Senate Clears Iyabo Obasanjo from any wrong doing; Iyabo says she is not in hiding and has not received any invitation
from the EFCC.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/10042008/news/news2.html

THE Senate on Wednesday cleared the Chairman of its Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, of any wrongdoing in the N300 million [b]scam that rocked the Ministry of Health [/b]which led to the resignation of the Minister, Professor Adenike Grange and the Minister of state, Mr. Gabriel Adukwu.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, told Senate Correspondents on Wednesday after the day’s sitting that the closed session of the senators was briefed in detail on the role of the Senate committee in the scam.

He said that the Senate discovered that the committee did not commit any wrong by receiving N10 million from the ministry to facilitate its retreat in Ghana.

“We looked into the procedure and the processes of the Committee of Health and we found out that the committee did not do any wrong and that the money they received, nobody told them it was from the unspent funds,” Senator Eze said.

He declared that the Senate looked at the practice of legislatures all over the world including in the United States of America and discovered that there were avenues for facilitation.

According to him, the legislature would frown at any incident where any of its members would overreach itself in seeking facilitation but that in this case, none of the members of the Committee on Health was found guilty of such an offence.

“We looked at the practice of legislatures all over the world, including the United States of America. We found out that there is avenue for facilitation.

“The legislature does not control funds, but what we just decided is that if anybody overreached him/herself we will take it to the Ethics Committee.

“In this case, we have not found anyone overreached himself. They did nothing wrong and they have not overreached themselves,” the Senator said.

He also declared that the decision of the Senate was without prejudice to the court trial of those mentioned in the N300 million scam, adding that the Senate had taken its decision based on evidence before it.


Iyabo was part of yesterday's Senate seating in Abuja - clearly not in hiding

Asked why Obasanjo-Bello was in the Chamber on Tuesday when he was supposed to appear in court, Spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Ayogu Eze said, "She has not received any writ and therefore she was in chamber on Tuesday and today (wednesday)."

Uncle sege is at work. May God help Nigeria.

I dont agree this is an ethnic thing These people that were caught had some scandal Are you insinuating that if a Yoruba man was caught stealing he should be left because an Hausa man has not been caught too. OBj abused power and he should be imprisoned. If he is victimised, I dont think anybody would fight for him. He planted the seeds of evil and he should reap it hundred folds.

Actually dayokanu, I wouldn't rule out an ethnic thing from this.

Earlier quote:

@Nigeria1

It appears Yar'Adua is punishing the yoruba people for what OBJ did to some Northerners - IBB, Atiku and co. Yar'Adua feels OBJ betrayed
all of those who brought him to power in 1999 and he disgraced the North, so it is time for payback.

The only thing is, rather than go after OBJ, he is going after the entire yoruba people. The reason why Yar'Adua has not been able to
accomplish anything for almost 1 year in office is because he is busy reversing all over his predecessor's policies.

I have even heard somewhere that Usman (Finance Minister) is proposing a reversal of the bank consolidation because it
has favored southerners to the detriment of the North. Go figure.

Saying the EFCC is biased is one thing, but trying to defend thieves based on that arguement is simply another. It is quite disheartening and discouraging to see a thread on news about someone stealing funds meant for development turning tribal, it really is. I don't care if the north or south or wherever ruled for the next whatever years if it will guarantee 24hours power, good roads, good public infrastructure and ammenities, a viable economy, security, health care, good education and working institutions, freedom, respect for my human rights, etc. If some people here are so focused on this whole tribal thing then you know what? Why don't they practice it in their lives? When next someone you know is robbed or you are robbed, forget the fact that it was made easier because there probably was no light when the thing happened  due to the fact that people "ruling" the country stole, looted, and wasted all the money meant for electricity, forget the fact that the person is probably robbing you due to the obscenely high rate of unemployment due to the fact that the government is not tackling any of the real issues like creating good environment for industries to bloom, etc, forget all of that and before the robber leaves your house, ask him kindly "oga abeg, where are you from". If you and him are fom thesame area then don't report him because he is your "brother" after all. Don't bother calling the police to report your so called "brother" who robs you, the funny part is that the police will probably not respond because they have no weapons or vehicles or any means of communication to prove themselves useful in anyway because some people who were meant to be leaders used all the money meant for such in throwing owambe. People should even be ashamed to come from thesame area as some of this thieves and yet instead of that it is turning into solidarity? A so called brother who robs and murders his family? Most in Nigeria are affected by thesame issues, turning it into something tribal just completely misses the point. If they had not stolen then would there be any need to dish out the so called "selective justice"? So Odilli, Ibori, Alams, Lucky, OBJ did not steal anything? So they are all saints and did an amazing job that added value to the lives of Nigerians is that what we are now saying? If this is the line of thinking then is it any wonder that the country is the way it is? Is it really?

