I would have say Ribadu should 4get his aspiration as Naija president, but 'who else can win'
Let PDP tidy up their linenage of calibres of aspirance

Beaf:

Can you back up this statement with believable quotes and references? I doubt it.

Anyways, lets not derail a thread about Ribadu (I blame mbulela).

I hope you realise that the entire roadmap is predicated on the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005
Chronologically, GEJ's plan was prepared with the benefit of Obj's plan and GEJ is building on it

This is not 2004 with the 2 of them sitting side by side to prepare competing plans

houvest:

I believe that Ribadu, BRF, Amechi, PU, Soludo, El Ruffai,Duke are for the future. Not now. Beaf's advice is apt. NR should goto the house and after 4 years he will be ready.

I disagree
Beaf has been saying that anybody who is older than GEJ is too old
and anybody who is younger than GEJ is not ready
Beaf is frenetically clearing the deck for his man GEJ, Mr Perfect!

semid4lyfe:

Hehehehehe. . . .LWKMDFH
Euphemisms don't come better than this:

Fact is Ribadu's articulation is terrible and worse than Jonathan's (which is okay IMO). To say his command of English is appalling will be an understatement. I watched him on tv during Fayemi's swearing-in and I was like _{WTF! Shey na the Ribadu wey some men dey hype for Nairaland be this?}. He was magnificently pathetic & had nothing upstairs.. He only succeeded in convincing me not to vote for him. It's seems the people who are talking about (re)packaging him have forgotten that an old dog can't be taught new tricks. ._{Put lipstick & beautiful clothes on a pig and it'd still behave like one}

No amount of repackaging/rebranding can help Ribadu. I'm so looking forward to a GEJ vs Ribadu presidential debate. 

Is GEJ articulation so inspiring
A PhD holder - I am astounnded
Hear - people will feel one kind
the youths take to ammunition
we are not in a political dispensation

Even Beaf does not want us to discuss this achile's heel of his man

Beaf:

You will find that the math for that has already been done and all i's dotted, plus all t's crossed. Nigerians spend a whopping $13billa on generators every year!!! 40% of the cost of business in Nigeria is spent on generators!!!
Even if you double or triple or quadruple or quintuple or. . .  The cost would still be a mere fraction of the cost of powering a gen. Which will you choose?

But that is slanted math
To start with, do you think he is capturing the costs to people who do not use and cannot afford generator at all
Forget barbers, do you think welders have been buying generators?
No, can they afford the higher tariff
I support higher tariff if it will enable us enjoy light
But you cannot argue that everyone will be able to afford
We pay around N8 now, for it to be viable, it will have to go to around N18

truly:

I disagree
Beaf has been saying that anybody who is older than GEJ is too old
and anybody who is younger than GEJ is not ready
Beaf is frenetically clearing the deck for his man GEJ, Mr Perfect!

A pack of lies.
I have never said anything like the above (except that compared to all credible candidates from all parties, the boldest close to the truth ).

But, lets remember that this thread is strictly about Ribadu.

I am not a Ribadu fan or one of those who believe that he can make it to the presidency in 2011.

Ribadu is not groomed in Nigerian politics, he is yet to understand what it means to mobilize people for elections, despite his formation of the Integrity corp in the NYSC scheme when he had issues could the corpers stand for him.

Ribadu needs to be adviced by those who believe in him, In Nigeria there is no relevance for Presidential Candidate no matter how close or slim the margin by which he lost is, the same people who are supporting him now will be the first set of people to form the govt of national unity.

A senator of the Federal Republic will affect more lives and policies than a man who ran for presidency and lost.

The Yaradua-GEJ combinations are the reason y we are anticipating an electoral contest or did all the govs in 2003 in the south west win their elections how many were the courts able to upturn, GEJ is still trying to build the foundation for the development of this country and this is far more important than any problem of this nation, institutions must be properly built.

Ribadu would do better contesting at his senatorial district, that was how Obama started, he should deliver his senatorial district and if possible his state to his party.

At the senate he should lobby to be in the anticorruption committee and it would be impossible to have an anticorruption committee without Ribadu when he is in the chambers.

At the senate his voting patterns and his stands on national issues are what may endear him or otherwise to the people.

2011 is a critical point in our live as a nation and now we all seem to agree that it is not by being specially articulate that makes a man good for the presidency, I urge all comrades on this forum to take a stand and say GEJ 4 President 2011!!!!

Please do not even start to compare GEJ with Ribadu. Fyne, we can excuse Ribadu as not being politically experienced, but GEJ, with his PhD is a slap in the face to PhD holders everywhere.

Ribadu will do well unless he refuses to take good counsel. He still stands above the rest of the candidates and I will support him until I find a better candidate. If we all agree that CORRUPTION elimination will give us much needed progress, Ribadu still has a better record than the rest of the candidates.

And what is all this repetition of Tinubu's crime? _{Very much like a broken record}. You want to compare that to what GEJ stole after he tookover from Ibori? Or YarAdua?? Abegi, give me salient points. On corruption, GEJ ranks #2! after IBB of course.

