An event conceived as part of Jonathan's inauguration week has become a controversial bribe fest in Lagos, with about 400 participants receiving between N50, 000 and N150,000 each.

The event took place yesterday afternoon when Mr. Jonathan had a lunch date with "Nigerian youths" at the Eko Hotel in Lagos as part of his inauguration which takes place next Sunday. Organized by some young people who were involved in the "What About Us" election campaign, the event on the surface sounded legitimate.

A young person invited to the event from Abuja told SaharaReporters that the event was packaged as though Mr. Jonathan wanted to open dialogue with Nigerian youth but what came out was a sham.

He said, "Last week, I got a call about today's event and it was played up as a conversation with Mr. President, but what happened today was a charade organized by people passing themselves up as youth representatives, who in the reality were closet consultants to the President and his people."

It was a different scenario when he got there. "It wasn't a conversation, the speakers had been pre-selected," he lamented. “This is the latest Nigeria youth scam on the block."

But for some deliberate infusion of a few critical comments, the rest involved politically correct speeches and youth kissing up to GEJ, the participant said.


Another commentator told SaharaReporters that they were disappointed by the speech made by Nollywood actress Rita Dominic, who couldn't stop thanking Jonathan profusely for giving $200 million to Nollywood stars.

Another low for the event, according to another participant, was video footage of a British band called "Goodluck Jonathan" which had been shown to participants apparently to prove that Jonathan was a global icon who had inspired a foreign music band.

The event which had originally been put up as “frugal” event of N70 million ended up costing over N150m as some youth participants spent three days at the super expensive Eko Hotel prior to it. Also, some participants were flown from the UK and US.

The event’s arrowheads include Chude Jideonwo of the “Future Project” and Amara Nwankpa, the youth who led a "LightUp Nigeria" campaign. Some participants said they felt scammed by the “What About US” campaign when Jonathan failed to honor a youth debate. They felt disappointed that the leaders of the campaign turned around and involved themselves with the monumental wastage of scarce national resources at a time the value of the national currency is going down, fuel scarcity has returned and the electricity situation is getting worse.

At the end of yesterday's event, which started at 12:30 and ended at 3pm, an announcement was made that participants would get reimbursement of their transport fare. That it turned to be a bribe fest as participants from Lagos were offered N50, 000 each while those from out of Lagos state were given N150, 000.

“Some 400 youths were essentially bribed by Mr. President,” said a participant who claimed to have rejected the gratification. As expected the gratification of participants has ignited a fierce debate on Twitter and other social media channels

What can I say, Goodluck to you! I don't know who is worse: In-your-face bad leaders or leaders that pretend to be Angels whilst destroying the country?

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/youth-lunch-jonathan-turns-another-bribe-fest

I voted for GEJ and not PDP - se una see now ehhhhhh.

Speechless.

I voted for GEJ and not PDP. There will be many more of this. We sidon look.

^^

While we dey smile and laugh to the bank like obasanjo . . . . .

This SR people sef.
I tot the election is over, whats there to "bribe" people for again?


Saharareporters is so confused.

Sahara reporters again? Well i don't blame them i blame clueless GEJ

samla:

An event conceived as part of Jonathan's inauguration week has become a controversial bribe fest in Lagos, with about 400 participants receiving between N50, 000 and N150,000 each.

At the end of yesterday's event, which started at 12:30 and ended at 3pm, an announcement was made that participants would get reimbursement of their transport fare.  That it turned to be a bribe fest as participants from Lagos were offered N50, 000 each while those from out of Lagos state were given N150, 000.

1. What is the definition of a bribe?
2. Is it right or wrong for a government to give transport reinbursement to youths in a country where majority of these youths are unemployed?
3. How much is a return ticket from eg Port Harcourt to Lagos ( including airport taxies) and one night accomodation?
4. Based on the answer to question 3 above, is N150K an unreasonable amount to give to someone for that purpose?
5. Can a money given to someone to cover his legitimate expenses be termed a "bribe"?
6. What is the purpose of the so called "bribe"? is it to make GEJ win an already won elections?, and FINALLY
7.  Are the previous comments to the post a reflection of poverty mentality or half baked education? Otherwise, what else can make someone endorse a useless report about bribes when it is clear from the report that the basic elements of a bribe are completely lacking.

sahara magazine is a northern agenda. they are wishful thinkers. transformation has begun.

Whether Northern or not is not the issue - where does the 50,000 - 150,000 for each participant come from? Is it a private pocket or out of tax-payers funds?

When will we go past the "he's my brother & thus always right" mentality and require educated responsible fiscal management of federal resources?

Are we really serious we want good for our Children and our tomorrow? Is this how it comes?

nuclearboy:

Whether Northern or not is not the issue - where does the 50,000 - 150,000 for each participant come from? Is it a private pocket or out of tax-payers funds?

Some questions or you
1.  Is the president supposed to spend money from his "private pocket" in running the business of governance?
2.  do you think attributing the funds being spent to "tax-payers" as they would in western nations would add strenght to your arguments?
3.  Is the phrase "tax - payers funds" relevant to a country that gets over 90% of its revenue from crude oil?
3.  If the answer to question 3 is clearly NO, does it not say something about your entire comment? i.e that it does not reflect reality?

