₦airaland Forum

maasoap: Maurice Iwu has always been a fraudster, from research grant to election, it has always been a sham.

Indeed. His total lack of conscience/decency was exactly the reason Obasanjo found him the perfect recruit to head his election heist.

Demdem: Thanks for shedding light to Iwu fraudulent acts.

Iwu is the quintessential 'money above everything' charlatan. It appears there is nothing the scavenger will not do for money and this trait endeared him to the equally dubious Obasanjo who saw Iwu as the perfect candidate to help him conduct "the worst election in world history".

Maurice Iwu is a fraudster who likely packaged this Ebola "cure" to obtain 'research funds'. He announced the "cure" in 1999 and till today zilch after he collected money upn the promise that his "cure" will be produced "in no time" if financial help was forthcoming. Can a "cure" have been found in 1999 and still not a single patented delivery 15 years later for such a horrible disease the world is desperate to gain a cure for?

Nigerians should be ashamed of people like Iwu who make our children victim of negative stereotyping. Instead some clowns here are celebrating a fraudster and one even proclaiming ethnic superiority based on 'barawo' behaviour when a few seconds of research will reveal the history of Iwu to be about deception and fraud. Na real wa for Nigerians sha. Iwu is a wicked chap who simply exploited the desperation for a 'cure' to a horrible disease. He should be rejected by a society of decent and upright people.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=22394

Iwu’s past that forms part of our present & future

Prof. Maurice Iwu’s claim of having obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Bradford as revealed by Saharareporters has now been topped by the University spokesperson indicating that Professor Iwu’s [Iwu] "undergraduate degree or certificate" from Cameroon as presented to the University was neither verified nor was Iwu’s graduate degree earned through in-class work. Iwu’s study at University of Bradford , asSaharareporters discovered was earned via research work (M.Pharm by research). However discrepancies in Iwu’s backgrounds appear to extend beyond his escapades in masking gaps in his educational qualifications. New information discovered bySaharareporters reveals the shady activities surrounding Maurice Iwu [Iwu] and his non-profit organization – Bioresources Development and Conservation Inc {BDCP} which Iwu founded and piloted as his research outfit since 1993.

[b]In 1999 at the 16th International Botanical Conference, Iwu made the announcement that he has found the cure for Ebola following his groundbreaking research under the auspices of his non-profit outfit-BDCP. Iwu indicated that Garcinia kola extract stopped the replication of the Ebola virus. He followed his proclamation with the call that "Our limiting factor is funds. If we have a sponsor, we can do it in no time." Judging from available information, Iwu received lots of monies towards the development of his findings. As Saharareporters discovered, Iwu received millions of dollars. BDCP financial earnings as stated in Form 990 which BDCP presented to the United States Internal Revenue Service {IRS}. According to the form, BDCP amassed through grants and donors the amount of $425,947 in 1999, $367,870 in 2001, $640,917 in 2002 and $980,771 in 2003– totaling over $2.4million. It also stated clearly on the form that all of the monies were spent for the purpose of "medical research on the use of African herb for medicine". However till date there appears no mention of further development of Garcinia kola extract to cure Ebola or any significant discoveries beyond some patents of which one of them was an"Alkaloids of Picralima Nitida used for treatment of Protozoal diseases" invented by Iwu et al., and assigned to the U.S. Secretary of the Army, Washington , D.C. U.S. Patent 5,290,553 issued March 1, 1994. Interestingly, neither U.S. nor European pharmaceutical houses have shown interest in following the leads.
[/b]
In Form 990 tax documents submitted to the US Government, Iwu and his partners made a deliberate effort to hide the members to their Board of Trustees by avoiding to list their names in the form as expected [by law]. In the Article of Amendment of BDCP – completed in November 1994, it listed five members of the Board of Directors as Iwu, Dr. Lisa Messerole, Cosmas N. Obialor, Thomas F. Tata, and Dr. Chris Okunji.

