[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.

Good talk from Aregbesola. Yorubas do not appreciate the gift.

[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.

[size=18pt]Obasanjo's massive corruption[/size]

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/corruption-jibe-et-tu-obasanjo/

The facts of Obasanjo’s corruption are difficult to hide. Indeed, the list is endless as the the nation’s treasury was looted with impunity, the Constitution violated without respect for the rule of law and due process. The following are a few instances:

Massive fraud involving over N3.5 trillion in the oil and gas sector, sale of Abuja houses, communications and the power sector of the economy.

Obasanjo was alleged to have illegally withdrawn as much as N231.4 billion from the Federation Account without due process or authorization from the National Assembly (Daily Sun of Thursday, February 5, 2009).

The Ad-Hoc Committee set up by the House of Representatives to probe the activities of the NNPC between 1999 and 2008, indicted Obasanjo and former MD of the Corporation, Mr. Funso Kupolokun, for violating the guidelines for the respective bid rounds, thereby finding them guilty of “preferential treatment of winners at the conclusion of the bid rounds”.

Obasanjo illegally approved the withdrawal of $68.8 million from the Bilateral Air Service Agreement, BASA, Fund into which a total sum of $86 million was paid.

A Senate Joint Committee, headed by Senator Abubakar Sodangi revealed that the plot of land originally belonging to the defunct National Primary Education Commission (allocated in December, 2005 to Inter-Projects Association Limited which immediately commenced development), was illegally allocated to Obasanjo Farms Limited, on May 28, 2007, a day before Obasanjo handed over power to the late President Yar’Adua.

Two Abuja lawyers sued Obasanjo and the Code of Conduct Bureau for mismanaging over N1.2 billion belonging to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF.

Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC Chairman, who fought his personal battles, was promoted by the former President without any recommendation from the Police Service Commission, thereby violating due process.

In the power sector alone, Obasanjo and his cronies bleached out a staggering $16 billion without anything to show for it. Also, N16 billion was paid to some 34 unregistered companies to execute projects under the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP.

In the oil sector, where Obasanjo was the Minister, the corruption stench was even more disturbing. He handed out oil blocks and other favours to whomever he pleased without recourse to laid down rules.

Obasanjo allegedly sold the country’s refineries at give-away prices. The Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries were both sold for $750 million, far below their actual worth.

Using the vantage position of his authoritarian presidency and awesome state power, Obasanjo organised the launching of a personal N7 billion Presidential Library Project in Abeokuta and coerced state governors and local government chairmen to make donations.

For his own pecuniary interest, Obasanjo coupled a so-called Transcorp conglomerate and sold Nigeria’s prime assets to this group where he kept a personal N200 million worth of shares in the blind.

During the Obasanjo years, there were fraudulent payments made on railway projects worth N8.3 billion, including the lines running from Lagos to Kano with tributaries.

He was mentioned in fraud and contract manipulations with Siemens, Wilbross and Hallibuton.

[size=18pt]Obasanjo looted Treasury to start his Farms[/size]

On Dec. 5th, 2005, the European Union (EU) denied giving Pres. Obasanjo a clean bill of health concerning his anti-corruption credentials. This has dented the saintly image the President has cultivated in the past few years.



Elendureports.com can now reveal, according to documents in our possession, that on August 18, 1973, Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo, the then Commandant of Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, registered Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. On October 1979, Gen. Obasanjo retired from the Nigerian Army after ruling the country for three years, following the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed. By 1979, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. started commercial operations with fifty million naira (N50,000,000.00). Given the exchange rate in 1979, the Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. commenced operations with more than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00).



Until 1979, Olusegun Obasanjo had spent his entire professional life in the Nigerian military. The natural question is how did this man who is reputed to have been an honest soldier float a multi-million dollar company without partners? Who bankrolled Obasanjo Farms, Ltd.? What collateral was provided for loans, if financing was raised through a bank?



