I AM NOT ON THE RUN - IBORI
AUSTYN OGANNAH
Former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori is not being sought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and has not been declared wanted officially or otherwise by the anti-graft agency, a top EFCC personnel told THEWILL in a conference call from Abuja on Monday night.
The source who asked not to be named said a Nigerian newspaper report that said the commission was seeking to interrogate Ibori on his involvement in an alleged use of 528 million units of Delta State government owned Oceanic Bank Plc shares as collateral to secure a loan for a private company with ties to him from Intercontinental Bank Plc, and subsequent disposal of the shares to offset the balance of the loan, was inaccurate.
Pressed further, the source acknowledged that the commission had received an initial petition on Ibori on the matter many months ago before another was filed some weeks ago, he said the commission was yet to conclude its investigations on the allegations hence could not have declared the former governor wanted.
"What I am telling you is the EFCC official position on the Ibori/Delta State shares petition. The newspaper report you mentioned is inaccurate. The commission has not invited Ibori for questioning, we have not written him any letter of invitation on the matter, if we had, you know I would tell you," the source said.
Further checks by THEWILL through sources close to the governor revealed that Ibori has been in Abuja since the weekend and up till the time of filing in this report today, overseeing his affairs from the nation’s capital. The EFCC is also headquartered in Abuja.
The former governor was highly criticized for his role in frustrating Acting President Goodluck Jonathan’s ascension to the top of the Presidency. Ibori and Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva were arrowheads of the movement that worked in union with members of President Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet ‘cabal’ to ensure that Jonathan did not become Acting President. They were comfortable with maintaining the status quo until the ailing Yar’Adua resumed duties as President.
Recall the THEWILL broke the story that Ibori spearheaded the campaign to ensure that Yar’Adua was not removed from office on account of his ailment.
Ibori is known to be a major backer and financier of President Yar’Adua’s 2007 presidential campaign that eventually brought Yar’Adua to power.
There have been speculations that the Acting President may go after Ibori to punish him for his opposition. Our Presidency sources have consistently debunked talks that the Presidency may go after Ibori following his position. Pundits however believe Jonathan may use the latest allegation against Ibori as a political tool, to pay back Ibori.
THEWILL put a call through to the former governor on his cell phone to see if he had cutoff communication as claimed in the newspaper report. The governor was on the other end after a few seconds. We told him we were investigating a report on his alleged ‘disappearance’ and that he also cutoff communication following investigations by the EFCC into a petition against him by some Deltans including a former Minister of Information and PDP chieftain, Chief Edwin Clark.
"You called me and I am speaking to you now. Your number is even blocked and I took the call, please how have I cut off communication?," the former governor asked.
When asked to confirm his location, Ibori said, "I am still in Abuja."
Chief Ibori was a two-term governor of Delta State from 1999-2007 and was last quarter, acquitted in a highly contentious court ruling by a Federal High Court in Asaba, on multiple corruption and money laundering charges.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
MATTERS ARISING: PDP, Uduaghan, Ibori Meet In Asaba
AUSTYN OGANNAH
The former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori met yesterday (Tuesday) with Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and an expanded caucus of Peoples Democratic Party in Asaba, Delta State, where issues concerning the party and the upcoming elections were discussed.
Though details of the meeting were not communicated to THEWILL when we sought for comments, it is believed that the current disagreements among party members over the proposed automatic tickets for both current state and federal legislators were discussed.
A source who craved anonymity said the party discussed the political events playing out at the national level where no candidate from the governor’s caucus was nominated for a Ministerial appointment to represent the state by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The source would not comment further when we pressed for more information.
THEWILL also gathered that the foundation laying ceremony of a new party secretariat in the state capital was also performed.
Chief Ibori was spotted at the governors’ office on Wednesday afternoon where he met with the governor before dropping by at the Government House VIP Lodge where he exchange pleasantries with musician, Charly Boy and his group of motorbike riders who are guests of the state governor.
Shortly after Ibori’s departure, Uduaghan in a convoy led Charly Boy and his fellow riders on an inspection tour of some projects embarked upon by his administration including the multi-billion-naira Asaba International Airport and the new government house.
Uduaghan did not let reporters inquire from him or Charly boy his mission in the state.
Uduaghan To Give Free Health Care To Children Soon
Meanwhile, in an effort to fulfilling perhaps some of his electioneering promises, Governor Uduaghan may have concluded plans to begin a free healthcare scheme for Delta State children under five years of age in the coming weeks. The governor made the disclosure on Tuesday at the PDP stakeholders meeting in Asaba.
He said the free maternal health care programme of the state has saved a lot of women from premature death and the proposed free Medicare for children would eradicate infant mortality in the state.
The former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori met yesterday (Tuesday) with Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and an expanded caucus of Peoples Democratic Party in Asaba, Delta State, where issues concerning the party and the upcoming elections were discussed.
Though details of the meeting were not communicated to THEWILL when we sought for comments, it is believed that the current disagreements among party members over the proposed automatic tickets for both current state and federal legislators were discussed.
A source who craved anonymity said the party discussed the political events playing out at the national level where no candidate from the governor’s caucus was nominated for a Ministerial appointment to represent the state by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The source would not comment further when we pressed for more information.
THEWILL also gathered that the foundation laying ceremony of a new party secretariat in the state capital was also performed.
Chief Ibori was spotted at the governors’ office on Wednesday afternoon where he met with the governor before dropping by at the Government House VIP Lodge where he exchange pleasantries with musician, Charly Boy and his group of motorbike riders who are guests of the state governor.
Shortly after Ibori’s departure, Uduaghan in a convoy led Charly Boy and his fellow riders on an inspection tour of some projects embarked upon by his administration including the multi-billion-naira Asaba International Airport and the new government house.
Uduaghan did not let reporters inquire from him or Charly boy his mission in the state.
Uduaghan To Give Free Health Care To Children Soon
Meanwhile, in an effort to fulfilling perhaps some of his electioneering promises, Governor Uduaghan may have concluded plans to begin a free healthcare scheme for Delta State children under five years of age in the coming weeks. The governor made the disclosure on Tuesday at the PDP stakeholders meeting in Asaba.
He said the free maternal health care programme of the state has saved a lot of women from premature death and the proposed free Medicare for children would eradicate infant mortality in the state.
Finance Controller Connives With Bank To Steal N35M From Delta Government Agency
Austyn Ogannah
Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has been allegedly duped of a whooping sum of N35 million by its Finance Controller, Mr. Joseph Ineanya.
Ineanya allegedly executed the scam in collaboration with some staff of Intercontinental Bank, Asaba branch.
The suspect who was arrested and taken to the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja has however been granted bail.
Confirming the arrest to our reporter in Asaba, the Board Chairman, Mrs. Pat Ejeteh, lamented and wondered how the Controller successfully forged her signature before he withdrew funds from the agency’s accounts.
Mrs. Ejeteh explained that the money was meant to offset the bills of contractors who worked for the state during administration of former Governor, James Ibori.
"The criminality involved in the case was beyond the state level. What was stolen was about N35 million. I feel bad and embarrassed about it. He was arrested, he has confessed. At state level, the Head of Service will take over his case after the police. As regards the level of involvement of Intercontinental, the police will determine."
The SUBEB boss, who was categorical that the Finance Controller must have executed the deal in connivance with some staff of the bank, simply said, "by the time the suspect is properly quizzed, he will release the names of other accomplices."
She disclosed that rapid growth and development had resumed in the board after the crisis of misappropriation of funds, non-payment of contractors and unethical deployment of staff that rocked the board last year.
When our reporter contacted the Education Commissioner, Mrs. Juliet Agoba, she declined comment, as according to her she is not aware of the alleged fraud.
All effort to get comments from Ineanya was unsuccessful and the bank would not comment too.
Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has been allegedly duped of a whooping sum of N35 million by its Finance Controller, Mr. Joseph Ineanya.
Ineanya allegedly executed the scam in collaboration with some staff of Intercontinental Bank, Asaba branch.
The suspect who was arrested and taken to the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja has however been granted bail.
Confirming the arrest to our reporter in Asaba, the Board Chairman, Mrs. Pat Ejeteh, lamented and wondered how the Controller successfully forged her signature before he withdrew funds from the agency’s accounts.
Mrs. Ejeteh explained that the money was meant to offset the bills of contractors who worked for the state during administration of former Governor, James Ibori.
"The criminality involved in the case was beyond the state level. What was stolen was about N35 million. I feel bad and embarrassed about it. He was arrested, he has confessed. At state level, the Head of Service will take over his case after the police. As regards the level of involvement of Intercontinental, the police will determine."
The SUBEB boss, who was categorical that the Finance Controller must have executed the deal in connivance with some staff of the bank, simply said, "by the time the suspect is properly quizzed, he will release the names of other accomplices."
She disclosed that rapid growth and development had resumed in the board after the crisis of misappropriation of funds, non-payment of contractors and unethical deployment of staff that rocked the board last year.
When our reporter contacted the Education Commissioner, Mrs. Juliet Agoba, she declined comment, as according to her she is not aware of the alleged fraud.
All effort to get comments from Ineanya was unsuccessful and the bank would not comment too.
Dokubo-Asari Supports UN, AU Led Partitioning
…. Says Mark Should Resign For Calling Gaddafi ‘A Madman.’
Austyn Ogannah
The leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari has thrown his weight behind the recent call by Libyan strong man Muammar Gaddafi to divide the Nigerian state into two along religious lines to put an end to the recurring ethno-religious crisis in the country.
Alhaji Dokubo who also called for the resignation of Senate President David Mark for calling Gaddafi a madman reasoned that the cry of oppression and marginalization in Nigeria is not limited to the ethnic minorities of the Niger-Delta alone stating that the majority ethnic groups like the Igbos and the Hausa- Fulanis are also groaning "under the worst form of internal colonialism."
Alhaji Dokubo-Asari in a statement made available to THEWILL in Asaba, Delta State said the call by Gaddafi was justifiable and appealed to United Nations Organization (UN) and the African Union (AU) to preside over the division saying that the controversial call by Gaddafi was in order in the light of "the growing discontents in Niger Delta and other parts" of the country.
He argued that the friction emanating from the colonial contraption or pseudo political union has led to the lingering crises in the country, including 'coup d’états, counter coups, secession battles, civil war, rigged elections, pro-democracy agitations, civil unrest, inter-ethnic war, self determination struggles to armed insurrection in the Niger Delta', noting that "The Berom people of Jos, the Kanuris, Nupes, Tivs, Jukuns, Idomas, Igalas, Ibiras and other ethinic groups of today's Northern Nigeria are not left out."
He said the erstwhile "free nations were forced together into a British Colony that was later put under the authority of the Fulani aristocracy through a massively rigged election and phantom independence in 1960 which has left the Country" more divided, stating that it will be better for the global community to acknowledge this fact so that "pragmatic steps be taken to constructively dissolve the entity called Nigeria," the statement added.
According to him, the international community must rise to this occasion like it did in India and Kosovo stressing that there is nothing more sacrosanct about Nigeria than the defunct USSR, Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Czechoslovakia adding that Muammar Gaddafi has boldly taken the first step and initiated the global debate on Nigeria.
Dokubo opined that a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) of all the ethnic nationalities that were forcefully conscripted into Nigeria will be a veritable platform for determining the lines of division under the careful supervision of the United Nations.
He said that statement from Gaddafi should be the biggest challenge before the United Nations and African Union since their inception since both organizations still have ample opportunity to nip Nigerian crisis in the bud adding that the time to act is now before the bubble burst.
Austyn Ogannah
The leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari has thrown his weight behind the recent call by Libyan strong man Muammar Gaddafi to divide the Nigerian state into two along religious lines to put an end to the recurring ethno-religious crisis in the country.
Alhaji Dokubo who also called for the resignation of Senate President David Mark for calling Gaddafi a madman reasoned that the cry of oppression and marginalization in Nigeria is not limited to the ethnic minorities of the Niger-Delta alone stating that the majority ethnic groups like the Igbos and the Hausa- Fulanis are also groaning "under the worst form of internal colonialism."
Alhaji Dokubo-Asari in a statement made available to THEWILL in Asaba, Delta State said the call by Gaddafi was justifiable and appealed to United Nations Organization (UN) and the African Union (AU) to preside over the division saying that the controversial call by Gaddafi was in order in the light of "the growing discontents in Niger Delta and other parts" of the country.
He argued that the friction emanating from the colonial contraption or pseudo political union has led to the lingering crises in the country, including 'coup d’états, counter coups, secession battles, civil war, rigged elections, pro-democracy agitations, civil unrest, inter-ethnic war, self determination struggles to armed insurrection in the Niger Delta', noting that "The Berom people of Jos, the Kanuris, Nupes, Tivs, Jukuns, Idomas, Igalas, Ibiras and other ethinic groups of today's Northern Nigeria are not left out."
He said the erstwhile "free nations were forced together into a British Colony that was later put under the authority of the Fulani aristocracy through a massively rigged election and phantom independence in 1960 which has left the Country" more divided, stating that it will be better for the global community to acknowledge this fact so that "pragmatic steps be taken to constructively dissolve the entity called Nigeria," the statement added.
According to him, the international community must rise to this occasion like it did in India and Kosovo stressing that there is nothing more sacrosanct about Nigeria than the defunct USSR, Yugoslavia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Czechoslovakia adding that Muammar Gaddafi has boldly taken the first step and initiated the global debate on Nigeria.
Dokubo opined that a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) of all the ethnic nationalities that were forcefully conscripted into Nigeria will be a veritable platform for determining the lines of division under the careful supervision of the United Nations.
He said that statement from Gaddafi should be the biggest challenge before the United Nations and African Union since their inception since both organizations still have ample opportunity to nip Nigerian crisis in the bud adding that the time to act is now before the bubble burst.
Jonathan: Ijaw Leaders Storm Kaduna, Lobby ACF
Samuel Aruwan
The leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC) yesterday stormed Kaduna and held a closed door meeting with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the North's apex socio-cultural organisation.
A source told LEADERSHIP that the visit of the kinsmen of the Acting President was mainly to prevail on the ACF to support Goodluck Jonathan towards stabilising his government, and to re-awaken the long time political alliances between the southern Nigerian minority, and the Northern.
the source who pleaded anonymity further argued, "You can now see the dynamics of politics. A short time ago, the Arewa were called parasites and other derogatory names but now its support is needed.
The region would continue to stand on the side that constitutionality become order of the day so that democracy and good governance will thrive and bring about progress and Nigeria's development" .
