₦airaland Forum

Osun students jubilate as Aregbesola slashes fees

By Tunde Odesola, Osogbo

Tuesday, 8 Mar 2011

Students of the four tertiary institutions owned by Osun State broke into jubilation on Monday as the state government announced the slashing of their tuition fees.


The fees for Osun State Colleges of Education in Ila-Orangun and Ilesa were reduced from N28,000 to N20,000 while students of Osun Polytechnic, Iree and Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, would now pay N25,000 instead of N42,000.


Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, announced the reduction in school fees when he led the Action Congress of Nigeria on a campaign to Ila-Orangun.


Several youths, who attended the rally, burst into jubilation and sang the praises of the state government.


A statement by the Director of Publicity, Osun ACN, Mr. Sunday Akere, said the governor announced the reduction in fees in order to alleviate financial burden on parents and guardians.

http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103085132437

Wanted: A President for Nigeria’s poor

EditorialMar 8, 2011

STUDIES confirm Nigeria as one of the world’s poorest countries. Nigeria has one-fifth of Africa’s population, more than 80 million Nigerians live on less than $1 per day, the standard international bar for poverty.
The intensity of poverty in Nigeria was reported in a 2005 study, which states, “80 to 90 million Nigerians live in poverty; only India and China have more poor people.” India and China each has a population of over 1 billion. Nigeria has about 150 million people.
Every Nigerian government in the past 25 years or so has promoted one anti-poverty programmes or the other. These programmes, in their originators’ efforts to be seen as different, result in outright cancellation of earlier programmes or are contradictory. Poverty is growing with devastating consequences for both rural and urban populations.
Politicians gloss over the issue. They are too wealthy to notice how others are struggling to live. How can politicians, who contribute to policies that neglect the people be concerned about poverty?
Poverty’s growth is deep, pervasive, with the combined factors of poor health care systems, corruption and uncaring governments sustaining it. More people are unemployed and unable to meet basic daily needs of food, medication, and even drinking water. Incidents of suicide are being reported more regularly in the urban centres as economic opportunities evaporate.
Governments’ commitment to spend funds from debt relief on poverty reduction has no visible effect on millions of Nigerians who never have a decent meal, and cannot plan for their children, who will not be educated and have already joined the poverty queue.
“Over the period 1980 – 1996, the proportion of poor peoples rose from 28.1 per cent in 1980 to 65.6 per cent in 1996. This translated to 17.7 million poor people in 1980 and 67.1 million people in 1996. With government’s on-going reform programmes and poverty reduction strategies, the proportion of poor people is still very high about 66 per cent of the population, which translates to about 90 million poor people.
By 2015, it is expected that the economic reform programmes will begin to bear fruits and the population of poor people will reduce to about 40 million people,” African Foundation for Population and Development, noted in a paper.
The expectations are too optimistic. Execution of projects that would ensure more electricity supply, water, roads and security, to enhance more investments in industrial and commercial activities, which will in turn create jobs and poverty reduction opportunities, are largely ignored.
There are no plans or funds for these projects. If the resources were available, some of them cannot be executed in the next four years. Governments’ preference is to tackle poverty eradication in boring speeches at workshops and seminars.
Statistics on impact of poverty are deceptive. They fail to note the devastating consequences of poverty, among them crimes, communal clashes, unstable political institutions, and Nigeria’s uncompetitiveness.
Nigeria cannot develop with its high levels of poverty. Anyone who envisions a secured future for Nigeria must deal with poverty, which enervates its development.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/wanted-a-president-for-nigerias-poor/

Wikileaks: Buhari says speaker’s comments confirm his fears

By Elor Nkereuwem

March 8, 2011 07:06AM

Two parties who went to court over the 2007 presidential elections, Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday reacted to comments credited to Speaker Dimeji Bankole that the late president, Musa Yar’Adua, bribed Supreme Court justices to swing the judgment in his favour. While Mr. Abubakar, the candidate of the opposition Action Congress in the election, maintained that the speaker of the House of Representatives’s comment had disgraced Nigeria, Mr. Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, said the revelation had vindicated his stand that the nation’s judiciary could not be trusted, and therefore needed a thorough overhaul.

Messrs. Atiku and Buhari were reacting to NEXT’s exclusive report yesterday based on a diplomatic cable, which detailed a two-hour conversation between Mr. Bankole and the former US ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders. The speaker had, at the meeting on May 5, 2009, said he had proof that the judiciary had been bribed by Mr. Yar’Adua to retain him in power. Mr. Abubakar responded through his media aide, Garba Shehu: “As Nigerians, we don’t feel good that Nigeria is being discussed in such sordid terms in the comity of nations. It is so sad. But on our part, we have since moved beyond the court case and are looking forward to a great future.”

The media aide to Mr. Buhari, Yinka Odumakin, lamented that the general spent over four years in court as he sought redress over the results of the flawed 2003 and 2007 presidential elections. According to Mr. Odumakin, Mr. Buhari had since lost faith in the judiciary. “If he (Bankole), the number four citizen actually said so, it confirms the fear by General Buhari that it is difficult to get justice from the court when it comes to electoral matters. It is clear that the judiciary should be overhauled,” Mr. Odumakin said by telephone. Mr. Buhari, who is the presidential candidate of the Congress for progressive Change (CPC), says he will reform the judiciary if he wins the April election.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which Mr. Bankole also derided in the cable, said there was no need to pick a fight with the Speaker since he had already issued a rebuttal denying the statements credited to him.

“The man you attributed the statement to has issued a rebuttal so there is nothing left to be said,” the spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, said.

In his rebuttal, Mr. Bankole, said the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria lied in the report she sent to the US State Department on May 6, 2008. According to the dispatch, Mr. Bankole told Ms. Sanders that he had proof that judges of the Nigerian Supreme Court had received bribes from the late president Umaru Yar’Adua. The report also claimed that the Speaker condemned the leadership of the EFCC, saying the anti-graft agency was not “worth a penny”. But in a statement yesterday, Mr. Bankole claimed that he never had a one-on-one meeting with Ms. Sanders.

“It is a lie that Mr. Speaker had a two-hour private meeting with Ms. Sanders,” Kayode Odunaro, Mr. Bankole’s communications officer, said on his behalf. “We deny in strongest terms that Speaker Bankole ever made such allegations or statements against respected justices of the Supreme Court and the anti-corruption agency, EFCC, in any meeting with the then US Ambassador, Ms. Robin Sanders. The official meeting Ms. Sanders had with Mr. Speaker was in the presence of leadership of the House and did not last more than 20 minutes,” Mr. Odunaro said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681912-146/story.csp

Yar’Adua made me acting President, says Yayale

By Idris Akinbajo

March 8, 2011 06:41AM

As his health failed and he had to be rushed to a Saudi hospital, late president Umaru Yar’Adua illegally bypassed his vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, and handed presidential authority to Yayale Ahmed, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

This unconstitutional act, in November 2009, has now come to light through US diplomatic cables leaked to Wikileaks and made available exclusively to NEXT.

The sidelining of Mr Jonathan, who finally became president only after Mr Yar’Adua died in March last year, was confirmed to US diplomats by none other than Mr. Ahmed himself.

The 59-year-old secretary to the government, apparently ran Nigeria, performing the functions of the president, while late president Yar’Adua lay sick, unable to discharge his duties.

The leaked diplomatic cables show that Mr. Yar’Adua, after becoming too ill to govern, asked Mr. Ahmed to discharge the functions of president on his behalf, effectively sidelining his deputy, Mr. Jonathan.

The Nigerian Constitution directs the vice-president to discharge the functions of the president whenever the latter proceeds on vacation or becomes unable to perform his duties.

But Mr. Yar’Adua repeatedly travelled out of the country, at times for prolonged medical treatment, without handing over to his deputy.

Ahmed goes to Washington

According to the cable, dated September 17, 2008, Mr. Ahmed told the American ambassador, Robin Sanders, who met him on September 15, 2008, that when president Yar’Adua became too weak to govern, he handed over to him, and asked him to perform the executive functions of the president.

“Ahmed noted that Yar’Adua had asked him to take over a lot of the day-to-day executive responsibilities due to his health,” the ambassador said in her cable to Washington.

To enable him to consolidate his position as the country’s de facto president, Mr. Ahmed then requested direct meetings with senior US government officials. Ms Sanders assured him she would inform Washington of his request.

It is not clear whether Mr. Ahmed eventually met with American government officials in his capacity as the anointed acting president. He was, however, in Washington on April 6, 2010, where he represented Nigeria at the signing of the US-Nigeria Binational Commission.

Mr. Ahmed’s disclosure that he acted in Mr. Yar’Adua’s stead, ahead of then Vice President Jonathan, offers some insight into the deft political manoeuvring and power play in the country during the period the late president was sick and unable to govern.

Mr. Yar’Adua wouldn’t handover to Mr. Jonathan during his numerous trips abroad for medical treatment, allegedly following advice from his wife, Turai, and close associates who claimed the vice president could not be trusted.

Keeping it among friends

Even after it became clear that the late president had become incapacitated and would no longer be able to perform the functions of his office, the cabal around him still blocked Mr. Jonathan from ascending to the position of acting president, until the National Assembly and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum stepped in.

In another cable dated October 24, 2008, which profiled Mr. Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet, the Americans described Mr. Ahmed as a powerful and influential Nigerian who ran the show while the late president was sick.

Mr. Ahmed, a former defence minister and head of the civil service, became SGF on September 8, 2008, replacing Babagana Kingibe. He thus became one of Mr. Yar’Adua’s closest confidants.

The dispatch described Mr. Ahmed as, “A former classmate of the President; in charge of most of the day-to-day operations of the government; affable but should not be underestimated; reasonably positively disposed towards the U.S.; recommend we take him up on his desire to visit Washington DC.

“If Yar’Adua weathers the medical issues longer than anticipated, then Yayale Ahmed most likely will be the one running the show behind the scenes unless he is forced out in some political play, which could happen,” the cables said.

Mr. Yayale’s spokesperson, Salisu Na’inna said he could not comment on the statements credited to his boss because he was in a meeting when NEXT contacted him. He promised to call back but had not done so at the time of going to press.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681904-146/story.csp

DSP Alamieyeseigha: Economic Crime Pays

SaharaReporters.com


Posted: March 7, 2011 - 19:27


The Case Against DSP Alamieyeseigha: You are respectfully invited to the Special Enquiry being carried out by the Commission in respect of request for assistance made by one David Williams, a Senior Lawyer with the Central Confiscation Bureau, Crown Prosecution Service, Ludgate Hill, London.

The request was made pursuant to the provisions of the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal matters, 1959, in obtaining certain information, statement and documents in relation to a criminal investigation being conducted by officers of the Metropolitan Police in London against Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha, the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State. The request was later endorsed to the Commission by the Attorney General of the Federation via his letter dated 7th October, 2005.

2. BRIEF FACTS

The Royal Bank of Scotland who assisted the Metropolitan Police in gathering evidence for an operation code named 'Heimdal' identified a suspicious transaction involving a company named 'Rapid Trades of Nigeria Ltd'. This company paid a whopping sum of money to another company named 'Santolina Investment Corporation' whose Director and Sole Signatory for the account is Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha.

A) Enquiries made by the Police in UK at Nationa1 crimina1 Intellligence service (NCIS) further confinned that Chief D.S.P Alamieyeseigha is the sole Director of the company i.e Santolina Investment and the company holds an account with the National Westminster Bank opened on 6, January, 2004 and at one time the account balance stood at £3 million. Upon the examination of the account, it was discovered that several lodgments originated from Nigeria. Chief D S P Alamiwyeseigha has a Personal Account with Barclays Bank Plc. The account was opened on 15th January, 2004 and by 15th Februaiy, 2005 the account balance stood at £203,753. 34. The account shows several large deposits while two credits had been identified to have originated from Nigeria.

B) It has also been established that Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha is a Director of a company named Solomon & Peters Ltd (Chief D S P Alamieyeseigha's two middle names). Four London Properties namely: 247 Water Gardens London, W2 2DG purchased on 20/08/2003, 14 Mapesbury Road London, Nw 2 4JB purchased for £l.4million.on 6/7/2001; Flat 202 Jubilee Heights, Shoot up Hill, London NW2 3UQ purchased for £240 OOO.O0 and 68-70 regent Park Road, London, N3 purchased for £3million were found to be registered in nthe company's name.

The Conveyancing file for the purchase of 247 Water Gardens shows various sources of funds but one transaction emanated from Triumph Bank Plc in Nigeria. The transfer was for £894, 990.00 on the 3/7/2005 while the Solicitors who acted for the purchase were a certain Austin and Jed.

3. REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE

The request for the assistance sought for the following enquiries to be conducted which include among other things the obtaining of statements from:

(i) Appropriate Government officials to give details of the status and financial position of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha including his employment history, any salary earned and which Banking Institutions he has dealings with prior to becoming a Governor.

(ii) Appropriate officials of Bond Bank to ascertain details of transfers to Santolina Investment account on 11/02/2004 for £99.985.QO« on 19/4/2004 for £l36J57.00; on 20/4/2004 for £275,027.00: on 5/5/2004 for £ 299.465.61 paid by a certain Le- Global Energy.

(iii) Appropriate official of Bond Bank to ascertain details of transfers to Santolina Investment Account on 12/3/2004 for £81,985.00; on 15/3/2004 for £19,985.00 paid by Country Wide Paymasters Ltd.

(iv) Appropriate official of Metropolitan Bank for details of transfer to Santolina Investment on 26/4/2004 for £99,985.00 paid by Rapid Trades Nigeria Ltd.

(v) Officials of the Commission to interview Emmanuel Ojei to ascertain why he paid Santolina Investment the sum of US$100,000.00 on 25/02/2005 from his HSBC account in London.

(vi) Officials of the Commission to trace Mr. 0. Ayeni who is known to have paid Santolina Investment the sum of £l 8,000.00 on 25/2/2005 from his Barclays Bank account and US$525.000 on 11/6/2004 from his HSBC account in London. He is also to give explanation over the payment of £170,000.00 made into his HSBC account on the 12th of February, 2002 and payments he made to Nedd & Co. for various sums amounting to £243,207.14 between March and July 2002.

(vii) Officials of Gateway Bank Plc to explain the payment to Santolina Investment of US$249.963.25 on 18/10/2004.

(viii) Officials of Triumph Merchant Bank Plc to explain the payment of £894,990.00 to Austin & Jed by Oxyduo Nigeria Ltd.

(ix) Other enquiries to be made include interviewing a certain Alhaji Aliyu Aliyu on the payments he made to Nedd & Co., Solicitors, of £475,724.08 on 22/3/2002 from his HSBC account in London; ascertain the ownership of a company named 'PESAL NIGERIA LTD suspected to be owned by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha and investigate allegations of self enrichment leveled against Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha, his children and relations.

4. INVESTIGATION

Investigation commenced in earnest with letters written to the affected banks requesting them to furnish the Commission with the names and addresses of the originators of the transfers, instruments used in the transfers. Account opening packages. Mandate Cards, photo index and statements of the accounts used in effecting the transfers. Other details held by the banks in respect of Santolina Investment were also requested. Some of the affected individuals were also invited to give their response in respect of some transfers traced in/out of their respective foreign accounts. Replies/statements obtained from the affected Banks and individuals are summarized thus:

A) BOND BANK

This is the bank that was principally used to transfer large sums of money to Santolina Investment Corporation. The bank was visited and Ms. Kudi Badmus, the staff of the Bank who is conversant with the transfers made from the Bank was said to be on vacation and the Commission had to order for her recall from vacation to enable us proceed farther in the on-going investigation.

i) KUDI BADMUS

She later appeared at the Commission and volunteered a statement which is summarized below:

She is a Chartered Accountant and came to Bond Bank in 2002 as Treasurer whose duties, among others, include, trading in Foreign Exchange and maintaining the open position of the bank which, in other words, means purchases and sales of foreign currency were referred to her. She explained that when a customer wants to buy forex from Central Bank, the bank gets instruction from the customer, debit the customer's account and go for bidding at the Central Bank. However, where the customer is buying the forex from an unofficial market, the bank looks for a seller from either domiciliary account with the bank or an external party with account in another bank. She further explained that where it is a customer of the bank that is selling, the buying customer simply issues a Transfer Instruction for the Naira equivalent to the account of the selling customer. The six transfers made to Santolma investment from the Bank were requested for by a customer named Temat Associates, while the foreign curoncies were sourced from countrywide paymasters. Rapid Trades, Digital Sciences, etc Seven (7) other transfers to Santolina Investment were also traced to the same Temat Associates from the Bank through the same unofficial sources development led the investigating team to mount pressure on the bank to customer, one Ehigie Uzamere Edobor who later appeared on 8/8/2005. His statement is summarized below:

ii) EHIGIE E. UZAMERE;

He is an Architect and indigene of Benin City in Edo State. He claimed to have owned four companies namely; Amboy Nigeria Ltd, Speed Concepts Nig. Ltd, Biomedical Engineering Ltd and Tema Associates Ltd. On his relationship with Santolma Investment, Uzamere stated that it was as a result of a property he bought from Chief D S P Alamieyeseigha somewhere at Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for the sum of N430 million through the Governor's lawyer a certain Banister Yusuf. Uzamere further claimed that he was instructed by the said Barrister Yusuf to remit the proceeds of the sale to Santolina's account abroad.

Uzamere claimed to have secured many contracts from Bayelsa State Government with all his companies except Temat Associates that have not done any job for the state. These contracts include the design and construction of Government House gate, Yenegoa, at the cost of =N=40 million in 2003 with Amboy Nig. Ltd., construction, reception of mast and equipment supply for Bayelsa Television Studio in 2004 for =N=600 million with Speed Concepts while Biomedical Eng. Ltd. was awarded a contract for the supply and installation of medical laboratory equipment to Niger Delta University. About 50% to 60% of the contracts' sums had already been paid to him through the companies accounts in either Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank or All States Trust Bank.

The result of enquiries made into Temat Associates account with Bond Bank revealed three (3) inflows from an account of Bayelsa State Development Fund being operated at Intercontinental Bank Plc. The credits amounting to =N=845 million were made between 24/3/04 and 1/6/04 which he explained to be payments made to him by "A GROUP PROPERTIES" in respect of three (3) properties they bought from him located on Victoria Island and Ikoyi. He went further to explain that the reason why the money was coming directly from Bayesla State Government was because A GROUP PROPERTIES had earlier executed contracts for the State Government and requested that the payment for the contracts be made directly into his account However, in an additional statement he later made to the Commission, he retracted his earlier statement and claimed that the money was a direct payment to his company TEMAT ASSOCIATES by the Bayelsa State Government on a contract he is executing.

iii) In furtherance of our investigation, Olalekan Yusuf, the lawyer that sold the property to Uzamere on behalf of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha was invited. He volunteered statement confirming the purchase of the property situated at 15, Oromineke layout, Diobu, Port Harcourt at the cost of N430 million by Uzamere. Some of the documents received from Yusuf in respect of the transaction include a copy of instruction signed by Chief D. S. P.

Alamieyeseigha instructing the buyer to remit the proceeds of the transaction to Santolina Investment Account and undated Deed of Assignment.

iv) However, enquiries made in respect of Temat Associates revealed that the same Temat was awarded a contract for the internal fencing of the Governor's and Deputy Governor's lodge at the cost of Nl.3 billion two weeks after the purported purchase of the property. Further enquiries made into the statement of account of Temat at Bond Bank revealed that the account was in debit at the time the property was purchased. All the foreign exchange transactions made to Santolina Investment from the account were done in anticipation of in-flows to liquidate the huge debt incun-ed by the customer. The debt including loan facility of N145 million granted him by the bank could only be liquidated when three (3) inflows amounting to N845 million came from the Bayelsa State Development Fund Account held by Intercontinental Bank, an account believed to be solely in control of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha.

