http://blog4all-com..com/2012/03/how-obj-made-me-governor-akpabio.html

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has revealed how former President Olusegun Obasanjo played a role in his emergence as governor of the state in 2007, noting that the former president’s insistence on fairness and due process, made it possible for him to become the governor of the state.

According to Akpabio, who spoke at the 75th birthday party organised for Chief Obasanjo in Lagos, when he won Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary in 2007, some highly placed politicians in the state, who were unhappy with his emergence connived with party bigwigs in Abuja to deny him the mandate.

He noted that the said politicians employed every means, including bribing the top rank of the party and Federal Government to ensure that he did not fly the flag of the party but Chief Obasanjo insisted that he should be allowed to contest since he had won the primaries.

“At that time, I didn’t know anyone and I had no sponsor, but for Baba’s fairness and insistence on fair play and deepening of democracy, I would not have become the governor of the state. I and the people of Akwa Ibom State are grateful for his fairness and that insistence that the right process should be followed,” he said.

http://blog4all-com..com/2012/03/how-obj-made-me-governor-akpabio.html

I want to puke

I admire the work Akpabio has done in Akwa Ibom, but must he praise that criminal fool Obj?

GenBuhari:

I want to puke

I admire the work Akpabio has done in Akwa Ibom, but must he praise that criminal fool Obj?

Why stop at puking only? Why not hang yourself by your blokus and gut out your own intestines? Oloshi akotileta!

blog4all:

http://blog4all-com..com/2012/03/how-obj-made-me-governor-akpabio.html

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has revealed how former President Olusegun Obasanjo played a role in his emergence as governor of the state in 2007, noting that the former president’s insistence on fairness and due process, made it possible for him to become the governor of the state.

So when did Obj become a fan of fairness and due process?

I would not touch OBJ with a long pole if I were Akpabio, even if he saved my life.
The guy is a political baggage that can deal a death blow to his future political ambitions. Nuff said.

Bad belle

@GenBuhari no matter how much u condemn Obj, no Matter how much noise u make on NL, u can't rewrite the history of Nigeria; Baba is by far better than u in every sense- ur superior officer in Nigeria army,a man who is recognise worldwide as one of the best African leader in recent time, I doubt if that name "Buhari" rings any bell in all our nab countries; so this man is greater than u in every sense why u just accept it the way God want it; "Abeg me I want read other more educating, more enlighten topics o jare I'm sick and tire of ur noise making over OBJ"

^
Do you mean like this? :
[size=20pt]
WikiLeaks: Obasanjo and his inner circle Stole Nigeria's Billions of Dollars [/size]
Friday, 09 September 2011 17:09 [elombah.com]

Corruption pervades the entire levels of the private and public sector under the administration of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, so said a US Diplomatic cables revealed by wikileaks. The report said that "the arrests in London of the Bayelsa and Plateau State governors have barely scratched the surface of the endemic corruption at the federal, state, and local level. The diplomatic cables noted that in a widely-circulated August 22 letter to President Obasanjo, Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu accused Obasanjo of corruption, listing a number of dubious deals, including:

--Cancellation of the contract for the construction of the national stadium in Abuja, only to re-award the contract to a different vendor at a higher price.

--Use of public funds for capital improvements at two private schools secretly owned by Obasanjo.

Obasanjo's response was to agree to be "investigated by the EFCC, which reports to the President. When the EFCC invited Kalu to provide evidence to support his accusations, Kalu refused, pointing out that the EFCC was not an independent investigative body and had no authority to prosecute the President, and the investigation died out.

The President's chicken farm in Otta is one of the largest in Nigeria. A Presidential spokesman said in November 2004, in order to explain Obasanjo's personal wealth, that the farm generated about $250,000 per month in income, though it was nearly bankrupt in the late 1990s (ref
A). Regardless of whether the current income figure is accurate, at least some Nigerians think it is unlikely that Obasanjo's military pension and benefits were the sole source of investment for establishing this huge enterprise, valued by a construction engineer involved in the construction at
more than $250 million.

