₦airaland Forum

@Otox

If know anyone involved in hostage taking tell them to desist from it cos it is a criminal act. The future of Nigeria will not be determined by criminals, it ai'nt going to happen. Nigeria is not Somalia, Siera Leone, Uganda or Sudan where war lords turn to poliicians.

azorjiu:
Just wondering why Akala's name was 'mistakenly' omitted.

There is an investigation going on with Akala in which I think Ribadu hopes to initiate  legal proceedings. I think investigations have not been concluded on Akala's case.

LadyT:
Yes darling,  especially after his behavior in America!


Thanks to the person who posted the list!

True that, I found that very shameful myself.

But funny enough that is not even the height of it, his proclamation that FG is investing $2b on arms to crush Niger-Delta militants was even more shameful and criminal.

@LadyT

Owing to how much you detest Atiku, I know this is goodnews to you.

@BigB1

Folks ask me the same question everyday, I have respect for the man IBB but I love Nigeria more. Simple!!!!

The issue here is not how justified Benefit scheme is, it is why start a benefit scheme and the first beneficiaries will be millionaires??//
Dont get me wrong I think being a Soldier is a very noble think, and personally at some point in my career I thought of being a soldier. I am not kicking against pensions for ex-soldiers which this ex-military rulers are entitled to and are already enjoying. The point here is that they have designed a special benefit scheme for them which I don't understand the rational behind that. Why oppress the poor and pay benefits to millionaires??/ Is this not the height of wickedness by the Nigerian State.??/

@spykin

Nice post but you have to undersatnd something. Not even Bill Clinton will sort Nigeria out in the next four years. In my view our greatest priority in May 2007 is not allow the return of a recycled leader some of whom have through the barrel of the gun ousted a democratically elected government. If you think Buhari's actions were justified because Shagari's government was corrupt then it will as well be justified for Martin Luthar Agwai to oust the present government since majority of Nigerians believe OBJ is very corrupt. There is no where else in the world where someone like Buhari will dream of being president again other than Nigeria. His coup cost this country at least 20years and if not for that singular act our democracy would have matured.

I am personally not so keen on Yaradua presidency but this country has to move on beyond those cult of generals that have ruled us for so long. They simply will not provide the secular and contemporary Nigeria that our generation crave for. Maybe Yaradua will not be able to provide it either but his presidency will shut the door to the ambition of some of those guys and provide for us generational change. At least if Yaradua becomes president it will be so wierd to hear names like IBB, Buhari, Atiku, Ojukwu in 2011 elections. But if Burari becomes president tell me why IBB will not contest next when OBJ and Buhari were his senior in the army.??

Let us know what we want at this stage in our national life and go after them.

how focused is that??/

EFCC in a topic that has to do with INEC and Adedibu.

Please stop all this propaganda. This will not change the wicked and criminal comments he made this week. When he has been ousted legally he will surely be arrested.But not yet.

@ BigB1

You actually did say the right thing but meant something else, Martin Luthar King fought for the liberation of black people, Ribadu is fighting the liberation of poor Nigerians. They are both leftist though privileged as regards family background but choose to fight for the interest of the people. So they are quite similar.

Guys I have an issue that puzzle's me but I hope Nairalanders are able to help cos this confuses me a lot.

Around the world countries pay benefits to the weak and needy, infact the most vulnerable.
In our own society we have chosen to pay our own benefits to ex-military rulers.
I am not going to bore you with how ex-rulers have amarsed so much wealth, in fact the least amongst them are millionaires.
The question is in a society where there is no welfare scheme for the country's most vulnerable what is the rationale behind paying benefits to ex-military rulers.
It might even be more disturbing to realize that low rank military officers may not benefit from this scheme.

Please people can someone explain what this means.?

@ IyKe-D

OBJ's men have no choice but to be on the defence, OBJ's NSA for the past seven years (Gen. Aliyu Gusau retired) is working behind the scene with Atiku against the presidency and you know what that means.  OBJ is just very vulnerable at the moment.

This pics reminds me of one "reality commedy" (thats what I call it). A daddy had a mask of baboon on his face and went to play with his 7 months old sun. The baby found the mask very funny and inviting but each time the man tries to reveal his face the baby finds it so scarry and horrifying and cries to high heavens. The man revealed his face thrice and got so embarassed that he had to leave the scene.