SO NOT GEJ!!

truly:

Is GEJ articulation so inspiring
A PhD holder - I am astounnded
Hear - people will feel one kind
the youths take to ammunition
we are not in a political dispensation

Even Beaf does not want us to discuss this achile's heel of his man

If petty people hadn't clutched at the nearest straws to damn GEJ with, nobody would mentioning nonesense like charisma and spoken English. When did these things rise to any importance in a country where a 300km road journey has been known to last 3 days (Lagos - Benin), there is epileptic power supply and in the North where illiteracy is highest, Boko Haram is running rampant, burning and killing in a macabre fight for the right to remain illiterate and backward?

I put the blame squarely at the feet of people like yourself. As an example, rather than mention a tangible weakness, you are belittling GEJ's PhD.
Belittling knowledge is a disgrace in any developing country, especially one like ours that is creaking in all four corners and wobbling like a wretch hung on the devils brew.
It is for people like yourself sir, to raise your game. Leave the tired old gutter slander behind, leave it for the miseducated and societal dregs on the street corners, we have a job on hand and it is building this country from the ground up, from all cardinal points, North, South, East, and west. The job is about dragging our people out of the gutter, not burying ourselves in there too.

When it is recalled that the first attacks on GEJ's diction were on his so called Ijaw accent, and how that accent was poverty stricken compared to Northern ones; the full shame hits one in the face. The initial goal of the attacks on GEJ's accent, were to make him sound like he is unfamiliar and  too minority to be Nigerian, especially with jibes like, "he has no political structures" (read that as code for, he is from a minority with no say in this country). When the above is coupled with zoning, the full force of Nigeria's petty and tribal politics in all its gory faecal glory, hits the observer smack between the eye's.

Nigeria's empty, directionless, low-blow politics is the big beast we must coral and destroy. That is the real task for you and I, it is a task that forbids casting aspersion on an earned PhD or any knowledge, and a task that forbids petty issues. Leave petty things to petty mind, who do not matter in the wider scheme of things.

papabaks:

All you anti GEJ, should better go and rethink and accept that, this is Gods doing,  Criticized or not GEJ is the next president come 2011,  

All we need is no Fraudster or anyone that have any record or frauds,

Once you have failed in one sector, that show how incapable you might be in handling bigger responsibilities. GEJ Records has been clean and challenging to all politician in this country. A good leader and a wonderful listener,  

ALL HIS(GEJ) ASKING FOR IS FOR US ALL TO SUPPORT HIM AND MAKE THIS COUNTRY A GRATE NATION WITH GOOD PEOPLE,

Thanks

We will tell GEJ supporters in our communities that God has done it and should not bother to vote for him again
I will tell those who want to oust PDP to pray hard and go out and vote enmasse to rid Nigeria of the evil called PDP


But seriously, do you believe that GEJ can make this country great?

He supports only his home state to the detriment of the constitution and other parts
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/5631884-146/bayelsa_derivation_revenue_may_trigger_crisis.csp
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68763:rowdy-session-in-faac-over-bayelsa-concession&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

He is embarrsassing us in South Africa with the shoddy case there
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5632720-146/counsel_asks_court_to_grant_okah.csp

He does not believe in sovereign national conference
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/forget-sovereign-national-confab-jonathan/

We are borrowing steadily again
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68760:reps-kick-against-jonathans-request-for-44-billion-loan&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

He is politicking too much
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5632742-146/senate_throws_out_electoral_act_amendment.csp

He is covering up the halliburton case
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Crime/5630956-146/the_halliburton_bribe_cover-up__.csp

kcjazz:

How can I explain it to my grandma that would make her stand up and vote without a bag of salt/rice as an incentive.

Per communication, I believe every leader must know how to project his ideas either through writing or speaking.

That is the "take away" message.^+1

Any serious student of politics will tell you that the power to inspire is chief to the success of any political leader. I do not care if you are an Angel or a Brutal dictator. Inspire or perish!

Jarus' observation is on point. Gbawe and other supporters raised very good concerns about the danger of publicly dishing out such criticisms, but IMO, if you do not have a personal access to NR, if you are not a member of his inner circle, if you have not signed an irrevocable oath of allegiance to him and his campaign,  then I see no reason why you should not publicly voice these kinds of constructive criticism.

The hope is that NR will listen or his handlers will take note and make the necessary adjustments. At the end of the day, Nuru Ribadu is a means to an end not the end itself -we want a genuine representative democracy where egalitarian laws are made, respected and enforced for all Nigerians regardless of age, class, sex or ethnicity.

I'll go slightly off-topic to present my thoughts on ACN and Ribadu;

On Ribadu's prospects; I'm just not impressed with Ribadu and all the so called progressives parading themselves around, from Ribadu to Utomi. The reason can be summed up in kcjazz's statement above.

I'm not impressed nor convinced by their grassroot organizing. I see little to no impact and safe for Buhari, their name recognition is unacceptably low and that is a major problem.

Unless Tinubu, Ribadu and all the rest of them have a secret stash of dollars somewhere to buy this election with, or a direct access to the minds of the owners of Nigeria (Big Oil), I see ACN losing the presidential Election.  As a Ribadu/ACN sympathizer, I'm saddened by the possibility of another 8 years of PDP rule.

