EFCC and that ABZ’s effort led to the recovery of $6.5 million
(ii) That the information provided by ABZ (i.e. the report) has been referred to the Hart Group to verify the claims made therein.
Other confirmations of ABZ’s efforts and entitlements are enclosed herewith as (Annexures 5b, c, d & e).
+TO+FIDELIS+UZONWANNE+OF+ABZ.JPG)
Recall that field work on the ABZ’s investigation of Chevron under EFCC Committee on Government Revenue Fraud was done between December 2003 and January 2005. FIRS and other Government agencies were answering questions on their respective roles relating to Chevron’s operations and their culpability thereon (Annexures 6a, 6b, 6c & 7a, 7b).
Between September and November 2005, the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), under the chairmanship of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, carried out a public hearing on the allegation of $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron. About September 2006, the report of the Committee’s investigation was laid before the plenary. The chairman in a press conference confirmed to the whole world that indeed Chevron evaded tax as alleged and was ordered to refund the sum of $492 million (Annexure 8).
On November 9, 2006, Segun Adeniyi, a former Editor of ThisDay Newspaper, Spokesperson to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and then a member of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) of NEITI, confirmed to the whole world that ABZ had been vindicated because NEITI’s auditors had confirmed to them the veracity of ABZ’s claims (Annexure 9a). Please find enclosed an except from Hart Group report dated 14th August, 2006 for more details (Annexure 9b).
We want to confirm to you that the harassment Ribadu’s EFCC was giving to ABZ in 2005 was merely a decoy to shield the main issues from people’s prying eyes. This dummy sold by Ribadu’s EFCC enabled the trio of FIRS, Chevron and EFCC to conceal the recoveries being realized from Chevron through ABZ’s effort. Recent events have confirmed that the maneuvers were intended to enable them dip their fingers into the official tills. Their campaign then was that ABZ was making false claims, that Chevron never evaded tax and no money was refunded. Unknown to so many people was the fact that as at that time (July 2005), Chevron had refunded over $130 million and part of it diverted.
By a letter dated 6th October 2008, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mrs. Ifueko Omouigui-Okauru, in response to Nigeria’s House of Representative’s Ad-hoc Committee’s inquest, claimed that the sum of $131 million had been recovered from Chevron but that it was not from ABZ’s effort (Annexure 10). At the time of this claim (i.e. October 2008), ABZ, through its own information network was aware that Chevron had refunded $491 million (Annexure 11). ABZ, through its Solicitors, Messrs Fountain Advocates, petitioned Farida’s EFCC, alleging a diversion of $360 million. The petition was dated 17th November, 2008, with all the necessary attachments including bank statements treasury receipts, correspondences from Chevron (Annexures 12a, b, & c). Two reminders dated 12th January 2009 and 14th January 2010 have been sent to Farida’s EFCC and mum is the answer (Annexures 13 & 14).
As at December 2008, Chevron had refunded the sum of $866 million of the Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded (Annexure 15). The relevant penalties based on the provisions of PPT Act is three times the tax evaded i.e. $2.598 billion (Annexure 16). FIRS has no choice than to abide by the law. There’s no evidence that FIRS is prepared to make this demand on Chevron. Besides, ABZ is still willing and prepared to provide a report that will turn in additional recoveries of $2.0 billion from Chevron.
As at today, ABZ has not been paid its fees for this assignment. Instead, FIRS and Chevron have been busy plotting how to silence ABZ. One way they thought they could achieve this was to encourage Chevron to seek ICAN’s (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) support to “deal” with the Managing Consultant of ABZ. Chevron petitioned ICAN that ABZ’s report was baseless, unprofessional and that Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ, should be charged with professional misconduct. The company represented to ICAN that it never refunded any tax evaded (Annexure 17a, b & c). This is contrary to its various letters evidencing refunds e.g. letters of January 24, 2005, November 29, 2005 and receipts obtained (Annexures 17d, e, f & g). True to type, ICAN set to work through malicious advertisement of the fact that Fidelis Uzonwanne was facing ICAN investigating Panel without first writing him as a member. He is currently facing trial at Disciplinary Tribunal for exposing corruption and helping his country to recover $866 million of lost revenue (Annexures 18a, b & c). That is the sorry state of the Nigerian Nation.
