₦airaland Forum

Sources inside the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have disclosed to a SaharaReporters correspondent that Mr. Alison Amaechina Madueke, the husband to the embattled former Minister for Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke, was arrested today.
Mr. Madueke was arrested this morning by EFCC agents in Abuja for illegally laundering more than $600,000 through his personal accounts.
According to an EFCC source, “[Mr. Madueke] was arrested this morning [in Abuja] and released on administrative bail.” The EFCC also seized Mr. Madueke’s passport and placed him under caution.
This is the latest development in an ongoing global investigation into the financial activity of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Maduke, who was arrested last year in London for financial crimes. Mrs. Madueke was at the helm of the petroleum industry in Nigeria during a time of unprecedented theft, according to analysts.


http://saharareporters.com/2016/02/17/breaking-efcc-arrests-diezani%E2%80%99s-husband-alison-madueke

‘I set my goals and objectives in accordance with my vision. I study them and strategically execute them. My detractors discuss my successes and failure because they have nothing to execute. I am in the news more because I’m working, Nigerians discuss active men in the field. Mentioning any negative news about me will double the wealth of any news media that published it. My name today is a financial market for journalists. Not even elected politicians get the publicity I am enjoying. My comrades, go and work till mentioning your name becomes a source of increased wealth for someone. Even my weakness creates wealth for vendors’. —I REMAIN, ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU–

I ran into a big problem on how to start this small piece on the stormy petrel, Omoyele Sowore at 45. To put words on paper became a big problem. How do I start to celebrate this one-man riot squad in the chequered history of our country? How do I begin to celebrate a young man who has done what his age mates could not even do even as a students Union Leader at the University of Lagos? How can I begin to tell a story of a young man who has the courage of King David, courage of Esther, wisdom of Solomon and the strength of Samson?

How can I tell a story of a young man who cannot accept a tip from anybody no matter the amount even at a time when young people like him can kill for N10,000? How can I describe this young man who has shown, through actions and deeds, that something good can come out of Nigeria? How can I celebrate this great man who has proved beyond reasonable doubts that hard work, honesty, integrity, diligence, character, truth pay? How can I celebrate this young man from Ilaje in Ondo State who has revolutionized the online media in Nigeria and created a niche for himself? All these were going through my mind until I stumbled on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s quote above about himself a few weeks ago. It may not have fitted perfectly into Omoyele Sowore’s status but the guy is getting nearer to it. When a child washes his hands very well, he dines with the kings and queens.

Frankly speaking, I do not know where Nigeria would have been now if the social media outfits led by Sowore’s Sahara Reporters were not there to kick start the silent revolution that sent the thieving PDP and their huge followers out of Abuja. I do not know what our unrepentant politicians would have been doing now if the pack led by Omoyele Sowore were not there to redesign, retool, regig, reshape, and reposition the course of Nigeria’s history. Hours on end and when it mattered most, this active young man, full of energy, power and strength shew bullets, drilled the deepest well and did the unthinkable to chart the way forward. Like a Five Star General, he was in the front line giving orders, taking the heat, and paying the price of leadership. He was not deterred, he was not perturbed and was not shaken. The struggle to free Nigeria of corruption and inept leadership was a task that must be done. For this struggle, he put his feet, hands, heart, mind, soul, resources etc. on it and today Nigeria is telling a better story.

When I see failed old men, with nothing worthwhile for their long stay on earth, struggle to criticize and put down this guy simply because he is a pain in the neck to their patrons, negative role models and leaders, I ask myself again and again, where would Nigeria have been without this guy’s determination. When I see morally challenged midgets struggle to abuse Saharareporters, Sowore and what they stand for, even without resisting the temptation of going to the news medium every hour, in search of credible news stories, I have cause to thank God for the strength of character he gave this young man. Fact is that Sowore and Saharareporters are eternal spikes to many a corrupt politicians, their enablers and hirelings and is an eternal threat to bad governments. The outgone PDP government will eternally live in dread of such credible platforms because Saharareporters foretold their doom. Most importantly, they have watched in frustration as all their wild actions to discredit and stop Saharareporters have rather made the medium so popular in Nigeria today.

Through actions and deeds Sowore has proved that no power can stop a popular idea whose time has come. I understand he ran for the Presidency of the University of Lagos in the early nineties on the slogan; “No one stops an idea whose time has come”. Sowore has proved beyond reasonable doubt that one man can make the difference. Omoyele Sowore has proved that honesty pays. Those who started this great journey with him have fallen by the way side and moved deeper into the junkyard of history, licking their wounds and blaming others for the woes they brought upon themselves. Some have ended up in pay-me-i-write-for-you journalism, and consequently boxed themselves into a corner, leaving the big space for the big boy called Omoyele Sowore and his team.

