₦airaland Forum

Tenderlover:
To me blanca is most likely not Adriano's child ,i suspect sumona and Ramon the photographer dat is if Victoria had twins. Why do i have the feeling Leticia is victoria.

Leticia being Victoria or u mean Valentina

A year after pledging jobs to families who lost loved ones during a deadly recruitment by the Nigeria Immigration, President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, finally, handed out money and appointment letters to the beneficiaries.

Mr. Jonathan gave N75 million (N5million to each family) as well as employment letters to families of those who died in the botched exercise.

Fifteen applicants lost their lives in multiple stampedes across job recruitment venues across the country, as hundreds of thousands thronged the stadia used as examination venues, to vie for the jobs.

Despite the scandal that followed, as it became clear the Minister of Interior, Patrick Abba Moro, was behind the sloppy handling of the exercise, Mr. Jonathan has refused the fire the minister, a close ally of the Senate President, David Mark.

A Senate investigation into the matter confirmed that Mr. Moro singlehandedly selected a company to conduct the recruitment, violating government rules.

Worse, the firm, Drexel Limited, charged each of the more than 500,000 candidates, N1000, for the examinations they eventually did not write.

Mr. Jonathan retained the minister and also refused to order that the money be refunded.

The president merely cancelled the exercise and promised jobs to families of the victims.

Even that pledge has taken a year and public outcry to be fulfilled.

On Friday, each of the families of the deceased was handed a cheque of N5million naira each, while three family members were given employment letters.

Speaking shortly after, Mr. Jonathan said the incident will never repeat itself.

“I promise this country that such will not happen again. This will be the last of such things,” he said.

Mr. Jonathan said the money given to the families of the deceased should not be seen as compensation because it cannot replace the lives lost.

The Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, David Paradang, told journalists that out of the 45 candidates due employment beneficiaries, 10 had to be replaced because they did not meet the criteria of the service.

He explained that some of them were shorter than required, overweight or over-aged adding that the families of the 10 were asked to bring replacement for their slots.

He noted that some of those who are graduates were employed as Assistant Superintendent, those with National Certificate of Education, were employed as Assistant Inspectors, while those with the West African School Certificate, were employed as Immigration Officers 3.

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, said the government accepts the incident as an act that was not planned for.

He said those wounded in the exercise will not be forgotten adding that they will be included in the second phase recruitment which is ongoing till May.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/178456-one-year-after-jonathan-gives-immigration-recruitment-victims-money-jobs.html

The spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organization, Femi Fani-Kayode has said that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Muhammadu Buhari is planning to legalize homosexuality in Nigeria if elected into office.

Fani-Kayode alleged that Buhari had entered into an agreement with the Western world to repeal Nigeria’s anti-gay law in return for their endorsement.

The PDP spokesperson made the allegations during a meeting with journalists on Thursday, March 12 in Abuja.

“The second issue we want to touch on today is the shameful proposition that was made to General Muhammadu Buhari by the representatives of a number of western governments when he was in the United Kingdom for a prolonged stay. The proposition and offer was that if he was prepared to support legislation in Nigeria to allow same sex marriage and if he was prepared to repeal the anti-gay laws in Nigeria they will, in return, endorse, support and fund him, initially covertly and eventually publicly, at the right time,” Fani Kayode said.

“Instead of outrightly rejecting these offers and spurning this proposition, to our utter shock and consternation, General Buhari apparently refused to rule it out and has put the matter under consideration. Instead of him to say NO he assured them that he would consider these two things. We believe that this is a matter that ought to be brought to the attention of the Nigerian people as a matter of urgency,” he added.

“The APC are so desperate to ensuring that General Buhari becomes the President of this country that they are actually prepared to consider the scrapping of all anti-gay or anti-homosexual legislations and at the same time, endorsing and supporting fresh legislation that would allow same sex marriage in our country. They are considering this despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the Nigerian people find same sex marriage and, indeed, homosexuality repugnant and unacceptable,” the PDP spokesperson said.

“We are using this occasion to challenge General Buhari to come clean and to tell the Nigerian people whether this is true and whether, in the unlikely event of his being elected President, he is seriously considering scrapping the anti-homosexual laws in our country and pushing through new legislation which would allow same sex marriage,” Fani Kayode added.

President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill criminalizing same-sex relationships in January 2014.

http://pulse.ng/politics/femi-fani-kayode-pdp-spokesperson-says-buhari-is-planning-to-legalize-homosexuality-id3566581.html

This fruit seems to be able to do a lot. My question is how is it of use if it can't be found in Nigeria?

Haha haha. ..... c everybody loving Verdugo

Verdugo is one very HOT bad guy. There's something sweet n gentle about him. There's a lot of genuine love in him.

Oprahlopex:
Hi everyone T.I Since Eduardo ad blanca are cousin den they can't fall in love or date themselves den.

To Telemundo, it's not an issue if they r cousins. Bruno n Nina in FP r cousins but they still did 'something'. I guess in South America, cousins date n get married. No big deal.

Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, has alleged that his former Vice President and other top officials in his ruling Zanu-PF sought the services of Nigerian witchdoctors in a bid to kill him.

The Africa Review reports that President Mugabe made the bizarre claims at the weekend as he celebrated his 91st birthday at a lavish party hosted by the party’s communist-styled 21st February movement.

The veteran ruler, in power since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, claims he was ordained by God to rule forever, according the report.

He told party supporters at the celebrations held at a top hotel in the resort town of Victoria Falls that sacked Vice-President Joice Mujuru used two Nigerian witchdoctors in her alleged plot to have him killed.

Ms Mujuru was sacked together with more than 10 Cabinet ministers for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Mugabe and being involved in corrupt activities.

The former VP has repeatedly denied the allegations and some of the ministers were preparing a court application to challenge their expulsion from Zanu-PF.

President Mugabe said Ms Mujuru was now too desperate to push him out of power even after he won an election in 2013.

“We managed to know what (Ms) Mujuru was doing at her house, even consulting witchdoctors,” he claimed.

“Recently she invited two Nigerian witchdoctors. We heard that they were specialists in the field of witchcraft. They were specialists, yes, but specialists in robbing people, foolish people.”

He said the Nigerians ordered Ms Mujuru to buy chickens that were named after herself, the President, his wife and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The President claimed the former Vice-President who was his deputy for 10 years, performed the rituals naked.

“Where do these Nigerians get the powers to entrap the soul of a human being into a chicken or sheep and then kill him?

“God is for us all. I also go to church, I do not believe in superstition. We were taught God’s teachings.”

Despite claims made since October last year that Ms Mujuru plotted to kill President Mugabe, she has not been charged with any crime.

President Mugabe has repeatedly threatened that the sacked government officials would be sent to jail for alleged corruption, but no action has been taken up to now.

Last year, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs ministry summoned Zimbabwean envoy in Abuja Stanley Kunjeku to protest after President Mugabe said Nigerians were corrupt.

The Nigerian government at the time said it had lodged ‘the strongest protest’ against the veteran ruler’s statements.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/03/02/nigerian-witchdoctors-planned-to-kill-me-mugabe/

I really felt like squeezing Fabiola n Miguel's neck today. What was all that exchange of saliva for when they were supposed to be on the run. Their love tire me. It's been long Pablo n Emma travelled. I'd love to see them once again.

When he's not setting female hearts aflutter on stage, the Syndik8 Records boss gets up to quite a few things including web/graphics design.

In 2010, a dapper, young man burst onto the Nigerian music scene with cheeky lyrics and a love for well-tailored suits. Female hearts across the nation ran aflutter as many scrambled to get a piece of him. 5 years later, Chucky Edozien aka Lynxxx still holds the spot as one of the sexiest artistes on the scene.

When he's not setting female hearts aflutter on stage, the Syndik8 Records boss gets busy with graphics and other IT-related gigs which he runs aside his music business. Surprised? There's more. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about Lynxxx.

He's the only son...with 5 sisters in tow: Born to the family of Chief John D. Edozien, Lynxxx's father was the former governor of the now defunct Bendel state and sits on the board of several companies including Mercedes Benz Automobile Service Limited, he's also a non-executive director of Diamond Bank. What's most interesting though is Lynxxx happens to be the only son among 5 sisters including popular make-up artiste Elaine Shobanjo aka Shomya.

He's got Ghanaian roots: Lynxxx's mother is partly Ghanaian which gives him part heritage in that country. He also explained this was the reason behind him using Ghanaian actress/media personality, Jocelyn Dumas in his 'Fine Lady' video.

Qualified web/graphic designer: Asides being a music artiste, Lynxxx is also a qualified web/graphic design artiste and he actively does projects in this field alongside his music.
First Nigerian Pepsi ambassador: In 2010, Lynxxx became the first Nigerian artist to be signed by global soft drink giant, Pepsi joining the likes of Beyonce and Britney Spears in this hallowed position.

He's sworn off alcohol: In an exclusive interview with Pulse, Lynxxx revealed that after a particularly binge-filled trip to the United States, he decided to quit alcohol as part of the steps he took to lose weight. As of now, the 'Jeje' artiste hasn't had alcohol since April, 2014.

http://pulse.ng/celebrities/lynxxx-5-things-you-didnt-know-about-syndik8-boss-id3519354.html

A Nigerian woman who has campaigned against Islamist extremists Boko Haram was on Tuesday awarded a Japanese peace prize worth $170,000.

Esther Ibanga, a pastor and activist in Nigeria, has kept up a vocal protest against the kidnappings that Boko Haram has made almost routine, the Niwano Peace Foundation said.

The foundation said it had awarded her its 20 million yen annual prize because of the way she has tirelessly pressured central and local governing officials in her efforts to fight back against extremists.

“Esther has worked extensively to foster and facilitate reconciliation between conflicting religious and tribal groups,” setting up an organisation that has all tribal women leaders on its membership, the Buddhist group-backed foundation said.

Boko Haram fighters have kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls, causing global outrage and a social media campaign to release them.

