Former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the weekend took on former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon for describing him as "highly irresponsible" for criticising President Goodluck Jonathan's 'weak' approach to the insecurity in the North-East.

General Gowon used the phrase on Obasanjo at the launch of a book, Stay At The Top, authored by a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN), Omoniyi Komolafe, last week. Gowon's remark was captured in the media thus: "Obasanjo is highly irresponsible to have made such comments about the present government. Many people have condemned what he (Obasanjo) did in Odi and Zaki Biam. So, it was irresponsible for him to defend it or accuse the present administration."

The former Head of State referred to Obasanjo's response to a question on the Boko Haram crisis in Warri recently, where Obasanjo said there was need for President Jonathan to be decisive in tackling the insecurity, just as he did in dealing with the militancy in Odi, Bayelsa State in 1999.

In a statement last night, Obasanjo, through his spokesman, Malam Garba Deen Mohammed, said, Obasanjo was shocked by General Gowon's comments, wondering, "When did General Gowon become the spokesman of the Jonathan administration?"

Garba Deen quoted Obasanjo as saying, "There's nothing irresponsible about my comments on the insecurity in Nigeria. I was only interpreting the reality. I expressed an opinion on the way the Boko Haram crisis is being handled and said if the current strategy is not working, then there has to be a change of strategy to achieve results. If the strategy were working, Boko Haram would have become a thing of the past by now." It said further that, "In expressing my opinion, I drew from my personal experience. General Gowon can disagree with me without being insultive. Gowon's comment is unkind, unfair, and unguarded."

The statement added that as a result of his commitment to end the insecurity, Obasanjo left his abode in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to Maiduguri, the Boko Haram enclave, to solicit for peace and dialogue with the sect. "Where was Gowon? Why has he not visited Maiduguri to solicit for peace? Is he not a leader of the North? What effort has he made to ensure an end to the crisis?" Obasanjo queried in his statement.

It added that, "Just two weeks ago, the government of Borno State came out in the open to declare that it had been abandoned by the Federal Government. Why didn't Gowon convince the Federal Government to help Maiduguri?"



http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201211250290.html/

I totally agree wit OBJ on dis one. What notable thing has Gowon done since dis Boko issue, moreso as d issue concerns his own North. He should jus STFU alright.

I still don't like OBJ, but Gowon's comment was uncalled for as he himself has not taken visible steps to end the crisis (he can't even stop the killing in his state)... Anyway, history would tell us the real players to the BH games.. its just time we need (hopefully the country would still exist)

All these shameless subhumans talking rubbish,and they keep pasting it on nairaland.

Animals that should have been executed by no for their crimes against humanity if nigeria was really a normal.

God dey o o

Obasanjo, please avoid That frustrated and desperate man from Plateau state called Gowon.


He is just seeking relevance from the Government of the dumb and clueless son of an Otueke Fisherman.


Obasanjo doesn't give a hoot about what he wants to benefit from anyone, he will always speak the truth.


f

manny U: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the weekend took on former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon for describing him as "highly irresponsible" for criticising President Goodluck Jonathan's 'weak' approach to the insecurity in the North-East.

General Gowon used the phrase on Obasanjo at the launch of a book, Stay At The Top, authored by a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN), Omoniyi Komolafe, last week. Gowon's remark was captured in the media thus: "Obasanjo is highly irresponsible to have made such comments about the present government. Many people have condemned what he (Obasanjo) did in Odi and Zaki Biam. So, it was irresponsible for him to defend it or accuse the present administration."

The former Head of State referred to Obasanjo's response to a question on the Boko Haram crisis in Warri recently, where Obasanjo said there was need for President Jonathan to be decisive in tackling the insecurity, just as he did in dealing with the militancy in Odi, Bayelsa State in 1999.

In a statement last night, Obasanjo, through his spokesman, Malam Garba Deen Mohammed, said, Obasanjo was shocked by General Gowon's comments, wondering, "When did General Gowon become the spokesman of the Jonathan administration?"

Garba Deen quoted Obasanjo as saying, "There's nothing irresponsible about my comments on the insecurity in Nigeria. I was only interpreting the reality. I expressed an opinion on the way the Boko Haram crisis is being handled and said if the current strategy is not working, then there has to be a change of strategy to achieve results. If the strategy were working, Boko Haram would have become a thing of the past by now." It said further that, "In expressing my opinion, I drew from my personal experience. General Gowon can disagree with me without being insultive. Gowon's comment is unkind, unfair, and unguarded."