B) TRIUMPH MERCHANT BANK made available the records of the originators of the transfer of GBP 894,990.00 to Austin & Jed on 3/7/03 to the investigating team to be oxydou Nig, Ltd of 86, Woji Road, GRA Phase II Port Harcourt. The Managing Director of the Company, one Lancaino Baruch, an Israeli, was arrested and brought to the Lagos office of the Commission on 5/8/05 where he volunteered statement summarized hereunder:

i) LANCAINO BARUCH stated that the transaction ordered by his company to Ram Ghaundi was for the purchase of property (compound of 3 houses) located at N.T.A Area, Port Harcourt at the cost of N360 million through a direct purchase from the owner Chief D S P Alamieyeseigha of part of the sales proceeds. Copies of Deed of Conveyance Lease in respect of the action were later produced by Documents such as Deed of Assignment showing, particular of Relation of the property and owner history could not be traced, he claimed all other documents are still in the possession of Chief D SP Alamieyeseigha since the purchase. All efforts made to get the detailed profile of ownership of the said property, copies of certificate of ownership, change of ownership effected on the property at the Port Harcourt Lands Registry proved abortive as the property was neither registered with the Lands Registry nor declared by the Governor with the Code of Conduct Bureau. Enquiries are being conducted on the Oxyduo's statement of account held by Triumph Bank as well as the property the company claimed to have purchased directly from Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha which necessitated the transfer of £894,990.00 to Austin & Jed.

C) METROPOLITAN BANK: Records given by the Bank in respect of Rapid Trades Nig. Ltd reveals the owner as one Olufemi Fowora with business address at 154, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

i) Fowora, in his statement, averred that he was contacted by Ms Kudi Badmus of Bond Bank to purchase some pounds sterling for one of her customers. He then instructed Metropolitan Bank to effect the transfer of the GBP 100,000 to the account of Santolina Investment, the details of which were given to him by Ms Badmus. Fowora also introduced Bond Bank to buy the sum of GBP 70,000 from Tempera Ventures Ltd. Rapid Trades, according to Fowora, brokers iunds between parties from time to time. These two transactions form part of the seven other transfers sourced by Bond Bank in favour ofTemat Associates.

In the course of investigating the domiciliary account of Rapid Trades held by Bond Bank, the investigating team stumbled on a transfer made to Austin & Jed on 19/05/05 for GBP 300,000 made by Rapid Trades. On interrogation, Fowora stated that he sold forex to Bond Bank on the request of one Winifred Ehirele, a staff of the bank. When the staff was also interrogated, she explained that the transfer was made on the order of John Ayeni, a director in the bank.

D) GATEWAY BANK also responded in respect of a payment to Santolina Investment's account of $249,963.25 on 18/10/04 indicating that the message in respect of the transfer does not conform with the Bank's usual swift message and the remitter's name given as "Lagos Nigeria' does not exist. But the transfer responsibility still lies with the bank as they are clearly involved.

E) Individuals connected in one way or the other with the transfers to either Santolina Investment or the solicitors that acted on behalf of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha were also invited and they volunteered statements.

i) JOHN OLATUNDE AYENI: He is a lawyer and claimed to have worked with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Justice on legal matters. He also claimed to have acted as solicitor to Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar (A. A. Oil) in many transactions involving properties within and outside Nigeria. He states that the £170,000.00 cheque was the very first cheque Chief D. S. P Alamieyeseigha gave to him to forward to Nedd & Co. for furnishing of his (Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha) house but he (Ayeni) subsequently discovered that the money was used for the purchase of a property at 68-70 Regent's Park, London. Ayeni further stated that the £132,500.00 he paid to Nedd &. Co. was also for the same property. The same was for the sums of £42,275.92 and £63,431.25 he also paid to Nedd & Co. on 22/3/02 and 12/7/02 respectively. He claimed to have made the transfers on behalf of his client, Alhaji Abubakar.

On the inflow into Santolina account from his HSBC account of $525,000.00 and £18,000.00, Ayeni added that sometime in 2003 while in London, the account of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha at HSBC was closed and Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha then gave him two drafts which he (Ayeni) paid into his account. In 2004, when he reminded Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha that the money is still with him. Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha then directed him to pay it into Santolina Investment account. Ayeni claimed to have collected the drafts from a certain Patel Norendra of HSBC, London on behalf of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha. He refunded the money in US dollars as he had not enough in his sterling account at the time of the refund. Ayeni also stated that he currently manages three properties of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha located at Plot 26, Bashir Dalhatu Close, Ilkoyi, Lagos, 4A Ilu Avenue, Off Macpherson Street, Ikoyi, Lagos and No. 1 Community Road, Off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, while he prepared the documents for the purchase of two other properties located at Abuja and Port-Harcourt. The five properties located in Lagos, Abuja and PortHarcourt have been identified.

Ayeni disclosed further that ChiefD.S.P. Alamieyeseigha has also made a part payment of N1.5 billion for the purchase of Chelsea Hotels Abuja which was sold to him for N2 billion. The money was paid into his account in Bond Bank. In his response to the transfer of $300,000.00 to Austin & Jed through Rapid Trades, he explained that the money was for the purchase of a property on his behalf in London through his company Stephen and Bibs.

ii) ALHAJI ABUBAKAR ALIYU:

An oil and property Merchant with companies named as A. A. Oil and A Group Properties Ltd. also responded to a transfer made from his HSBC account to Nedd & Co., Solicitors, on 22/3/02 for the sum of £475,724.08. He states the he made the transfer on the instruction of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha. Aliyu said Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha asked him for the money but he did not know what Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha used the money for On the transfer of the sum of £420,000.00 which Aliyu made from his Midland Bank London account into Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha's account at the same branch, Aliyu remarked that he made same on the request of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha and that he did not ask for repayment by Chief D. S- P. Alamieyeseigha since he is still doing business in Bayelsa State.
Aliyu's Company, A Group Properties Ltd., is currently constructing the Bayelsa State Governor's and Deputy Governor's lodge and the external perimeter fence at the cost of N4.8 billion. The contract was awarded to the company in 2002.

Further inquiries were conducted with regards to the relationship between Chief D.S. P. Alamieyesigha and Aliyu which led to obtaining records previous investigation carried out in respect of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha by the Independent Corrupt and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), It is interesting to note that Alhaji Aliyu has a long standing business relationship with Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha's administration in Bayelsa State. It was also discovered that his other companies namely: Tee Network Ventures Ltd, Lee Ventures Ltd and B-Union Investment Ltd were awarded contracts running into billions of naira by Bayelsa State government. The investigation also uncovered other companies namely:- Vinny Investments Ltd, Multi Web Nig. Ltd and Carlin International Ltd to be subsidiaries of either A. A. Oil Ltd. or A Group Properties Ltd., which also benefited from the contracts awarded by Bayelsa State Government.

One of the properties purchased by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha, a flat at Jubilee Heights, London, was said to have been facilitated by a certain EBCO Associates, a UK registered company solely owned by one Ebitare Otrofanowei, a former Commissioner of Finance in Bayelsa State between 2001 and 2003 who is currently the Pensions Administrator of the State.

Money used to purchase mis property for Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha was sent direct to EBCO's account held with the London Trust Bank Plc in London. The funds were later sent to a solicitor (Riseam Sharpies & Fok) to complete the purchase on 23/10/99. The same Ebitare who facilitated the purchase of the property also assisted Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha in the purchase of an offshore company called "Solomon & Peters Ltd" with which all the properties purchased by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha in London were registered.

iii) EBITARE OTROFANOWEI:

On interrogation, stated that EBCO had instructions from Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha to handle the purchase of the flat for use by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha's children studying in the UK. Ebitare said EBCO had a written instruction that a friend of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha was to help him out for the purchase of the flat at 202, Jubilee Heights. This led to the transfer of $409,761.00 into EBCO's account 13 by D.S.P Alamieyeseigha's friend, a certain Bekinbo Soberekon on 30/9/99, and this same money was used for the purchase of the said property. EBCO secured many contracts from Bayelsa State Government which include the purchase of luxurious predator 56 Sun seeker executive boat which was bought sometimes in July 2002.

iv) SOBEREKON, a petroleum Management professiona1 and founder of a firm called Consort Engineering Nig. Ltd. also volunteered he repair and overhaul of two gas turbine units at the cost of two million five hundred and ninety three thousand, two hundred and fifty pounds sterling (£2,593,250.00). The gas turbines, according to Soberekon. were repaired by a certain Rolls Wood Group, Aberdeen, Scotland. Soberekon further stated that the EBCO Account particulars were given to him by Chief D S P Alamieyeseigha for the purpose of the transfer of $409,761.24 which was pan of the profit he made from gas turbine overhaul and the funds represent an appreciation of the contract awarded to his company. He confirmed transferring the sum as directed by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha.

v) Investigation into allegations of self enrichment against ABEL EBIFEMOWEI, a civil servant and a cousin to Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha revealed that he has four personal (naira) accounts, two domiciliary accounts in pounds sterling and US Dollars and four other accounts belonging to his two companies Mowei Communications and Edubamo Ventures, all held by Guaranty Trust Bank. He also operates several other accounts in his names and names of hiscompanies held by Zenith and Standard Trust Banks All these accounts were opened between 2001 and 2004 with a turn over of -N-1.5 billion, GBP 173,310.66 and USD 1,041,597.60 respectively.

vi) Inquiries were also conducted on Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha's Children's accounts namely, Preye Joy Ereboh (Mrs), Enetonbrapa Alamieyesigha, Seleake Alamieyesigha (Miss) and Embeleakpo Alamieyesigha (Miss). All the children's individual accounts were opened between 2002 and 2004 with a turn over of N703,961,220.87 from inception to date. Our enquiries also showed how the sum of N25 million from the Bay eisa Government House was disbursed into the respective children's accounts at Guaranty Trust Bank, Yenagoa. The accounts of both Abel and the children had a common phenomenon of huge cash deposits. All efforts to reach them with a view to getting their response to these allegations proved abortive as the children were said to be outside the country.

vii) In the course of our investigation, some principal officers ofBayelsa State namely, the Commissioner of Finance, the Accountant General, the Sub- Treasurer and the Accountant of the Government House were arrested and interrogated in connection with some withdrawals of huge sums of money from the State Government accounts by certain individuals- It was however discovered that these individuals such as Olaitari Ikemike and Warikoru Tariye were approved signatories to the Government accounts and the huge withdrawals were approved payments for overhead to various ministries for the day to day running of the state. More documents in respect of the payments are still being awaited from them.

viii) INVOLVEMENT OF BAYELSA STATE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

During the course of our investigations, it was revealed that some principal officers of Bayelsa State Government actively connived, conspired aid facilitated the siphoning of public fands by Chief D.S.P. Alamieseigha, the State Governor. TTiis was done by way of over inflating contracts, award of bogus contracts to non-existing companies and deliberate creation of legal loopholes to be exploited by contractors. The following officers are found to be involved.

a) Boyelayefa Debekeme: He is the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. He presides over the state parliament where they pass budgets inundated with fictitious and inflated contracts to non-existent companies. He initiated deceptive policies in the name of constituency projects aimed at conniving with Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha and his cohorts to siphon money running into billions of Naira meant for the well being of the one million, nine hundred and ninety eight thousand, three hundred and forty nine (1,998,349) people of Bayelsa State - See the website of the state for more information on its creation, population, etc.

b) Solomon Apreala: He is the Commissioner of Finance in the state. He approves payments of contracts to non-existing companies in the absence of the Governor. He is also involved in the siphoning of investment funds and buying properties, e.g. the purchase of Chelsea Hotels in Abuja.

c) Talford Ongolo: He is the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in the state. He owes the State the responsibility to prepare legal documents in respect of all contracts awarded in the state prior to their execution. However, contrary to his constitutional responsibilities, he connives with the Governor to award contracts to non-cxisting companies at the expense of the people of the state.

d) Stephen Enamamu: He is the Accountant General of the state. He has been on this position since 1997 and has perfected ways of conniving with the Governor and his cohorts in diverting the state's resources for selfish ends.

e) Stephen Erebo: He is the majority leader of the State House of Assembly. He is married to Joy Preye, the first daughter of Margaret Alamieyeseigha, wife of the Governor. He assists the Speaker of the State House of Assembly in coordinating the House for easy passage of bills. He acted as a bridge between the Governor and the members of the House in planning the plundering of the state's resources through legislative means.

F) PROPERTIES, COMPANIES AND BANK ACCOUNTS DECLARED BY CHIEF D. S. P. ALAMIEYESEIGHA

We examined the three Code of Conduct Assets Declaration Forms which were submitted by Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha to Code of Conduct Bureau.

i) He declared in 1999 that he has:

• Five buildings with a total value of N50 million.
• 25 plots with a total value of N2.5 million.
• He owns a company, Pesal Nigeria Ltd. with a capital of Nl 00,000.00.
• He has four vehicles he acquired between 1982 and 1998 with a total value of N10 million.
• He has an account with Diamond Bank Plc, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, A/C No. 0136900013 with a balance of N5 million.
•Cash in hand was N100,000.00.

ii) In his Assets Declaration Form signed on 25th of April, 2003, he disclosed that he has:

•Six buildings acquired between 1985 and 2002 with a total value of N70 million and annual income of N3.5 million.
•He has 27 plots acquired between 1985 and 2001 with a total value of N5 million.
•Six vehicles acquired between 1982 and 2003 with a total value of N14.8 million.
•One boat acquired in 2002 with a value of N2.5 million.

iii) In his Assets Declaration Form signed on 2nd December 2003,

• Seven buildings acquired between 1985 and 2003 with a total value of N77 million and annual income of N4.5 million.

• Additional information on the buildings and plots revealed the following:

• 5, Khana Street, D/Line, P/H - Storey building,
• 5, Khana Street, D/Line, P/H - 3 Bedroom Bungalow,
• 4, Tombia Street, G.R.A., P/H - Detached Duplex,
• 2, Oniye, lyana Ipaja, Lagos - 5 bedroom bungalow,
• Amassoma - duplex/bungalow,
• Opolo, Yenagoa - Duplex
• 3, Williams Jumbo, P/H - Duplex
• lyana Ipaja, Lagos - 3 plots
• Isolo, Lagos - 1 plot
• NTARoad,P/H - 4 plots
• Yenagoa, Bayelsa - 17 plots
• Amassoma - 2 plots

G) PROPERTIES, COMPANIES AND BANK ACCOUNTS ACQUIRED BY CHIEF D. S. P. ALAMIEYESEIGHA AFTER ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AS THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE

Inquiries so far carried out in Nigeria and abroad in respect of Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha's properties and bank accounts revealed the following:

i) That he holds a personal bank account with Barclays Bank Plc which was opened on 5 January 2004 and the balance stood at £203,753.34 as at 15th February 2005.

ii) He holds a personal bank account with HSBC, London, but the account was closed sometimes in March 2003 while all the money in the account was transferred to Santolina Investment Corporation's account with National Westminster Bank, London.

iii) It was confirmed that he is the sole Director of Santolina Investment Corporation and sole signatory to the company's account with National Westminster Bank with A/c No. 10182819 Sort Code 15-00-25 in London.

iv) He also holds personal account with Bond Bank in Lagos which was opened sometimes in January 2004 and the balance stood at N105-14.942.61 as at 16th September 2005 and another personal account in Oceanic Bank Plc, as follows:-

The Salo Trust in the names of Enitonbrapa Alamieyeseigha, Embelakpo Alamieyeseigha, Ebipadei Alamieyeseigha, Oyamuyefa Alamieyeseigha, Saleaka Alamieyeseigha and Margaret Alamieyeseigha.

v) He holds an account with Bank of America in the name of Peter Alamieyeseigha with account number 0054 8256 2491 which balance stood at $1, 600,000.00 as at August 2003.

vi) The sum of GBP 1350,000.00 being the annual premium for Insurance Policy No. 1E1/0405/0012/AR/HQ m respect of the Kolo Creek Power Station Yenagoa, has been traced in an account at Barclays Bank, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7NT, A/C No. 80041262, Sort Code 20-47-35, IBNrGB 87 BARC 2047 3580 0412 62 SWIFT BICGB22 held by a certain First Investment & Finance Corporation. The premium is for an All Risks Cover for the Gas Turbine for a period between 22/6/2005 and 21/6/2006.

H) PROPERTIES IN LONDON

It has been established that he is a Director of an offshore company named Solomon & Peters Ltd (two middle names) and there are four (4) London properties he bought and registered in the company's name. These properties are:

•247, Water Gardens, London, W2 2DG, which is the registered
address of Solomon & Peters Ltd. This property was purchased
for £1.75 million on 20/8/2003

•14, Mapesbury Road, London, NW2 4JB. This property was
purchased for £1.4 million on 6/7/2001

• Flat 202, Jubilee Heights, Shoot uphill, London, NW2 3LJQ,
purchased for the sum of £241,000.00 on 28/10/99.

• 68-70, Regent's Park Road, London, N3 which was purchased in
July 2002 for the sum of £3 million.

i) All the properties listed above have a combined value in excess of £S 381million

ii) At present, there is almost £1.9 million in a Royal Bank of Scotland account belonging to his company Santolina for which he had requested to be transferred to an account in Cyprus.

iii) Four transfers to the tune of Euro 2.36 million were made from Bayelsa State Ministry of Works Account held by Allstates Trust Bank to Germany through Commerz Bank, London at a time when Chief D. S. P. Alarm eyesigha was receiving treatment in a German hospital.

I) PROPERTIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

i) It has also been established that he owns a property at V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa worth over £1 millon.

ii) Royal Albatross Properties 67 is a company registered in September 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa. This company is also believed to be owned and controlled by Chief Alamieyeseigha.

J) PROPERTIES IN USA

i) 504, Pleasant Drive, King Farm Estate, Maryland USA,
ii) 15859, Aurora Crest Drive, Whither, California, USA, 906

http://saharareporters.com/photo/dsp-alamieyeseigha-economic-crime-pays

Bankole denies Wikileaks statement

NEXT

March 7, 2011 05:10PM

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, today denied ever accusing Supreme Court Justices of collecting bribes. In a statement released via his communications adviser, Mr. Bankole said that it was a "lie" that he had a 2-hour meeting with the American Ambassador as stated in the leaked diplomatic cable. He did admit to having met the US ambassador but only in the presence of other House leaders. The Speaker challenged the American authorities to prove " the wild allegations that strike at the integrity of Nigerian judicial institution and its foremost anti-corruption agencies."

PRESS STATEMENT

The attention of the Office of Speaker, House of Representatives has been drawn to the publication in some media quoting "Wikileaks"

alleging that Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of House of Representatives says that Supreme Court judges took bribes to validate Yar'Adua/Jonathan election as well as describing EFCC as "not worth a penny"!

We deny in strongest terms that Speaker Bankole ever made such allegations or statement against respected justices of the Supreme Court and the anti-corruption agency, EFCC in any meeting with the then US Ambassador, Ms. Robin Sanders. The official meeting Ms.

Sanders had with Mr. Speaker was in presence of leadership of the House and did not last more than 20 minutes. It is a lie that Mr. Speaker had a two hour private meeting with Ms. Sanders

The Office of the Speaker challenges US officials to authenticate this wild allegations that strike at the integrity of Nigeria judicial institution and its foremost anti-corruption agencies.

It is an open an open secret the cordial relationship that existed between the late President Yar'Adua and the Speaker aside the fact that he is part of the Yar'adua government. He could not have made an allegation against the justices which impugn on the Yar'adua government.

We are however surprised that any Nigerian medium could give credence to and publish what in essence could be mere gossip and unconfirmed summary of diplomats trying to get a grip of issues on-going in their host countries for their home government.

We want to counsel media organizations that such sensational allegations bordering on crime against the highest judicial officers of the land and its foremost anticorruption agencies should be handled more responsibly with full and verifiable authentication from all parties in the interest of protecting the institution of judiciary, the last hope of the common man.

Signed:

Chief Kayode Odunaro

Special Adviser (Communications)

Speaker, House of Representatives

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5681857-146/bankole_denies_wikileaks_statement__.csp

How FCT Minister, David Mark, Ekweremadu, Fleece FCT Ministry

Marks Daughter, Ekweremadu’s Aide take over Key Offices

http://pointblanknews.com/News/os4673.html

Ahead of Jonathan’s visit, Adamawa demolishes opposition posters

Monday, 07 March 2011 00:00 Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar & Ibrahim Abdul’ Aziz, Yola

Corner-shops along major roads as well as opposition campaign posters were removed as government officials moved to clear the street of Yola, the Adamawa State capital, ahead of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign visit to state next week. The opposition and traders alleged foul play but the state government, through its spokesman, Mallam Maijama’a Adamu, said the exercise was embarked upon to rid the state capital of all indiscriminately pasted posters, refuse heaps and other illegally erected shades preparatory to the president’s visit.