It will be nice to probe all past leaders including OBJ. All the Military generals that have been leaders will explain how much salary they were paid in the army, their gratuity and how those have been tansformed into a business empire.
Suggesting that OBJ should be probed when IBB, Abdusalam, Buhari are yet to be probed is very laughable.

All we need in 2007 and beyond is focused leadership, this country is too rich and can still get to where it should be without worrying too much about the past. But if we must probe all past leaders it should include the IBB's.

These are some of the propaganda Ribadu describes as "when you try to fight corruption, corruption tries to fight back".

Third term or no third term, If you have no questions of corruption to answer you don't need to be the President's friend to stay safe. e.g. The Senate President Ken Nnamani is not OBJ's freind yet I don't remember EFCC trying to bully him. In fact his refusal to shut the National Assembly proceeding from the media was the master stroke that killed third term.
So tell me why he is not in EFCC net?/

People should stop carrying baseless propaganda when they are caught. EFCC will not spare you because you did not support third term.

Where is Dariye? where is Fayose? What is going on with Bode George, Adedibu, Uba and many many more? All these questions represent failure.

I think your list should include IBB & Atiku, For your Info as much as OBJ does not fancy IBB to succeed him, he is also blocking EFCC prosecution of IBB. Otherwise tell me how the Okigbo report was used to bully IBB out of PDP primaries by December 16, by January the report is no longer available in the National archive and Ufot Ekaete could not produce it in court. One week latter IBB was appointed presidential envoy to Guenea.

Where is Tafa Balogun, Adolphus Wagbara, Sunday Afolabli, Alams, Fayose, Dariye etc you tell us what these questions represent.

When Fayose and Dariye where ousted people were talking about the illegality of their removal, you begin to wonder how legal thiefing the state fund is

Take it or leave it, if not for dedication and ingenuity of Ribadu we would have gotten no where in the fight against corruption. Afterall ICPC is as good as EFCC, what have they achieved??/  Even the police since the inception of this country have not achieved what the EFCC have achieved in the past four years. Do a benchmark and tell me what other organisation is more efficient or effective than EFCC.

The EFCC mission statement reads

the EFCC will curb the menace of corruption that constitutes the cog in the wheel of progress; protect national and foreign investments in the country; imbue the spirit of hard work in the citizenry and discourage ill gotten wealth; identify illegally acquired wealth and consficate it; build an upright workforce in both public and private sectors of the economy and ; contribute to the global war against financial crimes

Now tell me how the bit in bold can be achieved without the media. Without sensirizing Nigerians through every system available.

This guy is a blessing to this nation and needs encouragement.

Iyke-D:
@Big B1,

Please spare us - we are talking about corruption here, day and night do not mix. You are on record for
wanting IBB to come back! Its mentally tasking to even try picturing what the EFCC will look like under
an IBB government.

Did not know someone is thinking what am thinking too.

"When you try to fight corruption, corruption tries to fight back quoting the law", (Ribadu, 2006)

otokx:
Like in every struggle, some people loose focus. No militant can afford to have a limousine or mansion in the upland area as the security operatives will seize it. This people are making the most of the very rough terrain which previous federal governments ignored. The soldiers are making themselves easy targets by staying around oil installations only to flee at the first sound of the first shot.

What did Asari use his share of 300million from the Government to do? What sought of Car is Soboma Using, how about Ateke what car does he use.
Soboma has always been a tout, before the advent of hostage taking when he was still loyal to Baba diki (before he died). How much did Soboma have? How come he is living in aflfuence now.
Is sandfield in Borikiri part of the creek to?? Niger, Victoria are they creeks too?

You will be getting it all wrong if you think those boys are stronger than the Nigerian Army. What you got to understand is that those boys intentionally live among local people and you will not expect 2007 Nigerian Army to open fire against its own people indiscriminately.

belloti:
Can you now answer my question?.

Was Yaradua democratically selected as PDP candidate?

Has Yaradua made any meaningful speech since he was enthroned by OBJ?

Is Yaradua Medically fit to withstand the rigour of presidential politics? Do you know he goes for Dialysis weekly?

Yaradua is a civilian, hausaman and a sunni muslim like me, why do you think i can have anything against him?