The statement added that as a result of his commitment to end the insecurity, Obasanjo left his abode in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to Maiduguri, the Boko Haram enclave, to solicit for peace and dialogue with the sect. "Where was Gowon? Why has he not visited Maiduguri to solicit for peace? Is he not a leader of the North? What effort has he made to ensure an end to the crisis?" Obasanjo queried in his statement.

It added that, "Just two weeks ago, the government of Borno State came out in the open to declare that it had been abandoned by the Federal Government. Why didn't Gowon convince the Federal Government to help Maiduguri?"



http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201211250290.html/

Gowon is totally wrong here and obj is absolutely right. I must obj fo d challenge he put befo Gowon. I also believ dat obj is d most patriotic of all nigeria presidents both dead and those alive. This confirmed by i.b.b, where he said dat there is nobody that has nigerian unity at heart like obj. Eventhugh he may have his own flaws which is natural. Thanks fo dis post man.

You are a classic victim of misunderstood language.You used the words reserved for humane beings for a sinistic subcreature like obj.

You are a NIGERIA,born and orientated to mistake backwardness for progress and morality for immorality.

yohanna zack:

Gowon is totally wrong here and obj is absolutely right. I must obj fo d challenge he put befo Gowon. I also believ dat obj is d most patriotic of all nigeria presidents both dead and those alive. This confirmed by i.b.b, where he said dat there is nobody that has nigerian unity at heart like obj. Eventhugh he may have his own flaws which is natural. Thanks fo dis post man.

Must you quote the entire post? Na wa oo!

yohanna zack:

Gowon is totally wrong here and obj is absolutely right. I must obj fo d challenge he put befo Gowon. I also believ dat obj is d most patriotic of all nigeria presidents both dead and those alive. This confirmed by i.b.b, where he said dat there is nobody that has nigerian unity at heart like obj. Eventhugh he may have his own flaws which is natural. Thanks fo dis post man.

Must you quote the entire post? Na wa oo!

OBJ statement was just to popularizes himself. It was self serving statement.

gowon d pharoah dat held biafrans and killd millions of children becos of oil which i av not seen one thin nigerians benefited frm.....obj is beta dan gowon he made an attemt to end d needless war......but was guided by his yorubas philosophy........nigeria wnt forgive hm for d 16billion dollas he useless on power........

Must Gowon talk?!!!

Hehehe I taught fani kayode was obj spokesman, I dey smell something. 2015

Hmmm! So Obassanjo's spokesman is Garba Deen Mohammad? So nationalistic in nature. Better than most of 'them'.

[size=18pt]How 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.

He just replied the guy without a single insult. Where is the "fires back"? This editors self!

Gowon did not think abt Innocent life dat were lost every day.Even though many pple did not agree with Obasanjo’s opinion, dat does not mean d former head of state will start insult an ex head of state n 4 d fact dat Gowon has no contribuction as leader of d trouble area now saying d former president statement is irresponsible. Gowon think abt those life been wasted every day we can continue like this sir, let us be our brother’s keeper….if Obasanjo will be irresponsible Nnko?

[size=18pt]Obasanjo, Beachland Estate And Unbridled Corruption[/size]
By Jide Ayobolu November 1, 2006

President Olusegun Obasanjo since 1999 has said severally that his government will work relentlessly to curb the menace of corruption that has systematically led to the development of underdevelopment. In his maiden speech, president Obasanjo said nothing will be spared in the war against corruption, and that there will be no untouchables. But in the fight against corruption, the president that has presided over the affairs of NNPC since 1999, but has not explained the missing N311billion that should have been paid into the revenue account, and Nigerians are eagerly waiting to know what actually happened to the said amount. Secondly, it was reported that N84billion was missing in NPA, involving a bigwig of the ruling PDP, hence, the EFCC has been lily-livered to make public its findings since, the main dramatis personae is an alter-ego of the president, again, Nigerians want to know what really happened in NPA. Also, where is the N6.4billion that was collected for the controversial presidential library that is adjudged to be illegal?

