Babs Ajayi from Canada
The anniversary of the June 12, 1993 democratic struggle embodied by the dogged determination, sacrifice and vision of the late business mogul Bashorun Moshood Kasimowo Olawale Abiola is here again. A semblance of democracy has been won but nothing more has changed. Bashorun Abiola stood up to the monsters in uniform, and along with millions of Nigerians they faced an on-coming trailer that has no breaks and cared little about the masses. The civil society joined him and even people who disagreed with him on specific issues fought on the side of democracy and change, and they insisted that the winner of the June 12, 1993 election must be sworn in and be allowed to assume his mandate. The mandate of MKO Abiola was denied him by callous illiterates in military uniform along with their hangers-on and sidekicks.
For several years this group of cretins engaged in one rigmarole after another, brought out armoured tanks, guns and mortars and killed defenceless Nigerians on the streets of Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ile- Ife, Benin, Kaduna, Enugu and several other towns and communities. But the Nigerian people, students, unions, newspapers, news magazines, groups of professionals and human rights bodies stood their ground. Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti will be remembered for his leadership, dedication, boldness and integrity in the struggle to actualize the June 12 mandate. He led a very effective and determined group of human rights campaigners, and his groups and many other bodies became a thorn too strong for the mad men in uniform to deal with. Chief Ovie Kokori and Omowale Carrington, the then United States ambassador to Nigeria gave their all, and stood for justice and democratic change. As always in the vanguard of opinion shapers and fighters, Kongi was once again taken away from his literary work and other tasks to demand that those who set the rules, wrote a constitution and conducted an election that turned out to be the fairest and most free elections in the annals of Nigerian history have a duty to honour the mandate of the winner. It did not matter to him who the victor was; it was the principle behind it all.
For years and for about a decade the nation and its people suffered hardships, petroleum scarcity, adulterated petrol and kerosene, closed schools and universities, locked shops and markets, deserted streets and roads, hunger and poverty, the migration of our brothers and sisters from the East back to their region, interim and not-so interim governments, brigandage and thuggery from men in uniform, and the step aside choice of the evil genius and the lowlife who was right at the centre of the crises. Hardship defined the lives of the majority of our people in those heady days but everyone held on to hope as represented by the mandate of Bashorun Abiola and the men of integrity who stood with him, particularly the Afenifere, NADECO, PRONACO, NUPENG, university teachers, Nigerians students, Tell, Tempo, The News, The Guardian, The Punch and several other progressive newsmagazines and newspapers.
The struggle pushed Nigeria to the brink of extinction and set students back several years in their studies. Many lost their lives to the bullets of Sani Abacha's soldiers who shot to kill and set up posts on roads and bridges. Newspapers and newsmagazines had their offices either sealed off, burnt down, and their magazines and papers taken away by state agents who constantly harassed and arrested vendors and newspaper distributors. All the laws of the land went to dogs, the evil genius and the evil maniac who took over from the interim lowlifes ran the nation like their fiefdoms. When losers take control, they wrought revenge on the rest of the people as if we were responsible for their failures; in most cases it is envy and jealousy that help to bring the worst out of people who failed. Long before June 1993, the people of Nigeria have come to know no peace of mind, no reprieve for social and economic hardship as the evil genius and his sidekicks took one wrong turn after another and made no effort to use the crude oil funds to create jobs and improve hospitals, schools and social services.
There were little to hope for from the moment the evil one took control in 1985 up and until he stepped aside in shame and by force, opening the way for an even more vicious character who acted far less than human in his dealings with people. Instability and social insecurity became a way of life and was far more steady and consistent as food shortage and inflation hinder everyone, which was at a time that there were official and parallel rates for foreign currencies. The crooks in power and their supported exploited the foreign exchange process in place while the masses pay dearly for the greed of a few opportunists. But that was before democracy or something like that was returned to the nation. That was before Olusegun Obasanjo was elected president with so much promises and so much hope that he will bring his prison experience to bear on the nation. It was hoped that the hardship and the unmerited favour and grace Olusegun Obasanjo enjoyed while in prison will truly translate into something meaningful and change him to a better person and leader.
That was not to be as the Olusegun Obasanjo who ruled for eight years and who attempted and schemed to change the Nigerian constitution and extort a third term from Nigerians, was a far worse leader than the cretin who annulled MKO Abiola,s mandate. The plight of Nigerians got worse under him; schools including the Federal Government Colleges and universities were poorly funded and continued in their decay throughout the Obasanjo years of the locust. It was eight years that yielded no dividend for the masses even as Bell University was set up and Bell College flourished. His Veepee also built schools and universities and ran businesses that took contracts from the federal government. Every step of the way the two men robbed Peter to pay Paul. They were greedy and selfish, they cared little about the people and their plights, and they helped themselves and refused to help the masses. One was a retired soldier and the other a retired customs officer, a member of the paramilitary parasites that boded no good for the masses of our people.
The greatest disservice Olusegun Obasanjo did to our people, however, was his imposition of his friend's brother on the nation as commander-in-chief. Obasanjo helped to spread lies about some achievements of Umaru Yar'ardua in the media, portraying him as one hugely successful governor who will replicate his successes at the national level. When the news items were appearing in Nigerian newspapers, a very analytical, highly critical and observant friend drew my attention to the news reports and articles. The reports painted the picture of a new and committed leader, a successful and focused man who is very committed to development and social service.
Today what we have on ground is a man who is after his own agenda and his own wants. He comes first and his government has been much like his predecessors - my need, my want, and my desire before any other. Poverty is forever on the rise and unemployment has assumed an alarming level in the nation. Our youths have nowhere to turn and they are victims of a failed state and a hopeless democratic set-up that is built to fail and arranged to ensure that looting is central to the agenda of the state at all levels. The regression we witness today and have been seeing in the last ten years are not the gains we expect, but they are the way the likes of Obasanjo, Bode George, Atiku Abubakar, Yar'Ardua, and the legion of retired generals who run the National Assembly and spread their influence around the states wanted it. Everyone who was a governor, minister, senator, board chairman or member, commissioner in the Obasanjo and Yar'Ardua era lives in a home that is worth in the hundreds of millions of naira. The same can be said of their bank accounts. When one of Obasanjo's ex-ministers was exposed by the EFCC a few months back and accused of stealing hundreds of millions of naira not many expressed surprise, except that the guy was more known for being Obasanjo's dog before he was made a minister. For such a guy, a lot of people insisted stealing runs in his family and looting is a way of life for them.
Sixteen years since the June 12 struggle took centre stage in the lives of our nation and people there is absolutely nothing to show for it. Our schools and universities are no better and the nation is downhill and in serious trouble of falling apart. Hunger and poverty daily afflict our people and school leavers have very little hope of getting a job. A sick man is not likely to find the drugs he needs and the equipment necessary to examine and determine the cause of his ill health and plan recovery are not available.
The social situation of our nation is desperate and the land is the backyard of looters and thieves in state and federal positions. We remember the struggle and dedication of MKO Abiola and the June 12 struggle and hope that one day an aberration of the likes of J.J. Rawlings will come to clean the filthy stable Nigeria has become.