Over 13,000 have been killed while more than one million people have been left homeless since 2009 as the extremist militants try to carve out an Islamic state in Nigeria’s northeast.

http://www.punchng.com/news/anti-boko-haram-activist-wins-japan-peace-prize/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I just got this via whatsapp and decided to share ..... Its quite disturbing though with politics, u never can tell. Here goes......

A BOMBSHELL!! – ANOTHER HORROR STORY FROM THE INTELLIGENCE FILES!!

SHOCKING NEWS!!!!!

The story below reached us this morning (23/02/2015). It came from one of our reliable sources in Nigeria. It is one of the most disturbing stories that we have yet received. Read it and make your own judgement!

“I have it on a strong ground that there is a plan to capture a Shekau before the week to elections. And the captured Shekau who is currently undergoing training on what to say and do will mention Buhari as one of their core sponsors. The target according to the source is to discourage Southern voters and the Northern Christians (from liking Buhari). The confession is alleged to be so perfectly planned that Buhari may even be arrested and even those who love him may think twice (about his sincerity). The sum of 4.5 billion Naira is purportedly budgeted. The purpose of this budget I am told is for bribing some Northern clerics so when the time comes, they will pacify their followers (to reject Buhari as he is BoKo Haram sponsor). There will purportedly be audio of phone calls (between Buhari and the Boko Haram leaders). Buhari will not be able to sue the government since it will be an arranged confession of a captured terrorist. Now, I am not saying this (leak) is true. But knowing how desperate these PDP people are, they can do just anything to get Buhari out of the way. Honestly, I am deeply, deeply, deeply, worried. In fact, I am troubled. Kindly share this and let the world know about this evil machination of the PDP before it is too late. Kindly do it. The person who gave me this information is an Intelligence officer with the Army. He looks worried too.”

May God save Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen.

Serves him right. Did he think they were 41 n 61 years old?

Serves hum right. Did he think they were 41 n 61 years old?

Petite Mavin records’ singer, Di’Ja has taken to social media to share lovely photos of her parents.

The singer of ‘Awww’ fame is reportedly a Sierra Leonean-Nigerian recording artist, visual artist, fashion designer and songwriter. She has lived in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the United States and Canada, and she started singing in 2008 back in Canada when she released her first song, ‘Rock Steady’ which was nominated forBest Urban/R&B Single at the 2009 Canadian Radio Music Awards.

Di’Ja whose mum is from Kaduna state while her Dad is from Sierra Leone took to instagram to share photos of her parents.

See the photos below…

http://www.radar.ng/gist/peep-this-mavin-records-dija-shares-lovely-photos-of-her-parents/

The APC Presidential Campaign Organization (APCPCO) has raised the alarm about reports of a fake Shekau being presented before Nigerians by the government in order to claim glory or winning the war on terrorism.

Beyond this, credible sources have alerted the APC that the fake Shekau might become a tool to blackmail members of the opposition by coaching the phantom terror chief to say he was working for the opposition party candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari in order to link its presidential candidate to terrorism as it had attempted but failed in the past.

A statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APCOPC signed by Malam Garba Shehu wondered where the ‘new Shekau’ will come from after government at several times in the past, announced that they had killed the insurgent leader.

“The charge to the military, that they should catch Shekau alive by the President in the last 24 hours lends credence to the report that indeed a fake Shekau is about being created.”

The statement went on to assert that the profile of the leader of the insurgents, Shekau, of a dedicated ideologue presupposes that the man is not likely to allow himself to be caught alive. “It is both contradictory to the ideology he preaches and the psychological profile that the world has of him that Shekau would allow himself to be caught alive,” the statement asserted.

The APCPCO recalled that the attack back in Kaduna on the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari was seen and believed by most Nigerians that it was perpetrated by the Boko Haram. “The police that is constitutionally empowered to investigate and report on such incidents has not contradicted the widespread belief that this was a Boko Haram attack.”The view of the APC is that it does not make sense for General Muhammadu Buhari to be in league with, or be associated in any way with people who have set out to kill him.”

In the view of this, the APCPCO said the government needs to listen to the various counsel from international bodies and lately by our religious leaders that campaign must be about issues and not maligning people. “Unfounded allegations linking the opposition to insurgency amounts to leaving the issues to pursue personal attacks as warned against, barely 24 hours ago by leaders of the Catholic Community in the country, through Arch. Bishop John Onaiyekan.

The APC presidential campaign said it was no less shocked, as other Nigerians by the President’s admission in a weekend newspaper interview that he has under-estimated the Boko Haram challenge, arguing that any leader in that circumstance should not consider himself fit to seek re-election.

Quoting President Jonathan’s recent confession that he under-estimated Boko Haram, the APC presidential campaign said the admission was a direct evidence that the PDP President has nothing to offer and must bow to the wind of change.

According to the statement, President Jonathan is out of touch with the realities of the lethal challenges posed by global terrorism, including Boko Haram, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda global terror network.

Malam Garba Shehu explained that for any President to under-estimate terrorism, it means that he doesn’t take any national challenges seriously, including health, poverty, unemployment, power, education, infrastructure and other issues.