There is a wide gap between the money raised by Iwu’s research outfit AND the services it provided. The tax forms for the year 2004, 2005 and 2006, for example, appear missing, and all attempts to retrieve them from principal officers of BDCP met a brickwall. Attempts at contacting Iwu and his partner, Chris Okunji, did not yield results. Messages left for Okunji were not returned, including e-mails messages. The only time our investigators spoke to him at his office in Maryland, he promised to call back after a "crucial meeting" but never did. This dodgy behavior meshes with what a source, a colleague of Iwu at Nsukka with a Ph.D. in Pharmacy, told Saharareporters:

"I know that Iwu is not a Pharmacist! Knowing Iwu’s penchant for publicity, he would have been featuring in all activities of Pharmacists but no, he does not because he is not one of us. Prof. Maurice Iwu is not registered with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN). Iwu couldn’t have his way in the Faculty of Pharmacy, UNN to be Dean (the rules are clear on who qualifies to be Dean of a School of Pharmacy in Nigeri; you must hold a 1st degree in Pharmacy!). Prof. Iwu left to set up the Bioresources Conservation non-profit outfit that concentrated on herbal aspect of pharmacy is because it attracted a lot of funding from the US which he used to feather his nest".

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prophetone: I see what you mean. The safety factor is also one that could have contributed to the metamorphosis considering the incompatibility of certain safety systems with some materials due to their inflammable nature or their other properties. There is no doubt that cars today are much safer than they have ever been. The development of better alloys and carbon fibre however, makes it difficult for me to be convinced that a '89 3-series would be better built than a '06 one. Please elucidate.

Indeed it appears a bit of a conundrum but not really so on detailed inspection. Let me make it clear that modern cars are far better than cars produced two decades ago. Car today drive and perform better but the years of performing optimally as vehicular transport is less than cars they replaced because manufacturers are responding to changes driving the actions of car owners.

Better composite alloys, for example, make cars lighter, safer, quicker, more efficient and more economical today but the trade-off is shelf life durability that means today's cars cannot match some offerings of yesteryears they replaced for optimal solidity over time. Check most popular consumer complaints for traditional owners of Mercedes, for example, and you will note it is related to 'rattles' and poorer build in their new Merc they did not experience with the older model they had. Obviously, this differs from one manufacturer to the next.

Overall, not a big issue if lifestyle and socio-economic changes means many more car users now prefer and can afford to change their cars every 4-6 years rather than every 10-15 years as was the case in the past. This is what manufacturers responded to by providing cars today that serve users very well and optimally for 4-10 years.

Obiagelli: i agree, the only difference here is that local entrepreneurs don't have as much access to fund (low interest loans) like these foreigners if not locals would be making a fortune here.

My dear Sister, I agree with you totally about access to finance. this is why I always talk passionately about Government getting aggressively involved to empower the growth of SME's (small to medium size enterprise) which are the 'lifeblood' of the economies of many of the most developed nations in the World. This is certainly true for the UK. This is why I always implore Nigerian leaders, at State and federal level, to do their best to provide financial assistance (loans, grants, sponsored training and skill-acquisition workshops et al) for potential business owners and start-up enterprises. In the West, they don't joke with this and good business ideas and initiatives almost always has a chance of finding willing financiers because of what everyone stands to gain when businesses succeed and thrive.

Nonetheless, it is my belief that many Nigerians, if they truly believe in their own ability and have the right focus, can still raise funds to start a business initiative. Do you yourself not know Nigerians who can raise $15,000.00 in a week if they were assured that this sum would get them a Visa to the USA or UK? Yet tell the same folks to look around and see what he can do to turn $15,000.00 into $400,000.00 over 3 years and he will curse you. It is a mindset delivered by our education system, in combination with our 'hopeless' socio-economic reality, which does not teach Nigerians to be solutions providers able to optimally get the best out of their environment and rise up to challenges using an ethos of 'local solutions for local problems'. Instead the Nigerian education system and existential reality produces graduates who, in the majority, are reactionary and dependent rather than visionary or innovative.

Certainly, availability of funds is a problem but so too is mentality which, in my opinion, is certainly a considerable impediment against the growth of the SME in Nigeria. Most Nigerians now prefer to die in Universities accumulating one masters degree after another in hope someone will give them a bank or white-collar job when they could be getting more out of life by thinking outside the box and opening their eyes. Mind you, with the challenges Nigerians face (power, transport, security et al) it is understandable that, after decades of nothing changing for the better, the mindset our youths have developed predisposes them mainly towards playing safe than taking risk. This mindset, common to many African nations, blinds them to the myriads of opportunities available in the "last frontier' African nations foreigners are now flocking in to exploit in an age where opportunities for wealth creation worldwide are becoming far fewer.

prophetone: I opine this is a result of market dynamics because the unique selling point of most new performance cars is the amount of torque and bare horses the engine can deliver and not necessarily build quality. Manufacturers that target the market segment of aficionados that share your taste for quality of build material tend to build luxury cars to fill that spec such as the Bentley Mulsanne and the RR Phantom. Essentially there has been a unclear dismantling of the luxury with performance car segment, however there are a few contemporary machines that fit build quality and performance into a single auto-frame such as the RR Wraith. All hope is not lost then, i guess.