How can you take OBJ factor out of Yaradua?

Kindly give me some answers.

1. Its up to political parties to choose their candidates as they so wish, whether election, selection or succession it is up to them. ANPP did not have an election either, every other person stepped down for Buhari. As for AC I have no words to describe their own process because the party was formed for a singular reason to field Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate. Its up to the parties really, even in Britain Tony Blair is standing down latter this year and they have a known heir to the throne (Labour Leader) Gordon brown meanwhile the conservatives in choosing David Cameron had a proper election.

2. It depends on your definition of meaningful speech, he did a speech while flagging off his campaign at Lagos.

3. He has invited whoever thinks they are healthier than him to a 12-set game of squash, if you or who your are backing have not challenged him to a game you have no moral right to question his fitness.

4. Even if Yaradua is your cousine, that will not suggest that what you are saying is absolute truth.

5. When OBJ leaves office and Yaradua takes over he will learn to adjust somehow knowing that he no longer calls the shuts. Remember we are practicing a Presidential system of Government. A Yaradua that is bold enough to choose another political lineage other than his family members will be no ones paupet in power.

No need for this thread, cos I personally think there loyalty to one another would not have been in the best interest of our Nation. What we have been made aware of as a result of there feud is so enormous so I dont care who betrayed who.

ANPP endorsed Yaradua presidency the day they chose Buhari.

There was jubilation by supporters of Governor Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo State this morning at the Agodi government secretariat as news filtered in that the governor has been given the ticket to represent PDP at the 14 April governorship elections. The PDP ticket, P.M.News gathered this morning, was given to Ladoja by the PDP leadership in Abuja following the indictment of Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala, the deputy governor of the State of allegations of corrupt practices during his brief stint as the state governor, by the boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu. Akala had earlier won the PDP ticket while Ladoja was impeached from office.

Ribadu, had at a colloquium held at the University of Ibadan, declared that he cannot work with the duo of Otunba Alao Akala and PDP chieftain in the state, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, who had bastardised the laws of the land and rejected due process. P.M.News gathered that the decision of the PDP leadership to withdraw the ticket from Alao Akala followed the damning condemnation of both Adedibu and Akala by the EFCC boss. Meanwhile, the Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Abdul-Raheem Shittu, has declared that the 18 legislators loyal to Alhaji Adedibu cannot impeach the governor because he has not committed any offence.

Reacting to the purported plan by the pro-Adedibu legislators to begin impeachment proceeding against Governor Ladoja, Mr. Shittu said: “They have embarked on unconstitutional path again. What they are trying to do is not in accordance with the laws of our land. “The person who presided over their illegal sitting, Hon. Oyewole Makinde, has no legal backing to do so. “The Supreme Court and the court of Appeal have ruled that the substantive governor of the state is Ladoja and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly is Hon. Adeolu Adeleke. The rulings are there, they’ve not been upturned. “So, what they are doing is illegal and should be treated as such.”

Some of them have Limousines and choice houses at GRA Port Harcourt.

You can as well ask if the colour of Nigerian flag is Green+White+Green

ishmael:
How i wish this could come to pass. I would be the happiest Nigerian to see OBJ, Atiku PDP members and other ministers like the Minister of Finance who OBJ uses to siphone public funds go to jail.

Will not give credence to that wish by reacting to it. However it is a wishful thinking that will never be.

Ribadu said, ”The missing link in all these for me, however, is the lack of commensurate outrage. Where is the outrage among our compatriots who are so easily pricked to revolt in instances of ethnic and religious challenge?

“Where is the revolt from the elite, the academics and the professionals who are engines of social growth in any community?

That particular quote kills me. He is Fulani yet a respecter of no one whether Imam or Pastor. Nigerians need to carry over their passion for religion to defence of our rights as a people. That is the only way Government can take the people seriously.
There is hope anyway, another Leftist like him "Yaradua" is about to be President. Ignore those who say he is OBJ's puppet they have no idea what manner of Man Umaru Yaradua is.

People let us not reduce this argument to Islamic fanatism. It is clear that some of this elite notherners don't in totality uphold the religous values they proclaim they only use them to score cheap political points.