The APC presidential campaign added that with his admission, President Jonathan has passed a vote of no confidence on himself and his government.

The statement added, however, that APC presidential campaign was not surprised by the self-confessed failure by the PDP President, explaining that his confession underlines the imperative for change.

Shehu said that with a President admitting his incompetence of a mortal challenge to the security of Nigerians, he has no business seeking re-election or looking for excuses to delay the polls.

http://www.today.ng/news/fg-plotting-to-create-fake-shekau-to-deceive-nigerians-apc-campaign-alleges/

Does anyone know if FH (7.30) has been moved to another time slot?

*modified* its showing now. Its started quite late

favoredgal:
Not so pleasant seeing yair. The most irritating tv character ever

LOL... But it was nice seeing Bruno looking dapper

An insight has been provided into the debate at the National Council of State meeting of February 5, 2015 where the issue of whether or not the general election should be postponed was extensively discussed. Writing in his column in THISDAY on Thursday, celebrated journalist and former presidential adviser Olusegun Adeniyi, revealed that contrary to media reports, the council did not direct Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to go ahead with the polls. He gave an account of the positions of President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhamamdu Buhari, the respective presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), on the postponement. Adeniyi, who served the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as special adviser on media and publicity, also gave details of the contributions of Ibrahim Babangida, former military president, as well as Babatunde Fashola, governor of Lagos state, and Liyel Imoke, governor of Cross River state. Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo state and a member of the APC had told the media that the council gave INEC the go-ahead to hold the election. But Segun Mimiko, governor of Ondo state and a member of the PDP, had earlier told the media that INEC was asked to decide on whether or not to hold the elections as scheduled. Adeniyi wrote: “At the meeting, Jega presented his report, reiterating that he was ready for the polls. The first person to speak after his presentation was the NSA, (Sambo) Dasuki, who harped on the renewed efforts by the Multinational Forces to dislodge the Boko Haram insurgents and the need to shift the elections forward. The service chiefs and the Director General of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) followed with similar presentations. “With the floor now open for discussion, Buhari was the first to fire a salvo against the idea to have the elections rescheduled. He said all the reasons adduced by the military do not warrant postponing the elections, especially when, according to him, soldiers have minimal role to play in the election process. “With Buhari done, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, presented what appeared a detailed position of the APC as to why the elections had to go ahead. He looked at the possible implications of such a postponement from both the legal and political prisms, with the conclusion that it would not bode well for the country and the president. “However, the Cross River State Governor, Mr Liyel Imoke countered Fashola’s arguments with what also appeared the PDP position as he went beyond the issue of Boko Haram to that of the preparedness of INEC. Some of the issues he raised included the ‘lopsidedness’ in the distribution of PVCs nationwide, the fact that the Card Readers to be used by INEC had yet to be tested and that the electoral officials to use them have not even been trained. “At that point, according to sources, Jega sought to respond and was given the floor. He explained that most of the misgivings being expressed have been factored into INEC plans. He, however, added that it was unrealistic to expect a hundred percent turn-out of voters at elections as there is no such thing anywhere in the world. To this, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Godswill Akpabio, reportedly countered that Jega was wrong.” Akpabio, according to Adeniyi, said there is a difference between people “who may choose not to vote even if they have PVCs and those who cannot vote because they have been denied what ordinarily should be their rights. He said elections cannot be credible in situations where millions of people could not get what would enable them to exercise their franchise”. The popular columnist continued: “In asking INEC to go ahead with the polls since the commission said it was ready, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, added that the advisory role of the Council of State does not extend to election matters. To that, the president, who had evidently been well-briefed, drew the attention of Tambuwal and that of the meeting to the Third Schedule (Part 1) of the 1999 Constitution, especially Section B (6) which states that the Council of State ‘shall have the power to (A) advise the President in exercise of his powers with respect to the…(4) the Independent National Electoral Commission (including appointment of members of the commission).’ “In his own intervention, General Ibrahim Babangida argued that since INEC said it was ready for the polls, the real issue before the Council was on what to do about the four states where the security agencies said they needed more time to deal with the insurgency. Babangida now asked whether it was feasible to conduct elections only in 32 states. “The president interjected quickly that such election would end in fiasco. I have it on good authority that some people in the administration had suggested this idea to Jega in November last year and he said any such election that excises a section of the country would not pass the test of credibility or even for that matter, legitimacy. So the president knew that succumbing to such an idea would be politically suicidal for him and he rejected it outright. “However, from the way the meeting went, it was evident that positions had been taken along party lines. At the end, the responsibility as to what to decide was pushed to INEC but the real drama was announcing the ‘decision’ arrived at because for all practical purposes, nothing was decided as to whether or not the elections should go ahead or be postponed. “With Governors Olusegun Mimiko, Rochas Okorocha and Bala Ngilari asked to brief the media by the president, the three rushed to the press room to grab the centre chair. Mimiko got there first and said no decision was taken and that INEC would consult and announce whether to postpone the elections or not which was the most accurate position as to what transpired. “However, immediately Mimiko stood up and they all appeared to be leaving, Okorocha grabbed the chair that the Ondo State Governor had been sitting on and also started to brief the State House correspondents. He said the Council had decided that the elections should go ahead. While that was not a true reflection of what happened, that was the slant reported in the media, which to be honest is a reflection of the mood of the public.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=106143