Earlier before preceding for a meeting with the ACF leadership, the INC, led by its national president, Dr. Atuboyedia Wolfe Obianime, said the North is home to them and that South-South people had been engaged in political activities with the North for over three decades, saying, "If you remember when the ethnic parties took control of this country before independent, the British said that they would not hand over to any party that did not show national character, and so it fell on the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) to liaise and work with the Niger Delta Congress (NDC) which was basically formed and funded by the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta.â€
Based on the results at that time the NPC won the election as at that time and the British handed over power for the first time to a black man.
“I also want to place before you that because of our belief in unity we have been using our block votes and all the things that are necessary for northern candidates to assume political power in this country, and so I would gladly mention Alhaji Shehu Shagari. So we have always done this business together".
Recalling the days of the Nigeria civil war, which he posited that the Ijaw nation also contributed in the indivisibility of Nigeria, Dr Obianime, stated
"It is also on record that during the Nigerian civil war it was also the Ijaws who with their faith in the common destiny and unity of the country, worked assiduously with the Federal Government, paid the supreme prize and also did whatever they had to do to keep Nigeria united.â€
In his address ACF's Chairman General IBM Haruna extolled the commitment and sacrifice of past leaders whom he said ensured the stability of the country making it a sovereign state and inculcating the culture of positive integration beyond their regions and devoid of ethnic and political aggrandizement.
He also added that it was a good culture and antecedent that had happened to Nigeria, which religion and ethnic rivalry did not mar the attainment of independence.
The leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC) yesterday stormed Kaduna and held a closed door meeting with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the North's apex socio-cultural organisation.
A source told LEADERSHIP that the visit of the kinsmen of the Acting President was mainly to prevail on the ACF to support Goodluck Jonathan towards stabilising his government, and to re-awaken the long time political alliances between the southern Nigerian minority, and the Northern.
the source who pleaded anonymity further argued, "You can now see the dynamics of politics. A short time ago, the Arewa were called parasites and other derogatory names but now its support is needed.
The region would continue to stand on the side that constitutionality become order of the day so that democracy and good governance will thrive and bring about progress and Nigeria's development" .
Earlier before preceding for a meeting with the ACF leadership, the INC, led by its national president, Dr. Atuboyedia Wolfe Obianime, said the North is home to them and that South-South people had been engaged in political activities with the North for over three decades, saying, "If you remember when the ethnic parties took control of this country before independent, the British said that they would not hand over to any party that did not show national character, and so it fell on the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) to liaise and work with the Niger Delta Congress (NDC) which was basically formed and funded by the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta.â€
Based on the results at that time the NPC won the election as at that time and the British handed over power for the first time to a black man.
“I also want to place before you that because of our belief in unity we have been using our block votes and all the things that are necessary for northern candidates to assume political power in this country, and so I would gladly mention Alhaji Shehu Shagari. So we have always done this business together".
Recalling the days of the Nigeria civil war, which he posited that the Ijaw nation also contributed in the indivisibility of Nigeria, Dr Obianime, stated
"It is also on record that during the Nigerian civil war it was also the Ijaws who with their faith in the common destiny and unity of the country, worked assiduously with the Federal Government, paid the supreme prize and also did whatever they had to do to keep Nigeria united.â€
In his address ACF's Chairman General IBM Haruna extolled the commitment and sacrifice of past leaders whom he said ensured the stability of the country making it a sovereign state and inculcating the culture of positive integration beyond their regions and devoid of ethnic and political aggrandizement.
He also added that it was a good culture and antecedent that had happened to Nigeria, which religion and ethnic rivalry did not mar the attainment of independence.
Jonathan’s Ministerial Blues
Dele Momodu
I’m now finally convinced that there is a curse on Nigeria. And all men and women of good conscience should henceforth direct their prayer points at the many hopeless warlords who litter the political landscape of Nigeria. Holy Ghost fire should descend urgently on those who would never work for the badly-needed progress of Nigeria. Muslim and Christians, and possibly animists, alike should form an alliance of prayer-warriors so that God can exorcise the genies that have tirelessly militated against the general wellbeing of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Please, don’t treat this as a joke. Our situation is that desperate. It is now very obvious that this brood of vipers will never change their ways. It is cocksure that these septuagenarians and octogenarians are determined to kill Nigeria totally before they head to their graves. Can someone please tell me what these super Nigerians want from us again? These are people who have been in the corridors of power for about 50 years. They were sent to school at public expense. They were trained abroad with our money. They rose sporadically through the ranks unlike their contemporaries in other climes.
They forced themselves on us many times, claiming messianic mission. They bastardised our psyche and wasted our resources with little or no resistance from us. Before our very eyes, a nation of surplus became a nation of minus. In a country with the biggest black population on earth, we have continued to ignominiously recycle a few men and women from a filthy database of less than 1,000 cronies, dynasties, cult members, and housekeepers, most of who come to power with less than impressive credentials.
Is it not tragic that each time we thought we have come close to a resolution of our political gridlock, something always cropped up to set us back? The story of Nigeria is the sad tale of a motherless baby who was sent to live in the home of a witch. Sooner or later, the baby would go the way of the mother. For too long, Nigeria has been kept under the firm grip of political vampires whose only desire in life is to keep us all in bondage. They care not about what becomes of their own children, and many generations to come, after they would have completed their sinful mission on earth. Nigerians must wake up from this narcoleptic state and confront the merciless usurpers and interlopers. These were the same people who connived in 1993 and encouraged General Ibrahim Babangida to shoot down our best presidential election ever without any fear of God or retribution. Why would those who shout patriotism on the rooftops hate their country so much, and denigrate her at every opportunity?
Nigeria’s intractable political crisis is reminiscent of Abiku’s “going and coming these several seasons,” as John Pepper Clarke would have described it. All the hopes we placed on Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to challenge the status quo, and halt our senseless drift to anarchy, seem to be evaporating slowly but surely. I received the first ominous sign last Sunday night at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos as we prepared to board a flight to Paris. I had come across a very influential member of the ruling party, and after exchanging pleasantries, we drifted to the issue of ministerial appointments. The thought of Jonathan attempting to radicalise governance in Nigeria did not resonate with the obviously conservative party Lord who was flying to a different destination. “We have told him to perish the idea. Nigeria operates a partisan system, and this system produced Jonathan himself. He can’t afford to tamper with it,” he said with a burning conviction.
For a split second, I thought I was suddenly on another Planet, and was confused as to what to make of this postulation. It was difficult to imagine that at this time and age, the overwhelming views of Nigerians did not count in the eyes and minds of members of this privileged class. Most of those visitors to Dr Jonathan’s office and home in the last couple of weeks were said to have fed him with bile instead of sucrose. Fear has been at the centre of their strategy. Nigeria is a cake that must always be shared by a few people who have formed themselves into groupies. The rest of us can go to hell and remain there. The sordid theory is that nothing will happen. Nigerians are too stupid and docile to do anything. They are both right and wrong as we shall discover one day.
I told our man that if I were Dr Jonathan, I will damn the consequence and let the heavens fall. Why would I want to repeat the same things that have repeatedly brought catastrophic results to our land? I will allow the people of Nigeria their few months of glory for a change. It would form my compensation to those who stood by their country when others stood by their long throats. I will line up those faces that the hawks usually hate to see, and make them ministers and special advisers. I will march on the streets and kick the bums of those too lazy to work at my pace. I will demonstrate clearly that governance is no rocket science. I will spend the next twelve months working assiduously on fixing a few of our myriads of challenges as a nation.
The world will hear my name and stand at attention. And my name would be perfectly etched on the golden side of history. The country is not a personal property of anybody. I will call their bluff and savour the pleasure of it. They will come like beggars and shall be so treated. I will shred all the useless CVs they brought to me. I will ask if other Nigerians have no right to serve their country. I will show how unimportant they are in the new scheme of things. If they were such responsible adults, Nigeria would not be in a state of coma today. They must allow the man holding the life-support some fresh air, because the task at hand is not a joke. It cannot be business as usual.
How can one man be allowed to determine the fate of an entire state? The choices we have seen from some states could only have come from people suffering from acute state of dementia. It is an insult on the people of those states, and a big shame on the warped judgment of the godfathers. The true identities of members of the selection teams must be leaked for posterity. Even if Dr Jonathan needed to satisfy the insatiable demands of the garrison commanders, he should have insisted on certain criteria to be met, like age, mental alertness, integrity and reputation, education, achievement in chosen career, acclaim to fame, international exposure, personal development, business acumen, worldview, charisma and general appearance.
Nigeria needs its best outstanding stars available at home and abroad at this critical moment because we are far from where we should be. If we have to revert to the carcass of our past the way we do always, it means we are making a violent revolution inevitable. Nigerians have reached the very limit of endurance tests. They should not be made to snap. Those who think Nigerians can be trampled upon with reckless abandon should go back to the history books. Once upon a time, there was slave trade. There was racial prejudice of the worst kind in the United States of America.
The Berlin Wall divided Germany along the lines of atrocious hatred. South Africa suffered the worst form of apartheid known to mankind. The Irish Republic engaged in a self-immolating war of attrition. Hitler attempted to rule the world. The holocaust sought to wipe out the Jews from the surface of the earth. So many other things touched the soul of our universe. But nothing lasts forever. Our collective madness must end someday, one way or the other, but perhaps with cataclysmic dimensions.
I’m now finally convinced that there is a curse on Nigeria. And all men and women of good conscience should henceforth direct their prayer points at the many hopeless warlords who litter the political landscape of Nigeria. Holy Ghost fire should descend urgently on those who would never work for the badly-needed progress of Nigeria. Muslim and Christians, and possibly animists, alike should form an alliance of prayer-warriors so that God can exorcise the genies that have tirelessly militated against the general wellbeing of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Please, don’t treat this as a joke. Our situation is that desperate. It is now very obvious that this brood of vipers will never change their ways. It is cocksure that these septuagenarians and octogenarians are determined to kill Nigeria totally before they head to their graves. Can someone please tell me what these super Nigerians want from us again? These are people who have been in the corridors of power for about 50 years. They were sent to school at public expense. They were trained abroad with our money. They rose sporadically through the ranks unlike their contemporaries in other climes.
They forced themselves on us many times, claiming messianic mission. They bastardised our psyche and wasted our resources with little or no resistance from us. Before our very eyes, a nation of surplus became a nation of minus. In a country with the biggest black population on earth, we have continued to ignominiously recycle a few men and women from a filthy database of less than 1,000 cronies, dynasties, cult members, and housekeepers, most of who come to power with less than impressive credentials.
Is it not tragic that each time we thought we have come close to a resolution of our political gridlock, something always cropped up to set us back? The story of Nigeria is the sad tale of a motherless baby who was sent to live in the home of a witch. Sooner or later, the baby would go the way of the mother. For too long, Nigeria has been kept under the firm grip of political vampires whose only desire in life is to keep us all in bondage. They care not about what becomes of their own children, and many generations to come, after they would have completed their sinful mission on earth. Nigerians must wake up from this narcoleptic state and confront the merciless usurpers and interlopers. These were the same people who connived in 1993 and encouraged General Ibrahim Babangida to shoot down our best presidential election ever without any fear of God or retribution. Why would those who shout patriotism on the rooftops hate their country so much, and denigrate her at every opportunity?
Nigeria’s intractable political crisis is reminiscent of Abiku’s “going and coming these several seasons,” as John Pepper Clarke would have described it. All the hopes we placed on Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to challenge the status quo, and halt our senseless drift to anarchy, seem to be evaporating slowly but surely. I received the first ominous sign last Sunday night at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos as we prepared to board a flight to Paris. I had come across a very influential member of the ruling party, and after exchanging pleasantries, we drifted to the issue of ministerial appointments. The thought of Jonathan attempting to radicalise governance in Nigeria did not resonate with the obviously conservative party Lord who was flying to a different destination. “We have told him to perish the idea. Nigeria operates a partisan system, and this system produced Jonathan himself. He can’t afford to tamper with it,” he said with a burning conviction.
For a split second, I thought I was suddenly on another Planet, and was confused as to what to make of this postulation. It was difficult to imagine that at this time and age, the overwhelming views of Nigerians did not count in the eyes and minds of members of this privileged class. Most of those visitors to Dr Jonathan’s office and home in the last couple of weeks were said to have fed him with bile instead of sucrose. Fear has been at the centre of their strategy. Nigeria is a cake that must always be shared by a few people who have formed themselves into groupies. The rest of us can go to hell and remain there. The sordid theory is that nothing will happen. Nigerians are too stupid and docile to do anything. They are both right and wrong as we shall discover one day.
I told our man that if I were Dr Jonathan, I will damn the consequence and let the heavens fall. Why would I want to repeat the same things that have repeatedly brought catastrophic results to our land? I will allow the people of Nigeria their few months of glory for a change. It would form my compensation to those who stood by their country when others stood by their long throats. I will line up those faces that the hawks usually hate to see, and make them ministers and special advisers. I will march on the streets and kick the bums of those too lazy to work at my pace. I will demonstrate clearly that governance is no rocket science. I will spend the next twelve months working assiduously on fixing a few of our myriads of challenges as a nation.
The world will hear my name and stand at attention. And my name would be perfectly etched on the golden side of history. The country is not a personal property of anybody. I will call their bluff and savour the pleasure of it. They will come like beggars and shall be so treated. I will shred all the useless CVs they brought to me. I will ask if other Nigerians have no right to serve their country. I will show how unimportant they are in the new scheme of things. If they were such responsible adults, Nigeria would not be in a state of coma today. They must allow the man holding the life-support some fresh air, because the task at hand is not a joke. It cannot be business as usual.
How can one man be allowed to determine the fate of an entire state? The choices we have seen from some states could only have come from people suffering from acute state of dementia. It is an insult on the people of those states, and a big shame on the warped judgment of the godfathers. The true identities of members of the selection teams must be leaked for posterity. Even if Dr Jonathan needed to satisfy the insatiable demands of the garrison commanders, he should have insisted on certain criteria to be met, like age, mental alertness, integrity and reputation, education, achievement in chosen career, acclaim to fame, international exposure, personal development, business acumen, worldview, charisma and general appearance.
Nigeria needs its best outstanding stars available at home and abroad at this critical moment because we are far from where we should be. If we have to revert to the carcass of our past the way we do always, it means we are making a violent revolution inevitable. Nigerians have reached the very limit of endurance tests. They should not be made to snap. Those who think Nigerians can be trampled upon with reckless abandon should go back to the history books. Once upon a time, there was slave trade. There was racial prejudice of the worst kind in the United States of America.
The Berlin Wall divided Germany along the lines of atrocious hatred. South Africa suffered the worst form of apartheid known to mankind. The Irish Republic engaged in a self-immolating war of attrition. Hitler attempted to rule the world. The holocaust sought to wipe out the Jews from the surface of the earth. So many other things touched the soul of our universe. But nothing lasts forever. Our collective madness must end someday, one way or the other, but perhaps with cataclysmic dimensions.