In Sowore’s life I have come to believe that everything is possible, that as a man thinks, so is he.
At 45, I can only tell Sowore that his best is yet to be. I am aware of the blackmail and intimidation he has suffered in the past. I am aware of internet fraudsters and hackers who tried to clone Saharareporters. I am aware of his numerous enemies who wish that he goes down. They will fail. Because they are not Sowore, because they do not possess the candor, the charisma, the courage, the diligence and character of Omoyele Sowore, they will always fail. Because they do not possess the extra-ordinary wisdom of Sowore, because they do not possess Sowore’s capacity and capability, they cannot go far.

Corruption is fighting back in the most dangerous manner. It is fighting from all corners in the Presidency, Judiciary and the National Assembly. The war against corruption must be sustained and Sowore must continue to lead the way. We must kill corruption before it kills Nigeria. It is not over until it is over. I salute the courage of this young man. I salute his pedigree. I salute his resounding and unbelievable courage. I salute his guts. I celebrate his education. Now, of what meat is Sowore fed?

— Joe Igbokwe wrote from Lagos


http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2016/02/16/celebrating-the-stormy-petrel-omoyele-sowore-at-45/

It will be a sad story if in the long run after uncountable rantings that our fellow citizens from the 'land of the rising sun' finally vote for PDP, a party with strong Northern Leadership & followership.

It would have been very interesting if our fellow citizens from the 'land of the rising sun' to develop their own regional party APGA into becoming a true national party like APC.

With these latest developments in PDP, the dream of having a presidential candidate from the 'land of the rising sun' in both the 2019 and 2023 elections are fast diminishing into the horizon.

By the end of this year, between PMB & the new Ooni, who will win the award as the most travelled?

By the way, why is the Ooni always carrying the big stick?

A beautiful woman who understands the plight of those in the Diaspora.
Good appointment.

The question we should be asking is, why do we need all these parastatals, what's their benefits to the nation except to drain resources.
I think majority of these organisations should be liquidated and their staffs be posted to areas that need manpower.

Saraki should henceforth without delay resign from being the Senate President until the outcome of his CCT case is finished.

On the other hand, whatever the outcome of this CCT case, the political career of Saraki has been seriously dented.

Someone should advice the Honourable Minister to watch his weight, especially is rounded tummy>

A very wise, smart and calculative move by Tinubu, you have to give it to him.

Sai Baba needs to rest, nobody can work continuously for 8 months and not take a break.

Now, VP have got the chance to be president for 5days - shows our democracy is getting there, slowly and surely.

But i fear SR now oh....

Those obas are 3rd class obas

Baba is still using the same trench jacket from 2014.

We all know how leaking of sensitive information in the business environment can be catastrophic, then why can't the FG make such demands as well. leaking of sensitive information should be classified as treason and endanger to the nation.

They should try leaking sensitive information in USA or UK and they will know what's up!!!

Very barbaric & brutal. What's bad in paying a fellow human being of the opposite sex a simple compliment.

All Army cadets should be asked to undergo psychometric and mental examinations before been admitted into the military.

Fine guy, done good.
At least he's using his talent in the right direction.
Well done to him & his family.

I have said before and will continue to say it, if fighting corruption and 'yam eaters' is just one of the things this present administration can do, then i think Nigeria will be 20% better off by the time the next administration is voted in regardless of Party.

No hiding place for all 'yam eaters'.

There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might be considering changing its name, going into the 2019 elections.
Sources within the party told New Telegraph that the move would be an aftermath of the current investigation into the arms deal scandal that has roped in top members of the party.

A source said the party was worried that with the scandal brought upon the party by the arms deal involving the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the party might find it really hard to sell itself back to Nigerians in the 2019 elections.
He said that a section of the party was thinking that with the revelations coming out of the scandal now and the ones that may come out of the probe of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), the PDP may be damaged beyond repair by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The source, a top party man from the South-West, said: “The best way, we are thinking now, is a name change. We are working towards changing the name of the party before the 2019 elections. It may not be immediately now, but eventually that is what would happen in the long run.
“We are already working on it. We believe that the arms probe has done a lot of damage to the party. When you now add the impending probe of the NNPC, you can imagine what it would look like.

That one is going to be messier than what we have got so far.” Buhari had severally said that what has come out of the arms deal was just a tip of the iceberg compared with what was coming with the NNPC and the Customs.

He has also maintained that the fuel subsidy was another area that the previous administration fleeced the country of hard earned money.
So far, the arms deal has roped in former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh; Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Alhaji Haliru Bello and Chairman of the PDP 2015 National Conference, Dr. Raymond Dopkesi, who have been charged to court.

Still, other leaders of the party such as Chief Tony Anenih, and Chief Bode George, among others have been linked with the scandal. Another source in the party said that the approach towards rebranding the PDP would come in either of two ways. He said it would either be in the form of changing the name of the party, or realigning with other forces that may pull out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the run up to 2019.