I get your point. Yet, what I am talking about is like-for-like depreciation in quality over the past two decades for cars carrying on the transition from one model to its direct replacement. For example, a 1989 BMW 320 is better built and more durable than a 2006 BMW 320. I think this is down to a car makers changing their manufacturing philosophy in relation to socio-economic changes. Cars today are delivered to last 10 years or so whereas cars in the past were put together to last as long as possible. Not a bad thing in itself because the motor industry simply responded to changes (lifestyle and socio-economic) which means car buyers are now predisposed to replacing motor vehicles quicker than was the case in the past. Car manufacturing, attendantly, had to get more cost-effective because of this reality.

Jakumo: Oh yes, I forgot to mention the Merc roadsters from that era, namely the R107 and the sexy R129. Those machines are just beautiful to look at, and they are smooth as silk running at Autobahn speeds that would be unsafe in lesser vehicles.

Bro, what I still marvel at is how the chrome fittings in these cars are actually real chrome and the door close with a solid thunk!!! Whereas a £45,000 merc today features plastic painted chrome and a relatively flimsy and uninspiring feel. Yes an argument can be made for making cars lighter and thus more 'aerodynamics' but the trade-off is quality of build which results in today's cars costing relatively more than in the past yet unable to last anywhere as long as previous offerings.

Jakumo: You are a man of true class, Gbawe, as indicated in your preference for an understated '64 Merc, and by your willingness to give the benefit of the doubt regarding the actual source of wealth enjoyed by Nigeria's uber-rich class.

Changing the subject just briefly, my favorite vintage of Mercedes would be the S Class W126 models, that ran from 1980 to 1994, while my favorite make and model of Porche would be the venerable 928 that ran from 1980 to 1994 - the only Porche that was ever fitted with a V8 motor. In short, the time period of 1980 to 1994 was the Golden Age of German automotive engineering, in this dreamer's humble opinion.

I am impressed. Your're an interesting chap when not being satirical and sardonic. The irony is that a lot of today's so called supercars cannot hold a candle to their peers of yesteryears for build quality, finish and even aesthetic appeal ala classically enduring design. 1980 t0 1994 did indeed produced many prestige vehicle, available today for sensible money, that are actually a joy to own, drive and appreciate. If you are ever after a 'usable' and practical classic car then I can recommend the Mercedes SL (R107) produced between 1971 to 1989. Superb cars to own and run. Delightful.

https://www.curiouscars.com/photos_inventory/1985_mercedes_benz_380_sl/DSC00577.JPG

Jakumo: Can I take your homework assignment to mean that you personally have NOT yet acquired any super cars or London real estate worth bragging about ?

I am not a big fan of super-cars and would not want one. Not my thing at all. They are, in most cases highly impractical 'money pits'. My mentality, as far as cars go, tends towards functionality and practicality. If I were to ever be predisposed to treating myself to an indulgent toy then my preference would be for a practical classic cars like the 1964 Mercedes SL but I believe man should 'live and let live'. To that end I feel it is "each to his own".

As for 'acquisitions' to brag about, I can tell you that it is mainly wretched 'Del boys', owning nothing of worth in reality, who do that. If my disinterest in childishly chronicling what I own online, when I could be lying anyway, for the inspection of total strangers indicates to you that I have "NOT yet acquired any super cars or London real estate worth bragging about" then that shows you simply don't understand that the very obvious thing about those who are 'comfortable' is how most are secure in themselves to the extent they are never interested in proving anything to anyone.

Jakumo: Generally speaking, Lebanese and Indians immigrants to Nigeria are well connected to the Hausa Fulani oil-block thieves who have been quietly bleeding the nation dry for decades, and so those camel-jockeys get their grasping paws stuck DEEP in the national treasury virtually the instant they show up in Nigeria, which is a privilege NOT open to your average Nigerian university graduate, despite your claim to the contrary.

As for your fascinating proclamation about the ease with which enough money can be harvested in Nigeria to afford a 100 thousand dollar car, Gbawe, perhaps you could be kind enough to post a few pictures of your own stable of brand new Italian and German super-cars, to illustrate your point about the availability of great wealth that can literally be plucked from trees by your average Joe in Nigeria.