This election will not be won online on FB and twitter. Ribadu and ACN should forget the online Youth vote nonsense they keep shouting about. Nigeria is not America and we do not have a well educated, electronically-connected, liberated youth population that will vote differently or defend their votes better than the older generation without a great deal of inspirational push.

Those who may deliver this election for ACN in the face of massive spending and rigging by PDP are NOT the FB generation. They are the Okada riding, spare part selling, we-are-gathered-on-the-street-corner-because-we-are-jobless Nigerians, they are the ones who might consider voting and guarding their votes on election day, not the "Lekki today, Yankee tomorrow" FB and Twitter types

ACN needs to put in more WORK to get them excited about this election and Ribadu needs to find a way to communicate to them better and inspire them to own this election. We are a wounded, cynical and politically apathetic people. Ribadu needs to work harder to convince us. Unfortunately, time is running out and I see little work on the ground.

The only thing that will make things a bit better for supporters like myself will be if ACN focus their attention on Governorship and National Assembly elections thereby directing scarce resources and time to those ones and further weakening the power of the United-in-Corruption Inc. -->PDP. That is a strategy I can live with, till we try again in four years.

For now, I see little to no effort and I hope I'm very wrong.

Kilode?!:

That is the "take away" message.^+1

Any serious student of politics will tell you that the power to inspire is chief to the success of any political leader. I do not care if you are an Angel or a Brutal dictator. Inspire or perish!

Jarus' observation is on point. Gbawe and other supporters raised very good concerns about the danger of publicly dishing out such criticisms, but IMO, if you do not have a personal access to NR, if you are not a member of his inner circle, if you have not signed an irrevocable oath of allegiance to him and his campaign,  then I see no reason why you should not publicly voice these kinds of constructive criticism.

The hope is that NR will listen or his handlers will take note and make the necessary adjustments. At the end of the day, Nuru Ribadu is a means to an end not the end itself -we want a genuine representative democracy where egalitarian laws are made, respected and enforced for all Nigerians regardless of age, class, sex or ethnicity.

I'll go slightly off-topic to present my thoughts on ACN and Ribadu;

On Ribadu's prospects; I'm just not impressed with Ribadu and all the so called progressives parading themselves around, from Ribadu to Utomi. The reason can be summed up in kcjazz's statement above.

I'm not impressed nor convinced by their grassroot organizing. I see little to no impact and safe for Buhari, their name recognition is unacceptably low and that is a major problem.

Unless Tinubu, Ribadu and all the rest of them have a secret stash of dollars somewhere to buy this election with, or a direct access to the minds of the owners of Nigeria (Big Oil), I see ACN losing the presidential Election.  As a Ribadu/ACN sympathizer, I'm saddened by the possibility of another 8 years of PDP rule.

This election will not be won online on FB and twitter. Ribadu and ACN should forget the online Youth vote nonsense they keep shouting about. Nigeria is not America and we do not have a well educated, electronically-connected, liberated youth population that will vote differently or defend their votes better than the older generation without a great deal of inspirational push.

Those who may deliver this election for ACN in the face of massive spending and rigging by PDP are NOT the FB generation. They are the Okada riding, spare part selling, we-are-gathered-on-the-street-corner-because-we-are-jobless Nigerians, they are the ones who might consider voting and guarding their votes on election day, not the "Lekki today, Yankee tomorrow" FB and Twitter types

ACN needs to put in more WORK to get them excited about this election and Ribadu needs to find a way to communicate to them better and inspire them to own this election. We are a wounded, cynical and politically apathetic people. Ribadu needs to work harder to convince us. Unfortunately, time is running out and I see little work on the ground.

The only thing that will make things a bit better for supporters like myself will be if ACN focus their attention on Governorship and National Assembly elections thereby directing scarce resources and time to those ones and further weakening the power of the United-in-Corruption Inc. -->PDP. That is a strategy I can live with, till we try again in four years.

For now, I see little to no effort and I hope I'm very wrong.

I like your argument and I agree with most part of it except that the bold does not justify some of yours and OP's concerns.

These people in the bold that you consider crucial for winning elections are the one that are least concerned about articulation and oratory ability.

Their main concern is; Who among them is not a thief, honest and sincere enough to give them the better Nigeria the crave for?

Although I will also be the 1st to accept the fact that NR need to do a lot more to convince and win the heart of these set of people.

Beaf:

If petty people hadn't clutched at the nearest straws to damn GEJ with, nobody would mentioning nonesense like charisma and spoken English. When did these things rise to any importance in a country where a 300km road journey has been known to last 3 days (Lagos - Benin), there is epileptic power supply and in the North where illiteracy is highest, Boko Haram is running rampant, burning and killing in a macabre fight for the right to remain illiterate and backward?

I put the blame squarely at the feet of people like yourself. As an example, rather than mention a tangible weakness, you are belittling GEJ's PhD.
Belittling knowledge is a disgrace in any developing country, especially one like ours that is creaking in all four corners and wobbling like a wretch hung on the devils brew.
It is for people like yourself sir, to raise your game. Leave the tired old gutter slander behind, leave it for the miseducated and societal dregs on the street corners, we have a job on hand and it is building this country from the ground up, from all cardinal points, North, South, East, and west. The job is about dragging our people out of the gutter, not burying ourselves in there too.