Also, Chief Dan Etete, who recently came to the country to do some hatchet jobs for the president to smear the integrity and credibility of vice president Atiku Abubakar, in 2002, in some foreign newspapers published a very interesting rapacious and graft story about president Obasanjo, according to Etete, “Obasanjo must not hold the view that Nigeria have very short memory or that they do not care. How does he explain his attempts to dispossess his erstwhile friend, Chief Egunjobi, of the Beach Land Estate? In his first coming as Head of State, he claims he built the estate and on leaving office he took his former friend Chief Egunjobi to court and shamelessly proclaimed that he used the latter as a front. He did not tell the court, as Nigerians wanted to know, how he came by the money to build the estate. The court saw through him and struck out his law suit. Two issues immediately arose from the outcome of this escapade. The first is the serial nature of the activities which we believe reflect Obasanjo’s corruption. Having claimed before a Nigerian law court the Estate belonged to him; he must answer the question as to where he got the resources to build it? His salary and allowances, while in office, are known to Nigerians. The court refused to be deceived and with him unwilling to declare the sources of the finance for the Beach Land Estate, the court made it clear he did not prove he owned the Estate. The other matter arising from this episode is the character of General Obasanjo is a covetous person. He must own what he sees and he sees and likes even if it means illegally dispossessing the rightful owner. It could have been he saw Chief Egunjobi’s beach land estate; he liked it and therefore, wanted it. In his characteristic style, coveted it and Bingo, it had to be his. The only limitation at the time is that he forgot he was no longer Head of State. When it dawned on him, he wondered what to do, he chose the option of litigation, half forgetting there were judges who guard their integrity jealously in Nigeria.” However, Obasanjo has since taken over the ownership of the contentious estate, but the fact remains, where did he get the money to build that massive estate?

In a similar development, a group called Nigeria Anti-corruption Collective has asked the president some very salient questions that bother on his crude acquisitive proclivities of the collective patrimony of the Nigerian people. The posers go thus, who owns Ajaokuta Steel Mills, Delta Steel Complex, Jos Steel Rolling Mills, Oshogbo Machine Tools and Itakpe Iron Ore Company? Who is deceiving whom? Who is the largest shareholder in UBA? Who bought out the shares of Akeem Bello-Osagie and threatened him with arrest and imprisonment? Who was the largest shareholder in First Interstate Bank Ltd, before the merger into Unity Bank? Who owns the majority shares in Virgin Nigeria? Who gave the airline special facilities at the international wings of our airports at the cost of N400million? Why does Virgin Nigeria not pay parking and landing fees and purchase aviation fuel at a discount, while at the same time competing in the same market with other local airlines? Why should one man set up Transcorp, devalue our national assets, obstruct free and fair competition and sell everything to himself and family? If not, why did Transcorp purchase almost the entire NITEL for $750million, when Globacom bidded $1.2billion for the same property? Not too long earlier, Vmobile sold a fraction of its shares for $1.2billion. How could all of NITEL with a vast net worth of digital exchanges, armoured cables, three international gateways, among others, sell for only $750million? This one man operates six farms in six states of the federation. What is the source of the funds for these massive investments? What is the deal between this one man with the owner of Mittal of India? Why the hurry in granting Block 246 to the Indian conglomerate? Is Nigeria for sale?

Apart from the numerous unanswered questions posed by the group above, the following questions have asked Mr. President, who is the real owner of Obajana cement factory? Who is the owner of Eleme Petrochemicals? Who has the largest shares in Arik Air? Why did the government sell the Nigeria Airway Hanger to this airline not through bidding, negotiation? Why did government allocate lucrative international routes to Arik Air even before it bought planes for operation, when other existing airlines doing very in the country were denied such a priviledge? Who are the people that import fuel into the country since 1999? Who has the largest shares in Transcorp? How was NICON HILTON HOTEL Abuja acquired by Transcorp? What is EFCC doing about the Israeli arms deal where some government official made about $100million for themselves? What is EFCC doing about the tokunbo presidential planes that were bought as new? Where is the report into the probe of COJA? Where is the report on Mantu, about he mismanaged the haji N400million funds?

The fact of the matter is that, until this questions are vividly answered we cannot claim to be fighting corruption, this is because, this are cases that concern the president directly and Nigeria wants categorical answers on them. It is also very important to point out that, the EFCC is the creation of the president, he appoints the chairman of the anti-graft body, he approves its funding, also, when cases are to be investigated it gets the nod of the president, in the same token, after investigations are completed, the findings and conclusions are submitted to the president for his perusal, in this type of situation, it becomes very difficult for the EFCC to do a very thorough job, it can not be in any way independent, it does what the president wants it to do, and what the president does not want, it will never do. It is in this regard that, EFCC has been aptly described as a tool in the hands of the president to deal with perceived political enemies in a dirty game of political intrigue and vendetta. And, without missing words, this is what has played out in the last few months with regards to EFCC investigation on the PTDF account, this is because, not only is the report lopsided, it is illogical, incoherent and does not add up. Therefore, it can be said that, the fight against corruption as been politized, which has made nonsense of all the attempts to rid the polity of the deadly scourge.

