₦airaland Forum

Fraud: Police arrest Ogunleye, NDIC’s MD   
Written by Kingsley Omonobi, Chris Ochayi     
Saturday, 04 April 2009 


[b]Declares Kenny Martins wanted

ABUJA — The Police in Abuja yesterday arrested the Managing Director of the Nigeria deposit Insurance Company (NDIC), Mr. Ganiyu Ogundele over an alleged fraud of N500million being part of depositors funds invested in the Karu International market situated in Karu, Nassarawa state.

The arrest of Ogunleye is coming on the heels of Chef Kenny Martins, former National Coordinator, Police Equipment Foundation (PEF), been declared wanted by the police for using the name of federal government to defraud a United States based security company to the tune of $97.5 million.

According to Vanguard investigations, the NDIC Managing director and his officials, re_negotiated a loan facility of N1.5billion already agreed as balance of money to be paid as depositors funds to Fortune Bank by the Nassarawa State government by slicing away the sum of N500million of the money without the knowledge of the owners of the money.

It was gathered that an agreement was reached between Nasssarawa State government and Fortune bank to raise the sum of N2.5billion top build the international market and after completion, Nassarawa State government paid back N1billion. The interim Managers of the market now negotiated with Nassarawa state for the payment of the balance of N1.5billion.

Surprisingly, NDIC, which is supposed to be protecting the banks, went to Nassarawa State government and renegotiated with the state to pay N1billion. The question the Police are trying to unravel is what has happened to the N500million that was sliced off the original agreement.[/b]Police Statement on the issue said, “The Managing Director of National Deposit Insurance Company, Ganiyu Ogunleye has been arrested and is being detained bt the Special Investigation Unit of the Police”.
“His arrest and detention was as a result of a follow up to Senate Public Hearing in January, 2009 on distressed Fortune Bank. The Managing Director of NDIC Ganiyu Ogunleye was involved in a controversial waiver of N500million over the sale of Karu International Market by the Nassarawa state government”.

“The Nigeria Police is investigating the role, circumstances and the level of involvement of NDIC and any other agency, group or persons in the controversial waiver”.

On why Kenny Martins is wanted, the police in a statement signed by ACP Emmanuel Ojukwu yesterday in Abuja said, “The Nigeria Police has declared erstwhile National Coordinator, Police Equipment Foundation wanted for his involvement in a case of impersonation, conspiracy and unlawful use of federal government name to defraud a US based security company known as Calvary Security Group of a whooping sum of 97. 5million US dollars”.

“The declaration was sequel to the request by the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro to the Senior Magistrate Court, Wuse, which consequently granted the application that necessitated declaring Chief Kenny Matins wanted”.

“Kenny Martins you will recall was the National Coordinator of Police Foundation, the position which he has been using to defraud unsuspecting corporate organizations and individuals all in the name of Police Equipment Foundation”.

“The Nigerian Police authority is hereby appealing to the general public, corporate bodies or any individual who has any useful information that will lead to the arrest of Chief Kenny Martins to report to the nearest Police station or Force Special Investigations Unit, Force headquarters, Abuja”



http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/32779/42/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY30JTYLejw

. :p ;d

what about Pastor thief Adeboye.? 

;d ;d

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http://www.igbonews.co.uk/html/okija2.html#500-okija
500 Okija victims recount ordeal
The Day Okija 'Gods' Invaded Reps' Chamber
Okija Shrines Priests Confess
Ngige speaks on Okija, warns troublemakers
The Okija shrine horror
House in rowdy session over Okija shrines
Okija Invasion, Deliverance for Nigerians
God Intervened in Okija, Says Cleric
Top politicians use fake names in Okija shrine register
Okija shrines were 419 tools
Those killed by Okija shrine are criminals – Chief priest
Don’t tarnish Igbo image, Achuzia insists
Aambra Govt to Acquire Okija Shrine
Okija: IG Gets Presidential Order, Ohanaeze Disowns Shrine
Okija community defends shrine, vows to resist acquisition
Anambra To Acquire 'Evil' Forest
Police Seal off Okija Shrines
Shocker for IGP at Okija shrines
Okija People are not Cannibals, Says Monarch
Raid on shrines: Police recover 50 corpses, 20 skulls
INSIDE HORROR SHRINE- Inside Okija horror shrine
Police uncover 10 fresh shrines, Ohanaeze scribe slams raid
Okija Shrine of Death- HOW WE GET HUMAN SKULLS-Chief priest
In Okija, The Gods Are To Blame For Killings
Wabara: Why Are Igbo Forests Not For Tourism?
More corpses recovered

igbo girls.

Nigeria tops cyber fraud list

April 1, 2009 10:45AMT
 
The Internet Crime Complaint Center, in her 2008 report released yesterday, has rated Nigeria as the country most involved in internet crime in Africa and the third in the world.

Nigeria is said to have perpetrated 7.5% of the complaints received by the centre in 2008.

The country was singled out of all the countries in the world to tag an internet fraud type called ‘Nigeria letter fraud'.

‘Nigeria letter fraud' is said to be responsible for 5.2% of the total reported internet fraud loss recorded in 2008 and $1,650 as the average loss per complainant.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

South Africa and Ghana came sixth and seventh in the world respectively


http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5397072-146/Nigeria_tops_cyber_fraud_list.csp

:-x

:-x ;d

VP, Reps Decry Kidnappings Abia Leads With 100 Cases
Ike Wigodo • Wednesday, Apr 1, 2009

[b]The Vice President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has expressed the determination of the Federal Government to tackle and address, in a lasting manner, the increasing cases of kidnapping and hostage taking in the country.

Speaking as special guest at a public lecture organised by the Alex Ekwueme Foundation in Abuja, yesterday, Dr Jonathan said the trend, if not checked, could result in very disastrous consequences.