When it is recalled that the first attacks on GEJ's diction were on his so called Ijaw accent, and how that accent was poverty stricken compared to Northern ones; the full shame hits one in the face. The initial goal of the attacks on GEJ's accent, were to make him sound like he is unfamiliar, too minority to be Nigerian, especially with jibes like, "he has no political structures" (read that as code for, he is from a minority with no say in this country). When the above is coupled with zoning, the full force of Nigeria's petty and trible politics in all its gory faecal glory, hits the observer smack between the eye's.

Nigeria's empty, directionless, low-blow politics is the big beast we must coral and destroy. That is the real task for you and I, it forbids casting aspersion on an earned PhD or any knowledge, it forbids petty issues. leave petty things to petty mind, who do not matter in the wider scheme of things.

I always advise that we do not call people names
For instance you said I told a pack of lies above
If I prove that you actually said those things, would you apologise

Anyway let us get to brass tacks
GEj is directly/indirectly responsible for that Benin-Ore road
His candidate - Mrs Alliison Madueke went there to weep as Minister of Works
What happened, nothing
and Mrs Madueke's continue to get very impotant ministerial positions

Blaming me for not addressing tangible weakness of GEJ's?
To start with I corrected somebody's comparison of Ribadu to GEJ
Should we allow him get away with that unfair and grossly biased exercise?
Furthermore you yourself have mentioned Ribadu's disjointed sentences

You accuse Ribadu of going around with Tinubu who is corrupt
Now that is something GEJ is more guilty of
Who are the people around Johnathan - pure crooks
Akala (can you imagine! in a civilised society. A PhD holder with a common thug)
Daniel (see how he broke all rules of sense and decency to try and get his bond approved)
And if you know how that bond was approved at the exchange, you will be shocked
Anenih, former minister of works and we are back to Benin - Ore road again,  are we not?
Obj - Odi, Anambra, Bakassi, incorporation of Galaxy Backbone, Bells University, Zaki Biam, N7b presidential library,
Largest farm in the major zones, Transcorp etc

Who is worse here?

And I still say that with GEJ's PhD much was expected
If he has grammar issues as a lecturer, I just have a nagging feeling he is not thorough enough
Let me remind you - a dinner was hosted in Lagos for Yaradua and Johnathan in 2007 while they were campaigning
Prof Bolaji Akinyemi said you know I always respect intellectuals
Mr Ijewere said 2 university lecturers? - this is an incredible ticket!
I have heard rumours of GEJ's weaknesses - I would not mention them without proof/attribution
But do you think there a Nigerian politician who has held political office for 10years without any secret?

BTW you will never see me criticise a group of people - accent, manners etc do not matter
Although I point out to the hypocrisy of southerners when they criticise northerners
Did you think if we had a Prof Claude Ake as an aspirant, I would give these other guys the time of day?
I respected him intellectually and he is not likely to join the PDP gang

The last paragraph applies more to you
1. Nothing good is likely to come out of PDP
2. I really want the best for this country but people have some sub optimal concerns (the north, IBB, Atiku etc)
3. You never concede that there is anything wrong with your candidate - being Mr Perfect is against human nature
4. And I still feel that we have had enough visioning 2000, 2010, 2015, 2020. Sincerity to pursue these vision is what we now require in my opinion. look at NEEDS. Visioning without action is day dreaming. I submit that sincerity that Ribadu brings is more important now than visions

I pray for this country - I actually pray that if GEJ wins I am proved wrong
Lastly I believe in zoning - it makes it go round. Without it anybody who has the population will monopolise power
People who dislike zoning are just not examining it thoroughly because they also want power zoned to the incumbent
I know the North does not want to wait till 2019
The Igbos do not want to wait till 2019
How can we bring everybody together on this matter? it bothers me
and these interests cannot be dismissed lightly

May God bless this country

OAM4J:

I like your argument and I agree with most part of it except that the bold does not justify some of yours and OP's concerns.

These people in the bold that you consider crucial for winning elections are the one that are least concerned about articulation and oratory ability.

Their main concern is; Who among them is not a thief, honest and sincere enough to give them the better Nigeria the crave for?

Although I will also be the 1st to accept the fact that NR need to do a lot more to convince and win the heart of these set of people.

the okada man cares about corruption and all? . . .guy, the okada man will vote for the person that he connects with, forget all this corruption-talk. . .the person that spits the tightest juice(in whatever language), ribadu has to get the masses resonating with him and he's going about the wrong way, all the 'naming ceremonies' and the likes that he has been attending up and down the place only serves to alienate him from the masses. The dude should meet with all the market women and touts in the states he visits and talk about things they experience daily, that's when he will have started. . .

truly:

I disagree
Beaf has been  saying that anybody who is older than GEJ is too old
and anybody who is younger than GEJ is not ready
Beaf is frenetically clearing the deck for his man GEJ, Mr Perfect!