It is, however, very important that the president answer in full details all the questions asked and in the full glare of the public, in addition to this both public and private investigators should be asked to dig deep into the numerous disturbing and worrisome allegations against the president. The president has always carried on as if he is a saint, but in reality, he is no more than a sanctimonious wog, a lot of lip and eye services have been paid to the issue of corruption in Nigeria. Those who claim to be fighting corruption are more corrupt than those they claim are corrupt, and than this the bane of the country today.

http://www.dawodu.com/ayobolu13.htm

[size=18pt]Nigeria's Obasanjo and the $16 Billion Power Scam[/size]

Frontline Catholic cleric and social critic, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, perhaps, spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians when he said recently that former President Olusegun Obasanjo deserved to be formally tried for his alleged role in the squandering about $16 billion voted for resuscitating the near-dead power sector during his administration between 1999 and 2007. Kukah, a close family friend of the Obasanjos, was the Secretary to the National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC) initiated by the Obasanjo government in 2005.

This call, which is a challenge to the Goodluck Jonathan administration, could not have come at a more appropriate time, especially considering the President's recent assurance that his administration would go after those who looted the national treasury, no matter how highly placed they may be. But many Nigerians doubt if Dr. Jonathan will summon the will to bring his political benefactor to book.


Dr. Kukah, who also chided critics and civil society groups for not doing enough to ensure that Obasanjo is arraigned, said: "Obasanjo probably will never be the President of Nigeria again, but we should be concerned if Obasanjo deserves to go to prison. Vilifying him doesn't give us (electric) power; it also doesn't get us the criminals that have taken our money, wherever they are. I would have loved to have Obasanjo brought to trial, because then we would know the truth." Besides the scandal ravaging the power sector, which the former President directly supervised, the double standards of the Presidency, under him, in the many established cases of corrupt self-enrichment by key government functionaries during his tenure were mind-boggling.

After the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unearthed a N56 billion fraud by the former Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), for example, Obasanjo failed to institute any process towards recovering the stolen amount and/or prosecuting the culprits, who were said to be his close political allies. Rather, some of those who served on that board were appointed to other boards subsequently. Before that scandal came to light, back in July 2002, Nigerians had been shocked when the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Godwin Kanu Agabi, filed a nolle prosequi (discontinuance of prosecution) on the day an Abuja High Court was scheduled to deliver judgment in a case of alleged embezzlement of N420 million by Dr. Julius Makanjuola, Obasanjo's relation and a Director at the Ministry of Defence.

And in 2006, Nigerians were similarly shell-shocked over the revelation of massive pillaging at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) allegedly involving Obasanjo and his Deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. This was to be followed by allegations of Obasanjo's involvements in the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp), which bought over Abuja's NICON Hilton Hotel, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), and also acquired some oil blocks.

Fr. Kukah's recent call is timely. Nigerians continue till today to endure perennial darkness, with no real clue to the cause of the apparent intractability of the power sector's woes. It is disheartening, in this regard, that like the late President Umaru Yar'Adua, Dr. Jonathan has surrounded himself with some of the key figures that helped ex-President Obasanjo fail so dismally in service delivery. While we commend Jonathan over his appointment of Professor Bath Nnaji as Special Adviser on Power, it must be noted that Mr. Joseph Makoju, a seasoned professional, had held that same position under the Yar'Adua administration and also under the Obasanjo government. In addition, he was PHCN Managing Director for the better part of the latter administration. He ought to be facing intense interrogation over what happened to the alleged misappropriated $16 billion.

And, with discredited functionaries and contractors of the Obasanjo era still hovering around The Presidency and the PHCN, poised to snatch whatever fresh allocations go to the power sector, where is the guarantee that Nigeria will ever have improved electricity supply in the foreseeable future? While we urge the Federal Government to seek out individuals and organizations, locally and abroad, with proven track records in performance and integrity to revive the ailing sector, the issue of the mismanaged billions should not be treated as a 'family affair' of the ruling party. Nigeria's public funds must be accounted for.

Since the National Assembly Probe Committee on the Power scam was itself to be later dragged into the corruption quagmire, we call for a thorough investigation, by the EFCC, into the whereabouts of the vanished power allocations.