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God save this country, Amen. Please Read!IG Okiro Acelebrated Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), hitherto erroneously mistaken for a saviour by the defenceless as the “no-nonsense” head of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of one of the states in the South-West is in trouble. He is now in police custody for allegedly operating three deadly armed robbery gangs that were responsible for breaking banks and snatching exotic cars in major cities across the country.His exploits in the underworld, by The Nation’s findings, out-shone George Iyamu, who, strangely, was also a DSP, whose scandalous exploits earned him death through a firing squad in March 1987, following a death sentence passed on him by Justice James Omo-Agege of the High Court of Justice in Benin City. He was found guilty of aiding a vicious robbery gang led by Lawrence Anini which tortured the peace of the nation for over three months.In that saga, Nigerians were aghast with shock when it was revealed that Iyamu was the insider-informant, who was paid handsomely by the "Anini Group" for classified information that made their victims easy preys.Unlike Iyamu, whose stock-in-trade was merely giving protective information to Anini and his gang, however, the present DSP, investigations revealed, had been the sole sponsor and godfather for robbery gangs that recently carried out violent attacks on banks across the country.The plotting of his royal pathway to the police dragnet began when, two weeks ago, a robbery suspect, who had, with other dreaded members of his gang, robbed a bank in Ibadan, where they carted away about N14 million was nabbed with another member of the gang.The suspect, who reportedly got a share of N3 million, had gone on a spending-free session at a liquor joint in Ibadan when other customers around began to suspect him because of the way he was spending money.An authoritative source confirmed to The Nation that the police, upon a tip-off, put the robbery suspect under surveillance, which led to the law enforcers’ discovery of a wound on his leg."Following police investigations, the suspect initially lied that he had sustained the injury when he was on a hunting expedition because he was a hunter."The police took their investigations to a clinic where he was said to be receiving treatment on the leg. Eventually, the truth came to the open and he was arrested in Ibadan with some money with the wrappers of a bank which the gang had recently burgled in the city. That was how his gang was exposed," disclosed the source.Following intense interrogation, the suspect, The Nation learnt, threw what appeared to be a bombshell to Oyo State Police Command: The DSP supplied information, arms and ammunition to his gang which had attacked banks and snatched posh cars in Benin, Abuja, Lagos and Ado-Ekiti, among other cities across the country.Apparently believing that the robber’s confession was aimed at framing up the suspect for supposedly being the thorn in the flesh of armed robbers in the state, the state Police Commissioner was said to have referred the case to the Federal SARS, Abuja, earlier set up by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.The source revealed further: "The arrested robbery suspect disclosed to the men at SARS, Abuja that the suspect had a giant personal house where the gang used to meet in Ibadan to strategise for operations. When the Abuja team got to the desolate house in Ibadan, the DSP was said to have denied ownership of the house. But the suspect insisted, saying that he was ready to unveil all the hidden things there. Upon his instruction, the police detectives opened a room where they allegedly found the suspect’s photograph beside a bed."The robber later took them to an underground apartment where eight AK 47 rifles were recovered with 36,000 rounds of live ammunition which the police officer used to distribute to members of his gangs for operations. The robber also took the policemen to the backyard of the house where nine blood-stained exotic cars, including SUVs recently snatched by the gang, were parked. Shocked to the marrow by the discovery, the spolice team there and then arrested the DSP on the spot with his uniform on."Further investigations later revealed that some of the riffles belonged to the policemen killed in line of duty by armed robbers on his order, while seven were allegedly stolen by him from the armoury when he was said to be the Officer-in-Charge of the state’s anti-robbery outfit last year. While in the state, he was widely feared and celebrated as a gallant officer who was genuinely committed to stamping out robberies in the state, unknown to people that he masterminded all the robberies," revealed the source.When he was taken to his station for further investigation by the Abuja team, the suspect reportedly begged the team to take N4 million and kill him to save his face from shame.The source explained: "He said he would organise N4 million for members of the team if they could save his face. It was when the team was about entering the state’s Criminal Investigations Department, with him after he had confessed that some of the rifles he had been giving to his gangs’ members were stolen from the SCID."Most of the officers there were junior to him, and he was afraid of how they would feel upon learning of his inglorious exploits. He knew the shame would be too much for him to bear; that was why he had to resort to fruitless begging."The suspect, who is now being detained in Abuja, the source said, confessed to having three robbery gangs, two among which specialized in bank robberies while the other was primarily concerned with snatching expensive cars which were eventually sold to ready buyers in Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin Republic.The IG, The Nation also learnt, has ordered comprehensive investigations into his various property which include four houses in Lagos, three in Ibadan, four at Ado-Ekiti, one in Abuja and a plaza under construction in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)."He is said to own five trucks and 12 personal cars," the source said, adding: "The IG is taking the case very seriously. In fact, he has ordered a very exhaustive investigation into it. He also demanded daily briefings on the matter."The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), could, however, not be reached by press time yesterday for comments.
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Bodies of 18 soldiers declared missing after an encounter with militants in the Chanomi creeks in Delta State last month have been found in a mass grave. The corpses were found by operatives of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) code-named Operation Restore Hope.The murdered soldiers comprised two lieutenants and 16 other ranks.Earlier, a rifle and uniform belonging to one of the soldiers were found in a shrine in Okerenkoko.The attack on the soldiers on May 13 prompted the on-going military action against militants in the Niger Delta with the military authorities vowing an unrelenting war until the region was rid of criminal elements.Daily Sun gathered that the missing soldiers bodies were found in a mass grave in Camp 5 in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta.The camp belonged to the wanted militant leader, Government Ekpomukpolo a.k.a. Tompolo.It was further learnt that the attack and seizure of the camp by the military was facilitated by the arrest of nine senior aides of Tompolo.According to sources, after the arrest of Tompolo’s commanders, including a disabled in charge of the camp’s armoury, they were whisked away to the headquarters of JTF in Effurun.“It was when they were brought to our headquarters that they pleaded not to be tortured and volunteered to provide information that will lead to the whereabouts of our missing officers and soldiers,” a source said.It was gathered that the military authorities were working to establish whether the bodies recovered were truly the remains of the missing officers and soldiers.Coordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre of JTF, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, could not be reached for confirmation of the report on the recovered bodies as he was said to be out on official duties.Commander of the JTF, Major General Sarkin Yaki Bello had vowed shortly after the soldiers were declared missing that the military would not relent until they were found.According to Bello, in military parlance, no soldier was presumed dead during combat until his body had been found or recovered
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Manchester United have accepted a world record offer of £80m from Real Madrid for winger Cristiano Ronaldo."United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player," read a statement from the Old Trafford club.It added the decision came at the 24-year-old Ronaldo's request after he "again expressed his desire to leave".United said the offer was unconditional and want the matter to be concluded by 30 June, while Madrid hope to agree personal terms "in the next few days"."Real Madrid confirm they have made an offer to Manchester United for the acquisition of the rights of the player Cristiano Ronaldo," said the Spanish club in a statement.But the BBC's Steve Kingstone in Madrid stated that Real had yet to confirm the agreed price of £80m stated by United.A spokesman for United's owners, the Glazer family, insisted that the decision to sell Ronaldo was taken solely by manager Sir Alex Ferguson.The spokesman told the BBC: "It was purely a football decision and had nothing to do with the financial structure of the club."jakarthIt is understood that the transfer fee would be made available for Ferguson to invest in the transfer market.United have been linked with the likes of Lyon forward Karim Benzema, Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Wigan's Antonio Valencia.Madrid signed Brazilian Kaka for a reported £56m earlier in the week, surpassing the previous world record fee in pounds sterling of £45.6m, which Real paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.That deal was sealed by the ambition of returning Real president Florentino Perez, who previously led the Spanish club from 2000 to 2006 - during the famous galacticos era.And Perez had previously made it clear he would do "everything possible" to sign Ronaldo.Madrid have also been linked with Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, Valencia's David Villa and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery since Perez's unopposed election signalled the return of their vast spending.There had been reports that Madrid would have to pay a £26m penalty clause to Ronaldo as a consequence of an alleged "pre-contract" arrangement that had been agreed with the player's representative Jorge Mendes, if the Spanish club did not sign him this summer.BBC Sport's Phil McNulty"This was one that was never ever going to go away," said BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent Mike Ingham."After the Champions League final he criticised Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics, he threw his toys out of the pram in the derby with Manchester City after he was substituted. He's been very high maintenance. And £80m is hard to resist."Personally, I'm very sorry to see him leave but it's absolutely inevitable. If it hadn't been this summer it would have been next summer."This could mean they might be able to keep Carlos Tevez, maybe Wayne Rooney can be liberated."Tevez's loan agreement with United has expired and the Argentine will cost United in the region of £25m, while Rooney may have more opportunities to play in his favoured central position if Ronaldo leaves.Ronaldo, who is currently believed to be on holiday in Los Angeles, joined United in 2003 from Sporting Lisbon for £12.2m, was strongly linked with a move to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2008.United lodged a complaint with world governing body Fifa last June over what they believed was a deliberate attempt by Real to unsettle the winger.After a long, drawn-out saga that ran through the summer months, the Portugal international insisted he was happy at Old Trafford and remained at United for the 2008-2009 season.CRISTIANO RONALDO FACTFILE# 1985: Born 5 February# 2002: Makes Sporting Lisbon debut# 2003: Signs for Man Utd in £12m deal# 2004: Wins first trophy, the FA Cup, with United# 2006: Expresses desire to join Real Madrid# 2007: Wins first Premier League title# 2008: Wins Champions League# 2009: Voted World and European player of the year# 2009: Man Utd accept £80m bid from Real"Now I understand I made the best decision," Ronaldo told Spanish sports paper Marca after he had made that choice. "I am with Manchester in body and soul."But the speculation soured relations between the clubs and last December United manager Ferguson said he would not "sell that mob a virus".And despite Ronaldo's claim that he wanted to remain at Old Trafford, he was the subject of constant speculation during the 2008-2009 season and often gave mixed messages about his future.If Ronaldo does sign for Madrid, his last appearance for United will have been in the Champions League final in Rome - in which the Premier League champions were beaten 2-0 by Barcelona."History will remember him very well in terms of his contribution as a footballer, he'll also be seen as petulant, egotistical and stubborn but he's been a wonderful player," said United We Stand fanzine editor Andy Mitten.BBC sports editor Mihir BoseIt took time for Ronaldo to find his best form after arriving in England but he became a pivotal player for United, who have won the last three Premier League titles.In the 2007-08 season he scored 42 goals, which topped the previous club record for a midfielder held by George Best, and was on the scoresheet as United defeated Chelsea in the Champions League final.His form through 2008 saw him named Fifa World Player of the Year in January, just a month after he won the Ballon d'Or as the European Player of the Year.Ronaldo was the top scorer for his club last season, with 26 goals, taking his total for United to 118 in 292 appearances.
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A MUM of six has ditched her kids and run off with her son’s 18-YEAR-OLD best pal.
Debbie Mallinson, 36, fled her council semi after telling her shocked children: “I can’t help who I fall in love with.”
She then moved in with baby-faced toyboy Adam Caban in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Mallinson’s eldest sons, aged 15 and ten, are now living with relatives. Her other kids — a girl of eight, a boy of six, a boy of five and a girl aged three — are in foster care.
And an ex-partner of the runaway mum branded her a “disgrace” last night — and sneered: “She falls in love more often than she gives birth.”
The man, who fathered three of the brunette’s six children, hit out after she deserted her young family.
Mallinson fled her council home after climbing out of a window and sprinting down the front path into a waiting cab.