Northern Niger Benue would have  ruled nigeria for 46  years in power, Now add Umar Yar Adua 4 years to it 38 years already in powerpower , if he had second time  . 46 years in power of 55 years of Nigeria . It means 15 state have ruled Nigeria for 46 years out of 55 years .

While the southern Niger benue have more than 60% of Nigeria population according to disputed census by Makama, while satellite picture put the population as close to 70% of the population of Nigeria,  But have ruled for 18% of times.

Now Look at EFCC arrest list,  99% of the people arrested by EFCC are people from Southern Niger Benue even while most people from Southern niger Benue have never had any form of contact with the federal govt of Nigeria,  So what do you call this tribalist EFCC members.  What the EFCC is doing is ethnic cleansing.
The ethnic cleansing should stop here now.
Look if you remove obasanjo from the list,  the 21 state consist of the southern Niger Benue who are majority of Nigerians, with close to 70 % of Nigeria population have only ruled for less than 1 years,  that is 7 month of Ironsi and 81 days of Sonekan. This is why we need a constitution review.

Lol at ethnic cleansing. I thought Azikiwe was Nigerias president?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N300m scam: I'm ready for trial —Iyabo Obasanjo
Written by Ise-Oluwa Ige, Emmanuel Aziken & Chris Ochayi
Thursday, April 10, 2008
DAUGHTER of the immediate past President, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, declared yesterday that she was ready to face trial over the alleged N10 million given to the Senate Committee on Health by the Federal Ministry of Health, and debunked speculations that she was on the run.










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Indeed, she attended yesterday’s plenary session of the Senate, although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it was looking for her.


Also, yesterday, the Senate cleared her and other members of her committee of impropriety in respect of the utilisation of the N10 million from the unspent N300 million 2007 budget of the Health Ministry.


Iyabo speaking through her counsel, Chief Joe-Gyari Gadzama (SAN), said she was not only available for trial but also ready for prosecution if there was any charge against her.


She said she was embarrassed by yestersday’s reports in the print and electronic media to the effect that she was evading arrest and prosecution


According to her, up till yesterday when she mandated her counsel to write the EFCC, she was never summoned or informed of any pending charge against her.


Iyabo writes EFCC


The letter written by Chief Gadzama to the Chairman of EFCC over plan to declare her wanted reads in part: “We are Solicitors to Senator (Dr.) Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, who is hereinafter referred to as ‘Our Client’ and this letter is written on her firm instructions and authority.


“Our Client in the most modest manner wishes to express her great surprise and utter shock at the various publications of both the print and electronic media in the last two days to the effect that she had been arraigned in absentia before a Federal Capital Territory High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Salisu Garba on a 2-count charge along with the former Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange and others.


“Specific reference must be made here of the various print media where such information was published: The Leadership of April 09, 2008 in its front page captioned: “EFCC Arraigns Ex-Health Ministers, 9 others.


Declares Iyabo Obasanjo wanted”; Daily Trust of Wednesday, April 09, 2008 in its front page captioned: “Iyabo Obasanjo charged with former Ministers,” and went ahead to publish further, “Iyabo was not in Court and the EFCC told the Court she was at large”; The Nation of Wednesday, April 09, 2008 captioned its front page headline thus: “Iyabo Obasanjo on the run, EFCC tells Court”; This Day of the same Wednesday, April 09, 2008 in its front page headline captioned the news in the following manner: “EFCC arraigns Ex-Ministers on 56- Court charges. Says Iyabo’s at large.


“Our Client wants it to be on record that at no time was she summoned or invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the purpose of arraignment in Court and neither did she decline any such summon or invitation.
http://odili.net/news/source/2008/apr/10/301.html

@ poster, blah blah blah , are you done na today?