Top on the list of Nigerians whose names appeared on the file is Africa’s richest industrialist, Aliko Dangote. Another Nigerian businessman and owner of mobile telecom company, Globacom, Mike Adenuga, also appears on the files. Vikky Preye Mark, estranged wife of Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark, was also listed. Many of the accounts date back to the 1990s and up to 2005/2006, when the data were stolen by a former staff of HSBC, Hervé Falcian. According to details pieced together by the ICIJ, HSBC fashioned a series of layers of privacy schemes to ensure the worst of criminals and characters were protected.

Some of Nigeria’s wealthiest industrialists, former government officials and their relatives, were amongst thousands of individuals around the world who operated highly secretive foreign accounts with the Swiss branch of banking giant, HSB​C, concealing their identities for years and using codes perhaps to shake off tax authorities from accounts, some of which held illicit assets from criminals, traffickers, arms dealers and other outlaws, secret files published last week by a consortium of journalists around the world have shown.

The trove, released by the French Daily, Le Monde and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, in partnership with PREMIUM TIMES, and a host of other major media organisations around the world, showed how HSBC profited doing business with people who stole from their countries and some of the world’s most notorious con artists, including people who made a fortune fuelling wars in Africa.

PREMIUM TIMES is the only Nigerian publication involved in the investigation, which lasted several months.

The bank helped questionable characters conceal their wealth despite knowing their sources, and devised ways to hide the identities of the owners of the secret accounts from governments around the world.

At least 100,000 secret bank account operators who owned about $100 billion were exposed in the leaks, unsettling investigators in several countries.

A Roll-call of Nigerian Clients

French authorities have so far linked 201 individual and corporate HSBC clients with Nigeria – either nationals or having business interests in the oil-rich West African country. However the sorting procedure might be faulty and some of those listed may end up having nothing to do with Nigeria.

Top on the list of Nigerians whose names appeared on the file is Africa’s richest industrialist, Aliko Dangote.

Another Nigerian businessman and owner of mobile telecom company, Globacom, Mike Adenuga, also appears on the files.

Vikky Preye Mark, estranged wife of Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark, was also listed.

Many of the accounts date back to the 1990s and up to 2005/2006, when the data were stolen by a former staff of HSBC, Hervé Falcian.

According to details pieced together by the ICIJ, HSBC fashioned a series of layers of privacy schemes to ensure the worst of criminals and characters were protected.

The methods used were simple but had complex implications.

First, the account owner opens an account in his or her name, and the bank, in connivance with the customer, replaces the account holder’s name with a number code that is then given to the client.

At times, the clients are encouraged to incorporate offshore shell companies in notorious tax havens, which then indirectly hold the accounts on behalf of the real beneficial owners.

The bank repeatedly reassured clients it would not disclose details of the accounts to national authorities, even if evidence suggested that the accounts were undeclared to tax authorities in the client’s home country.

The code meant the client would no longer be tied to the account with his name, but in all transactions with the bank, he or she will be identified with the number.

But correspondences from the bank would be sent to the holder’s personal address. There was also an option for customers to ask the bank to withhold their mails. That practice was later discontinued.

The account holders were given the option of being contacted directly, or through proxies.

To access the account, there were options too. A client could do so from his home, whereby he will need to declare the account to tax authorities; or travel there in person, or do so through a courier who flies to Switzerland to collect cash from time to time.

Ultimately, the bank ensured the account details were kept secret and separate from the personal details of the holder.

That entire process allowed the bank’s clients hide from tax authorities and governments around the world, while criminals could hide stolen wealth.

Not all holders of the HSBC private accounts are however criminals, but there are concerns regarding why they chose a banking platform with emphasis on secrecy and concealed identities.

Very little of Mr. Dangote’s transactions with the bank were made available.

As head of a conglomerate operating in 16 African countries, including Nigeria, Mr. Dangote made his fortune producing salt, sugar, flour, cement and noodles. He has also expanded to real estate and oil.

Mr. Dangote is the president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

In November 2014, Forbes magazine ranked him the richest man in Africa and the 23rd in the world with an estimated fortune of $21.6 billion.

The mogul became an HSBC private account client in July 2003. The account appeared in the name of Development Projects Corporation, its registration address in Tortola the British Virgin Islands, a notorious tax haven, where individuals and corporations usually incorporate shell companies to hide assets. Mr. Dangote’s account was in operation till August 2004.

It is not clear to what use Mr. Dangote put the account and perhaps because he closed it long before the data were stolen, bank records did not indicate any balance on the account.

Globacom’s owner, Mr. Adenuga, had an account in his name tied to Sunbow Express Limited, a company based in Panama and for which HSBC described him as beneficial owner. The leaked file gave the company’s postal address as 86 West Green Road, GB-London N15 and c/o Arosemena Noriega-Contreras, Calle Elvira Mendez Street, 10 ED. DEL Barco Do Brasil P-Panama City, Panama.