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Her 15-year-old eldest son had earlier caught her on the phone telling Adam, his best friend, that she loved him. Before she left, Mallinson told her children: “I can’t help who I fall in love with.”
But her disgusted ex said: “It breaks my heart — she doesn’t give a stuff about anyone but her.”
Mallinson, whose children were fathered by FOUR dads, is living with baby-faced Adam at his sister’s home in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Before walking out two weeks ago, she phoned social services saying she couldn’t cope and was going off to live with her lover.
Her furious former partner said last night: “This woman is an absolute disgrace as a mother.
“First she has an affair with her son’s best friend, then she dumps her kids to move in with him.
“She’s now living with him while her youngest children and my kids are staying with strangers. It breaks my heart and makes my blood boil in equal measure.
“She’s told social services she wants the kids back eventually and wants to bring them up with her new boyfriend.
“But they are living with his sister and don’t have any money.
“Anyway, she can’t just turn up and be a mum when she likes. It is just not fair on the children.”
Mallinson — whose youngsters cannot be identified — stormed out of her three-bed semi after a blazing row with her teenage son.
He and his eldest brother, who is ten, are now living with their grandparents and father respectively.
But the lads’ four siblings — a girl aged eight, a boy of six, a boy aged five, and a three-year-old girl — have been put in to foster care.
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Mallinson’s former partner added: “The first I knew about it was when my mum called me.
“At first I thought it was a wind-up — but I wouldn’t put anything past her.
“Her eldest son found out something was going on when he overheard his mum on the phone telling his best mate she loved him.
“He is now living with his grandparents in another part of the country — but he has lost his best friend and his mum.
“Through no fault of his own, his life has been completely turned upside down.
“I’ve known this woman for a long time and she falls in love more often than she gives birth. The sad thing is that it will never last — but it could scar the kids for life.”
Mallinson was unavailable for comment.
And her 18-year-old lover cowered behind his mum when The Sun visited his family’s address.
The dumbstruck teenager stood in the hallway as his mum said: “He’s 18 and can do what he likes. They’re just friends anyway.”
Another family member said: “They are moving from house to house at the moment, so we’re just trying to help out by giving them somewhere to stay.advertisement here ask9ja.com free classifieds !Read more…
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The police at the weekend, rescued a three-year-old boy from a robbery gang which was tutoring him on how to go about robbery operations. The gang was being led by the child’s father, Olumide Joseph. He was arrested in company of his child and other gang member, Temidayo Akindekan at the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
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The police said the modus operandi of the two-man gang was to go for robbery in company with the little child so as to deceive the crime fighters each time they were accosted during and after operations.
However, luck ran out on them when, at the weekend, the police refused to be deceived. Initially, the police had suspecting that the little boy may have been kidnapped by the gang, which had earlier snatched a bus.
Parading the suspects at the state command headquarters, Ikeja, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Frank Mba, who described the two man-gang as notorious said: “It was quite abnormal and shameful that a father could be tutoring his under-aged child how to be a robber. It was unheard of and unbelievable that a father could debase himself to such a despicable standard.”
He said God had redeemed the little boy from the hands of “this gang which should have turned him to a Frankinstein monster. It will be unimaginable the type of person the boy would have been turned into. Infact, it would have been a devil let loose. We thank God for his mercy towards this angel.”
He said the gang was responsible for so many car snatching and theft in Lagos and Ogun states. Mba said the gang specialized in stealing buses which they would refurbish and paint to commercial colour which they would give to drivers for commercial purposes.
He revealed that five buses have been recovered from them while detectives were on trail of other buses.
Speaking with Joseph, he said: “Yes, the boy in question is my son. I take him along when I am going to steal buses because I have no other person to leave him with at home because the mother is no longer with me.”
On whether he did not know that the child would take after him. he said: “Well, I knew but I was hoping to quit crime before he will become an adult.”
He said he hated what he was doing but owing to the economic hardship in the country and family pressure, he had no alternative.
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Put one in the middle equals 4-1-9 !
49 Nigerians stole N143.6bn public funds - EFCC that is roughly 20million USD each
ABUJA — FORTY-NINE Nigerians looted the nation’s treasury to the tune of N143.6 billion (One hundred and forty-three billion, six hundred million naira), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission revealed yesterday.
Also, Chairman of the Commission, Mrs Farida Waziri, at an interactive session with journalists, in Abuja, to mark her first year in office yesterday said the court cases of some former governors were ongoing and that there was no letting up on efforts to prosecute former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili and Senator Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State.
It has also come to light that 49 Nigerians are presently being prosecuted by the EFCC for fraud, totaling N143.6 billion. This was contained in a list of “On-going High Profile Cases” made available by the anti-graft body yesterday. The high profile cases include that of some ex-governors. 11 of the fraud cases were commenced by former chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, while the incumbent boss of the EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri has filed 20 fraud-related charges against suspects.
Most of the suspects have been granted bail by the court. The suspects in the UBEC case where high profile public servants connived with an American, Alexander Cozman, to defraud the government are however still in the custody of the EFCC.
Some of the cases listed include the case against former Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State at the Federal High Court, Lagos over N1.2 billion.
Another case is against former Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State at the Federal High Court, Gudu.
Also listed is the case of former Governor Saminu Turaki of Jigawa State at the Federal High Court, Maitama, over N36 billion.
Also ongoing is the trial of former Governor Jolly Nyame of Taraba state over N180 million; the case against former Governor Michael Botmang of Plateau State over N1.5 billion.
The ongoing trial of Mr Roland Iyayi, former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over N5.6 billion is also listed. The trial of Mr Eider George, an Ustalian Business man at the FCT High Court, Maitama over N5.6 billion and that of Mr Patrick Fernandez, an Indian Businessman whose trial is ongoing at the Federal High Court, Lagos over N32 billion fraud is also listed.
The trial of four Senior Managers of a bank over N3.6 billion at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt is also one the cases listed by the EFCC.
Also, the Rural Electrification Agency fraud case to the tune of N6.2 billion involving a serving Senator, three serving members of the House of Representatives, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power and other top public officers was listed. The suspects in the case include Senator Nicholas Ugbane, Mr Ndudi Elumelu, Mr Mohammed Jibo, Mr Paulinus Igwe, Mr Samuel Ibi, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, Mr Simon Nanle, Mr Lawrence Orekoya, Mr Kayode Oyedeji and Mr Garba Jahun.
According to the EFCC, charges have been filed against the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, but he is yet to put in an appearance.
No letting up on ex-govs Peter Odili, Bola Tinubu
On former Governors Odili and Tinubu, Mrs Waziri said: “I inherited most of these case files and no file was at any time involving the governors was declared missing as reported by the press. Instead, we have been investigating and building on the files.”
Answering specific questions on Dr Peter Odili and Senator Bola Tinubu both former governors of Rivers and Lagos states respectively, the EFCC boss said the Commission was working hard to drag them before the law court.
According to her, “there was no time the case against Odili was dropped. There was this obnoxious court order of perpetual injunction restraining us from prosecuting him but we have appealed against it. We have been contesting the obnoxious court order restraining us from prosecuting him. We have assigned the case to a SAN to try to vacate it.”
On Tinubu, she said that the Commission was working on gathering evidence with which to establish a case against the former governor but admitted that certain words of her predecessor did not make that effort easy.
Mrs. Waziri said she has been very sincere in handling her responsibilities in the last one year, adding, “I don’t have any basis to lie as posterity will judge me because in the last one year, what I have done is to build case files, analysing them and working day and night to ensure that suspects are arrested once a prima facie case is established.”
Cases of ex-govs stalled in courts
She, however, expressed frustrations at the delays corruption cases were suffering at the courts.
Her words: “The cases of past governors are ongoing. They are in court. I have been crying hoarse that cases are stalled. This is the area that I expect you, the media, to assist me; to cry out with me. Cases that were filed by my predecessor are still there in the courts. They are stalled, one way or the other.
“I have told you many times why I feel the cases are stalled. If you have a bad case and you engage a lawyer whom you pay everything that you can pay and even from the charges drafted, he knows that if this case gets to its logical conclusion, he will end up in jail, they will do everything they can to forestall the trial and this is what is happening. The cases are not moving.
“I told you that what some of these lawyers do is to first of all challenge the jurisdiction of the court. Even when it is clear that the high court has jurisdiction, then they go to the court of appeal to ask for a stay of execution, so the case is not moving at all. And the delay of trial has its own repercussions: witness fatigue, witnesses may die or move.
“My job is to compile the case file, charge them to court and the next thing is to monitor the trials, to see whether on grounds of technicality, the investigation was thorough or something was missing; secondly to ensure that witnesses attend court and to ensure that exhibits are tendered. And that is where my job stops. I don’t go to the bench; I can’t do anything else.
“This is what is frustrating us and I leave that to you. You are Nigerians. If one arm of government is trying to solve this problem, you should highlight it; you should ask questions.”
The EFCC boss stressed the need for all Nigerians to buy into the anti-corruption crusade, insisting, “all Nigerians are stakeholders in this crusade.”
Reacting to the claims of civil right groups that the Commission had performed below expectations under her watch, Mrs. Waziri said: “I hate armchair critics who sit on the fence and criticise everybody’s efforts. This country belongs to us all, if they are given opportunity, they will steal this country silly because they suffer from the Pull Him Down Syndrome (PHD).”