Over $400 million out of the $866 million recovered from Chevron through ABZ’s effort has been diverted by FIRS and their collaborators in CBN (Annexures 19 & 20). Farida’s EFCC does not appear prepared to bring the criminals to book despite all the information made available to it (Annexures 21a, b & c). See Annexure 25 for more details on diverted funds. Instead, the conspirators have vowed not to pay ABZ its dues and will prefer the option of eliminating Fidelis Uzonwanne by any means. Yes, the plot to assassinate Fidelis Uzonwanne is thickening and he is aware of it. What is his offence? He led a team that exposed tax evasion and fraud perpetrated by Chevron. The first process of his annihilation is through financial strangulation by denying his company its dues. The next in the chain is to make sure he stops practicing his profession by using forged documents, falsehood and undue influence to get ICAN do its bidding. The final is assassination.
Please ventilate this to the whole world. The Nigerian economy is seriously being threatened by the cabal in government revenue agencies, who have vowed not to allow any of their own go down no matter how corrupt. The anti-corruption crusade is at its lowest ebb. Nigeria’s economic future is getting dimmer with every passing day. The Executive Chairman of FIRS, who supervised and managed the looting of the money recovered from Chevron in a letter with reference no FIRSB/MD/001/130 of 4th February, 2009 requested CBN, its accomplice, to give her a clean “bill of health”. CBN, by its letter dated 12th February 2009, with reference no. FOD/DIR/GA/SEC/012/68, acted accordingly (Annexure 22). The duo made a fruitless attempt to conceal a diversion of $112 million. ABZ, by its letter of 2nd December, 2009, knocked the bottom off the unwholesome arrangement (Annexure 23). The same goes for the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) (Annexure 24). It set up a committee to investigate the allegation of fraudulent diversion of $360 million, concluded its investigation and attempted to give Ifueko a clean “bill of health” without inviting the company that made the allegation (Annexure 25). Although the OAGF confirmed a diversion of $8.6 million, those indicted are still sitting comfortably on their seats and using tax payers’ money to campaign and launder their image.
Like all other financial scandals that have rocked Nigeria, this would have fizzled out long time ago but because of the plan of the treasury looters to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg”. If the same Chevron project had been awarded to a foreign firm, the Federal Government would have easily parted with hundreds of millions of Dollars as professional fees with the perquisites attached thereto. Believe it or not, no foreign company would have been able to match ABZ’s achievements. After ABZ’s investigation of Chevron what happened next? Other oil companies are still enjoying their illicit funds.
Since the exit of Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili from NEITI, the agency has since joined the band wagon of other government agencies who are more interested in budgetary allocations than performing the role for which they were established. ABZ by a letter dated 20th April, 2009, alerted the organization of several issues that it should ordinarily make effort to know (Annexure 26). The organization never even bordered to respond. The reason is very simple. The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mrs. Ifueko Omouigui-Okauru has pocketed the organization and has ensured no further audits are carried out especially 2006 audit of the oil & gas industry in Nigeria, because of the unprecedented fraud by FIRS that year. The Nation lost over $3 billion of PPT and Royalty revenue to fraud.
By Fidelis Uzonwanne
Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited,
Abuja (FCT),
Nigeria.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
ALL THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS ON THIS CASE WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS OF THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.
On 1st July, 2005, ABZ Integrated Limited, a Nigerian company based in Abuja broke the news of the $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud by the Nigerian branch of the Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX Euronext: CHTEX), an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, (see annexure 1b).
Following the disclosures, ABZ was duly engaged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria under the Executive Chairmanship of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (see annexure 1a) as a consultant for the recovery of the unpaid taxes from Chevron Nigeria Limited. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) under Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili acknowledged the engagement and financial entitlement of ABZ Integrated Limited (see annexure 5b).
