The director general of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Emmanuel Enarune Imohe, has been fired from his job by Umaru Yar'Adua over a directive issued by his office to the permanent secretary of foreign affairs, Joe Keshi, ordering the international passports of two former officials of the Obasanjo regime - Nuhu Ribadu and Nasir El Rufai, not to be renewed.

Saharareporters is also in possession of a letter written by Ambassador Joe Keshi to the Director-General of the NIA after he had obeyed the instruction, protesting that it could backfire on the government.  In it, he said the decision might portray the government poorly before the international community "as a government that is too sensitive to criticism," and suggested that the best response to El Rufai's "menace" was to have ignored him.

    Saharareporters last Saturday published the controversial memo from the NIA. Our sources said Yar'adua directed Mr. Imohe to quit this morning after claiming that he was unaware of the directive to deny Ribadu and El Rufai consular services in Nigerian missions abroad.

    Our sources said when the news of El Rufai's denial of passport renewal first hit the presidency, all the officials were summoned to find out who might have been responsible for the action. They all denied involvement, claiming that Ribadu and El Rufai were merely out to embarrass the federal government abroad, since the seven days required for El Rufai's passport to be renewed had not elapsed.

But Saharareporters' publication of the memo from the NIA as well as the cable sent to Nigerian consular missions by Ambassador Joe Keshi broke the matter open,.  It confirmed to Nigerians that an illegal directive had indeed been issued from the top abrogating the rights of Ribadu and El-Rufai,and nobody could deny the authenticity of the documents.


    Yar'Adua, "embarrassed" by the public outcry over the draconian directive, has also reversed Joe Keshi's directive to foreign missions not to issue or renew the international passports of the duo.

    Analysts say Mr. Imohe may simply have been expended to help Yar'Adua save face, as it is most unlikely he would have caused such a directive to be given in the name of the highest level, without authorization. One of the ambassadors who did not want to be named told Saharareporters that when he tried confirming the source of the directive with Aso Rock, Yar'Adua told him that the duo of Ribadu and El Rufai could go and get their passports from Obama.

    There has been loud outcry from Nigerians at home and abroad. The president of the West African Bar Association (WABA), Femi Falana, issued an ultimatum to the Nigerian authorities to reverse the order or face embarrassing lawsuits.  In Washington DC, Prof. Bolaji Aluko commenced a petition drive that has so far garnered a sizable number of angry Nigerians abroad as signatories.

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3960:2009-10-14-01-09-01&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

At long last,That snail we have as a president has woken up 

source pls but good news .if true

MrPrsdent:

source pls but good news .if true

@^^^ click http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3960:2009-10-14-01-09-01&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

regards

all this noise clda been avoided if only these ppl had behaved themselves!

netotse:

all this noise clda been avoided if only these ppl had behaved themselves!

and now heads r rolling cos yam peper don scatter scatter more to go

This saga has taken another twist with Yar Adua denying it. Na wa!

So govt has no direction these days? Yar Adua is trying to tell us that anybody can sign anything as a directive from the highest levels.
No matter how you look at it, the picture being painted is an ugly one; the govt is either tyrannical or rudderless and inept. Yar Adua's govt is an embarrassment to decent Nigerians.

Beaf:

This saga has taken another twist with Yar Adua denying it. Na wa!

So govt has no direction these days? Yar Adua is trying to tell us that anybody can sign anything as a directive from the highest levels.
No matter how you look at it, the picture being painted is an ugly one; the govt is either tyrannical or rudderless and inept. Yar Adua's govt is an embarrassment to decent Nigerians.

Honestly.I think all these idiots should hv access to nairaland so they can read we views

Bliv me, they do. They just don't gv a Bleep about what our views are. . .hmmm except maybe the SSS.

puskin:

Bliv me, they do. They just don't gv a Bleep about what our views are. . .hmmm except maybe the SSS.

the we shall continue to reign curses on their entire household.Woe betide them if they dabaru wat their forefathers arranged cos of GREED n self-centredness

NL is going deeper.

"Yar'Adua told him that the duo of Ribadu and El Rufai could go and get their passports from Obama"

Yaradull should be ashamed of himself 4 making this statement.

As far as i'm concerned the DG of NIA was just used as a pawn in power game. I think some1 high up in the Yar'adead( sorry Yar'adua)

adminstration issued that directive, and now because of protests from left,right,front,and center, some1 has to be made a scape goat, and he/she h

has to be as distant from the President as possible;thus the sack of the NIA DG.