The former President, on his part, should cooperate fully with the investigators, in order to clear his name of the strong suspicions surrounding his administration's wasteful disbursement of the $16 billion power sector allocations. There should be no sacred cows, as he used to say while in office. Any preferential treatment of individuals will create the impression that the Nigerian government's commitment to the anti-corruption crusade, economic reform and transparent governance is cosmetic and insincere.

While sleaze in high places thrives, the ordinary citizens' quality of life has remained dismal, infrastructural facilities are decrepit, mass unemployment ravages the land, and poverty sentences the vast majority to a life of unrelieved misery.

Let the Boko Harassment stop!let the carnage end!

[size=18pt]16th September 2003 - BBC News
Obasanjo's shame: $15bn (N2,400bn ) feared stolen from Government Pension Fund[/size]
Nigerian authorities have uncovered a huge deficit in the state pension fund, confirming what many unpaid former state workers have feared for years.

Retired civil servants have long complained of non-payment of their pensions, with many forced to queue for days to claim what they are owed,

According to Nigerian government calculations, the shortfall in the state pension fund amounts to at least 2 trillion naira (£9.3bn; $14.8bn).

The revelation is likely to stir suspicions that some of the money may have been misappropriated.

Corruption was a major issue in Nigeria's recent election, which saw won by President Olusegun Obasanjo and his People's Democratic Party (PDP).

'Unfortunate activity'

Experts have not ruled out that some of the money may have been stolen, but there has also been criticism of the pay-as-you-go scheme the state uses to raise pension funds.

"We think there has been some unfortunate activity," Ahmed Mohammed of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund told the BBC's Network Africa.


"This pay-as-you-go scheme has been abandoned in many countries. Payments have not been made on time."

Pensioners regularly travel to Abuja, often camping outside government offices, in the hope of getting some of their money.

Many reacted to the news with dismay.

"I don't have a roof on my head, There is no sign that the government will be able to pay our pensions," said one pensioner.

"The government is fighting against corruption. If the government can't pay this money, then they cannot stop all these things," said another.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-693700.480.html

[size=18pt]Trailing Obasanjo's loot[/size]

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/saharareporters-discovers-trails-objuba-loot
Posted: June 25, 2007 - 01:00


Saharareporters discovers trails of OBJ/Uba loot…Andy
Uba screened out of Yar'Adua's ministerial list.

Saharareporters has discovered highly irregular
business schemes that beam a light on the methods used
by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former
aide, Emmanuel Nnamdi (Andy) Uba to siphon public
funds.
Saharareporters investigations have revealed that Obasanjo and Uba
used front companies to open foreign accounts into
which huge amounts of funds were deposited before they
were then moved out to the Cayman Islands, Jersey and parts of the Carribean.
The schemes involved a Nigerian born British citizen,
Lillian Nwoko whose modus operandi was akin to that of
Loretta Mabinton, the Portland, Oregon-based attorney
who served as a money-laundering front for Andy Uba
before she was caught by the US secret service.

Lillian Nwoko similarly helped Andy Uba to register
companies in the UK which were then used to open
foreign bank accounts for money laundering purposes.
Each company was then voluntarily closed. Three of
such companies were registered with the address as
259A Grays Inn Road in London, UK.

Lillian Nwoko was named as the secretary in the three companies.
The first company, UNIC Securities Limited, was formed
in September 2000. Its business was declared as “cargo
handling and business consultancy.” Lillian Nwoko was
listed as the secretary. There were two other
directors, Ibrahim Hauwa and Dr. Lame Ibrahim Yakubu,
fronting for Andy Uba. The two directors gave their
address as Plot 1503 Abidjan Street, Wuse Zone 3,
Abuja-Nigeria.
The UK company house report indicated that the
company did not file any financial reports before it
was dissolved in July 2003.

The two other companies, SENTREX Ventures Limited and
Fontana Ventures Limited, were incorporated on the
same date and have Andy Uba and Lillian Nwoko as the main
directors. Andy Uba used Plot 772 Ibrahim Taiwo Road
Asokoro, Abuja as his address. He gave his date of
birth as December 14, 1958 and his citizenship as
Canadian. Incidentally, Plot 772 Ibrahim Taiwo Road
was the same address to which Loretta Mabinton (Andy
Uba's lady accomplice in the Portland, Oregon money
laundering scandal) shipped the Mercedes Benz she
bought for Andy Uba with proceeds of laundered cash
brought to the US on former President Obasanjo's
presidential jet. The US Secret Service initially
confiscated the Mercedes Benz, releasing it only after
Uba paid a fine of $26,000.