Mr. Adenuga’s own address was given in bank documents as 37 York Terrace East GB-London NW1.

The businessman, who is among Africa’s richest personalities, opened the account on February 2, 1997 and it had a balance of $115, 405.00 as of 2006/2007 when the data were stolen.

Mr. Adenuga did not respond to ICIJ’s repeated requests for comment.

Mrs. Mark also operated an account with the bank but with details made largely secret. Although she was known within the bank as the beneficial owner of the account, she was largely identified with a secret code – 14312MP.

Mrs. Mark opened the account on December 18, 1989 and closed it July 12, 1991. About that time, her husband, then a top ranking army officer, had served as military administrator of Niger State and federal minister of communications, a period during which he is believed to have made a fortune.

He has been a senator since 1999 and President of the Nigerian Senate since 2007. Court papers during a messy divorce with his wife suggested that some of his children schooled in Switzerland, but it is not clear whether it was during that period that Mrs. Mark operated the HSBC account.

The court papers also showed that the Marks operated foreign accounts elsewhere. About six million pounds in four accounts – three at the Northern Bank, Isle of Man, and one at the Allied Irish Bank, Jersey – were frozen in October 2000 as a result of the ancillary relief sought by Victoria Mark in the couple’s divorce case. Mr. Mark’s operation of those accounts while a Senator is a violation of Nigerian law which bars public officials from operating foreign accounts while in office.

Nigeria’s former defence minister, Theophilus Danjuma, was also linked to HSBC account 15731CD, which was opened in 1993 and closed in 2001. The documents did not provide details regarding the balances in the account and the use to which Mr. Danjuma put it.

Mr. Danjuma has emerged one of Nigeria’s richest former public office holders through ownership of one of Nigeria’s most lucrative oil blocs and a lucrative shipping firm.

Another notable name on the leaked file is Adamu Wakili, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the United States. Mr. Wakili was linked to account 17404B01, opened in 1991 and closed two years later. Mr. Wakili served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as that of Environment,

The list also has Aminu Jibril, former Senator, Minister and Ambassador. Mr. Jibril’s account has no details beyond his address, listed as Yola, former Gongola State.

Deribe Alhaji Mai, who also operates one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocs, was listed in the leaks. His details were not provided.

Peter Igbinedion Osawaru, was also named in the leaked file as the Director at Okada Air with an account code of 15418MP, opened in 1991 and closed in 1995.

Ibrahim Dasuki, a former Sultan of Sokoto who was deposed in 1996, was linked to account 15372HTNL, opened in 1991 and closed in 1993. The account coincided with when he was Sultan.

Another prominent Nigerian listed on the file as an HSBC client is Inuwa Wushishi, a retired General, former chief of army staff between 1981 and 1983 and former Board Chairman of UAC of Nigeria. Mr. Wushishi, 75, and his wife, Aishatu, were identified as beneficial owners of an account with code 6808AW. The couples opened the account on December 18, 1989 and closed it July 12, 1991. It remains unclear to what use they put the account.

Also on the list is Mohammed Hayatudeen, a former CEO of FSB International Bank and immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group – Nigeria leading economic think tank. Mr. Hayatudeen and his wife, Hafsatu, are listed beneficial owners of an account with secret code 15409MZH, opened on June 15, 1992 and closed on September 3, 1996. Apparently the entire balance in the account was cleared long before the leaked HSBC data was stolen.

There are lots of other Nigerian businesspersons listed in the file. They include Victor Ifeanyi Odili and his wife Ifeyinwa, who had a balance of $18,518.57 in their account as at 2005/2006 when the data was stolen; a Lagos-based merchant, Abdallah Taofik, who had a balance of $3,480,942.94; Akindele Labode Oladimeji ($23,979,105.76); Nankani Jairaj ($1,131,097.72) among others. (PREMIUM TIMES will release the full list of Nigerian clients in the days ahead.)

Files Sheds More Light on Nigeria’s Halliburton Bribery

The leaked file also opened a new window in the Halliburton bribery scandal involving Nigeria’s former leaders and the bribery surrounding the award of contracts for Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas plant.

The files reveal that Jefrey Tesler, the UK lawyer, who used a network of secretive banks and offshore tax havens to funnel $182 million in bribes to top Nigerian officials in exchange for a $6 billion contract to build Nigeria’s LNG, had financial ties to two former Nigerian officials: now-retired Major General Chris Garuba, chief of staff to former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar who himself allegedly received bribes as president; and Andrew Agom, a senior government official who was killed in an attack on a motorcade.

Records show bank staff responding to a request from Mr. Agom’s widow to unfreeze her husband’s account, whose post was sent to Tesler’s North London law firm and which was marked as subject to criminal investigations into Mr. Tesler. The files do not indicate whether or not the account was ultimately unfrozen.

