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Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa - Politics - Nairaland

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Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by mukina2: 10:36am On Mar 13, 2012
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that “the ‘life Presidents’ and ‘sit-tight leaders’ of the world” should draw lessons in democracy from the Arab uprisings causing serial upheavals in North African nations and take steps to address “people’s issues”.

Mr Obasanjo said this on Monday in India where he is on a five-day visit. He said the “seven or eight leaders” heading authoritarian government in African should learn from the people’s revolutions in North Africa and, if they do not, they would be made to learn the “important” lesson by their citizens.

“What has happened in North Africa is not just a lesson for nations in Africa, but is a lesson for the world as a whole,” the former president said while responding to a question on what lesson that the Arab Spring and the subsequent regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen has for Africa after delivering an address at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) at Sapru House.

He also pointed out that the situation vis-a-vis authoritarian rules in the African continent was “much more worse” two decades ago. “But today, the situation is better.

“The ‘life presidents’ and ‘sit-tight leaders’ are becoming endangered. If you look at Africa today, you have seven or eight such leaders. At one time, more than 50 per cent of Africa was under such leaders,” Mr Obasanjo, who had three stints as head of the Nigerian state, noted.

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/03/13/learn-from-the-arab-uprisings-obasanjo-tells-sit-tight-leaders-in-africa/

1 Like

Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by eghost247(m): 10:41am On Mar 13, 2012
well said
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by LagBlogger(m): 10:49am On Mar 13, 2012
@ Seun

Which kain blog theme you carry put for nairaland? This one no fine at all. Comot am sharp sharp and return to the old one or else!

@ Topic

See OBJ, in 2006 mr Wade was advising you not to be a sit-tight president, today you are the one advising others, is it because you failed in your third term bid? If you had succeeded would you be offering this unsolicited advice by now?

Men OBJ you are not qualified to give such advice so keep it to yourself because you will not be taken seriously.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Ibangap(m): 10:54am On Mar 13, 2012
I thought thats wat he wanted to do in nigeria, jus dat we didnt allow his black b.utts 2 sit tight on the presidential sit in aso rock.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 11:57am On Mar 13, 2012
OBJ in Inda for a five -day - visit, hmmm to who. . This kind of advice then what was he doing in Senegal
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Drunk: 12:01pm On Mar 13, 2012
Ibanga p: I thought thats wat he wanted to do in nigeria, jus dat we didnt allow his black b.utts 2 sit tight on the presidential sit in aso rock.

Do you have proofs? Or would you just keep quiet.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 12:18pm On Mar 13, 2012
OBJ still berra pass d foooooooooool GEJ
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Standing5(m): 12:24pm On Mar 13, 2012
I wonder if he had his way for third term bid, would he be singing this song now?
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 12:54pm On Mar 13, 2012
His truly a con man
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Mucokey(m): 1:05pm On Mar 13, 2012
out of de foolish sagging of de mouth, de mouth must wag...
Obj...! God dey watch u.

1 Like

Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by pzing: 1:49pm On Mar 13, 2012
Experience matters. Tell them OBJ.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 2:12pm On Mar 13, 2012
[size=18pt]The Nigerian Disaster Called Obasanjo[/size]
Posted: October 17, 2010 - 18:22

Olusegun obasanjo
By Naiwu Osahon

http://saharareporters.com/report/nigerian-disaster-called-obasanjo-0

Obasanjo was a total failure in office the second time around from May 29, 1999, and did not deserve to come back in 2003, so he embarked on the greatest electoral fraud perhaps any country in the world had ever experienced.

The rigging was monumental, audacious, vicious and unprecedented and yet it was uncalled for and totally unnecessary because he would still have won the election anyway, he had no competition in the field. As a ruler, he punished us with lack of electricity, pot-hole infested unmotorable highways, worthless currency, dry water taps, hunger, massive unemployment, regularly closed schools, criminally charged environment, and primitive living conditions.

He made a lot of palaver about anti-corruption but there was the issue of the endless estacodes he garnered from travels around the world virtually every week, in a self-approved N9.3 billion jet, to enjoy civilized quality of life abroad, brought about in those countries by conscientious, dedicated, caring and focused leaderships. Yes, Obasanjo shelled out N9.3 billion (US $72 million), for his new power toy, a Boeing Business Jet 737-800 series for exclusive use, bringing to six, at the last count, the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet. In other words, our President had six assorted deluxe jets, while the US Air Force had only two aircraft available for the use of the US President. Whichever of the two the US President flew in, was designated Air Force One for that moment. Britain’s Tony Blair proudly flew with the British Airways.