Under duress from the public, following allegations of corruption against Pres. Obasanjo, his spokesman, Femi Fani-Kayode, declared that Obasanjo Farms, Limited, headquartered at the Agbeloba House on Quarry Road, Ibara Abeokuta, Ogun State generates a monthly income of about thirty million Naira (N30,000,000.00)



Obasanjo Farms Ltd. is a success story. Yet, it is not an ordinary success story in the sense that it does not follow the normal patterns of rags to riches; the staple from which typical success stories are made. Elendureports.com was reliably informed that Gen. Obasanjo's pet project as Head of State, "Operation Feed the Nation," was set up as a front to divert resources for the funding of Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. Obasanjo Farms, Ltd., is listed as being engaged in poultry and pig farming, which employees about 3,000 people.



The allegation is that money, heavy-duty machinery, and other materials meant for Operation Feed the Nation were diverted to Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. right from its inception. Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. has a huge abattoir at the back of General Hospital in Otta, Ogun State.



In direct contravention to the Nigerian Constitution, Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo still retains the title of Chairman, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. This allegation is supported by documents in the possession of Elendureports.com. Other members of the top executive of Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. are Elder Daniel W. Atsu, who is the Managing Director, and Bolarinwa Atilade, who is the Financial Controller. WEMA Bank is the company's major account provider, while it maintains accounts in several other local banks.



Ironically, some elected Nigerian public officials have been dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for operating their businesses while in public service. Recently, the President also warned civil servants to desist from engaging in private businesses.



Soon after the Abacha junta imprisoned Obasanjo on trumped up coup charges, Obasanjo Farms, with operational bases in Owiwi, Igboora, Lanlate and Ibadan, started experiencing a down-turn in fortunes. There is speculation that the Abacha regime discouraged people from patronizing the farm. However, after Obasanjo was released from prison and his subsequent drafting to run for president, the farm saw a resurgence of income. Since 1999, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. has acquired more assets. For example, the President showed off a huge teak farm to one of his close friends some years ago.



Elendureports.com was authoritatively informed that Obasanjo deposited checks worth millions of Naira meant for his Presidential campaign into various company accounts. There are claims that he did not make this money available to his campaign. As at the time of filing this story no audit of his 1999 campaign organization account has been conducted. A source very close to Pres. Obasanjo said, "Money just flowed in and Baba was just using it as he wanted."



Just recently the former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Audu Ogbeh, revealed that Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo and his bosom friend, Anthony Anenih, have yet to account for forty billion naira (N40 billion) raised for his 1999 Presidential campaign. Ogbeh insisted that the President, through his Legacy Campaign headquarters, was responsible for appropriating the campaign funds.



Also, Lagos lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, in recent Court submissions regarding the seven billion naira raised for the Obasanjo Presidential Library, presented evidence linking the President to Bells University and Bells Educational Services, a multi-million dollar institution, wholly owned by Obasanjo Holdings, Ltd.



Contrary to popular belief, President Olusegun Obasanjo has yet to publicly declare his assets. In addition, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has yet to publish its findings regarding allegations of corruption made against the President by Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu. While Nigerians may disagree on almost everything else, it is reasonable to expect that the unanswered question on the minds of the citizenry is: Is the President's anti-corruption war for real or a charade designed to attack opponents, deceive Nigerians and the international community?


The Joint Development Zone (JDZ) is currently the proverbial money tree for the President. The JDZ is a joint venture owned by Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe. This venture is supposed to manage the large deposits of oil in the Gulf of Guinea. The company managing the mapping of the JDZ is PGS, a company whose Nigerian subsidiary is managed by the father-in-law of Obasanjo's second son. Obasanjo's cronies, Emeka Offor and Wahab Folawiyo, also has business interests in the region.

[size=18pt]GENERAL OLUSEGUN OBASANJO: A MONSTER AS STATESMAN[/size]



Sometime in the evening of Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building of the London School of Economics, London , England the crème de la crème of the international community will once again be gathered to listen to the ostensible wisdom of an African statesman. But this man, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former president and presently the UN Secretary-General’s peace envoy in the Congo is no statesman. He’s an animal called man, a corrupt and treacherous monster soaked deep in the blood of innocent Nigerians.



As a human being, Obasanjo has had some of the rarest opportunities in public service anybody could get anywhere, which ordinarily should have been a springboard for great things were he someone with an iota of humanity or decency. After a total of eleven years as the head of state and president of Nigeria , the man is only remembered today in Nigeria as a crude, corrupt, lecherous and bloodthirsty tyrant who masqueraded as a democrat and sought at all cost to always impose his perverse will on the nation, even where it is clearly detrimental to national interest.



Before May 1999 when Obasanjo was sworn in as the civilian president of Nigeria , he has had a history of public service at the highest level also as a military head of state between 1976 and 1979. His singular act of handing over government to an elected civilian government in October 1979 was seemingly enough for Nigerians and the international community to forgive him of his atrocities as military head of state. Some of those atrocities include the setting up of the notorious secret detention centre in the island of Ita-Oko, the killing of Nigerian university students in cold blood and the invasion and razing of the home and business premises of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the late iconic Nigerian musician who was an ardent critic of his military government.



Obasanjo transmutation into a pretend statesman after his military career saw him set up the African Leadership Forum at Ota , Nigeria from where he talked glibly about democratic reform in Africa . But when in 1993, he was presented with an opportunity to back up his talk with action with the June 12 elections, he, not for the first time, shocked the nation with his support for the annulment of the election. He viciously attacked Chief MKO Abiola, the man elected president in the election, despite the fact that the national and international communities overwhelmingly declared the election the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history. In open desperation, Obasanjo was soon in cahoots with his military friends setting up all sorts of anti-democratic political contraptions to negate the people’s mandate.



Obasanjo and his military friends presided over the succeeding locust years until he fell out of favour with General Sani Abacha, the then head of the military junta who jailed him on coup-plotting charges against his government in 1995. This act by the odious Abacha invariably rehabilitated Obasanjo in the eyes of Nigerians and the international community as efforts were made to first commute the sentence passed on him and then get him out of jail. Thus, in June 1998, as Obasanjo walked out of prison preaching Christ and publishing a book titled, This Animal Called Man (a psycho-analytical study of the nature of human-induced evil from the Christian perspective), Nigerians and the international community felt he’d finally learnt his lessons and found God. No sooner after he was rewarded with the presidency of the country in May 1999, he began once again to show his true colour as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.



Seven months after taking over as civilian president, Obasanjo ordered the military invasion of a community in the Niger-Delta in a vain attempt to send the message to the creeks that his government would not tolerate any agitation for fair distribution of the oil wealth irresponsible exploitation of the valuable resource in the area. Obasanjo’s army razed the whole town of Odi to the ground and killed everyone in sight. The massacre had the world in outrage; but, typically, Obasanjo ignored the cries. Just to make sure the message was heard loud and clear, Obasanjo followed up with more massacres in Choba, Igwuruta, Biogbolo and other places in the Niger-Delta.



By these actions, he succeeded in transforming the essentially non-violent agitation for equity, justice and fairness in the region into a full-blown war needing the permanent location of a huge military taskforce in the area, perennial attacks against communities and running battles between the soldiers and the militants, some of whom are the same criminal elements Obasanjo armed to intimidate his political opponents and rig elections for his party, the PDP. It is in this light we must see last year’s visit of President Umaru Yar’Adua who came to ask Downing Street for military assistance to fight the militants, indicating how escalated the problem has now become. The world may not know it, but the seeds of the present crisis were firmly sown by Obasanjo.



Less than two years after Odi, between Monday October 22 to Wednesday October 24, 2001, Obasanjo repeated the same atrocity in the central Nigerian state of Benue where he sent in his murderous soldiers to kill and burn down the communities of Zaki Biam, Vaase, Agbayin, Gbeji, Sankara and several others ostensibly for the killing of some soldiers. Amnesty International described what happened there as “a killing spree” and appropriately advised that rather than seeking to deny, minimize or justify these extrajudicial executions, “the government of Nigeria must...condemn the killings publicly and make it clear that those responsible will be held accountable”.



When Human Rights Watch wrote its report on the massacres, Obasanjo boasted that he “dismissed the report with the contempt it deserves”. He went on in an interview with the Financial Times of April 9, 2002 to justify sending the soldiers on that mission and supported their action by declaring that when you send in soldiers, “they do not go on a picnic”, proclaiming that “in human nature, reaction is always more than the action”. A few weeks after the killings, Obasanjo was being welcomed by President George W Bush in the White House. At a joint press conference in the Rose Garden, Obasanjo unashamedly defended his actions before a shocked world.