On the role of the banks, Waziri said “some of the banks report (suspected transactions) while others don’t, that is why we re-organised the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to make it more proactive and responsive to strategic intelligence.”
Estates built with stolen money to be confiscated
On the allegation that politicians were building estates and the Commission is not beaming its searchlight on the property industry with a view to confiscating those built with looted public funds, she said that once the Non-Conviction Based Assets Forfeiture Bill was passed, she would move against ill-gotten estates.
Her words, “A lot of estates are springing up in Abuja. We are waiting for our Non-conviction Asset Forfeiture Bill to be passed then we will really go into that. Find out the owner of this estate, find out how he got the money to develop the estate. If you can’t, we investigate you, we take the property to court. It has nothing to do with the person. And we will take the property which will be forfeited to the government if you are unable to satisfactorily tell us how you came by that money.
“If you say you got a loan from the bank, we will investigate that claim. If you say you inherited anything, we will investigate. We are waiting for this law. It is going to make a great difference because the incentive to steal will be lost. The incentive to acquire properties in the country or outside the country and acquire luxury cars will be lost.
“Even the fact that some are developing the estates through proxies, companies or those that are developing properties using prominent individuals as partners notwithstanding, we are taking note of all of them.”
The Chairman said the Commission secured 65 convictions and has recovered over N50 billion looted money. It has also developed the EagleClaw, a software designed to combat cybercrime and advance fee fraud (419) scam.
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From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, BeninA SOCIO-CULTURAL group in Edo State, the Benin National Congress (BNC), yesterday called on the Federal Government to intervene in its fight to prevail on the British government to return Benin artifacts carted away since 1897.The group also urged President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to return 27 oil wells belonging to Edo, which were ceded to Ondo and Delta states by the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida.They also called for amnesty for the 27 soldiers sentenced to life imprisonment in Akure for mutiny.In a letter to the President and signed by the association' s vice president and secretary, Omowemwen Imadiyi and Osazee Erhiamato, the group said it would not hesitate to begin mobilisation with a view to instituting legal action against the British government to force it to return the artifacts.It argued that Britain's continued retention of the "historical and ancestral" materials ran contrary to diplomatic relations between the two countries."It will be fair and patriotic for the Presidency to review its foreign policy relations with Britain within the context of the backlog of oppressive tendencies, which have undermined Nigeria's collective aspiration - to be together for peace, progress and justice, as any attempt to downplay these fundamentals of unity and accord will have far-reaching negative effects on our national integrity, if not now, certainly later."The Benin National Congress as you may well know is a foremost pan-Edo socio-cultural organisation that has been at the forefront of the struggle for the just and unconditional repatriation of all Benin artifacts, which were looted from the palace of the Oba of Benin, 'primitive' museums and the shrines of the people of the kingdom under the pretext of colonialism" , they added.The statement said the ceding of Edo oil wells to other states was an injustice and depletion of the state's revenue, which is needed for its development.The group urged that the soldiers be granted amnesty, since according them, it was discovered that they were actually shortchanged by their superiors.
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IT was victory for women as the current administrative policy of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) compelling a married Nigerian woman to produce a letter of consent from her husband as a condition for issuance of international passport has been declared unconstitutional by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.
The presiding Judge, Justice G.K. Olotu, made this declaration in a suit by Dr. Priye Iyalla-Amadi, wife of renowned author, Elechi Amadi, against the director general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (first defendant) (NIS), (second defendant) and the service itself.
Justice Olotu, in his judgment, said this requirement for processing of application for international passport as it concerns married women, is a violation of Section 42 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 18(3) of the West African Charter on the People's Human Rights, being discriminatory on grounds of sex, hence unlawful and unconstitutional.
Following the loss of her international passport, Dr. Iyalla-Amadi had applied to the NIS for the issuance of another passport and the officer who attended to her request gave a list of documents that she would attach to the her formal application, among them a letter of consent from her husband.
Irked by this condition, the plaintiff protested against it on the ground that a mature adult citizen of the country like her should not require the consent of any person before she could be issued a Nigerian passport, but her protest fell on deaf ears, thus the decision to file the suit against the NIS.
The defendants did not really dispute the facts adduced by the plaintiff in their counter-affidavit but sought to justify the requirement of a letter of consent from the husband of a married woman who wants to be issued a Nigerian passport on the basis that Nigerian married women are classified alongside with minors by the government as persons who require consent from the head of the family.
NIS argued that the requirement for consent was put in place to perpetuate the authority of the man over his wife, no matter the status she had attained in society. It also stated that the requirement was set to avoid unnecessary breakdown of marriage institution in the country.
Another argument advanced by the NIS was that obtaining a Nigerian passport from the Federal Government by a Nigerian is a privilege, hence any person applying must fulfil all the conditions laid down by the sole agent of the government, which is the NIS.
But counsel to the plaintiff urged the court to declare the requirement unlawful and unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminates between Nigerian citizens on grounds of sex, contrary to Section 42 of the constitution.
She added that the requirement offends the equality of citizens' principle enshrined in Section 17 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution.
Iyalla-Amadi' s counsel argued that the condition for issuance of passport to married women violates internationally- accepted standards of non-discrimination against women, which to Nigeria is a signatory.
Justice Olotu explained that he had directed the plaintiff and the defendants to present the facts they wished to rely on for and against the plaintiff's action.
According to him, while the plaintiff complied with the order of the court, the defendants did not. He also stated that the defendants did not challenge the averments in the affidavits of the plaintiff.
He observed that the defendants seemed to have thrown in their towel after filing what he called their spurious and sociological dissertation in the name of counter-affidavit.
The judge observed from the wordings of the constitutional provisions in Sections 17 (1) (2) and 42 of the 1999 Constitution that all citizens of Nigeria are put on the same pedestal irrespective of sex and status.
Olotu declared that the policy is obnoxious, repugnant and unconstitutional, stating that the defence of the defendants merely showed that the policy was a cunning, surreptitious and high-powered calculated attempt to subjugate women as if they are still in the medieval times.
According to him, "this kind of policy has no place in the 21st Century Nigeria."
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I am certain Armed Robbers,Immigration authorities,Drug Courts and even the JTF kill less people .THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has said that the number of people who die in road accidents is likely to increase over the next 10 years from the current 1.3 million annually to about 1.9 million by 2020.According to the agency, the over 50 million injured victims annually will also increase except concerted efforts are made to stem the tide of road accident.Assistant Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Apollos Jediel, made the prediction while receiving a delegation that paid a condolence visit to the zonal office over the death of the immediate past Zonal Coordinator, Hajiah Fatimah Usman with her children recently in a road mishap.He said: "These hidden road casualties and injury epidemics, which take away our agile and skilled manpower are a crisis for public health and a major contributor to the causes of poverty."Therefore, it is high time we treat it as a national emergency as we are daily being confronted by an epidemic that kills and maims on the scale of major infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS."Information Officer of NEMA, Maiduguri zone, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said in a statement, that Jediel listed the menace of petroleum tankers, trailers and large-and-slow moving vehicles' drivers as the major cause of road accidents in the country.Jediel stated that over 70 per cent of road accidents could be prevented, if petroleum tankers, trailers and large-slow moving vehicles' drivers adhere to section 15 of the Highway Code.According to him, the section 15 of the code states that "it is an offence for large and slow moving vehicles to allow smaller or fast moving vehicles queue behind it whenever the driver can pull over safely to make way for other vehicles".The Assistant Zonal Coordinator stated that NEMA has observed that large and slow moving vehicles do not care about the highway regulations that stress the need for them to pull-in and slow down or stop as soon as it is safe to give fast moving vehicles a chance to overtake them safely.He noted that the act by small and fast moving vehicles of queuing behind a trailer or slow moving vehicles most times lead to multiple and fatal accidents as the smaller vehicles struggle to outwit one another.Jediel also drew the attention of the Federal Road Safety Commission to the provision of Section 26 on the indiscriminate parking of fuel tankers, and other long vehicles on our highways.Non-compliance with this provision, he said, also constitutes another major obstruction to other road users as parking on both sides of the road at the same time, known as double- parking, causes hindrance to free movement of other vehicles.The nation has lost many lives and valuables because of accident at the converging spots in various part of the country.The assistant zonal coordinator therefore, urged motorists and other road users to call the attention of the security enforcement agencies' personnel to reckless driving for appropriate sanction against drivers who constitute danger to other road users.NEMA PREDICT
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Leaders and proponents of the proposed mega party in the country will on June 12 rally eminent Nigerians to support their alternative bill on electoral reform before it goes to the National Assembly.
The mega party movement announced last week in Abuja that it would send an alternative bill on electoral reform to the National Assembly, even as the legislature is already discussing six bills forwarded by the presidency.
Briefing the press in Abuja at the weekend, Mr Wale Okunniyi, the group's director of organisation, said leaders of the mega party would, at a meeting with the leadership of labour and civil society groups adopt the final draft, ahead of the electoral reform rally on Friday, where the bill would be presented for mass mobilisation.
The secretariat of the mega party movement also disclosed that the electoral reform rally would feature goodwill/solidarity speeches as well as signatures from eminent Nigerians for endorsing the alternative bill.
According to the group, those already invited to the rally are frontline political allies like former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and former governors like Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and Alhaji Lam Adesina.