In the last quarter of 2005, the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), under the chairmanship of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, had a public hearing on the allegation of $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron Nigeria Limited. And in September 2006, the Chairman vindicated ABZ and confirmed that Chevron evaded tax as alleged and was ordered to refund the sum of $492 million. NEITI’s auditors also validated the claims of ABZ. But Chevron has only refunded a fraction of the total Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded, without paying the penalties required by PPT Act. And ABZ has not been paid its entitlements since Chevron has refunded the sum of $866 million of the Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded so far.
This is the untold story of the whole financial scandal as reported by Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited.
~ Nigerians Report
UPDATE ON THE ALLEGATION OF $10.8 BILLION TAX EVASION AND FRAUD AGAINST CHEVRON AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPANIES BY ABZ INTEGRATED LTD
THE UNTOLD STORY
In July 2005, when ThisDay Newspaper published ABZ Integrated Ltd’s open letter to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the allegation of $10.8 Billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron Nigeria Ltd, some Nigerians believed it. Some took it with a pinch of salt. While some dismissed it with utmost disbelief.
Before ABZ took that bold step, an in-dept investigation of the activities of Chevron had been painstakingly undertaken. This culminated in a 106 –page report being forwarded to EFCC on the 12th of May 2005, with over 400 page annexures (Annexure 4).
The way and manner the relevant government agencies in Nigeria reacted to the issue was very shocking and unbelievable. Organizations such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiary NAPIMS, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) etc, stood in stout defense of Chevron’s position and treated ABZ with disdain and scorn. We were undaunted because we were very sure of what we stated and were prepared to defend it till the last day.
Following our publication, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), under the chairmanship of Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili, held a meeting of stakeholders in Nicon Hotel on the 9th of August 2005. NEITI issued a press release (Annexure 5a) on the outcome of the meeting confirming inter alia:
(i) That ABZ was duly engaged as consultants by EFCC and that ABZ’s effort led to the recovery of $6.5 million
(ii) That the information provided by ABZ (i.e. the report) has been referred to the Hart Group to verify the claims made therein.
Other confirmations of ABZ’s efforts and entitlements are enclosed herewith as (Annexures 5b, c, d & e).
+TO+FIDELIS+UZONWANNE+OF+ABZ.JPG){kind=spacer}
Recall that field work on the ABZ’s investigation of Chevron under EFCC Committee on Government Revenue Fraud was done between December 2003 and January 2005. FIRS and other Government agencies were answering questions on their respective roles relating to Chevron’s operations and their culpability thereon (Annexures 6a, 6b, 6c & 7a, 7b).
Between September and November 2005, the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), under the chairmanship of Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, carried out a public hearing on the allegation of $10.8 billion tax evasion and fraud against Chevron. About September 2006, the report of the Committee’s investigation was laid before the plenary. The chairman in a press conference confirmed to the whole world that indeed Chevron evaded tax as alleged and was ordered to refund the sum of $492 million (Annexure 8).
On November 9, 2006, Segun Adeniyi, a former Editor of ThisDay Newspaper, Spokesperson to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and then a member of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) of NEITI, confirmed to the whole world that ABZ had been vindicated because NEITI’s auditors had confirmed to them the veracity of ABZ’s claims (Annexure 9a). Please find enclosed an except from Hart Group report dated 14th August, 2006 for more details (Annexure 9b).
We want to confirm to you that the harassment Ribadu’s EFCC was giving to ABZ in 2005 was merely a decoy to shield the main issues from people’s prying eyes. This dummy sold by Ribadu’s EFCC enabled the trio of FIRS, Chevron and EFCC to conceal the recoveries being realized from Chevron through ABZ’s effort. Recent events have confirmed that the maneuvers were intended to enable them dip their fingers into the official tills. Their campaign then was that ABZ was making false claims, that Chevron never evaded tax and no money was refunded. Unknown to so many people was the fact that as at that time (July 2005), Chevron had refunded over $130 million and part of it diverted.