Standing by for that enlightenment good sir.

Look, I don't have time for any senseless back-and-forth. Just google "Africa the last frontier" to note that with a feasibly well-defined business plan an individual is dedicated to sticking with assiduously no other continent on earth comes close to Africa in terms of range and scope of opportunities capable of creating great wealth today.

gratiaeo: Gwawe my man aka long epistle writer, the tin get as it be o even Chukwumelige your man have withdraw his endorsement on Aregbesola educational policies.

Who is this fool?

Does this make sense to any intelligent person? Anyway, I think the entire world now appreciates that Nigerians are very sentimental and emotional folks easy to deceive, 'herd' and confuse ala 'boy with no shoes'.

careytommy: you arr quite silly you know. nobody has a.problem with dangote's kids having these type of toys because we know their father worked for it. was it not in a similar exotic car such as these that el-rufai's son died in?
is el-rufai not a thief?

Why don't you start by showing what El-Rufai 'stole' from you or anyone else? The man's history shows technocratic brilliance that made him a rich man even at a young age yet people like you with a 'poor man mindset' continue to make silly allegations as if everyone who has worked for the government gained wealth from the coffers of Nigeria. This is why a poorly/modestly educated Lebanese man can arrive Nigeria or Ghana today and be very rich next year legitimately while Nigerian and Ghanaian youths continue to carry three masters degree around all day wearing a choking tie and suit in the boiling Sun and begging for a bank job up and down despite opportunities abounding everywhere. Young men like you, who can't focus on what matters and innovatively get on with the job at hand, are the reason Africa is backwards and will remain backwards for a long time.

Do away with your 'poor man mindset' and you will see, in the midst of millions of herded folks who cannot think outside the box, how ridiculously easy it is to make money in most of Africa and use these sort of cars. El-Rufai did that and I respect him for that. No doubt some of these cars would have been obtained using the wealth of Nigeria but you only show your simpleton mindset when you laud Dangote as 'deserving' and castigate El-Rufai as a "thief". Dangote was abetted by numerous Nigerian Presidents/heads of State to gain the wealth he has today whereas El Rufai was always a brilliant technocrat, capable of being very wealthy in any any Country on earth, who happened to work for the government. You guys should shun sentiments and start using your head so Nigeria can have a chance to be great.

whatlyf: Thank You Chief Gbawe. For over 15 years we have remained with the PDP, waiting and hoping for them to make good of their promises-all without success. In 2011, we fell for the "Vote GEJ" and not "PDP" gimmicks but here we are today. We are still hoping for the things we've been hoping on since 1999. It is time to kick them out of power and Install a government made up of "The pragmatically sensible folks and critical thinkers". We have no other choice than to support APC.

Indeed. I don't think anyone is saying that the APC is full of saints either. Yet, for a polity capable of the sort of critical thinking that delivers solution and progress, it is obvious that things often boil down to shunning unhelpful idealism and selecting the best out of what is available at any given point in time.

No one, except a maniac or the usual clannish and ethnocentric elements, can argue meritoriously that the PDP, with only 15 years of monumental failure as its reference point, is not the worst choice Nigerians can make at this point in time. As you concluded, the PDP has been given ample time to improve Nigeria yet abysmal failure is all the Party has delivered with the huge resources the Party has managed over 15 years !!!

The latest of these failures, and perhaps the most definitive of what the PDP stands for , is how $18 billion sunk into the fight against terrorism and insecurity has been looted to actually leave Nigeria far worse and with an Army now the butt of universal derision. What could be more wicked or anti-people than that? Is that what Nigeria should continue with? Are we insane as a nation? We can only hope that Nigerians put their thinking hats on in 2015, ignore "boy with no shoes" type of propaganda and reject a Political Party that is probably the worst in the world in relation to its almost 100% ineffectiveness over 5 Presidential terms since 1999 !!!!!

omenka: It is the most volatile kind of politics, sold by the political elite, bought by the masses, and propagated by they them!

Sadly, the masses bear all the brunt of the consequences of this demonic style of politicking, while the politicians and their kith and kin are insulated from such in far flung developed countries!!

1000% correct. The masses who are taken in by the deceit of the political elite, as practised best by the PDP for over 15 years, are the biggest victims and losers.

Welcome bro. Good to see that one of the brightest member of Nairaland currently has chosen to pitch tent with the APC which, all things taken into account, is the better alternative for Nigeria today and as things stand. Personally, I am far more passionate about good governance than political Party support.