President Obasanjo loved chasing after shadows and he was too pre-occupied with day-to-day partisan party issues. He did not know when to separate being a statesman from being a party man. He went around the world regularly visiting other heads of states without learning anything from them. Obasanjo thought he was a PDP President. He did not know that once he had been elected into office, the PDP became a discrete issue in his portfolio and he became President of Nigeria and father for all. I think this was one of the most serious problems we had with Obasanjo. He boasted all the time about being a PDP, and attended their mundane activities, as if he was an ordinary rank and file member.

He was so involved in his party affairs that he succeeded in turning his party into a personal instrument of vendetta, and single-handedly took all its major decisions, as he tried to do on the government level for the entire country. He jettisoned his party’s constitution; settled for non-elective rather than elective congresses and appointments into party positions, and alienated all the elders and founders of the party, and drove them into opposition parties. His Ministers also boasted about being party Ministers. I was shocked in 2005 when Ogunlewe, his onetime Minister for Works and Housing, told journalists that he was a PDP Minister.

One of the most serious problems that plagued us as a people during Obasanjo’s second time in power was his disdain for the rule of law, and in particular, the laws of the land. A president who would not obey his own laws, forfeits moral grounds to enforce such laws? That was the main reason for the general increase in lawlessness in our society during Obasanjo’s civilian leadership. Obasanjo introduced a vicious criminal streak that destroyed the moral fabric of our society. He actually worshiped criminality in a most unbecoming and disturbing manner. Court decisions taken against him or his regime were ignored.

For example, his holding on to huge funds legally due to Lagos State Councils was against the advice of two courts of the land, including the Supreme Court. His disrespect for court decisions became so frustrating that lawyers in the country had to go on strike by boycotting court sessions for a couple of days in March 2006, to protest against Obasanjo’s high-handedness. And in a speech on May 31, 2006, the retiring Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Muhammed Uwais, described government’s disregard of Court judgments as, “evidence of bad government.”

Obasanjo encouraged his lieutenants to ignore the laws and provided cover for them after the act. People who had access to Obasanjo took our laws into their own hands. They even went to him to share crooked banters because they assumed he loved listening to rogues and fraudsters, and would offer encouragement. To massage his ego, they told him he was the messiah Nigeria had been waiting for. He got carried away; patted the sycophants on the back, and gave them assignments on behalf of his party and government.

The President told the world in late 2003 that Chris Uba and Governor Chris Ngige confessed before him that the elections in Anambra state in 2003 were rigged. He said this without a sting of conscience or moral qualm. In fact, with his connivance and support, Chris Uba used the Federal police to abduct Governor Ngige because Ngige reneged on his promise to deliver substantial amount regularly from the state coffers to his political godfather, Chris Uba. When that strategy failed, Uba unleashed mayhem on the state with hired thugs hailed by police officers, burning cars and public buildings, including the state governor’s premises. When the efforts failed to remove the governor from office, or make the state ungovernable so as to get a chance to declare a state of emergency, Obasanjo awarded oil block to Chris Uba, and Obasanjo’s PDP sacked the governor from their party (the PDP), and promoted Chris Uba to the PDP’s trusteeship board. Uba was a PDP hero. In other words, you could be the worst criminal in the world, if you joined the PDP you were covered, as long as you were sharing your loot with the party.

On the other hand, Ngige’s name appeared to be too short for words, (he is short physically too). Imagine signing his own death warrant in broad daylight without undue duress, and having the effrontery later on to point accusing fingers. People lacking in self-honour and principles should not be allowed to rubbish our cherished values. Despite this, a coup is a coup, whether civilian or military, and Uba’s lawlessness in Anambra state should have been visited with the due process of the law.

Obasanjo replicated the Anambra state saga in Oyo state where an illiterate political godfather to Rashidi Ladoja, the governor of the state, was insisting on sharing the purported state’s security vote of N65 million monthly with the governor. The governor was playing footsie on the matter so, the national chairman of the governor’s political party, the PDP, Dr. Ahmed Ali, advised the governor to respect the wish of his godfather, and play the politics of his state, (or Ibadan politics as he put it). The party chairman, who himself was an aberration, because the president short-circuited his party’s constitutional provisions to plant him in the chairmanship position, was actually telling the governor to play ball and not be a fool.

Impeachment of the governor required two-thirds of the 32 members of the State House of Assembly to succeed, so the godfather’s 18 members in the house suspended their 14 members supporting the governor, and with the open backing of the Federal government, the Federal police prevented the 14 suspended members from attending the kangaroo assembly at which the 18 claimed to have impeached the governor. Obasanjo did not have sleepless nights over the matter. If anything, he and his party felt fulfilled that the new governor they had installed was dancing to the tune of the godfather. It was possible that the new governor was sharing his security vote with the godfather who in turn shared it with party members, to the satisfaction of the President and his PDP. The illiterate godfather nominated 90% of the state’s new commissioners and planted his crony, another stark illiterate, as the new Deputy-Governor.