From Kano to Kaduna to Jos, Obasanjo’s tenure witnessed the bloodiest peacetime inter-communal clashes in Nigeria . As strong suspicions grew that these clashes were instigated mainly by members of the new political class, especially top members of Obasanjo-led PDP, Obasanjo himself came out to claim he knew those sponsoring the mayhem. But the nation waited forlornly and hopelessly for him to name or institute prosecution against these people. Despite the thousands of lives senselessly lost in these carnages, not one single person has been prosecuted or convicted. Barely three years into his first 4-yeartenure, Obasanjo was asked how he felt about the fact that more than10,000 Nigerians have lost their lives through these politically instigated communal clashes on CNN (aired September 17, 2002) and his response was to imply that 10,000 people dying in a population of over 120 million shouldn’t be a big deal!



While political assassination perforated the reign of General Sani Abacha and largely accounted for the contempt in which he was held worldwide, Obasanjo surpassed the morbid record of the Goggled One in this regard, not only by the sheer number or the manner of their death, but also in the calibre of people that were assassinated. Still western leaders were falling over themselves to welcome him to their capitals, making him a fixture in high level conferences discussing African developmental needs.



Two days before Christmas in 2001, Bola Ige, a political rival to Obasanjo but at the time an uneasy ally, who held the important portfolio of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in Obasanjo’s cabinet, was gunned down in broad daylight in his own home in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. In a macabre dance of the absurd, Ige’s death was played out in the full glare of the nation. But his blood was still warm when Obasanjo and his party rewarded those strongly suspected of his murder with political power.



On March 5, 2003, Dr Marshall Harry, who used to belong to Obasanjo’s party, but who defected to the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and posed a great obstacle to Obasanjo’s agenda in the South-south region as vice chairman of his new party kissed the dust. The man was murdered in his own home in Abuja in circumstances that suggested the involvement of highly trained assassins with military background. The killers stayed for almost two hours in the house trying to get the man, who at a point came out on his balcony to cry for help while the men battered his reinforced door and cut through his ceiling. His house was just a few meters from the Police Command of the Federal Capital Territory , yet no help came.



On Feb 6, 2004, Harry’s kinsman, Aminosoari Dikibo, a national vice chairman of Obasanjo’s party was shot dead on his way to a zonal meeting of his party in Asaba. At the time, he belonged to a rival faction to Obasanjo within the party, was seriously opposed to his meddling in Anambra State and openly supported the Obasanjo-embattled Chris Ngige. Two days after the man’s death, before the police could say anything, Obasanjo peremptorily informed the nation that Dikibo was killed by armed-robbers. This was despite the fact that those who killed the man on the road did not take any valuable or money from him. Of course, Obasanjo’s claim was met with national uproar and suspicion. How did he know Dikibo was killed by armed-robbers that soon when the police were yet to come up with anything? Why is he pointing to that direction if not to divert attention from the real source(s) of the man’s death? Like Ige and Harry, Funsho Williams, PDP’s front-runner for the Lagos State governorship slot met his death in the hands of daring assassins in his own home on July 27, 2006. They came in, tied him up, brutalized, stabbed and strangled him.

Apart from the above, we had the cases of Alabi Hassan-Olajokun, a financier of the Alliance for Democracy in the western states; Dr Ayodeji Daramola, a governorship aspirant in Ekiti State; the activist pilot, Jerry Agbeyegbe; the fiery journalist, Godwin Agbroko; Andrew Agom, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees; Jesse Aruku, a governorship aspirant in Plateau State; Ahmed Pategi, PDP Chairman in Kwara State, Ogbonnaya Uche, ANPP senatorial candidate for Orlu and many more.