;d

@Muami:

Basically then, your problem with my post is the term "tax-payers funds" - for this, you would call me non-realist and insist on rooting for Mr. President.

But your premise is wrong as ALL federal funds, whether accruing through tax or through oil BELONG TO THE NATION and not to any individual, Mr. President included.

No individual has right to spend such monies irresponsibly - whether you were his campaign manager or if he is related to you in anyway.

I know you were a staunch supporter of GEJ during the last elections but he HAS WON and we are not fighting over that. Thus, I'd expect that you, of all, should require a man you voted for, show himself responsible in the disbursement of national funds. Your diction is that of the educated but your love for the man obviously overshadows your scholarship.

As long as people like you continue to sing praise to such idiocy, methinks the future looks even bleaker than recent events portend. But continue (whist sitting in the UK) and praise them till there's nothing to return home to.

nuclearboy:

No individual has right to spend such monies irresponsibly -  whether you were his campaign manager or if he is related to you in anyway.

Thus, I'd expect that you, of all, should require a man you voted for, show himself responsible in the disbursement of national funds. Your diction is that of the educated but your love for the man obviously overshadows your scholarship.

I would answer you post by reposting the earlier questions I posed ( which obviously you did not see). I urge you to answer those questions and whilst justifying your claims that the monies are being spent "irresponsibly". If you can, then I would join you to condemn GEJ

1. What is the definition of a bribe?
2. Is it right or wrong for a government to give transport reinbursement to youths in a country where majority of these youths are unemployed?
3. How much is a return ticket from eg Port Harcourt to Lagos ( including airport taxies) and one night accomodation?
4. Based on the answer to question 3 above, is N150K an unreasonable (or "irresponsible" amount to give to someone for that purpose?
5. Can a money given to someone to cover his legitimate expenses be termed a "bribe"?
6. What is the purpose of the so called "bribe"? is it to make GEJ win an already won elections?, and FINALLY
7.  Are the previous comments to the post a reflection of poverty mentality or half baked education? Otherwise, what else can make someone endorse a useless report about bribes when it is clear from the report that the basic elements of a bribe are completely lacking.

Again, before opening this thread, I told myself to take a wild guess: It is from Sahareporters!! Lo and behold it is exactly what I guesssed.

No wise person pays attention any longer to news coming from Saharareporters!! Everybody already understands that they are not a reliable source for qualitative news!! They fabricate stories just out of thier own thinking!!

Only the jobless still reads Sahrareporters. I didn't read the article so I have no comment about it!

I saw your "questions"and found no sense in answering them. I wonder how a lunch is supposed to be part of federal business. This lunch anyway, obviously was cooked, served and designed as another image laundering support garnering gathering. Whats he afraid of that he needs to bribe people over?

You may wish to consider that the performers in government (Amaechi of GEJs' PDP and Fashola, etc) are not finding excuse to "share money" but rather "WORK". Their work (even though some of their policies were unpopular) gave them easily renewed mandates. GEJ apologists only need consider the percentage of votes Fashola got in Lagos and the fact that nobody including his PDP opponent saw any error/wrong in 4/5 of the votes going to him.

We want government of that caliber - not bribes, parties, billion Naira handing over to self etc whist facilities break down and security evaporates.

@ topic
Bad belle guys wey no sharp come nairaland dey complain. I dey laugh o. Una no know say transfare dey cost?

nuclearboy:

I saw your "questions"and found no sense in answering them. I wonder how a lunch is supposed to be part of federal business.

I just realised I was wasting my time responding to someone who knows next to nothing about the business of governance. My apologies! Byeeeeee

muami:

1. What is the definition of a bribe?
2. Is it right or wrong for a government to give transport reinbursement to youths in a country where majority of these youths are unemployed?
3. How much is a return ticket from eg Port Harcourt to Lagos ( including airport taxies) and one night accomodation?
4. Based on the answer to question 3 above, is N150K an unreasonable amount to give to someone for that purpose?
5. Can a money given to someone to cover his legitimate expenses be termed a "bribe"?
6. What is the purpose of the so called "bribe"? is it to make GEJ win an already won elections?, and FINALLY
7.  Are the previous comments to the post a reflection of poverty mentality or half baked education? Otherwise, what else can make someone endorse a useless report about bribes when it is clear from the report that the basic elements of a bribe are completely lacking.

muami:

I would answer you post by reposting the earlier questions I posed ( which obviously you did not see). I urge you to answer those questions and whilst justifying your claims that the monies are being spent "irresponsibly". If you can, then I would join you to condemn GEJ

After pouring out your ignorance in the listed questions you still went ahead begging someone to answer them , some people sef,

SR is consider unreliable when it reports on anything to do with Goddy, but relaibale when it tells us how Ibori is doing in Jete. The average Nigerian will make excuses for anything

this is how it is done in the ss. its our culture

Thanks Fried-rice, for showing him his folly.