Please take careful note of the highlighted items and then provide your several proofs to your statement below. If you do that, I will indeed apologise, but if you can't, would you be man enough to apologise to me?

truly: I always advise that we do not call people names
For instance you said I told a pack of lies above
If I prove that you actually said those things, would you apologise. . .

Like I preached earlier, its best to keep away from low blows, whether to candidates or fellow NLers, we need to rise above petty politics for the sake of ourselves, GEJ, Ribadu and Nigeria.

OAM4J:

I like your argument and I agree with most part of it except that the bold does not justify some of yours and OP's concerns.

These people in the bold that you consider crucial for winning elections are the one that are least concerned about articulation and oratory ability.

Their main concern is; Who among them is not a thief, honest and sincere enough to give them the better Nigeria the crave for?

Although I will also be the 1st to accept the fact that NR need to do a lot more to convince and win the heart of these set of people.

Ok, netotse replied,  allow me to add;

I'm glad you mentioned the bolded. You are right, But The key is Inspiration. Articulation and Oratory skills are like "jaras" (extras). Essential extras IMO though.

The point is that Ribadu and ACN must inspire followership, his ambition depends on it period!

But my experiences with Nigerians shows that we most often equate articulation with the ability to speak Queens English.  I DO NOT CARE if Ribadu cannot speak Queens English like the King of England.

Can he speak Hausa to the Masses like Aminu Kano spoke to the Talakawas?

Can he command the attention of the crowd like Adegoke Adelabu on Mapo hill? or the young  Zik in front of a crowd? -those people became leaders for a reason.

. . . and if he can't communicate and pass across his message with great oratorical skills, can he ORGANIZE like a certain Black man with a "funny name" who with his charm, charisma and dogged organizational skills became the most powerful man in the world?

It's not just the articulation and Oratory, and no, Ribadu does not need to speak English to Agberos, but he must inspire and ORGANIZE those people to believe in his campaign and want him more than they want a bag of rice from GEJ or a wad of cash from IBB, else he'll lose. . .

nr

nr for president

nr for president

everybody has got a chance

Kilode?!:

Ok, netotse replied,  allow me to add;

I'm glad you mentioned the bolded. You are right, But The key is Inspiration. Articulation and Oratory skills are like "jaras" (extras). Essential extras IMO though.

The point is that Ribadu and ACN must inspire followership, his ambition depends on it period!

But my experiences with Nigerians shows that we most often equate articulation with the ability to speak Queens English.  I DO NOT CARE if Ribadu cannot speak Queens English like the King of England.

Can he speak Hausa to the Masses like Aminu Kano spoke to the Talakawas?

Can he command the attention of the crowd like Adegoke Adelabu on Mapo hill? or the young  Zik in front of a crowd? -those people became leaders for a reason.

. . . and if he can't communicate and pass across his message with great oratorical skills, can he ORGANIZE like a certain Black man with a "funny name" who with his charm, charisma and dogged organizational skills became the most powerful man in the world?

It's not just the articulation and Oratory, and no, Ribadu does not need to speak English to Agberos, but he must inspire and ORGANIZE those people to believe in his campaign and want him more than they want a bag of rice from GEJ or a wad of cash from IBB, else he'll lose. . .

Thanks for the clarification. I agree with the bold 100%. NR and ACN need to develop a sound strategy and communicate with all and sundry in the language they understand.

Even though I want NR to contest, I do not expect him to win in 2011. he can be the opposition voice between 2011 - 2015 during that period everyone would have known what his view points are.

And I expect him to be a force to reckon with in 2015, but then that is if he is able to transform himself from a policeman to a politician.

@Beaf

For One to Be called à Crminal,He Must have been indicted or betterstill convicted of at least One Crime.
Can you please(for clarity Sake) Name One Crime Tinubu Was\have been convicted of?Just One.
If you cant Name One but based your accusation on allegations then;
Your GEJ's wife was allegedly caught with suitcases containing Millions of Dollars while GEJwS the Governor of Bayelsa State,
Does that make her à criminal?The Onus is on you to take à stand/decision. 

That Ribadu is running for Presidency on ACN's Party of which Tinubu is à national Leader removed nothing From Ribadu's
integrity or respect.Compared to GEJ's PDP,ACN is still à better Choice.

GEJ Must Be à Saint for moving with Akala,Gbenga Daniel, Alams( His predecccessor in Bayelsa),OBJ,Anenih,Ohakim,T.O.Orji etc.
These are the Most Corrupt Nigerians hat Ever lived.
OGD's Coup in Ogun State is Still giving GEJ à Black Eye while Akala and Orji are complet

@Olafolarin
Abeg, lets keep tempers low.

[size=14pt]Ex Governor Bola Tinubu was a Drug Baron! [/size]
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - Dotun Oladipo

Contrary to denials, the Nigerian Compass yesterday learnt that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed that a former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Bola,

Ahmed Tinubu, ran a heroin ring in the country; was convicted, though with an option of fine; and was actually quizzed last month while entering into the country.

Documents available to the Nigerian Compass showed that the United States Government has written the Nigerian Government, highlighting the fact that Tinubu ran a cocaine ring in the country.