Mr. Garuba, a former governor of Northeastern Bauchi state, is now chairman of Obekpa Petroleum, a Nigerian oil company. Before his death, Mr. Agom was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, which which was in power for most of the period the bribery scheme unfolded.

Mr. Agom was the beneficial owner of an HSBC account linked to a Gibraltar-based company, Hemisphere Services Limited, which held a maximum amount of $797,377 at one point in 2006 or 2007. Africa Confidential magazine previously named a company named Hemisphere Services (Nigeria) as a “recipient of largesse” from Tesler after viewing documents disclosed to the magazine during a French corruption investigation.

Mr. Agom’s account was opened in 1991, on the same day that an account was opened in the name of former Nigerian Air Force Chief, Abdullahi Dominic Bello. A Nigerian government investigator has previously described Swiss accounts held by Mr. Bello as a conduit for “slush funds”. The investigator did not specifically mention HSBC.

A spokesman for Mr. Bello told ICIJ that the account, which was used for business purposes and opened by Mr. Tesler when he was Bello’s lawyer, had never been used for slush funds or bribes. “At no point has Mr. Bello been charged to any court over the bribery scandal,” said the spokesman, adding that, “it must be a coincidence that Mr. Agom and [Mr. Bello’s company] opened an account the same day.”

The leaked HSBC files identify Chris Garuba and his wife Rita as HSBC clients; their names are listed along with Tesler’s in an account named Bridlington Enterprises Limited, for which Mr. Tesler acted as an attorney. The files show that the account was opened the year before Mr. Tesler sent his first bribe payment to Switzerland, although the files do not show that Tesler transferred money into the Bridlington account, which held as much as $367,547 in 2006 or 2007.

The principal beneficial owner of that account is a certain Abu Shuaibu, a 65-year-old who effectively ran the account, repeatedly visiting HSBC in Switzerland, and making several withdrawals in cash. On one occasion – on November 11, 2005 – he visited the bank to request a transfer of 600,000 U.S. dollars. It is not clear to whom the money was sent.

PREMIUM TIMES and ICIJ have not been able to determine Mr. Shuaibu’s real identity. Chris and Rita Garuba, who should know, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

HSBC Apologises

Headquartered in London, HSBC has offices in 74 nations and territories on six continents.

The leaked account records show some clients making trips to Geneva to withdraw large wads of cash, sometimes in used notes. The files also document huge sums of money controlled by dealers in diamonds who are known to have operated in war zones and sold gemstones to finance insurgencies that caused untold deaths.

On Sunday, HSBC published a full-page advert containing an apology in several newspapers, over claims that its Swiss private bank helped clients evade tax.

The advert reproduced an open letter signed by chief executive Stuart Gulliver, which said recent coverage by the media had been “a painful experience”.

Mr. Gulliver, whose letter was addressed to the bank’s customers and staff, said in his letter that he wanted to reassure customers that its Swiss private bank had been “completely overhauled”.

“We have absolutely no appetite to do business with clients who are evading their taxes or who fail to meet our financial crime compliance standards,” he was quoted by the BBC as saying.

“The media focus has been on historical events that show the standards to which we operate today were not universally in place in our Swiss operations eight years ago.

“We must show we understand that the societies we serve expect more from us. We therefore offer our sincerest apologies.”

Mr. Gulliver also said that the recent media coverage about its clients and past misdeeds must be put “into context”.

“A former employee of the Swiss private bank stole data more than eight years ago.

“Major UK media outlets have focused on approximately 140 names included in the stolen data.

“Many of the people mentioned have been named simply because they are well-known individuals. The vast majority of these 140 people are no longer clients.

“The media has been mentioning a number of 100,000 clients. At its peak, the Swiss private bank had about 30,000 accounts.

“We have absolutely no appetite to do business with clients who are evading their taxes or who fail to meet our financial crime compliance standards.”

http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/19/investigation-david-mark%E2%80%99s-wife-dangote-adenuga-others-named-swissleaks-operators-secret

Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro will have to wait till March 5 to know if he will ever contest in any election in Nigeria again.
This is because a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has now adjourned judgment on a suit seeking to stop Obanikoro, from ever contesting for any electoral office in Nigeria.
Among the allegations leveled against the ex-minister is that he had at one time or the other falsified his age and had submitted a forged birth certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the purpose of contesting governorship election in Lagos State.
The suit filed by Micheal Ogun, Suleiman Saheed and Wasiu Odusan, all of Obanikoro’s party, PDP, wants the court to determine whether he was still eligible to contest any election in Nigeria having “voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the United States of America in addition to the citizenship of Nigeria.”
The plaintiffs, who filed the suit on December 8, last year, also got an exparte application demanding that Justice Kazeem Alogba stop Obanikoro from standing for the governorship primary in Lagos state.
The Judge did not grant expert application because Obanikoro contested and lost the primary election to Jimi Agbaje.
The lawyer for the plaintiffs, Wahab Shittu, said Obanikoro’s alleged misconduct were an affront on Section 182(1) (a) (j) of the 1999 Constitution and sections 31 (2), 50 (6) and ( and 87 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
But in his objection, Obanikoro, through his counsel, Gbenga Ojo, described the suit as speculative and an abuse of court processes because of its failure to disclose any reasonable cause of action.
According to Ojo, all the documents tendered as exhibits before the court by the plaintiffs were either uncertified public documents or documents that were printed from the Internet, the authenticity of which could not be substantiated. He therefore urged the court not to look at the exhibits.
But counsel to the plaintiff called on the court to consider the exhibit in concert with the averments in the plaintiff’s affidavit
Obanikoro is one of the ministerial nominees forwarded by President Goodluck Jonathan to the Senate for confirmation.