He said that it was obvious that many prominent people in the APC are just ‘hanging in there’ because they have been sidelined by the administration or don’t understand what is happening in the party. That is in addition to the ambitions of some of the key players in the APC machinery that delivered Buhari for 2015.

The source cited the case of a former senator from the South-West, who was a prominent figure in the Buhari campaign, who has been sidelined. He quoted the senator as saying that despite all his efforts, “They don’t even give me a phone call these days.”
It was further learnt that the PDP was waiting to see the direction the relationship between Buhari and leaders of his party would go in the next one year for the moves to crystallise.

In this direction therefore, sources said that a prominent governor of the party from the South-West is leading a committee on search for alternatives for the PDP. It was gathered that the committee met over the weekend. A PDP leader, however, said that the South-West governor was leading a committee to find a suitable candidate for the party to complete the term of chairmanship of the party from the North-East.

The position was vacated by the former Governor of bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. The source said that the committee is to look at the names available and recommend to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, which meets today in Abuja to complete the tenure of the North-East, which expires in March.

The chosen person would oversee the affairs of the party until the National Convention, slated for March, takes place. Currently, the chairmanship is also part of the problems dogging the PDP.

The party is divided along the lines of the acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo and a former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, who recently won a case at the Federal High Court against the continued stay of Secondus.

While the PDP Governors’ Forum, save for Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, backed Oladipo, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party are standing with Secondus, while Gulak is intent on occupying the seat on the strength of his victory at the court. Secondus is still on appeal.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2016/02/arms-deal-pdp-mulls-name-change-realignment/

Hearing is scheduled to commence tomorrow in the trial of the former chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, who is accused of obtaining $620,000 bribe money from the chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola. A source at the Awomolo Chambers being used by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act 2000 for the prosecution said that Lawan and Boniface Emenalo will stand trial before Justice Angela Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Lugbe on a seven counts of criminally obtaining the money from Otedola to influence the committee’s report in favour of Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd.

The two men were originally arraigned before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi in February 2013, before the matter was elevated to the Court of Appeal and then reassigned to Justice Adebukola Banjoko. Following an objection again before Justice Banjoko, the case was re-assigned to Justice Otaluka.

The duo are alleged to have conspired in April 2012 to demand $3million gratification from Otedola to remove his firm from the list of oil companies indicted for the scam.

The prosecution team, led by Adegboyega Awomolo, had argued before the court that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 26 (1) (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and punishable under Section 8 (1) of the same law.

In Count Seven, Emenalo is separately accused of receiving $120,000 as gratification from Otedola for the same purpose, an offence which violates Section 10 (a)(ii) of ICPC Act 2000 and is punishable under Section 10.

Having pleaded not guilty to the charges, Justice Banjoko ordered the accused to continue with the bail conditions granted by Justice Oniyangi.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/02/01/620000-bribe-trial-farouk-lawan-and-emenalo-resumes-tuesday

Fridays are not complete without shedding of blood to appease Allah!!!

Whilst guys like him are building a solid political career in Poland, some people like the 'dilector' are busy with causing mayhem in this country.

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, on Wednesday pronounced himself the substantive chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Gulak made the pronouncement inside the National Working Committee Hall at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

He spoke in company with his loyalists, which included former Special Assistant to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe and a former Commissioner in Bayelsa State, Chief Ayakeme Whisky.

Gulak said he decided to take over the leadership of the party following the court order of December 16, 2015, which asked the party to name someone from the North-East to replace the former chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

Gulak told the cheering crowd, which included workers at the secretariat, that the NWC must work with him in order to move the party forward.

Details later.

http://www.punchng.com/gulak-takes-over-as-pdp-chairman/

Baba has spoken, let's wait for the rebuttal from Saraki & Dogara.

But it's just so amazing that EFCC is now the most active government agency since MAy 2015, what really happened to EFCC for 6 years under the presidency of GEJ apart from intimidating low-level financial crimes?

How I wish it will be easy to de-populate Lagos state now and bring it back to its previous state?

Only in USA will this kind of thing be taking place...puppy graduation indeed!!!

Creativity in action

This one no need DNA to confirm paternity...na real cloning of the highest order...
Seun can't escape this one o...

This is one international cultism - we have exported this 'plague' to other parts of the world.

Already reported on PM News: http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2016/01/27/busted-catalan-police-ends-eiye-confraternity-sex-trafficking-in-spain/

For Nigerian men who want to marry more than one wife - Eritrean women are quite beautiful.

The Chinese company wouldn't have done it without the expert knowledge of corrupt Nigerians.
If an ivestigation is carried out, we won't be suprised if known 'yam-eaters' are part of the scam.

Next time he should be handcuffed & leg-cuffed.
Arguing with a government personnel means his incarceration will last much longer, I wouln't want to know what those prison officials will do to him in private. I really pity him.