I personally don't have any thought about ethnic bla bla bla, most important thing is that we want a Nigeria that works,

However u think u can manipulate the system, I.E the power brokers (OBJ n CO) we'll open the history books l8r l8r and your children children children will pay dearly, sins of the fathers, STEAL as u can NOW,

God help we sustain this demonstration of Craze.

MY WORDs
=========

Nigeria1.:

Sky Blue , No , we are not saying that people should not be probe, but what we are saying is the EFCC only interested in ethnic cleansing. And that should stop, what the EFCC is saying is that they are first class citizen and we the people of Southern Niger Benue are second class citizen. Why are the governors of the Northern Niger benue working free while nearly all the governor of the Southern Niger benue are been charged. For all appointment. This is ethnic cleansing. If the federal govt can not bring to book all appointed people from the north benue niger because the North Niger Benue are in power, we do ask that all charge against people of Southern niger benue be drop, from Ibori, Orji Kalu, Odili and others,  This is ethnic cleansing. We say no to anybody from the Southern Niger Benue been treated like second class citizen. And you have to have been sentence to jail before you are a thief.
look if you read my previous written up I have always supported the president, but I would never sell my soul because of appointment or money. So Orji kalu,Iyabo Obasanjo,Ibori , Odili and others have not offered and  I have never collected my money from any of others. It is just an issue of fairplay and justice. People from the southern Niger Benue should not be charge for any offense that we all know that People of the North Niger benue are walking free .

I say if the federal govt and EFCC refuse to charge North Niger Benue govt appointed people,  All charge on Ibori, Iyabo,Odili, Orji Kalu and other should be drop. if not they become political victim.

Wow, Odilli commited more crimes against his people than OBJ did, what an irony. How many people have died as a result of the political sponsored cultism and thuggery used to "win" elections? What is there to show for eight years in Rivers State? All this so called "militants" are they not simply Odilli's government sponsored armed touts who now have nothing better to do and are struggling to find relevance? How many political assasinations went on in that time? People were even beaten up or killed for just simply criticizing Odilli's government. But let us all forget ALL of that people, Odilli, is now a victim? I really am just speechless and don't know what to say, why would someone want to show solidarity with an armed robber? Criticizing the system and trying to change it is one thing, but to now use the situation to defend people who were caught broad daylight with their hands in the cookie jar and saying they are the victims is simply shocking. If this is the way everybody thinks or feels then. . . . . . . . how can there ever be any progress and is it then any surprise that the country is the way it is?  All this, leave my thief and armed robber because you have not yet arrested your armed robber is just ludacris. Who are the armed robbers robbing from? Is it not from YOU? If you believe the system is "biased" as you claim, then fight to change the system instead of trying to justify the actions of armed robbers. Instead of being happy that EFCC focusing on your governor (who stole and robbed from you, killed your people, raped the land for his own gain), might actually bring more accountability to that area, people from that area are now crying foul and are at thesame time saying they want to "fight corruption"? Is that not a paradox?

Why would the EFCC claim Iyabo Obasanjo was on the loose when she has always been at the Senate chambers
and it turns out, she hasn't even been served by the EFCC ?

SENTIMENTS APART, I DONT TRUST ANY POLITICIAN IN NIGERIA AND TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THOSE MILITARY AND PARA- MILITATARY MEN CLOSE TO THEM.INCLUDING
GOVERNORS
MINISTERS
CHAIRMEN AND WOMEN
EFCC TOP GUYS
LOCAL GOVT CHAIRMEN
IG
INEC OFFICIALS,
SOME JUDGES
SOME SENATORS AND HON.
THE GAME IS GO AND TAKE YOUR OWN LIKE OTHERS.BUT WE WILL ALL DIE AND LEAVE THE DOLES BEHIND
THE GENUINE POLITICIANS ARE NO MORE WE HAVE ONLY GREEDY AND UNPATRITIC ONES LIVING AND LEADING

Is efcc really sincere about arresting Iyabo,she was actually in the senate chambers at the time the ministers were being charged to court.why are they making iyabo look like UNTOUCHABLE.
Can u imagine iyabo having the couarge to say she distributed 500,000k to all members of the senate committee on health when they went for their Ghana trip.My Question is what is the money for?see how they are sharing our money.God ll punish dem all.Amen
Anyhow am sure this will also fade out like other corrupt cases.but one can be sure it will continue make headlines for some weeks to come

Whats all these tribalism stuff got to do with it. Abi Thief no be Thief again. Se ALams of Bayelsa na Yoruba man? Ibori of Delta Na Yoruba man? Dariye of Plateau na yoruba man too? Jolly Nyame of Taraba na Yoruba man? abi na Igbinedion of Edo na im be Yoruba man? I no undastand all this tribalism stuff o.