By a letter dated 6th October 2008, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mrs. Ifueko Omouigui-Okauru, in response to Nigeria’s House of Representative’s Ad-hoc Committee’s inquest, claimed that the sum of $131 million had been recovered from Chevron but that it was not from ABZ’s effort (Annexure 10). At the time of this claim (i.e. October 2008), ABZ, through its own information network was aware that Chevron had refunded $491 million (Annexure 11). ABZ, through its Solicitors, Messrs Fountain Advocates, petitioned Farida’s EFCC, alleging a diversion of $360 million. The petition was dated 17th November, 2008, with all the necessary attachments including bank statements treasury receipts, correspondences from Chevron (Annexures 12a, b, & c). Two reminders dated 12th January 2009 and 14th January 2010 have been sent to Farida’s EFCC and mum is the answer (Annexures 13 & 14).
As at December 2008, Chevron had refunded the sum of $866 million of the Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) evaded (Annexure 15). The relevant penalties based on the provisions of PPT Act is three times the tax evaded i.e. $2.598 billion (Annexure 16). FIRS has no choice than to abide by the law. There’s no evidence that FIRS is prepared to make this demand on Chevron. Besides, ABZ is still willing and prepared to provide a report that will turn in additional recoveries of $2.0 billion from Chevron.
As at today, ABZ has not been paid its fees for this assignment. Instead, FIRS and Chevron have been busy plotting how to silence ABZ. One way they thought they could achieve this was to encourage Chevron to seek ICAN’s (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) support to “deal” with the Managing Consultant of ABZ. Chevron petitioned ICAN that ABZ’s report was baseless, unprofessional and that Fidelis Uzonwanne, the Managing Consultant of ABZ, should be charged with professional misconduct. The company represented to ICAN that it never refunded any tax evaded (Annexure 17a, b & c). This is contrary to its various letters evidencing refunds e.g. letters of January 24, 2005, November 29, 2005 and receipts obtained (Annexures 17d, e, f & g). True to type, ICAN set to work through malicious advertisement of the fact that Fidelis Uzonwanne was facing ICAN investigating Panel without first writing him as a member. He is currently facing trial at Disciplinary Tribunal for exposing corruption and helping his country to recover $866 million of lost revenue (Annexures 18a, b & c). That is the sorry state of the Nigerian Nation.
Over $400 million out of the $866 million recovered from Chevron through ABZ’s effort has been diverted by FIRS and their collaborators in CBN (Annexures 19 & 20). Farida’s EFCC does not appear prepared to bring the criminals to book despite all the information made available to it (Annexures 21a, b & c). See Annexure 25 for more details on diverted funds. Instead, the conspirators have vowed not to pay ABZ its dues and will prefer the option of eliminating Fidelis Uzonwanne by any means. Yes, the plot to assassinate Fidelis Uzonwanne is thickening and he is aware of it. What is his offence? He led a team that exposed tax evasion and fraud perpetrated by Chevron. The first process of his annihilation is through financial strangulation by denying his company its dues. The next in the chain is to make sure he stops practicing his profession by using forged documents, falsehood and undue influence to get ICAN do its bidding. The final is assassination.
Please ventilate this to the whole world. The Nigerian economy is seriously being threatened by the cabal in government revenue agencies, who have vowed not to allow any of their own go down no matter how corrupt. The anti-corruption crusade is at its lowest ebb. Nigeria’s economic future is getting dimmer with every passing day. The Executive Chairman of FIRS, who supervised and managed the looting of the money recovered from Chevron in a letter with reference no FIRSB/MD/001/130 of 4th February, 2009 requested CBN, its accomplice, to give her a clean “bill of health”. CBN, by its letter dated 12th February 2009, with reference no. FOD/DIR/GA/SEC/012/68, acted accordingly (Annexure 22). The duo made a fruitless attempt to conceal a diversion of $112 million. ABZ, by its letter of 2nd December, 2009, knocked the bottom off the unwholesome arrangement (Annexure 23). The same goes for the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) (Annexure 24). It set up a committee to investigate the allegation of fraudulent diversion of $360 million, concluded its investigation and attempted to give Ifueko a clean “bill of health” without inviting the company that made the allegation (Annexure 25). Although the OAGF confirmed a diversion of $8.6 million, those indicted are still sitting comfortably on their seats and using tax payers’ money to campaign and launder their image.