"Governor Olusegun Mimiko and Comrade Governor Adams Oshiomhole are billed to speak at the gathering, while Governor Peter Obi, Governor Ikedia Ohakim, Governor Theodore Orji among other progressive governors, are also invited to play important roles at the rally", Okunniyi said.
"Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State is slated to be the chief host of the historic celebration, which will hold at the Lagos Airport Hotel at 10am prompt", he said.
It will be recalled that the leaders of political parties in the new movement, last Friday at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, resolved to field one single presidential candidate to contest the next election on the platform of the mega party.
Some notable political leaders, including the presidential candidate of the ANPP, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar, who was represented by Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf from Taraba State, and the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Dan Nwanyanwu, among others, also openly declared their membership of the mega party at the summit.
The group further clarified that its proposed national summit and the launching of the mega party will both take place before the last quarter of this year.
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For turning themselves to sex machines as a means to make ends meet, five female teenagers are now in police net in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital
The suspected prostitues were arrested by the police, alongdise their sponsor, Maltina Opara at Terminus Hotel, Sagamu, their base of operations.
LEADERSHIP
reliably learnt that, the police, acting on a tip-off, had stormed the hotel in the night where the alleged prostitutes were arrested and subsequently transfered to Eleweran Headquarters, Abeokuta
Thier names are: Nafisa Adams (Kaduna State) , Patricia Sunday (Edo State) , Jennifer Edejo (Benue State) , Bukky Ilesanmi (Ondo State) and Precious Nmadi (Imo State) .
As at the time of filing this report, the arrested ladies are singing like parrots over their roles in the shameless profession, with the excuse that they are into the trade to make a living.
The ladies disclosed that their fee is as low as N300, adding that in a day, they realise the sum of N1,500 as maximum profit, having paid their daily payment of N500 as tenancy.
Speaking on the ugly development, Muyiwa Adejobi, the state Police Command Public Relations Officer said, all the suspects would be transferred to the National Anti-Human Traffic Unit for further prosecution.
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WANTED leader of the Ijaw Youths Leadership Forum, Government Ekpomupolo, nicknamed Tompolo, who reportedly fled Nigeria to escape arrest by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has sneaked into Ukraine, according to latest findings by the Nigerian Tribune.
His escape to the eastern European country was said to have been facilitated by Ukrainians with whom he had been engaging in arms deal in exchange for bunkered crude oil. South Africa was listed among the countries he had planned to escape to the moment military forces began to comb the militants’ hideouts in Niger Delta.
Tompolo’s exit from Nigeria, according to information from the militants’ camp, was made possible through the combined help of Ukrainians and South Africans who trade in arms and crude oil and with whom he had been engaged in business activities for some time.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the security operatives were still combing the specific locations in the Niger Delta where Tompolo was believed to be hiding, while not foreclosing the possibility that he might still be in the country.
The leader of the militants was said to have vowed to return to Nigeria to relaunch the struggle for the control of the South-South, while he was said to have said that the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta would be more sophisticated and properly coordinated when he returned.
It was learnt also that the JTF, despite being able to contain the excesses of the militants in some Niger Delta states, still had a lot of work to do in breaking the militants’ base of operations following hint that the military men had not been able to recover one-tenth of the arms stockpiled by the militants.
Sources close to the militants told Nigerian Tribune that the inability of the JTF to arrest Tompolo and other major leaders of the militants might leave room for their regrouping since their network of secret operation was said to be intact.
Further investigations revealed that the militants had tactically been retreating towards Brass and Akassa, the coastal fringes of Bayelsa State, with a view to regrouping and relaunching their struggle, this time by disturbing maritime trade along the axis.
Reports indicated that their main links are still within the Niger Delta states, even as they have been noted to be consulting for some of the oil companies on security matters, whereas only a few, according to sources, could suspect that they are agents of the militants.
Meanwhile, the seeming silence on the part of President Umaru Yar’Adua and security operatives on the much-talked- about list of backers of Tompolo further heightened anxiety and suspense as the President on Saturday refused to receive a South-South governor.
This development came as emissaries reportedly sent to the Presidency by the governor to verify the contents of the list of backers made fruitless efforts to get details of the list submitted to the president by the JTF last week.
President Yar’Adua is said to have commenced a process of scrutinising the said list with a view to separating those who had “genuine and official contacts with the militants” from those who actually engaged in illegal deals with them, the Nigerian Tribune learnt.
Nigerian Tribune on Friday exclusively reported that a serving South-South governor, a retired army general, as well as several politicians from the Niger Delta region were among those said to be having links with the wanted militants leader.
Although the report did not mention any particular governor, efforts have been made in the last three days by officials of two core Niger Delta states to confirm whether or not their principals’ names were on the list. The two governors were still in Abuja as at the time of filing this report.
But disturbed by the secrecy surrounding the list and the failure of his team to get meaningful results, the governor was said to have personally attempted to see the president but failed in the bid.
Said a source in the Villa: “I don’t know why your paper is putting these men on a high jump; did you mention anybody’s name in that report? As of Saturday morning, no fewer than two respectable persons had come around to see what the so-called list contained, but little did they know that it was purely a security matter, so not many people can have access to that kind of information here.
But disturbed by the secrecy surrounding the list and the failure of his team to get meaningful results, the governor was said to have personally attempted to see the president but failed in the bid.
Said a source in the Villa: “I don’t know why your paper is putting these men on a high jump; did you mention anybody’s name in that report? As of Saturday morning, no fewer than two respectable persons had come around to see what the so-called list contained, but little did they know that it was purely a security matter, so not many people can have access to that kind of information here.
“For those of them who had genuine and official contacts with the militants, either on behalf of government or oil companies, they should have nothing to worry about; only those who played some fast games on government and oil companies, all in the name of liaising with them to protect their workers or bring about peace have cause to entertain fears.
“For such individuals, most of whom are from the region, the situation in the region before now was an avenue for them to enrich themselves and deceive government agencies to part with so much money; unknown to such persons, government has a list of all such persons parading as go between; funny enough, there is no kobo any oil company parts with that the government does not know.
“So if they claim the region is not developed and they are gaining at the expense of their people, then they should be brought to book; that is Mr. President has instructed a thorough study of the said list so as to know who did what and for what purpose.”
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Segun Adeniyi, could not be reached for comments. Meanwhile, spokesman for the JTF, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, has expressed the readiness of the outfit to continue with the cordon and search operation to dislodge militants in the region, saying, however, that the JTF had no business with any list submitted to any quarters.
“It is not in our character to discuss such things, what we are doing is routine, and in the course of our operations, we stumbled on certain things, it is only appropriate that we defer to the authorities, what is done with such things is not our business; all we are doing is to ensure we do not go beyond the rules of JTF’s engagement; good enough, we have not done.
“The cordon and search will continue until we rid the region of militants and make it free and conducive once again, for economic activities; in the course of doing this, we are alive to our responsibilities, we are alert and we will not lose focus,” he said.
In another development, Niger Delta militants have threatened to blow up a $13 billion (about N1.917 trillion) gas pipeline project being undertaken by Nigeria and Algeria.
Algeria Mines and Energy Minister, Chakib Kheli, speaking to Reuters in Algiers at the weekend disclosed that the signing of the multibillion pipeline project which will see Nigeria exporting its gas had reached an advanced stage.
“We have reached the deal and we may sign it shortly as all the problems have been solved. Nigerian Oil Minister Rilwan Lukman and myself will sign it,” Chakib Khelil told Algerian state television.
The project, with capital costs estimated at $10 billion for the pipeline and $3 billion for gathering centres, would send up to 30 billion cubic metres a year of gas to Europe via a 4,128 km (2,580 mile) pipeline from Nigeria via Niger and Algeria.
“We would not have any problem to finance the project,” he added. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, France‘s Total and Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell are among the international firms to have expressed interest in taking part in the project.
Despite the advantage of this project, the news agency reported that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has shut down more than a fifth of Nigeria’s oil output since launching attacks on the industry three years ago, had warned that the planned project would be a target.
Nigeria has estimated natural gas reserves of 180 trillion cubic feet, the seventh largest in the world. Its liquefied natural gas company, Nigeria LNG, says it already provides 10 per cent of world supply, much of it to Europe and North America.
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Nigeria civil war hero and former Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Joe Achuzia, has faulted government’s strategies for solving the Niger Delta crisis insisting that both the Federal and the governments of the South South zone have been parochial in their handling of the problem.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Asaba, Chief Achuzia said the Nigerian Government was yet to pursue the right option for ending the tension and hostilities in the oil-rich region.
The former Biafran warlord who confessed that he introduced setting oil fields on fire as a war strategy, offered to solve the Niger Delta problem in six months.
He urged both in governments to humble themselves and seek the help of more knowledgeable hands
Excerpts:
Military incursion right option?
What you should really ask is, ‘Is Nigeria government pursuing the right option?’ My answer is ‘No’. You see, the government of Nigeria, the government of Delta State and all the governments in South-South are seeing the problem with a jaundiced eye.
It is for that reason that Obasanjo made a terrible mistake at Odi. I operated within the whole of these Creeks during the war and if there is anybody that taught them in Nigeria, how to set fire on crude oil, I am the one who did because, it is not easy to set fire on crude oil unless you know how. That I did during the war but the terrain from the West to Burutu and so on, is still the same.
When Gowon declared 12 states and created Rivers State, part of why I did not fight back into Rivers State is that I had hoped that Diete Spiff and the rest would be able to transform the area.