The issue is,
Let us say hypothetically that Gen Martin Luthar Agwai ousts the government of OBJ and takes this country back to military rule merely because he thinks OBJ is very corrupt. How justified will that be

That is exactly how criminal Buhar's act was in the time of those days. If he had left the government of Shagari, Nigeria would have learnt from her mistakes and we would been better for it. Nigeria has lost over 20years by that singular act of Buhari and there is no where else in the world that his likes will be thinking of being President other than Nigeria.
His likes should appologize to our people and stop nursing wild dreams.

Yaradua remains the best bet for now at least if for nothing butfor generational change.

More days I find a reason to love this guy more, There is hardly anyone presently more Nigerian than Nuhu Ribadu.

Ribadu blasts Adedibu, Akala ,  says they are unfit to be leaders
By Akin Oyedele
Published: Thursday, 1 Feb 2007
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, on Wednesday said that individuals like a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, and the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Chief Bayo Alao-Akala, were “unfit” to be leaders.

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Photo file
Alh. Lamidi Adedibu

Although he did not give reasons for his opinion, Ribadu said it was tragic that the likes of Adedibu and Alao-Akala had found themselves in leadership positions.

He spoke during the quarterly seminar/colloquium organised by the University of Ibadan chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

He delivered a paper titled, ”The EFCC and the challenges of democratic reforms in Nigeria,” at the seminar.

Amidst deafening ovation from the audience, Ribadu said, ”The only things people are talking about in the world and Nigeria about Ibadan today are the Adedibus and the Alao-Akalas.

“So, I ask why?, Why should such people be leading us in this country? Why can‘t we be angry? It‘s so tragic. Why should we allow people like Alao-Akala to lead us?.”

Ribadu said he had discovered that the state was a ”totally politically-compromised environment” and vowed that the EFCC would not to be used to set any agenda.

He said, ”We will not help Adedibu.We will not help Alao-Akala or anybody. We are working on the state and we will do our best. But you have to wait and see the outcome.”

The EFCC chief, who regretted that corruption had eaten deep into nearly all the fabrics of the Nigerian society, said it was sad that those in positions of authority had failed to provide the citizenry with infrastructural facilities.

Passing through the streets of Ibadan en route to the UI, Ribadu said he could not see any new road to justify the status of the city as a one-time pride of Africa.

Instead, Ribadu said he was confronted with second-hand wares on the road sides, including ”tokunbo refrigerators , irons, cars and everything.”

Adedibu and Alao-Akala are at the centre of the political crisis that led to the removal of Governor Rashidi Ladoja in 2006 by 18 members of the state House of Assembly.

Adedibu, who is believed to be the sponsor of the 18 lawmakers, is also enmeshed in the controversy over five registration machines found in his house.

A probe panel is currently probing the account of the state during the period that Alao-Akala held forte as governor.

On Monday, Ibadan elders met over the crises in the state and called for the intervention of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The EFCC chairman blamed the seeming hopelessness in the land on corrupt leadership.

According to him, ”grand corruption” has denied Nigerians good governance , egalitarian society and the rule of law.

He warned that the country was descending into a point in which corruption could become a threat to the survival of its democracy.

Ribadu said, ”I have no doubt in my mind that this is a ticking time bomb situation and we have a monumental emergency with severe tragic proportions on our hands.”

The EFCC chairman also said that the past leadership of the nation’s universities was a reflection of the character of graduates now being churned out .

Pointing at a direction in the hall, he said, ”May we not end up having an Adedibu as the pro-chancellor of this university with the way we are going.”

Reaffirming the EFCC’s determination to bring corrupt leaders to justice, he said the elite were destroying the country and that nobody was condemning their acts.

For instance, Ribadu said the former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, allegedly destroyed everything in the country by institutionalising corruption.

The late Gen. Sani Abacha, according to him,did not only loot about $6bn from the public treasury, he killed and maimed people in order to remain in power.

Ribadu said, ”Some of the politicians we are prosecuting now had nothing when they came into power a few years ago. Now, go to South Africa, United States , London, Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja, they have choice properties there.

“You dare not talk about it. They say you are threatening democracy. God is watching them and I‘m sure very soon, they will reach a point where they will no longer deceive the people.