According to the document, signed by the United States Government Narcotics Attache in its embassy in Nigeria, Andre W. Kellum, Tinubu operated an organisation that distributed cocaine.

Kellum said that though Tinubu was not subjected to criminal prosecution, the fact that he acceded to forfeiting funds to the United States Government was on its own a conviction.

Kellum’s letter was a response to a petition pertaining to Tinubu’s suitability to stand for re-election in 2003 as the governor of Lagos State.

The petitioner said that Tinubu, owing to his conviction in the United States for running a drug cartel, was not suitable to stand for election in Nigeria.

In the letter dated April 9, 2003, addressed to the former Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji Bello Lafiaji, Kellum wrote, “After consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of International Affairs (OIA), this is in response to the above referenced matter, regarding Bola Ahmed TINUBU (emphasis that of Kellum).

“Pursuant to the aforementioned request, the Lagos, Nigeria Country Office (LNCO) of the Drug Enforcement Administration immediately contacted DOJ/OIA officials. Copies of documents received by the LNCO from the NDLEA were forwarded to these officials for verification.

“As such, please note that paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of the complaint indicates that persons named therein operated an organisation that distributed heroin and the proceeds of that illegal distribution were in the subject acounts to be forfeited. The complaint references U.S. (criminal) money laundering and (criminal) drug statutes as the authority under which the forfeiture occurs. Nevertheless, note that the complaint in this civil action identifies the funds as the defendant (Tinubu), not the account holders.

“Likewise, the Decree of Forfeiture, signed by a U.S. District Judge, identifies the criminal statutory authority for the civil forfeiture of the funds without regard to whether there is a corresponding criminal prosecution.

“The facts revealed in the U.S. Investigation of the funds and their source are detailed in the affidavit filed by the Internal Revenue Service.

In the letter from the NDLEA that resulted in Kellum’s reaction, the lead anti-narcotic agency in Nigeria said that the conclusion it could draw was that Tinubu’s drug case was yet to be closed by the United States.

The letter, in its opinion section, noted, “Former paragraph 6 above, Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu was involved in Money Laundering Transactions along with Mueez Adegboya Akande and Abiodun Agbele in the United States of America.

“Even though he was not charged to court, he had to compromise the case. Otherwise, he would have lost the whole money.

“Arising from the case, Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu forfeited 460,000 US dollars to the United States Government being proceeds of narcotic trafficking or property involved in financial transactions in violation of 18 USO 1956 and 1957 and therefore was forfeitable to the United States (emphasis that of the NDLEA).

“It is pertinent to note that the funds held by Citi bank which was released to Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the action filed against these funds held in the said accounts was dismissed with prejudice. This in effect means the case has not been closed (emphasis that of NDLEA). . .

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/~compas/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10593:tinubu-ran-heroin-ring-in-us-says-drug-agency&catid=43:news&Itemid=799

See also http://www.pointblanknews.com/os1147.html

www.nairaland.com/attachments/139268_BolaTinubuHeroinforfeiture_jpgb084d334c74cec7150ee9588a3aed2fc

@Olafolarin

[size=14pt]U.S AGENTS EXPOSE BOLA TINUBU'S DRUG TRAFFICKING DEALS[/size]

Facts have emerged that the erstwhile Governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu may have been involved in a white heroin trafficking network which operated in Chicago and some parts of Indiana and led by one Adegboyega Mueez Akande between 1988 and 1993. The source of the   white heroine was identified as one Mr.  Lee Andrew Edwards who was incarcerated for attempting to murder a federal agent while the agent was executing a search warrant on him.

According to the Verified Complaint for forfeiture in case No. 93 C 4483 Obtained by SaharaReporters, which was filed on July 26, 1993 before the Hon. Judge Nordberg of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Government urged the Court to order the forfeiture of  funds   in accounts Nos. 263226700 held by First Heritage Bank in the name of Bola Tinubu, funds in accounts 39483134, 39483396, 4650279566, 00400220, 39936404 and 39936383 held by Citibank N.A in the name of Bola Tinubu and funds in accounts 52050-89451952,52050-89451952, 52050-89451953 held by Citibank in the name of Bola Tinubu because there was probable cause to believe that the funds in Tinubu's bank accounts represented proceeds of narcotics trafficking or were monies involved in financial transactions in violations of 18 U.S.C, sections 1956 and 1957 and therefore, was forfeitable to the U.S Government.

However, in a tacit defense of the ownership of the funds, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu averred in Court that the funds belonged to himself, his wife, K.O Tinubu and his surrogate mother, Alhaja Mogaji and warranted that they had exclusive right, title and interest to the funds.

In an affidavit sworn to by Kevin Moss, a Special Agent with the United States Internal Revenue Service, criminal investigation division in support of the verified complaint for forfeiture of Bola Tinubu's moneys held in various Bank accounts, the agent gave a vivid account of how he came to the conclusion that the funds were proceeds of narcotics transaction in violation of the U.S law.