Like all other financial scandals that have rocked Nigeria, this would have fizzled out long time ago but because of the plan of the treasury looters to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg”. If the same Chevron project had been awarded to a foreign firm, the Federal Government would have easily parted with hundreds of millions of Dollars as professional fees with the perquisites attached thereto. Believe it or not, no foreign company would have been able to match ABZ’s achievements. After ABZ’s investigation of Chevron what happened next? Other oil companies are still enjoying their illicit funds.
Since the exit of Dr. (Mrs.) Obiageli Ezekwesili from NEITI, the agency has since joined the band wagon of other government agencies who are more interested in budgetary allocations than performing the role for which they were established. ABZ by a letter dated 20th April, 2009, alerted the organization of several issues that it should ordinarily make effort to know (Annexure 26). The organization never even bordered to respond. The reason is very simple. The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mrs. Ifueko Omouigui-Okauru has pocketed the organization and has ensured no further audits are carried out especially 2006 audit of the oil & gas industry in Nigeria, because of the unprecedented fraud by FIRS that year. The Nation lost over $3 billion of PPT and Royalty revenue to fraud.
By Fidelis Uzonwanne
Managing Consultant of ABZ Integrated Limited,
Abuja (FCT),
Nigeria.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
ALL THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS ON THIS CASE WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS OF THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
'T' is for 'Ten' at TFM&A!
08:00 30 Mar 2010
'T' is for 'Ten' at TFM&A!
At Technology For Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A) last week, 10 was the number everyone was talking about. The UK’s largest marketing event just got even larger, as over 10,000 marketing, media and advertising professionals walked through the doors...
Technology For Marketing & Advertising 2010 smashes the 10,000 Attendee Mark With a 10% Visitor Increase, in its 10th Anniversary Year.
* OVER 10,000 ATTENDEES OVER 2 DAYS
* 10% INCREASE IN VISITOR NUMBERS
* 10 TREMENDOUS KEYNOTES
* 10 YEARS OF TFM&A GROWTH
London, March 30 /PRNewswire/ — At Technology For Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A), 10 was the number everyone was talking about. The UK’s largest marketing event just got even larger, as over 10,000 marketing, media and advertising professionals walked through the doors of Earls Court 2 on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 February to attend what has been described by Chris Underhill, CEO of smartFocus as “the busiest we have ever seen the show”.
TFM&A has enjoyed phenomenal growth since its launch 10 years ago. Back in 2001 TFM was a niche technology show focusing largely on CRM and Data solutions. With the explosion of digital within the industry, and the strategic addition of the ‘advertising’ arm to the show in 2007, TFM&A’s growth has been unprecedented with visitor numbers growing cumulatively by 107% in the last 3 years alone (4,544 visitors in 2007 – ABC Audited; 9,392 visitors in 2010 – pending ABC Audit).
Group Director Mark Snell, who launched the event in 2001 as Event Director and has been involved in all 10 events, says:
"To see any launch event through to its tenth year creates a sense of huge pride, but to see the amount of growth that TFM&A has achieved is truly elating. Every year we have been able to say it's our most successful event to date but I'm especially delighted that we have gone past the 10,000 attendee mark in this our 10th year. I'd also like to express our appreciation for the tremendous, ongoing support of all our customers, and the wider marketing & advertising communities. Thanks to them this year more than any has seen the show team really embed and extend still further TFM&A's long established market leading position."