“Where is Abacha today; where is Mobutu Sese Seko? Young men with bright ideas like their counterparts in Europe and America are being frustrated. In fact I‘m angry. God will never spare those people.

“Can you imagine a governor buying four aircraft for his personal use. We are going after more governors. One of them even threatened to sue me for saying that he stole N50bn.”

He alleged that another governor converted half of the riot policemen deployed in his state to his personal use .

He said that the money that Nigerian leaders had stolen in the past 40 years could recreate the beauty and glory of Western Europe six times.

Ribadu said, ”The missing link in all these for me, however, is the lack of commensurate outrage. Where is the outrage among our compatriots who are so easily pricked to revolt in instances of ethnic and religious challenge?

“Where is the revolt from the elite, the academics and the professionals who are engines of social growth in any community?

“If our elite have become so numbed to this serious threat against our collective community life, then we better throw our hands in the air and forget it.”

Ribadu, therefore, proposed a diffusion of knowledge to provide a muscular intellectual rationalisation for the people to understand that economic crimes and corruption represented the major human rights problem in the country.

He also canvassed that rule of law and education be firmly rooted in the country.

The EFCC boss also took swipe at a former Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki, who criticised the commission for investigating the roles of his children in the circumstances that led to the collapse of the Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria.

Ribadu said he had been inundated with questions on why he had not arrested the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, over the Nigerian Port Authority‘s scam.

He said the administrative inquiry and the investigation by the EFCC on the NPA account revealed that there was a case of monumental fraud and outright stealing.

Ribadu regretted that since June 2006 when the report was submitted, the Federal Executive Council ”sat” on it and only gave the EFCC the directive to open a criminal investigation into the matter.

He said ”I ask, who is Bode George that we cannot bring to justice? We have investigated him. We invited him and took his statement. He is the Chairman of the NPA. I don‘t even know the man. Why are people talking about Bode George alone? Posterity will determine whether what we are doing is right or wrong. God will judge.”

On the April general election, he said the EFCC would ensure that only people with clean records would be allowed to vie for public offices.

Ribadu said, ”We have carefully followed the party primaries and the various fund raising arrangements being put in place. We truly feel appalled that the Nigerian political class has learnt nothing of the problems that brought the ship of our state to its current sorry state.

“ We will follow them to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Those who feel they can derail the process, we are going after them. We are doing it because nobody is doing it.”

He advised Nigerians to pray and hope for the emergence of leaders that would serve their interest.

Somewhere underneath the finess of managing democracy and transparency in the Judiciary and Legislature lies the very essence of protecting National intrest and stability at all cost.
Over the years and over the world people have been eliminated in the interest of protecting a nations future. In our own history Abacha and Abiola were eliminated for this nation to move on, ugly as it may seem may be those acts were necessary for the nation to move on as it were then at a crossroad.

The symbol of present day Nigeria's crossroad is no one than the person of Atiku Abubakar:

As VP we have seen him go into hidding only for his posters to fill the streets of Abuja the next day reading "WANTED,  Atiku wanted to take over Aso Rock". Fews days latter he comes out of hidding to declare to contest president on no platform.

Where does he go from there? he then declares for AC while hoping to remain the VP in a PDP led government (an act which can only be equated to a mockery of the constitution for its loopholes and a direct attack on the immunity clause). he then goes abroad to drag the international community against a government he claims to be part of by leaking classified documents to the US.

Comes back home employing the services o Niger-Delta militants as security aides (as reported by elendureports) and goes on to publicly attack the government's defence policy and alleges there is a plot to suppress Niger-delta militants. This group of boys have been Nigeria's greatest recent problem as they are outlaws and the Nations No.2 citizen is proud to identify with them.

Mariory has earlier pointed out his role on lobbying China when the US did not seem to be acting fast in an arms deal aimed at tackling this same group, then the going was good for him. I am not also going to bore you with stories of this same Atiku sending his aides to devour a jounalist but has now turned a democrat.

The ultimate point here is that there comes a time in a nations history where no matter our intrests and sentiments, we have to go out of our way for the sake of peace and stability of our nation no matter how unpopular our actions might seem.
If there is anything like National Interest in the dictionary of our Judges they must declare Atiku's seat vacant so as to save this nations from degenarating into chaos.

I rest my case till the Appeal and Supreme courts decide.