According to the vice president, not only is kidnapping morally unjust and socially criminal, it also threatens the economic mainstay of the nation, because it inadvertently presents the country as insecure for Nigerian investors and expatriates needed for economic development.

The VP, who is also the chairman of a 10-man Federal Government Panel to Implement the White Paper on the M.D. Yusuf Police Reform Report, said it was for the same reason that government plans to spend heavily on security concerns.

The Tide in Abuja gathered that a total of N2.821trillion and $150million are expected to be spent on security by the Federal Government.

In a related development, the House of Representatives yesterday directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mike Okiro to do everything humanly possible to check the increasing spate of kidnapping in the country.

The IGP, who was guest of the House Committee on Police and Security was randomly questioned about police efforts in crime control, and expressed deep displeasure over the seeming helplessness demonstrate by the police.

Contributing to the debate earlier, Hon Abdul Ningil (Bauchi) had chronicled cases of kidnapping in various states of the country, with Abia State leading the pack with more than 100 incidents.[/b]The trend, according to Hon Ningi, raised disturbing security concerns, and asked the IGP whether or not it was ripe for all Nigerians to carry arms for self-defence as obtained in the United State of America (USA).

The lawmakers described as utterly unacceptable and vexatious, the trend whereby Nigerians and foreigners alike were daily kidnapped for ransom, and urged the inspector general to rise up to the challenge of protecting lives and property of Nigerians.

In his response, the IGP said the police were doing their utmost best within the limits of available resources but assured that new strategies were being explored to confront the malaise.

Thomas Abbey

Editorial: Nigerians Educating Their Kids in Ghana

Owing to the collapse of Nigeria's educational system, occasioned by successive military adventures into political offices, and the legendary emphasis on the rule of force over the rule of intellect, it has, for some decades now, become the fad for Nigerian parents to send their wards to neighbouring West African countries, especially English-speaking Ghana, for secondary and tertiary education.

Rather than importing or allowing Ghanaian nationals to have teaching appointments in an age when education was a career for the wretched of the Earth in Nigeria, the return of Ghanaians to their country has been followed with the passion of parents to send their wards to study in Ghana. The trend began with secondary education in the early 80s. Since laissez faire government was in place with so much tolerance for corruption and financial crime in public offices, Nigerian graduates, even in a profession like Education, had veered from the career into banking, oil and gas, insurance and the like, where it was so much easier to make much money.

Individuals who made Second Class Upper and Lower Divisions in various disciplines had applied for jobs in banks and oil companies or had gone into politics rather than taking higher degrees that would afford them to make meaningful contributions to knowledge. Consequently, those with lesser grades and lesser opportunities to get good jobs were the ones who had to take to teaching as the last resort. This created ample opportunities for neighbouring West African expatriates to have Nigerian education in their firm grip. Most of the schools attended by children of the rich at Federal (Unity), State and Local Government or private schools, were (and still, are) largely staffed by Ghanaians- Queen's College, Lagos, Federal Home Science Association School, Ikoyi, American International School, British International School; almost all Nigerian private schools; name it.

Other professions like medicine, dentistry, etc, were also affected. Before you could say Jack, the educational system of less-economically endowed West African States had suddenly become a reference point.

Rather than the parents looking out for or examining where they missed the mark, they seek a quick fix or a deux ex machina by abandoning their country to look for solutions in other lands.

Today, a Nigerian parent pays as much as $6,000 (six thousand US dollars) to sponsor a medical student at the University of Ghana, Legon. That excludes other expenses like feeding and accommodation. His Ghanaian counterpart does not pay up to $500 (five hundred US dollars) to study medicine in the same university. The rationale, of course, is that if a Ghanaian University will have to sacrifice a placement to train a foreign national who eventually would not use the expertise to develop Ghana, then it makes sense to make as much money from such international student if only to monetarily compensate for the losses that would ensue from such exportation of skill and manpower.

Schooling in the University of Ghana, Legon, a parent vowed, is like schooling in the University of Ibadan in the early 1950s. The classroom and landscape designed by the colonialists are still in place, and in an age where in Nigeria, university hostels have as many as eight to sixteen students in a room, the Alumni of the University of Ghana, we are told, have insisted that there should not be more than one student per room. And that they had to allow a two-student-per-room arrangement after so much persuasion. Of course, the quality of education to be acquired in a 16-student university hostel in Nigeria cannot be the same as in Ghana, where the number of students in a room is at most two!

While the Nigerian medical student pays as much as $6,000 per annum, other four-year undergraduate programmes attract as much as $2,500 tuition fees. Barring official corruption, in all facets of our national life, Nigeria has so much money to give the very best education to her citizens as provided for in the constitution and as enshrined in the section that talks about the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy. Rather than advancing socio-politically, we look back into the good old days of colonialism as the golden era of our national life.

Late last year, a graduating student of a Nigerian College of Medicine had gone to take an international elective in Cardiology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. At the end of the course, the supervisory professor had driven him around town and had asked him some few questions about what he felt about colonialism and political independence in Africa. Undeniably, the Nigerian student had to pay glowing tributes to colonialism in concrete terms. He cited the structures of the University College Hospital, Ibadan and their enduring architecture as evidences that the colonialists had scored higher marks than the African politicians who took over the reins of Government upon independence! How else can one be more sincere to himself?

The Nigerian educational system is not the only area that has suffered as a result of this trend. Lately, Nigerian entrepreneurs have found a safe and stable haven in Ghana. Since the factors of production, especially power, are stable, he can have a safe conjecture on how his business would thrive and so can plan accordingly. In the same vein, petty traders, who have to buy and sell seasonal goods, especially during Easter and Christmas times, have had to go to Ghana to buy them at wholesale to retail in Nigeria since most of the manufacturing companies that had closed shops in Nigeria now find a home in Ghana.