The smashing of the 10,000 mark (total attendance 10,656 pending ABC Audit) was accompanied by a 10% increase in visitors attending the show, sourcing solutions from the 180 exhibitors and attending the comprehensive free seminar programme and ‘tremendous 10’ keynotes.
Event Manager, Natasha Berrow, comments: "The visitor numbers over the 2 days are a real reflection of the buoyancy currently being reported within the marketing industry. Professionals are actively seeking out new investment opportunities and taking valuable time out of the office to keep up-to-date with what's going on in their industry. TFM&A's success reinforces the optimism that we are all feeling for the year ahead."
Response from the suppliers exhibiting at the show was also overwhelming, with many claiming to have had their best show ever, with both footfall and quality of visitors the highest they’ve ever seen, and exhibitor re-bookings for TFM&A 2011 a record 83% of the 2010 show.
“TFM&A provides the right audience for us – attending with a budget to spend, who understand the complexities of digital marketing. We’re extremely happy, having launched a new technical product which was received extremely well by attendees at the show. We’ve already re-booked for 2011 – and upgraded our stand!”
Rob Pierre, Managing Director, Jellyfish.
“smartFOCUS have been with TFM&A since the launch event 10 years ago and every year our expectations are met and often surpassed! 2010 has been the busiest we have ever seen the show plus the quality of attendees has been excellent. We saw first hand how the very popular educational programme empowers marketers to make the right purchasing decision on the show floor. TFM&A is an essential part of our marketing plan and we’ve already re-booked our stand for 2011.”
Chris Underhill, Chief Executive Officer, smartFOCUS.
"TFM&A continues to be the place to be for meeting marketers looking for technology platforms - and allows us to set the stage for the rest of the year. The 2010 event was unbelievably busy, noticeably more so than in 2009 and the visitors were of a good quality. We are very happy with how the event went for us and the number of sales leads we generated."
Riaz Kanani, Director of Product Marketing, Silverpop.
“This is the best show we have attended in 2009 – 2010!”
Tony Argyrson, Director – Sales, Iomart.
“This was the first show we have exhibited at with our new brand InfogroupUK and we’ve had real genuine interest from a high level of attendees. The show itself has a great buzz about it, and it’s been really busy as the education programme is so popular. We’ll definitely be back for TFM&A 2011!”
Carly Ferguson, Marketing Executive,InfogroupUK
And it wasn’t just the exhibitors singing TFM&A’s praises. Feedback from visitors gathered onsite and through social media monitoring demonstrated that increasing capacity to reduce queuing for the seminars had worked to good effect.
“I was recommended to attend TFM&A by colleagues, and it definitely met my objectives: to hear people speak about new ideas and speaking to companies offering technical solutions. I attended some of the free seminar sessions, and followed up with exhibitors, allowing me to network and catch-up with new and existing suppliers.”
Data Intelligence Manager, B&Q.
“TFM&A is the most important show for social media and networking in my event calendar.”
Social Media Manager, Adjust Your Set.
“I was at TFM&A 2010 looking specifically for exhibitors offering SEO/database management services & solutions, and to gather information. I made some really good contacts with suppliers, and as it was my first show, I will definitely be coming back next year!”
Managing Director, Standing Ovation Enterprises.
“It’s great to mix with similar people in industry, and I attended a few keynote sessions which were excellent. I’ll be recommending this show to my peers.”
IT Analyst, Johnson & Johnson.
“I’ve been attending TFM&A for a few years and use the show as a great place to meet and network with new and existing clients & suppliers. There’s been a really good quality of exhibitors this year and I attended seminars on both days, which were great. I would definitely recommend the show.”
Marketing Manager, Volt.
With more sessions that ever before, the free education sessions were packed to the rafters with 6126 seats filled during the 2 day seminar programme which comprised 5 themed seminar theatres covering digital marketing, content management & ecommerce, online advertising & social media, CRM & campaign management software, and data & marketing analytics. A further 788 attended the ever-popular CIM Marketing Experience, 629 visitors experienced first-hand digital expertise in the Econsultancy Integrated Marketing Training programme, and the brand new Sift Social Media for Marketing Theatre also drew huge crowds with 580 visitors in attendance and many spilling out into the aisles not to miss it.