In all these cases, the killers made sure they left no one in doubt that these were political murders meant to send a message to certain other elements within the system committed to serious democratic party politics. Indeed, there are those who believe the murders were not unconnected with Obasanjo’s self-perpetuation agenda, as, by this time, his pet “Third Term” project was already in full swing. Curiously, since his Third Term plan was shot down by Nigerians, the political assassinations have stopped as well. Needless to say, these murders remain unresolved till this day. Prof Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate said it best when he described Obasanjo-led PDP as “a nest of killers”.

Not surprisingly, such a regime couldn’t have been sustained without massive corruption, which he spearheaded even as president. Obasanjo’s way of fighting democratic battles within the National Assembly was through massive bribery. For instance, when in 2002, there was uproar for his impeachment following the massacres at Odi, Zaki Biam and so on(amongst 16 other charges), he used money to buy over the legislator sand made sure they didn’t get the needed numbers. At one point, Obasanjo’s bribe money was displayed on the floor of the National Assembly publicly.

Indeed, Obasanjo’s well-known corrupt dealings are legion and it would be a boldfaced lie for those who parade him within the international community today as a worthy statesman to claim they have no idea. The series of revelations of the huge corrupt dealings that pervaded the comatose power sector throughout Obasanjo’s tenure have his imprints all over them. In March 2008, the National Assembly indicted him for supposedly spending $2.2 billion on power without due process. The Transcorp shares, the Obasanjo Library Fund, the COJA contracts, the PTDF scandal, the Siemens bribe scandal, the oil contracts and oil wells allocation done directly by Obasanjo who also doubled as Petroleum Resources minister are all tips of the iceberg. Obasanjo ran Nigeria aground and, when it was obvious to him that his Third Term bid has failed, he vengefully imposed on the nation the seriously sick brother of his late friend, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua as president.



For Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua is the pliable tool he needed to make his getaway. He ensured that the election that brought him in was the worst in the nation’s history. He introduced the principle of “do or die” politics and used the security forces and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate anyone in the way of his designs. Indeed, he personally supervised the maiming, killing and sheer robbery that ensured Yar’Adua was put there. Nigerians today still groan under Obasanjo’s dastard legacy. The term ‘failed leader’ cannot begin to do justice enough to his legacy, yet those who direct affairs of the international community continue to embrace him as some kind of African messiah, pushing him in the forefront of anything Africa. Today, they have inflicted him on the Congo – a man whose legacy of death, mayhem and spectacular failure has knocked Nigeria into comatose is being depended on to provide a pathway to peace in the Congo ! Talk about pie in the flaming sky!



The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the international community who are entrusting Obasanjo with the task of bringing peace to the Congo are perhaps seduced by his glib talk. They probably think as one of the oldest and longest serving former ruler of an important African country and a former military leader who as a young officer served in Congo, he would command more respect from the warring factions there. Well, all they need to jolt them to reality is to think of Liberia. Obasanjo’s policies in Liberia made things worse by enabling his genocidal friend, Charles Taylor, who, when the international community finally decided enough was enough, found refuge in Obasanjo’s abode. The man had to be virtually prised away from his hands to stand trial for crimes against humanity. No one should be surprised. What bind them are not only cheap Liberian women, they are kindred spirits who hunt and kill innocents together!



Lastly, it’s important that the world should get an idea of the kind of father Obasanjo is. Just as Nigerians ushered in the New Year in 2008, they were greeted with the shocking and debasing news that Gbenga Obasanjo, the ex-president’s own son, has accused his father of having sexual relations with his wife, Mojishola Obasanjo. The younger Obasanjo was stating this in court papers, asking for the dissolution of the marriage. A nonplussed nation waited for general Obasanjo to deny this publicly. He didn’t, neither did the lady. Gbenga insisted: “I know for a fact that my father had sexual relationship with Moji due to her greed to curry favour and contracts from him in his capacity as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The divorce was granted on those grounds and its now there in public record that General Olusegun Obasanjo, who has a reputation as a lecherous man of insatiable sexual appetite, slept with his son’s wife!



The Nigeria Liberty Forum considers it a public duty to stop people like Obasanjo representing Africa anywhere, because he represents the same failed face of Africa .We cannot afford for different versions of Mobutu, Idi Amin, Bokassa, Conteh, Marcias Nguema and their ilk representing us at a time the world is yearning for genuine leadership. Obasanjo has the traits of the worst tyrants in Africa, but he seems to have the international community under his spell. They overlook his indiscretions and scandalous crimes and shower him with credibility when he should be cooling his heels in jail or hiding away in one remote corner of the world, far, far from civilization!