One cannot but reflect on the title  book, EZE GOES TO SCHOOL, anytime one thinks about the way Nigerians now look forward to Ghana for quality education. The children's literature, having endeared itself to readers over time, has become a classic where Eze, the central character, has become synonymous with the Nigerian child. Sadly in our national consciousness today, the title could only appear to read:.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=159906

Ambassador Obanikuro Should Stop Meddling!
By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

I have been following the short and recent career of Mr. Musiliu Obanikuro, the Nigerian high commissioner to Ghana, in the country and cannot vouch that the man has half-conducted himself as professionally as the Ghanaian media whose practitioners he has gone on record as having rather imperiously accused of “exhibiting unprofessional behavior” (Ghanaian Statesman 3/24/09).

First of all, for a senior diplomat, the man is rather too loud, to speak much less of the patently obnoxious. He also behaves as if he were a lone ranger, or the only foreign diplomat representing any country in Ghana. I firmly believe, however, that such obnoxiousness primarily stems from our faulty, albeit proverbial, Ghanaian hospitality(CLOSET XENOPHOBE? )

[b]Secondly, I find it to be deeply offensive that Mr. Obanikuro, a failed gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State and a former senator, would rather have the Ghanaian media sit duck, or passively by, while undesirable criminal elements of his country swamp our, otherwise, staid and placid nation and recklessly threaten to lay the very moral and cultural fabric of our society to waste.(Ghana has no criminals? Who were JJR's PNDC regime executing? )

And just what is Mr. Obanikuro’s rationale for having our media turn a blind eye to Nigerian organized-crime kingpins recklessly operating in the sovereign territorial space of Ghana, but the vacuous and purely self-serving fact of a handful of Nigerian-owned, or heavily patronized, banks having set up store in our country? (Have you set up a kiosk in your own country as you continue to froth from America?). And on the latter score, perhaps, somebody like me ought to boldly and plainly inform the stentorian high commissioner that Nigerian businesses operating in Ghana are no charitable institutions, and that their obviously overriding motive is the proverbial capitalist profit margin.

But even were these Nigerian-controlled and/or –operated banking institutions, indeed, charitable organizations, would such fact, in of itself, imply, at least in the apparently flamboyant imagination of Mr. Obanikuro, that Ghanaians promptly surrender our birthright and dignity on the sheer grounds of a supposedly storied Nigerian magnanimity?

Also, the curious notion that, somehow, constructively probing minds among our media practitioners are single-mindedly dead-set against forensic veracity, and would rather stampede commissions of enquiry into issuing prejudicial reports against Nigerian entrepreneurs in Ghana, is unpardonably insulting. Maybe that is more in keeping with Nigerian political and judicial culture(egotistic drivel?; )and so, perhaps, Mr. Obanikuro had better be reminded that Ghanaians have been at the very forefront of the crucial business of justice and fair-play, however perfectly or imperfectly.

The grim fact is that, contrary to what his evidently hyperbolical sense of proportion dictates, by and large, Nigerians do not have a very good reputation outside their own country. Indeed, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the former American military’s Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff chairman, Gen. Colin Luther Powell, was routinely reported to be claiming that the spate of abject corruption and scam-artistry in Nigeria was only bested by Pakistan. And what is more, here in the United States, the curiously ironic legend has it that the most ardent of Nigerian criminals are almost invariably hi-tech savvy and Ivy League-educated, with advanced degrees from such globally recognized institutions as Yale, Harvard and Columbia universities. And the latter may partly explain the resounding “success” of the so-called 4-1-9 scheme (the scapegoats responsible for all your inadequacies in America, right? How many have you lost a job opening or girlfriend to? Does the poor quality of the written English as seen in 4-1-9 letters justify your spurious claim?).[/b][b]Then we have also had morally debilitating and emotionally mortifying cases of Nigerian gangster-pimps prowling our secondary educational institutions and aggressively recruiting teenage Ghanaian women to engage in filmic sexual orgies or pornography(The sex pests and serial beasts in their 50s and 60s daily defiling 12 year olds in Ghana are also Nigerians?). The most recent of the latter nature vividly remembered by this writer occurred at Mpraeso Secondary School (MPASS). And so rather than self-righteously blame a supposed dearth of professionalism among members of the Ghanaian media, Mr. Obanikuro ought to be holding forth with the leaders of the Nigerian immigrant communities, with the prime objective of finding effective and lasting solutions to the glaringly disproportionate acts of criminality committed and perpetrated against innocent and responsible Ghanaians by some of his immigrant countrymen and women.[/b]To be certain, quite a remarkable number of American-resident Nigerians with whom this writer has interacted have, invariably, stated their serious intention of permanently relocating to Ghana for two significant reasons, namely, a peaceful and relatively crime-free environment, and a conducive economic milieu. Could Mr. Obanikuro readily and confidently impugn the authenticity and integrity of such visceral observations? (You imagine that there are more Nigerians in Ghana than there are Ghanaians resident in metropolitan Lagos, from Gatankowa to Agbado, Sango to Ajuwon and AGEGE? If it hurts that Nigerians live in high brow areas of Accra, deal with the pain!)

In any case, exactly what does the Nigerian high commissioner mean when he asserts that “Bashing Nigerians on radio and the newspapers today has become the order of the day. This must be addressed quickly or [it] would turn into something horrible”?

The reader can bet his proverbial “bottom-dollar” that if I were in charge of Ghana’s foreign – or external – affairs ministry, Mr. Obanikuro would already be packing up his baggage and luggage to return to Bataan, as it were.

*Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of English, Journalism and Creative Writing at Nassau Community College of the State University of New York, Garden City. He is the author of twenty books, including “Ghanaian Politics Today” (Atumpan Publications/lulu.com, 2008). E-mail: okoampaahoofe@aol.com.

Nigeria has a very bad reputation outside Nigeria.

yawn, next

naija don suffer.

;d

, Step Aside and Let JJ Rawlings Rule Our Country!



Nana Akwasi Twumasi

The citizens of Ghana voted Mills into power under the mantra of “change.” Mills, like many of his disciples, wants the entire nation to be drunk on the apothegm, “Change is what Ghana needs and change is what we will deliver,” but his actions seem to paint a sinister agenda. Mills, for instance, revels in his false sense of piety, and he claims he wishes to turn the entire country into a prayer camp — not to say I see anything wrong that. However, such sententious attitude only dissimulates his lack of sincerity just as it serves to veil his ulterior motives. What has he accomplished in office thus far to give Ghanaians a reason to hold on to his promise of “change”? Among Mills’ greatest hits, include, chasing demons out of the Castle under the guise of organizing prayer camp at this edifice; under his leadership, inflation rate has soared past 20%; he promised not to go on witch-hunting (NPP officials), yet, one of the first things he did in office was to fire Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia from his position at the Bank of Ghana; employing “waakye sellers” into his cabinet (well, if the founder of the NDC party was a high-school dropout who ruled our country for 20 years, then, I guess a “waakye seller” with good humanitarian skills is more than qualified for a cabinet position); his administration has borrowed money from major world financial institutions in excess of one and a half billion dollars; crime rate at an all time high; our currency is falling in value against the major currencies; spending over one hundred fifty million dollars more on the executive branch of the government than his predecessor did even though the NDC often criticized Kufour for “wasteful spending.” Well, I am not surprised by any of these, are you? After all, that’s the NDC, which is well versed in criminality and voodoo fiscal policies. Up to this point, president Mills has reneged on most of his campaign promises with the exception of a few, most notably: “As president, I will consult Rawlings for advice 24/7.” If president Mills wants to rule our country by taking instructions from Rawlings every step of the way, and in so doing deny Ghanaians the “change” for which they voted, then he should get out of the way and let Rawlings himself govern the country. That killing machine has my endorsement, since he has the guts to eliminate armed robbers via firing squad, if he chooses. Armed robbery is a major problem that is hurting our image worldwide.

The cries of victims of armed robbery—those maimed, taunted, emotionally scarred, and in some cases, killed—serve as the impetus for this article. As a young man in the 50’s and 60’s, my friends and I went to concerts and walked home late in the night—over a one-mile journey without worrying about armed robbers. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about today. According to some victims, it is even scary waking up at night and walking to a bathroom across a hallway because of fears of walking into an armed robber. Several articles have been written on the subject, which address the plight of ordinary citizens, but our politicians don’t seem to give a damn (see Boateng, Bright. Armed Robbery in Ghana: Mr. President, please say something. Ghanaweb, 11/11/2002) How unfortunate that we’ve become prisoners in our own homes. News of economic hardships in Ghana reaching those in the Diaspora is enough to turn one into an insomniac; and to add to this nuisance, starving Ghanaians sometimes go through horrific ordeals at the hands of these armed robbers. As recent as last month, four friends of mine had a first-hand experience of this menace, which I would like to share with my readers. These were health professionals (two cardiologists, one behavioral neurologist/epileptologist, and one endocrinologist) who went to Ghana to conduct feasibility studies on building a state-of-the-art medical facility in Accra. Two of them owned residential properties in Accra—Lartebiokoshie and Achimota. The one that owned a property in Achimota embarked on this trip with his family, so he and his family stayed at Achimota, while the rest stayed at Lartebiokorshie. 16 days into their trip, they were informed of two parcels of land—one in Haatso, and the other in East Legon-- which were potential sites being evaluated for their medical facility. They had arranged to meet first at the site in East Legon and then proceed to Haatso. The three friends that stayed at Lartebiokorshie were at the designated meeting place at 10:15am per their arrangement. The “agent” spoke to them at length about the property while they waited impatiently for their friend (The one living at Achimota). They waited and became indignant after their repeated phone calls to their friend went unanswered. They decided to leave for the friend’s house after waiting for over 4 hours. They got to the man’s house after 3 pm and the house had an ambience of tranquility—appearing almost lifeless. They got through the front gate and found the family dog, which was sporadically taken care of by their next door neighbor in their absence, laying on the portico, dead. They saw no blood on the dog and realized the dog had been poisoned. With their heart racing, one of them rushed to his car to get a spare key for the house, which he had been using to gain access to the house anytime he vacationed in Ghana. They finally got into the house and it was a total mess; it had been rummaged by the thieves. The bedrooms and living areas were searched and there was no sign of any member of the family. These friends went outside and searched the perimeter of the house but found nothing. It was nerve-wracking at this point, and the decision was made to go back and search the house again. As one of them got near the kitchen he was taken aback by a malodor emanating from deep within. The family of 3 had been huddled inside the pantry, gagged, with their hands tied behind their back. The stench that led the friends to the pantry was excreta from the wife who had to respond to nature’s call under these horrific conditions. How humiliating!