The ‘tremendous ten’ keynotes were delivered to a crowd of 3320 and featured Google, Econsultancy, AMV.BBDO, YouTube, Gyro:HSR, industry guru Dr Dave Chaffey, Facebook, digital media visionary Jay Stevens of The Rubicon Project, and an exhilarating CRM panel debate hosted by MyCustomer.com and featuring Microsoft, RightNow, Salesforce.com and Oracle. To accommodate demand, all sessions were filmed and will be available online to all attendees.
The showfloor presented a diverse range of digital, data and CRM solutions from industry leading suppliers, and was this year supplemented by the brand new Direct Marketing Zone, ensuring visitors needing truly integrated marketing & advertising campaigns were well catered for. A record 83% of stand space was rebooked for the 2011 event, with all key stand positions rebooked onsite, firmly confirming TFM&A’s position as the UK’s leading event for the marketing & advertising industry.
Unveiled at TFM&A was the launch of new co-locating event for 2011, Online Advertising & Affiliate Expo. Organised by UBM Live and out of the same successful portfolio, run by Group Director Mark Snell and Event Director Simon Mills, as TFM&A and Internet World, OA&A Expo will be a focused event bringing together advertising, media & publishing professionals. Its unveiling was met with much excitement by exhibitors, and research carried out to TFM&A and Internet World visitors found that 81% strongly agreed / agreed that they would attend an event covering all online advertising requirements alongside TFM&A.
More information on the launch can be found at: www.oaa-expo.co.uk
TFM&A is broadening its horizons in its tenth year with the first stage of its global roll-out. The team from TFM&A China, taking place 25-26 August in Shanghai, secured at least 6 exhibitor bookings while meeting with exhibitors at TFM&A.
TFM&A’s sister event, Internet World, is taking place 27-29 April and visitor registrations and exhibitor bookings confirmed so far indicate this will also be a roaring success for anyone providing online business and digital marketing solutions.
Notes to Editors:
Photography
A selection of photographs from TFM&A 2010 is available. If you require any images to support this release please email lydia.simpson@ubm.com.
About Technology For Marketing & Advertising
Technology For Marketing & Advertising is the UK’s only integrated marketing-solutions event delivering data, CRM, direct and digital solutions for marketing, media and advertising professionals. With increased visitor numbers year on year, the event moved from Olympia to Earls Court 2 in 2008. Total attendance to TFM&A 2009 was 9,643 of which 8,263 were pure visitors (ABC Audited) – an increase on 2008 visitors of 21% (ABC Audited).
TFM&A offers visitors access to a full range of marketing & advertising solutions to implement and deliver successful strategies and campaigns. For more information go to www.t-f-m.co.uk.
About UBM Live
UBM Live is a leading international provider of integrated media solutions. Working throughout various market sectors including Air Traffic Control, Care, Customer Management, Digital Marketing, Energy, Facilities Management, Fire, Health & Safety, Interiors, Leisure, Security and Venues, UBM Live produces a wide range of exhibitions, awards & events, publications, conferences, digital products and directories.
Amongst its brands, UBM Live boasts: ATC Global, Decorex, IFSEC, Interiors, International Confex, Internet World, TFM&A and The National Business Awards. UBM Live’s brands also have international replication in China, India, South Africa and UAE. UBM Live is part of United Business Media Limited (LSE: UBM.L), one of the world’s leading business media companies which employs more than 6,500 people in more than 35 countries. For more information go www.ubm.com.
Related Links
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Pepsi to Showcase How Latinos Are Refreshing the Landscape of the United States
Pepsi Launches YO SUMO (I Add Up/I Count) to Showcase How Latinos Are Refreshing the Landscape of the United States.
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