Governors’ Forum And Maurice Iwu (2)
HAKEEM JAMIU
The rerun elections declared by the tribunals were supposed to be improvement over the 2007 elections. However, they were marred with technical and less controversial rigging that was not done on the field but at the INEC office with the connivance of INEC officials. The case of how the AC candidate in the rerun election in Adamawa State, Bapetel, was disqualified unofficially by INEC 12 hours to the election is still fresh. The name of Maurice Iwu was constantly mentioned in this ludicrous act as having directly sanctioned the disqualification, which discouraged the supporters of Bapetel from voting for him.
On the ballot paper, the column for the AC party was placed in a position such that most voters who intended to vote for the AC voted for another party, the MRDD, in error as a result of which about 120,000 votes that were supposed to be for Bapetel were voided. The PDP candidate, Murtala Nyako, was eventually declared winner of the election.
During Ekiti gubernatorial rerun of April 25 2009, which is still a subject of litigation, Iwu’s INEC was accused of receiving 250 million naira bribe and investigation into this is still ongoing. The Ekiti rerun election remains an embarrassment to the government and people of Nigeria as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of the conduct of the election cried out that some people were coercing her into announcing fake results to favour the ruling PDP candidate and was reported by the dailies to have resigned as a result of this.
Iwu virtually took over the role of the REC by sending one of his Commissioners to announce fake results, which the people resisted. Iwu made judgmental statements while the election was still inconclusive. The REC later resurfaced days after and announced a controversial result. The role of Iwu in the scenario is also unpalatable. In the recent Anambra gubernatorial election, the voters register used by Maurice Iwu’s INEC was a sham as thousands of Anambra voters could not find their names in the register. Prominent Anambra personalities like Dr. Alex Ekwueme could not find their names in the voters register while those of Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome Kuti and Nelson Mandela were there. Again Iwu was accused of colluding with politicians to muddle up the voters register.
During the 2007 elections, rigging was made easy for PDP thugs who snatched ballot boxes at polling booths to take them to private homes where they were thumb-printed and brought back to the booths for counting and INEC would still record same as the true result of the election. In some states like Enugu during the 2007 election, electoral materials were not brought by INEC and no voting took place but results were declared.
The NLC, through a paid advert, has called for his removal. So are many organizations and responsible Nigerians. Instead of addressing the real issues of how to achieve credible elections, apart from being a master of deceit and full of himself, Iwu is found of abusing anybody who criticized him and his style of running INEC.
When the European Observer Mission (EOM), led by Marx Vandenberg, presented the final report on the conduct of the April polls to INEC, Professor Iwu lambasted Mr. Max Van Den Berg and accused him of bias in the mission’s preliminary report during the election. The final verdict of the EU monitors sounded the death knell of Iwu’s election. It reads: “The elections were marred by very poor organization, lack of transparency, procedural irregularities, fraud, voter disenfranchisement, lack of equal conditions for political parties and candidates and violence”.
In an apparent reaction to the protests against his continued stay in office, a rally was also organized last week in support of his continued stay but Nigerians are not fooled. Many people concluded that every sense of remorse, integrity and honour had taken flight from him if he could still contemplate spending a day longer than necessary in office and even planning to organize another election. It is also beyond human comprehension how anybody could submit to such a shameless rally. If we are desirous of free and fair election that would earn us respect from the International community, Iwu is not the kind of person we need to man our electoral commission.
The public is eagerly waiting for the governors who are not part of the mad decision to push for the retention of Iwu to publicly dissociate themselves from the decision or it would be taken that all the governors are in support of this unpopular move against the Nigerian people. They should also know that the governors’ forum is unknown to the constitution. The forum should only be used to further good governance and deepen democracy but when it is being used to circumvent the will of the people, it has become superfluous and ought to be discarded.
Maurice Iwu had done enough damage to our image as a country and there is no better time for him to be replaced than now. If anybody is asking for Iwu to be re appointed, such is an enemy of free and fair election. The only way to go about the Electoral Reform is to remove Iwu and reconstitute INEC as a Commission with a mandate to carry out a thorough review of the voters’ register, which Iwu has rendered useless. The consequence of allowing Iwu to conduct the 2011 elections in Nigeria is too grave for our democracy. The end result can only be anarchy and it will be bye-bye to democracy.
The rerun elections declared by the tribunals were supposed to be improvement over the 2007 elections. However, they were marred with technical and less controversial rigging that was not done on the field but at the INEC office with the connivance of INEC officials. The case of how the AC candidate in the rerun election in Adamawa State, Bapetel, was disqualified unofficially by INEC 12 hours to the election is still fresh. The name of Maurice Iwu was constantly mentioned in this ludicrous act as having directly sanctioned the disqualification, which discouraged the supporters of Bapetel from voting for him.
On the ballot paper, the column for the AC party was placed in a position such that most voters who intended to vote for the AC voted for another party, the MRDD, in error as a result of which about 120,000 votes that were supposed to be for Bapetel were voided. The PDP candidate, Murtala Nyako, was eventually declared winner of the election.
During Ekiti gubernatorial rerun of April 25 2009, which is still a subject of litigation, Iwu’s INEC was accused of receiving 250 million naira bribe and investigation into this is still ongoing. The Ekiti rerun election remains an embarrassment to the government and people of Nigeria as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of the conduct of the election cried out that some people were coercing her into announcing fake results to favour the ruling PDP candidate and was reported by the dailies to have resigned as a result of this.
Iwu virtually took over the role of the REC by sending one of his Commissioners to announce fake results, which the people resisted. Iwu made judgmental statements while the election was still inconclusive. The REC later resurfaced days after and announced a controversial result. The role of Iwu in the scenario is also unpalatable. In the recent Anambra gubernatorial election, the voters register used by Maurice Iwu’s INEC was a sham as thousands of Anambra voters could not find their names in the register. Prominent Anambra personalities like Dr. Alex Ekwueme could not find their names in the voters register while those of Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome Kuti and Nelson Mandela were there. Again Iwu was accused of colluding with politicians to muddle up the voters register.
During the 2007 elections, rigging was made easy for PDP thugs who snatched ballot boxes at polling booths to take them to private homes where they were thumb-printed and brought back to the booths for counting and INEC would still record same as the true result of the election. In some states like Enugu during the 2007 election, electoral materials were not brought by INEC and no voting took place but results were declared.
The NLC, through a paid advert, has called for his removal. So are many organizations and responsible Nigerians. Instead of addressing the real issues of how to achieve credible elections, apart from being a master of deceit and full of himself, Iwu is found of abusing anybody who criticized him and his style of running INEC.
When the European Observer Mission (EOM), led by Marx Vandenberg, presented the final report on the conduct of the April polls to INEC, Professor Iwu lambasted Mr. Max Van Den Berg and accused him of bias in the mission’s preliminary report during the election. The final verdict of the EU monitors sounded the death knell of Iwu’s election. It reads: “The elections were marred by very poor organization, lack of transparency, procedural irregularities, fraud, voter disenfranchisement, lack of equal conditions for political parties and candidates and violence”.
In an apparent reaction to the protests against his continued stay in office, a rally was also organized last week in support of his continued stay but Nigerians are not fooled. Many people concluded that every sense of remorse, integrity and honour had taken flight from him if he could still contemplate spending a day longer than necessary in office and even planning to organize another election. It is also beyond human comprehension how anybody could submit to such a shameless rally. If we are desirous of free and fair election that would earn us respect from the International community, Iwu is not the kind of person we need to man our electoral commission.
The public is eagerly waiting for the governors who are not part of the mad decision to push for the retention of Iwu to publicly dissociate themselves from the decision or it would be taken that all the governors are in support of this unpopular move against the Nigerian people. They should also know that the governors’ forum is unknown to the constitution. The forum should only be used to further good governance and deepen democracy but when it is being used to circumvent the will of the people, it has become superfluous and ought to be discarded.
Maurice Iwu had done enough damage to our image as a country and there is no better time for him to be replaced than now. If anybody is asking for Iwu to be re appointed, such is an enemy of free and fair election. The only way to go about the Electoral Reform is to remove Iwu and reconstitute INEC as a Commission with a mandate to carry out a thorough review of the voters’ register, which Iwu has rendered useless. The consequence of allowing Iwu to conduct the 2011 elections in Nigeria is too grave for our democracy. The end result can only be anarchy and it will be bye-bye to democracy.
How our Presidents and Governors corruptly enrich themselves by siphoning 'Security Votes'
Daniel Elombah
If the PUNCH is to be believed, Jonathan Goodluck is currently investigating how a huge amount of money earmarked as “security vote” disappeared under questionable circumstances in the last three-months.
The President, Umaru Yar’adua was flown to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah on November 23, 2009 for medical treatment for pericarditis. He came back on February 24, 2010 under the cover of darkness and is still in hiding.
But during the period of his absence, it is alleged that a few individuals in the Presidency spent billions of Naira in security votes during the three months spent by the President in Saudi.
In order words, “Several billions of Naira of the Security vote was spent while the President was away” and probably unconscious!
The questions begging for an answer are: who authorised the release of the funds, what was the reason for the release and what was it used for since the only person who could have authorised the release of security votes at the Presidency is the President?
The use of security votes offers a virtual carte blanche to the country’s President as well as state governors to squander billions of naira in state allocations without scrutiny, accountability and without providing ‘security’ for anyone save the executive’s pockets and/or their bank accounts.
Just last week, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC filed a charge against Bayelsa State‘s Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Charles Osuala, the state‘s Accountant General, Mr. Francis Okokuro, the state‘s Director of Treasury, Abot Clinton and the Director of Finance, Anthony Howells for allegedly stealing N2 billion belonging to the state and over an alleged N500million bribe.
In an interview with the AIT from his hideout, The Bayelsa State‘s Commissioner for Finance, said the N500million naira said to be misappropriated is part of the Security vote spent on security in the Niger Delta.
The Security vote has thus become an omnibus heading under which state money is siphoned with no questions asked.
Among Igbo traders, there is this funny story of a ‘boy’ that went on a business errand for his ‘master’. On his return, the ‘boy’ was told to account for all his expenses. He detailed all the money spent and justified same except for a few thousand still outstanding.
Questioned by the ‘master’ what the unexplained money was spent on, the boy explained that the portion should go under MISCELLANEOUS.
His illiterate master was aghast; “what is MASILINUS”, he thundered?
The Security have become the Mr MASILINUS through which our chief executives corruptly enrich themselves
On November 12, 2007, the Punch reported a plea by former Governor Rasidi Ladoja of Oyo State to the effect that the Federal Government should stop allocating security votes to governors.
Ladoja, whose gubernatorial term was marked by an unseemly running battle with Lamidi Adedibu, the garrulous self-styled “godfather” of Oyo politics, said his prescription would “reduce corruption.”
Ladoja should know; his feud with Adedibu was actually fuelled by the “godfather’s” claim on part of the governor’s security funds.
The scandalous deployment of security votes permeates all levels of government; from the Federal Government down to state governors. Now I learned that local government chairmen and councillors now draw “security votes” too.
In Edo State, lawmakers rowed with the executive arm of government over security votes when the Speaker of the State Assembly, Hon Zakawanu Garuba, accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of collecting N911million as security vote between November 12, 2008 and December 31, 2008- In one month!
According to the speaker, "Between November 12th to 31st December, 2008, the Comrade Governor of Edo State removed N911 million and put it in his pocket. He removed that money as security vote. In governance, you do not challenge how security vote is spent. He removed N911 million and the documents are with us.
"And meanwhile, when he removed the money, the killings, kidnappings, cultism are on the increase every day. What did he use the money for?”
In ABIA State, A political pressure group, Abia Elders Forum had alleged that Governor Orji plans to raise his monthly security vote from N450 million to N700million through the state House of Assembly.
"At N700 million per month, it means the Governor would be pocketing, princely N8.4 billion per annum as security vote for which he is not accountable to anyone.
"It was scandalous enough that he has been taking out N400 million per month since he came into office as security vote. Raising the vote to N700 million at a time the state's economy has completely collapsed under the weight of (alleged) dubious debts incurred since June 2007 and sustained and systematic looting of the treasury indicates a tragic intention to destroy the state's economic base," the group lamented.
In Anambra State, "As lives are being lost daily, law and order have now totally broken down while Peter Obi seems to be having the time of his life stockpiling our security vote into Next International Account every month.
“The blood of the innocently slaughtered in the state due to Obi’s greed in stealing this security vote at the end of every month, will never let him get away with his financial crimes against Anambra State", a critic lamented.
Last year, an online outfit broke the news that Obi was stealing N350 million in security vote every month, Obi’s media aide Mr. Valentine Obienyem arrogantly dismissed the report in a terse statement where he said Obi’s security vote was N250 million and not N350 million.
As it turned out, Mr. Obienyem was half right. N250 million was eventually caught red-handed with Peter Obi’s aide where the Nigeria Police captured the money at the gates of Next International Apapa.
It was reported that Governor Peter Obi engages in the monthly act of carting away Anambra's security votes every month – the Online outfit complained that the Governor’s cars are always ‘serviced’ monthly either in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt, only at month-ends, depending on where Ndibe Obi - a relation of the governor, is available to receive the security vote from Awka.
On one occasion the driver that led the operation, Peter’s own driver, Thompson took $120,000 in cash on one money laundry trip. Peter could not sack him; rather he dropped Thompson to the pool as sacking Thompson would have led to him squealing on his boss.
To cover his tracks, Peter Obi was said to have infiltrated the state House of Assembly, by offering the members of Anambra State House of Assembly N50 million under the guise of ‘Democracy Day’ gift to buy their silence.
On what does Governor Peter Obi spend his security vote? Definitely not on Anambra Security as Anambra State indigenes have now called on the Federal authorities to rescue the citizens from the grip of violent criminals who have now taken control of the state following Governor Obi’s decision to spend nothing out of the state’s security vote towards the security of lives and properties of Anambrarians.
Those security funds are being spent on Obi’s various ongoing personal projects including the world class shopping mall located at plot 2, Kado Abuja, entirely being built for cash by the son of the owner of Dannic Hotels; a N7.8 billion shopping complex.
If Nigeria is to make a serious job of combating money laundering and graft, then the nation had better deal with two fertilizers of corruption.
One is the weird notion that the President and governors must not be prosecuted during their tenure even when they commit grave crimes. The other is the farcical idea called “security vote.”
If the PUNCH is to be believed, Jonathan Goodluck is currently investigating how a huge amount of money earmarked as “security vote” disappeared under questionable circumstances in the last three-months.
The President, Umaru Yar’adua was flown to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah on November 23, 2009 for medical treatment for pericarditis. He came back on February 24, 2010 under the cover of darkness and is still in hiding.
But during the period of his absence, it is alleged that a few individuals in the Presidency spent billions of Naira in security votes during the three months spent by the President in Saudi.
In order words, “Several billions of Naira of the Security vote was spent while the President was away” and probably unconscious!
The questions begging for an answer are: who authorised the release of the funds, what was the reason for the release and what was it used for since the only person who could have authorised the release of security votes at the Presidency is the President?
The use of security votes offers a virtual carte blanche to the country’s President as well as state governors to squander billions of naira in state allocations without scrutiny, accountability and without providing ‘security’ for anyone save the executive’s pockets and/or their bank accounts.
Just last week, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC filed a charge against Bayelsa State‘s Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Charles Osuala, the state‘s Accountant General, Mr. Francis Okokuro, the state‘s Director of Treasury, Abot Clinton and the Director of Finance, Anthony Howells for allegedly stealing N2 billion belonging to the state and over an alleged N500million bribe.
In an interview with the AIT from his hideout, The Bayelsa State‘s Commissioner for Finance, said the N500million naira said to be misappropriated is part of the Security vote spent on security in the Niger Delta.
The Security vote has thus become an omnibus heading under which state money is siphoned with no questions asked.
Among Igbo traders, there is this funny story of a ‘boy’ that went on a business errand for his ‘master’. On his return, the ‘boy’ was told to account for all his expenses. He detailed all the money spent and justified same except for a few thousand still outstanding.
Questioned by the ‘master’ what the unexplained money was spent on, the boy explained that the portion should go under MISCELLANEOUS.
His illiterate master was aghast; “what is MASILINUS”, he thundered?
The Security have become the Mr MASILINUS through which our chief executives corruptly enrich themselves
On November 12, 2007, the Punch reported a plea by former Governor Rasidi Ladoja of Oyo State to the effect that the Federal Government should stop allocating security votes to governors.
Ladoja, whose gubernatorial term was marked by an unseemly running battle with Lamidi Adedibu, the garrulous self-styled “godfather” of Oyo politics, said his prescription would “reduce corruption.”
Ladoja should know; his feud with Adedibu was actually fuelled by the “godfather’s” claim on part of the governor’s security funds.
The scandalous deployment of security votes permeates all levels of government; from the Federal Government down to state governors. Now I learned that local government chairmen and councillors now draw “security votes” too.
In Edo State, lawmakers rowed with the executive arm of government over security votes when the Speaker of the State Assembly, Hon Zakawanu Garuba, accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of collecting N911million as security vote between November 12, 2008 and December 31, 2008- In one month!
According to the speaker, "Between November 12th to 31st December, 2008, the Comrade Governor of Edo State removed N911 million and put it in his pocket. He removed that money as security vote. In governance, you do not challenge how security vote is spent. He removed N911 million and the documents are with us.
"And meanwhile, when he removed the money, the killings, kidnappings, cultism are on the increase every day. What did he use the money for?”
In ABIA State, A political pressure group, Abia Elders Forum had alleged that Governor Orji plans to raise his monthly security vote from N450 million to N700million through the state House of Assembly.
"At N700 million per month, it means the Governor would be pocketing, princely N8.4 billion per annum as security vote for which he is not accountable to anyone.
"It was scandalous enough that he has been taking out N400 million per month since he came into office as security vote. Raising the vote to N700 million at a time the state's economy has completely collapsed under the weight of (alleged) dubious debts incurred since June 2007 and sustained and systematic looting of the treasury indicates a tragic intention to destroy the state's economic base," the group lamented.
In Anambra State, "As lives are being lost daily, law and order have now totally broken down while Peter Obi seems to be having the time of his life stockpiling our security vote into Next International Account every month.
“The blood of the innocently slaughtered in the state due to Obi’s greed in stealing this security vote at the end of every month, will never let him get away with his financial crimes against Anambra State", a critic lamented.
Last year, an online outfit broke the news that Obi was stealing N350 million in security vote every month, Obi’s media aide Mr. Valentine Obienyem arrogantly dismissed the report in a terse statement where he said Obi’s security vote was N250 million and not N350 million.
As it turned out, Mr. Obienyem was half right. N250 million was eventually caught red-handed with Peter Obi’s aide where the Nigeria Police captured the money at the gates of Next International Apapa.
It was reported that Governor Peter Obi engages in the monthly act of carting away Anambra's security votes every month – the Online outfit complained that the Governor’s cars are always ‘serviced’ monthly either in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt, only at month-ends, depending on where Ndibe Obi - a relation of the governor, is available to receive the security vote from Awka.
On one occasion the driver that led the operation, Peter’s own driver, Thompson took $120,000 in cash on one money laundry trip. Peter could not sack him; rather he dropped Thompson to the pool as sacking Thompson would have led to him squealing on his boss.
To cover his tracks, Peter Obi was said to have infiltrated the state House of Assembly, by offering the members of Anambra State House of Assembly N50 million under the guise of ‘Democracy Day’ gift to buy their silence.
On what does Governor Peter Obi spend his security vote? Definitely not on Anambra Security as Anambra State indigenes have now called on the Federal authorities to rescue the citizens from the grip of violent criminals who have now taken control of the state following Governor Obi’s decision to spend nothing out of the state’s security vote towards the security of lives and properties of Anambrarians.
Those security funds are being spent on Obi’s various ongoing personal projects including the world class shopping mall located at plot 2, Kado Abuja, entirely being built for cash by the son of the owner of Dannic Hotels; a N7.8 billion shopping complex.
If Nigeria is to make a serious job of combating money laundering and graft, then the nation had better deal with two fertilizers of corruption.
One is the weird notion that the President and governors must not be prosecuted during their tenure even when they commit grave crimes. The other is the farcical idea called “security vote.”
Federal Government Drops all Charges against Ribadu
Nuhu RibaduFederal Government Wednesday withdrew all Charges against the Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The Code of Conduct Bureau had in a charge alleged that Ribadu failed to declare his asset as a public officer while in office as EFCC Chairman asserting that he thereby violated the provision of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act in respect of asset declaration.
The application to withdraw was made pursuant to the inherent powers of the Federal Government to stop proceedings against anyone under trial for any offence. The Code of Conduct Tribunal will sit later to drop all the charges.
The tribunal had issued a warrant of arrest for the former EFCC boss, for failing to appear before it to clarify issues relating to his asset declaration before assuming office as EFCC chairman. Ribadu failed to appear claiming his life was under threat.
Ribadu's lawyer, Femi Falana said, “Ribadu’s inability to appear before the tribunal was due the difficulties associated with the renewal of his international passport Ribadu is being accused of alleged failure to declare his asset as required of a public servant while in office.
The tribunal however ruled that if Ribadu voluntarily appears before it on the next adjourned date of January 7, “the bench warrant shall have no effect.”
The prosecutor, Ahmed Kyari had applied for an indefinite adjournment to enable them effect the bench warrant on Ribadu.
The Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),Nuhu Ribadu, had told the world that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was after his life and actually forced him into exile.
He also recalled the traumatic experience he went through while at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos in Plateau State.
Ribadu said the President, right from the on set, was not comfortable with the mode of operation at the commission, when he was in charge.
Ribadu also lamented that it was not his plan to go on exile let alone go back to school there, noting that the world economic hardship has taken a toll on him.
He is currently studying at the prestigious Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
He told the BBC: "Whatever that happened that is how God wants it, but it is something with the government. The way we worked in the past, this government doesn't want it.
"They said I should go to school, I was in school. They followed it up and said they had sacked me. Not done on the graduation day, I was not allowed to receive my certificate, I was forced out with my children and family.
"The President knows and he has sent me out of the country."
Asked whether he was making a blanket allegation on the present administration, Ribadu stated, "Who will have done this work if not him (Yar'Adua)?"
"Is this even something that we will argue? Everybody knows that it was the government. God knows what happened and God will judge us."
On the allegation that former President Olusegun Obasanjo used him and dumped him, Ribadu argued: "People should know there was differences in our work. This Obasanjo I don't even know him. It was work that joined us and he gave me freedom and has never said Nuhu come and do this.
" But you cannot stop people with their dispositions. I investigated him and found nothing indicting against him but I got his daughter.
"Today I am suffering here because I don't want to stay abroad. It is suffering here. Only recently I started earning salary after one year.
"I got a job with the Centre for Global Development. I thank God the demand for my service is increasing in the world. Hardly two or three days without my attention being needed across the world. I thank God for this."
The application to withdraw was made pursuant to the inherent powers of the Federal Government to stop proceedings against anyone under trial for any offence. The Code of Conduct Tribunal will sit later to drop all the charges.
The tribunal had issued a warrant of arrest for the former EFCC boss, for failing to appear before it to clarify issues relating to his asset declaration before assuming office as EFCC chairman. Ribadu failed to appear claiming his life was under threat.
Ribadu's lawyer, Femi Falana said, “Ribadu’s inability to appear before the tribunal was due the difficulties associated with the renewal of his international passport Ribadu is being accused of alleged failure to declare his asset as required of a public servant while in office.
The tribunal however ruled that if Ribadu voluntarily appears before it on the next adjourned date of January 7, “the bench warrant shall have no effect.”
The prosecutor, Ahmed Kyari had applied for an indefinite adjournment to enable them effect the bench warrant on Ribadu.
The Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),Nuhu Ribadu, had told the world that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was after his life and actually forced him into exile.
He also recalled the traumatic experience he went through while at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos in Plateau State.
Ribadu said the President, right from the on set, was not comfortable with the mode of operation at the commission, when he was in charge.
Ribadu also lamented that it was not his plan to go on exile let alone go back to school there, noting that the world economic hardship has taken a toll on him.
He is currently studying at the prestigious Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
He told the BBC: "Whatever that happened that is how God wants it, but it is something with the government. The way we worked in the past, this government doesn't want it.
"They said I should go to school, I was in school. They followed it up and said they had sacked me. Not done on the graduation day, I was not allowed to receive my certificate, I was forced out with my children and family.
"The President knows and he has sent me out of the country."
Asked whether he was making a blanket allegation on the present administration, Ribadu stated, "Who will have done this work if not him (Yar'Adua)?"
"Is this even something that we will argue? Everybody knows that it was the government. God knows what happened and God will judge us."
On the allegation that former President Olusegun Obasanjo used him and dumped him, Ribadu argued: "People should know there was differences in our work. This Obasanjo I don't even know him. It was work that joined us and he gave me freedom and has never said Nuhu come and do this.
" But you cannot stop people with their dispositions. I investigated him and found nothing indicting against him but I got his daughter.
"Today I am suffering here because I don't want to stay abroad. It is suffering here. Only recently I started earning salary after one year.
"I got a job with the Centre for Global Development. I thank God the demand for my service is increasing in the world. Hardly two or three days without my attention being needed across the world. I thank God for this."
Nigeria gives away their farmland to Arab investors
Daniel Elombah
I was dismayed when I read that Nigeria is offering to lease farmland to Gulf countries seeking food security and will allow investors to export all of their produce. Gulf Arab countries reliant on food imports have intensified efforts over the last year to buy land in developing nations ranging from Pakistan to the Sudan and Ethiopia.
"Nigeria has the terrain to provide 100 percent of the Gulf's food needs," Enbong Jimie Idiong, chief executive of Global Corp Ltd, told Reuters in an interview.
In what the Financial Times, has termed “rapacious”, rich nations are trotting the globe buying up the natural resources of poor countries. Foreign investors have acquired some 15-20 million hectares of farmland in poorer countries since 2006, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.
There are more than 100 similar land-grabs globally, since September 2008, where huge tracts of farmland are bought up by wealthy countries as well international corporations.
The Gulf States are in the lead in this new investment. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,Oman, Qatar, controlling between them 45% of the world’s oil, are snatching AGRICULTURAL LAND in Egypt, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda, but also in Cambodia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia.
South Korea has grabbed a staggering 960,000 hectares in Sudan, the largest country in Africa, where at least 6 other rich countries are said to have secured large land-holding – and precisely where the local population are among the hungriest and least secure in the world.
The Saudis are negotiating 500,000 hectares (not acres) in Tanzania. Companies for the United Arab Emirates have snapped up 324,000 hectares in Pakistan. Highly populated countries like China, South Korea and India have acquired swathes of African farmland to produce food for export.
India recently lowered tariffs for Ethiopian commodities that could enter India after the Indian government lent money to 80 Indian companies to buy 350,000 hectares of farmland in Africa, particularly huge tracts in Kenya, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
Mr Philippe Heilberg, a US businessman, has laid claim to 4,000 sq km of fertile territory in a deal with the family of a notorious warlord in south Sudan where Land is not in short supply.
More than a century ago, Cecil Rhodes extracted mineral rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele and used these to push the frontiers of the British Empire beyond the Limpopo River. Some 120 years later, Zimbabwe is still struggling to overcome a legacy of unequal land distribution.
Mr Heilberg, a former Wall Street banker may be no Rhodes – his recent forays into Africa have yet to bear much fruit and include an acrimonious dispute over claims to an oil concession in south Sudan.
His latest venture does, though, have a decidedly 19th-century flavour to it. With the Arabs, UAE and China, he is buying up huge tracts of land in Sudan while the Sudanese are foolishly fighting over Darfur and now selling of their lands to wit.
The European Union would soon cut off the unsustainable farm subsidies. President Barack Obama also proposes to cut off massive funding to unsustainable subsidies to American farmers.
The result would be a huge demand for foodstuff in the future. The Sudanese, Nigerians and other poor countries that theink they make wise investments today by mortgaging their farmlands would quickly realise that they have short-changed themselves.
They would simply discover that a God-given resource that would constitute a strong bargaining chip has been taken out of their hands of forever.
What is Nigeria’s justification for selling their birthrights for a pot of porridge?
Nigeria has around 71.2 million hectares of farmland, of which less that 50 percent is being used, according to data from Global Corp Ltd.
"We need investment to fully utilize this land and we will allow the investors to export back 100 percent of the crop and this will create employment opportunities for people in Nigeria," said Idiong, a consultant with Global Corp.
The land could be leased for up to 30 to 40 years at a cost of around $10,000 per hectare for that period, he said.
"Because of the large size of land we can offer investors as much as they want, and there is no particular kind of crop that can't be grown in Nigeria."
But writing on ‘Re-Colonization of Africa through Buying Agricultural Land: Wealthy Nations and Their Multinationals on the Rampage’, Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo wrote:
“Africans are being colonised again and this time not with the power of weapons but through Africans themselves selling their continent willingly. The 99- and 999-year lease – a remnant of colonialists – surely cannot fool anybody. This is equivalent to a full century and/or full millennium which translates into three and a half to thirty-four consecutive generations of Africans”.
He continued: “Africans are selling the one natural resource they can’t afford to sell – their land. Especially arable land... The new colonialism is vast in Africa, with the buyers being wealthy countries unable to grow their own food. The Arabs are back fleeing their barren sands to turn Africa into their granary like they did one and a half millennia ago (in Egypt at the time).”
In the upcoming decades, several global developments will create new challenges for mankind. We will be confronted with problems and obstacles such as climate change, population growth beyond earth's capacity, and an increase in demand for energy and water caused by a striving for prosperity and expansion.
Africans should start thinking of themselves as worthwhile human beings too, and join forces to keep what is theirs theirs.
Otherwise Africans might as well follow the butcher meekly to the slaughter house because that’s where they’re going to end up – in “native reserves” dying off as a people until the few Africans left are put in museums like they were once the main attraction in circuses all over the West in the 18th through early 20th centuries.
To be continued...
I was dismayed when I read that Nigeria is offering to lease farmland to Gulf countries seeking food security and will allow investors to export all of their produce. Gulf Arab countries reliant on food imports have intensified efforts over the last year to buy land in developing nations ranging from Pakistan to the Sudan and Ethiopia.
"Nigeria has the terrain to provide 100 percent of the Gulf's food needs," Enbong Jimie Idiong, chief executive of Global Corp Ltd, told Reuters in an interview.
In what the Financial Times, has termed “rapacious”, rich nations are trotting the globe buying up the natural resources of poor countries. Foreign investors have acquired some 15-20 million hectares of farmland in poorer countries since 2006, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.
There are more than 100 similar land-grabs globally, since September 2008, where huge tracts of farmland are bought up by wealthy countries as well international corporations.
The Gulf States are in the lead in this new investment. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,Oman, Qatar, controlling between them 45% of the world’s oil, are snatching AGRICULTURAL LAND in Egypt, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda, but also in Cambodia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia.
South Korea has grabbed a staggering 960,000 hectares in Sudan, the largest country in Africa, where at least 6 other rich countries are said to have secured large land-holding – and precisely where the local population are among the hungriest and least secure in the world.
The Saudis are negotiating 500,000 hectares (not acres) in Tanzania. Companies for the United Arab Emirates have snapped up 324,000 hectares in Pakistan. Highly populated countries like China, South Korea and India have acquired swathes of African farmland to produce food for export.
India recently lowered tariffs for Ethiopian commodities that could enter India after the Indian government lent money to 80 Indian companies to buy 350,000 hectares of farmland in Africa, particularly huge tracts in Kenya, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
Mr Philippe Heilberg, a US businessman, has laid claim to 4,000 sq km of fertile territory in a deal with the family of a notorious warlord in south Sudan where Land is not in short supply.
More than a century ago, Cecil Rhodes extracted mineral rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele and used these to push the frontiers of the British Empire beyond the Limpopo River. Some 120 years later, Zimbabwe is still struggling to overcome a legacy of unequal land distribution.
Mr Heilberg, a former Wall Street banker may be no Rhodes – his recent forays into Africa have yet to bear much fruit and include an acrimonious dispute over claims to an oil concession in south Sudan.
His latest venture does, though, have a decidedly 19th-century flavour to it. With the Arabs, UAE and China, he is buying up huge tracts of land in Sudan while the Sudanese are foolishly fighting over Darfur and now selling of their lands to wit.
The European Union would soon cut off the unsustainable farm subsidies. President Barack Obama also proposes to cut off massive funding to unsustainable subsidies to American farmers.
The result would be a huge demand for foodstuff in the future. The Sudanese, Nigerians and other poor countries that theink they make wise investments today by mortgaging their farmlands would quickly realise that they have short-changed themselves.
They would simply discover that a God-given resource that would constitute a strong bargaining chip has been taken out of their hands of forever.
What is Nigeria’s justification for selling their birthrights for a pot of porridge?
Nigeria has around 71.2 million hectares of farmland, of which less that 50 percent is being used, according to data from Global Corp Ltd.
"We need investment to fully utilize this land and we will allow the investors to export back 100 percent of the crop and this will create employment opportunities for people in Nigeria," said Idiong, a consultant with Global Corp.
The land could be leased for up to 30 to 40 years at a cost of around $10,000 per hectare for that period, he said.
"Because of the large size of land we can offer investors as much as they want, and there is no particular kind of crop that can't be grown in Nigeria."
But writing on ‘Re-Colonization of Africa through Buying Agricultural Land: Wealthy Nations and Their Multinationals on the Rampage’, Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo wrote:
“Africans are being colonised again and this time not with the power of weapons but through Africans themselves selling their continent willingly. The 99- and 999-year lease – a remnant of colonialists – surely cannot fool anybody. This is equivalent to a full century and/or full millennium which translates into three and a half to thirty-four consecutive generations of Africans”.
He continued: “Africans are selling the one natural resource they can’t afford to sell – their land. Especially arable land... The new colonialism is vast in Africa, with the buyers being wealthy countries unable to grow their own food. The Arabs are back fleeing their barren sands to turn Africa into their granary like they did one and a half millennia ago (in Egypt at the time).”
In the upcoming decades, several global developments will create new challenges for mankind. We will be confronted with problems and obstacles such as climate change, population growth beyond earth's capacity, and an increase in demand for energy and water caused by a striving for prosperity and expansion.
Africans should start thinking of themselves as worthwhile human beings too, and join forces to keep what is theirs theirs.
Otherwise Africans might as well follow the butcher meekly to the slaughter house because that’s where they’re going to end up – in “native reserves” dying off as a people until the few Africans left are put in museums like they were once the main attraction in circuses all over the West in the 18th through early 20th centuries.
To be continued...
IBB in Abeokuta
Alagba Ojedokun, Kamarudeen Ogundele
As at 2007(a long time ago!) the CNPP alleged that Obj quaffed N2.4trillion. Obj has yet to refute the allegations till date.Many more mind-boggling scandals have trailed the "Ebora" since then.
"Parties petition EFCC to probe Obasanjo
We waited patiently for over six months, the little we observed were reactions to Wilbros scam in Texas, Metropolitan Police find in United Kingdom, Siemens scandal in Germany and Iyabo-gate in Paris; none emanated from Nigeria, whilst Mr. President is sitting on top of files of monumental corruption. CNPP states its case against ex-president.
Some of the allegations •Unilateral withdrawals from Federation and NNPC accounts •Keeping record of oil sales secret •Illegally presiding over Oil ministry •Sale of refineries to cronies as scraps •Illegal sales of NITEL, Egbin •Underhand deals in the privatisation of ALSCON, Ajaokuta Steel, Hilton Hotel, NICON Insurance •Contract awards for Niger Delta Integrated Power Projects and Equipment of University Teaching Hospitals by presidential fiat •Sale of govt houses for peanuts
OPPOSITION parties yesterday called for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s trial over alleged abuse of public office and illegal acquisition of wealth, among other allegations.
The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) would submit a petition to the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for Obasanjo’s prosecution. The parties criticised President Umaru Yar’Adua for being "lukewarm, reticent and reactive; rather than proactive in favour of the war against corruption."
CNPP noted that there was nothing suggesting that the President is fighting corruption with deserved attention. "We waited patiently for over six months, the little we observed were reactions to Wilbros scam in Texas, Metropolitan Police find in United Kingdom, Siemens scandal in Germany and Iyabo-gate in Paris; none emanated from Nigeria, whilst Mr. President is sitting on top of files of monumental corruption," the CNPP said.
In a petition dated December 10, submitted yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, to the EFCC, the CNPP asked the anti-graft body to investigate and prosecute Obasanjo for abuse of public office, earning wealth illegally and violation of laws governing government activities. It also accused Obasanjo of converting state-owned enterprises and properties into private ownership. The group alleged that Obasanjo was involved in oil deals, privatisation of state-owned enterprises. It claimed that contrary to the 1999 Constitution, Obasanjo illegally appointed himself as Petroleum Resources Minister and his activities in the oil industry were shrouded in secrecy. "He never rendered proper accounts of the oil revenue to relevant agencies like the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). It is also on record that neither the Federal Executive Council nor National Assembly ever presented memoranda or budget of the oil industry," CNPP said. The group said Obasanjo and his cronies had a field day with crude oil sales which it described as the nation’s cash cow. "As petroleum minister, the transaction detail was only between himself and the managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). "Our investigation shows that between 2000 and 2006, Nigeria lost over $130 billion unaccounted revenue. A thorough investigation will crack the secrecy and reveal the wanton billions of dollars that had vanished from the sales book," it said.
Lamenting the state of the refineries, CNPP alleged that for "condoning the mega-scandal in the rehabilitation of the refineries, retaining incompetent contractors without sanction and benefiting from petroleum products importation, "Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has questions to answer for crimes against Nigeria". CNPP alleged that for eight years, Obasanjo unilaterally withdrew over N1 trillion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Federation accounts. "This clearly shows that the cost of corruption under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo reached earthshaking proportion for an arm of government against its principal," the group alleged. In another petition also submitted to EFCC, CNPP asked the commission to investigate "the monumental fraud perpetrated by Prof Maurice Iwu, the Chairman of the INEC, in the award of contracts. The CNPP urged EFCC to investigate and prosecute the Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, for allegedly awarding contracts without following due process while in office as Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
The contracts, it said, were never advertised or competitively bid for. CNPP accused Iwu of awarding a contract for the printing of ballot papers for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly elections, to the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Abuja, at N6, 580,200,000. 00 when it had no facilities to execute the contract. The said contract, CNPP alleged, was re-awarded to some British and South African firms at a much higher cost. CNPP said: "INEC led Nigerians to believe that the most sophisticated and modern communication equipment were required to facilitate the conduct of the elections and transmission of results." According to the coalition, a contract of over N16 billion was appropriated and contracted for communications projects, which include: Leased Global Networks- N4,000,000,000. 00, Authenticated/ Accreditation Device-N9,000, 000,000.00, Collation Machines-N2, 470,000,000. 00, Satellites Networks/IMMARSAT M4-N150, 000,000.00 and VSAT Equipment-N410, 000,000.00.
"To our consternation not only did the contractors default in execution of the project, indeed none was utilised for the conduct of the elections and up till date no refund of the said sum has been made to the coffers of the Federal Government. Besides, it accused INEC of awarding a contract of N222 million for the activation of existing VHF and HF Radios in the states to a favoured contractor who later defaulted as the Radios were not activated. "
The said N222 million," CNPP said: "has not been refunded." On Voters Registration, CNPP claimed INEC awarded a contract for the supply 33,000 units of Direct Data Capture Machine worth N4,954,300,000. 00.
"God forbid that a nation be led by a pack of greedy dogs who never say enough"-Tunde Bakare
As at 2007(a long time ago!) the CNPP alleged that Obj quaffed N2.4trillion. Obj has yet to refute the allegations till date.Many more mind-boggling scandals have trailed the "Ebora" since then.
"Parties petition EFCC to probe Obasanjo
We waited patiently for over six months, the little we observed were reactions to Wilbros scam in Texas, Metropolitan Police find in United Kingdom, Siemens scandal in Germany and Iyabo-gate in Paris; none emanated from Nigeria, whilst Mr. President is sitting on top of files of monumental corruption. CNPP states its case against ex-president.
Some of the allegations •Unilateral withdrawals from Federation and NNPC accounts •Keeping record of oil sales secret •Illegally presiding over Oil ministry •Sale of refineries to cronies as scraps •Illegal sales of NITEL, Egbin •Underhand deals in the privatisation of ALSCON, Ajaokuta Steel, Hilton Hotel, NICON Insurance •Contract awards for Niger Delta Integrated Power Projects and Equipment of University Teaching Hospitals by presidential fiat •Sale of govt houses for peanuts
OPPOSITION parties yesterday called for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s trial over alleged abuse of public office and illegal acquisition of wealth, among other allegations.
The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) would submit a petition to the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for Obasanjo’s prosecution. The parties criticised President Umaru Yar’Adua for being "lukewarm, reticent and reactive; rather than proactive in favour of the war against corruption."
CNPP noted that there was nothing suggesting that the President is fighting corruption with deserved attention. "We waited patiently for over six months, the little we observed were reactions to Wilbros scam in Texas, Metropolitan Police find in United Kingdom, Siemens scandal in Germany and Iyabo-gate in Paris; none emanated from Nigeria, whilst Mr. President is sitting on top of files of monumental corruption," the CNPP said.
In a petition dated December 10, submitted yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, to the EFCC, the CNPP asked the anti-graft body to investigate and prosecute Obasanjo for abuse of public office, earning wealth illegally and violation of laws governing government activities. It also accused Obasanjo of converting state-owned enterprises and properties into private ownership. The group alleged that Obasanjo was involved in oil deals, privatisation of state-owned enterprises. It claimed that contrary to the 1999 Constitution, Obasanjo illegally appointed himself as Petroleum Resources Minister and his activities in the oil industry were shrouded in secrecy. "He never rendered proper accounts of the oil revenue to relevant agencies like the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). It is also on record that neither the Federal Executive Council nor National Assembly ever presented memoranda or budget of the oil industry," CNPP said. The group said Obasanjo and his cronies had a field day with crude oil sales which it described as the nation’s cash cow. "As petroleum minister, the transaction detail was only between himself and the managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). "Our investigation shows that between 2000 and 2006, Nigeria lost over $130 billion unaccounted revenue. A thorough investigation will crack the secrecy and reveal the wanton billions of dollars that had vanished from the sales book," it said.
Lamenting the state of the refineries, CNPP alleged that for "condoning the mega-scandal in the rehabilitation of the refineries, retaining incompetent contractors without sanction and benefiting from petroleum products importation, "Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has questions to answer for crimes against Nigeria". CNPP alleged that for eight years, Obasanjo unilaterally withdrew over N1 trillion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Federation accounts. "This clearly shows that the cost of corruption under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo reached earthshaking proportion for an arm of government against its principal," the group alleged. In another petition also submitted to EFCC, CNPP asked the commission to investigate "the monumental fraud perpetrated by Prof Maurice Iwu, the Chairman of the INEC, in the award of contracts. The CNPP urged EFCC to investigate and prosecute the Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, for allegedly awarding contracts without following due process while in office as Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).
The contracts, it said, were never advertised or competitively bid for. CNPP accused Iwu of awarding a contract for the printing of ballot papers for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly elections, to the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Abuja, at N6, 580,200,000. 00 when it had no facilities to execute the contract. The said contract, CNPP alleged, was re-awarded to some British and South African firms at a much higher cost. CNPP said: "INEC led Nigerians to believe that the most sophisticated and modern communication equipment were required to facilitate the conduct of the elections and transmission of results." According to the coalition, a contract of over N16 billion was appropriated and contracted for communications projects, which include: Leased Global Networks- N4,000,000,000. 00, Authenticated/ Accreditation Device-N9,000, 000,000.00, Collation Machines-N2, 470,000,000. 00, Satellites Networks/IMMARSAT M4-N150, 000,000.00 and VSAT Equipment-N410, 000,000.00.