Obasanjo sent Federal police to protect the illegal governor in office, and to tear-gas and arrest leaders of trade union and human rights groups, protesting against the illegality. The same way he tear–gassed, humiliated, and arrested our mothers, peacefully demonstrating solidarity with parents who had lost their children in an air-crash a few weeks earlier. Of course, governor Ladoja went to court, but that did not worry those who plotted the coup against him, because going by Nigerian courts’ traditions, the matter could drag until the end of tenure of the illegal regime in May 2007.

Obasanjo condoned his party’s fraudulent activities in Anambra and Oyo states but railed against his imagined Lagos state illegitimacy. In 2003, INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission), posted false report on its Internet website some days before the actual gubernatorial election took place, giving victory in Lagos state to Obasanjo’s party. No one ever heard Obasanjo comment on that, or on the PDP’s well known rigged elections across Nigeria in 2003, that put him in power. Peter Obi of APGA’s stolen mandate, as the elected Governor of Anambra State, was restored in court, some three years into the illegal occupation of the position by Ngige of the PDP.

In the Delta State, rigging by the president’s party showed that all registered voters came out to vote, whereas voting did not take place in most areas of the state. The court ruled in Buhari’s case against Obasanjo, that the PDP massively rigged Obasanjo’s home state, Ogun, in 2003. Obasanjo not only rigged to claim that all registered voters in Ogun State voted during the 2003 elections, he added 600,000 fictitious votes of his own, to exceed the list of registered voters.

At a meeting with the South-West caucus of his party, the PDP, during a visit to Ogun state in early February 2006, Obasanjo said: “The person who rigged the elections in Lagos State came to me. You know I am a man of my words. It was in the presence of Bode George. The person prostrated and begged me. He confessed that he was the one who falsified the results of Lagos state. I told him God allowed it; otherwise, he would have been attacked by leprosy.”

Now what kind of future is there if the president of an aspiring democracy, openly, proudly, and confidently, admits that he condones electoral fraud? Why would anyone go to the president to prostrate and beg him on anything if the person wasn’t after some favours? The president did not contest election against the governor of Lagos state directly; therefore, such flippant talk should have been reserved for the PDP’s secretariat. But knowing that the president was gullible and would gladly embrace riggers of elections, the tale-bearer went confidently to the seat of power, convinced of a hearing, and a place in the future election plans of the president.

The president did not hand the fraudster over to the Police or INEC because apparently the ‘expert rigger of elections in Lagos state’ was God-sent. As a result, Obasanjo assured his February 2006 Ogun state audience, that Lagos state was already as good as won by the PDP in 2007. In fact, he had publicly given similar assurance before. That was while he was attending a rally in Central Lagos in 2005. He said then that the PDP would ‘capture’ Lagos in 2007. ‘Capture’ is a very strong word to use. It is a language of war, inappropriate in a family, or the Nigerian union context, but he was not joking. He was seeing the opposition parties as enemies.

He told his February, 2006, Ogun state audience: “We don’t want our enemies to surprise us but we have to surprise them so that by the time they open their eyes, they will discover that they are blind.” The president spoke of enemies as if he was at war with another country. He was supposed to be a father to all, but kept boasting instead of his rigging prowess, and confessing to aiding and abetting electoral fraud, (by the time they open their eyes), which obviously is a worst crime than converting state coffers into personal use, because rigged elections could lead to state disintegration.

To crush his enemies across the country, Obasanjo planted his cronies everywhere. He really did not have friends as such. If he could not use you, his parley-parley with you ended. Most people working with the president were compromised one way or the other. To compromise National Assembly members, the allegation is that he dangled lucrative contracts, oil bloc allocations, which they could sell to third parties, cash bribes, and other pecks. Compromise produced cobwebs in their cupboards, which he used to intimidate and coerce them.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Ibangap(m): 2:16pm On Mar 13, 2012
Drunk:

Do you have proofs? Or would you just keep quiet.
wow, ur name says it all, i guess u must hav been drunk when he was clamourin 4 3rd term in office. No offence, but i hope u are sober now.cheesy
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by gegee(m): 2:17pm On Mar 13, 2012
oh ! because we no gree for am now im dey open that im mouth dey talk

Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by theviper1: 4:04pm On Mar 13, 2012
i weep 4 my country nigeria cry cry cry cry cry. if a man like Obasanjo is making such statements to the civilized world,then this country is in great trouble and in serious danger.a man whose time as a civilian president was worse than that of idi amin, pol pot,mobutu,franco and musolini joined 2gether will make such statements without shame,its sad.i've always advocated that Obasanjo should be tried in public and be hanged by his neck.bt there is little chance of that happening with pdp in power.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Yeske2(m): 4:16pm On Mar 13, 2012
Don't know why i hate this coward's gut, pisses me off 24/7.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by sunkoye: 5:10pm On Mar 13, 2012
when everybody knows baba still dey sitting tight in proxy. kai OBJJJJJJJJJ
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by niddamugu(m): 5:11pm On Mar 13, 2012
LagBlogger: @ Seun

Which kain blog theme you carry put for nairaland? This one no fine at all. Comot am sharp sharp and return to the old one or else!

@ Topic

See OBJ, in 2006 mr Wade was advising you not to be a sit-tight president, today you are the one advising others, is it because you failed in your third term bid? If you had succeeded would you be offering this unsolicited advice by now?

Men OBJ you are not qualified to give such advice so keep it to yourself because you will not be taken seriously.

OBJ did not condone any form of disrespect to uniformed men during his tenure (remember the ODI case in Delta). Despite the failure of his 3rd term bid, he was the best man that could have handled the country especially after a stretch of military rule. Compare that of Late Yar'Adua (ND militants) and now GEJ (Boko Haram). No one gave the Occupy Nigeria any chance of gathering such massive crowd - the first day was like "who are they?", second day (what's going on?", the third day no more questions but "this is getting serious, I want to go and see for myself", and on and on, to the extent that people are looking forward to another time such would happen. The Arab uprising did not start up just like that. One thing led to another and then one country observed the other and then implemented. Nigeria's case cannot be different. There is a limit to which you can push a man and when there is no more going back the only option is to take the bull by the horn and attack. Unfortunately, the trend in this country is heading that way but I pray is does not get there in Jesus name.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by oiseworld: 5:37pm On Mar 13, 2012
haters every where.
That same OBJ (baba) is UN's no 1 man in africa.
He is the must respected person in africa after Nelson Mandela.
He has ensured the country remains one and indivisible.

The same thing you are doing now, yoir fathers did with AWOLOWO. Now they are filled with guilt and regret. I forsee the same fate onthe children.

And somebody tell genbuhari to stop pasting that rubbish. Weve read it ENOUGH.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 6:03pm On Mar 13, 2012
[size=23pt]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/
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by kooto(m): 7:02pm On Mar 13, 2012
Ofcause if he had won the third term bid he will not be saying this, on the other hand i think the reaction of nigerians and the loss thaught him a lesson which he is now sharing inform of advice. what I have observe in us africans from my nigerian point of view is that those in that position will say it cannot happen to me those ones it happened to made mistakes; they should have done this, this and that.i know how to handle my people no problem until it happens,
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by naturecome: 8:35pm On Mar 13, 2012
GenBuhari
Obasanjo is about the best President Nigeria has ever had in a long time so keep all your misguided/tainted information to yourself. All this bombings would not have continued if he was still in power. There is no sense of security anymore in Nigeria and our present chicken President cannot do anything about it.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 9:31pm On Mar 13, 2012
[size=18pt]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.
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 10:07pm On Mar 13, 2012
smiley
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 10:07pm On Mar 13, 2012
smiley
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by Nobody: 1:46am On Mar 14, 2012
Nigerians are afraid of death which is inevitable yet they rant about bad leadership. Fight for your rights boohoos!
Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by obongoboy: 8:00am On Mar 14, 2012
yr
kooto: Ofcause if he had won the third term bid he will not be saying this, on the other hand i think the reaction of nigerians and the loss thaught him a lesson which he is now sharing inform of advice. what I have observe in us africans from my nigerian point of view is that those in that position will say it cannot happen to me those ones it happened to made mistakes; they should have done this, this and that.i know how to handle my people no problem until it happens,

Re: Learn From The Arab Uprisings, OBJ To ‘sit-tight Leaders’ In Africa by obongoboy: 8:02am On Mar 14, 2012
yr
kooto: Ofcause if he had won the third term bid he will not be saying this, on the other hand i think the reaction of nigerians and the loss thaught him a lesson which he is now sharing inform of advice. what I have observe in us africans from my nigerian point of view is that those in that position will say it cannot happen to me those ones it happened to made mistakes; they should have done this, this and that.i know how to handle my people no problem until it happens,

(1) (2) (Reply)

America No Longer Need Nigerian Oil- Pres. Obama / CORRUPTION, RIGGING: Letter From Military Indicts Chief Minimah, Others / Major Steps The PDP Must Take To Become A Viable Opposition

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