Not too curiously, the increasingly retrogressive authorities of the London School of Economics have equally fallen under his spell. They have since revoked all accreditations given to press men for the event and have requested that the Nigeria Liberty Forum pass whatever message it has through them to Obasanjo, all in an attempt to keep the public away. Well, it’s not going to happen, because the world must know who Obasanjo is. We can speak for ourselves in any public space and we can do so via a peaceful protest. Obasanjo is a monster not a statesman and no amount of lipstick or make-up will change him from who he is. We know him and every decent citizen of our world needs to know him for who he truly is as well.



Long Live the United Kingdom!



Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!





Signed: Kayode Ogundamisi

Convenor, Nigeria Liberty Forum



To join NLF UK , send an email to nlibertyforum@googlemail.com



Telephone (Daytime): +447951402986 (Evening): +442030150739

http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=1866

[size=18pt]Obasanjo's corruption and looting lead to his liquidation of Nigeria Airways[/size]
FOR many years, very few people knew the reason for the liquidation of Nigeria Airways. Many were oblivious of intrigues that led to the death of the airline. Many had read the story on the internet and in documented articles.

Last week presented the opportunity for many to know the exact reasons the carrier met its untimely death. The occasion was at a book launch of Oba Olufemi Ogunleye. His book highlights the ills of the aviation industry and efforts made to rescue it. The forum was an occasion to extol the leadership quality of the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Olusegun Demuren; how he was able, together with all NCAA personnel to give Nigeria a virile aviation industry that had engendered safety.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo whose administration liquidated the airline was in attendance. Also was a former Managing Director of the carrier, Gen. Olu Bajowa (rtd). It was fireworks the as the duo differed on the action that led to the eventual demise of the airline.

[img]http://3.bp..com/-qQQT8KgVs_o/UKvtEkrPcDI/AAAAAAAABGk/xaC7VGsvYF8/s1600/MyAviationNetPhotoID00864492.jpg[/img]

Obasanjo held the capacity hall spellbound. He defended his action. He argued that he left 32 aircraft in the fleet of the airline when he left public office in 1979; noting that when he came back as civilian President he was shocked to see only one serviceable aircraft.

He branded many of the chief executives of the airlines as corrupt, explaining that some of them exploited and stole massively from the airline.

According to him, “You will be an irresponsible leader if you have a situation like that and you don’t do anything about it and I did something about it. What I owed Nigeria was for them to be able to move from point A to B.

But Bajowa faulted Obasanjo for his action, stressing that he could not understand the wisdom or decipher the rationale behind the liquidation and eventual sale of Nigeria Airways, adding that as a former chief executive, the airline had enough assets in Nigeria, across the West African sub region, Central and East Africa, the United State and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom to offset whatever volume of liabilities it purportedly incurred.

He posited that the huge resources generated in hard currency from Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) could have been used as subvention from the Ministry of Aviation to help bail out the Nigeria Airways from its indebtedness, or at worst could have entered into business and operational partnership with a mega airline like the British Airways or any other credible world class airline.

To many who listened to Obasanjo, the former President they opined was only trying to play to the gallery to justify one of the worst decisions ever taken by any leader. While it is very true that the airline was oozing with corruption, there would have been better ways to resuscitate the airline.
If Obasanjo claimed that the officials were corrupt, what did he do to prosecute them and to make them pay for their crime? Why was the Justice Obiorah Nwazota panel report not implemented? Why was the white paper on the report not released?

The Nwazota panel heavily indicted top government officials, some of whom were alleged to be financiers of the ruling party in 1999 and 2003. The release of the white paper would have caused confusion in the camp of the party at that time. No wonder a very powerful former Minister of Information once told reporters that those indicted were, ‘role models”. He disclosed that it would be suicidal for government to publish their names or prosecute them.