SENTREX and FONTANA Ventures Limited merely gave the
nature of their business as “other businesses.” The
two companies, which didn't file any financial
reports, were also dissolved in 2003.

A financial fraud expert who asked to remain anonymous
told Saharareporters that the formation and
dissolution of companies without filing financial
statements was “highly suspicious.” The expert, who
lives in England, said “such practices are used to
avoid detection by the prying eyes of the public.” One
source in Abuja told us that the method “is consistent
with former president Obasanjo's style of corruption,”
adding that the former president’s hidden assets were
“in the billions of dollars.”

Meanwhile, Andy Uba appears unable to buy any reprieve
from his political misfortunes.
On June 14, the Supreme Court kicked Uba out of the
governorship seat he usurped in Anambra, ruling that
incumbent Governor Peter Obi has the constitutional
mandate to remain in office till March 2010.

Following his judicial defeat, Uba reportedly hopped
in his multi-million dollar Gulf Stream private jet
and flew to see Obasanjo in Ota to bemoan his ordeal.
Obasanjo reportedly sent him to see Umar Musa Yar'adua
to make a case for his inclusion in the yet-to-be
formed cabinet.

If Andy Uba seriously expected to get a ministerial
spot, he was in for a huge disappointment. Yar'adua
refused to see him, instead directing that Secretary
to the Government Baba Gana Kingibe meet with him to
discuss his concerns. When Andy met with Kingibe the
next day, he was confronted with the government’s
concern that he bought a house within the premises of
the Presidential Villa that houses some security
gadgets meant to safeguard the Villa.

Broaching the issue of his ministerial appointment,
Uba told Kingibe that he wished to withdraw the name
of his brother and former Senator Ugochukwu Uba, one
of two names he had nominated for ministerial
appointment. Uba’s other nominee is Jerry Ugokwe. In
place of his brother, he told Kingibe, he now wanted
to put in his name.

According to our source, Senator Uba’s nomination was
already troubled even before Andy Uba’s attempt to
remove his brother’s name. Yar’Adua’s closest advisers
had counseled against rewarding Ugochukwu Uba who was
implicated in bribing two of the three judges of the
Federal Court of Appeal assigned to determine whether
he was the rightful winner of a senatorial seat in
2003. The bribery charges came to light after the two
judges read a majority verdict that gave the contested
seat to Senator Uba. The two judges were subsequently
dismissed from the bench.

As soon Andy Uba finished making a case for a
ministerial position, Kingibe told him that he must
head for the PDP secretariat to tell the press that he
has accepted the judgment of the Supreme Court. The
secretary to the government made it clear that Uba’s
public acceptance of the verdict was a precondition
for responding to his request. Kingibe also asked that
Andy Uba give him time to consult with Umar Musa
Yar'adua.

By the time Andy Uba returned from the Wadata Plaza
headquarters of the PDP, Baba Gana Kingibe asked him
to furnish his office with certified copies of his
degree certificates. Our source said Uba was stunned
by the demand, and seemed to realize that his
ministerial dreams had been torpedoed. Investigations
by Saharareporters had revealed that Uba, who claims
to hold a PhD in science, has lied about his academic
qualifications. He does not have even a first degree.
When Kingibe insisted that hard copies of his degrees
would be required to consider him for any ministerial
appointment, Uba replied that an Abuja High court
headed by Justice Babs Kewunmi had already ruled in
his favor in a case inspired by his certificate scam.
Unimpressed, Baba Gana Kingibe told Andy Uba that
degrees are issued by universities, not courts.

A forlorn Uba was said to have explored the
possibility of becoming the chairman of the ruling
party since the position has been zoned to the
southeast zone. Kingibe then made it clear that the
government was unlikely to support his chairmanship
bid, citing his unresolved controversies.
After the meeting, Uba hurriedly left Abuja for the
Southeast where he tried to rally his supporters with
a pep talk. He also used the occasion to settle hotel
bills and other debts incurred by his numerous
hangers-on in various hotels and restaurants. Uba’s
campaign had attracted many such hangers-on, many of
them US-based “expatriates” and “consultants” who
relocated to Awka in the hope of making quick money
off of Andy Uba. Uba, who bragged that he was going to
transform Anambra State, put his parasitic praise
singers in hotels and encouraged to hang around until
he settled in as “governor.”

With the Supreme Court kicking him out last week, he is reported to be
anxious to cut his dependents loose.