Mr. Moss averred that prior to and during 1988; the government became involved in the investigation of a white heroin trafficking network operating in Chicago, Illinois and Hammond, Indiana. The investigation disclosed that an individual known as Lee Andrew Edwards was a source of white heroin. The government sources provided information about Lee Andrew Edwards including the identity of a telephone number which activated in electronic pager. This pager according to him was to be called to place an order for white heroin.  According to Mr. Moss, this pager was subscribed to by one Adegboyega Mueez Akande who at that time was a resident of Chicago.

Mr. Moss further averred that during February 1988, an individual named Abiodun  Agbele arrived in the U.S from Nigeria and during investigation by the government, Agbele disclosed that Akande was his uncle who provided him an apartment in Hammond, Indiana. 

According to Agbele, Mr. Akande returned to Nigeria in1990; however, before he left, he instructed Agbale to serve as a source of white heroin for Mr. Lee Andrew Edwards as a result of which Agbele sold white heroin for Lee Andrew Edwards on numerous occasions. Following a tip off, Agbele sold one ounce of white heroin to a law enforcement agent undercover on November 28, 1990 for $7,000 and was subsequently arrested. After his arrest, Agbele agreed to cooperate with the law enforcement agents regarding the white heroin distribution and network of Akande.

According to Agbele, Akande controlled the operation of white heroin from Nigeria in conjunction with other individuals in Nigeria and the U.S. One other individual who worked with Akande according to the affidavit was identified as Bola Tinubu who later became the governor of Lagos state from 1999 to 2007.

The investigation also revealed that in December 1989, Akande took Bola Tinubu to First Heritage bank where Bola Tinubu opened an individual money market.  In the account opening application, Tinubu, gave his address as 7504 South Stewart, Chicago, the same address used previously by Akande and his company, Globe-Link. This is the same  address used as the drop-off point for packages from Nigeria that contained the white heroin. According to bank records, Bola Tinubu also opened a joint checking account in his name and the name of his wife, Oluremi Tinubu. Mrs. Tinubu had previously opened a joint Bank account also in the same bank with Abdrey Akande, the wife of the heroin kingpin, Adegboyega Mueez Akande.

Upon opening the account, Tinubu deposited the sum of $1,000 in traveler's check. However, five days after opening the account, specifically, on January 4, 1990, Tinubu deposited the sum of $80,000 into the account.

According to the federal agent, in a credit application dated January 6, 1990, Bola Tinubu disclosed that he resided at 7504 South Stewart and that Mueez A. Akande was his cousin. Tinubu further stated that he was an employee of Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited, Fairfax, Virginia and his take home pay was $2,400 per month. Additionally, Tinubu stated on the application that he had no other sources of income and listed his wife, Oluremi Tinubu as co-applicant for the application for automobile loan. The loan was secured with the certificate of deposit in the amount of $10,000 which Tinubu had purchased with a withdrawal from the $80,000 deposit in his checking account.

According to the federal agent, Bank records from First heritage Bank disclosed that in 1990 alone, Bola Tinubu deposited $661,000 into his individual money market account and in 1993; he deposited the sum of $1,216,500 into the same money market account. The agent further avers that in 1991, Tinubu began opening accounts at Citibank in the section known as the world-wide personal banking unit where he transferred the sum of $560,000 from his money market account at the First Heritage Bank.

This development prompted the Federal agents to interview representatives from Mobil Oil regarding Tinubu's employment status and his take-home pay.  The Mobil Oil representatives confirmed to the investigators that Tinubu was employed by the Mobil Oil as a treasurer. Mobil Oil further told the federal agents that this position did not involve the transfer of large amounts of money between banking institutions. Mobil oil representatives also stated that under no circumstance would Tinubu be permitted to retain money belonging to Mobil Oil in accounts bearing Tinubu's name. Finally, Mobil Oil confirmed that the corporation never had any accounts in banks in the southern suburbs of Chicago.

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On January 10, 1992, the federal agents obtained a court Order freezing Tinubu's accounts at First Heritage Bank and Citibank respectively. Thereafter, Tinubu contacted the First Heritage Bank to transfer money from his accounts and was advised that the accounts had been seized by the U.S Treasury. 

On January 13, 1992, Mr. Moss, the Federal agent contacted Bola  Tinubu  in Nigeria by phone using a number provided to the First Heritage Bank by Tinubu himself. Mr. Moss averred that during the course of the interview, Bola Tinubu confirmed that he knew Mueez Adegboyega Akande. Tinubu further admitted during the interview with the federal agent that he had wire transferred $100,000 to Akande's bank account in Houston and that the $80,000.00 of the funds used to open the account at First Heritage Bank had come from Akande. Tinubu further admitted that he had other accounts in Fairfax, Virginia and London.

Concluding his affidavit evidence, Mr. Moss stated that with all these evidence, there was probable cause to believe that the funds in the accounts held by First Heritage Bank and Citibank, N.A in the name of Bola Tinubu represented property that was involved in narcotics transaction in violation of the U.S law. He therefore, urged the Court to issue an order of forfeiture of the funds.