It is also widely believed that the President's inner circle also reaps hefty rewards with impunity. Some frequently cited examples are:

--Edmund Daukoro, recently named Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, was charged in 1994 for embezzling some $47 million as a managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The charges were abandoned, and Daukoro's political career soared when Obasanjo took office in 1999.

--Senator Florence Ita Giwa, indicted for misappropriation of funds by the Idris Kuta Panel in 2000, was pardoned along with other indicted senators, and she was named a special advisor to Obasanjo when she left office.

--The head of the National Airport Management Authority (NAMA), Rochas Okorocha, was caught and dismissed for embezzling about $1 million through an inflated contract; Obasanjo then appointed him as a senior aide, without requiring Okorocha to repay the stolen funds. Okorocha was
eventually fired on July 13 in a cabinet reshuffle, but went on to start a political party for his renewed presidential ambitions.

--The recent auction of oil blocks included some firms bidding,, sometimes with no prior ties to the oil industry, that were linked to Obasanjo associates, including Daukoro, Rivers State governor Peter Odili, Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel, presidential advisor Andy Uba, presidential
chief of staff Abdullahi Mohammed, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nasir al-Rufai and PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Tony Anenih.

--Anenih was indicted by the National Assembly for the sum of 300 billion Naira (approximately $2.4 billion) missing from Ministry of Works and Housing while he was the minister. The missing money is widely believed to have paid off 2003 elections "expenses," including to Balogun, in addition to
lining his own pockets.

--Minister of Finance Ngozie Okonjo-Iweala is said to have steered contracts to her brother (JonJon) with the help of el-Rufai. The contracts, said to amount to about $50 million, have been paid for consulting work for the Ministry.

--Al-Rufai is at the center of the corruption allegations. Well-known to PolCouns eight year ago, when he was homeless and seeking a loan to import a taxi from the UK, al-Rufai is said to have recently purchased seven upscale properties in a posh Abuja neighborhood. His demolitions of commercial and residential buildings in the capital have reportedly provided an opportunity for himself and several of his friends. After demolishing residential properties in Kubwa, the land was reallocated to several of his friends and to an investment company he allegedly owns. The community of Chika, where about two square miles of development was demolished in December, has allegedly been allocated to the same group of people.

--Chief Olabode George, current PDP National Chairman (Southwest) is a close friend of President Obasanjo and a leading proponent of the Third Term Agenda. He is one of the people accused of financial recklessness in the affairs of the National Port Authority, where he was chairman when the financial scandals were allegedly committed. He was retired from the Navy in the 1990s by the Babangida Administration after serving as military governor of Ondo State from 1987 to 1990 in addition to other military postings.

--Chris Uba, recently appointed to the PDP Board of Trustees, admitted rigging during the 2003 elections and attempted to kidnap the governor of Anambra state to try to collect payments for his efforts. Linked closely to several vigilante groups in the state, he is widely believed to be
responsible for the burning of many state government buildings in Awka, crimes that have yet to be solved.

¶10. (C/REL UK) Obasanjo himself is believed to be one of the owners of Suntrust Petroleum. And questions remain about the Obasanjo Library project, which collected enormous sums of money from government contractors, banks, industrialists, and state governors, ostensibly for the construction of a presidential library, the plans for which are vague. It is widely believed throughout the country that Obasanjo and his
son, Gbenga, are major shareholders in the newly reorganized Zenith Bank and UBA Bank as well as in airlines and the telecommunications sector.

¶11. (C/REL UK) The Bureau of Private Enterprises oversaw the privatization of many government-owned business, including sugar, steel, rice and other sectors. It is widely believed that the privatization exercise benefited both the President, through Aliko Dangote, and the Vice President,
through various agents.