The man’s wife and 19 year-old son were dehydrated and lethargic. The man himself was not so lucky; he was aphasic and spatially disoriented (he thanked God for being alive though). He also had a contusion on his right temple, because one of the robbers slammed his head into a wall when he told them he did not stash money in his house. They never bothered to get the police involved, because the police are normally useless under these conditions. The incident occurred early in the morning (around 3 am, based on victims’ account), when 4 men stormed into the house, brandishing machetes and sickles. As of this article’s completion, my friends have made the conscientious decision to liquidate all their assets in Ghana and stay in the United States permanently. (They left the country two weeks early because of this incident. PS: Names, address and certain identifiers pertaining to these people were left out to protect their identity). Our politicians and some concerned Ghanaians who want to see our country advance, have persistently called on Ghanaian natives living abroad to come back and help develop their country. [b]Fortunately, there are many selfless Ghanaians who heed this call and give up their lucrative jobs and relocate back home, only to be forced out of the country by corruptive activities in our country, such as armed robbery, drug-trafficking etc. What examples are we setting for the younger generations living overseas who also have dreams of relocating to Ghana one day to help develop our country? I have spoken to a few Ghanaians who came to the United States recently, and they have said, in unequivocal terms, that they will “never go back to Ghana, because our country is on a path to become worse than Mexico in drug trafficking and armed robbery.” Ghana has now become a major conduit for trafficking illegal drugs to Europe. Is our government willing to turn in those in their ranks who participate in such illegal activities? As disheartening as it may be, I don’t think I would be telling the truth if I answered in the affirmative. What are our officials doing to ensure the safety of the citizenry? What are our officials doing to ensure that our lands and businesses are mostly acquired by our citizens and not criminals from foreign countries? Sadly, our politicians will do nothing about this problem as long as they are bribed to look the other way. To tell you the truth, some of our politicians would agree to relocate Satan from hell to our country, if the price was right.

Frankly, this menace doesn’t appear to affect our politicians in the least. Ex-president Kufour and his then ministers had the military to protect them. Even as citizens, they have the financial means to acquire their own security personnel. Likewise, president Mills and his ministers have all the protection that money can buy. The NPP and the NDC are giving the masses the impression that they are permutations of what’s wrong with Ghana politics. (Could the CPP party be our last hope?). Succinctly put, our politicians have no sense of urgency in relation to the armed robbery menace, because their family and whatever belongs to them are well protected. What about ordinary Ghanaians—our uncles, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts—who don’t have the financial wherewithal to acquire their own security personnel? Sadly, they are at the mercy of these criminals. How did we, as a nation, get to this point? Most Ghanaians point the finger at homegrown criminals as well as foreigners who have invaded our country—specifically, Liberians and Nigerians. Liberians were brought into our country because of a civil war in their country. This war has been over for a long time, and one is left to wonder why we still have them in our country. Even the United States, which “colonized” them asked those in their country under refugee status to return to their country after their status expired. If a country as rich as the US could take such a stance, why should a poor country like Ghana keep these foreigners in our country when our “duty” to them has been accomplished? These Liberians have been involved in prostitution and other illegal activities in Ghana. Do we have any reason to wonder why the incidence of AIDS/HIV has surpassed malaria and stroke as the leading causes of death in our country? (HIV/AIDS overtakes malaria and stroke , , Ghanaweb, 18 March 2009). Also, Liberians have largely been implicated in criminal activities in Ghana. I am not a xenophobe, but I believe it’s about time we make it mandatory that they return to their homeland.

Nigerians are among the worst perpetrators of crime in the world. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, dead or alive. They have ruined their reputation to the extent that some of them living in the United States try to hide their identities when dealing with others. Their so-called 419 schemes have led some to commit suicide because they lost all their life-savings, and led others to commit homicide, including a preacher’s wife (see story at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,265605,00.html). If these corrupt Nigerians have ruined their reputation world-wide, why should we allow them into our country under the guise of establishing businesses in our country? (Of course, not every Nigerian who has emigrated to Ghana is a criminal). According to a recent publication, the influx of Nigerians to our country doubled after the elections (Nigerians Flee To Ghana. Ghanaweb, February 15, 2009). One may rightfully ask, “why this sudden increase?” Could it be because some of them with criminal motives think they would feel at home under the new administration? Or could it be because they believe president Mills is too soft to crack down on their illegal activities? Or could it be that they are invading our country because our economy is better than theirs? Well, I don’t think the last point makes sense, considering that Nigeria is richer than Ghana. Secondly, all the economic indicators were better under the previous administration compared with the current. This hybrid of factors automatically eliminates the third option as the reason why Nigerian influx to Ghana has doubled since president Mills took office. In this case, the first two reasons provided, as troubling as they may be, may underscore the reasons why Nigerian population is on the ascendency in Ghana. We can at least take a cue from Botswana-- an African country, which repatriates anybody who enters their country illegally-- and expel these foreigners. (See: http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2008/12/5000_deported_f.php).