http://www.tv360nigeria.com/?p=20239&utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Contrary to earlier denials, embattled ministerial nominee, Musiliu Obanikoro, has confessed to several Senators in Abuja that he did participate in an election-eve meeting in Ekiti in June 2014 in which a group of politicians and government ministers met with a Nigerian army general to rig the governorship election in favor of Ayodele Fayose, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The meeting, which is now known as “Ekitigate”, was secretly taped by an army captain who was subsequently forced to flee for his life.

Despite the scandal, President Jonathan went ahead to nominate Obanikoro into his cabinet for the second time, and the nominee is lobbying the Senators to give him a pass during his upcoming nomination hearing.  It is in the process that he has confessed to some of them that he was indeed present at the rigging meeting in Akure, on behalf of the President, to ensure that everything went smoothly.

Obanikoro’s story is that he was simply making “peace” between the army and Ayo Fayose at the meeting, claiming that he was not party to any conversation about rigging.  On the contrary, Obanikoro, who was at the time junior Minister for Defence, is overheard clearly on the tape bragging about the authority granted him by President Jonathan.

Prior to admitting his involvement to the Senators, the former minister met with President Jonathan to discuss the tape and his role. A presidency source said Obanikoro told President Jonathan he was present at the meeting but that a part of the audio-recording was “doctored”. 

They said President Jonathan had called him to the meeting to discuss how to mitigate the damage created by the leaked tape.  He told the Senators categorically that it was Jonathan himself who had sent him to Ekiti to help Fayose win the election.  On the tape, Obanikoro says, at least twice, that he is on a “mission” for the President. 

He also reportedly told President Jonathan at their meeting that he had asked his US-based lawyers to do a separate voice analysis of the tape and that the lawyers came back with “proof” that certain aspects of the tape had been doctored by SaharaReporters to make the regime look bad.  Counting on that assurance, President Jonathan told a team of reporters from the Wall Street Journal during an interview that the tapes were not real and that he would not investigate the incident.

Obanikoro also told President Jonathan that his US-based lawyers had assured him that they could file some cases against SaharaReporters in the US to “teach SaharaReporters and its publisher, Omoyele Sowore” a lesson. He explained to the president that with enough financial support, his lawyers would file the case and also employ private detectives to take down SaharaReporters. President Jonathan reportedly nodded at the idea, and asked Obanikoro not to worry.

Following that meeting, the former Minister began a series of legal threats last week claiming to have sued SaharaReporters, as well as The Punch newspaper and Premium Times, both in Lagos.  Up until now, those newspapers are yet to be served copies of the lawsuit.

On Tuesday night, Obanikoro, who is also a US citizen, assured some of the Senators that his US lawyers had already filed the libel suit against SaharaReporters in New York.

On Wednesday, Obanikoro deployed a small rented a crowd of protesters to hold placards in front of the National Assembly to denounce the All Progressives Congress.

It is to be noted that two other key participants at the meeting, Police Minister Jelili Adesiyan and Ayo Fayose, the beneficiary of the Ekiti governorship rigging, have admitted that they were at the meeting that was taped by the army captain.

For Obanikoro’s role in the rigging of the election, APC has advocated his being banned from holding any public office, and asked the Senate not to confirm him.  Mr. Jonathan is known to have re-nominated Obanikor as his prize for stepping down from the PDP governorship race in Lagos. 

http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/18/ministerial-nominee-obanikoro-confesses-he-was-ekiti-rigging-meeting-says-jonathan-sent

bentenny:
for all DMD(del monte dynasty) fans,d telenovela replaces queen of d south next week....

Yippieeeeee!!! \(^o^)/

dahmie2013:
Some ppl know I'm d happiest telemundo fan nw, as I prepare 2 see my princess on my screen 4rm monday! I can't wait #singingdime

favoredgal:
Forbidden passion is replacing where is elisa

That means there will only be two new ones showing. The already tiring fh & the imposter

Hmmm..... But why won't they show DMD or BCD already?

Nayimi:
She's verdugo and laura's daughter. When verdugo unveiled Laura he called her maria, I hope I heard well lol

Oh yes..... U heard right.

mum2bsoon:
¶ fink Jessica is JM's n Fernanda's daughter

She's definitely Verdugo's daughter n I won't be surprised if her mother is Laura.

berrytush:
I will strongly advice that u detoxify your system with C9, this will help to open all ur collons and prepear u for fertility. It works very effectivelly.

Can u pls explain what C9 is?

**modified**
I googled it n read its a forever living product for weight loss.