¶12. (C/REL UK) Meanwhile, at the state level, the personal excesses of several governors indicate that they are finding ways to supplement their government salaries:

--Edo State governor Lucky Igbenedion purchased a $6 million mansion in London in 2000 through a series of shell companies, a year after he was elected governor. He has two Ferraris on the premises. He also owns reputedly the most expensive residence in Abuja, estimated at $25 million.

--Delta State governor James Ibori owns two London estates. The properties were purchased for $3 million and $4 million, respectively, after Ibori was elected governor. Through a shell company registered to his London-based wife, he offered for public auction an ongoing supply of 6 million barrels of oil per month. When reporters confronted his wife, the shell companies abruptly changed their directors so that Ibori's wife was no longer listed.

--Rivers State governor Peter Odili has built an impressive portfolio from his corrupt dealings as governor of one of the oil-rich states in Nigeria since his first election in 1999. Beginning his political career as a medical doctor with a small private clinic in Port Harcourt, he now hosts extravagant events and boasts that it would not have been possible "before he became governor." Further, he is widely suspected of being directly responsible for facilitating massive irregularities in both the 1999 and 2003 elections. His own state officials have claimed that Odili has employed militia groups, many of which are responsible for the continuing unrest in the delta region.

--Each of the 36 state governors donated 10 million naira (about $75,000) to the Obasanjo library project. Following a public outcry, the library organizers stated the donations were from the governors' personal funds, but several governors backpedaled from their commitments, claiming they
had made no such pledges. When a Lagos lawyer filed a code of conduct complaint alleging conflict of interest in the President's receiving these donations from recipients of government funds, Obasanjo invoked the immunity clause of the constitution, and the complaint died out.

Section 308 of the 1999 constitution gives immunity from civil or criminal prosecution to the President, Vice President, Governors, and Deputy Governors, and many holders of these offices have clearly taken advantage of this privilege.

The rest of the wikileaks report:

SUBJECT: CORRUPTION: NIGERIA "IMPROVES" TO SIXTH-WORST IN THE WORLD, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
-------
Summary
-------

¶1. (U) Transparency International recently released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2005, showing that
there are now five countries in the world perceived to be more corrupt than Nigeria. In 2004, only two countries had
been listed as more corrupt. As expected, the GON both claimed credit for the "improvement" in position, and denied
that there was still a corruption problem in Nigeria.

¶2. (S/REL UK) Corruption remains widespread in Nigeria at all levels of the private and public sector. The arrests in
London of the Bayelsa and Plateau State governors barely scratched the surface of the endemic corruption at the
federal, state, and local level. The current campaign to ferret out corrupt officials is widely perceived to be nothing more than a political witch hunt by President Obasanjo, a view supported by examining cases targeted at
high-level officials.
Section 308 of the 1999 constitution gives immunity from civil or criminal prosecution to the President, Vice President, Governors, and Deputy Governors, and many holders of these offices have clearly taken advantage of this privilege. There is no such immunity from U.S. visa revocation under Presidential Proclamation 7750, however, and post plans to submit further requests for revocation of visas of corrupt public officials. End Summary.

--------------------------------------------- --------
Transparency International: Nigeria's a Little Better
--------------------------------------------- --------

¶3. (U) Transparency International (TI) recently released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2005, showing
that there are now five countries in the world perceived to be more corrupt than Nigeria: Chad, Bangladesh,
Turkmenistan, Myanmar, and Haiti. In 2004, only Bangladeshnand Haiti had been listed as more corrupt. Nigeria's
absolute rating increased slightly, from 1.6 (out of 10) to 1.9, though the range of the confidence interval could have
placed the country anywhere in the bottom nine. As expected, the GON claimed credit for the "improvement" in position, saying it was evidence of the Obasanjo administration's reforms. And as expected, the GON also faulted TI's
methodology and denied there was still a corruption problem in Nigeria.

¶4. (U) The World Economic Forum has released the results of a survey finding improvement in Nigerian firms'
perceptions of corruption in the country. For example, from 2002-2005, the percentage of Nigerian firms that believed
public funds in Nigeria were diverted due to corruption decreased from 100% to about 75%.

¶5. (U) The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, continue to grab
headlines, as newspapers eagerly report the rumored targets
of EFCC investigations. Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission (ICPC) chairman Mustapha Akanbi stepped down on
September 29 and was replaced by another former Supreme Court
justice, Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola. Meanwhile, the EFCC and
the ICPC have won only a single conviction of a high-level
public official: on November 22, former Inspector-General of
Police Tafa Balogun, fired for corruption, pled guilty to
minor obstruction charges and received a sentence of just six
months, less time served.

---------------
What Can We Do?
---------------

¶13. (S/REL UK) While we cannot prove all of these
accusations in a court of law, their significance is that
they are widely believed both among political figures and
among that part of the general public that is politically
aware. It is in the USG's interest to support Nigeria's
efforts to root out corruption and, while our positive public
pronouncements contribute to the environment, the biggest
influence we can have is the judicious use of U.S. visa
revocation for corrupt practices, as provided by Presidential
Proclamation 7750. Though we are unable to identify every

ABUJA 00000483 004 OF 004

corrupt official, the Mission is compiling a list of some
prominent and egregious corrupt officials from throughout the
country. This list will take into consideration the
individuals, levels of corruption and the impact on Nigerian
stability of a 7750 decision. The list could be expanded in
many directions, but the Mission feels that such an effort
would demonstrate the sincerity and seriousness of the USG's
commitment to good governance and, if these individuals are
found ineligible, that finding could contribute greatly to
entrenching the precepts of good governance and
accountability in Nigeria.

[size=18pt]So this is what u call noise making? :

Obasanjo stole 2.4 trillion Naira, says CNPP[/size]

While the controversial N3.5 billion contract scam involving Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is still yawning for investigation and prosecution, a fresh allegation against her father, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, has surfaced in which he is accused of robbing the country of over $900 billion and N1.4 trillion.

This is contained in a petition by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former president.

Anchoring its request for EFCC’s investigation and prosecution of Obasanjo on section 15(5) of the 1999 constitution which stipulates that the state shall abolish corrupt practices and abuse of office, CNPP alleged in its petition that Obasanjo’s clan of “lucrative holdings” runs into billions of dollars and trillions of naira.

The group, made up of opposition political parties in the country, stated that Obasanjo illegally appointed himself minister of petroleum resources contrary to section 147 of the constitution, knowing full well that the oil sector was the cash cow where he and his cronies could have a field day.

“As petroleum minister, the transaction detail was only between himself and the managing director of NNPC. Our investigation shows that between 2000 and 2006, Nigeria lost over $130 billion unaccounted revenue.

“A thorough investigation would crack the secrecy and reveal the wanton billion of dollars that had vanished from the sales books,” the petition reads.

CNPP further alleged that the former president collaborated with two companies employed to handle the four oil refineries in the country to swindle over $1 billion meant for the refineries’ rehabilitation.

“The rehabilitation failed and Nigeria was criminally left at the mercy of international oil market fluctuation as importation of petroleum products became subject of volatility of the exchange rate of the naira to the dollar and prices of oil at world market.

“On this score, we have since confirmed that more than $700 million were misappropriated to enrich Chief Obasanjo and his cronies and to fund his political party, the PDP,” it noted.

The CNPP further stated that in spite of the fact that the companies’ contracts were controversial because they lacked record of specialisation in refinery rehabilitation, Obasanjo “turned a blind eye to the scandal” and the result was that in the twilight of his regime, he sold the refineries to his cronies as scraps.

“In the case of Kaduna refinery, he spent over $200 million to repair it and auctioned it at $106 million.

“Mr Chairman, these monies can easily be located in banks, where Chief Obasanjo used proxies and fanthom names to acquire dominant shares.”

While urging the anti-corruption agency to “exhume the rot in the oil industry,” CNPP asked the commission’s chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, to “study the external firms that audited the account of the NNPC.”