"To our consternation not only did the contractors default in execution of the project, indeed none was utilised for the conduct of the elections and up till date no refund of the said sum has been made to the coffers of the Federal Government. Besides, it accused INEC of awarding a contract of N222 million for the activation of existing VHF and HF Radios in the states to a favoured contractor who later defaulted as the Radios were not activated. "
The said N222 million," CNPP said: "has not been refunded." On Voters Registration, CNPP claimed INEC awarded a contract for the supply 33,000 units of Direct Data Capture Machine worth N4,954,300,000. 00.
"God forbid that a nation be led by a pack of greedy dogs who never say enough"-Tunde Bakare
Lithuanian Parliamentarians try to overturn permit for international LGBT Pride in Vilnius
Only two weeks after the enactment of a controversial Law on the Protection of Minors in Lithuania, Members of the Parliament seek to ban an international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride event due to take place in Vilnius on the 8th May 2010.
Municipal authorities authorised the three-nation Baltic Pride event last month. But a petition led by Petras Gražulis, member of the Order and Justice party, calls on the national Prosecution Office to reconsider the permit in the light of a new law banning minors from accessing information about “non-traditional” forms of family. Gražulis claims to have gathered over 50 signatures from Members of Parliament.
The Lithuanian judiciary has yet to take account of the new law. Human rights organisations in Lithuania and the European Union have expressed serious concerns regarding the law, which could obstruct the freedom of expression and assembly for groups supporting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Leonidas Donskis, Member of the European Parliament for Lithuania, commented: “Until now, the Order and Justice party was regarded as a marginal and anti-European political force. The petition led by Petras Gražulis says it all about how ‘deeply embedded’ European values of tolerance and respect for diversity are for him and his party. The time has come for more responsible and civilised political groups in Lithuania to react. Do they want to close ranks with Mr. Gražulis and his party? Do they wish to continue the struggle against the values founding the EU? The answer is theirs.”
Michael Cashman MEP, Co-president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, further added: “I trust in the judiciary to throw out this shameful attack on fundamental rights. These people do not represent the decent citizens of Lithuania.”
Following its September 2009 resolution expressing concern over the law, the European Parliament will keep monitoring the fundamental rights of sexual and gender minorities in Lithuania. The European Commission will also closely scrutinise the implications of the new law.
Municipal authorities authorised the three-nation Baltic Pride event last month. But a petition led by Petras Gražulis, member of the Order and Justice party, calls on the national Prosecution Office to reconsider the permit in the light of a new law banning minors from accessing information about “non-traditional” forms of family. Gražulis claims to have gathered over 50 signatures from Members of Parliament.
The Lithuanian judiciary has yet to take account of the new law. Human rights organisations in Lithuania and the European Union have expressed serious concerns regarding the law, which could obstruct the freedom of expression and assembly for groups supporting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Leonidas Donskis, Member of the European Parliament for Lithuania, commented: “Until now, the Order and Justice party was regarded as a marginal and anti-European political force. The petition led by Petras Gražulis says it all about how ‘deeply embedded’ European values of tolerance and respect for diversity are for him and his party. The time has come for more responsible and civilised political groups in Lithuania to react. Do they want to close ranks with Mr. Gražulis and his party? Do they wish to continue the struggle against the values founding the EU? The answer is theirs.”
Michael Cashman MEP, Co-president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, further added: “I trust in the judiciary to throw out this shameful attack on fundamental rights. These people do not represent the decent citizens of Lithuania.”
Following its September 2009 resolution expressing concern over the law, the European Parliament will keep monitoring the fundamental rights of sexual and gender minorities in Lithuania. The European Commission will also closely scrutinise the implications of the new law.
Jonathan Urged To Implement Niger Delta Amnesty
As prominent Nigerians continue to call on the Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to give priority towards proffering lasting solutions to the problems facing the long troubled Niger Delta area, the Oba of Ogbaland and immediate past Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers Chukumela Nnam-Obi II, has called on him to implement without delay, the amnesty offer granted Niger-Delta ex-militants as a necessary basis towards bringing final peace to the region.
He said the nation, stakeholders and those involved in the amnesty programme were eagerly awaiting government’s further input in the scheme because the continued and proper implementation of the exercise was important to the region, nation and world at large.
Nnam-Obi also appealed to Jonathan to muster every effort and search for a final solution to the recurring crisis in Jos, which had claimed several, lives and become a national embarrassment.
On the state of the nation, the monarch wants Jonathan to "vehemently resist intimidation and distraction by enemies of good governance and be bold and firm as he commences the fast-tracking of the nation’s development, which had been stagnated recently."
Jonathan has repeatedly said he would follow through with the amnesty programme of the federal government, which was initiated by President Musa Yar’Adua before he became ill.
He said the nation, stakeholders and those involved in the amnesty programme were eagerly awaiting government’s further input in the scheme because the continued and proper implementation of the exercise was important to the region, nation and world at large.
Nnam-Obi also appealed to Jonathan to muster every effort and search for a final solution to the recurring crisis in Jos, which had claimed several, lives and become a national embarrassment.
On the state of the nation, the monarch wants Jonathan to "vehemently resist intimidation and distraction by enemies of good governance and be bold and firm as he commences the fast-tracking of the nation’s development, which had been stagnated recently."
Jonathan has repeatedly said he would follow through with the amnesty programme of the federal government, which was initiated by President Musa Yar’Adua before he became ill.
Fear of Ritual Killings Envelop Niger Delta
Residents in Delta state and other neighboring states are now living in palpable fear as the incessant killing of innocent citizens and discovery of dead bodies have become the order of the day.
In the last count two dead bodies were found in Agbarho, a community in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.
THEWILL can authoritatively confirm that six Agharho-based vigilante men, suspected to be masterminds of these ritual killings have been arraigned before a magistrate court in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state for the unlawful murder of Isaac Ukanefunmoni and Ovuoke Obie on January 14 this year.
They are: Mr. Obus Akponine, Mr. Gift Emoavulodua, Mr. Solomon Ighovo, Mr. Stanley Esegine, Neworld Ojievwe, Solomon Otarighobe and others at large are facing a three-count-charge at the same court.
It would be recalled that a community newspaper had in February 2010 reported the issue of ritual killings involving four Agbarho Vigilante men who were arrested by the police for murder.
In the last count two dead bodies were found in Agbarho, a community in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.
THEWILL can authoritatively confirm that six Agharho-based vigilante men, suspected to be masterminds of these ritual killings have been arraigned before a magistrate court in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state for the unlawful murder of Isaac Ukanefunmoni and Ovuoke Obie on January 14 this year.
They are: Mr. Obus Akponine, Mr. Gift Emoavulodua, Mr. Solomon Ighovo, Mr. Stanley Esegine, Neworld Ojievwe, Solomon Otarighobe and others at large are facing a three-count-charge at the same court.
It would be recalled that a community newspaper had in February 2010 reported the issue of ritual killings involving four Agbarho Vigilante men who were arrested by the police for murder.
LADOJA LOSES BID TO STOP TRIAL
Former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rasheed Ladoja has lost his bid to stop his trial before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, March 30, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed threw out the three application through which Ladoja sought to quash all the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Ladoja had argued in the applications that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear all the charges brought against him. Besides, he argued that all the charges bordered on alleged money laundering offences and that the Money Laundering Prohibition Act (2004) only empowered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to try offenders on such offences, not the EFCC.
He also claimed that the proof of evidence placed before the court by the EFCC had no nexus with the charges and that it did not disclose any prima facie case against him.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed said that “objection to a defect in a charge can only be made on the day of arraignment when the applicant is taking his plea and not afterwards”. He held that any such objection on the framing of charges against Ladoja by the EFCC could not, therefore, succeed. He also said that since Ladoja “did not raise any objection to the EFCC trying him in line with the Money Laundering Prohibition Act (2004), it is too late to object to the Act when he has taken his plea”.
The Judge also ruled that the proof of evidence placed before the court by the EFCC had links with the charges preferred against Ladoja and that a prima facie case had been disclosed against him. He therefore quashed all the motions brought against the EFCC and fixed the commencement of trial for April 13th, 2010.
Ladoja is being tried by the EFCC, together with one of his former aides, Waheed Akanbi and some companies linked to him on charges of money laundering and diversion of public funds. He was originally arraigned by the EFCC on August 28th, 2008 with four of his former aides and a company: Chief Adewale Atanda, Waheed Akanbi; Abiodun Kola Daisi; Mr. Gregory Otsu and Heritage Apartments Limited, on a 33 count- charge.
He was re-arraigned on March 25th, 2009 with one of his aides, Waheed Akanbi. The EFCC removed the name of his former Commissioner of Finance, Chief Adewale Atanda, who was initially charged with Ladoja and made him one of its prosecution witnesses. With his failure to quash all the charges preferred against him, the EFCC is succeeding in getting him to answer to all the allegations of money laundering and diversion of public funds filed against him.
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, March 30, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed threw out the three application through which Ladoja sought to quash all the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Ladoja had argued in the applications that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear all the charges brought against him. Besides, he argued that all the charges bordered on alleged money laundering offences and that the Money Laundering Prohibition Act (2004) only empowered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to try offenders on such offences, not the EFCC.
He also claimed that the proof of evidence placed before the court by the EFCC had no nexus with the charges and that it did not disclose any prima facie case against him.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed said that “objection to a defect in a charge can only be made on the day of arraignment when the applicant is taking his plea and not afterwards”. He held that any such objection on the framing of charges against Ladoja by the EFCC could not, therefore, succeed. He also said that since Ladoja “did not raise any objection to the EFCC trying him in line with the Money Laundering Prohibition Act (2004), it is too late to object to the Act when he has taken his plea”.
The Judge also ruled that the proof of evidence placed before the court by the EFCC had links with the charges preferred against Ladoja and that a prima facie case had been disclosed against him. He therefore quashed all the motions brought against the EFCC and fixed the commencement of trial for April 13th, 2010.
Ladoja is being tried by the EFCC, together with one of his former aides, Waheed Akanbi and some companies linked to him on charges of money laundering and diversion of public funds. He was originally arraigned by the EFCC on August 28th, 2008 with four of his former aides and a company: Chief Adewale Atanda, Waheed Akanbi; Abiodun Kola Daisi; Mr. Gregory Otsu and Heritage Apartments Limited, on a 33 count- charge.
He was re-arraigned on March 25th, 2009 with one of his aides, Waheed Akanbi. The EFCC removed the name of his former Commissioner of Finance, Chief Adewale Atanda, who was initially charged with Ladoja and made him one of its prosecution witnesses. With his failure to quash all the charges preferred against him, the EFCC is succeeding in getting him to answer to all the allegations of money laundering and diversion of public funds filed against him.
Assassins kill Edo Businessman
Precarious security situation in Edo State peaked on Sunday with the killing of a popular businessman, Dr. Charles Ndulue in Benin, the state capital. His only daughter and a maid were also seriously injured in the attack.
According to eyewitnesses, the suspected assassins, operating in an Audi 80 car, swooped on the unsuspecting Ndulue, who was until his death a major distributor of products for Nigerian companies and other occupants of his light green Mercedes Benz C-Class with registration number DJ 942 BEN.
They were believed to have trailed him from the busy Ring Road to the junction leading to the Government House, not far from the State Police Command Headquarters and a police station.
The deceased, in his 50s was with his daughter and a maid when the gunmen sprayed his car with bullets at about 10.45a.m. on Sapele Road.
Not caring about the safety of commercial motorcyclists close to the hospital gate, the bandits opened fire on the occupants of the vehicle from the rear.
The attack lasted for just about two minutes, but it forced the moving car to veer off the road and skid into a nearby ditch close to the Benin Prisons. They also reportedly shot into the air apparently to clear the busy route as they pursued their target, sending commercial motorcyclists and pedestrians to flee in different directions.
After accomplishing their mission, the bandits removed the deceased’s gold trinkets and mobile phone, making those who witnessed the attack believe it was an armed robbery incident.
Sympathizers and those returning from the early morning church service helped rush the victims to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
THEWILL further gathered that the injured maid and the deceased’s daughter were moved out of the hospital 'for security reasons.'
Meanwhile, it was also gathered that bandits dressed in military uniforms, numbering about 30 at 9.24a.m. last week, attacked passengers on the Benin-Lagos Expressway at the Ogbemudia Farms, near Ekiadolor College of Education, leaving several persons with serious gunshot wounds.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Peter Ogboi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), for comments proved abortive as at press time.
The remains of the deceased have since been deposited at the Central Hospital morgue.
According to eyewitnesses, the suspected assassins, operating in an Audi 80 car, swooped on the unsuspecting Ndulue, who was until his death a major distributor of products for Nigerian companies and other occupants of his light green Mercedes Benz C-Class with registration number DJ 942 BEN.
They were believed to have trailed him from the busy Ring Road to the junction leading to the Government House, not far from the State Police Command Headquarters and a police station.
The deceased, in his 50s was with his daughter and a maid when the gunmen sprayed his car with bullets at about 10.45a.m. on Sapele Road.
Not caring about the safety of commercial motorcyclists close to the hospital gate, the bandits opened fire on the occupants of the vehicle from the rear.
The attack lasted for just about two minutes, but it forced the moving car to veer off the road and skid into a nearby ditch close to the Benin Prisons. They also reportedly shot into the air apparently to clear the busy route as they pursued their target, sending commercial motorcyclists and pedestrians to flee in different directions.
After accomplishing their mission, the bandits removed the deceased’s gold trinkets and mobile phone, making those who witnessed the attack believe it was an armed robbery incident.
Sympathizers and those returning from the early morning church service helped rush the victims to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
THEWILL further gathered that the injured maid and the deceased’s daughter were moved out of the hospital 'for security reasons.'
Meanwhile, it was also gathered that bandits dressed in military uniforms, numbering about 30 at 9.24a.m. last week, attacked passengers on the Benin-Lagos Expressway at the Ogbemudia Farms, near Ekiadolor College of Education, leaving several persons with serious gunshot wounds.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Peter Ogboi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), for comments proved abortive as at press time.
The remains of the deceased have since been deposited at the Central Hospital morgue.
N214M FRAUD: Court Convicts 8 Suspects Prosecuted By The EFCC
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday convicted eight suspects arraigned before it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for forgery and theft of public funds totaling over N214 million.
The suspects were sentenced to sixteen (16) years imprisonment.
Justice Morenike Obadina handed down the jail terms to Alfred Omoreah; Oluwadare Olushola Kashilapo and Lawrence Achibuogwu and five companies belonging to them.