Obasanjo had all the machinery of the state to bring the corrupt officials to book. Why did he suddenly develop cold feet in a matter that was proven beyond all reasonable doubt that these officials indeed engaged in one of the biggest corruption exercises that saw to the sorry state of the airline? Where were EFCC and ICPC? They obviously looked the other way.

To many right thinking person, the problem of Nigeria Airways was not beyond redemption. Kenya Airways went through the same problem as Airway. What did the Kenyan government do? The government, poised to revive the airline agreed to take over responsibility for the airlines external debt arrears and in October converted $33 million in debt owed it into equity. As a result, long term debt was reduced from $177 million to $49 million and net worth increased to $33million.The privatization of Kenya Airways was the first-ever privatization of an African airline.

The ownership of the East African airline is as follows: Airline partner 20 per cent; Kenya institutions 20 per cent; Kenya Airways staff 10 per cent; Kenya Government 20 per cent and Kenya public 30 per cent. This is a very perfect arrangement for a serious government and people of Kenya.
I have listened to many who said that Nigeria should not be bothered with a national carrier. They based their arguments on the fact that the country has flag carriers that can fit in well to offer same services that a national airline would offer.

I look around my shoulders and I am yet to see any one airline that has that potential to really offer that service. Many of them are just masquerading and pretending to be airlines; the reason Nigeria will always be shortchanged in the global aviation politics.

I advocate for a privatized national airline devoid of total control of government, but one owned by the public. This way, it becomes very difficult for corruption to thrive.

The benefits from privatization depend significantly on how it is carried out. To effectively implement a privatization, policy makers must analyze the macro-economic context; consider appropriate policy sequencing; examine the potential for and attractiveness of different types of investors; estimate the value of the company; establish an effective administrative process.

While there is no universal formula for successful privatization, well-thought out policy is important for ensuring that privatization produces widespread public benefits.

http://5vestartravel..co.uk/2012/03/how-not-to-liquidate-airline-nigeria.html

[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.

niggadee: every yoruba men not man

hey bro. it is actually every YORUBA MAN!

niggadee: every yoruba men not man

Be sure of your grammar before you correct people. Words like 'every', 'each', 'someone', etc are singular markers. So the correct thing is 'every Yoruba man'.

Aregbesola, I am so ashamed of you and your statement made me ashamed of been from Osun state.

You are a criminal just like OBJ so I am not surprised. You been in office we are still waiting to uncover your 419 acts. Obasanjo is the most corrupt leader Nigeria ever had and it is a shame he is a Yoruba man.

searay: Please I'll like to know the name of the primary school you attended. Thanks

Foworogi primary school

.

DANILSA: WEATHER YORUBAS LIKE IT OR NOT OBASANJO REMAINS THE STRONGEST AND MOST RELEVANT YORUBA MAN AFTER AWOLOWO AND SECOND TO NONE IN TODAY'S NIGERIA.

WHY DID HE FELL ELECTION IN HIS LOCAL GOVT. IN 1999 AND 2003? EVEN THE DAUGHTER IYABO WAS TROUNCED IN HER OWN POLLING BOOT.......ANYWAY, HE REMAINS RELEVANT IN RIGGING ELECTIONS AS NOBODY KNOW HIM FOR ANYTHING GOOD

i think we Nigerians have a very short memory and can be easily carried away with the passage of events. Castigated Obasanjo of yesterday suddenly has become a hero today just because we forgot history so soon. While i believe we should forgive people but can we really forget the pains inflicted on us? I have not seen any display of regret or feeling of remorse by this man. He always takes Nigerian for granted and get away with it. It is not by how much efforts but by how much positive result delivered.

afam4eva: Obasanjo is the most hated Yoruba man by Yorubas and Aregbesola is speaking for himself. I hope he doesn't get some lashing from his party for going against one of the core belief of the party.

Thats not true. Speak for yourself

You like it or not he remains the greatest Nigerian to date in terms of achievement. He is what Nelson Mandela is to South Africa.

my gov. U ar wrong on dis1 obj brot a whole lot of bad leaders e.g. OGD, OYIN, GEJ etc. So dat man his both bad&dsgras2us yoruba ppl.

cytell Property: You like it or not he remains the greatest Nigerian to date in terms of achievement. He is what Nelson Mandela is to South Africa.