Security in the state capital has also been beefed-up, as police anti-bomb squad were deployed at strategic locations to ensure hitch free presidential visit.

Posters, corner-shops and other shades along major roads in the state capital were either removed or demolished by officials of the state urban planning and Development Authority even as Jonathan’s posters remain unaffected.

Already, gubernatorial candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Gen. Muhammadu Buba Marwa, while addressing newsmen, said “All Buhari and Marwa posters pasted at strategic places in the city have been mutilated while some were completely torn or removed, it was an unwarranted provocation.”

Buba Marwa also alleged that a massive clampdown began with the removal of shops and shades of their perceived supporters across the state capital, adding that the exercise was being used to victimise his supporters and those of Gen Muhammadu Buhari who form the majority of shades owners. The shades are mostly owned by people from Michika, Marwa’s hometown.

Though members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) were also affected by the demolition, members of the CPC are the hardest hit.

But government spokesman, Mallam Mai Jama’a Adamu said, “the presence of road side shades is becoming a serious source of concern to all considering the congestion that makes vehicular movement difficult which at times results to accident.”

Mai Jama’a Adamu confirmed that the enforcement machinery of the state government moved to some parts of the state capital to enforce compliance with the exercise and swooped on the shades and bill boards that violate the law.

Traders who displayed their goods by the road side, particularly at the Jimeta Modern Market, said they were not formally notified for them to vacate the place before the demolition.

“We just see battle ready mobile police men with the officials of the urban planning destroying our goods just for the president’s visit, this is unfortunate,” Mr Mike Okafor, an affected trader complained while speaking to newsmen.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13508:ahead-of-jonathans-visitadamawa-demolishes-opposition-posters&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

N12.86bn pension scandal: EFCC seals off pension directors’ filling stations, housing estate

By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja

Monday, 7 Mar 2011

Special anti-graft operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission probing the N12.86bn missing fund scandal rocking the nation’s pension scheme on Sunday sealed off two filling stations in Kogi State.


The stations were said to have been traced to a former director in the Pensions Unit in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu.


Agents of the EFCC similarly sealed off a multi-billion naira housing estate under construction in Sokoto, Sokoto State, said to be owned by Aliu Bello, the personal assistant to Shuaibu.


Our correspondent learnt that the EFCC operatives sealed off Shuaibu’s massive filling station complex, Ribale Petroleum, after investigators traced another N1.5b from the missing pension fund to the accounts of the station.


Shuaibu, currently the Director of Finance in the Ministry of Petroleum, and his former deputy in the pension’s office, Mrs Phiana Chidi, had been under intense investigation since the anti-graft commission traced the missing N12.86bn to fake accounts, allegedly operated by the two and their agents.


The sum was said to be the gratuities of 141,970 pensioners.


Investigations that led to the discovery of the fund were said to have been triggered by several complaints by pensioners who were being owed several months of gratuities.


Anti-graft investigators said they found N800m in an account belonging to Chidi, who was deputy director of finance and accounts under Shuaibu in the pension’s office.


EFCC’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the sealing off of the filling stations and the estate and said the alleged scam at the Pensions Unit was being investigated.


Babafemi, however, declined further comments on the stage of the investigation.


http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103073164146

Protesting Daniel supporters are fools, says Obasanjo

By Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji

March 7, 2011 03:24AM

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, at the weekend, described leaders of the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} in the state loyal to the state governor, Gbenga Daniel, as a foolish set of people for protesting his leadership of the party.

The faction had organised several placard carrying protests around Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to tongue-lash and rain curses on Mr. Obasanjo over his opposition to the Daniel camp.

But their protest was, last Thursday, put to a temporary end following a federal court judgment affirming the candidacy of Tunji Olurin as the party's governorship candidate. Mr. Olurin and a host of party candidates submitted by the Obasanjo group were accepted as the party's candidates for the April polls.

Factions loyal to Messrs Obasanjo and Daniel have been engaged in a fierce battle for supremacy in the state, until Mr. Obasanjo's supporters appeared to have triumphed over their opponents.

Responding to questions from reporters on why he {Obasanjo} had never responded to the verbal attacks on him, through media and placard carrying protests across the state by the Daniel faction, the former president said it is only a fool who will respond to another fool.

Mr. Obasanjo, who went Biblical, said:

"I keep quiet because when you say something about me or against me, I check who said it and what was his motive.

"When the motive is unwholesome, I keep quiet because the Bible in Proverbs 26 verse 4 says don't answer a fool, otherwise, you may be taken for a fool yourself. So the next verse - Prov. 26:5 - says do not answer back a fool, otherwise he may think that he is a wise man.

"Now, the question is, at what point do you know when to answer back a fool and when to keep quiet and let the fool continue to fool himself. So when people are fooling themselves, I just keep quiet and when there is an occasion that I believe that I should answer them back, I answer them back," he said.

Mr. Obasanjo, who celebrated his 74th birthday in Abeokuta with a number of local and international dignitaries in attendance, jokingly told journalists in his usual comical manner, "Let me continue to dey laugh, let them continue fooling."

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5681660-146/protesting_daniel_supporters_are_fools_says.csp

Wikileaks CABLE: 'Supreme Court Bribe'
March 7, 2011 12:56AM
print email


[ID:205795 Cable dated:2009-05-06T17:57:00]

====== = = ==================================

CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 04 ABUJA 000794

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA

BAGHDAD FOR DMCCULLOUGH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2019

TAGS: PGOV, PREL, NI

SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR AND HOUSE SPEAKER DISCUSS ELECTORAL REFORM, EFCC, YAR,ADUA, EKITI POLITICS

REF: A. LAGOS 213 AND PREVIOUS

B. ABUJA 716

C. 08 ABUJA 2406

D. 08 ABUJA 2521

Classified By: Ambassador Robin R. Sanders for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1. (C) Summary: Ambassador met one-on-one evening May 5 with National Assembly Speaker Dimeji Bankole to discuss issues important to U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relations ranging from electoral reform, governance, and anti-corruption, and the seemingly slow progress of President Yar'Adua on all these issues. The Speaker, known for his gregariousness, reportedly has become a confidant of Yar'Adua, according to some Mission sources (see septel). More importantly, however, it is rumored that the Speaker personally will be the driving force behind how and what gets passed in the Nigerian House of Representatives on electoral reform. Bankole confirmed that the GON executive branch had not yet sent forward a draft electoral reform bill despite press reports to the contrary; that he had no confidence in the EFCC or chairwoman Waziri, noting that the institution was not worth "one penny;" and election reform was not possible until there was more democracy at the political party level. On Yar'Adua, responding to Ambassador's query about why more progress had not been made on anti-corruption and governance, Bankole said the President "was trapped" as he inherited people based on commitments made by his predecessor former President Obasanjo and was beholden to some of his campaign's financial supporters, such as ex-Governor Ibori. Without being explicit, Bankole clearly implied that the biggest challenge Yar'Adua had been trying to work around was "one particular senior Minister whose position was more commonly referred to with initials" (read A.G., or Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa). Bankole himself has had mixed reviews as Speaker and has had his share of rumors about his abuse of power, using Assembly resources to buy new cars for committee chairmen, and criticized for too much travel abroad. It remains to be seen how he will manage the key electoral reform process. Bankole claims that he is taking this seriously, wants this to be his legacy, and is open to suggestions from civil society and other input on electoral reform besides the election reform committee (ERC) report or Council of State (the GON senior advisory body) version of the ERC recommendations. A lot rests on what the National Assembly does on election reform, and thus far they have little to show since 2007 on any meaningful legislation passed to date. End Summary.

2. (C) On May 5, the Ambassador had an opportunity to have a 2-hour one-on-one session with the Government of Nigeria,s

(GON) sometimes elusive, but certainly ego-driven Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole.

Bankole, who is a Yoruba from the southwestern state of Ogun, reportedly has grown closer to President Yar'Adua, according to some U.S. Mission sources, and is one of the few people outside of the President's state of Katsina who have ready access to the President (see septel further on this issue).

Ambassador asked for the meeting to take advantage of Bankole's reportedly closer position to the President to discuss some key issues of USG concern, particularly the electoral reform process; the GON's ongoing sensitivity over our differences on the EFCC, its leadership and the effect on the broader bilateral relationship; and, the rumored PDP machinations in the recently concluded controversial elections in Ekiti State. Ambassador also raised the shroud that Yar'Adua has seemingly built around himself with limited access to him other than for a small group from his home state of Katsina (known as the Katsina Mafia), also noting that she understood the Speaker, of late, was now one of his confidants. The discussion began with election reform.

Electoral Reform: An Uphill Battle:

------------------------------------

3. (C) Ambassador began the conversation by asking Bankole how he planned to handle the election reform process and whether the Assembly had actually received the executive

ABUJA 00000794 002 OF 004

branch's reform bills which were touted in the press as having been forwarded to the legislature. Bankole admitted the bills had not come forward yet, but he was expecting to receive them by the end of the week. He added that he was concerned about the process and planned to personally spearhead the House of Representative's activities on the issue so that they are done in an open and transparent manner, including taking recommendations on reform steps from outside entities such as civil society. Stating that good electoral reform was a legacy he could leave as part of his contribution to Nigeria's democracy, Bankole commented that he was "not wedded to either the electoral reform committee recommendations (ERC report, also called the Uwais report after the chairman of the group), nor the executive branch's version." (Note: The GON executive branch version is a document that was passed by the Council of State or COS, which is an advisory body primarily made up of Governors, former Heads of State, current and former Chief Justices, etc. End note).

4. (C) Ambassador then asked Bankole about his views of the ERC recommendations and the COS document. The Speaker lamented that he did not think that either document was comprehensive enough or really addressed the crux of the problem in Nigeria's troubled election process. In his view, the main problem was not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which the international community and civil society was focused on, but the political party and local government processes. "Without improving the political party process, making it more democratic and transparent void of patronage and godfathers, then it is irrelevant whether the INEC chairman is appointed directly by the President or by the ERC-recommended National Judicial Council (NJC)," he stated. "Political party delegates and local government chairmen do not represent the voter. Until this is changed legislatively, making INEC or some other legislated entity responsible for a more democratic processes at the party and local levels, with punitive authority then nothing in Nigeria will change." Bankole concluded. The Speaker also claimed that the President, at the last COS discussion on the ERC recommendations, stated that he had no problem ceding the INEC appointing authority to the NJC, and very much wanted to abolish the state level INECs, but the governors all pushed back, knowing this would reduce their control over resources and vote rigging.

5. (C) Turning to the judiciary, Bankole was highly critical of its role in the electoral process. In the Speaker's view, the judiciary had over-stepped its bounds in most of the rerun gubernatorial elections, and had "tasted blood," with its new found power to influence state elections and power politics in Nigeria. Bankole claimed that he had proof that most of the judges had lined their pockets throughout the entire process of rerunning state elections, including the Supreme Court decision on President Yar,Adua case in November 2008. Thus, the Speaker continued, this was why he did not support the NJC appointing the INEC chairman as he had no faith in the transparency of the judiciary. On his point of being receptive to other inputs on electoral reform, Bankole said he welcomed comments by other actors, including civil society. Ambassador asked if he had met with civil society to hear their views; he said no. Continuing, the Speaker said he did not believe that Nigerian civil society organizations (CSOs) had played their proper transparent role in Nigeria, including in the 2007 election, and saw most CSOs as self-serving, biased, and ineffective.

The Ambassador disagreed, noting that the donor community, including the USG through USAID, had worked closely with CSOs in 2007 and were beginning efforts now to engage them on voter awareness and outreach -- noting the three CSO fora that had been conducted thus far, including the USAID-funded program with NDI and IRI. She added that she found the CSOs open for training and very much seized with the electoral reform issue, offering her good offices for the Speaker to meet with the CSOs the USG had been working with in the upcoming forum she was hosting in May. Bankole agreed to the offer adding he would welcome the opportunity to interact in a constructive manner.

ABUJA 00000794 003 OF 004

EFCC: Getting Past Our Different Views for the Greater Good

--------------------------------------------- -------------- 6. (C) Turning the conversation to the other main bilateral issue, the Ambassador noted the USG concern over what seemed to be constant harping on our position on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairwoman Waziri. She explained that we had little confidence in her leadership, her independence, her transparency, and in her ability to lead Nigeria's anti-corruption fight. In addition to these concerns, the EFCC under her leadership had redeployed many of the previously USG-trained EFCC officials back to other departments; we believed this decimated the organization and made us reluctant to provide any more funding in this regard.

On top of this, there seemed to be a never-ending attempt to use the EFCC and Mrs. Waziri's personal views as a way to cloud other productive things in the bilateral relationship.

Friendly countries like Nigeria and the U.S. must remain strong partners even when we disagree, and we disagree right now over support to the EFCC, she summarized. Changing his entire body posture, Bankole remarked about his disregard for Waziri and the EFCC. Noting that he did not think the EFCC was worth "one penny" and that he had no confidence in it or Mrs. Waziri's leadership or her integrity, the Speaker added that he did not believe the EFCC could be an effective institution under her leadership. In addition to Waziri going after him, Bankole claimed on a trumped issue surrounding the purchase of cars for House Committee Chairmen, the Speaker said that Waziri's husband wanted to become deputy speaker of the House of Assembly. Thus, she had cut a deal with the governor of her home state of Gombe to make this happen by trying to get Bankole removed from the Speakership on the car issue, opening up the opportunity for a new speaker and new deputy speaker. Ambassador remarked that that it was refreshing to hear finally someone in the GON being honest about Waziri's lack of bonafides. Bankole continued, however, that there was still concern that the U.S.'s primary goal was to try to return former EFCC Chairman Ribadu to the Commission, and that the latter had free access at any time to U.S. officials in Washington -- allowing for the failing of the U.S. to listen to the GON's views. He faulted Ribadu also on not delivering on high profile cases when he was Chairman. Ambassador granted that early on when Ribadu was first removed that was very much the view; however, we have since moved on, stressed institution building, and explained to Waziri that we would need to see high level results before we would consider restarting our training. She has not delivered. Further on Ribadu, Ambassador added that he was a free person and had the right to meet and speak to any group or individual in the U.S.

Bankole then queried for examples of what we would want to see the EFCC do more on. Ambassador ran through the list of ex-governors' cases, particularly former Delta State Governor James Ibori, where we wanted to see more progress leading to their prosecutions. Bankole said the EFCC would not move on Ibori given his past financial support to Yar'Adua's campaign and Ibori's relationship to Attorney General (AG) Michael Aondoakaa, implying also that Waziri was very much under the control of the AG.

Yar,Adua and the AG:

--------------------

7. (C) Given that Bankole opened the door, by implication, on the Attorney General, the Ambassador highlighted the other main USG concern: that not much progress had been made on democracy and transparency in government. The Speaker agreed. He said that the President had wanted to do a lot of things but had inherited a structure of patronage that he has thus far been unable to overcome. This included having to keep certain ministers who were less than transparent, including one "more commonly referred to by the position's initials," he said pointedly, seemingly to ensure that it was not missed that he was referring to the A.G. or Attorney General. Taking the queue and implication on board, the Ambassador asked what this particular Minister had on the President. Bankole said without hesitation he was the money

ABUJA 00000794 004 OF 004

conduit from Ibori to the judiciary as regards to the President's Supreme Court case. So for the moment, he is untouchable, the Speaker stated, until such time as a way can be found to slowly move him out, which for now seems unlikely. The Ambassador said that despite this, Yar'Adua is still the President and still has presidential prerogative which he could use. Bankole simply said Nigeria does not work like this.

Ekiti Elections:

----------------

8. (C) Given that Bankole is from the southwest, and Ambassador had noted his election campaigning in the paper for embattled PDP governor Oni (press reported May 6 that the local regional INEC declared Oni the winner), she raised the contentious and sometimes violent atmospherics surrounding the rerun of the Ekiti gubernatorial race including the accusations of PDP malfeasance in the process (see Ref A and previous). The Speaker claimed that the Action Congress (AC) was equally as bad in trying to manipulate the process, but he also felt that the public, particularly civil society and the West, stood more ready to accuse the ruling PDP than the AC. He also stated that others like former President Obasanjo (OBJ) were involved in trying to manipulate the process. Bankole claims that it was OBJ who called the local regional INEC chairwoman and told her to resign her post (we do not know if this is true and had not heard this before).

The Speaker continued that the entire Ekiti issue went back to his earlier point about no transparency in party politics and in local area governments, restating that until this happens, using legislative means to do so, then the role and influence of INEC and its subsidiaries can always be used by any big man politician.

9. (C) Comment: Somewhere in Bankole's series of remarks there are probably threads of truth. Certainly it was refreshing to hear more honest comments about the puppet role of EFCC Chairwoman Waziri. However, clearly Bankole has a personal beef with her as he felt that an early move by the EFCC on him, which fizzled out, was driven more by motives to support her husband's political aspirations than facts. His insights on the AG's hold on Yar'Adua are helpful.

The Mission was always aware that Yar'Adua would not touch him, but also did not believe that the President was unaware of the AG's corruption. Evidently not only is he aware, but also had to use the AG as the avenue to secure the Supreme Court decision, if Bankole's comments are at all true. We had also heard during the entire Supreme Court process on the Yar'Adua case (Ref d) that the judges had been heavily influenced and paid off. All and all Nigeria's electoral reform process is off to a very rocky start. The question is whether Bankole will live up to his claim of wanting to leave a legacy of having done the right things to improve the country's election process. He said he was serious about electoral reform, that he wants to not only hear from civil society but also would accept its proposal for electoral change if submitted in an organized and serious fashion.

We will provide a good offices opportunity for him to begin the dialogue and open the door with the CSOs at the Mission-hosted forum on May 19. This will let us know just how serious and committed he is to true electoral reform in Nigeria. End comment.

SANDERS

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681717-146/wikileaks_cable_supreme_court_bribe.csp

Selling justice to the highest bidder

By Elor Nkereuwem

March 7, 2011 03:28AM

The Nigerian judiciary is in the eye of a raging storm. Never before in the country's history has the judiciary been at the centre of so damaging an allegation of graft and misconduct. In the past weeks, the nation's topmost judicial officers - the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Katsina-Alu, and the president of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, have traded allegations of monumental corruption.

While the dust raised by those allegations is yet to settle, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole's damaging comments about the judges of the nation's highest court emerged like a bolt from the blue, raising further questions about the integrity of the nation's judges.

Whilst there may never have really been a time when Nigerians viewed the judiciary as being above reproach, the current happenings suggest that those who should dispense justice in the country are deeply involved in the ignominy.

In the early days, concerns about the judges bordered on the close relationship between the judiciary and the executive arms of government. The major worry is that justices in the appellate courts have forged unusually strong relationships with politicians and federal and state governments of the day.

In 1962, Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigeria's first indigenous CJN, was accused of a dalliance with the government of the day, in the treason case brought against Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria's foremost statesmen. There were allegations that Mr. Ademola deliberately posted out the presiding judge in the treason case, replacing him with George Sowemimo, who allegedly did the bidding of the Federal Government, declaring Mr. Awolowo guilty of treasonable felony.

His successor, Taslim Elias, a professor of Law, is widely referred to as one of the most cerebral CJNs Nigeria has ever had. He has, however, also been accused of being the man "who started the process of handing over the judiciary to the manipulations of the executive."

By the era of the military government of Ibrahim Babangida, the accusations had expanded to outright allegations of corruption. Gani Fawehinmi, the late feisty human rights attorney, accused the Supreme Court of receiving Mercedes Benz cars as gifts from the government. The Supreme Court justices responded by suing the Weekend Concord, the newspaper that published the allegations. However, the judges later withdrew the suit when the case turned nasty.

In 2003, another attorney, Ephraim Duru, accused the Supreme Court judges, headed by Muhammad Uwais, the CJN at that time, of receiving car gifts, this time Honda, as bribes. This was the popular case between the Vaswani Brothers, owners of Honda Place, and Globe Motors, Mr. Duru's clients.

Diplomatic cables obtained by NEXT, indicate that the accusation against Mr. Uwais may have emanated from Salihu Belgore, who succeeded Mr. Uwais in office.

"Curiously, after the stormy court session, Justice Belgore, a strong contender to be the next CJN after Uwais, reportedly handed over money to two journalists that covered the court sitting. Belgore is believed to be the sponsor of the negative campaign against the justices. Other observers suggest that Belgore may simply want Uwais' job as Chief Justice," the cable said.

In February 2011, accusations of corruption in the judiciary took a different turn. This time, the accusations came from a judge of an appellate court. The president of the Court of Appeal accused the CJN of attempting to influence the result of the Sokoto State gubernatorial elections tribunal to favour the candidate of the ruling party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Mr. Salami's accusations have sparked an ongoing debate about corruption in the judiciary.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681703-146/story.csp

EFCC not worth a penny, says Bankole

By Elor Nkereuwem

March 7, 2011 03:18AM


Mr. Bankole's conversation with the then U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Robbin Sanders, did not only indict the top echelon of the judiciary, the Speaker also derided the country's foremost anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mr. Bankole said that the chairman of the EFCC, Farida Waziri, with the complicity of the president, was working hand-in-hand with the Attorney General of the Federation to ensure that the corruption charges brought against Mr. Ibori by the former chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, were quashed.

"Bankole said the EFCC would not move on Ibori, given his past financial support to Yar'Adua's campaign and Ibori's relationship to Attorney General (AG) Michael Aondoakaa, implying also that Waziri was very much under the control of the AG," Ms. Sanders' said in her report.

According to the ambassador, Mr. Bankole's disregard for Mrs. Waziri was apparent and his judgment of the Waziri-led EFCC was harsh.

"Noting that he did not think the EFCC was worth ‘one penny' and that he had no confidence in it or Mrs. Waziri's leadership or her integrity, the Speaker added that he did not believe the EFCC could be an effective institution under her leadership," the report said.

Mr. Bankole also said that he felt that Mrs. Waziri had trumped up the issues surrounding the N2.3billion car contract scandal for personal interests.

But while the U.S. ambassador expressed the concern that Mr. Bankole's bias against Mrs. Waziri may have stemmed from a personal quarrel, she liked the Speaker's condemnation of the EFCC chairman's performance.

In her response, Ms. Sanders told Mr. Bankole that the US "had little confidence in her (Mrs. Waziri) leadership, her independence, her transparency, and in her ability to lead Nigeria's anti-corruption fight."

Saying the anti-graft war had become a charade under Waziri, the ambassador said the U.S. government had deliberately truncated the funding of some programmes in the agency.

"Certainly, it was refreshing to hear more honest comments about the puppet role of the EFCC Chairwoman Waziri," Ms. Sanders said in the cable.

Spokesperson to the EFCC and Mrs. Waziri, Femi Babafemi, could not be reached for comments on Sunday. Several telephone calls to his mobile telephone failed to connect.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681721-146/story.csp

The nation’s chief judge, Katsina-Alu, was on the panel that gave the late Yar’Adua victory.

‘Supreme Court judges took bribes to validate Yar'Adua/Jonathan election'

By Elor Nkereuwem

March 7, 2011 05:28AM


We had just had elections in 2007 that, by most accounts, were possibly worst ever, and the legitimacy of the presidential poll that the authorities had declared won by Umaru Yar'Adua and his running mate, Goodluck Jonathan, hung in the balance.

Justices of our Supreme Court, the final arbiters of the disputed election, immediately became the objects of affection of interested politicians, who proceeded to shower them with cash to make sure they confirmed the legitimacy of the election of Messrs Yar'Adua and Jonathan, according to secret US diplomatic cables leaked to the whistleblower site Wikileaks and made available to NEXT.

According to the cables, filed to Washington by then US ambassador to Abuja, Robin Sanders, the source of this information was none other than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.

Following a two-hour meeting with Mr. Bankole on May 5, 2009, Ms. Sanders filed a report to the US State Department in which she said the House Speaker told her he had proof that the venerable justices were bought and paid for with cash supplied by the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

According to Mr. Bankole, Mr. Ibori, a convicted criminal, who is being held in preventive detention in Dubai while awaiting extradition to London to face the latest in his many corruption trials, got the then newly appointed federal attorney general, Michael Aondoakaa, to serve as bag man, delivering the cash to the unnamed Supreme Court justices.

Mr. Bankole also told the US ambassador that by accepting bribes to reach a legal condition favourable to President Yar'Adua and Vice President Jonathan, the supreme court justices had "tasted blood".

The cables made exclusively available to NEXT are part of a cache of more than 250,000 US diplomatic reports leaked to Wikileaks, the whistleblower web site now under legal siege in Europe and whose work has caused major embarrassment for the US government.

While the revelation from Mr. Bankole cannot be independently verified by NEXT, the cables themselves are indisputably authentic and the U.S government has never cast doubt on the accounts.

On May 6, 2009, a day after the meeting with the Speaker, Ms. Sanders filed a report to her principals in Washington, detailing her interaction with Mr. Bankole, whom she described as "sometimes elusive, but certainly ego-driven."

"Bankole claimed that he had proof that most of the judges had lined their pockets throughout the entire process of rerunning state elections, including the Supreme Court decision on President Yar'Adua's case in November 2008," the diplomatic cable read.

‘It is not true'

When contacted on Sunday, Mr. Bankole did not deny that he had met with the US ambassador but claimed he was misquoted.

"He could not have said what was attributed to him," Mr. Bankole's spokesman, Musa Ebhomhiana, said by telephone. "He is not an INEC official and could not have said that about the election. But how can you believe whatever Wikileaks says, given the damage it has been doing around the world?"

On his part, Mr. Aondoakaa said Bankole's allegation is ‘rubbish'. "I don't know whether he really said that or why he said it," the former AGF said by telephone. "But let him come out in the open and say it. Then, I will know what to say or do."

Mr. Aondoakaa denied that he passed bribes to the justices. "Yar'Adua is not a man who gives bribe, and Ibori did not give me a kobo to give to anybody. I didn't do anything like that."

The justices involved in the case could not be reached on Sunday.

When contacted, Sunday Olorundahunsi, the chief registrar at the Supreme Court who also doubles as spokesperson for our highest court, wouldn't comment on the statement credited to Mr. Bankole. Immediately our reporter posed his question to him via telephone, Mr. Olorundahunsi terminated the call. He did not answer subsequent calls.

A former Chief Justice of the Nation, Muhammadu Uwais, declined comment on Mr. Bankole's comment, saying he had retired at the time the Supreme Court decided the case.

Justices of the Supreme Court and other senior judges have lately been enveloped in the stench of another election scandal, in which senior judges have accused one another of manoeuvring to reassign judges in a way that friendly justices can determine the outcome of election cases.

The 2007 presidential election was characterized by irregularities and violence and was rated by both international and domestic observers as the worst election ever held in the country.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, two contestants, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Action Congress (AC) dragged Mr. Yar'Adua to court, asking that the election be annulled.

In February 2008, the Court of Appeal upheld the election. The appellants then took their case to the Supreme Court. The seven-member panel of the Supreme Court concurred with the appellate court in November that year.

The four Judges who voted in favour of Mr. Yar'Adua were Legbo Kutigi, who was the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) at the time; Aloysius Katsina-Alu, the current CJN; Niki Tobi; and Dahiru Musdapher. Justices George Oguntade, Maryam Mukthar and Samuel Onnoghen, in a minority judgment, held that the election failed substantially to comply with the law.

Bribing the Judges

According to Mr. Bankole, the cable reported, the late president was actively involved in the bribery process and made special arrangement to ensure that the judges swing judgment in his favour. Mr. Ibori was the money bag while Mr. Aondoakaa, was the conduit.

Ms. Sanders explained that the disclosure by the Speaker was a confirmation of earlier reports the U.S. Mission in Nigeria had received regarding how the Supreme Court decision was manipulated to favour the late president and his then deputy (who is now president).

"We had also heard during the entire Supreme Court process on the Yar'Adua case that the judges had been heavily influenced and paid off," Ms. Sanders said in her report, quoting Mr. Bankole as saying ‘he had no faith in the transparency of the judiciary'.

There were reports in the media at the time that as much as $30million was spent to bribe the Supreme Court judges. But there was no concrete evidence to back the claim.

The Speaker reportedly said the judiciary had over-stepped its bounds in most of the rerun gubernatorial elections, and had "tasted blood," with its new found power to influence state elections and power politics in Nigeria.

Ms. Sanders also said that the Speaker's revelation was a confirmation of Mr. Aondoakaa's corruption as well as an explanation for why Mr. Yar'Adua refused to fire the former AGF in spite of the widespread calls for his removal.

"The Ambassador asked what this particular minister [the AGF] had on the president," the cable further reported. "Bankole said without hesitation he was the money conduit from Ibori to the Judiciary as regards to the President's Supreme Court case.

"The Mission was always aware that Yar'Adua would not touch him [the AGF], but also did not believe that the President was unaware of the AG's corruption. Evidently not only was he aware, but also had to use the AG as the avenue to secure the Supreme Court decision, if Bankole's comments are true," Ms. Sanders said.

Reacting to the revelation, Jiti Ogunye, a lawyer and activist said, "If Bankole says he has proof, he should bring it forward. He is the Number 4 citizen of this country. If he has proof and he has been sitting down like a lame duck and is not bringing it out to help the country, what are we to make of him? That is not a statesman. If there is that allegation, the public ought to be helped by the provision of evidence."

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5681699-146/story.csp

“We have delivered more than we promised”

By Kadaria Ahmed, Segun Balogun and Funmilayo Ajala

March 6, 2011 12:38PM


It took all of three years to arrange, but the 60-minute interview with the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, was worth the wait.

Conducted last Thursday, after the entertaining debate by major Lagos State governorship candidates organized by Channels Television and ThisDay, it was already well into the day before he sat down across the team from NEXT. Relaxed and clearly on top of the operations of the government he heads, Mr. Fashola is an interviewer's delight.

He is affable and unruffled throughout the session, although he deftly evaded questions regarding his relationship with his former boss, Bola Tinubu. He clearly has a passion for the job- and for creating a better Lagos for its ever-increasing citizens.

It also helps that he has an almost encyclopeadic knowledge of the state and its challenges.

Q: How has it been combining your official role with that of your private life?

Well, it's a tough call managing time that is not enough. You have so many things to do and even at home, I am working. And in the office too, many people come but that is the essential reason why government exists - to solve all the problems that need to be solved. The time to spend with family is not in plentiful supply at all. I try to balance both sometimes in the most unconventional way. Like yesterday, my youngest son asked me what time the debate will start. I told him 7pm. He asked what time it will end. By then I knew what he was thinking and I asked him if he wanted to go. So, we went together. These are some of the ways I tried to balance it by taking them along on site inspection. It is also part of educating them on what government is all about so that they can understand your absence away from home.

Q: Have the sacrifices been worth it?

I think the opportunity to serve, especially in the public sector, is the biggest honour that anybody can have from his country or his people. It is the biggest honour. I have not gone on vacation since four years now and the only form of rest that I can probably talk about is when I travel outside the country. I try to get there a day earlier so I can at least get some rest. Even when I travel, I travel with cases of files, memos, reply emails etc, it is more than a full time job given the level of catch up that we have to make in terms of deficit in governance that has piled up since more than 30 years ago. I do hope that one day, the Chief Officer of Lagos State will actually have more time by the time we have bridged the gap.

Q: What is your assessment of the debate?

Honestly, I haven't had time to access beyond the point I made in my closing remark that it would seem that none of the candidates have spoken to the issues that concern Lagosians. What they were concerned about was to criticise what we have done. At that kind of forum where the debate was intended to inform and enlighten the public, they didn't bring the discussions that I was expecting. I wanted to learn from them if there are better ways of doing what we are doing. For me, this is not a time to criticise.

Q: But it is the time to also hold you accountable

Yes. But complaining that we didn't do it well is not the answer. The citizens want to know how you will do it better. There was a question, for example, that ‘what will you do to improve education system' and the answer that came was ‘I know what to do.'

Q: How far do you think you have gone in achieving the goals you set for yourself when you were coming into office?

I think that we have delivered more than we promised. If you read my inaugural address and the terms of the document I issued then as my contract with Lagos, I think we have delivered more than we promised. But to me, that delivery was situated within the context of a time frame and an economic environment. So if we have had more money, there are things we would have loved to do and progressed more quickly. It has been said that the reason why you are very celebrated as an achiever in Nigeria is because the standard of governance is so low and whatever little effort someone makes becomes something big and that compared to other places, things happening in Lagos are not out of ordinary.

For me this is not a competition with other governors. It is a commitment to improve the place I call home. It is also, for me, a challenge to restore hope. We must not forget that it used to be said about Lagos that it was an unsafe, irredeemable place occupied by tax evaders, lawless and dirty people, but now, we have gone from that to become one of the cleanest states. We won the award for being the cleanest capital in this country. We have restored order to places like Oshodi and Obalende. People are voluntarily paying their taxes. So, we have steadfastly begun to explode the negative myths about Lagos to reveal its positive possibilities. From the very first day that we started this job, we have told ourselves that we are not going to benchmark ourselves against other states. We are benchmarking ourselves against African and European Countries that are the same size with us. If you look at our state's global rating, a BB- rating, you will find us lying, almost shoulder to shoulder, with a few European countries. By our budget performance, we have become the only state that funds its own budget up to 70 percent by its own resources.

Q: Numbers sound great but the reality to the ordinary man on the street is that roads are flooded when it rains; there is high cost of housing and traffic jam. It seems to me that it is almost impossible to say that Lagos is at par with some European countries.

I have not said Lagos is at par with European countries, I have only said we are benchmarking ourselves against them. About flood, the reality is that Lagos is a coastal state surrounded by water and it lies just barely two meters above sea level and some places even lie lower. Major cities in Holland get flooded. So, nothing unusual is happening here. The question is whether the flood recedes. I wish we can begin to move away from generalisation to being specific. When you say most roads in Lagos are flooded, it is not quite correct. We must understand that drains do not keep water; they are only just the channels of controlling the flow of water. The water is expected to flow out into the sea and lagoon. So, when the tide of the sea and lagoon is high due to high rainfall, water in the drain cannot flow into them. And there is nothing you can do about that other than to wait for the sea tide to recede and flood can recede also.

Q: One of the issues is that we wait until the rains come before we start clearing the blocked drains.

If you go out now across Lagos, you will see men of the Drain Ducks, the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang, the ministry of works, the ministry of the environment, and local governments, clearing the drains. We have evolved a method here and we cannot pretend about the environment in which we live. This problem is not unique to us; we must accept that for a fact. There is no society without problems and government is assessed on its capacity to solve societal problems. And indisputably, our capacity to deal with Lagos problems is improving by the day. Let give a few examples, there is a place in Idi Araba, opposite LUTH. That place has flooded since I was a kid but for the first time last year, there was no flood there. We have solved the problem. It takes a lot of money to dredge and lay concrete. This is one of the problems we should have solved in the 70s when we were dumping cement into the sea.

These are issues with political stability, without which there cannot be economic development. What we have had are periods of political conflicts that have taken the focus of those in governance away from developmental projects to entrenching political stability. Somehow now, we have had democracy and this has provided an opportunity to do some developmental work in the last three years. Now, election has come and everybody is challenged to win the election. So, one is hoping that after the election, we can put in another three years of hard work and it begins to add up to a better life. To say that the Human Development Index here has not improved at all is to say that clearly nothing has been done.

About the traffic, for me, traffic is a sign of prosperity. You will not find vehicles in the desert.

Q: But it comes at an economic cost

By all means, it is like that in every city that has the same status like ours, where you have millions of people moving on daily basis. The progress made in the UK about their transport management came with many years of advanced technology made even before we became a nation. They have built their rails, started the city bus, developed a reliable ferry system and in spite of these advances, the London City is still congested. And as we speak today, you have to pay a congestion charge. New York is going to impose a congestion charge soon.

And we are responding as a government. We have introduced the BRT and we are building a mass transit. I know people expected us to do it in one day, but the reality is that we do not manufacture buses. They have to be imported through an inefficient port managed by the federal government. So, even if I order all the buses today, I am at the mercy of the port on the day it will come out. Meanwhile, we started with about 120 buses and today, we have close to 1000. That shows that we are overcoming the obstacles and we must get some credit for that.

There were no taxis in this town worthy of the name. We have more than 5,000 now because of the enabling environment we have provided. Today in Lagos, you can actually pick your phone and ask a taxi to come and pick you. It did not exist when we came.

So, the question is not whether there are problems, because there will always be problems. The question is whether the government is responding in a sustainable way. America, despite its technological advances, still has the problem of healthcare. For instance, crime is a global phenomenon. Are we responding? Yes. And are we wining? Oh yes. In South America, the biggest crime is narcotics. In some other region, it is ideological crime - Jihadists. It is street gang in other places. And there is no country that does not have a fair mix of them. These are the very strong sign of our increasing globalisation.

Q:When we look at cities against which you benchmark Lagos, there is one area that, really, Lagos has not done well. Our drains still get blocked with pure water sachets and we spend money to clear them. What is going to happen on the next four years?

One of the challenges we have to deal with is increasing advocacy about how to live together and pursue our daily aspirations with the consciousness that my right to do certain things impose a duty on me not to impede your right. We have built the drainages to relieve the people and have provided waste collection system but people still throw the sachets into the drains. It is first a lifestyle issue and the media has more than a passive role to play here. And I want organisations like yours to help strengthen this advocacy on the need for change.

On water supply, I don't believe in a fire fighter approach. I believe in planning and developing in an orderly manner, in a way that first understand the root problem and then come up with lasting solution. We are projecting that by 2020, this state will have at least 25 million people. And we project that each person will use about 25 gallons of water per day. On that basis, we have projected that Lagos will need about 760 million gallons of water per day to sustain that population. The demand will actually be about 810 million gallons per day if we take into consideration the possibility of wastage. So, we already have a plan that we believe, if implemented, there should be enough water for all Lagosians. First, we are already looking at training young Lagosians, who are in school now, about water management and this is already happening in other jurisdiction against which we benchmark ourselves.

Q: Globally, water is regarded as a diminishing return and it is postulated that a time will come when it will be difficult to access it.

Yes in the last four years, we have set short, medium and long term plans. We have delivered on our short term plan, which is to construct 15 mini waterworks across the state. We have constructed 13, I have handed over 10, and two are under construction. Each has a capacity of 2 million gallons per day and a reticulation of 5km radius connecting about 500 homes. That gives us 30million gallons of water per day. Iju and Adiyan waterworks have a combined capacity of 115 million gallons per day but were producing only 40million gallons because there is no power supply. We have built a 12MW IPP and both waterworks now have about 22 hours constant power supply and they are generating about 100million gallons of water daily. So, we now produce about 130million gallons of water per day.

The second phase is to build Adiyan phase II, about 70 milion gallons of water per day, Odomola, about 120 million gallons, Oto-Ikosi is 4 million gallons at inception scalable to 20 million gallons, Ishaki is about 70 million gallons. We have finished the design for all four and have received tenders for two and Oto-Ikosi is almost completed.

We have done a water audit of all the communities in Lagos and we now have a plan that shows you the potential and existing network of pipelines to produce a document that will form our investment document in a long term plan so that people can take up the opportunities that exist in the water sector, which is a utility like telephone and electricity. So, when we complain about unemployment, it is because the government has not directed the energy of the people to where the jobs are. Of course I will not be in government by then but we have to lay the plan for the future.

Q: How are you funding this?

By direct budgetary funding and by BOT under PPP arrangement.

Q: Do communities like Ilaje, which sits on top of water, fall into your plan?

Yes. And we have already started working in those communities. We have started addressing the issues of blighted areas called slums. There are 13 of them in Lagos. Ilaje, Makoko, Ijora-Badia, Itire, Ijesha, Orile-Iganmu, Ajegunle, Agege and others.

We have the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Programme, which we co-fund with the World Bank to restore a level of livability in those areas by providing recreation ground, market, primary healthcare, schools, and especially entrepreneurial opportunities. In Ijesha, we have moved heaps of refuse to make way for a playground. In Bariga, we have provided fish drying oven and storage. And this is one of the foreign debts we are being criticised for taking.

Q: Your administration has been accused of concentrating in some areas of the state at the expense of others.

I will explain again for as long as this question remains. There is still a stereotype way our people see problems. It may be a deliberate misinformation or sheer ignorance by those who propound it. I do not think that many who have made that statement have bothered to go around the state. I go around as frequently as possible and I am in constant touch with where we are working.

They said all the road projects are on the Island. That is true but clearly, in an economy where you don't have enough resources and there are competing challenges, you have to make a choice. Do you do the major roads before the inner roads? If we start with the inner roads and people cannot get to work, have we really served them? You talk about traffic but where are they all heading to? They are heading to the Island to work. So to allow them work in a dignified environment, I have to do the roads leading to the Islands first. The fact that we do the roads leading to places where people earn their living does not mean the people who live around such places own the roads but the poor who earn a living in those places are the real beneficiary.

On the other side, LASU-Iba, Ekoro, Association Avenue, Isheri-Ijegun, which has about 1km bridge, are all roads in Alimosho. We are constructing 11 roads in Alimosho, none of which is less than 5km. The cost of one road in Alimosho is the equivalent of about six roads in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, which have shorter road lengths.

Q: Another recurring issue is cost. It is being said that Lagos is spending N1bn to build a kilometre of road, is this correct?

It cannot be correct. It is beggars believe. Some of our opponents who make these allegations use the same contractors that we use. They work in a better terrain and our prices are by far lower than theirs.

Ask any construction engineer. It is cheaper to build away from the coast than to build close to the coast. When you build close to the coast, almost seventy percent of the cost goes into drainage that is concrete and iron rod. Let us take two examples. There is a highway being built in Abuja towards the Airport. I am building the Lagos-Badagary expressway right in the midst of marshland. The drainage we are sinking there is almost three feet deep and three feet wide. There is no such drainage on the Abuja highway. The materials they are using, the rocks and filling materials, are right on site, we have to go to the sea to take filling materials. My costs are better.

Q: What is the cost?

I don't have that off hand but it is something I can provide.

Q: Lagos has been quite self sufficient and that comes at a cost to businesses in the form of multiple taxation. People bringing food from the north recently went on strike complaining about these levies.

The first thing I ask from people who say there is multiple taxation is evidence. What you have alluded to is not multiple taxation. This is a federation comprising three tiers of government. I did not make it so. Each level of government, according to the Constitution has certain responsibilities. The federal government manages tertiary education, tertiary health, defence, internal security, including some others that belong to the states which it appropriates to itself. In a federation, it is really the states that are federating. It is the states that decide to work together and cede certain common responsibilities to the federal government to manage. So, it is the states that have unlimited power to do whatever they want apart from those ceded to the federal government.

Within this arrangement, we have also created the local government and gave them some responsibilities also in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Where is the money to do these responsibilities to come from? Every level of government therefore has the responsibility and the authority to tax the citizens in order to deliver the services it is meant to do. Show me one federation that is different.

The taxes of companies go to the Federal Government through the Companies Income Tax Act. The taxes of employees of companies and parastatals and other workers go to the state. And those taxes are also imposed not by a state law but by a Personal Income Tax Act made long before I was born. So those are the two levels of government. I collect the taxes of employees. I don't collect the taxes of companies. We have proposed that the maximum tax that any citizen can pay is an upper limit of 25%.

Q: Lagos State will go to a company and charge it for putting some sort of advertisement

If you want me to explain I will get there. The Local governments and the state have taxing powers but without a law, you can't tax. There are laws made by the state on taxing powers by the state government and there are also by-laws made by the local government to generate revenues. Where will the money for immunization for children come from? They have to pay primary school teachers and in Lagos, primary school teachers are close to 20,000. They are the responsibility of the local government. They have primary health care workers, nurses and doctors employed at that level. They have to pay their salary. So when a pregnant woman walks into a health care centre and get health care free, get immunization for polio free, you get treatment for malaria free. Who is going to pay for it? Is it local government chairman from his salary? If you give a government a responsibility, he must tax. Even in medieval times, they offered tax. They collected yams and stuffs like that. The case of multiple taxation is a strong case. And if it exists, it is the responsibility of government to remove it immediately. And that is what I'm saying; it doesn't exist.

Now to the point that you have made. We have to distinguish between tax and administrative levies. Does every citizen of this state pay to LASAA? If you do a certain type of business, you pay a certain type of cost because a service has to be rendered to maintain those gantries. Now why should I collect your tax with which to provide you water and use it to be erecting and maintaining gantries for her when she is running a business? It is not equitable. It is the same with those who own vehicles. You pay a vehicle registration fee, don't you? It is an administrative cost. If you don't own a vehicle you don't pay it. Let us really understand this thing and show me a society where this doesn't happen.

Q: Lagos does talk a lot about trying to be an investment centre. In other climes, there are tax breaks that help to attract investors and help grow the economy first. I'm just surprised that it doesn't seem like Lagos is conscious of this. If you really want to encourage businesses, I would have thought you will find a way of harmonizing some of these tax loads on businesses.

We have done that and it's a continuing process. We've done two and let me just explain them. You have taxes you have to pay, rates on properties. One is payable to the state government and one is payable to the local government. The land use charge is payable to the state government and the tenement, to the local government. And we saw that on the same property, you pay two different costs to comply and we have to harmonize it so that you pay one charge. This state has and collects the lowest property tax in the whole of the continent, less than one percent. This was after a court case that was resolved in 2002. We reached an agreement that we will review the tax rate every seven years. It came up for review in 2009. Because of the global economic crisis, I said this is not the time to review taxes. Leave it at 0.34%. That is a tax break. We've reduced for example, mortgage rate now 1% from I think 2.5 or 3%. We also realized that we may be collecting costs that are no longer necessary because the way we run government, by automation and computerization, is different from the paper works used then. And we've been going from ministry to ministry to look into this and take those costs out. We have done that of the ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Q: So are you conceding to the issue of multiple taxation or multiple charges?

No, it is not multiple charges. You have to understand that for example if you build a house with kerosene, and then, you now have to change to electricity. And you are still carrying the bill of kerosene. Let us talk about the foodstuffs. There is a law that any food drop into the territory must be inspected at the border post for health and safety reasons. Now every law that a society makes has a cost to implement it. And we ask the food vendors to pay a certain sum to the Ministry of Agriculture at the border post. Now, in the reckless pursuit for revenues, the goods that ideally should only pay taxes at point of origin and point of delivery gets charged in every other states it passes through. They charge illegally. Not me. When they came and they make the complaints, I took the matter to Federal Regulatory Council and National Economic Council imploring my colleagues that this is wrong. Unless the goods end in your state, you have no right to charge. We have set up a cauldron measure and provided vehicles for patrol and met with the traders. We had cases of over-layering regulations by people posing to be local government officials. And again what did we do? We invited the local government because they are autonomous and elected and we said this can't continue. We have to provide them with the information so that they will know what tax they are liable to pay. We published an approved list of taxes that any local government in the state can charge you depending what you do in that local government.

After we have done all that, there is still human factor, citizens disguise as local government staff. These are also hybrid of violators of law that I talked about earlier. It's an ongoing engagement and process we are trying to rectify where there is a fault. And as I said earlier, is there a problem? Oh yes there will always be a problem. And are we responding? Oh yes we are.

We can't talk about taxes and not talk about ABC. Who are the ABC and what are they doing for Lagos State. We heard it is a company owned by Bola Tinubu . . .

Let me take the last question first. It is not true. And I think it is clear to any discerning mind that ownership of a limited liability company is determined by share holding. And the matter of the share holdings of any company is a matter of public record. It is not a secret. To the best of my knowledge he is not even among. You can satisfy yourself my making an application to the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja. Allegations will always be there especially in a society like this. The question is whether the allegations are substantial. If you make an allegation and you can't substantiate it, my common logic says that it is not true. It is baseless. You can't live a life without allegations but what is the fact? Opinion is always free. It is facts that are sacred. So what are the facts? The fact is what you will get at the Corporate Affairs Commission and to the best of my knowledge, this is an allegation I have been dealing with since I was the Chief of Staff and it is surprising that it still persists.

Alpha Beta is a company that provides technical support for Lagos State revenue collection system. When I was in private practice, if you wanted to pay into any government account, you are not sure whether you are paying to Lagos state government. There was always a seemingly matching receipt and people will ask you if you want to pay into the original of other accounts. Accounts were being opened in the name of the state government that the government did not know about. Therefore, money was coming in but it was not reaching the state. The revenue started moving up from N600 million monthly immediately ABC came in.

Q: What exactly do they do?

They deployed technology to monitor all the bank balances of the state government accounts through the swift electronic transfer system. They installed microwave wireless communication with the banks and gradually, this connection is being extended to the tax stations. They redesigned our receipts with a lot of security features. Now, they have started issuing electronic tax cards. So, they have provided the IT infrastructure for tax verification and management. They do not collect the revenues, the assessment are still done by the internal revenue service. There were a few land transactions which was a payment of N90m and there was receipt indicating that payment has been made. Truth was no payment was made. It was a false teller. But because of the size of the payment, I do random check. Can somebody verify for me? And it was ABC that came and said they don't have that record in their payment. We now insisted that the citizen should go and pay. So they saved us N90 million. That is how the revenues have grown from N600 million to N14 billion and the potential for growth is still there because we haven't covered the entire state. Somebody is providing a value that is helping us do that. And the only thing I think we have done is to vilify

Q: Let me quickly chip in here. The federal Inland Revenue service for instance, pick up on Lagos State, saying the role of a consultant is actually to come, render help to the internal revenue service and then go away

Who made the Federal Internal Revenue Service the Authority on that? No no no no. I think you missed it. That is why I started from the idea of the Federation.

Q: Let me put it another way sir. Traditionally, consultants come and after a period, pull out but the thing with ABC is that it seems they are here to stay.

At this moment, the investment that we are making in the technological bid for financial growth isn't finished. Now it is an investment that I think we will benefit more at this time by having a private sector involvement. So that I can spend the money I have for technology and computers in the schools, in the hospitals. We are trying to computerize all of the health records in the state. So far out of the 25 general hospitals, we've covered thirteen. We've installed about 1,722 computers, servers, laptops in 22 out of the 25 general hospitals. We've backed up over sixty thousand records. Now we started this process three years ago, that process will not of its own derive any revenues. So, those are the social investment that I think I will put my money in first. The revenue service is an investment that is giving me the chance to earn more. And I think that is good business.

Q: It has been said that N13bn generated by Lagos is actually spent financing elections in other states

Nothing can be farther from the truth. You see, I continue to be amazed at the imagination of people to create false impression. And you know, these are very serious issues of values that I doubt that there is any public officer left in Nigeria that hasn't been accused of corruption. Everybody is a thief but how many people have been convicted?

Q: Because the system is weak . . . ?

No no no no. That system worked in Lagos. If we continue like this, we are going to reach a stage where people will say I like to serve my country but I don't want to be called a thief.

Q: Are you saying you don't understand why Nigerians can accuse politicians of corruption?

Being cynical is different from making allegations that are unsubstantiated. There is no doubt about it, government has not come through for Nigerians for a long time, I don't dispute that. But that doesn't mean everybody in government is a thief. They are two different things. Allegations have been made about journalists. Does that mean every journalist is culpable?

Q: I think I would understand why the people . . .

Understanding it is not the problem. I understand it. Understanding is different. Is the act of one the act of all? We have one hundred and forty million people here if not more. How many people have served in government? How many of us today are serving in government? Are we up to a million? But the truth is that some people will want to believe that all Nigerians are corrupt. The act of a few people cannot be the act of our country. That is the point I mean; you make allegations with proof.

Q: There are lots of ways of measuring the levels of corruption in the country. The lifestyle of people in government is one of them. Where you know somebody was in power for two years, you know that their earnings are matters of public records and you look at the sort of house they live in. In the UK, there is a law that allows the government to seize peoples' properties until they can prove how they made the money.

I agree with the idea of weak institutions but we always put away the problem instead of confronting them. It is not institutions that are weak; it is the people that are weak. When some people like us make regulations, people will still establish filial connection to complain about those regulations. So, I always wonder what exactly we want. Change will not come if we do not change our methods and lifestyle. We demolish illegal structures, people complain, if we leave those structures, people still complain.

Q: In the build up to the ACN primaries, were you truly at loggerhead with Bola Tinubu?

Did you enjoy the drama?

Q: Oh yes

You sold your newspaper, abi?

Q: We were reporting what was happening

So, I think you should thank us

Q: Well, we could have sold more if we actually knew what was happening. It was all speculative

Well. That is the excitement in our politics.

Q: Why did you drop your deputy?

No, I did not drop my deputy. The party did.

Q: Why?

It was a party decision. They felt that somebody from the same constituency has served one term, so they decided to give another person from the same constituency the opportunity to serve in the second term.

Q: Is it a vote of no confidence in her because it is a joint ticket with you?

Well that is opinion and you will see it replicated in some other constituencies also. There is competition for representative opportunity and it is up to those constituencies to decide. In fact in some cases, we have made the case to the constituencies that we need to keep this experience but they say no. Every politics is local and whatever the people decide is their choice.

Q: Former President Obasanjo during the week said performing governors should be taken to other states to work, if it were possible, which state will you want to be?

I think given the challenges of Lagos, to think of any other state as challenging is,  and I mean no disrespect to governors of other states. But the challenge here is quite fulfilling and I am content with being the governor of Lagos State.

Q: What do you miss about your private life, now that you are a public figure?

My private life then allowed me to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, how I wanted to do it and where I wanted to do it. And therefore you don't have that kind of privilege. You can't do what you like and many times you can't do it the way you like. Like for example, I've been feeling the need to take a break, I can't. I just keep pushing, hoping and waiting for an opportunity. You can't just go up and say: ‘Hey, I'm tired.' And this one last problem is balance whereby you try and keep fit, eat well. The exposure for me has been really defining. It keeps me out of my private cocoon; having to deal with people, understanding people better. Not everything that you see is what it represents itself as. So you have to look more carefully and you have to learn. And after all, people will just be people. And that means in every second people will just be people.

Q: Can you sneak out?

No no no. You see there is this person angry that I didn't come to his birthday. I use to come before I was Governor. So If I can't make it, I either call or send a representative. I've learnt a lot and I think I'm getting better when it comes to managing people's emotions and sentiments.

Q: When are we going to have Lagos based clubs playing in the Nigerian premier league?

You see there is a plan. I believe absolutely in the power of planning. It makes things endure. Because first, you go to the root of the problem. Look at all the clubs that you have mentioned. All the successful clubs. Especially the ones that were owned by individuals or owned by government. Immediately the individual goes out. End of story. Immediately the sport lobby governor goes, end of story. I don't want that to happen here. So there are two clubs in the second division but there is not a kobo of government money there. I've just called a few of my friends. Let us incorporate a company. Find young people who really want to play football. Encourage them. Develop their ability. Get managers for them in groups. Establish dress code for them. Fully professionalize it. And we are working. The money is not there and people are already putting in their two million, one million but we sold shares to everybody. A large network of my friends who play football can afford it. We are building very slowly. The clubs are doing well. My view is that I want to demonstrate that it is possible to own a professional club, one professionally owned by people. Apart from the majority shareholders, the remaining shares are scattered around people who own small shares. That is the way to build a club and that is the way we are building this too.

You see the premiership has its own timeline and timeline for the local league can be established. We've worked out this thing. And when it begins to unfold, you will marvel. It will be a family thing. Father, mother and children going to watch football and going back home. It will happen. But you see you have to bring the crowd to the stadium. They want to come and see an exhibition of talents, entertainment in a safe environment. They want to also get there quickly and be able to go home quickly. If you put the cart before the horse, you are going to have a problem. This is a work in progress and I am very confident that we are on the way. That is why we have invested in the junior league for students. We insist that they must be in school otherwise they won't qualify. You must have an education. And we encourage them to pay them allowances so that they have that extra for notebook, for their recharge cards, to go to bar beach. You must go to school to come and play football and earn some stipends so that it can take some pressure away from your parents if you have the talents to play football. And these are the people that will gradually emerge to become the senior team into these clubs. I refuse to accept that this country can't win the world cup. We have the talents but somebody must just go and do the work and begin to find them from the grassroots. They are there. There are more Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo than we care to look. That is why we built those stadia. They would come out. If you don't provide it they won't come out. You have to provide a theatre of expression.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5681377-146/story.csp

Bode George: Requiem for our values

By Tunde Fagbenle

Sunday, 6 Mar 2011

If Chief Bode George were my family member, or even my friend, how would I feel back in October 26, 2009 when he was sent to jail for wanton criminality in the discharge of his duties as chairman of Nigeria Ports Authority? Then, how would I feel with the sad and immoral fanfare “celebrity welcome” given him upon his release from prison last week?


Answer to the first part of my troubled mind was given by my brother and friend, Dr. Dele Sobowale, that irreverent intellectual columnist of The Vanguard newspaper, in his column of November 1, 2009.


Dele and Bode George, we are told, are childhood friends and co-Lagosians. They not only grew up in the same neighbourhood, they had “similar upbringing” from “stern and upright father, who drilled into us, with advice and cane, the virtues of honesty in everything we do.” So, Dele assures us, the fault could not be want of good parentage.


The feeling of a true brother and friend in seeing a Bode George sentenced to jail, even for a day, for 47 different criminal charges out of 68, was summed up by Dele Sobowale thus:


“I cried when I heard the verdict…it is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions that the son of Pa George would end up splashing the hitherto pristine family name with mud. If indeed the dead roll in their graves, the old man must be having a fit wherever he is. This is perhaps the worst possible way to repay parental love — even if the folks are dead.” Dele ended the piece: “The tears might never end.”


Dele Sobowale has by those words of his expressed the values with which we were brought up, the values of the proud Yoruba family: honesty, integrity, hard work, and, above all, pride in the family name.


The persistent plea into our ears by our parents was to do nothing to tarnish the family name. Our fathers warned us of how, even faced with the threat of hunger, they had struggled to preserve the family name and integrity as bequeathed to them by their own parents. Our mothers begged us not to be the ‘black sheep’ of the family. Events, such as the jailing of a family member for inordinate corruption and evil brought shame “of unimaginable proportions” unto the family within the community and society at large.


I have no account how the last two years of Bode George (BG) in prison went for the likes of Dr. Sobowale. Did he, even once, pay his friend a visit in jail or was that his column the nunc dimittis to the relationship? Worse, what and how did he feel seeing the great “carnival” made of Bode’s return from jail? Was he privy to the arrangement planned by Bode’s “family and friends” to give him a “befitting” (as I imagine they would have worded their invitation) welcome? Or knowing what Dele’s stand would be, had the group of “family and friends” quietly sidelined him?


We know that ‘Lagosians’ had earned a reputation for “show” — Eko for show! What we didn’t know was when great and proud Lagos families — and we know a few — lost shame enough to bring out the drums to celebrate the criminal in their midst. I did a quick scan of the faces and names published in the “BG Carnival” and I sighed in relief to find missing the great Johnson family, the great Fujah family, the great Elias family, the great Sobowale family, and some others I know, to whom the “family name” means everything.


Are there no more elders in the George family of Bode? Is he the surviving eldest? Se Bode ni mogaji ile won ni? Even then, what home-training, what values, have the family been raised in, since Pa George that Dele Sobowale spoke of died years ago? That “BG Carnival” — aso-ebi, band music, food, drinks, etc — would have gulped some handsome millions of naira; was that ‘show’ and church service meant to wash away the family shame and socially and politically “rehabilitate” Bode? How wrong, how shamefully wrong!


I am pained because the whole BG saga is more than shame to just the Bode George family, it is also a sad reflection of the times and of the tragic erosion of Yoruba family values. I am pained because I am Yoruba and it is just not in us to be this.


What Bode George was found guilty of committing, namely wanton corrupt abuse of office — to the tune of some N100bn! — is probably what many in the country would do in the Nigeria of today, a Nigeria of inverted moral values, a generational value in which money speaks and getting money at all costs is the order of the day.


But as another brother and friend, the erudite Prof. Okey Ndibe, wrote on the BG Carnival: “A country where a criminal emerging from jail is greeted adoringly is not simply in deep trouble — its case is grave and perhaps terminal.”


And sadly at the head of this show of moral decadence, this depravity, are some notable names in the society, political bigwigs whom it has been our collective misfortune to have as leaders in this country. In the name of political brotherhood they came, virtually all of them in the ruling party — the PDP — to which Bode George belongs. They are celebrating the return of one of their kind! The great WS had once called the party “a nest of killers”, now they have reminded us that in the eyes of killers, looting is nothing.


The sad part is that these blighted bleeders of our country are still seeking our votes to get or return into power at the state and federal levels, and the welcome and later arrogant frontline parade of ex-convict Bode George is their selling point to the kind of government we are to expect if we give their party our votes.


The pointed exhortation of the poor officiating prelate at the BG Carnival church service, Tayo Aduloju, to Bode George was: “If you are involved in any shady deal; if you are found anywhere elections are rigged; and partake in any form of manipulation, it means you have not learnt anything from your experience. Real power belongs to God. It does not belong to PDP. It does not belong to any president.”


But, like a lost dog that would heed no whistle, Bode George, obviously dismissing the exhortation, promptly declared after the service, “now, there is a job at hand for us to do and now is the time for us to win Lagos State…”


A few days later, President Goodluck Jonathan and his campaign train came to Lagos. The PDP came in their true colours, their leading ‘father’, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was there, heaving and dancing, and so was Tony Anenih, amongst others. Bode George was given his “due” “high table” place.


Bode George should thank God that he is neither my family nor friend. If he were, I would have given him a few ‘dirty’ slaps to remind him of the son of whom he is. It is not too late for BG to beat a retreat and retire into a more “dignified” existence, quietly enjoying whatever is left of whatever he has made. He should desist from emulating the bad example of some shameless leaders out there who we know but would not name here.


Bode, for your children’s sake and that of whatever is left of your family name, I beg.

http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103060195868

No way for PDP in South-West – Tinubu, Fashola, Ribadu

HeadlinesMar 6, 2011
   
*Vow to resist rigging,  retain Lagos

By Clifford Ndujihe and Olasunkanmi Akoni

LEADERS of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), yesterday, vowed not to allow an inch of political foothold to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos and the other five states of the South-West geo-political zone.
At a mega rally held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, the ACN leaders, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos, Malam Nuhu Ribadu (the presidential candidate), said the 14 million votes of the zone were not for bargaining.
The leaders, at the event meant  to flag-off Fashola’s re-election campaign next month, vowed to resist antics by any political party to rig the April general polls.


Indeed,  Fashola said that ACN was set to claim massively all the slots in the South-West at the polls to ensure that the PDP lose their deposits in all the states.
Tinubu, clad in ACN attire with a broom in his hand, told party supporters and the electorate to ensure that they swept the PDP, which he dubbed Poverty Development Party, away in the elections.
He lambasted the party for not being able to fix the problems besetting Nigeria for the past 12 years.  Rather than ameliorating the situation, he said they added to the sufferings of Nigerians.
Tinubu, who declared that he was proud of Fashola’s achievements in the last four years of his administration in the state, charged the governor to ensure that the PDP did not have five percent of votes in Lagos.
The immediate past governor of Lagos said ACN was not moved and was not intimidated by PDP’s claim to capture Lagos State at all costs and would beat the party by a landslide margin.

His words: “Good people of Nigeria, I urge you to vote for Ribadu and Fola Adeola they will turn things around for the better just like Fashola is doing in Lagos, if voted as the next president.
“When I presented Fashola as the best man for the job even in the midst of crisis, they said he could not perform and now has he performed or not? And now the second term is here, PDP has come with their lies.They say they must capture Lagos State. PDP can’t even capture anywhere in the South-West, let alone Lagos. Their own leader left a legacy of failure and inefficiency. But see Lagos today, it is working, a man with best mind is giving you that service.”
Tinubu recalled that five years ago PDP seized the people’s money.  “They kept your money meant for local governments but today those councils are serving you well.”
On Ribadu, Tinubu said he was a man full of energy, who was ready to make the desired change in Nigeria.
Addressing the huge crowd at the rally, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu noted that the only challenge confronting the nation was PDP because they make promises and don’t deliver.

Ribadu promised that ACN would bring the type of change witnessed in Lagos under Fashola’s government to all the 36 states in the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. “We’ll bring change to Nigeria. We will give people that have integrity the opportunity to prove themselves,” he said.
His running mate, Mr. Fola Adeola, who addressed the crowd after Ribadu, explained that PDP had not done anything to show it was worth voting for in April. “They have failed the country thrice because they don’t have anything to offer. We would make change, if given the opportunity,” he promised.
In his address, Fashola promised that if given the mandate for a second term, he would ensure completion of all the developmental projects embarked on by his administration. He listed the on-going projects as the light rail project, Lagos-Badagry expressway, the Lekki Free Trade Zone that has Lekki Airport and Seaport, adding, “we will accelerate work on these projects for development of Lagos.”
Present at the rally at which leaders of the PDP from 13 local governments defected to the ACN with their supporters were National Chairman of ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, all the party’s candidates in Lagos which include Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East Senatorial District), Mrs Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central Senatorial District) and Ganiyu Solomon (Lagos West Senatorial District).

PDP’S misrule responsible for decay – Buhari

NewsMar 6, 2011

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, P/H

PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, Major General Muhamadu Buhari(rtd), has blamed what he termed misrule of the political leadership provided by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party for the challenges of insecurity, decay in infrastructure and education facing the nation.
The former head of state, who spoke to his party faithful in Port Harcourt, yesterday, amid tight security, assured that when he becomes the president, he would take on the twin problem of corruption and indiscipline.
The presidential candidate, alongside other leaders of the party presented flags to governorship candidates of the party in the South South states, promising a programme that would revamp all sectors.
“We want to go to bed with our two eyes shut. We want to stop indiscipline and corruption. We want to resuscitate power to run industries. We want to resuscitate the transportation sector. We want to turn around the country which has lost a lot during the twelve years of PDP rule,” Buhari stated.
“Everybody is struggling to be in power to put the treasury in his pocket but we promise to build educational infrastructure to allow ordinary people to pursue their means of taking care of their families. The country and resources belong to you. You should trust those who will handle it for you to be in positions of responsibility. So, you have to register, cast your vote and protect it.”
He urged Nigerians to continue to take steps to build a virile society, adding that they should not hesitate to cast their votes in the coming election.
His running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said they were in Port Harcourt to tell the country that no nation is built on good luck. According to him, the CPC was coming with a programme that would transform the nation into one of the top economies in the world.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/pdp%E2%80%99s-misrule-responsible-for-decay-buhari/

What’s luck got to do with it: how Jonathan helped himself

By Terfa Tilley-Gyado

March 6, 2011 08:47AM

He was only a candidate for vice president then but in 2007, Goodluck Jonathan took matters into his own hands — literally. According to US diplomatic cables leaked to the whistleblower site Wikileaks, and which were made exclusively available to us, Mr. Jonathan helped himself gain the vice presidency four years ago by voting illegally four times.

The astonishing accusation against Mr. Jonathan, now a president seeking validation at the polls next month, came from Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole in a December 2008 briefing with US diplomats.

According to Mr. Oshiomhole as reported in the US diplomatic cables, the court ruling voiding the supposed election of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Edo governor and declaring Mr. Oshiomhole the legitimate winner would not have been possible without documentary evidence that Mr. Jonathan, among others personally rigged the election.

Click here to read copy of the US diplomatic cable.


The content of the cables received an angry reaction from Aso Villa. Ima Niboro, the president's spokesperson, dismissed the claims as "silly" and challenged anyone to come forward with evidence that linked President Jonathan with electoral malpractice. "Why should the president vote four times? Go and ask Adams Oshiomhole to come out and tell Nigerians. I can't respond to WikiLeaks," he said.

Several calls were made to Mr.Oshiomhole but both his phone numbers were unreachable. Further calls and text messages were made to Peter Okhiria, his spokesperson, but were also unreturned.

Read full story in today's NEXT On Sunday.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5681378-146/story.csp


--------------------------------------------------Leaked cable-------------------------------------------------

[ID:184936 Cable dated:2008-12-29T06:09:00] ====================================================
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000514
SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA
STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2018
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ECON, EAGR, ELAB, ENRG, NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: EDO'S NEW GOVERNOR SEEKS RADICAL CHANGE
REF: LAGOS 447
Classified By: Acting Consul General Helen C. Hudson, Reasons 1.4 (B,D)
1. (C) Summary: Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress (AC), who assumed the governorship of Edo State on November 12 following an Appeals Court ruling which voided the gubernatorial election results of 2007, told PolOffs in his offices in Benin City on December 17 that he intends to make radical changes to the way politics is done in Edo State. He provided a long list of priorities for his State including fiscal responsibility and procurement reform, education and employment, but stressed that competence and integrity were at the heart of good government, which is why he intends to appoint professionals rather than politicians to be commissioners of five key ministries and bring in accountants from the private sector to set up financial management systems. Success will largely depend on whether the Court of Appeals upholds the decision of the Election Tribunal awarding disputed seats in the State House of Assembly to the Action Congress (AC) rather than the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), thereby giving the AC a majority in the state legislature. Oshiomhole's style and commitment to good governance are a refreshing reminder that Nigeria possesses competent and honest leaders who, with sufficient popular support, are capable of bringing change to Nigeria. End Summary.
Volunteers Key to Success in Court
----------------------------------
2. (C) On December 17, Pol-Econ Chief and PolOff called on the newly installed governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, at his offices in Benin City to discuss his recent success before the Appeals Court and the challenges facing his administration. Oshiomhole told PolOffs that he was able to successfully challenge the decision of the Independent National Election Commission, which had declared the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Oserheimen Osunbor the winner of the 2007 gubernatorial elections, in the courts because of the help of unpaid volunteers. He noted he had roughly 2,000 volunteers, who had worked at 120 polling places, and seven graduate students, who had systematically gone through ballots, result sheets and voter registration records line-by-line to produce documentary evidence of fraud.
Oshiomhole told PolOffs that it proved impossible to use forensic evidence because of the poor quality of thumbprints and that claims of intimidation also
proved difficult to prove in a court of law, but documentary evidence, such as proof that the "Vice President" had voted four times, for example, proved decisive in the courts.
Osunbor Debts Totaled 10 Billion Naira (USD 77 million)
--------------------------------------------- ----------
3. (C) After roughly 18 months in power, the embattled PDP government left office on November 12, 2008 leaving behind debts of roughly 10 billion Naira (USD 77 million), the AC's Oshiomhole said. Oshiomhole claimed that the two previous PDP governments, which together held power for close to six years, had no proper government accounting or financial management systems in place. (Note: In addition, according to allegations in the press, former governor Osunbor stole one billion Naira (roughly USD 7.7 million) from the Edo State accounts in the less than 24 hours between the announcement of the Court of Appeals decision in favor of Oshiomhole and the latter being sworn in as governor the next day. End
Note.)
4. (C) As a result, Oshiomhole sees his very first task as establishing a baseline of available resources, and a catalogue of on-going obligations and projects. He plans to bring in accountants and controllers from the private sector to set up proper financial management for the state. He also noted that civil servants report "no problems" when asked to describe the state of affairs in their areas of competency, but when he brings all the players in a certain area together in one room he can rapidly identify inadequacies, problems, and tensions.
LAGOS 00000514 002 OF 003
Professionals not Politicians for Key Jobs
------------------------------------------
5. (C) Oshiomhole told PolOffs that "politicians have too many obligations to their supporters" and are more conerned with making enough money to contest the next election than in delivering services; professionals, in contrast, are concerned about getting a job done. Oshiomhole therefore plans to appoint non-politicians as commissioners to the ministries of finance, economic planning, agriculture, infrastructure, and education, which he described as key.
Contract Fraud is State's Biggest Problem
-----------------------------------------
6. (C) Oshiomhole said that his greatest challenge is not passing the right laws or creating institutions but filling posts with competent and honest people. He argued that the problem in Nigeria is "not the rules, but fraud." Financial resources, he said, need to be managed more efficiently.
Instead of delivering only a few kobo (cents) worth of value on every ten Naira spent, government should deliver eight Naira of value on every ten Naira spent, that is an 80 percent return on expenditure rather than less than 10 percent. Likewise, he said, there was no value in transparent bidding and contract
monitoring procedures unless the people responsible for awarding and monitoring contracts understand the technical aspects and fair prices of the purchased goods and services. Understanding the true price of goods and services will allow the state to avoid inflated contracts.
Education, Agriculture, Infrastructure Priorities
--------------------------------------------- ----
7. (C) Oshiomhole told PolOffs that education is the pre-requisite for all development because without skills workers cannot find work and without work people are driven to crime creating the insecurity which inhibits investment and so development. He pointed out that most Nigerians cannot afford private education and it was therefore necessary to improve public education. Currently, he said, there are often only two teachers in a school where there should be ten or twelve. Teachers also frequently have to teach all classes in the same classroom. This inevitably results in a high rate of failure, he said, and so young people grow up very angry.
8. (C) Another priority of the Oshiomhole government is agriculture because this is where the bulk of the population is employed. Currently, he said, farming in Edo state is very primitive. The farmers are dependent on the weather and have no mechanization. Because of the bad state of the roads, they cannot bring their products to market. If they sell their products near their homes, no one has money so prices are low. During the military era, Edo had a number of model commercial palm-oil plantations. (Note: Other interlocutors, notably Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the first civilian governor of Edo State, have told us they believe poverty could largely be eliminated in Edo State if every family produced the products of palm trees on a small scale in cottage industries. End Note.)
9. (C) Infrastructure development is likewise critical for development and employment, Oshiomhole said. He listed drainage to prevent flooding in the rainy season and the development of a mass transit system as two key components of infrastructure development. Electricity and potable water are others.
10. (C) Asked about press reports that claimed Oshiomhole had promised to create 10,000 new jobs in the next six months, Oshiomhole confirmed that he had made this promise. Asked where these 10,000 jobs would be created, Oshiomhole replied "there is so much to do" especially in education and infrastructure projects. Oshiomhole said that initially the state would pay workers to provide services, but at a later stage he believes citizens can be asked to pay for public services.
Fighting Crime with Employment
------------------------------
LAGOS 00000514 003 OF 003
11. (C) One of Oshiomhole's personal assistants and long time associate in the Nigerian Labor Congress, Eustace James, reported to PolOff on November 19 that
Oshiomhole wanted to create as many jobs as possible because he believes unemployment is the root cause of the crime in Nigeria.
According to James, Oshiomhole believes that providing people with jobs will end the vicious cycle of violent crime and economic stagnation, and plans to invest in the economy not in guns for the police.
AC Majority in State Legislature Critical
-----------------------------------------
12. (C) Oshiomhole's ability to fulfill any of his promises will depend in part on an AC majority in the State House of Assembly, where currently the PDP holds a majority and is thus in a position to thwart Oshiomhole's initiatives, according to James. However, the Election Tribunal ruled that four of fourteen mandates currently held by the PDP had been won by Oshiomhole's AC. As a result, control of the state legislature will pass to AC, if the Court of Appeals upholds the Electoral Tribunal's ruling as is expected in the first quarter of 2009.
13. (C) Comment: Oshiomhole faces immense challenges due to the budget situation left him by his predecessors combined with the huge needs of the state and the high expectations of
the electorate. Nevertheless, Oshiomhole's style and
commitment to good governance are a refreshing reminder that Nigeria possesses competent and honest leaders who with sufficient popular support are capable of bringing change to Nigeria. End Comment.
14. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja.
BLAIR

See video at -

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/al-jazeera-tv-profiles-saharareporters

Comments
12 comment(s)
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congrats!!!!!!

Submitted by Tunde Babs on March 6, 2011 - 00:53.
A big CONGRATULATIONS to SR.

You deserve this positive appraisal and accolades.

I am proud to say I have followed you since inception.

Sky is the begining for SR

reply
I Was Delighted

Submitted by Drudge (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 23:22.
I was extremely delighted to watch the positive documentary about Saharareporters.com on Al jazeera today. Saharareporters.com is one of the very few good things that have come out of the land of corruption in over 50 years of its existence. And you will remain the center of our struggle/fight against corruption.

reply
Congratulations Sahara

Submitted by Patrick Agbobu (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 23:18.
Congratulations Sahara Reporters and to all of us the contributors that have made Sahara Reporters the very great success it is today. Many more grease to your elbow and our elbows.

reply
Al-Jazeera is a hate channel

Submitted by Jameo (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 23:18.
I totally appreciate the role Sahara Reporters is playing in our national conscience even though I disagree with the editorial policy of campaigning against the President in favour of General Buhari. My advice to Sahara Reporters is please for whatever reason; do not associate yourself with the Arab Hate television channel Al – Jazeera. The editorial policy of Al – Jazeera is spreading hatred and division among people. Al – Jazeera lacks honesty and integrity. Remember, this was the channel that supposedly saw The Late President Yaadua feeding his birds at the Aso Rocks Presidential garden. We simply cannot afford to do anything with Al – Jazeera in Nigeria. We have no market for their hate message.

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Congratulations Guys

Submitted by AnonymousNigerian (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 23:14.
A million congratulations to you for what you have been able to do for Nigerians in such a short period of time. Only history will give you your well deserved recognition and place for your accomplishments. Some of us are very, very proud of you and your work. CONGRATULATIONS, once again. Keep up the good work. As you have heard so many times before I am sure, "It's a difficult job but someone's got to do it." Well, we cannot do it as well as you do but all the same we respect and appreciate your work.

reply
Whatever

Submitted by Chakadamos (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:58.
You guys don't seem genuine to me because you're biased in most of your write ups. Anyway, lets watch and see how long you will stand there.

reply
SHARAREPORTERS.COM

Submitted by ESANOGBOGUN (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:49.
SaharaReporters.com has gradually become the authentic media in Nigeria attracting millions of on line readers. With it's exclusive stories that the traditional Government media will never report, citizens now have access to what government will never want us to know.
Once you go online ans log on to saharareorters.com, you will be adequately and accurately informed about happenings in the country.Endemic corruption in high government circles, political and economic issues, just name it and log on to SaharaReporters.com .
Kudos to Wole Sowore and his team.

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Aljazeera partners with SR

Submitted by Bello Sule (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:47.
It is clear now that the Aljazeera TV network endorses all what SR publish,and even identifying the writers as professional journalists.But that contradicted what SR wrote last year that they are not necessarily trained journalists as sometime they write murderers captions or un verified stories.Example they recently wrote that Yobe state Governor Geidam is one of the targets of revolutionary northerners to terminate for his own role in voting for GEJ at the PDP primaries.Geidam has never ever holds PDP card as he is bonafide member of Anpp.Still no apology on that.

reply
SR - 10 THUMBS UP!

Submitted by SCS (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:45.
SR

You are doing an excellent job giving everyone equal opportunity to air their views without censorship or intimidation. Intimidation and censorship are consistently seen in other Nigerian web sites such as NVS and such. In all of these other websites, posters who challenge the accepted orthodoxy from KNOWN evil culture are censored or banned or both. BUT NOT at SR.

Free speech is pertinent if we desire democracy and progress. Truth harms no person, except thugs and criminally-minded rejects of civilized societies, and SR understands this.

If an opinion is misguided or false, the public needs to read it in order to shoot it down. Read Mill’s On Liberty to understand this simple truth.

The problem in these other websites is they do not want to hear the truths about their own criminal behaviors and backward mindset, so they retain only thugs and criminals who toe the line of their criminal culture and mindset back home in Nigeria.

As they say, people who do drug have fathers and children who do drug. People who love criminal behavior and injustice have websites and fathers and children and posters who participate in criminal behavior and injustice.

SR is our WikiLeaks - Nigerian WikiLeaks. When all is said and done, you will be rewarded by ALL truth-seeking, justice-loving, and progress-minded Nigerians and Africans.

Keep up the good work and do not allow your effective and efficient business model to be corrupted by KNOWN THUGS and KILLERS from Nigeria masquerading as “democrats” and “intellectuals”.

reply
Don't rest on your oars

Submitted by cecil stephens (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:42.
we know what you are about

reply
Congratulations

Submitted by johmill (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:40.
Congratulations on your recognition, Sahara Reporters. I have a question for you. Why is it that when I write about the true state of Nigeria, you choose not to publish it? I am angry some of my comments were deliberately not published.

reply
GREAT AKOKITE

Submitted by SANI MAMMAN (not verified) on March 5, 2011 - 22:39.
NOTHING DO YOU
NO DULLING,
GREAT SOWORE
YOUR NAME IS WRITTEN IN STONE,

YOU HAVE FANS YOU DONT EVEN OF,
CONTINUE THE HARDWORK,
RESIST THE CARROT, COS THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DANGLE IT!!

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Post A Comment

Fashola to begin implementation of second term agenda

By Segun Balogun

March 5, 2011 10:27PM

The governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, has promised to start implementing his second term agenda even before election, as a sign that his party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is committed to fulfilling its campaign promises.

"We will accelerate the implementation of the Lagos Mortgage Scheme and its implementation will start even before the elections. We have been working very hard on this," he told teeming party supporters who gathered at the Tafawa Balewa Square to witness the flag-off of his re-election campaign on Saturday.

Mr. Fashola said his party is a contrast of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), which according to the former governor of the state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is "always promising but never fulfilling."

"Four weeks to election, they have come with promises again. What were they doing for four years?" Mr Tinubu asked rhetorically. "It is now they know that the Murtala Mohammed Airport road is bad and they now want to fix it. They are offering you electoral carrot, but we have provided electoral dividends."

Reacting to comments made by the Acting Chairman of the PDP, Bello Mohammed, at the same venue last week, about PDP's love for Lagos State, Mr. Fashola said, "They claim to love Lagos but we have six million votes, yet we don't have a minister representing us in Abuja."

"You saw PDP's candidate during the [governorship] debate. He cannot manage a parastatal that sits in just one building, but he wants to manage the lives of 18 million people. For three years, he paid N150, 000 everyday for the rent of a generator," he said.

"This venue is a monument that honours a prominent Nigerian, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, but they sold it to their friends. They have sold so many properties in Ikoyi and Victoria Island to their friends but we will fight that case to a standstill."

Mr. Fashola promised to "complete the first light rail in West Africa, the Lagos-Badagary Expressway, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Lekki seaport and Airport."

South-West quest

Mr. Tinubu said the coming election is not just a Lagos affair but that of the South-West.

"Our opponents came here last week again saying they want to capture Lagos. This time around, the challenge is not just Lagos, but the entire South-West. PDP cannot capture anywhere in the Southwest, not to talk of Lagos," he said.

"PDP must not be allowed to win any election in South-west. PDP must lose their deposit in South-west. The entire 14 million votes in South-west must be delivered to ACN."

Mr. Tinubu said PDP's definition of democracy is "The government of the greedy, by the greedy, and for the greedy."

"We provided electricity to help the business community but they took it away to the national grid and illegally. They are deducting N250m every month from Lagos State's account, even after the court has ruled against it," he said.

Broom revolution

The ACN's presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu drummed support for up a "broom revolution."

"Broom revolution has come. We have seen it in Lagos. Lagos has proved to us that things can change in Nigeria. ACN has given the young generation of our men and women to participate in politics. We have its evidence in Lagos today. Lagos is now the bride of Nigeria today. We have seen the changes. We are taking the changes to Abuja," he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/5681517-146/fashola_to_begin_implementation_of_second.csp

FOI Bill: ‘Abba-Aji is ignorant, needs re-orientation’

By Bosede Olusola-Obasa

Saturday, 5 Mar 2011


Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji
Some Nigerian professionals on Thursday said that the comments credited to the President’s Special Adviser on the National Assembly, Senator Muhammed Abba-Aji, had exposed his need for re-orientation on the importance of the Freedom of Information Bill.


In the past one week, Abba-Aji has openly expressed his disdain for the piece of legislative document and his resolve to continue to stand against it.


Apart from revealing his role in the failure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to sign the bill into law in 2007, he has vowed that the current Senate will not come close to passing the bill and if it did, the President would not sign it.


But President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokeman, Mr. Ima Niboro, has dissociated his boss from Abba-Aji’s comments.


However, the senator’s public outbursts appear to be reverberating in the minds of Nigerians, who appreciate having an FOI law in place.


The Executive Director, International Press Centre, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, told SATURDAY PUNCH that the senator’s comments had shown that he was out of touch with reality.


He said that Abba-Aji lacked adequate exposure on the fact that every Nigerian was interested in the passage of the bill, which is far from being just a media law.


He said, “He needs to be reminded that this is not a media law. If he advises the President not to pass the bill, it will not make any sense because the Federal Government that employed him is signatory to the rights of access to information and human rights charter in Africa. It is like contradicting himself.


“If he has issues with any journalist, he should channel his grievance to the appropriate institutions set up to look into that. An example is the Ombudsman that was established by the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.”


Arogundade added that Abba-Aji’s comments should not be over-publicised or it would make him to be over-celebrated.


On the call for his sacking, he said that whether the senator kept his job or not was his personal business. “What is important is that the President has dissociated himself from his comments,” he said.


A public relations expert, Mr. Kabir Dangogo, said that Abba-Aji lacked the power to authorise or advise the President on such matters.


He noted that it would be great for the bill to be signed into law and called on the Senate and the President to make it happen during this dispensation.


He said, “I believe that the President will do the right thing by signing the bill into law when it is time, Abba-Aji’s comments notwithstanding.”


On his part, the Executive Director, Centre for Public Opinion and Media Research, Mr. Osaro Odemwingie, said that when he read the comments credited to Abba-Aji, he did not see it as unfortunate as most people did.


He said that rather than getting disappointed in the senator, he was thankful to identify him as one of those who still needed to be courted and helped to appreciate the law.


He said, “It is okay that he let out what was on his mind. If Obasanjo had been so blunt on his views about the bill, we probably would have, through advocacy and persuasion, made him to see things differently.


“Perhaps he would have signed the bill eventually. So, I call on everyone who has access to Abba-Aji to provide him with adequate information.”


Beyond Abba-Aji, Odemwingie said that his fear was whether the Senate would have enough political will to pass the bill.


He said that the version passed by the House of Representatives last week was preferable to the one with the Senate committee working on it.


“Thankfully, President Jonathan has promised to sign the bill whenever it is passed by the Senate and I hope the Senate does so in good time,” he said.


The House of Representatives last week passed the bill, which primarily seeks to make public records and information more freely available and accessible.


It provides a right of access to public information or record kept by governments, public institutions or private bodies carrying out public functions for Nigerians and non-Nigerians in whatever form an applicant wants it, as long as it does not affect the preservation or presentation of the information.

http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110305833984

Jonathan plots Buhari’s defeat in N’West

By Niyi Odebode and Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja

Saturday, 5 Mar 2011


President Goodluck Jonathan
Indications have emerged that President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party have begun moves to neutralise the strength of the Congress for Progressive Change presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, in the North-West ahead of the April presidential poll.


SATURDAY PUNCH investigations on Friday showed that the President and the party had intensified pressure on the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum and its chairman, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, to forget the past and embrace the quest of the President to retain his position till 2015.


Our correspondents gathered that the PDP reconciliation committee headed by the governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had started persuading the NPLF members to embark on an awareness campaign among the electorate in the North-West.


The investigation showed that the proposed campaign was meant to drum up support for Jonathan and his running mate, Vice-President Namadi Sambo.


It was gathered that the NPLF was had come to accept the candidacy of Jonathan and Sambo, but the group was insisting that its interest should be taken care of.


A top member of the PDP, who pleaded anonymity, said, “In spite of some hiccups, the NPLF and many powerful people from the zone will rather support Jonathan than back Buhari.”


Before the PDP presidential primaries, which was won by Jonathan, Saraki was a member of the pro-zoning group, comprising a former dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida; ex-Vp Atiku Abubakar and a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gussau, which insisted that the president must come from the North.


The group embarked on a long search for a northern consensus candidate for the PDP and eventually produced Abubakar, who was defeated by Jonathan at the primaries.


It was gathered that Ciroma had been told that Jonathan was not known to be a deceptive person and would not go back on his promise that he would not remain in power beyond 2015.


Further investigations showed that the Saraki committee had made a tremendous progress in its mission to ensure the reconciliation of all aggrieved members of the PDP.


The PDP NWC member said that Ciroma and the core members of the group had softened down on the issue of the presidency as shown by the presence of some core promoters of zoning in the Jonathan campaign team.


According to him, topical issues relating to appointments and how to integrate members of the group into the mainstream of the government were exhaustively discussed during deliberations with Saraki and the Ciroma group.


He said that the only seeming challenge before Saraki and his team was that Ciroma and his group “still finds it difficult to come out in the open to embrace Jonathan and to assume frontline position in the campaign.”


In a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Thursday, the Chairman of the Inter Party Relations Committee of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said that the Saraki committee was working assiduously everyday on the issue and was expected to address the nation presently.


He said that while it would not be right to make public the achievements of the committee, he was in no doubt that the group would come up with good results.


He said that the PDP would not underrate or underestimate any politician or party, and would ensure an intensified campaign at the grass roots to convince the voters to opt for Jonathan.


He, however, dismissed the claims that the massive turnout of people in Kaduna for the inauguration of Buhari’s presidential campaign was a source of worry to the PDP.


He said that it was a known fact in political campaigns that a massive turnout did not necessarily translate into voting strength in the election.


He recalled that the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, addressed some of the most massively attended rallies in Kano during the Second Republic, but recorded very low votes in the ancient city during the election.


He said, “The PDP is taking the issues affecting all groups very seriously. The chairman of the reconciliation committee appointed by the National Working Committee of the party (Dr. Bukola) Saraki, is moving and working everyday to solve this issue


“I can tell you that we have very high hopes that all differences would be resolved. I want to assure you that the Saraki committee would address members of the PDP and the nation on this issue.


“Let me tell you something I know about political rallies. We are not going to underestimate Buhari or anybody, but I know that rallies are not the exact representation of the voting strength of candidates.


“I know this because Chief Obafemi Awolowo addressed some of the largest rallies in Kano, but during the elections, he recorded low scores.”


Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas, said that Jonathan was expecting a high number of votes from the North-West and the South-West.


He said that the President’s visit to Ciroma was meant to send out a very strong message to Nigerians in accordance with his comment on September 18, 2010, when he declared for the presidency, that he had no enemies to fight and had no aversion for opposing political views.


“The concrete achievement is that dialogue is over and above acrimony and fighting. That is a powerful message that all Nigerians have to digest: That regardless of political disagreement, when the time comes for discussions to take place, that there have to be discussions and as I said, the discussions are on,” he said


In a telephone interview, the Chief Press Secretary to Saraki, Mr. Mohammed Garbadeen, said that all aggrieved members of the PDP would be brought on board the Jonathan train.


He said that the composition of the President’s campaign team was indicative of the fact that all aggrieved parties would be contacted and their issues addressed by the reconciliation committee.


A Special Assistant to Jonathan on Politics and a member of the Media Committee of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, said that the presence of Dr. Raymond Dokpesi and Kanti Bello, a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and others indicated that the reconciliation was on course.


Commenting on the large turnout of people at Buhari’s rally in Kaduna State, the home state of Sambo, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicty to the VP, Mallam Sani Umar, said that the PDP would win the state.


He stated that a party that did not have a councillor could not pose a threat to the ruling party.


He said, “We are not intimidated. What happened in Kaduna was a bazaar of defectors. It is not a test of Buhari’s popularity.”


But Buhari’s spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said that the CPC presidential candidate would win the April presidential election.


Reacting to PDP’s comment on Buhari’s rally, he said, “If the CPC, without a councillor in Kaduna, could shut down the city, where the PDP had a rally, and the VP addressed a scanty stadium, then they must be living in a dream world.”


Odumakin stated that with the large turnout of people at Buhari’s rallies in Kaduna and Minna, it was obvious that the PDP was “on its way out.”




Comments :
Mr president! what is important now is that you should try to attend the debate because failing to do so, you can come to power again unless through rigging. Know that your refusal means you have been defeated. If you know that you have good plan for this country come out there and defend yourself.
Posted by: Adams Abubashar , on Saturday, March 05, 2011

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If the NPLF cannot help Atiku win the primaries, how can it help Jonathan win the election. Even in Ciroma’s Yobe, it is the ANPP that holds sway, despite the socalled clout the NPLF thinks he has. The masses of the northwest believe that those who cannot assure them of sound education, functional hospitals, power etc, over which they have control, despite vandalising the excess crude account and foreign reserve, cannot assure them of fresh air, over which they can never have control.
Posted by: ismaeel , on Saturday, March 05, 2011

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does this selfish behavior of Bukola Saraki confirm his true identity of a mole? When he was trying childlishly to get the Concensus nomination he was accused of beign a leopard in a sheep skin, this attitude of sabortaging the North confirm his true color.
Posted by: Alhaji Sani Abdulrazaq , on Saturday, March 05, 2011

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http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103058191289

You shall not pass

By Ifedayo Adebayo

March 4, 2011 04:51AM

Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, got what may be a preview of what he will encounter during the April polls when his campaign convoy was held up yesterday by angry drivers along the Old Oyo-Ogbomoso road. The campaign buses of the governor, who was not in the convoy, were filled with politicians and plastered with party logos and posters of Mr. Alao-Akala. The convoy was headed to a campaign event when it came upon a traffic snarl along the road due to a broken-down tanker which blocked most of the road. Smaller cars could manoeuvre their way through but larger vehicles like trailers could not get past.

One of the drivers, Muhammadu Hadidu, who spoke to NEXT, said he had spent two days at the location, claiming that the broken-down tanker owner also owned his own vehicle and he could not leave the tanker and its driver behind.

"You can see us," he said. "How do we do? We are giving way to small vehicles to pass, if they can, but the road is so small and our own cannot pass." Mr. Hadidu said that he was waiting for a technician to come and fix the tanker.

The trailer drivers blamed the vehicle's breakdown on the bad road, which they held the governor responsible for. Mr. Alao-Akala's convoy tried to bypass the tanker but was stopped by other drivers. The convoy then tried to take a shortcut through a nearby village, but residents there did not allow it to pass. Members of the convoy pleaded to be allowed to pass, claiming that they were late for their event, and blamed the bad road on the heavy weight of the trailers. The last bus in the convoy, carrying musical instruments, tried to make a U-turn after sighting the stand-still traffic. Other drivers and villagers immediately blocked its progress.

After several hours, a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) vehicle also arrived at the scene, but the drivers booed their efforts to clear the traffic jam. Taiwo Alao, a villager at Oolo, a village between Ilora and Obada in the Oyo area, told NEXT that trailers breaking down was nothing new to residents of the area.

"Since I saw the accident, I know it must be a trailer," he said. "I am a retired railway staff. In those days, railway will come to Ebute Metta to pack all these things that trailers carry now. Government should do something."

A few youth were seen siphoning fuel from the broken-down tanker. Neither Mr. Alao-Akala's supporters nor the FRSC officers were willing to comment on the situation. At the time NEXT left the scene, the governor's supporters were still begging the drivers to allow them to pass.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681151-146/story.csp

I got tricked to attend Bode George reception, says Obasanjo

By Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji

March 4, 2011 05:22PM

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday revealed that he was tricked to attend the reception ceremony recently held in honour of Bode George who regained freedom after completing a two year jail term.

Mr Obasanjo made this known in an interview with newsmen while preparing for his 74 birthday anniversary at his Hilltop Private residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, scheduled to hold today (Saturday). He stressed that his attendance of the event was totally in error.

“You got it wrong again. I was not part of the celebration of Bode Goerge. He sent a passionate message to me from prison urging me to attend a family church thanksgiving and I believe that for whatever any family is giving thanks in the church or in the mosque and he invites me and I am able to go there, I will go there, whether it is for marriage, for burial, house warming or christening a child.” Mr Obasanjo said. “But when I got to the church, the atmosphere I found was more than a family affair. And I even took the opportunity to ask the state PDP Chairman that, ‘is this a PDP affair?’ And he told me it was not a PDP affair.

“Because I don’t see what PDP as a national party, as a party that is trying to form a government in Lagos State, as a party that formed government at the national level and in at least 27 states in the country, would be celebrating criminality because whatever we may say, the reason Bode went to prison should be condemned by everybody.

“And I have condemned it but he did not go to prison for political offence. If he had been sent to prison for political offence, then he comes back and all his political associates may get round him and PDP must do something noble and wholesome but in this case, PDP as a party must dissociate itself from celebrating criminality.

“When I asked the state chairman, he said ‘well, you know Area Boys, they do hijack these things.’ If it’s Area Boys, leave it to the Area Boys and not to PDP,” the party’s board of trustee chairman emphasised.

On the Federal Court judgement which pronounced Tunji Olurin as the party governorship candidate in Ogun State, Mr Obasanjo said: “Don’t forget that PDP is a family; there may be a little misunderstanding but we have to go to court for adjudication; the court adjudicates but as soon as possible, the family should come together and forge ahead.

“PDP nationally is a family; zonally is a family; state-wise it is a family; local government wise, it is a family; so the members in Ogun State should put behind them whatever might be their bone of contention.”

He said he had equally told Mr Olurin to extend his hand of fellowship to other people. “I have told him to set up a reconciliation committee. I am the Chairman of BOT of the PDP. As the Chairman of the BOT, I am supposed to be the conscience of the party. Whatever be the rift, I am supposed to find amicable settlement. I have done it in other states, why not in my state?” Mr Obasanjo explained.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681402-146/story.csp

Tinubu: Don’t Intimidate Us, ACN Tells Jonathan

FRIDAY, 04 MARCH 2011 02:22 KAZEEM AKINTUNDE, LAGOS

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to abide by his promise not to use the state apparatus to intimidate the opposition ahead of next month’s general elections, so that the elections can be free, fair and credible.

‘’It is instructive that the president was making his pledge during his campaign rally in Ondo State, a day after State Security Service (SSS) officials quizzed our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Abuja supposedly over his comments on the soap box,’’ the party said in a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

‘’What has Asiwaju said that President Jonathan has not said more of? Who introduced incendiary rhetoric into the campaign by abusing a whole people and tagging their leaders as rascals? If that characterisation was not considered inciting, why should Asiwaju’s reactions and comments on the campaign trail be a reason to summon him to Abuja for questioning?

‘’When this development, which is a flagrant abuse of office, is placed against the background of the harassment of the governorship candidate of the CPC in Nasarawa, after the reported stoning of the President’s convoy in Lafia, one begins to see a pattern of orchestrated intimidation of the opposition, that flies in the face of the assurances by the President,’’ ACN said.

The party warned that today’s Nigeria will not be a platform for such a primitive persecution of the political opposition, saying Nigerians are determined that next month’s elections will not only be free and fair, but that the processes leading to the polls must also be transparent.

It said the summoning of Asiwaju to Abuja by the SSS was just the latest in a well-choreographed acts of intimidation that would have flapped lesser mortals.

‘’Threats of arrest and prosecution over some phantom foreign accounts that Asiwaju supposedly operated when he was governor have been thrown out there in the media, with the hope of distracting a man whose courage and determination have once again gingered the progressive camp into action to save the country from the big-for-nothing ruling party.”

When that seems not have worked, the game plan has now been stepped up a notch by sending the SSS after him. Who knows what this government will do next?’’ ACN queried.

The party said there is no doubt that the rising profile of the ACN is sending jitters into the camp of the PDP, but warned that true power belongs to the people, irrespective of the antics of those who find themselves in power today.

‘’Our party’s profile is rising because our message of hope is resonating with Nigerians. Our rallies are attracting huge crowds because the people believe in us. That explains why many of our leaders, including Asiwaju, had to ride Okadas to the venue of our rally in Ibadan, when the packed venue became inaccessible. We did not need armoured tanks because the people protected us.

‘’If the PDP rallies are floundering, if their crowds are thinning, as was witnessed in Lagos and elsewhere, if they are being pelted with stones in Lafia, and they are leaving trails of sorrow, tears and blood in Port Harcourt, they should blame no one but themselves.

The people are simply fed up with empty promises by a party that has frittered away billions of dollars in earnings in the past 12 years.

‘’No amount of fanciful newspaper or television advertisements can hoodwink a people whose eyes have become wide open by recent events around the world. No good advert can sell a bad product. If their campaign is wobbling, let them go and shore it up. Hounding the opposition can only breed chaos,’’ ACN said.

The party appealed to its supporters, many of whom have expressed outrage at the glaring partisanship of the SSS, to continue to be peaceful before, during and after the elections, even as they must not relent in their mobilization of Nigerians to vote massively for the ACN.

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26392:tinubu-dont-intimidate-us-acn-tells-jonathan&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=101

Kidnap: Victim collapses, dies after N10m ransom

Friday, 04 March 2011 00:00 .

Mr Chukwudi Onwu, who was kidnapped alongside three other executive members of the Amaigbo Town Union, reportedly died yesterday shortly after their release by their captors.

They were abducted on February 19, during a meeting of the union at Amaigbo, headquarters of Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State.

They were reportedly released in the early hours of yesterday after the community had paid more than N10 million ransom to the kidnappers. The joy of the people was however cut short when Onwu “collapsed and died” as some elders of the community arrived to collect the freed victims.

“They have been released but Onwu collapsed and died as he was being collected,” said a relation of the deceased. The source further said that Onwu’s remains had been deposited in a mortuary.

Other executives abducted with Onwu, who was the 2nd vice president, included the President-General, Mr Kenneth Eso, the 1st Vice President, retired Maj. Dan Azubuike and the Treasurer, Mr Okey Anyiam.

The abductors initially demanded N200 million ransom, while the community offered to pay N10 million.

When contacted, the spokesman of the state police command, Mr Linus Nwaiwu, said that he had yet to be briefed. (NAN)

http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13389:kidnap-victim-collapses-dies-after-n10m-ransom&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

Presidential debate: Ribadu challenges Jonathan

Written by Adewale Ajayi, Lagos

Friday, 04 March 2011

THE presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to be bold enough to come for the forthcoming presidential debate.

According to Ribadu’s head of campaign organisation, Alhaji Ibrahim Modibbo, since 1999, PDP presidential candidates had been shying away from debates because they had nothing to offer and that the present state of the nation was a clear testimony to the fact that the party had no meaningful agenda for the nation.

He explained that not withstanding the fact that the price of crude oil had been selling well above the bench mark price, the PDP controlled government had not been able to address the critical issues of power and poverty.

The ACN standard bearer said President Jonathan is well educated and he should be bold enough to face Nigerians and tell them the plans he has for the nation and how he intends to implement such plans.
He noted that gone were the days when politicians would mount the soap box to make empty promises and eventually leave the country in a worse state than they met it.

Mallam Ribadu said as a presidential candidate, he has well articulated and well thought out plans that he was ready to defend before Nigerians.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/18419-presidential-debate-ribadu-challenges-jonathan

Abati: Of Bode George, crime and punishment

FRIDAY, 04 MARCH 2011 00:00 BY REUBEN ABATI OPINION - COLUMNISTS



“HAVE you gone to visit the Mandela of our land?”

“Who? The Madiba is around?”

“Who is talking about Nelson Mandela? I mean, Oga Bode, the atona oodua, PDP chieftain, former Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority, La-go-s Bo-y?”

“Ex-convict plenipotentiary and extraordinary, graduate of Kirikiri maximum”

“Be careful. Don’t talk like that. You say he is an ex-convict but the day he came out of prison, every important man in his party came to worship with him in the House of God. Have you not heard his supporters saying he is the Mandela of Nigeria and that he is also the Obafemi Awolowo of the 21st century.”

“I heard all that nonsense. Pure blasphemy; an intelligent person should be able to spot the differences. The Mandela Foundation and the Awolowo Foundation should put out disclaimers.”

“Mandela went to prison and returned, Awolowo was also jailed, and when he came back his supporters hailed and celebrated him. Like Mandela and Awolowo, Bode George came back from prison and was received by a tumultuous crowd wearing aso ebi. It was all on live television.”

“The more reason the foolishness of the Bode George welcome party should be exposed. Mandela and Awolowo were prisoners of conscience. Bode George was jailed for corruption. Mandela and Awolowo went to jail because of their principled opposition to tyranny. For abusing public funds, Bode George was found guilty of sabotaging the people’s interest.”

“Which people? Are they not the same people who went to Kirikiri to escort him out of prison, all clad in aso ebi, white, blue and lemon T-shirts bearing the man’s image, they arrived at the prison gates by 6 am; with posters bearing the inscription: “George, Joseph of our time”.

“A rented crowd if you ask me. Given the level of poverty in Nigeria, people can be hired to do anything, including weeping for a fee at a stranger’s funeral, standing in as a parent at a wedding, or filling a vacuum as a husband services provider, anything is possible in Nigeria these days, and it has to do with the level of moral degeneracy. We have lost it. There is no country.”

“Oh come on, there is a country, be careful, you can be charged for treason. But are you trying to suggest that Obasanjo was also rented and the PDP Governors and the Minister of Defence who represented the President at the occasion?”

“I think it is a shame that Obasanjo had to travel from Abeokuta to come and dance with Bode George in Lagos. I thought Obasanjo was the chief campaigner against corruption in the land. President Goodluck Jonathan promised that his administration will sustain the war against corruption. But he sent a representative to receive Bode George. On Tuesday, the man was in the VIP stand at the President’s campaign rally in Lagos. Had it not been that people raised a storm over the singing and dancing over Bode George’s return, the man would have been asked to make a speech at that rally. Our leaders are hypocrites. And I worry about the kind of message we are sending to the youths of this country.”

“”The young people will understand.”

“Understand what? That it pays to steal public funds, and gain a hero’s welcome? You know even the newspapers have been part of this moral crisis. They have been granting space to Bode George, with him boasting that he will reposition his mind and serve his party normally, and that the PDP is going to cause a “tsunami” in Lagos “so that other parties will get the jitters”. If he wants to reposition his mind away from the crime that took him to prison fine, but if he wants to cause a tsunami, then he apparently has not learnt any lesson from his punishment.”

“I recall the priest at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, told him to go and sin no more. In his sermon titled “A Minister and a witness”, Ven. Tayo Aduloju told Bode George: “if you are involved in any shady deal, if you are found anywhere elections are rigged, and partake in any form of manipulation, it means you have not learnt anything from your experience. Real power belongs to God…As from today, you are expected to represent Christ. You are an ambassador of Christ. Never again will the name of God be soiled through you.”

“Apparently Bode George was not listening. And I guess nobody in the church listened to that sermon. The celebrant of the day went straight from the church to address journalists at his Ikoyi residence and he told them he will lead his party in Lagos to cause a tsunami. That is Aduloju’s Ambassador of Christ!”

“You know oftentimes, these churches are part of the problem. Do you know whether the church was paid for the use of its premises? If you paid for the use of a church, you can afford to ignore the sermon.”

“I don’t believe that. It is the duty of the church to save lost souls and rehabilitate sinners.”

“I hear you. Didn’t the Cathedral Church of Christ collect offerings from Bode George and his rich guests? Don’t be surprised if one of these days, the man buys a brand new vehicle for the church to show his appreciation.”

“I am willing to give the Cathedral, the Minister and the witness, the benefit of the doubt. The whole idea of imprisonment is not to destroy but to reform and re-integrate into society.”

“Well, that homecoming party for Bode George wasn’t a case of rehabilitation. It was sheer hypocrisy. Have you not heard some of his friends mouthing the nonsense that he was not found guilty of corruption but that he went to jail for helping his friends with public resources. Who has ever heard of anything so silly? It beats me hollow to think that there are people in this country who may in fact be planning dinner parties for Bode George.”

“With the hue and cry over his welcome party, nobody will try that.”

“Suppose they do. The man I pity in all of this, is the judge who convicted Bode George and five others; Justice Bunmi Oyewole. If it were in another country, he would have left town. He has just been told by Bode George and his friends that he did wrong. More pitiful is the use of the paraphernalia of state authority to serenade Bode George. And yet if that man has to fill any form tomorrow, he will have to fill that embarrassing portion that says: have you ever been convicted for an offence?”

“He will answer yes and no. But in any case, it doesn’t matter, I understand that one of these days, the President will grant him and the others state pardon. And he can keep his national honour too.”

“The five others? Did they also organize parties wherever they are?”

“You know, once upon a time in this same country, if a man goes to jail, when he is released, he will not dare show his face in public again. He may relocate to another town and change his identity. But these days, when people return from prison, even for something as shameful as this one, they stage a song and a dance. It is the ultimate contempt for the state.”

“I hear warders at Kirikiri are unhappy. Something has gone wrong with our prison system. I gather that when warders have a Very Important Prisoner in their care, they are excited. They know the VIP will be generous to them, and his guests even more. Do you have any proof that Bode George ever wore a prison uniform?”

“I read that he was holding court in prison. And he never tasted prison food. Even the warders gathered to send him forth. His exit for them is actually a loss of revenue and patronage.”

“Disgraceful”.

“But really that should not shock you. There is one Reverend King who is on death row, I hear he lives like a king behind bars. Recently, his birthday was openly celebrated by his followers and church members. There was this man who was found with fresh human skulls, around Oshodi, Clifford Orji; who has ever heard about him again? He probably left prison and returned to normal life. Don’t be surprised that Al Mustapha and co will also one day be released and they too will stage a carnival like Bode George’s. There was also one 419 fellow who was in prison for about two years and during the period his wife gave birth to a baby, who looked like his carbon image. Made from prison! It makes me lose faith in the country.”

“We live in a country where only the man who gets caught is considered a thief, and if you play ball, you won’t get caught. And if you get caught, and you are big enough, you can escape the long arms of the law. Come to think of it, if I may play the Devil’s advocate though, I mean let’s give the Devil its due, Bode George is still a lot better than other big men who were convicted in recent times. He served his jail term like a proud soldier. He didn’t opt for plea bargain like some people. He didn’t proclaim an emergency sickness that will require him to serve his term in a five-star hospital. I mean, even among prisoners, there are men of honour.”

“I can’t claim to understand your drivel”.

“I am trying to reposition my mind, like Bode George’s. Look at it this way, some of the people who are even condemning him are hypocrites. Do they know who amongst them will also one day end up in Kirikiri?”

“That’s non-sequitur.”

“Your wahala. Let’s find something else to talk about jare. We are here belly-aching while Bode George is probably at home holding court and planning the “tsunami” of 2011 polls. And certainly there will be a budget for that too, and you and I are not his friends.”

“Another N100 billion?”

“Or more. And soon of course, there will be a book on his travails: Bode George: From Prison to Glory; and a Yoruba movie: “Ipadabo Atona Oodua” (The Return of the Oodua Pathfinder).”

“When a people make a mockery of their own justice administration system, they encourage impunity to fester.”

“Hey. Ha be-erh- gi. You are beginning to sound like that priest at the Cathedral, and the judge who jailed George.”

http://guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40457:abati-of-bode-george-crime-and-punishment&catid=38:columnists&Itemid=615

Orji storms out of guber debate

NewsMar 4, 2011

By Anayo Okoli

ABIA State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, yesterday, stormed out of a political forum organized for governorship candidates in the state by the Catholic Church in Umuahia. The governor said the environment was hostile to him.
Organized by The Justice, Development and Peace Commission, JPDC, in collaboration with Kolping Society, all groups in the Catholic Church, to enable the governorship candidates sell their programmes to the voting public. It was held at the conference Hall of Mater Dei, headquarters of Umuahia Catholic Diocese.
The debate was attended by six governorship candidates, including the governor, representing the PDP, Prince Paul Ikonne of Action Congress, Reverend Obioma Onyeaghala, Community Party of Nigeria, Comrade Chris Akomas of PPA, Chief Stanley Ohajuruka of Labour Party and Emenike Owanta of the Democratic Front for Peoples Federation, DFPF. The Congress for Positive Change candidate, Chief Ako Atulomah, sent in a representative.
Governor Orji arrived to see a hall filled to the brim and which was somehow cold to him, even as he was waving hands to the audience.
When he was given the opportunity to address the audience, Orji observed that he was not well informed about the programme.
According to him,he thought he was coming to talk to the people on a level playing ground only to discover that he was in an hostile environment.
Specifically, Orji was provoked to the level of abandoning the debate forum when he was booed by a section of the audience immediately he was introduced by the master of ceremony, an action he complained bitterly against.
The governor alleged that the audience was not neutral and also alleged that the hall was populated by his opponents, particularly, members of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, and as such, he could not address the gathering. He then dropped the microphone and left with his convoy and supporters and went to Aba for another programme.
All pleadings by the Bishop and other clergy did not make the governor to change his mind. He therefore concluded that the venue was not conducive for him to participate in the debate as according to him, there was no level playing ground for all candidates and if it the debate must go on the organisers should pick a neutral place.
“When I got the invitation I was told that I will be coming to talk to voters in the state.I have now noticed that this hall is filled with members of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) and I should not be seen talking to them”, the governor said and dropped the microphone and left.
Not happy with governor’s action, despite their persuasion for him to stay, the organizers insisted that the debate went ahead.
Reacting to the development, Labour Party Governorship candidate, Ohajuruka, said it was embarrassing for the audience to boo the governor. “He is still our governor and we should all accord of the respects that were due to him. I condemn it.”
Akomas on his part said it was unfortunate that the governor did not sit through the forum, adding that he would have loved to listen to his manifesto.
“When he came in, I stood up for him because he is my governor and my elder. I was looking forward to listening to his manifesto. Unfortunately, he did not even present his manifesto to Abians seated in the hall before leaving”.
Asked what he would tell the governor because of the way he abandoned the forum, the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, His Lordship, Dr Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, said he was still thinking of what he would tell the governor.
He said the forum was an enlightenment programme aimed at sensitising the public on the manifestoes of those seeking their votes and for the candidates to convince the electorate why they should cast votes for them during the April polls.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/orji-storms-out-of-guber-debate/

Akwa-Ibom ‘Child Witches’: More Knocks For Akpabio’s Administration As Clampdown Of Activists Continues

Posted: March 3, 2011 - 19:37

By SaharaReporters, New York
Embarrassing moments have continued at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Child Witchcraft Accusations set up by Governor Godswill Akpabio in November 2010 to probe the child witch syndrome in the state.

Mr. Ekemini Udo, a witness who appeared before the Commission on Thursday, lamented the failure of the Ministry of Women Affairs in its handling of the abandoned children in its custody, and called for the establishment of a commission instead.

He said that the number of children in the custody of the ministry currently put at 178 was grossly understated, given the thousands of children currently roaming the streets in the state.

Udo was appearing to testify on the contents of a Memorandum he submitted to the panel. He argued that rather than clamp down on privately run shelters and orphanages in the state, the Akwa Ibom Government should close ranks and end the face-off in the overall interest of the children in Akwa Ibom state.

It will be recalled that, as reported by SaharaReporters last week, Mrs Eunice Thomas, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare addressed a press conference in a desperate face-saving measure on the panel’s chiding of her Ministry with regard to the welfare of abandoned children.

The Panel had criticized the carefree attitude of Ministry staff which has led to the escape of children from the government run shelter thrice in the recent past.

The comments of the panel irked Mrs Thomas, who has reportedly been running the affairs of the ministry as if it were her personal estate.

While the three Directors responsible for Child Welfare, Social Welfare and Vulnerable Children had testified under oath told the Panel in public that there was no specific budget for the abandoned children in their custody, Mrs Thomas, without the benefit of relevant evidence, accused ‘unregistered’ orphanages of ‘attacking’ the ministry.

At the press conference attended largely by docile ‘yes men’ Akwa Ibom correspondents, the Commissioner claimed that there was a quarterly budget of N10 million for children in the state, including 178 in the three shelters run by the ministry.

Curiously, the reporters did not ask why the three directors, who are supposed to be implementers of government policy on child welfare, were ignorant of the said budget.

The Commissioner reportedly announced that her Ministry had concluded plans to shut down the ‘unregistered care givers’ whom she accused of soliciting donations from foreign donors for selfish ends.

Governor Akpabio had last year threatened that ‘heads will roll’ when he reacted to a CNN report on the child witch syndrome and accused child rights activists in the state of fraud.

The re-echoing of Akpabio’s earlier threat however was seen by observers as a confirmation of the government’s agenda in setting up the six member judicial panel to arrive at a pre-determined recommendation.

The panelists, according to SaharaReporters sources, have frowned at the resort to a press conference by the Commissioner to discredit the opinion of the panel on her ministry’s performance. As a result, a witness summons has been issued on the commissioner to appear before the panel on 9th March, 2011.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/akwa-ibom-%E2%80%98child-witches%E2%80%99-more-knocks-akpabio%E2%80%99s-administration-clampdown-activists-continu

‘Provide strategic solutions'

By Segun Balogun

March 4, 2011 07:42AM


Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, on Thursday, said Nigerian politicians seeking elective offices have to change their campaign strategies, in the interest of the country's progress.

During an exclusive interview with NEXT, Mr Fashola, reacting to the governorship debate in which he participated along four other gubernatorial candidates, said "it would seem that none of the candidates have spoken to the issues that concern Lagosians." "What they were concerned about was to criticise what we have done," he said. "At that kind of forum where the debate was intended to inform and enlighten the public, they didn't bring the discussions that I was expecting. I wanted to learn from them if there are better ways of doing what we are doing. For me, this is not a time to criticise. Complaining that we didn't do it well is not the answer. The citizens want to know how you will do it better. There was a question, for example, that ‘what will you do to improve education system' and the answer that came was ‘I know what to do',"

Performance analysis

When asked to assess his achievement regarding the goals he set for himself on assumption of office, Mr Fashola said he has performed beyond his target, if the promises he made are considered within the context of the four-year time frame the prevailing economic environment during those four years. "I think that we have delivered more than we promised," he said. "If you read my inaugural address and the terms of the document I issued then as my contract with Lagos, I think we have delivered more than we promised," he said. "But to me, that delivery was situated within the context of a time frame and an economic environment. So if we have had more money, there are things we would have loved to do and progressed more quickly."

Answering the critics

The governor also responded to some allegations against his administration, especially the cost of road construction, the funding of election in other South Western states, taxation, and ownership of the Alpha Beta Company. "It cannot be correct," he said, responding to the allegations that to construct one kilometre of road in the state costs N1bn. "Some of our opponents who made these allegations use some of the contractors that we use," he said.

"They execute projects in a different terrain from ours and our prices are still lower than theirs. To build away from the coast is cheaper than building close to the coast. When you build close to the coast, seventy percent of your cost goes into drainage that is concrete and iron rod. There is a highway being built in Abuja towards the airport. I am building the Lagos-Badagary expressway right in the midst of marshland. The drainage we are sinking there is almost three feet deep and three feet wide. There is no such drainage on the Abuja highway. The materials they are using are right on site, we have to go to the sea to take filling materials."

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reader comments (9)



Posted by Akinyode on Mar 04 2011
Gov Fashola is not a politician but a renown technocrat, he is full of ideas, ride on BRF


Posted by wonderman on Mar 04 2011
sometimes i always wonder whether we dont deserve the kind of leadership we have. In fact i think we are all corrupt because we kept voting for corrupt PDP politicians, who rather than engage us on issues that affect us come to the public to abuse their opponents.


Posted by okechukwu on Mar 04 2011
Fashola, the Lord is with you because He chose you from the world to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last. Like you said you have surpassed your target and we believe in you and we are confident that in the next four Lagos State will be the BEST state in Nigeria. Weldone!!!!


Posted by tunde thomas on Mar 04 2011
I commend Gov. Fashola's performance at the governorship debate. He answered questions intelligently and presented facts that were verifiable. The other candidates simply proved that they had no plans and nothing to offer Lagosians

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5681328-146/story.csp