The five companies are: Mack Fred Nigeria Limited; Kashimatrics Ventures; Favour Home Cell Communication Limited; Himishi Hallmark Ventures and LCA International Limited. They were arraigned on a twenty-eight-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud and forgery.
Omoreah is to serve ten years imprisonment; Kahilapo and Achibuogwu are to serve three years imprisonment each and the terms are to run concurrently. A forfeiture order was given by the court on Mack Fred Nigeria Limited. This means that all the assets of the company will be forfeited to the government.
The court also ordered that restitution of seventy million naira (N70, 000,000.00) should be paid by Kashimatrics Ventures; Favour Home Cell Communication Limited, Himishi Hallmark Ventures and LCA International Limited to the government; being the amount illegally and fraudulently obtained as double payments for import duties on purported importation of toilet preparations by the companies.
The convicts were arraigned before the court on October 17th, 2006.
The suspects were sentenced to sixteen (16) years imprisonment.
Justice Morenike Obadina handed down the jail terms to Alfred Omoreah; Oluwadare Olushola Kashilapo and Lawrence Achibuogwu and five companies belonging to them.
The five companies are: Mack Fred Nigeria Limited; Kashimatrics Ventures; Favour Home Cell Communication Limited; Himishi Hallmark Ventures and LCA International Limited. They were arraigned on a twenty-eight-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud and forgery.
Omoreah is to serve ten years imprisonment; Kahilapo and Achibuogwu are to serve three years imprisonment each and the terms are to run concurrently. A forfeiture order was given by the court on Mack Fred Nigeria Limited. This means that all the assets of the company will be forfeited to the government.
The court also ordered that restitution of seventy million naira (N70, 000,000.00) should be paid by Kashimatrics Ventures; Favour Home Cell Communication Limited, Himishi Hallmark Ventures and LCA International Limited to the government; being the amount illegally and fraudulently obtained as double payments for import duties on purported importation of toilet preparations by the companies.
The convicts were arraigned before the court on October 17th, 2006.
Labour Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Iwu
Labour unions in the country on Wednesday stormed the National Assembly to protest perceived moves to return Professor Maurice Iwu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), threatening a nation wide strike if he is reappointed.
The workers who also took their protest to the INEC headquarters also expressed anger against the Senate for not amending the section of the constitution which vests the power to appoint INEC Chairman on the President.
The labour unions including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NUC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are also not happy with the Senate for passing an amendment in the constitution legalizing cross carpeting by elected public officers from the party on which platform they were elected to another while retaining their positions.
The body of workers threatened to mobilize all Nigerians to ensure that the INEC Chairman is not reappointed insisting that there would no credible elections in the country if Iwu continues to head the electoral body.
Noting that their position is a reflection of the wishes and aspiration of the people, the unions charged the National Assembly to side with the people and reject Iwu if the Executive eventually appoints him.
Presenting the position of the workers at the National Assembly, NLC President Abdulwahed Omar flanked by TUC President-General Peter Esele and other labour leaders urged the federal legislators to ensure full implementation of the report of the Justice Mohammed Uwais led Electoral Reforms Committee (ERC), to ensure credible elections in the country.
"We want to advise the members of the National Assembly to caution government against appointing him again as Chairman of INEC. Should government go ahead to appoint him, Nigerian workers will down tools in protest of his appointment until the present government reconsiders that," Omar warned.
At the INEC headquarters, the labour unions also insisted that Iwu must not stay in office beyond his tenure, which expires in June this year.
The workers who also took their protest to the INEC headquarters also expressed anger against the Senate for not amending the section of the constitution which vests the power to appoint INEC Chairman on the President.
The labour unions including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NUC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are also not happy with the Senate for passing an amendment in the constitution legalizing cross carpeting by elected public officers from the party on which platform they were elected to another while retaining their positions.
The body of workers threatened to mobilize all Nigerians to ensure that the INEC Chairman is not reappointed insisting that there would no credible elections in the country if Iwu continues to head the electoral body.
Noting that their position is a reflection of the wishes and aspiration of the people, the unions charged the National Assembly to side with the people and reject Iwu if the Executive eventually appoints him.
Presenting the position of the workers at the National Assembly, NLC President Abdulwahed Omar flanked by TUC President-General Peter Esele and other labour leaders urged the federal legislators to ensure full implementation of the report of the Justice Mohammed Uwais led Electoral Reforms Committee (ERC), to ensure credible elections in the country.
"We want to advise the members of the National Assembly to caution government against appointing him again as Chairman of INEC. Should government go ahead to appoint him, Nigerian workers will down tools in protest of his appointment until the present government reconsiders that," Omar warned.
At the INEC headquarters, the labour unions also insisted that Iwu must not stay in office beyond his tenure, which expires in June this year.
ATIKU, OJUKWU, IWU, AND THE CULTURE OF EXPEDIENCY
OKEY NDIBE
The time has never been riper for the emergence of a formidable opposition force to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power. Yet, there are disturbing signs, once again, that Nigeria’s opposition parties are looking for every means or opportunity to surrender to the PDP – or to sell their prospects for a mess of porridge.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is, from several accounts, on the cusp of returning to the PDP. That would not be so bad, for Atiku’s natural habitat is within the moral jungle of the PDP.
Atiku was part of an initiative to form a so-called "mega party." With his looming exit, that bad idea appears decidedly stillborn. For one, the potential constituents of the opposition behemoth never seemed able to offer a comprehensive critique of the PDP. Nor did they seek to define their vision, or to tell Nigerians where they intend to take the country if given power, and how.
There’s also the fact that many of the ambivalent founders of the "mega party" were once, like Atiku, in the sanctuary of the PDP. Like him, many of them still belong, in mind and spirit, to the PDP.
Atiku represents the kind of unprincipled, me-first-and-last politics that has kept Nigeria in the doldrums. Last Sunday, Thisday quoted one of Atiku’s lieutenants as saying that "even with the mega party being formed, even if the electoral reforms is concluded on time before the next elections, it will be difficult to oust PDP from power. That is a fact. I say this with all sense of responsibility, because with their rigging machines all out, with people like Iwu still in office, and with all the money they have, I think we will have a battle on our hands."
So what does Atiku do? Jump ship – and enlist with those determined to employ their rigging machines to sabotage Nigeria’s democracy. Perhaps, Atiku is at home precisely in that company.
The original impulse to form a mega opposition party represented a fundamental misconception. The PDP was deemed a party – to adapt a Nigerian saying – of “no shaking.” Consequently, the party’s opponents concluded that they must create an equally gargantuan force in order to have a shot at wresting power.
To be true, the PDP is a giant, but one whose feet are made of clay. There’s no denying that the PDP’s roster boasts the largest collection of the kind of men and women known in Nigeria as “stakeholders” or venerated as “prominent Nigerians,” but who, in reality, are criminal raiders of the public treasury.
The PDP may be the most bloated "sumo" party in the country, but it’s far from strong in real terms. Its chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, has served notice that the party plans to rule (translate that word as "ruin") Nigeria for sixty years. It’s the party’s plan, and one not shared by Nigerians. In order to realize the plan, the party must thwart the democratic will of the Nigerian people through a logistics called electoral fraud.
Since 1999, the PDP has established itself as a master rigger. It goes without saying – but we’ll say it – that a party in power resorts to rigging principally because it recognizes that there’s no clean way to win.
My point, then, is that it does not require a mega party to rout the PDP in an election. No, it takes two things. One is a party with disciplined organization, a commitment to a set of laudable socio-economic goals, and the focused ability to communicate its message to the Nigerian people. The other is a culture of credible elections, a transparent polling system that, above all, demonstrates that the wishes of the electorate are paramount.
Elections are as credible as the system that produces them, and the men and women who run that system.
The wishy-washy effort to form a mega party rests on diseased reasoning. It’s sad to see those who want to unseat the PDP waste their energy trying to acquire the ruling party’s pathologies. What they should do – assuming that they’re up to it – is to push the case for sound electoral reform and the appointment of men and women of unimpeachable moral mettle to oversee the country’s elections. Once these are in place, the opposition should then offer Nigerians a clear-eyed dissection of how the PDP has mortgaged, and still pawns off, Nigeria’s best interests.
Last week, elements of Nigeria’s opposition parties appeared to use every opportunity to display their poor judgment or myopia.
A headline in last Sunday’s edition of Thisday told a disappointing story: "Ojukwu Roots for Iwu’s Reappointment." The report, filed by Christopher Isiguzo, stated that Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), “gave his support for the reappointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Maurice Iwu for another term in office."
Ojukwu’s endorsement, according to the paper, “was based on the transparent manner the Anambra election was conducted.” On account of that election, which Ojukwu reportedly categorized as “the best so far in the country,” he saw “nothing wrong in allowing Iwu to continue in office provided he would not derail from the feat he achieved in Anambra.”
One’s immediate response was that Ojukwu should know better. He should know that, if the February 6 governorship election in Anambra represents the best Iwu has to offer, then Nigerians are in deep trouble.
What’s there to celebrate in an election where most of the voters couldn’t find their names on the voters register? Or where ballot material and electoral officials did not show up at many polling centers until several hours past the due time?
While many people in Anambra and outside are satisfied with the announcement of Governor Peter Obi as winner of the election, that fact is far from a good criterion for measuring Iwu’s performance. All told, Iwu and his electoral commission gave a terrible account of themselves. In a serious nation, the moment Iwu pledges, henceforth, to patent his Anambra performance, he would be fired on the spot. Unfortunately, Ojukwu was too happy with the outcome of the Anambra election to recognize Iwu’s woeful performance.
Let’s be clear: the removal of Iwu from his INEC perch will not guarantee credible future elections. We also need an improved electoral system, vigilance on the part of the citizenry, and a judiciary courageous enough to reverse glaring cases of electoral theft. But Iwu’s retention at his post would be a grave mistake. With his record of overseeing and then defending fraudulent elections, the man has come to personify the miscarriage that was the 2007 elections. In fact, he has inspired the term iwuruwuru in our political lexicon.
Iwu is, as far as elections are concerned, bad news. If he stays at INEC, it would be a clear signal to the world and to Nigerian voters that rigging has been recertified as the central element of our forthcoming elections.
It is obscene enough that Iwu is still entrenched in the seat he’s degraded by his incompetence and shamelessness. It’s an affront on Nigeria’s democratic aspirations that Iwu is going around, like a politician, to recruit big-name endorsers like Ojukwu just as his cronies orchestrate "pro-Iwu" rallies.
Goodluck Jonathan should fire Iwu – the sooner, the better
The time has never been riper for the emergence of a formidable opposition force to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power. Yet, there are disturbing signs, once again, that Nigeria’s opposition parties are looking for every means or opportunity to surrender to the PDP – or to sell their prospects for a mess of porridge.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is, from several accounts, on the cusp of returning to the PDP. That would not be so bad, for Atiku’s natural habitat is within the moral jungle of the PDP.
Atiku was part of an initiative to form a so-called "mega party." With his looming exit, that bad idea appears decidedly stillborn. For one, the potential constituents of the opposition behemoth never seemed able to offer a comprehensive critique of the PDP. Nor did they seek to define their vision, or to tell Nigerians where they intend to take the country if given power, and how.
There’s also the fact that many of the ambivalent founders of the "mega party" were once, like Atiku, in the sanctuary of the PDP. Like him, many of them still belong, in mind and spirit, to the PDP.
Atiku represents the kind of unprincipled, me-first-and-last politics that has kept Nigeria in the doldrums. Last Sunday, Thisday quoted one of Atiku’s lieutenants as saying that "even with the mega party being formed, even if the electoral reforms is concluded on time before the next elections, it will be difficult to oust PDP from power. That is a fact. I say this with all sense of responsibility, because with their rigging machines all out, with people like Iwu still in office, and with all the money they have, I think we will have a battle on our hands."
So what does Atiku do? Jump ship – and enlist with those determined to employ their rigging machines to sabotage Nigeria’s democracy. Perhaps, Atiku is at home precisely in that company.
The original impulse to form a mega opposition party represented a fundamental misconception. The PDP was deemed a party – to adapt a Nigerian saying – of “no shaking.” Consequently, the party’s opponents concluded that they must create an equally gargantuan force in order to have a shot at wresting power.
To be true, the PDP is a giant, but one whose feet are made of clay. There’s no denying that the PDP’s roster boasts the largest collection of the kind of men and women known in Nigeria as “stakeholders” or venerated as “prominent Nigerians,” but who, in reality, are criminal raiders of the public treasury.
The PDP may be the most bloated "sumo" party in the country, but it’s far from strong in real terms. Its chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, has served notice that the party plans to rule (translate that word as "ruin") Nigeria for sixty years. It’s the party’s plan, and one not shared by Nigerians. In order to realize the plan, the party must thwart the democratic will of the Nigerian people through a logistics called electoral fraud.
Since 1999, the PDP has established itself as a master rigger. It goes without saying – but we’ll say it – that a party in power resorts to rigging principally because it recognizes that there’s no clean way to win.
My point, then, is that it does not require a mega party to rout the PDP in an election. No, it takes two things. One is a party with disciplined organization, a commitment to a set of laudable socio-economic goals, and the focused ability to communicate its message to the Nigerian people. The other is a culture of credible elections, a transparent polling system that, above all, demonstrates that the wishes of the electorate are paramount.
Elections are as credible as the system that produces them, and the men and women who run that system.
The wishy-washy effort to form a mega party rests on diseased reasoning. It’s sad to see those who want to unseat the PDP waste their energy trying to acquire the ruling party’s pathologies. What they should do – assuming that they’re up to it – is to push the case for sound electoral reform and the appointment of men and women of unimpeachable moral mettle to oversee the country’s elections. Once these are in place, the opposition should then offer Nigerians a clear-eyed dissection of how the PDP has mortgaged, and still pawns off, Nigeria’s best interests.
Last week, elements of Nigeria’s opposition parties appeared to use every opportunity to display their poor judgment or myopia.
A headline in last Sunday’s edition of Thisday told a disappointing story: "Ojukwu Roots for Iwu’s Reappointment." The report, filed by Christopher Isiguzo, stated that Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), “gave his support for the reappointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Maurice Iwu for another term in office."
Ojukwu’s endorsement, according to the paper, “was based on the transparent manner the Anambra election was conducted.” On account of that election, which Ojukwu reportedly categorized as “the best so far in the country,” he saw “nothing wrong in allowing Iwu to continue in office provided he would not derail from the feat he achieved in Anambra.”
One’s immediate response was that Ojukwu should know better. He should know that, if the February 6 governorship election in Anambra represents the best Iwu has to offer, then Nigerians are in deep trouble.
What’s there to celebrate in an election where most of the voters couldn’t find their names on the voters register? Or where ballot material and electoral officials did not show up at many polling centers until several hours past the due time?