It further claimed that Obasanjo withdrew over N1 trillion “unauthorised and unappropriated by the National Assembly from the NNPC account and the federation account,” adding that it regarded those withdrawals as gross economic and financial crime.

“The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission severally fought to stem the tide of the withdrawals scourge; as a last resort it had no alternative but to sue the executive.

“This clearly shows that the cost of corruption under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo reached earth-shaking proportions for an arm of government to resort to court process against its principal.

“On account of this face-off, Obasanjo wrote to the Senate requesting for the dismissal of the chairman of RMAFC, Alhaji Hamman Tukur, a dubious requests that was turned down.”

The CNPP further alleged that Obasanjo, in the name of privatisation, sold NITEL to the Investors International Limited (IIL) of London, a company owned by his cronies. But the deal failed because the company was unable to pay 51 per cent shares it bidded to BPE, it said.

“The aftermath of the IIL fiasco was another bizarre fiasco when BPE nominated Dutch company with headquarters at a defunct church house called Pentascope. Pentascope, instead of diligently managing NITEL, reaped of its revenue reserve. In the event NITEL lost N51 billion.”

CNPP also tasked the anti-graft commission to go deeper “to not only recover the price differential and the $160 million paid for dredging Imo River, but possibly revoke the transaction.”

It stated that a total of $7.7 billion was fleeced off to build substations, transmission lines, “and gas pipelines have not taken off, while payment has been made,” adding that the N27 billion medical equipment supply was “over-invoiced and only few of the universities listed to benefit have their equipment installed. We strongly suspect fraud.”

The CNPP finally noted that Obasanjo’s abuse of power and corrupt enrichment were “never exposed in any transaction more than in the acquisition of 200 million shares in Transcorp Plc; for we are aware that out of prison in 1998, the man was going by his own account worth less than 20,000 naira in cash.”

The group then appealed to EFCC not to shirk its mandate as “failure to investigate and prosecute Obasanjo and his cronies and possibly confiscate their illegally acquired properties would send wrong signals and endorse wanton stealing of public assets.

“We shall furnish information and documents as we progress in the investigation and prosecution.”

The petition was signed by Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa for PRP, Chief AC Nwodo for PAC, Malam Mani Ibrahim for ADC, Malam Yunusa S. Tak, William Eziguni and Osita Okechukwu for CNPP.

Meanwhile, in a press statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Osita Okechukwu, CNPP accused President Umaru Yar’Adua of complacency towards the war against corruption.

It stated: “Most importantly, we took into cognisance of the fact that President Umaru Yar’Adua is lukewarm, reticent and reactive, rather than proactive in favour of war against corruption.

“We waited patiently for over six months; the little we observed was reactions to Wilbros scam in Texas, Metropolitan Police found in United Kingdom, Siemens scandal in Germany and Iyabo-gate in Paris.

“None emanated from Nigeria, whilst Mr President is sitting on top of files of monumental corruption.”

http://www.nigerianmuse.com/20071225100551zg/nigeria-watch/official-fraud-watch-towards-fraud-free-governance-in-nigeria/olusegun-obasanjo-stole-2-4-trillion-naira-says-cnpp/

OBJ is a thief

OBJ has been a blessing to significant parts of Nigeria, his home region being a notable exception.

Why couldn't he support Akpabio-caliber governors in his own home state?

ekt_bear:

OBJ has been a blessing to significant parts of Nigeria, his home region being a notable exception.

Why couldn't he support Akpabio-caliber governors in his own home state?

He supported Gbenga Daniel, to be fair, Daniel tried during his 1st term prolly the reason why he was supported by Baba for 2nd term.

But Daniel was a disaster in his 2nd term and Baba was also not happy with him. I think he openly condemned him too.

Yeah I dunno. AKS is very likely to get 8 years of excellent governance.

Ogun got 4 years of "he tried", then 4 years of disaster.

Perhaps I should lower my expectations. . . I dunno