After a protracted litigation in which Bola Tinubu claimed that the monies legitimately belonged to him, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu and his surrogate mother, one Alhaja Mogaji, Bola Tinubu finally opted for a stipulated settlement with the U.S government. According to the settlement Order dated September 15, 1993; Hon. Judge John A Nordberg ordered that the sum of $460,000 held by Bola Tinubu in The First Heritage Bank account be forfeited to the United States Government. The Court also ordered the release of the funds held in the Citibank account and any money held in excess of $460,000 at the First Heritage account to Bola Tinubu in line with the agreement and stipulation reached by Tinubu with the federal agents.

Ironically, this case came up at the peak of the struggle against the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election by the Gen. Babagida-led military junta during which time Tinubu as a member and one of the leading financiers of the National democratic Coalition (NADECO) made several "pro-democracy" trips to the U.S ostensibly to press for U.S sanctions against the Nigerian junta. It is therefore doubtful whether most of those trips were actually connected with the June 12, struggle after all.

http://www.pointblanknews.com/os1147.html

Akala,Ohakim and Most importantly Orji have collectively Run out of ideas on how to manage their respective States.And These are GEJ's Men.If "guilty by Association" is à Crime in Nigeria, GEJ should Be jailed for his array of corrupt associates.

Ribadu's use or Choice of words may Be poor but GEJ is not better.
I have watched  Series of His Interviews and its almost à Shame that
He has PhD in Fisheries but He is still the Most credible candidate among
PDP contestants.But thats it.
Apart from being à lawyer representing the Police during Oputa Panel,Ribadu's Main assignment was His Job at
EFCC and He did it  excellently enough to project him into inter'l limelight.
Doing that in à Country like Nigeria speaks Volume of him and His Vision for the Country.

For what its worth,I believe Ribadu is the right Voice for my Generation.

Was He convictedof any of the afore-mentioned Crimes?
Allegation is One Thing but being convicted for those allegations is another.
You Know better than that.

Please just ansWer that question.Was He convicted of any Crime in Chicago or anywhere in the World?Pls show me Tinubu's conviction notice since you are good @ posting garbage.

If He was Tried in à competent U.S Court and wasnt convicted of any wrongdoing,the onus is on you to substantiate your Claim or reason for calling him "criminal".
Or the word "criminal" has à different meaning in your own Dictionary.

[quote author=Beaf
. After a protracted litigation in which Bola Tinubu claimed that the monies legitimately belonged to him, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu and his surrogate mother, one Alhaja Mogaji, Bola Tinubu finally opted for a stipulated settlement with the U.S government. According to the settlement Order dated September 15, 1993; Hon. Judge John A Nordberg ordered that the sum of $460,000 held by Bola Tinubu in The First Heritage Bank account be forfeited to the United States Government. The Court also ordered the release of the funds held in the Citibank account and any money held in excess of $460,000 at the First Heritage account to Bola Tinubu in line with the agreement and stipulation reached by Tinubu with the federal agents.

[/quote]

I asked you a simple question and you started posting rubbish.You post the same stuff on every Tinubu thread.You no dey tire?

Obviously,you dont live or work anywhere abroad.
It takes a total defeat for the U.S judicial system to accept a "stipulated settlement" most likely initiated by the Chicago Police Dept.
In a lay man's language,it means instead of going home empty-handed,we accept settlement to cover our litigation expenses.

Any U.S. court is no joke and for little known Tinubu to survive such rigorous investigation and legal fireworks only to forfeit $460K is definitely a big feat.

he came out of it taller,more popular and a great politician.
He was never convicted and as such never went to jail for any crime.Remember that it happened in U.S. where there is no short-cut or mercy for offfenders especially people of colour.

Ribadu stayed in exile in U.S. and worked with different security establishemts worldwide.he must have checked Tinubu's file before associating with him.

@ Beaf: Explain this;

Patience Jonathan: Nigeria’s Most Powerful Woman
Posted on October 28, 2007
by Adeola Aderounmu
By Sonala Olumhense.


ON September 11, 2006, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seized $13.5 million dollars (US) from Mrs. Patience Jonathan, the wife of then Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan.
The International Herald Tribune quoted the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Osita Nwajah, as saying that the seizure was made after Mrs. Jonathan had allegedly laundered the money through an associate.

It was the second time in one month Mrs. Jonathan was hitting the scandal headlines. In August, the EFCC had obtained a court order to temporarily freeze N104 million she had allegedly tried to launder through one Mrs. Nancy Ebere Nwosu. The EFCC said it had reason to believe the seized funds belonged to the public. In a sworn statement, Mrs. Nwosu implicated Patience Jonathan, the EFCC said.

Maybe its her monthly salary

Thief Woman.


It is still continued, Below is the link for full details.


http://aderinola./2007/10/28/patience-jonathan-nigerias-most-powerful-woman/

Beaf:

Please take careful note of the highlighted items and then provide your several proofs to your statement below. If you do that, I will indeed apologise, but if you can't, would you be man enough to apologise to me?

Like I preached earlier, its best to keep away from low blows, whether to candidates or fellow NLers, we need to rise above petty politics for the sake of ourselves, GEJ, Ribadu and Nigeria.

haha - man enough?
I have apologised in the past to people I did not offend in order keep discussion civil
Of course, I would. Just wait

Ribadu will loose gallantly. im not sure if he wud make 50thousand votes