While many people in Anambra and outside are satisfied with the announcement of Governor Peter Obi as winner of the election, that fact is far from a good criterion for measuring Iwu’s performance. All told, Iwu and his electoral commission gave a terrible account of themselves. In a serious nation, the moment Iwu pledges, henceforth, to patent his Anambra performance, he would be fired on the spot. Unfortunately, Ojukwu was too happy with the outcome of the Anambra election to recognize Iwu’s woeful performance.
Let’s be clear: the removal of Iwu from his INEC perch will not guarantee credible future elections. We also need an improved electoral system, vigilance on the part of the citizenry, and a judiciary courageous enough to reverse glaring cases of electoral theft. But Iwu’s retention at his post would be a grave mistake. With his record of overseeing and then defending fraudulent elections, the man has come to personify the miscarriage that was the 2007 elections. In fact, he has inspired the term iwuruwuru in our political lexicon.
Iwu is, as far as elections are concerned, bad news. If he stays at INEC, it would be a clear signal to the world and to Nigerian voters that rigging has been recertified as the central element of our forthcoming elections.
It is obscene enough that Iwu is still entrenched in the seat he’s degraded by his incompetence and shamelessness. It’s an affront on Nigeria’s democratic aspirations that Iwu is going around, like a politician, to recruit big-name endorsers like Ojukwu just as his cronies orchestrate "pro-Iwu" rallies.
Goodluck Jonathan should fire Iwu – the sooner, the better
Ministers: Senate Probes Bribery Reports
AUSTYN OGANNAH
Senate has mandated its Ethics and Privileges Committee to immediately investigate allegations in the media that senators have been bribed to sway their decision on the clearance of the ministerial nominees sent by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
This followed a complain by Senator Garuba lado (Katsina State) who drew the attention of the Senate to a publication on a national daily that some senators from Katsina and Kebbi States bribed senators to frustrate the clearance of the nominees in other to slow down the administration of the Acting President.
Lado who observed that he is from Katsina, the home state of ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua said his privileges have been breached adding that the report has painted him and other senators from Katsina and Kebbi state in bad light.
Lado said neither him nor any senator from the said states gave bribe to any lawmaker to influence the screening and urged the Senate to investigate the allegation.
However, ruling on the issue, Senate President David Mark described the report as false and mischievous and directed the Ethics Committee chaired by Senator Umar Hambagda to immediately investigate the report and report back to Senate.
Meanwhile some senators have kicked against the position of minister of State in the country describing it as unconstitutional.
Senator Julius Ucha, (Ebonyi) who raised the issue on the floor on Monday said the constitution only provides for the office of minister and described the appointment of persons into the office of Minister of State, which started during the democratic administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as an aberration.
Section 147 (1) of the 1999 constitution provides that "there shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President."
Junior ministers in Nigeria are referred to as Ministers of State.
Senate has mandated its Ethics and Privileges Committee to immediately investigate allegations in the media that senators have been bribed to sway their decision on the clearance of the ministerial nominees sent by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
This followed a complain by Senator Garuba lado (Katsina State) who drew the attention of the Senate to a publication on a national daily that some senators from Katsina and Kebbi States bribed senators to frustrate the clearance of the nominees in other to slow down the administration of the Acting President.
Lado who observed that he is from Katsina, the home state of ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua said his privileges have been breached adding that the report has painted him and other senators from Katsina and Kebbi state in bad light.
Lado said neither him nor any senator from the said states gave bribe to any lawmaker to influence the screening and urged the Senate to investigate the allegation.
However, ruling on the issue, Senate President David Mark described the report as false and mischievous and directed the Ethics Committee chaired by Senator Umar Hambagda to immediately investigate the report and report back to Senate.
Meanwhile some senators have kicked against the position of minister of State in the country describing it as unconstitutional.
Senator Julius Ucha, (Ebonyi) who raised the issue on the floor on Monday said the constitution only provides for the office of minister and described the appointment of persons into the office of Minister of State, which started during the democratic administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as an aberration.
Section 147 (1) of the 1999 constitution provides that "there shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President."
Junior ministers in Nigeria are referred to as Ministers of State.
SENATE: MORE EDUCATION AND LESS CERTIFICATE FOR POLITICS
Sunday Njokede
The Nigeria Senate is at it again for the wrong reason, to make politics the private preserve of the might and all mighty in Nigeria. The bone of contention is that Senate Committee on Constitutional review has given their okay in adopting the proposal to upping educational qualification for would-be election contesters.
They’ve agreed to make it compulsory for only those with tertiary certificate to contest and be electable into presidency, senate and governorship contests. Modesty forbids that the House of Representatives take a cue and toe this dishonourable part in consenting alongside Senate.
Their wayward and elitist campaign to make Nigeria politics another game of golf that’s the pastime of higher-ups in society would spark proliferation of certificate forgery as if we’ve not had bellyful of churns of fake certificate that’s the order of the day in our country.
Senate’s watchword in this issue is not on educational fineness but flashing of the most bogus certificate even if Toronto and pseudo be much the better. The fact that our dodgy president Yar´Adua and his vice Jonathan Goodluck are of university background and yet nothing to show for their leadership till now dulls any argument for a tertiary education for top political posts in Nigeria.
If you allow me equal foolishness like our senators, I’d suggest that those who’re more than fifty-five years of age should be banned from politics. True, It’s not old age nor lack of university education that has dwindled our democracy all this while.
Emphasis should be placed on how much education one has had in his lifetime and not on certification. Certificate could only make you employable; it is education that gives you the real empowerment, the genuine gut feelings, the fineness that no amount of ill-gotten certificate could guarantee.
For this, and if their wrongly speculated certificate-craze made it into our constitution, I’d suggest that politicians across board should be made to write entrance examination to become politicians each time they stand for election. Manufacturing the tallest certificate to become a top politician is not enough, proving ones competence and defending your certificate should come to play now in Nigeria more than any time else.
I hereby suggest that the “ministry for political examination” be established to take up the duty of setting examination for aspiring politicians. I’d suggest the following ace men as linchpin and headship of my anticipated ministry for political examination: onetime president General Buhari, once EFCC tsar Ribadu or our torch lawyer Femi Falana. No riffraff and reject should ever find their way to politics in my proposed election cleanup.
What a contradiction that the same senate that has given go-ahead that former criminals should not be barred from politics is now disallowing innocent school certificate holders from vying for topmost political positions in Nigeria. The bulk of those ex-convicted ones are from the higher political class and hence Senate is not giving a flying hell about criminals and corruption heavies parading our upmost political places.
Politics is about service to humanity, making it elitist and certificate-loaded is turning democracy upon its own head. Politics and democracy are all about using your heart in most cases and not your head. The reason why democracy has made a fool of us for too long is that Nigerian politicians are operating from their heads instead of their hearts, which embodies duty to mankind and inspires empathy. Your heart tells you to corruptly enrich yourself from our commonwealth and gather primitively like Mrs. Turiai Yar´Adua and erstwhile president Obasanjo, personal effects that you don’t need in one lifetime. It’s from the heart one shows love to his or her neighbor as himself.
The superabundance of certificate as criterion to top political post in Nigeria is purely nonsense to one side. Prescribing overmuch certificate for political post is elitist as it is a head thing. True education, empathy, altruism and sympathy, which are core in servicing humanity, doesn’t come from oversize certificate.
The ability to read and write, understand simple s mathematics will do to qualify anyone to the presidency in Nigeria. In First-Word countries like the one I reside, superior education is not a must to enter politics. Journeymen and handworkers could make it to topmost political places in Germany for example. Joscher Fisher, the once German external affairs minister hasn’t tertiary education.
If bogus education is core for performance Bill Gates of the well-moneyed Micro Soft fame who dropped out of university will not be where he is. The once violent human right crusader Malcolm X who hadn’t university education wouldn’t have left his footprint in world history. The list of international achiever with no tertiary education is plenteous.
Superior education is a must have, that said and good as it is, Nigeria senate shouldn’t use their privilege stations in life via dirty political underhand to outlaw lowborn and under-privilege Nigerians from seeking top political post. On no account should they attempt making a monopoly out of Nigeria politics for themselves and their highborn children. Big certificate doesn’t actually mean superior education. Certificate is one thing and education is another ball game.
You might be high on certificate but low and derelict of any education. Before senate starts a new wave of certificate proliferation, they should be mindful that it takes genuine education and the ability to love your neighbor as yourself to serve mankind.
University education is just a sidekick of it. Nothing is wrong with the formerly allowed secondary school educational qualification but everything is bad with corruption, rigging of election and falsification of churned Toronto pseudo certificate that has taken over Senate and not abating anytime soon with yet another paper certificate qualification upliftment not trended towards educational knowledge.
The Nigeria Senate is at it again for the wrong reason, to make politics the private preserve of the might and all mighty in Nigeria. The bone of contention is that Senate Committee on Constitutional review has given their okay in adopting the proposal to upping educational qualification for would-be election contesters.
They’ve agreed to make it compulsory for only those with tertiary certificate to contest and be electable into presidency, senate and governorship contests. Modesty forbids that the House of Representatives take a cue and toe this dishonourable part in consenting alongside Senate.
Their wayward and elitist campaign to make Nigeria politics another game of golf that’s the pastime of higher-ups in society would spark proliferation of certificate forgery as if we’ve not had bellyful of churns of fake certificate that’s the order of the day in our country.
Senate’s watchword in this issue is not on educational fineness but flashing of the most bogus certificate even if Toronto and pseudo be much the better. The fact that our dodgy president Yar´Adua and his vice Jonathan Goodluck are of university background and yet nothing to show for their leadership till now dulls any argument for a tertiary education for top political posts in Nigeria.
If you allow me equal foolishness like our senators, I’d suggest that those who’re more than fifty-five years of age should be banned from politics. True, It’s not old age nor lack of university education that has dwindled our democracy all this while.
Emphasis should be placed on how much education one has had in his lifetime and not on certification. Certificate could only make you employable; it is education that gives you the real empowerment, the genuine gut feelings, the fineness that no amount of ill-gotten certificate could guarantee.
For this, and if their wrongly speculated certificate-craze made it into our constitution, I’d suggest that politicians across board should be made to write entrance examination to become politicians each time they stand for election. Manufacturing the tallest certificate to become a top politician is not enough, proving ones competence and defending your certificate should come to play now in Nigeria more than any time else.
I hereby suggest that the “ministry for political examination” be established to take up the duty of setting examination for aspiring politicians. I’d suggest the following ace men as linchpin and headship of my anticipated ministry for political examination: onetime president General Buhari, once EFCC tsar Ribadu or our torch lawyer Femi Falana. No riffraff and reject should ever find their way to politics in my proposed election cleanup.
What a contradiction that the same senate that has given go-ahead that former criminals should not be barred from politics is now disallowing innocent school certificate holders from vying for topmost political positions in Nigeria. The bulk of those ex-convicted ones are from the higher political class and hence Senate is not giving a flying hell about criminals and corruption heavies parading our upmost political places.
Politics is about service to humanity, making it elitist and certificate-loaded is turning democracy upon its own head. Politics and democracy are all about using your heart in most cases and not your head. The reason why democracy has made a fool of us for too long is that Nigerian politicians are operating from their heads instead of their hearts, which embodies duty to mankind and inspires empathy. Your heart tells you to corruptly enrich yourself from our commonwealth and gather primitively like Mrs. Turiai Yar´Adua and erstwhile president Obasanjo, personal effects that you don’t need in one lifetime. It’s from the heart one shows love to his or her neighbor as himself.
The superabundance of certificate as criterion to top political post in Nigeria is purely nonsense to one side. Prescribing overmuch certificate for political post is elitist as it is a head thing. True education, empathy, altruism and sympathy, which are core in servicing humanity, doesn’t come from oversize certificate.
The ability to read and write, understand simple s mathematics will do to qualify anyone to the presidency in Nigeria. In First-Word countries like the one I reside, superior education is not a must to enter politics. Journeymen and handworkers could make it to topmost political places in Germany for example. Joscher Fisher, the once German external affairs minister hasn’t tertiary education.
If bogus education is core for performance Bill Gates of the well-moneyed Micro Soft fame who dropped out of university will not be where he is. The once violent human right crusader Malcolm X who hadn’t university education wouldn’t have left his footprint in world history. The list of international achiever with no tertiary education is plenteous.
Superior education is a must have, that said and good as it is, Nigeria senate shouldn’t use their privilege stations in life via dirty political underhand to outlaw lowborn and under-privilege Nigerians from seeking top political post. On no account should they attempt making a monopoly out of Nigeria politics for themselves and their highborn children. Big certificate doesn’t actually mean superior education. Certificate is one thing and education is another ball game.
You might be high on certificate but low and derelict of any education. Before senate starts a new wave of certificate proliferation, they should be mindful that it takes genuine education and the ability to love your neighbor as yourself to serve mankind.
University education is just a sidekick of it. Nothing is wrong with the formerly allowed secondary school educational qualification but everything is bad with corruption, rigging of election and falsification of churned Toronto pseudo certificate that has taken over Senate and not abating anytime soon with yet another paper certificate qualification upliftment not trended towards educational knowledge.
$100,000 Bribe; Is This True?
Daniel Elombah
Sources at the National Assembly also disclosed, “ the Yar’Adua’s group has moved in money, I mean real money, in foreign currency to woo senators to reject some key nominees so as to slow down the Acting President.”
The source specifically said that two senators, one from Katsina and another from Kebbi, are distributing $100,000 each to senators to get them to reject the nominations of Dora Akunyili and Adetokunbo Kayode specifically.”
According to the source, the offence of Akunyili is her decision to break ranks with other former ministers by calling for the ouster of Yar’Adua, while Kayode’s offence is his alleged closeness to Jonathan.
“The game plan is to ensure that Kayode does not scale through the senate screening so as to allow Mohammed Bello Adoke, another Senior Advocate of Nigeri, from Benue as the attorney General and minister of justice instead of Kayode.
Sources at the National Assembly also disclosed, “ the Yar’Adua’s group has moved in money, I mean real money, in foreign currency to woo senators to reject some key nominees so as to slow down the Acting President.”
The source specifically said that two senators, one from Katsina and another from Kebbi, are distributing $100,000 each to senators to get them to reject the nominations of Dora Akunyili and Adetokunbo Kayode specifically.”
According to the source, the offence of Akunyili is her decision to break ranks with other former ministers by calling for the ouster of Yar’Adua, while Kayode’s offence is his alleged closeness to Jonathan.
“The game plan is to ensure that Kayode does not scale through the senate screening so as to allow Mohammed Bello Adoke, another Senior Advocate of Nigeri, from Benue as the attorney General and minister of justice instead of Kayode.
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