But having lived long enough to see Saro-Wiwa lament the decadence and bad situation existing within the Creek area, I realized that our people have not learnt a lesson.
Why the crisis has persisted
The problem is straight forward. They say those who must come to equity must come with clean hands. The governments that govern within our state and the whole of the South- South region have people with tainted hands. They are unable to come to equity with clean hands.
Centrally, efforts have been made to give us certain concessions. If the 13 percent concession given for each state is devoted to develop the region, what is happening today wouldn’t be happening. Those areas would have become an Eldorado. But greed which is characteristic of Southern politicians has made it impossible and unless you belong to that club, you have no voice within the activities of governance.
Way out of the mess
Even if you ask me today to give an advice on how to bring the whole problem to a halt, it wouldn’t be MEND that would be pursuing me; it would be our own government. So, it will be senseless to ask me what should the government do. If I was able to go into Liberia at the height of their war to help solve their problem, I went to Kinshasa when Kabila was on his way to Kinshasa to make sure that Mobutu was not killed at the time that there is a peaceful transition of government, how much more the problem that is here.
But it suits the present government to brand us as those the Federal government has rejected and as such, they don’t seek our advice. Rather, children, some whom my children are older than, look upon us as renegades and rebels forgetting that what affects me affects them, what affects them affects me.
And the reason for their thinking that way is greed, as if you were coming to take part in what they call their own special preserve. The leaders of those South South governments will not tell you that they were not party to the creation of those people called MEND and the others across the Creeks.
I Can fix it
Any day they want me to prove it, call on me and within six months, this rubbish would stop. I don’t boast. When they were taking us when the war ended, one of our officers said that we would be killed.
I told him not a hair of one person will be pulled. We were interviewed and I was sent to detention for seven years. My seven years I spent in Katsina Prison. Everybody thought I was dead but I can assure you I was treated like a Head of State. The North knows the value of valour.
The country belongs to all of us, It will be in my interest to see the oil flowing again.
False mediators
I read about people who call themselves mediators. Foul. All these are pretenders. I don’t have to sit with Yar’Adua to tell them what to do. All I have to do is to tell them … … . We have armchair Generals and we have field Generals. I am not an armchair General. I ended the war as a Brigadier General but I chose to be addressed as a Colonel.
Me and my convictions
I don’t care what other people think. All I know is that once I am convinced, I believe God is with me and nothing will change it. People ask me that, “you said during the war, ‘not for me, not for my boys”. I said, Yes. I didn’t create the war; I didn’t invite them to come to fight. They came on their own. Whatever they are doing wouldn’t touch me. We wish them no evil, we have nothing against them, and I pass any person on my way and do my best not to hurt any person.
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RegardsCONFESSION OF AN IJAW KIDLittle Diepriye came into the kitchen where his motherwas making dinner.His birthday was coming up and he thought this was agood time to tell his mother what he wanted."Mom, I want a bike for my birthday." Little Priye wasa bit of a troublemaker.He had gotten into trouble at school and at home.Priye's mother asked him if he thought he deserved to get a bike for his birthday. Little Priye, of course, thought he did.Priye's mother wanted Priye to reflect on his behaviorover the last year."Go to your room, Priye, and think about how you havebehaved this year.Then write a letter to God and tell him why youdeserve a bike for your birthday." Little Priye stomped up the steps to his room and sat down to write God a letter.Letter 1Dear God,I have been a very good boy this year and I would likea bike for my birthday. I want a red one.Your friend,PriyePriye knew that this wasn't true. He had not been avery good boy this year, so he tore up the letter and started over.Letter 2Dear God,This is your friend Priye. I have been a good boy thisyear and I would like a red bike for my birthday.Thank you.Your friend PriyePriye knew that this wasn't true either. So, he toreup the letter and started again.Letter 3Dear God,I have been an "OK "boy this year. I still wouldreally like a bike for my birthday.PriyePriye knew he could not send this letter to Godeither. So, Priye wrote a fourth letter.Letter 4God,I know I haven't been a good boy this year. I am verysorry. I will be a good boy if you just send me a bike for my birthday.Please!Thank you,PriyePriye knew, even if it was true, this letter was notgoing to get him a bike.Now, Priye was very upset. He went downstairs and toldhis mom that he wanted to go to church. Priye's mother thought herplan had worked, as Priye looked very sad."Just be home in time for dinner," Priye's mother toldhim.Priye walked down the street to the church on thecorner. Little Priye went into the church and up to the altar. He looked around to see if anyone was there. Priye bent down and picked up a statue of the Mary. He slipped the statue under his shirt and ran out of the church, down the street, into the house, and up to his room. He shut the door to his room and sat down with a piece of paper and a pen. Priye began to write his letter to God.Letter 5God,I'VE KIDNAPPED YOUR MAMA. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HERAGAIN, SEND THE BIKE!!!!!!!! !!The hit man.Diepriye
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Nigerian-born British woman, Samantha Orobator, 20, jailed for life in Laos, Vietnam, for smuggling drugs, has confessed that a fellow British prisoner, John Watson, 47, is the father of her unborn child.
This is coming against the backdrop of frantic diplomatic efforts by the British authorities to ensure quick transfer of pregnant Orobator to the UK, to serve her sentence, as she gets into the third trimester stage in her pregnancy.
Reliable sources have also confirmed that Watson, who is also serving a life sentence for drug smuggling and had agreed to father her baby to save her from death sentence, is also being transferred to serve his remaining sentence in UK jail.
Orobator, last Wednesday, pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle heroin out of the country, but her death sentence was commuted because she is pregnant.
Orobator had been held in Phonthong since she was arrested at Wattay International Airport on August 5, 2008, with 1.5lb (680g) of heroin, and reportedly conceived last December, claiming the father was a Buddhist monk, and later said she had inseminated herself using Watson's sperm. A syringe was found among her belongings.
There is, however, palpable fear that Orobator may not be transferred to the UK before her pregnancy reaches term.
Although the UK and Laos signed a prisoner transfer agreement last month, it does not come into effect immediately, so she may end up having the baby in Laotian jail. It is gathered however, that she is being visited by medical team to ascertain her state of health and fitness, preparatory to a possible flight home. She has been reported to have expressed her worries that the prison diet will harm her baby and had been described by her mother, Jane, as "very fragile."
Caroline Morten, of Human Rights group Reprieve, said: "she's just into her third trimester now and needs to be given a doctor's approval to fly, but we are hoping to get her back in a week. At the moment, we don't want to talk too much about what's going on, but we are optimistic."
Confirming the repatriation, a spokesman from the Foreign Office said, "we are working on the goodwill of the Laotian government to repatriate Ms Orobator as soon as possible and Mr Watson would of course benefit from that too, in making an application."
Watson was arrested in 2003 and given a life sentence in 2006. His health has deteriorated in jail and he is said to suffer from depression. He has been denied visits from anyone except officials from the Australian embassy, who are able to meet him once a month, and he is able to send occasional emails home. The UK has no consulate in Laos.
"I know it sounds like an old cliche," Watson said last year to the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, an online campaigning group based in Australia, "but honestly, being in here, I do truly believe now that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
Meanwhile, following the new development, Watson is facing sanctions in prison as his mobile phone had been confiscated by officials at the squalid Phonthong prison in Vientiane, where the pair are being held He could face further sanctions from the authorities if he was proven to have helped Orobator.
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A NURSE has been suspended after allegedly chatting to a friend on a mobile phone while performing blood tests on a patient.
Calista Ukaegbu is being investigated after apparently using hand gestures to direct the female patient because she was so engrossed in her conversation.
When the patient a relative of former newspaper editor and radio station owner Kelvin Mackenzie made her displeasure clear, the nurse simply mouthed "sorry" and carried on chatting, it was claimed.
She only stopped the call when a colleague walked in and "shamed" her into hanging up.
It emerged today that bosses at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich had suspended the nurse.
The incident happened when the patient, in her thirties, visited the hospital to have a blood test before undergoing minor surgery at a later date.
She claimed she was greeted by Nurse Ukaegbu, talking on the phone in a foreign language, who indicated she should roll up her sleeve to have her blood pressure taken. Once the readings were taken she pointed to a wall chart indicating that she should measure herself, it was alleged.
Mr Mackenzie said his relative, who did not want to be named, had wanted to ask the nurse questions as she had suffered from high blood pressure, but was denied the opportunity because of the six-minute phone call.
He said: "Incredibly, for six minutes this nurse held a social conversation on her mobile phone while indicating to my relative through hand signals what to do.
"All this went on while this nurse continued with her conversation with a friend. It was quite clear it was a social conversation from the tone of her voice. It was nothing to do with work."
He said the call only ended when a second nurse came into the room and stared at Nurse Ukaegbu.
Nurse Ukaegbu, from Woolwich, is understood to have arrived in Britain from Nigeria in 2000 and qualified to work in British hospital in 2002.
A spokesman for the hospital said: "We have received a complaint and the actual allegations made are pretty appalling.
"We have taken immediate action to look into this case and should be able to report on our findings within 25 days.
"If proved the appropriate disciplinary action would be taken."
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NEW YORK -- Royal Dutch Shell agreed to a $15.5 million settlement Monday to end a lawsuit alleging that the oil giant was complicit in the executions of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other civilians by Nigeria's former military regime.