To me, political Parties are a means to an end and a platform for voters and leaders to use towards the goal of us all gaining a better nation where things work as they should and as obtains elsewhere. The PDP has absolutely nothing to offer Nigeria. Even for the sake of change alone and the rejection of the abysmal status quo, Nigeria must get rid of the ruling Party at the centre. We must try something else because 'insanity is doing things the same way and expecting a different outcome". The APC , for pragmatically sensible folks and critical thinkers, is realistically the best alternative for Nigeria currently.

prophetone: Indeed I have, mental malnourishment manifestation.

This is the primary affliction of Jonathanians. I honestly think it would be a mind blinkered by cretinism that continues to hold brief for GEJ given all his monumental failings as President of Nigeria over many years. The man has not succeeded in a single area in regards to the major problems ailing Nigeria. In fact he has worsened things shockingly and alarmingly.

prophetone: [img]http://ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/albums/userpics/10002/normal_ian-symbol-lumbricus-spp-2.png[/img]

Typical of cerebrally challenged cankerworms to attack the messenger and ignore the message.

Indeed. I take it you have heard the adage about simple minds .......

https://www.brainyquote.com/photos/e/eleanorroosevelt385439.jpg

Delafruita: poverty is evil,but then ignorance is worse.when you combine both,you get catastrophy.some of these people don't even kknow where their next meal will come from.they believe the entire world entails the poverty-stricken cocoon they inhabit.its amazing how people will see a car that couldn't have been worth more than 3-4million and conclude that elrufai bought it for his son with stolen funds.we're not talking a veyron or a cayenne,its a freaking lexus that young boys cruise all around town.having been a public servant doesn't mean elrufai has to donate all his wealth to charity and retire to a convent.he's not lola montez,he's a successful quantity surveyor who cares for his kids.

Many of these peeps don't even know what a quantity surveyor does.they have no idea its one of the most lucrative professions in the entire world.even a surveyor with a medium rate practise will be very wealthy talkless of a firm like elrufai and co which was one of the foremost quantity survey firms of the 80 and 90s

Don't mind these fools and haters who want to kill themselves over a mere Lexus that is not a range-topping model. Poverty is no crime and indeed maintaining a can-do attitude and confidently optimistic outlook can help many to take advantages of the opportunities the world provides so that they escape poverty and join the group of those who can afford what they want such as a nice car.

What is deplorable is for a poor person, as we see here, to embrace an attitude of hatred, ill-feeling and vendetta towards rich and successful folks. Those who are like that and unable to celebrate the success of others will never enjoy such themselves.

Delafruita: perhaps on the planet you come from,its always better and faster to ask the parent who wasn't at the scene if his son was drunk rather than conduct a blood test

Simple. Next minute the illiterate Villagers will be talking of 'saner climes' when their utterances makes it amply clear they live in backward communities. In which 'sane clime' would investigators be seeking specific answers related to an incidence from someone who did not witness the incidence when they have scientific tools and provisions that can give them the information they need?

How can El-Rufai know the speed his son was driving at when he was elsewhere and likely at sleep at the time of the crash? What answer about 'drink' can El Rufai give that a blood test would not accurately determine as per the specific level of alcohol intoxication if any ? Some of these guys are so backwardly unintelligent that they cannot see it would be much better to just confess envy at the privileged life others enjoy instead of peddling hideous ignorance that make them look like hateful losers.

Delafruita: what does been drunk have to do with the fact he is dead?elrufai criticizes the president and his cabinet,that doesnt make him infallible and at 23,he definitely doesnt control the life of his kids.elrufai was a successful quantity surveyor.some people forget the midget finished with a first class in quantity survey.some also forget his influence didnt begin with the obasanjo administration.he was part of the transition committee from abdusalam to obasanjo.the man was wealthy before even getting into government

Thank you !!! Some of these losers are unbelievably hateful and ignorant!!!! Even if they are all bums and failures one would assume that they must at least know one successful person or have the adult common sense to understand that there are many, many individuals out there who money will never be a problem for because of their talent, hard work and willingness to take risk the average man would never consider.

These hateful contributors here are the sort who die frustrated and angry because they spend their time bitter at others instead of getting stuck in and working hard to have what other men have. These losers should go out there and work hard instead of hating on a boy of 23 driving a Lexus merely because they are 50 and have never even owned a bicycle.