This is a radical problem that needs a radical solution. In stead of our current president becoming proactive about this menace, he is preoccupied with using our limited resources to purchase luxury cars for his staff members and paying off Newspapers to cover-up his incompetence ((Mills' Boys Drive Posh Cars, Ghanaweb, March 27, 2009). The status quo isn’t helping hardworking and poor Ghanaians who need their peace in these times of dire economic hardships. We need a leader who means business and will help reclaim the old glory of Mother Ghana. Forgive me for being pessimistic, but I don’t see that kind of tough leadership quality in president Mills, who would even listen to Rawlings’ advice before that of Jesus. I don’t think president Mills has the guts to send these foreign criminals packing or issue harsh penalties for all those caught in armed robbery and drug-trafficking activities in Ghana. A recent article published on Ghanaweb told the story of how one governmental agency deported seven foreigners (GIS deports seven foreigners from the country, March 27, 2009). I am not in the least impressed by this simply because this act was limited in scope in that it relied on the public to “turn in” people with “suspicious character.” What is the meaning of “suspicious character,” if I may ask? Does it mean a foreigner who resides in our country legally but selling drug OR a foreigner who is in our country illegally but peddling food items to fend for his/her starving family in his/her country of origin? What about Ghanaians engaged in illegal activities? Do we have incentives for Ghanaians that will give one a reason to turn in relatives or friends who are engaged in illegal activities, such as drug-trafficking? In light of this problem, which seems to be getting worse with each day, do we have the zeal to amend our laws pertaining to such activities in Ghana? Personally, I think we should institute harsh punishments for everyone caught in such activities, whether Ghanaian or foreigner. One viable option—and perhaps, my favorite-- is to re-instate the death penalty by firing squad as a means to deter other wannabe thieves from criminal activities that are undermining the very foundation of our country (I endorse the use of “firing squad” as an avenue to eliminate hardened criminals from our society because these criminals rob and kill their innocent and defenseless victims, if they have to. I DO NOT endorse this mode of punishment as a way to kill off political opponents). If the United States, the country that we are emulating, has the death penalty, I don’t know why we shouldn’t. We vote our politicians into office to help restore the image, security, and prosperity for which our founding fathers shed their blood. Ghanaians voted Mills into power, thinking he might be better than ex-president Kufour. Obviously, he is turning out to be worse than the ex-president whom he often criticized. Ghanaians need to get more bang for their buck, and if all that Mills can do as a president is to fulfill all of Rawlings’ mandate, then we will be better off being ruled by Rawlings himself. This proposition shouldn’t seem far-fetched; because, after all, doesn’t Mills consult Rawlings for advice 24/7?[/b]
The author can be reached via nanaakwasitwumasi@googlemail.com

Source:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=159821

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Aristo: A New Name for Prostitution on Campus?
Pauline Ikonma, 22, lives in a onebedroom apartment outside her university campus in Port Harcourt. She is a 200 level student of Languages. With her apartment furnished with a refrigerator, a plasma television set, home-theatre musical equipment, air conditioning unit and a luxury bed, Pauline also boasts of a fat bank account and a wardrobe rich in the latest fashion trends.

For her male colleagues, Pauline belongs to the rich and mighty in the society and, as such, they cannot come close to her or ask her for a date. But Pauline is not alone in her opulent lifestyle as a student because there are many out there socialising with the male aristocrats in the society.

These are rich and old males who prefer the ``good things'' of life in the company of ladies who are young enough to be their granddaughters. There is yet another class of girls who submit to any `customer' who can pay for their services. These are campus girls who are listed in a catalogue or photo album for men to choose from for the purpose of having a one or two-night outing. Usually the peddlers of the albums are fellow male students who serve as pimps, and make an income from the girls' earnings.

These girls have either poor, middle class or moderately rich family background, and they engage in what many regard as campus prostitution for various reasons raging from pleasure to insatiate appetite for cash. Some even do so due to peer influence, while others are involved as a means of funding their schooling. When female undergraduates discuss ``aristo'', it appears like an ordinary topic to the ears of parents, guardians and the ignorant, but to the initiated, ``aristo'' or ``aristocrat'' is the new name for ``sugar daddy''. Dating an aristo is the latest barometer among campus girls for assessing wealth and position. ``The name `sugar daddy' is best applied outside the campus for old men who date young girls. But on the campus, it is much more dignifying to call them `aristo','' says Aisha Haruna, an undergraduate.

``The act is fashionable and the girls do it with relish and pride as they flaunt their earnings by way of accessories and newclothing.'' A corps member, Emmanuel Akpan, says that ``for the girls, it is `thank God it is Friday' as they pack their big aristo handbags and move out of their hostels to spend weekends with their male friends who are old enough to be either their grandfathers or fathers''. Many undergraduates say it is a common sight to find luxury cars on campuses waiting to take girls out for weekend fun. They also say that it is a usual sight in the evenings to find cars and buses parked at the female hostels to pick girls for distribution to visiting dignitaries in town.

``This usually occurs during major political party activities in cities and towns across the country,'' says Emeka Nwachukwu, an undergraduate. But what makes young girls date older men?  an undergraduate, says she prefers to date older men because they are more decent in the sense that they take the girls to quiet places where too many eyes will not see them. ``Older men are good in bed because they are more experienced. The older the man the better he is. Besides, I need the money to survive,'' she says. ``An aristo will never raise his hand to hit you because he appreciates that you are doing him a favour not minding the fact that he is paying most of your bills.''

[b]A graduate, Buki Ajibola, says she dated older men for the money she could make from them. ``I lived off-campus while I was in the university. I made money from my aristo to pay my rent, buy new dresses and shoes as well as have enough to give out to my siblings,'' she recalls. Buki, who is an Abuja-based corps member, says dating an aristo may be bad, it could be useful as one does not have to run home often for parental assistance. ``My mother manages to send me some money for my upkeep; the rest I get from my aristo,'' she adds. But another corps member, Blessing Ajuks, holds a different view as she says that dating older men is unhealthy for a young lady. ``It is not the best; it is not good in the sight of God. It is like stealing someone else's husband.

``It undermines the dignity of a woman, which is supposed to be priceless,'' she says, adding that most of the men have their families and are rich, but are close to the grave. For many female students, the fear of being used for rituals is the reason to avoid an aristo. This was the experience of a female student in Benue who went out with an old male friend to a hotel for an allnight outing. ``The girl insisted that the man should use a condom, which he refused. She finally succumbed when the man offered her a mouth-watering sum of N500,000,'' says Grace Eneh. According to Grace, the girl confessed later that she experienced a strange movement in her lower abdomen, which medical doctors could not diagnose.

``She had to seek divine intervention that revealed she had been used for ritual purposes,'' Grace says. Observers attribute some of the reported cases of ritual murders involving ladies to aristo outings. Chidinma Eke, a corps member, blames poor parental upbringing for such immoral acts by ladies. ``If a young girl is properly groomed by her parents I do not see why she will fancy an aristo. If an elderly man tries asking her out, she should reflect on her own father trying to date her,'' she says.