I thought exactly the same thing.
The fact that he didn't insult the guy may also b because he didn't want any "northern political enemy"

miqos02: Hehehe I taught fani kayode was obj spokesman, I dey smell something. 2015

Nigeria politician corruption tactics is getting suprisingly higher one this days. I wish all this their tactics get to the highest marginal possibily, hence all this their corruption will continue to diminish then my vision of living in a nigeria where corruption will be forbidden in within the government will surface. But now i can't see anything better in all the nigeria public organisation. Nigeria is just a private enterprise controlled by the politician capitalist.

[size=18pt]Obasanjo Is The Most Corrupt Nigerian-Gani Fawehinmi[/size]
Posted: June 1, 2007 - 01:00

Finally, Olusegun Obasanjo is on his way out after eight years as Nigeria’s president. Could you assess his tenure?

Eight years of self-centred disposition, eight years of wayo, eight years of deception, eight years of creating a few rich people, eight years of anti-masses programmes, eight years of deliberate junketing all over the world, eight years of make-believe, eight years of dictatorship, eight years of lack of coherent policies, eight years of so much wealth coming to the hands of government out of which Nigerians received aggravated poverty and economic pain.

When Obasanjo first came to power in 1999, many Nigerians had high hopes that they would get rid of dictatorial tendencies which characterised military rule, but unfortunately, we had a tyrant in democratic toga. We expected that the provisions of the constitution vis-à-vis the welfare of the people and their security would be the focus of the government because Section 14, sub-section 2b of the Constitution says that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary focus of government. Alas! it was not to be under the government of Obasanjo. Take security for instance. He opened up the insecurity of this country in November 1999 when he gave orders to shoot on sight in Odi. And more than 2500 Nigerians were slaughtered because, unfortunately, 13 policemen were missing as a result of the protestation of the Odi people in Bayelsa State.
You saw the killing in Zaki Biam in Benue State. We saw him give an order in Lagos State to shoot the OPC on sight and we protested. And since he gave the signal that human life counted for nothing, police followed the queue, extra-judicial killings became the agenda of the government. Every respectable human rights organisation abroad rated Nigeria very low in terms of extra-judicial killing. Thousands of Nigerians were slaughtered without a recourse to the judicial process by the police and other security agencies, to the extent that it became the culture of Nigerians to ritualise human lives. Legs, hands and other parts of human bodies became a common commodity in markets and dead bodies were being picked here and there, headless. That was Obasanjo’s regime and what human dignity meant for that regime for eight years.


For welfare, Nigerians have never had it so bad in their millions. Instead of government to give employment, it became the stock in trade of this regime to send workers to the unemployment market by all sorts of epithet with ignoble description such as down-sizing, reducing the labour force and so on. Unemployment became unbelievably rampant to the extent that workers approached the doors of government offices with trepidation, thinking they would be sacked any moment. Security of employment became nil in government services. In the private sector, profit motive was taken to a most ungodly level. Sack became a culture of the private sector. Whenever the private sector wanted more profit, they resorted to showing workers out without adequate recompense and this was aggravated by the so-called economic reforms of General Obasanjo where the heritage of Nigeria was sold, not even to the highest bidders but to the favoured bidders, contrary to the Constitution of Nigeria.
The major sectors of our economy were placed on the building blocks of rapacious entrepreneurs, many of whom are in government, using proxies to purchase government properties, courtesy of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and contrary in Section 16, sub-section 4 of the constitution which says that the major sectors of the economy shall be managed, operated and run by the Federal Government of Nigeria, solely and exclusively.

But today, the major sectors are being sold. The latest example is the refinery in Port Harcourt, one of the four refineries in Nigeria. For eight years, Obasanjo did not build a single refinery to ensure a total reduction in the costs of petroleum products. Instead, Obasanjo, contrary to the Constitution of Nigeria, sold and he is still in the process of selling even in the dying days of the regime, the major sectors of our economy at give-away prices. Look at NITEL, another government investment that is relevant to the welfare of Nigerian people, it is still in the same mess. Our constitution says that economy of the country should not be operated in such a way that wealth would be concentrated in a few hands, but we are now having the very opposite of what the constitution says should be done. A company emerged, called Transcorp. There was no Transcorp before Obasanjo but Transcorp emerged from the bowel of Aso Rock, founded with the collaboration, connivance and conceptualisation of General Obasanjo to the extent that he owns 200 million shares. According to him, it will be the pillar of the private sector emerging in Nigeria. There is little difference between Transcorp and General Olusegun Obasanjo, except that a few favoured friends were brought into Transcorp. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, the Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange who is supposed to be a public officer runs the Transcorp with General Obasanjo. Both public officers contravened the code of conduct in the 5th and 3rd Schedules of the Constitution. Behold! General Obasanjo was never taken before the Code of Conduct Bureau for this. I protested to the Code of Conduct, I protested to the National Assembly, nothing came out of it. Here is a man who abused his office, set up a company to acquire the heritage of Nigerians. Today, Transcorp has acquired Nicon Hilton, and it has acquired NITEL. If this is not corruption, then I don’t know what corruption means.