Shell, which continues to operate in Nigeria, said it agreed to settle the lawsuit in hopes of aiding the "process of reconciliation." But Europe's largest oil company acknowledged no wrongdoing in the 1995 hanging deaths of six people, including poet Saro-Wiwa.
"This gesture also acknowledges that, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place, the plaintiffs and others have suffered," Malcolm Brinded, Shell's executive director of exploration and production, said in a statement.
The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York claimed Shell colluded with the country's former military government to silence environmental and human rights activists in the country's Ogoni region. The oil-rich district sits in the southern part of Nigeria and covers about 400 square miles. Shell started operating there in 1958.
The primary complaint against Shell focused on activities by the company's subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited.
The lawsuit said in the 1990s, Shell officials helped furnish Nigerian police with weapons, participated in security sweeps of the area, and hired government troops that shot at villagers protesting the construction of a pipeline.
The plaintiffs also say Shell helped the government capture and hang Saro-Wiwa, John Kpuinen, Saturday Doobee, Felix Nuate, Daniel Gbokoo and Dr. Barinem Kiobel on Nov. 10, 1995.
Saro-Wiwa, leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, led rallies against Shell. He blamed the company for myriad oil spills and gas fires in the Ogoni region.
"I think he would be happy with this," Saro-Wiwa's 40-year-old son, Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., said in a telephone interview from London. Though Shell denied any wrongdoing, "the fact that they would have to settle is a victory for us."
Besides compensating the families, the money from Shell will pay for years of legal fees. And a large chunk of the settlement - roughly a third - will create a trust that will invest in social programs in the country including educational endowments, agricultural development, support for small enterprise and adult literacy programs.
Altogether, the settlement will have a negligible effect on Shell's shareholders, amounting to less than one-hundredth of a percent of Shell's annual revenue. It's comparable to the annual cost of renting one of the supertankers that Shell uses to deliver Nigerian oil to other countries.
Shell has consistently maintained that it never advocated violence and that it lobbied Nigerian officials to grant Saro-Wiwa clemency.
Critics say that Shell did so because of the bad publicity the case had generated.
"Is it enough to bring back the lives of our clients? Obviously not," said Jenny Green, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York who helped file the lawsuit in 1996.
But Green said it will send a message to Shell and other multinationals that operate in developing countries.
"You can't commit human rights violations as a part of doing business," she said. "A corporation can't act with impunity. And we think there is accountability in this settlement."
Ralph Steinhardt, a George Washington professor of international law, said he doesn't think Shell got off easy with the settlement.
"It's not the size of the company that's the right measure here," Steinhardt said. "At the end of the day, it's to get some acknowledgment of the plaintiffs and their suffering and the role of the company."
The Shell settlement ends one of several legal battles brought against energy companies by indigenous peoples where they operate.
Villagers in Indonesia are suing Exxon Mobil, claiming it employed guards who kidnapped, tortured and murdered civilians. Chevron is awaiting a verdict from a judge in Ecuador that could lead to a potential $27 billion judgment stemming from a dispute over the role of Texaco, which Chevron bought in 2001, in environmental damages in the Amazon rain forest.
The case against Shell was based on Alien Tort Claims Act. The 18th-century law was originally meant to combat piracy and allows foreigners to pursue corporations in U.S. courts.
At least one additional lawsuit alleging human rights abuses by Shell in Nigeria is pending in U.S. District Court in New York.
Fourteen years after the Nigerian activists were hanged, Saro-Wiwa said he thinks Shell has started to acknowledge that it needs a "social license" to operate in a foreign countries. For example, the company has agreed to pay for a study of environmental damage that drilling has caused the Ogoni region.
"They have a long way to go," he said. "But at least they realize some of their actions can come back to haunt them as we saw in New York."
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Democracy is "not" for the Masses because Time and Time it has been proved the "masses" dont care because they think they dont know ANYTHING !They "cant" think for themselves and like sheep will listen to the black sheep who know no better and accept any Shepherd even those clearly in Wolves clothing ! and BAAA BAAA straight to Destruction !that is the way things ARE ! and will stay if the "MASSES" dont do anything !!
Prof. Taiyewo Ogunade, a musicologist at the City University, New York was a close friend of Late Abacha, he spoke of his experiences .
General Sanni Abacha died exactly a decade ago, what does that mean to you?
To me, I feel I lost a friend, but then, as a democrat, I don’t lose too much because I believe in democracy and then Abacha didn’t believe in that. That is the dividing point between the two of us. I met him immediately Babangida took over in 1985. And they invited all of us to Kuru, near Jos, most of us intellectuals, for a debate on Nigeria’s foreign policy. And we were put in a famous hotel called Hotel Thirty. While the conference was on, the Department of Political Science of the Ahmadu Bello University, led by Professor Bala Usman came with a document in which they catalogued all the rich Nigerians. They called it from Balewa to Babangida and they were distributing it to selected people.
But, the security got angry and wanted to recover it while we were in the conference hall. That was how I met Abacha. They were trying to struggle and take it from me and Abacha said, ‘leave him alone’. I never met him (Abacha) before, I didn’t know who he was. So, he gave me protection and by the time I got it, he said well, are you going to drive with me to town? I never even asked who he was. It was when we got to his car that I saw it was a military car. Babangida was there and we were talking about Nigerian political affairs. So, he took me to town. That was how I was able to escape with my two copies without them being confiscated like others. And from then, we became friendly.
I use to go to his office when I had the time and from there to his guest house. By the time we would get to the gate of his guest house on Raymond Njoku, girls would be at the gate, as many as twenty of them. When they see his car, all of them would stand up. As he is driving in, he would bring down his glasses, point to about six or eight of them for security to allow them come into the house. He is a person who likes women all the time. It was a daily routine that he does. And so, when I wrote a musical on Cyprian Ekwensi’s ‘Passport of Mallam Ilia’ which I turned into an opera, I needed a band to perform it. Abacha was able to give me a note to the army band. So, I went to the army band and then, I started rehearsing with the Nigerian Army band that played the music for me. But, then, Tunde Akogun was giving us so much trouble. He didn’t want us to rehearse at the National Theatre. Each time we wanted to have rehearsal there, he would turn us down. He was driving away my artistes. So, I went to Sani Abacha again that Akogun keeps disturbing us. Abacha would say, ‘don’t worry, I would talk to them which he would do’. When Fela Anikulapo Kuti finally came out of prison, I was doing the Fela musicals and he heard that Fela was coming once in a while when we were rehearsing. So, he came to meet Fela and they had a very wonderful rapport. For about two or three days, he was coming because Fela was coming there to rehearse. And finally, he gave me money to pay for the theatre and do the musical. That was the last thing I did before I left Nigeria.
Can you give psychoanalysis of Abacha?
You see, Abacha has a very reserved mentality. Abacha would listen to you; he would make very little comments or none. But, therein, he has known what he wants to do. But, he is a very jovial person who plays around with teasing you and doing everything. But, he is not an outspoken person. Abacha never discussed Nigeria with anybody as far as I know. He never discussed Nigerian politics, but he likes to discuss entertainment, films and what not. I’m amazed that he ended up acquiring that kind of money that he did. But, I know from my own judgment that being product of the ’College of Assassin’, that is what they are trained to do.
What is the history of that college?
What is the SOA?
The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Initially established in Panama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.
Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.
The college was established in the 1940s in Fort Benning, Georgia. It’s a big college. I think it’s about 22 miles radius. And they have all kinds of things there. All the Latin American dictators went through there. Like Argentina’s Pinochet, Panamas’ Noriega, most Vietnamese military leaders went there, Kagame of Rwanda went there. I was there when Kagame graduated and we became good friends. And the young Kabila went there. But he didn’t finish. I think he was a year there before Collin Powell took him out and made him head of state in the Republic of Congo. But Abacha went there.
Is he the only person that went there from Nigeria?
I believe he is the only one. Bolaji Johnson went to the Rangers College in Indiana. He was the first military person to go to America for military training. Abacha is the only one that went to the Fort Benning School that I know.
What is the kind of training?
They train them how to disorganise a whole country and become dictators. They train them how to kill people. There was a series of twelve tapes made by Edward Kennedy that showed what type of activities went on there. He was the one that got the American Congress to call it the ‘College of Assassin.’ They teach you to fight lions barehanded, to fight crocodiles, so, you become quite fearless. They show you lots of blood activities, so that shedding people’s blood don’t move your emotions anymore.
At what period in time did he attend the school?
It must have been the early eighties because he was given the Grand Order of that school by Collin Powell in 1986. They gave him a best student award. And we tackled Collin Powell because he was a product of my school at the City University. And he said that he was a good student. And I am amazed today I am reading in the papers that he said he warned him about what he was doing. So, they were very good buddies. They related well.You and Abacha were very friendly, when did it all turn around?
I was out of the country when he became head of state. When Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed, I lost confidence in him. He killed Ken Saro-Wiwa. For that, I don’t think I wanted to relate with him. I knew Ken as a good friend and I didn’t feel comfortable that he should have been killed. Abacha knew Ken well too. They were very good friends. So, it is not that he doesn’t know who Ken Saro-Wiwa was. But, if it happened to Ken, it could happen to me.
Did you get close to any of his children, or family?
No. Like I said, he has a routine when he leaves the military headquarters at 1:00pm. It is either you see him at the office or at the guest house. By 11:00pm, he goes home to sleep. So, his family is never in the guest house. They don’t come there at all. Himself, Jerry Useni, Gwadabe and some other people are the ones always there.So, you were not surprised about the story that he was killed by women.