For Chidinma, poverty, peer pressure, frustration, financial insecurity and greed are some of the reasons for girls dating old men. A mother, Mrs Adora Okon, agrees that peer pressure and the lack of good parental upbringing make girls date old men. ``Some girls, when they get to the university, decide to forget all the training they received from their parents. ``They behave like good girls when they return home, but when they return to school they turn to something else. ``When you date someone's husband, somebody will definitely do the same to you. Remember what God has joined together let no man put asunder,'' she admonishes. [/b] But Okechukwu Nwoko, a student at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, expresses dismay over the effect of aristo dating female students on their male counterparts. ``It is affecting us the guys adversely. Girls have become scarce because the available ones prefer dating rich old men in the society.'' A cleric, Rev. Fr. Solomon Bulus, of the Missionary of St. Paul, Gwagwalada, FCT, says that a relationship between a married man and a young lady is strange and should not be encouraged. ``I do not feel very comfortable with it. It is exploitative,'' he says, adding that God will never approve of men dating girls young enough to be their daughters.

``It is against the natural order of creation,'' he says, referring to mankind's first parents, Adam and Eve, according to the Bible. Bulus urges young ladies to reflect on their lives and focus more on their education while in school. ``There is no hurry in life because life is in different stages. ``Value what you have as a woman because if there is anything you treasure most, it should be your body. Never give anybody the opportunity to abuse it,'' he adds. Morality, they say, begins at home; and for female students and their aristo male friends, it behoves them to toe the path of godliness. This way, Nigeria will be free of moral decadence and depravity, moralists say.


Stella Enenche



http://www.nigerdeltastandard.com/features/archive3.htm

THE SCOURGE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

[b]Looking terrified and over burdened by worries of everyday existence in an increasingly impoverished neighborhood of an outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, Chinedu, who is in his early twenties, walked straight to me as I disembarked from my weather beaten car which I bought from my salaries as a reporter with the Guardian Newspaper some years back. He battled to put up a smile but from the abundance of existential evidence, Chinedu’s smiles appeared artificial and made up.



As I equally battled to reciprocate Chinedu’s compulsive smiles and greetings, I quickly covered my nostrils in a reflective action to wade off the putrefying stench that was unleashed or rather oozed out from a nearby, heavily, dilapidated drainage system, and he quickly offered me a white handkerchief that looked like the snuff ridden rag of my Octogenarian grand father in my remote, heavily impoverished and grossly underdeveloped village of Ndiuche Etiti in Arondizuogu, Onu Imo Local Government Area of Imo State. Chinedu was a bosom friend of one of my close relations who strayed away to one of those Asian countries and is said to be hovering between the devil and the deep blue sea, because of the fact that he is a victim of some rogues who promised to hook him up to a University of his choice for his post-graduate studies, even as they promised him good placement in an upwardly mobile firm where he could be making handsome ends-meet, while undertaking his studies. This relation of mine had sweet-mouthed me into parting with a little over a hundred thousand Naira to make up for his school fees in this “God Knows” Asian country, from where he has persistently called home for assistance to repatriate himself back.

Chinedu asked me profusely about this his classmate and how he is faring in his country of abode, and I replied that he is not doing so well, and that in fact, he had sent word home that he is in desperate need of some financial bail-out to enable him purchase a flight ticket back to Nigeria where at least he is assured of a square meal per day. Chinedu wept. Wiping his face of the stream of tears that rolled down generously from his red eye-balls, Chinedu could barely speak out audibly, but still managed to say something like, “that is the same issue I want to table before you as a Human Rights Activist”. I almost gave up cheaply to the strong passion and temptation to shed out tears, but I fought it gloriously. We both managed to find a big mango tree under which we sat and shared the pathetic story of Miss. Patience, an eighteen year old girlfriend of Chinedu who hails from Kaduna State and was deceived by a friend to travel to Europe, through Libya, in search of the proverbial “greener pastures”. So what about that? I retorted. Chinedu then began to reel out the story of the systematic enslavement and minefield of labour camp that Miss. Patience is currently trapped, in a distant location, far away from the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Please how can the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria help to draw the attention of the Government to the plight of Miss. Patience and several hundreds of others who cannot be freed until they pay ransoms to their captors? Chinedu stated huskily with a tinge of emphasis and in a voice laced with passion he narrated how Patience called him to demand that he wire her the sum of Ten Thousand United Kingdom pounds Sterling so as to enable her buy her freedom from the kingpins who in the first place had smuggled her into Libya with the diabolical mandate of subjecting her to commit petty crimes of prostitution and pick-pocket. It was precisely because she refused to carry out her “god-fathers mandate” that they resorted in confining her in a prison-like and fortified building and she was permitted to make a long distance call home to blackmail her impoverished relations into parting with the huge ransom. Unfortunately for her, the parents are too poor to raise even a hundred Pounds.

Chinedu who doubles as a barber at a saloon somewhere in the suburbs of Karimo, a settlement not too far away from the city center, confessed to me that he made several attempts to gather the said Ten Thousand United Kingdom’s Pound Sterling but that even when he sold his landed property, which he inherited from his late father, he could not still raise the scandalous amount. Promising him that our Human Rights Platform will wage a big advocacy campaign against human trafficking in the coming days, I headed back to my car and drove off to town. But as tradition demands, I often play one of the many radio stations while driving, and from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio service came a mind shattering breaking news on March 31 st, 2009 that hundreds of immigrants perished on their way from Libya into Europe.[/b]The British Broadcasting Corporation had told her audience that hundreds of suspected illegal migrants headed for Europe are feared dead in Libya. These migrants’ pass through Libya to Enter Europe by sea, in search of greener pastures every year, using vehicles which are often not sea-worthy. The Libya officials, that the BBC spoke to said that at least 21 people died and 20 others rescued, after a boat carrying 250 people sank.