OBJ and im Children all thief, una de talk of tribe. Grange wey agree say she make mistake na somebody slap the rap on her? Abi the other Minister too na Yoruba man. If una no stop all these ethnicity, na Rwandan Genocide na im una de build up unknowingly o. _{Those wu have ears, let them hia ooooooo!!!}

I get pissed by this tribalism stuff.

Why is it that any time some politicians are caught committing a crime they play the tribal/religious/gender cards. When they were looting why didn't dis their "so-called" advocates and kinsmen playing the tribal /religious/gender games warn them. Like I said earlier on _{Those wu have ears, let them hia ooooooo!!!}. I am from the Niger-Delta and I have not seen or heard any good thin that was don for Nigeria by a yoruba man. ^{Let's face it, posterity dey watch o!}

@Nigeria 1, i don't know what all you are saying has got to do with this situation. What has ethnicity got to do with the fact that Iyabo stole or that Odilli, Lucky, Ibori, Alams, etc are all common criminals? Has the fact that they are from a specific part of the country automatically mean they did not do any of what they were accused of? If you can't show the link between the two then i am sorry, i really do believe you are then simply arguing for arguement sake. If they are guilty which i honestly do believe they are due to overwhelming evidence (just go and visit the states they ruled) then after the court trial, they should be arrested and thrown in jail, simple as, and that my friend is justice that you keep on talking about. Justice for the real victims, the Nigerian population and all the families that lost people as a result of these crooks and their actions, selfishness, insensitivity, greed, egocentricity and just pure wickedness.

If you believe the EFCC is biased then you can start another thread about it. But i really don't see how you can now say let the likes of Lucky, Ibori, etc go because the EFCC is as you claim biased. That would be defending crooks and wether the EFCC is biased or not does not magically make Odilli, or Ibori and co innocent. Why did Odilli get a restraining order on the EFCC stopping them from arresting him and even more suspiciously stopping them from publishing whatever they have on him Why?? If the EFCC is biased then you can argue that they are being biased, but these people irrespective of wether the EFCC is biased or not have something to hide and are wickedly corrupt. The shame is the public can't know the full extent of their wickedness because the freedom of Information bill has STILL not yet been passed ad Yaradua keeps on opening his mouth about his stance on fighting corruption.

Uncle Sege the cleverman, e don kill hin wife begin tear mojisola, oloshiman

@Nigeria 1 Ok, i think i have said everything i need to say and this will be my last post on this thread unless any other arguement comes up because this just seems to be going around in circles. First of all, do not credit the sucess of others to OBJ. Was it OBJ or Okonjo Iweala who now has one of the top positions in IMF an international institution that was instrumental in getting rid of our debt? How many things have you had to ignore in order to make OBJ passable as a leader? Is it the gross mismanagement and obcene ammount of corruption that he stands for? Is it the looting? Is it the illegalities that plagued most of his handling of the country's treasury while he went on to hypocritically vaunt the whole "rule of law" process? The treasury and money of a whole country becomes one man's piggy bank? The deflation of government parastatals so that they could be sold to friends and family? We both know i could go on and i am yet to mention the $16 billion dollars on power. If you want to ignore all of this and say he was a good leader because we now use mobile phones then that really is up to you.
I never said nobody in the north was not corrupt and i don't think anyone ever claimed that as the case. But i would end with this, so the fact that there are people in the North who are corrupt, does that automatically make Odilli, Ibori, Alams and co innocent? If they are not inocent then should we be defending them in the first place? Should your problem not then be with the system that you claim is biased? . The irony is that one of the biggest thieves whom you defend has not been arrested and you are not shouting selective justice and untouchable for that situation, hence who is really being selective? At the end of the day, if you choose to defend murderers, armed robbers, looters , comon thieves and selfish and greedy men all under the umbrella of "selective justice" that is up to you and then arguing is simply going to be futile. As some would say, 'to each his own'. Take care and have a nice day.