Mr Yar'adead remains a big failure and the sacking of the NIA DG cannot score him any political point, no matter how little, it can only subtract.

I am amazed at our level of self deceit as a country!
Its obvious the DG of the NIA does not have the prerogative to issue such decrees, except he has a personal score to settle with Ribadu and El Rufai which i seriously doubt, may God deliver us!

duh move, no need saving face. . . he should have continued denying them visas instead of backing out . . . duh move!

Nezan:

duh move, no need saving face. . . he should have continued denying them [b]visas [/b]instead of backing out . . . duh move!

i thought nigerians do not need visa to visit nigeria

Something bothers me about this whole fiasco.
There are two Yar'Aduas, actually.
We have Umaru Yar'Adua, and Turai Yar'Auda.

Strong rumours persist that Umaru is the First Lady and Turai is the president.
That might explain a lot.

AjanleKoko:

Something bothers me about this whole fiasco.
There are two Yar'Aduas, actually.
We have Umaru Yar'Adua, and Turai Yar'Auda.

Strong rumours persist that Umaru is the First Lady and Turai is the president.
That might explain a lot.

Thats true oooooo

Homonide:

As far as i'm concerned the DG of NIA was just used as a pawn in power game. I think some1 high up in the Yar'adead( sorry Yar'adua)

adminstration issued that directive, and now because of protests from left,right,front,and center, some1 has to be made a scape goat, and he/she h

has to be as distant from the President as possible;thus the sack of the NIA DG.

Mr Yar'adead remains a big failure and the sacking of the NIA DG cannot score him any political point, no matter how little, it can only subtract.

GOD BLESS YOU!!!

I wonder what Obama has got to do with Nigerian passport.

Me I have nothing to celebrate yet because there is no proof that this is an about face by the yar'adua govt.

An about face can only be claimed when El-Rufai is issued a new passport because as we speak we dont even know whether the DG of NIA is only being sacked for being so clumsy and left traces of evidence for his directive.

We don't know whether they are just purnishing the man because his memo leaked to the press.

We dont even know whether this govt is engaging in a further attempt to deny their clandestine activities while not regretting or even changing course.

I can only be convinced that Yar'adua has done a U-Turn if El-Rufai is issued a new passport in the next coming days.

Folks need I remind you that this same group of folks mal-handled Ribadu at NIPSS Kuru, set up a vice presidential committee to investigate the drama (That committee probably did not even sit for one day), issued Ribadu his certificate in retrospect but yet went ahead to expel and humiliate him out of the police.

So if you ask me nothing has and will change.

Victim of a political power play if you ask me!!!

Another drama!Another scapegoat.
, and the drama continues
Trash.

[quote][/quote]Victim of a political power play if you ask me!!!

true talk my brother

Shameless people. They have just sacked that man as a scapegoat.

makes you wonder the type of government we have running nigeria.how can a country deny a former minister and former anticorruption czar passports.do you know how we would have been portrayed in the international community.as a country that doesnt give a hoot what happens to its citizens.a passport is A RIGHT and can only be revoked if one commites treason against the state as stated on the passport itself.our already bad image has just taken further bashing!

Poor Mr. Emmanuel Enarune Imohe!

@puskin
[Bliv me, they do. They just don't gv a Bleep about what our views are. . .hmmm except maybe the SSS.]

canuck:

And the winner is. . . .Ambassador Joe Keshi!!!

The man is wise indeed - See as he cleverly covered his behind, while remaining an obedient servant - I won't be shocked if he leaked his letter to Sahara Reporters to force Yar'Adua's weak hand (no pun intended).

Spot ON!!! *You deserve a kiss 4 this*

Yar adua is not a sincere person from time.hes aware of this from d begining,when it became embarrasing for d FG.He had to act.Evrything was done internally.

An opportunity for a ^{Katsina/ Kano} man (or another northerner) to head the NIA.

Yar' Adua,  pleeeeaase prove me wrong. I beg u in d Lord's name.

_{Hey ThinkRait! Dont invite the NL tribalists to this thread}!

I think the guy shld come out to state his own side of the story now that he has been sacked, afterall we are in a democracy. The worst that can happen to him is to join the duo of El Rufai and Ribadu in exile, But we deserve to hear and know the truth.