I suppose his love love for GEJ has taught him the art and finer points of governance like bribes, parties, maintaining the status-quo of PDP thievery and entrenching corruption into the coming generation.

All this tribal warriors destroying the future all for a bowl of porridge

LoveKing my bro: How you dey? Been a long time

muami:

1. What is the definition of a bribe?
2. Is it right or wrong for a government to give transport reinbursement to youths in a country where majority of these youths are unemployed?
3. How much is a return ticket from eg Port Harcourt to Lagos ( including airport taxies) and one night accomodation?
4. Based on the answer to question 3 above, is N150K an unreasonable amount to give to someone for that purpose?
5. Can a money given to someone to cover his legitimate expenses be termed a "bribe"?
6. What is the purpose of the so called "bribe"? is it to make GEJ win an already won elections?, and FINALLY
7.  Are the previous comments to the post a reflection of poverty mentality or half baked education? Otherwise, what else can make someone endorse a useless report about bribes when it is clear from the report that the basic elements of a bribe are completely lacking.

Your question should have gone thus:
1. What caliber of youths attended the function-the hungry or fed ones?
2. Is it right or wrong for a government to organise this bribery jamboree in the first place in a country where majority of these youths are unemployed?
3. How much does a sick, malnourished, dying under 5year children need, to have the breath of life and wipe tears off their mothers' cheeks?
4. Based on the answer to question 1-3 above, is N150K a reasonable amount to give to someone for that purpose?
5. Is the money given to a set of useless youths in this manner not a bribe?
6. What is the purpose of this bribe? Is it not an attempt at enslaving their psychic on the platter of fake humility?
7. Is the comment quoted above not coming from a figure who obviously living in UK and so has lost touch with the reality?

@muami. Whatever you are or doing now, don't come back to this country with this kind of mentality. You need to refurbish your thinking faculty. It is already faulty. If you do, you can only pollute more the already corrupted environment.

@nuclearboy

Oga mi i dey oh. Ah i think sey you go don dey heaven by now? wetin happen

They will say its Honorarium which even pastor collects.

Sahara is at it again!!! No names, no sources, no nothing. Just same lies and falsehoods that they know shallow Nigerians love to read. Keep it up Sahara. You never disappoint. Hope your sponsors support you effectively for your shams.

its not a lie. People who were there have confrimed it. They were given 150k abj and 50k lag wit a samusng galaxy tab @ the end of the meeting.

somze:

Sahara is at it again!!! No names, no sources, no nothing. Just same lies and falsehoods that they know shallow Nigerians love to read. Keep it up Sahara. You never disappoint. Hope your sponsors support you effectively for your shams.

You people are complaining about SR ,what about the fierce discussion going on twitter and Facebook before SR reported this ?

How come GEJ's camp cannot even come on NL or FB to refute this claim? Why can't they refute this news?

somze:

Sahara is at it again!!! No names, no sources, no nothing. Just same lies and falsehoods that they know shallow Nigerians love to read. Keep it up Sahara. You never disappoint. Hope your sponsors support you effectively for your shams.

My friend sharrraaaaaap dia!

Are you saying people were not given state dolapos at the meeting? Was Rita Dominic not there? What is your point exactly?

Ibime:

My friend sharrraaaaaap dia!

Are you saying people were not given state dolapos at the meeting? Was Rita Dominic not there? What is your point exactly?

playmode:

You people are complaining about SR ,what about the fierce discussion going on twitter and Facebook before SR reported this ?

How come GEJ's camp cannot even come on NL or FB to refute this claim? Why can't they refute this news?

zeeleso:

its not a lie. People who were there have confrimed it. They were given 150k abj and 50k lag wit a samusng galaxy tab @ the end of the meeting.

Can you name one person that received the gift or one person that rejected it I don't want my uncle's friend told my uncle told my cousin told my brother who put it on twitter and facebook.

LoveKing:

this is how it is done in the ss. its our culture

so what are you saying,has  it become endemic and can't be changed?

muami:

Some questions or you
1.  Is the president supposed to spend money from his "private pocket" in running the business of governance?
2.  do you think attributing the funds being spent to "tax-payers" as they would in western nations would add strenght to your arguments?
3.  Is the phrase "tax - payers funds" relevant to a country that gets over 90% of its revenue from crude oil?
3.  If the answer to question 3 is clearly NO, does it not say something about your entire comment? i.e that it does not reflect reality?

What a stewpid, ridiculous, moroonic, deranged argument!!!

1. How is giving money away discretionarily to people part of "running the business of governance"?  So if some cretin wants to do that, should it come from public funds?

What a stewpid, ridiculous, moroonic, deranged argument!!!

2. If public funds is used, then it does not carry weight?

What a stewpid, ridiculous, moroonic, deranged argument!!!

3. So because 90% of funds is not from taxes, that means oil revenue is the personal property of the President?

What a stewpid, ridiculous, moroonic, deranged argument!!!

4. Did you not know that it is "4" that comes after "3"?

Fcking MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORON!