₦airaland Forum

Putin is obviously not a model democrat, yes he was a former KGB agent who is capable of doing anything to retain his authority

he will leave a better economy than he met it (regardless of what oil market forces you attribute this to), at least there are those who inherited the most vibrant economy in the world but will leave it in a mess, with House Prices skyrocketing, Bank and insurance companies failing, and energy bills skyrocketing because of their miscalculated war in the middle east.

Putin may have murdered or imprisoned one or two persons who he considered a threat to his office, but their are those who have murdered a generation based on false intelligence and propelled by their insatiable thirst for oil.

Putin will leave a better Foreign Image of Russia than he met it, his country is now taken more seriously in the scheme of things in the committee of Nations. There are those who inherited the once World police, the pacesetters, but will leave a country with a battered image not taken too seriously as was the case anymore.

Russians right now feel very good being Russians regardless of how the West wants to look at Putin, who knows a better definition of a Successful Leader?

Those who adore a failed leader merely because he is the US President, have no business lecturing us on who makes a great leader.

I love u so much Bigb1

Big B1:
The difference between Abacha and Putin is not that much.

Though we don't agree most of the times I do believe you are intelligent, but the above post is far from being intelligent

Do not define Putin from an American or CNN point of view

Afam:
@Mckren,

It is not the job of the EFCC to hand down sentences or to specify the number of years anyone should serve.

Their job is to investigate and prosecute and they have been doing their own part of the job.

I am obviously not holding EFCC responsible for these inconsistencies.

Just saying stealing, fraud, money laundery should get relatively fair court verdicts regardless of who is involved.

@ADint

LOL thats a new dimension that am not aware off, is that really what happened??

Interesting.

Please what notes were they trying to clean is it Nigerian currency?

It will be funny if a matter that has to do with Nigeria's National security was handled like this.

Another issue here is while Ade Bendel would have defrauded one individual, politicians defraud the masses.

The likes of Alams and Tafa Balogun would have had inflated projects which they would present as smoke screen in other to have funds to divert that in itself is deception and thus an Advanced Fee Fraud.

Then the art of secretely diverting the money to private accounts is Money Laundering, so this people should be recieving a combination of the Punishment for Advanced Fee Fraud and Money Laundering.

Yet Alams receieved a customized senetnce that saw him leave jail withing 24hrs.

Balogun sentenced to 6 Months

While Ade Bendel recieves 6years

Is there one law for public office holders and then another for everyone else?

@Buluti

This whole thing is a bit confusing

Obviously the art of transfering public funds to private accounts is in itself Money Laundering

But take Ayo Fayose for example who set up State Poultry Projects merely as a conduit pipe for state funds, is it wrong to classify that as advance fee fraud? Well the above sounds like deception which is the dictionary definition of Fraud.

So buluti if as you suggested there are different penal codes for Money Laundering and Advanced fee fraud, should Fayose if found guilty recieve a synergy of both or should he have a soft landing because he has political followers??.

Or Should the likes of Ade Bendel appear in court with their supporters so as to get a relatively fair sentence??

babasin:
whats inconsistent here?

LOL what a quick reply, well see my questions above

Now my question is where is the Justice in jailing this guy for 6yrs when those who defrauded their State of billions of Naira over a peiod of years are going home with 6months sentence, or even 24hrs (Alams).

Its either the 6months given to politicians is used as reference point such that people like Ade Bendel will recieve only 2weeks sentence or we make the Penalties given to politicians stiffer in line with those of everyone else.

Should their be one law for politicians and another for everyone else??.

Is this inconsistency not devoid of Justice.

Lets hear your thoughts on this.

Advance Fee Fraud: Ade Bendel Bags 6yrs Jail Term
By Davidson Iriekpen, 12.19.2007

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An Ikeja High Court has sentenced an Advance Fee Fraud (419) kingpin, Adedeji Alumile (a.k.a Ade Bendel), to six years imprisonment for defrauding an Egyptian General, Abdel Azim Attia of over $500,000 (N65million) in 2003.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Mufutau Olokooba, described the accused person's action as an international embarrassment to the nation, adding that not giving him a full weight of the law would be inappropriate.
He was also ordered to refund US$500,000 that he defrauded the complainant.
"The offence is an international embarrassment to the nation and the courts do have no mercy for such offence. To serve as deterrent to present generation and upcoming generation.
Not giving the accused a full weight of the law is inappropriate, I hereby sentence the accused to six years in imprisonment on one charge," he said.
He had, however, almost completed the sentence, having being in detention since 2003.
Earlier in his allocutus, counsel to the accused, Mr Olalekan Ojo, said "I want to state the following fact: the accused person was a first time offender. A young man of 41years, with a wife and children.
The accused made full restitution and paid $200,000 to the complainant through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It is important that the accused is given full rehabilitation. The offence for which he was found guilty has a maximum sentence of seven years."
Ade Bendel was arrested and arraigned by EFCC and charged alongside one Chief Olafemi Ayeni in 2003, claiming to be the owner of World-wide Company in charge of American currencies.
The accused with one Olafemi Ayeni, upon going to the office of the complainant, told him he wanted to buy some chemicals that would be used to clean security covers from the notes in boxes, for which the complainant parted with the sum.
He later found out that the organisation was fake, and the so-called chemicals only existed in the imagination of the swindlers.
Attia, who was in court when the accused person was convicted was, however, full of praises for the EFCC and the court for the judgment.


http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

of course Zuma's personality is an issue, I did not for one day wish that he won because he is just a tout

I am only happy that inspite of Mbeki's open opposition to his candidacy he still conducted a free and fair election and accepted the result because the South African people have spoken. Democracy includes accepting the wish of the people even if it is against your wish.

Lets face it, we are very very backward

Can any Nigerian leader gracefully loose election to his arc rival

Big B1:
FYI: I've been invited several times by Debosky, but I refused. I prefer the northern folks for now.

Well was not inviting you to a Southern club, only asking you to stand for justice

Ibori may be granted bail in January, but probably he needs to make a proper application not the oral application he made. After which he will now be needed to meet bail terms not going to induce a bunch of idle boys who call themselves Camorra Gomora

You can be a fourth if only you will always stand for Justice

LOL Onitsha boys club

It is interesting how you ignored the Judges verdict and preferred to comment on the opinion of a public affairs analyst.

Note: I do not support corruption but consistent application of rule of law and justice

If that means anything anything to you you will not place priority on the opinion of public affairs analyst over that of a high court Judge.

Jolly Nyame: No Hiding Place



By Victor Ugborgu Snr. Correspondent, Lagos 
Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00
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Former governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame is not a happy man. His unhappiness stems from the fact that after eight years of what he termed "meritorious service" to his people, he is facing charges of corrupt enrichment. He is specifically accused of siphoning public funds to the tune of N1.6 billion. He is currently standing trial before an Abuja High Court. Not only that, Nyame’s disposition as a clergy is in doubt. He has to convince Nigerians that he is a true man of God. Many observers see it as a very big task. It is also giving him a nightmare.

And to worsen the matter, his application to stop his trial in Abuja was turned down last week by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Abuja High Court. Nyame had asked the court to stop his trial for lack of jurisdiction since the alleged offence would have been committed in Taraba State, not in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. The former governor argued that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), lacked the power to prosecute him over the alleged missing billions, because the money belonged to Taraba State, not the federal Government. When the case came up on July 13, he also argued that no ***prima facie*** case has been established against him and therefore wanted the court to quash the 41 charges preferred against him. He was also of the opinion that his trial should take place in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, since the alleged crime was committed there. This was not so.

[b]In his ruling on November 20, Banjoko says the Federal Attorney General of the Federation is empowered by law to institute criminal charges against anyone at any court in the country. "It is not the duty of the accused person to determine where he would be tried. Facts before the Court clearly revealed that offences have been committed and statements of witnesses linked the accused to the offences.

The claim that the money belongs to Taraba State Government, and not the Federal Government is baseless. The issue of ownership does not arise now, the claim that the Federal Government’s rights have not been breached is also baseless", Banjoko ruled. On Nyame’s argument that the charge against him was defective due to the absence of proof of evidence, Banjoko observed that ‘the bundle of evidence before the court, the statement of the accused person, statements of witnesses, photocopies of cheques are enough proof of evidence’. Banjoko said the court had jurisdiction to try the former governor.[/b]

Public affairs analysts believe that Nyame jeopardised his case when he promised the EFCC that he was ready to refund all the money he illegally acquired while in office. Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacob said the commission was determined to recover all the looted funds traced to the former governor. "Steps are being taken to make Nyame return money he allegedly stole while in office. The move is necessitated by Nyame’s promise in his statement to the commission to refund every kobo he illegally acquired. Part of the alleged offence was committed in Abuja, which gave the court the power to try him", he explained.

Apparently faced with the reality of the case, Nyame’s counsel, Emmanuel Toro last week applied to withdraw his earlier objection to his being tried in Abuja to enable him file fresh motion. But the question on the lips of Nigerians is: will Nyame ever wriggle out of the problem with his integrity intact?

Born on December 25, 1955 at Zing community in the present day Taraba State, Nyame schooled at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, Bukuru, Jos. He was also educated at the University of Jos, Plateau State. He was governor of Taraba State between 1992 and 1993 during the botched third republic. In 1998, he was elected a Senator, but was not sworn in following the sudden death of General Sani Abacha. He became governor between 1999 and 2007.

http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=137&a=6177

babasin:
thinking aloud, what is he doing in Kaduna

the crime was committed against 'delta people'

at the worst he would be tried in Abuja and at best in Delta. But surely not Kaduna.

Master rule of Law, Jolly Nyame of Taraba came up with this same argument and the court threw it out.

Need I remind you the implication of presenting an argument that has a subsiting court verdict against it.

Exactly let others learn from him and Delta and Nigeria as a whole will be better for it.

Source please!!!!!!!

This is interesting news if true, let the Camorra Gomora do their worst

I have always known that if he does not file his bail application properly nobody will grant him bail.

Sometimes I rather not get involved in threads like this cos of the irrationality people display here

The last time I checked EFCC does not and has not charged anybody because the State in which they hold sway is not beautiful. So the talk of Delta or Asaba being transformed from Darfur to New York City between 1999-2008 does not hold water

Some of the allegation against Ibori include the fact that funds budgeted for Education and Engineering Projects were directly wired through banks to private interests abroad, That is Money Laundary and Fraud. It does not matter whether Delta is as beautiful as London.
He has to answer his case and defend that he has done no wrong at the court, that is simply how any civilized society works.

I heard a couple of boys who call themselves Camorra Gomora are threatening to disrupt peace if he is not released, well if that is the basis of peace in Nigeria then that peace is not worth having as that is the height of lawlessness.
I guess those boys are simply watching too many Mafia movies, if the struggle for resource control gets to the point where those who misuse the same resources are obstructed from facing Justice it simply translates to ORGANISED CRIME.

I dont think that is the sort of reputation Niger-Delta struggle wants to have.

LOL

I dont think this is do-or-die affair, cos its very comical

If Hillary actually said it, I think its a very good one for Democrats. It brings humour to the hole game

I think this two should pair up with Clinton as President and Obama as vice

Was not proposing any gentleman approach or any approach either

I am only saying that the shackles placed on the path of the EFCC and ICPC in the person of Micheal Andoakaa should be removed. No approach whether tough or gentlleman will work with Micheal Aondoakaa as AGF.

Yar’Adua Restates Resolve to Cleanse NNPC
•Denies Accepting AFRICOM
From Constance Ikoku in Washington and Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 12.15.2007

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President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has identified the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as one of the main focal points of his administration’s war against corruption.
Making this known in Washington D.C. yesterday, the president said in furtherance of his administration’s war against corruption, Nigeria shall subscribe to the joint United Nations and World Bank Stolen Assets Recovery (STAR) initiative.
Th[b]e president’s accession to the STAR initiative coincided with his clarificaton that the partnership with the US/African Command (AFRICON) does not translate to an acceptance of the command.
Yar’Adua’s sudden volte face is coming on the heels of his meeting with President George Bush of the US at the White House, Thursday, during which he affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to partner with the US on AFRICON for the provision of security in the continent.
But in an interview with the Hausa service of the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC , monitored by THISDAY, he said Nigeria plans to establish military bases in Africa to be managed by Africans for the protection of oil reserves.
He stated: "I did not accept AFRICOM in my discussions with Bush. I asked for assistance and told Bush that we have our plans to establish bases for African countries. We asked for training on weapons and training to establish our bases to be managed by our people.”
“Seven countries in the Gulf of Guinea will be involved,” he stated. The president said he asked for training from the US government. The US insisted it can only render help through its AFRICOM base in Stuttgart, Germany, said Yar’Adua.
The President claimed there was a misunderstanding of his comments at the White House on Thursday. It is a partnership, not an acceptance, he stressed.
His acceptance to partner with the US on AFRICOM during his meeting with the US president on Thursday, strayed from the opposition to the establishment of the command by the Council of States of which the president is the chairman.
Also, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Madu-ekwe, who is part of the president’s delegation to the US had himself stated that Nigeria would not support the presence of US troops on African soil under the auspices of AFRICOM.[/b]
Meanhile, while speaking at the US Library of Congress at an event hosted by the American Chambers of Commerce and witnessed by prominent businessmen and US public officials, Yar’Adua said “One of the areas we are going to clean now is the national oil company, NNPC.
“In Nigeria, it has not been transparent, and it is one of the most difficult agencies of government to tackle because of the vested interest of very powerful people in the country.
“But we are determined, knowing that when you break that up, it will help bring other agencies and ministries in line. NNPC will operate like any other company in the private sector and source for funds for its joint venture operations from the capital market.
“With such funds, investors would protect their money and ensure transparency. We will then deploy what we have saved from that to social sectors like education and health,” the President said.
The president disclosed that he had already given directives for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank to be formally informed of Nigeria’s accession to the STAR initiative.

www.nigeriamasterweb.com (navigate to thisday)
The initiative was launched in September by the World Bank, in partnership with UNODC to help developing countries recover assets stolen by corrupt leaders and invest them in effective, people-oriented development programs.
Responding to questions from the audience, Yar’Adua reaffirmed his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, but stressed that its campaign against corruption goes hand in hand with the determination to ensure respect for the rule of law.
“What I have done is to give the anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau, the full support of government and total independence to act on any cases of corruption.
“This is an extremely difficult challenge, but we are following it and we are making sure that the opportunities to be corrupt are checked. We are going to expand the horizon of the war against corruption beyond the activities of agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to the complete reformation of key institutions like the Nigerian Police Force.
“When we reform the police then we can get the judiciary to reform itself because I am insisting that the rule of law must be supreme, and that every judgment of the law court must be respected and obeyed.
“The challenge is that where you have a corrupt system you find that even the judiciary is affected, it is not excluded. The serious challenge that we will have is to get a corruption-free judiciary because the rule of law can best be anchored on a corruption-free judiciary,” the president stated.
Yar’Adua told his audience that the government had given the anti-corruption agencies a free hand to act and that they are being encouraged to appeal corrupt court judgments at higher courts in order to vacate the flawed ruling passed down by the lower court.
“By doing that,” he explained, “they would have set a precedence such that this kind of action can never happen in the lower court again, because if you say you don’t want to obey a court order because you believe it is corruptly procured, you are destroying a system and it doesn’t help your cause.
“So it is a long drawn process and a very hard battle. But the important thing is that when you fight such battles, you succeed when the majority of the citizens are with you. On this fight, we will succeed because Nigerians want corruption stamped out of their system,” the President stressed.
President YarAdua also met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who praised his adherence to the rule of law while pledging the assistance of the US government to Nigeria in the area of electoral reforms, education, providing lasting solutions to the Niger Delta problem and the fight against HIV/AIDS

This is not about double standards, Senator Ayogu Eze is probably like everyone was mislead by the Nigerian media

He Eze stated clearly that details are still sketchy and that he will like to wait for the President to explain his reasons.

Blame the Nigerian media for collectively misrepresenting the President, it looks as if our press corps simply copied each other, it was glaringly obvious that the quotes from the President and the Foreign Minister were different from what News editors were reporting

you can not blame Senator Ayogu Eze for trusting our press corps. But blaim the media for misleading the public

And to be honest a serious Nation would have called for an independed inquiry on what happened and how the Nigerian media operates, this is an indictment on the media.

I can only wait for you to come back and retract your post when you have read wide on today's news

There are loads of ways to fight corruption. The subject of war against corruption is no rocket science, some will propose a total approach, others will prefer a slow and steady but effective approach; Some will propose a bottom-up approach, others will prefer a top-bottom approach.

All ideas are workable, but for whatever idea a particular Government chooses if it lacks sincerity [/b]of purpose they will simply get no where.

And going by the topic which says "If You Were Mr President [b]Today,how Will You Handle Corruption" : My straight answer to that straight question is I will handle it with sincerity.

The situation in Nigeria's corruption war can only be likened to an Italian President rising to power on the promise of tackling Gansterism and Mafioso on the streets of Sicily and Napples but then appointing a Mafia defense lawyer as Chief Law Officer. Where will the Justice come from??

If you like wake Tunde Idiagbon from grave and make him head of EFCC of even IG of police, He will not achieve anything so long as someone like Micheal Aondoakaa is AGF in this country.

It is not by mere co-incidence that Micheal Aondoakaa has halted more corruption cases than initiating them since he became AGF.

Instantaneous suggestion from the Nigerian context
1. Sincerity of purpose on the part of the Presidency
2. Spliting the office of Nigeria's Attorney General and Justice Ministry
3. Having an Independent minded Attorney General who can only be removed by 2/3 majority of the NASS

There is nothing wrong with the Anti-corruption agencies as they are currently set-up, just that shackles should be removed from their way and they should be encouraged to operate within the confines of rule of law not undermined.

Yar’Adua Restates Resolve to Cleanse NNPC
•Denies Accepting AFRICOM
From Constance Ikoku in Washington and Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 12.15.2007

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President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has identified the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as one of the main focal points of his administration’s war against corruption.
Making this known in Washington D.C. yesterday, the president said in furtherance of his administration’s war against corruption, Nigeria shall subscribe to the joint United Nations and World Bank Stolen Assets Recovery (STAR) initiative.
[b]The president’s accession to the STAR initiative coincided with his clarificaton that the partnership with the US/African Command (AFRICON) does not translate to an acceptance of the command.
Yar’Adua’s sudden volte face is coming on the heels of his meeting with President George Bush of the US at the White House, Thursday, during which he affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to partner with the US on AFRICON for the provision of security in the continent.
But in an interview with the Hausa service of the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC , monitored by THISDAY, he said Nigeria plans to establish military bases in Africa to be managed by Africans for the protection of oil reserves.
He stated: "I did not accept AFRICOM in my discussions with Bush. I asked for assistance and told Bush that we have our plans to establish bases for African countries. We asked for training on weapons and training to establish our bases to be managed by our people.”
“Seven countries in the Gulf of Guinea will be involved,” he stated. The president said he asked for training from the US government. The US insisted it can only render help through its AFRICOM base in Stuttgart, Germany, said Yar’Adua.
The President claimed there was a misunderstanding of his comments at the White House on Thursday. It is a partnership, not an acceptance, he stressed.
His acceptance to partner with the US on AFRICOM during his meeting with the US president on Thursday, strayed from the opposition to the establishment of the command by the Council of States of which the president is the chairman.
Also, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Madu-ekwe, who is part of the president’s delegation to the US had himself stated that Nigeria would not support the presence of US troops on African soil under the auspices of AFRICOM.[/b]
Meanhile, while speaking at the US Library of Congress at an event hosted by the American Chambers of Commerce and witnessed by prominent businessmen and US public officials, Yar’Adua said “One of the areas we are going to clean now is the national oil company, NNPC.
“In Nigeria, it has not been transparent, and it is one of the most difficult agencies of government to tackle because of the vested interest of very powerful people in the country.
“But we are determined, knowing that when you break that up, it will help bring other agencies and ministries in line. NNPC will operate like any other company in the private sector and source for funds for its joint venture operations from the capital market.
“With such funds, investors would protect their money and ensure transparency. We will then deploy what we have saved from that to social sectors like education and health,” the President said.
The president disclosed that he had already given directives for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank to be formally informed of Nigeria’s accession to the STAR initiative.
The initiative was launched in September by the World Bank, in partnership with UNODC to help developing countries recover assets stolen by corrupt leaders and invest them in effective, people-oriented development programs.
Responding to questions from the audience, Yar’Adua reaffirmed his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, but stressed that its campaign against corruption goes hand in hand with the determination to ensure respect for the rule of law.
“What I have done is to give the anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau, the full support of government and total independence to act on any cases of corruption.
“This is an extremely difficult challenge, but we are following it and we are making sure that the opportunities to be corrupt are checked. We are going to expand the horizon of the war against corruption beyond the activities of agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to the complete reformation of key institutions like the Nigerian Police Force.
“When we reform the police then we can get the judiciary to reform itself because I am insisting that the rule of law must be supreme, and that every judgment of the law court must be respected and obeyed.
“The challenge is that where you have a corrupt system you find that even the judiciary is affected, it is not excluded. The serious challenge that we will have is to get a corruption-free judiciary because the rule of law can best be anchored on a corruption-free judiciary,” the president stated.
Yar’Adua told his audience that the government had given the anti-corruption agencies a free hand to act and that they are being encouraged to appeal corrupt court judgments at higher courts in order to vacate the flawed ruling passed down by the lower court.
“By doing that,” he explained, “they would have set a precedence such that this kind of action can never happen in the lower court again, because if you say you don’t want to obey a court order because you believe it is corruptly procured, you are destroying a system and it doesn’t help your cause.
“So it is a long drawn process and a very hard battle. But the important thing is that when you fight such battles, you succeed when the majority of the citizens are with you. On this fight, we will succeed because Nigerians want corruption stamped out of their system,” the President stressed.
President YarAdua also met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who praised his adherence to the rule of law while pledging the assistance of the US government to Nigeria in the area of electoral reforms, education, providing lasting solutions to the Niger Delta problem and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

See how Nigerian media operate, they have started retracting their statements under different headlines

If any of them was lucky not to report the news yesterday what you will hear will be "Yaradua denies accepting AFRICOM after another Newspaper not THISDAY reported he accepted, "

Why cant they be honest enough for their collective misconception.

You dont even need to be at the OVAL office to notice the disparity between the news and qoutes from Government officials.

Nigeria to join international loot recovery initiative – Yar‘adua
By Olayinka Oyebode
Published: Saturday, 15 Dec 2007

President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua has said on Thursday, in Washington D.C., United States that Nigeria will subscribe to the Joint United Nations and World Bank’s Stolen Assets Recovery (STAR) initiative in furtherance of his administration‘s war against corruption.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Comunication to the President, Mr Segun Adeniyi, made available to our correspondent in Lagos on Friday, President Yar‘Adua made the pledge at the United States Library of Congress during an event hosted by the American Chambers of Commerce. The event, the statement added, was witnessed by prominent US. business people and public officials.

The President said he had already given directives for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and the World Bank to be formally informed of Nigeria‘s accession to the STAR initiative.

The initiative was launched in September by the World Bank, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to help developing countries recover assets stolen by corrupt leaders and invest them in effective, people-oriented development programs.

President Yar‘Adua also identified the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as one of the main focal points of his administration‘s war against corruption.

Yar‘Adua said , “One of the areas we are going to clean now is the national oil company, the NNPC. In Nigeria, it has not been transparent, and it is one of the most difficult agencies of government to tackle because of the vested interest of very powerful people in the country.

”But we are determined, knowing that when you break that up, it will help bring other agencies and ministries in line. NNPC will operate like any other company in the private sector and source funds for its joint venture operations from the capital market.

”With such funds, investors would protect their money and ensure transparency. We will then deploy what we have saved from that to social sectors like education and health.”

Responding to questions from the audience, President Yar‘Adua reaffirmed his Administration‘s zero tolerance for corruption, but stressed that its campaign against corruption ”goes hand in hand with the determination to ensure respect for the rule of law”.

”What I have done is to give the anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau, the full support of government and total independence to act on any case of corruption.

”The other thing that we are doing to fight corruption, apart from the work of these agencies, is trying to ensure that due process is followed in the conduct of official government business and from the President down to the lowest official, nobody can put himself above the law, everybody must act in strict compliance and conformity with the law establishing the functions of their office.

”This is an extremely difficult challenge, but we are following it and we are making sure that the opportunities to be corrupt are being checked. We are going to expand the horizon of the war against corruption beyond the activities of agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to the complete reformation of key institutions like the Nigerian Police Force.

The President said his government would reform and aid the judiciary in its bid to reform itself. “I am insisting that the rule of law must be supreme, and that every judgment of the law court must be respected and obeyed.

”The challenge is that where you have a corrupt system you find that even the judiciary is affected, it is not excluded. The serious challenge that we would have is to get a corruption-free judiciary, because the rule of law can best be anchored on a corruption-free judiciary.

”We have given the anti-corruption agencies free hands to act and we encourage them that once they notice a corrupt court judgment, they should immediately appeal to a higher court so that the judgment can be vacated. By doing that they would have set precedence, such that this kind of action can never happen in the lower court again. Because if you say you don‘t want to obey a court order because you believe it is corruptly procured, you are destroying a system and it doesn‘t help your cause.

President Yar‘Adua also met with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who praised his adherence to the rule of law while pledging the assistance of the US government to Nigeria in the area of electoral reforms, education, providing lasting solution to the Niger Delta problem and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

At the United States Congress where he was received by the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Relations, President Yar‘Adua said Nigeria‘s stand on AFRICOM was that the US should assist in training, equipping and providing other logistical support for an African stand-by force to which countries within the continent would contribute troops.

Kobojunkie

I am only suggesting that what the Nigerian media are saying are inconsistent with quotes that they (the Nigerian media) presented themselves, I did not say I was reading anybody's mind. I understand you guys passion for anything American but there is no point trying to mislead people.

Even reuters which reported rejection of AFRICOM by Nigeria did not say anywhere in its news that Yar'adua changed position while meeting Bush.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US. President George W. Bush on Thursday offered warm praise for new Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua's commitment to democracy after past complaints about flaws in his election in April.

"The president is committed to democracy and rule of law," Bush said after meeting in the oval office with Yar'Adua, whose country is a major oil supplier to the United States.

"He was very articulate in his desire to make sure that the people of Nigeria understand that their government will be fair and transparent, and will be a government of the people," Bush said.

Yar'Adua's election in April was deemed not to be credible by international observers because of widespread fraud and intimidation. Bush invited him to the White House after he agreed to address US. concerns over the election.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is the world's eighth largest oil exporter and fifth biggest supplier to the United States, although militant attacks on the oil facilities have cut exports by one fifth.

"I have briefed (Bush) on the situation in Nigeria, our efforts to anchor democracy on the rule of law, to help a credible electoral process, and to ensure that the principles of justice, equity will guide the conduct of affairs in Nigeria," Yar'Adua said after the meeting.

The two leaders also discussed the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and the distribution of Nigeria's energy revenue, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

She said Bush stressed the need for more troops and equipment to support the 7,000 African Union soldiers in Darfur trying to help end the conflict, which Bush has labeled "genocide". Nigeria has been involved in peace efforts.

International experts estimate some 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and another 2.5 million have been driven from their homes since violence erupted in 2003. Continued,
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Previ

Let us wait for Presidency to react

I do agree with you that someone has some explanation to do, but its up to the Nigerian media to explain how day collectively misrepresented what the President said.

Time will tell and goodnight for now.


Got nothing to say to I-man cos I know the origin of his frustration