You cannot put Obasanjo and Mandela in the same sentence. Obasanjo even today struggles to maintain total popularity in Nigeria and not all Nigerians share the same sentiments about him, especially the igbos.

Msauza:
You cannot put Obasanjo and Mandela in the same sentence. Obasanjo even today struggles to maintain total popularity in Nigeria and not all Nigerians share the same sentiments, especially the igbos.

This is the problem with some people, you have now brought in tribalism. The issue i raised does not have any connection with tribes or religion.
Please can you let me know who else has achieved more than him in Nigeria.

cytell Property:
This is the problem with some people, you have now brought in tribalism. The issue i raised does not have any connection with tribes or religion.
Please can you let me know who else has achieved more than him in Nigeria.

I fully agree with you, there is no leader in Nigeria who can match his calibre. The only point that I wanted to raise was about his popularity, he is still short of hands when it comes to that department. Many people outside the borders of Nigeria know little about that man.

OBJ wasted Yoruba slot in presidency. I find it difficult to like OBJ as a Yoruba man. The overhead bridge was abandoned by him Lagos Abeokuta road is worst where he has his farm, Oyo Ibadan road is still bad, Under him Ore Benin road was a death trap hand his lieutenant like Aneneh embezzled so much money and they were not tried by EFCC

All of a sudden, several hitherto unknown (and unheard of) posters are popping out all over the place to sing Mr. Obasanjo's praises.


But as I always say: Some of us are not children.


The truth cannot be hidden forever. No sir.


A few posters on this thread have done an excellent job of digging up hard facts about the misdirection and the corruption of the Obasanjo years, not the whitewashed version some other posters would have us believe.


You can't argue with the truth. And indeed, it is out there.


For those of OBJ's kinsmen playing the ethnic superiority card on this thread - isn't it a bit sad to carry the baggage of coming from the same ethnic stock as a so-called titled chief who could be accused (by his own son, no less) of having relations with his daughter-in-law? Is it not odd that the Owu council of chiefs had nothing to say on this matter?


What does that tell you?

You are right my guy

agog: Obasanjo is a leader whose value will not be fully appreciated until he's gone.

niggadee: every yoruba men not man

Teacher when nor know book. Check yourself before you wreck yourself
It is "Every Yoruba man".

You mean the true value of his looting would be fully appreciated !

agog: Obasanjo is a leader whose value will not be fully appreciated until he's gone.

niggadee: every yoruba men not man

It is "every Yoruba man".

What you are trying to say is "all yoruba men".

I love baba..I've always loved him. And I don't need to be Yoruba to do so.
But let it be clear that I don't love him cos I think he's a good person or was near a good president. Infaact, I see him as one of the most wicked, meanest, jazzed up and corrupt human beings Nigeria has ever produced.

I love Obj cos he's a true reflection of an average Nigerian. One can only get as much as he gives.

@Aregbeshola

Given to what this Osogbo tout claim to stand for since the past one year, his recent worship of Obj shows that an average Nigerian looses all sense of morality when ethnicity and religion is involved.

Too bad!

I have always said it times without number dat Obasanjo remains a great national leader of our time, no matter what anyone might be saying. We cannot continue to cast aspersions on the character and integrity Chief Obasanjo when most of the things we hear about him are hearsay. And particularly when we dreamm to be like him. Are we ourselves perfect? Could we perform better if placed in OBJ positions under same cicurstances? No doubt, he has his flaws, but he did his best in moving Nigeria forward.

Which one is hearsay?
That he massacred 2000 people in Odi and Zaki Biam?

That he devalued Naira by 500%

That he has become stupendously wealthy ?

That he has took $16 Billion to give us light and we are still in darkness?


That he mismanaged and liquidised Nigeria Airway

That he sold off all Nigeria's assets at give away prices?

Which one is hearsay?

henrysam:
If u re a yoruba man u re a big fool and if u re not u re dabbling into what is not of ur concern. Akpeteshi

He's not a Yoruba man. He's just another jealous IBO that can't stand the fact no one cares about his tribe and their plight.