No. Even at my playhouse, we used to joke about it because when he comes for rehearsal, he would be asking me, which of these girls I should take away. I would say, sir, these girls are artistes. I cannot order anyone of them to go with you. One of my girls slapped him one day and I was shocked. I don’t know what he did to the girl, but the girl smacked him. He must have done something stupid to the girl.You said that Abacha and Babangida were all together….
Yes, actually I knew two people before I knew Abacha. I knew Mamman Vasta and Babangida. I knew them during the war. They were both colonels and I knew their wives. They were three girls - Ada who became Ada Vasta, Maryam who became Maryam Babangida, and another girl we knew as Chinyere. She became the famous Gloria Okon. She was married to Jeff Chadler a Tiv who was a Lieutenant Colonel of Tiv extraction. He was the one who killed Nzeogwu when Nzeogwu was captured at the Nsukka sector. They were bringing him to Kaduna but when he heard, he went on the road and killed him. And he too was killed that night that he killed Nzeogwu. Now, the wife, I knew her as Chinyere. The three of them (Babangida’s wife, Vasta’s wife, and Chinyere) were staying at No. 27 Adeniji street in Surulere. So, when her husband was killed, she started trading and going to London. Something happened and she was arrested by the Customs for trying to take money out of the country. Mrs. Babangida had to intervene and got Vasta to go there and deceive journalists that she died. And they took them to the Kano mortuary and showed them the body of a dead woman.
How do I know this?
When Vasta was arrested for coup, Vasta refused to talk to interrogators because he was a Major General. But, he said he would give his testimony at the trial. So, at his trial, he gave a four hour testimony and made sure that the tape of that testimony was sent to me to take to his wife. From that tape, we were able to get information that Gloria Okon did not die and that Gloria Okon had just had a baby with somebody in England.
Now, for you journalists, the aspect that will interest you is that Dele Giwa got to know that I had the tape of Vasta’s testimony. So, he came to me and I loaned him the tape. He listened to the tape and commissioned somebody in England to trace Gloria Okon. And fortunately for them, Gloria Okon and Maryam Babangida were celebrating the child naming of Gloria Okon’s baby. They got the pictures and Kayode Soyinka brought the pictures to Giwa in Lagos. Dele Giwa then took the pictures and went to Babangida and said, ‘I want to be minister of information or I will destroy you. These are pictures of your wife doing this with Gloria Okon.’ And so, they tricked him and got rid of him in 48 hours.
Vasta testified for four hours and sent the tape to me. I was there the day he was killed. His wife called me early in the morning and said they were going to move them and that I should go to Kirikiri. Then, I was living in my house at Festac. And I took the waterside by the Vanguard Newspapers. As I was arriving at Kirikiri, at about seven o’clock in the morning, I saw Black Marias moving off. They told me, ‘that’s Vasta and his people. They just killed them.’ They shot them at 6:00am. So, I followed the Black Marias in a taxi. By the time we got to Iyana Isolo, we lost them. At that time, there was no okada. I knew they were going to Atan Cemetery. So, when I got to Atan Cemetery, they had already buried them in a mass grave and threw acid on them. Then, Tunji Abayomi, a Lieutenant Colonel who led the corpse there, drove back and said, ‘where is Vasta’s watch?’. Vasta had given instructions that if they killed him, they should send his watch to his wife so that his wife would know that he is dead. He had a Rolex watch.’ The attendants were relunctant to open up. So, he just said, line them up, and let me shoot all of them. So, one of them threw the watch down. Then, another guy was trying to hide Martin Luther’s chain, a gold chain that had the number of his bank account in a Swiss bank. So, he threw the chain to my direction and I just put my foot on it and I was looking at them. So, the guy took the watch and drove away and I took the chain. I went to Daily Times. Titus Soyombo was the Evening Times editor. So, I told him that they have killed Vasta. He asked me, ‘are you sure’? I said yes. He withdrew his paper and made the first headline, ‘Vasta would die today if Babaginda does not intervene.’ Less than forty minutes after, the military came and started ransacking the whole of The Times. So, we went opposite The Times where they sell food those days and sat down there. That day, he sold about 400,000 copies of the paper because they made five editions of the paper. So, when the government got to know that the newspaper was in circulation, they sent Admiral Aikhomu to go on the air by 2:00pm to say that by 4:0pm today, Vasta would be executed. Whereas, they had been executed in the morning.
Is it true that he (Vasta) was IBB’s best friend when he (IBB) got married?
Not only was he his best friend, IBB grew up in his father’s house. Now, he was the one who christened one of IBB’s daughter. They are very, very close, because hardly would you see Vasta without seeing Babangida. It is Abacha that I got close to later. But, with IBB and Vasta, I knew them from the time Sir Harold Wilson (former British Prime Minister) came. The day Adekunle killed the guy in the Delta, Isaac Boro. We went with the observer team to Port-Harcourt. Isaac Boro was the leader of the group that liberated Port-Harcourt and then declared Republic of the Niger Delta there. And then, Adekunle was taking. You know, Adekunle was always stealing money then. He would come and blackmail Gowon. Gowon would tell him to go to Central Bank and carry four or five lorries to Central Bank, load them with money. Halfway, he would divert it back to Lagos, he would then take half to the front. So, the British Prime Minister came on that day. We were on the observer team with Harold Wilson when we got to Port-Harcourt. Boro did not allow the British team, so when Adekunle came, he was so furious and then they fought for about thirty minutes before they captured him.
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What is the difference between a liar, a hypocrite and a thief? You wouldn’t know how difficult a question this is until you try to answer it.
Where for instance would you place House of Representatives member Ndudi Elumelu, Chairman House Committee on Power; or his Senate counterpart Nicholas Ugbane?
Most Nigerians were actually beginning to come to terms with the fact that the only thing we have to worry about nowadays is bad governance; that the era of impunity and bare-faced lies is over. But representative Elumelu is presenting a very special challenge to all our suppositions. Is our country really, truly this hopeless?
Is Elumelu the same young man who was spitting fire and swearing to expose corruption in the power sector only a few months ago even if that would cost him his life? It is nearly impossible to marry that other Elumelu with the present pathetic, tragic figure; at the EFCC headquarters last week he looked every inch like a lizard that narrowly escaped drowning.
If the ugly facts of this disgusting development were not so glaring, many Nigerians would have been satisfied with the theory that the young man is a victim of political pacification between President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and his mentor, tormentor and benefactor, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
That rather attractive theory goes like this. That following Yar’Adua’s damaging observation that the Obasanjo regime had spent $10 billion on power sector “without commensurate result”, Obasanjo read that as a frontal attack on his person and his regime. It was a correct diagnosis because no sooner had Yar’adua pronounced those words than they became the defining phrase of the Obasanjo legacy. As a result relations between the two degenerated to a dangerous nadir. Inevitably Obasanjo’s moment came when a combination of self-propelled factors came together to make Yar’Adua a very unpopular president among virtually every sector of the Nigerian society, including his party the PDP. He was loosing grip and he desperately needed a lifeline.
According to this theory, a contrite Yar’adua then turned to OBJ; OBJ was willing to help, but his price was a reversal of the damage that Yar’Adua’s comments and the power sector probe which the Elumelu committee sensationalized had done to his pride and legacy, such as it was. Thus began the process of rubbishing the Elumelu report and the setting up of an Ad Hoc committee which eventually cleared the former president and naturally indicted Elumelu himself. Insiders say that without the need to placate Obasanjo, Elumelu would have gotten away lightly with the N6 billion Rural Electrification Agency (REA) contract scam because it was a common practice between the members of the NASS to scratch each others’ back at the expense of Nigerians.
Whether this outlandish theory is true or not, two facts are as clear as daylight: one, all those that have been so far indicted in the REA scam deserved to be where they are, including, unfortunately, the very popular and amiable permanent secretary of the ministry for power Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu. The second fact is that Yar’Adua is out for blood like he’s never been before; (according to one account he rejected an intervention from Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar and refused to pick former president Shagari’s call on the same issue).
The case against Elumelu and his conspirators is compelling enough. First there was this huge amount of money at the disposal of the REA waiting to be spent; the only problem was time because they had only two weeks within which to spend about N7bn otherwise it would have to be returned to the government coffers.
So between the leadership of the House and Senate committees on power; the management of REA and the officials of the ministry for power, they quickly cooked up a plan.
Elumelu and fellow legislators kicked aside all due process, submitted or caused to be submitted nine companies and asked the MD of REA to award those rural electrification contracts to them. The MD naturally added his own companies and wrote a letter to the permanent secretary of the power ministry for approval. The permanent secretary who was the Acting Minister at the time because the substantive minister Hajiya Balaraba Ibrahim had been removed by the president on the instigation of some of those same conspirators, inexplicably overlooked the flagrant disregard for due process and granted approval for the contracts and the payment of 15 per cent of the fee. The balance of 85 per cent was equally withdrawn from the REA account and lodged in the banks where those contractors have their accounts.
Thus for all practical purposes, the contracts have been fully paid for. Never mind that in all probability none of those constituent communities that were supposed to enjoy those projects have seen one day of electricity since the contracts were awarded.
All this those people were able to do within an incredible 14 days! You see, who said that government or bureaucracy is slow? (To be continued).
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