The BBC says that The International Organization of Migrants fear that about 500 migrants from 3 other boats may also be missing. They say that the chances of rescuing some of these people are very slim and if they succeed at all, they would be faced with lots of casualties.

The bad news continues that, the boat carrying 250 people was said to have sunk about 30km (99 miles) off the Libyan coast, near Libya’s capital, Tripoli. The migrants on the boat included, some Tunisians, Palestinians, and Egyptians who are said to be constantly migrating from their country to find ‘greener pastures’ in Europe, and others whose Nationalities are yet to be discovered. Among the migrants found, was a dead African woman, clutching her dead infant to her bosom.

The BBC also stated that there is an unconfirmed report, that another boat boarding 342 migrants also sunk after leaving Libya, a Libyan official told the BBC that these two boats sank within two days, and that rescue operations were still on.

Worried by the monumental and devastating consequences of trafficking in persons or what in French my office Secretary, Phyllis Idara Godswill, told me is called, “la traffique humaine”, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, recently organized a public lecture in Abuja, and invited Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, who delivered a lecture titled; “HUMAN TRAFFICKING AS A THREAT TO THE ACTUALIZATION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DURABLE DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: WAYS, MEANS AND STRATEGIES FOR CHECKING THE TREND.” To underscore the importance of the lecture, the hall was packed full with Nigerians and foreign dignitaries who turned out to hear from the speakers.

Imoke told his audience, including the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, that; “it is obvious that Human Trafficking is a clear and blatant violation of the Human Rights of its victims. However, what are the implications of this on the course of democracy and good governance in Nigeria and what can be done to mitigate its effects?”

He said that; “it is important to remind ourselves that Human Trafficking is an abhorrent act of modern day slavery. Human trafficking by definition denotes that people are forced, tricked or threatened into situations in which they are exploited either sexually, financially, or through forced labor. Human beings, who are reduced to commodities for sale by traffickers, are not only deprived of their free-will but equally denied the opportunity to develop the life-skills and competencies that enable them to make meaningful contributions to society.”

   
According to the Governor; “Nigeria is a signatory to many Human Rights conventions including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was proclaimed in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. Although the implementation of these agreements and the protection of these rights have been less than perfect, the Nigerian Constitution has incorporated some of the Human Rights which are considered inalienable in the general provisions. It is perhaps pertinent to briefly mention some of the Articles in the declaration of Human Rights which are relevant to this discussion. They include the following:

ARTICLE 1, which states that; “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity of rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of brotherhood;”
ARTICLE 3, which provides that; “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person;”
ARTICLE 4, which emphasized that; “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all forms;” and
ARTICLE 5, which clearly stressed that; “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment.”
Imoke, who is a Lawyer of many years standing, emphasized that, “Human trafficking must be recognized as an abominable act which constitutes a hindrance to the nation’s progress. It is an insult to our collective psyche and above all, an affront on civilized society…” he said.

As a politician, daily involved in the affairs of governance, Imoke suggested some strategies to check the trend, even as he reminded the audience that; “We have to confront the problem head-on with all at our disposal. However, we must also not neglect to address the root of this morally reprehensible act. Our approach has to be communal, driven by the people but supported by a firm government’s commitment to eradicate this social ill. We all have to play our part. Human traffickers live with us and can be identified, if we are more alert and determined to put an end to this attack on the development of our society.”

Imoke challenged Nigerians thus; “we have to embark on a substantive re-calibration of the value set of the members of our society, both old and young. The prevailing and unique difficulties of our economic climate as well as the rising tide of desire for material wealth at all cost have caused vast swathes of people to abandon moral rectitude in favor of short-term financial gain at great cost to society.”

“It is widely acknowledged that the challenges of life are becoming increasingly more burdensome but that is no justification. We must all work hard to reengineer our collective psyche. The less we value our fellow human beings, the more we erode our social capital which is the very foundation of civilized society.”

We must collectively fight the scourge of trafficking in persons before more damages are unleashed on our polity. We cannot rebrand Nigeria if the political leadership cannot address issues of poverty and unemployment, which are the main reasons for the increasing wave of Human Trafficking in Nigeria of the Twenty First Century.

Onwubiko heads the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria.


 


http://pointblanknews.com/artopn1192.html

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Police kill 2 car snatchers, arrest 5
From Ngozi Uwujare, Ibadan
Thursday, April 02, 2009
•Mike Okiro, IGP
Photo: Sun News Publishing
More Stories on This Section

Five robbery suspects who were terrorizing Owode Yewa area of Ogun State, are now in police net.

Two of them were earlier shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with police operatives from Eleweran, Abeokuta. The suspects allegedly specialized in snatching Poshy cars.
The alleged suspects were: Adewale, Molawolu, Tondonu Ajeniyan, Wasiu Adeleye, Rasaki Bankole and Fatai Opeloyeru.
According to the Ogun State Police Commissioner, Mr. Hashimu Argungu, two pistols, a locally made double barrel gun and ammunition were recovered from them.

Hashimu explained that police operatives at Owode/Egbado received information about how the suspects tried to snatch a Toyota Corolla from a victim and went after them. They were said to have confessed snatching cars in Nigeria and taking them to Benin Republic.

He disclosed how other members of a gang tried to rob some residents in Ijebu-Ode area but met opposition from the crime fighters.
The names of the suspects were given as, Fatai Oyebanji and Toyin Ogunshola. Hashimu explained that some of the suspects sustained bullet wounds, adding that those arrested would soon appear in court.