[/quote]I like the way Iyabo was chjarged but i suspect a little tribalism in these arrests because it seems that Yaradua is only concentrating on westerners.

Again, the speed at which they arrest and arraign erring women in the Nigerian govt makes me wonder whether men that commited the same crime are treated the same way.[quote]

This is the reason corruption will be difficult to eradicate in Nigeria. Nigerians view Nigeria as an entity that belongs to no1. They will be rather affiliated to their tribes. So when their tribesman or woman commits atrocities they will rather cry foul citing victimisation of that particular tribe instead of commending the evil act of the person.
It is time that we all start to see beyond tribe and sex but see what evil and poverty we are putting the unborn children into.

illogical debate

i tot the topic was about Iyabo obasanjo and others charged.why are you turning into an ethnicity discussion.Please let's stick to the topic

I cannot comprehend why the Senate is protecting him and the EFCC is dancing around arresting her, it is cock and bull stories all the time.

Today, she was in the Assemby premises and could not be arrested

Tomorrow, she scaled the fence of her house as EFCC came to arrest

She should be put behind bars so she can face the music

There should be no sacred cows in this administration

the efcc cant fool.if they truly wanted to arrest iyabo by now she would be in her custody.Governors like Alams and Dariye with their high political standing and network were so easy fo them to arrest infact a helicopter was used to pick alams.so why is efcc finding it difficult to locate iyabo.who is fooling who. please all they are telling all is some people are above the law.

the painful thing an ordinary person will steal 200,000 thosand and get 5yrs even more depend on the charges.Bt others will steal millions and get away with it.In Nigeria the more you steal the better, the less you steal the worse

Imagine!

They are still telling us cock and bull stories o. The Senate says she is at large, when they were able to arrest some govt. officials that possess power to disappear in the face of crisis (as members of "okija shrine"). Iyabo's arrest is supposed to be "moi-moi" for them but they must have turned it into a business venture and collected "egunje" from the past president to protect his dear daughter who is like him in more ways than one.

When will Nigeria get better. l thought we had seen the last of these pranks with the emergence of a straightforward and upright man like Yaradua who happens to be a graduate too.

I don't even know why she is afraid of detention. lt is not as if it will daunt her political career. Afterall her father was made president even after being an ex-convict.

Anything is possible in Nigeria!

I believe in a Hausa Man, Yar' Adua will do his best, but becuase he did not put himself there we'll will be limited, but i want to assure nigerians Obasanjo and his squad are already getting suprised, Yar'Adua is geeting out of control, but we just need to pray for minister president. Finnaly Iyabo's Case will be history, Its a tactice of good government strategy, you will see,

But it is a shame how Obasanjo allowed his daughter to rub his name in the mud because of 10 million naira

The Senate should stop protecting her. She only has questions to answer then, jail

Can't wait to see how twisted her ugly face will look at sight of handcuffs.

They will need a fork-lift and cattle truck to transport Dr. Iyabo-Invisible Bello's cubic yards of wobbly lard to her new home in jail, but that is one heavy-duty transportation modality that I would not miss for the world.

Standing by for photos of the historic capture and relocation of our African Hippo Queen.

Jakumo:

They will need a fork-lift and cattle truck to transport Dr. Iyabo-Invisible Bello's cubic yards of wobbly lard to her new home in jail, but that is one heavy-duty transportation modality that I would not miss for the world.

Standing by for photos of the historic capture and relocation of our African Hippo Queen.

OBJ's daughter in jail? I admire your optimism but I don't think that will happen.

of course it won't happen, the only thing that would happen is an oputa panel where everyone kisses and hugs each other. no victor no vanquish

If iyabo is to go to jail, then it is the best place to stay in nigeria in other words its not possible

if the charge as generated this much ripples, i wonder how many will be generated by the time we examine the theatrics involved in the transformation of a federation senator into the ''most wanted". she has devised so many gangsterous plan of escape. i think she must be up to date with micheal scoffield. don't you think so?