Ghana: Alamieyeseigha's Pardon - Nigeria Alienated - Bill Gates Arrives Ghana

Nigeria this week began to feel the full impact of the diplomatic row it sparked with the United States after pardoning corrupt ex-convicts and a rapist. And the health of the Nigerian child is the first casualty.

The first backlash has taken full effect as America's richest man, Bill Gates, on Monday, arrived Ghana in a trip that would have seen the billionaire stop by Nigeria to meet President Goodluck Jonathan, and other officials concerning the aggressive polio eradication campaign his Bill and Melinda Foundation is undertaking in Nigeria.

"I arrive in Ghana today to see firsthand why the country's immunization system is working so well and meet the people involved," Mr Gates wrote in a website in which he is keeping personal notes.

Mr. Gates was due in Nigeria March 27-28, after his visit to neighbouring Ghana, but called off the trip two-day trip after the U.S. government expressed disappointment with Nigeria for pardoning convicted money launderers and warned it might cut aid meant for the country.

Although diplomatic sources told PREMIUM TIMES the American billionaire decided to stay off Nigeria in response to Mr. Jonathan's pardoning of corrupt officials, Mr. Bill's office has maintained the trip was put off due to a change in his schedule.

Nigeria's President Jonathan stirred local and international discontent after he granted state pardon to his former boss and ex-Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreiye Alamieyeisegha.

The former governor, wanted in United Kingdom for money laundering, and convicted here for embezzling state funds while he was Bayelsa Governor, was pardoned alongside another convict and former head of the Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama.

Mr. Bulama, like Mr. Alamieyeisegha, was investigated and later prosecuted for corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Read the full article here:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201303260338.html?aa_source=acrdn-f0

Nonsense story. Bill Gates probably scheduled his GhAna trip long before the pardon palaver.

That's exactly what this corrupt govt deserves. Sad thing is that it's the innocent kids who suffer the consequences.

pls can someone tell me what we stand to benefit if bill gate come to nigeria

Thats what you gain when you have a corrupt President at the helm

nabiz: pls can someone tell me what we stand to benefit if bill gate come to nigeria

The American philanthropist, Bill Gate and his wife's foundation is a non governmental organisation that gives aid to countries. Like here in Nigeria, they give us financial aid to help us fight against polio, HIV.
You can just imagine what Nigeria stands to lose and d lives of our children if this aids doesnt come.
And you kw, you never can expect this corrupt governors to look into that sector of health when they're all looking for money to steal.

nabiz: pls can someone tell me what we stand to benefit if bill gate come to nigeria

google is your pal

excellent post @slylg

@Op.....so by this logic, was Bill Gates and his wife rebuking Ghana on the occasions he visited Nigeria and not Ghana?

It is the Nigerian people who can "rebuke" the government, not some private businessman from America, no matter how sucessful he is.

Further more,if he is using a political pardon to punish Nigerians suffering from polio, he needs to do some soul searching.

londoner: @Op.....so by this logic, was Bill Gates and his wife rebuking Ghana on the occasions he visited Nigeria and not Ghana?

It is the Nigerian people who can "rebuke" the government, not some private businessman from America, no matter how sucessful he is.

Further more,if he is using a political pardon to punish Nigerians suffering from polio, he needs to do some soul searching.

It's not about punishing Nigeria, it's about putting his money where he feels it will be the most helpful.

Lots of polio workers (most of them female) have lost their lives distributing polio vaccines in the North. It's dangerous work.

If the government doesn't even care about it's own people, Gates will give his money to countries that DO care.

Michaeljones36:

It's not about punishing Nigeria, it's about putting his money where he feels it will be the most helpful.

Lots of polio workers (most of them female) have lost their lives distributing polio vaccines in the North. It's dangerous work.

If the government doesn't even care about it's own people, Gates will give his money to countries that DO care.

So which one is it?

You said Nigeria was being "rebuked" over Alams pardon, did you not? Now, you say its because of women being killed in the north.

Nigeria as a whole, does not have a problem with immunisation or polio, it is the north that has a problem, and the government did try and eradicate polio by immunisation all over Nigeria, the north resisted. So, your explanation that the government does not care, is to deny the facts that you already know about the efforts to immunise that were resisted in the north.

Michaeljones36:


Read the full article here:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201303260338.html?aa_source=acrdn-f0

OP, this may be sensationalism at work. The USA and its politician can rightly criticise Nigeria for the pardon of Alams but Bill Gate is not a politician and he should be intelligent enough to see that he cannot afford to have his charitable endeavours tainted with the notion he is politically partisan. Obviously, Gates would not want to be seen as doing charitable work that dances to the tune of America's foreign and political policies.