To me, Obasanjo is the most corrupt Nigerian and I will never agree with anyone who says Obasanjo is not corrupt. We see it everywhere. This man was in prison for three years and his Ota farm which was in bankruptcy then was almost sold. They were thinking of how to sell most of his properties. Today, Obasanjo’s farm is rated as one of the richest in the world, all in a space of eight years that he governed Nigeria. If that is not corruption, then I don’t know what corruption means. If that is not abuse of office, then I do not know what abuse of office means. I protested to the National Assembly, I protested to various organisations, that look, under the Code of Conduct, Nigerians are entitled to go there and ask for all the declaration of assets of any public officer, on conditions that may be prescribed by the National Assembly. We asked the National Assembly to give us the conditions so that we can exercise our rights to know what had been declared by Obasanjo and others, including members of the National Assembly. But till today, they never gave us those conditions. So, Nigerians don’t even have access to the assets declared by the public officers. No public officer’s assets can be examined.


This regime will go down in history as the most corrupt regime in the history of this country in the sense that no regime ever made so much money as was made under Obasanjo’s regime. It got to a point that the price of one barrel of crude oil was fetching $70 and Nigeria at that time was producing 3,150,000 (three million, one hundred and fifty thousand) barrels per day. As we talk, the Federal Government is making more than N200,000,000 (two hundred million dollars) everyday, including Sunday. The more money the Obasanjo regime made the poorer the Nigerian people became. And the more money the Obasanjo regime made, the richer a few people became, including Mr. President himself.

Yes, there was a battle against corruption. A young man emerged like an oasis in the desert, called Nuhu Ribadu, under the auspices of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which I have often described as a positive accident in this regime. Positive accident because Obasanjo did not plan to fight against corruption because he is corrupt himself. But because he was under pressure from international organisations, like Transparency International that wanted some sort of actions against corruption, he was forced to bring about EFCC. He brought a young man named Ribadu, he never expected that Ribadu would perform that good. So, Ribadu’s performance is an oasis in the desert of corruption. What we are now hoping is that Ribadu, after May 29 will look at the records again, will look at the complaints of Nigerians, including mine, against Obasanjo. For example, his library took me to court. His library which he launched on May 14, 2005 at Abeokuta garnered N8.5 billion. [Femi] Otedola gave N250 million; [Otunba Mike] Adenuga N350 million; [Aliko] Dangote, N220 million; consortium of banks N1.9 billion; consortium of oil companies N2.4 billion and so on. These oil companies we talk about, for eight years Obasanjo was the Minister of Petroleum Resources apart from being the head of state. No oil block was ever given to anybody without the connivance and approval of General Olusegun Obasanjo. He was more active as an oil minister than Mr. President. So there must be more than meets the eye.

I will therefore want Ribadu to dust all files, to look at all records and do a thorough investigation into the administration of General Obasanjo, into the personal fortunes of Obasanjo, into the family fortunes of Obasanjo and into Obasanjo’s fortunes all over the world. And let us come with the correct analysis and truth about Olusegun Obasanjo. So that when the facts are all gathered and known, Ribadu will then take the matter to court and charge Obasanjo for corruption and abuse of office. So that the truth will be told about this man who pretended so much.

Obasanjo is probably frustrated because GEJ refused his prescription to use starvation of the North East region as a weapon of war against the Boko Haram

redsun: You are a classic victim of misunderstood language.You used the words reserved for humane beings for a sinistic subcreature like obj.
You are a NIGERIA,born and orientated to mistake backwardness for progress and morality for immorality.

na who be that? make i laf for igala anyakeeeee

GenBuhari: [size=18pt]How 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.

Off topic

yall kidding me whats do Yoruba people say about obj firing back ba be mr.man
i dont like what your posting talking about fakebuhari you stand and talk there when obj saved the nation brought democracy and the first president to fight against corruption and proof of spending and of course won against corruption.

GenBuhari, u smoke pot?? Abeg open anoda thread for tis ur infos...