While watching "Live from the National Assembly" earlier today on NTA, the executive bill on the formation of an electoral offences commission came up for second reading on the floor of the Senate and despite listening to well-informed debates from both sides of the argument, I could not but side up with those arguing against it, despite the lucid and sensible arguments of particularly Sen. Mamora. I was able to pluck out some points I could do with some enlightenment on, such as:
1) Do we really need an added layer of bureaucracy?
2) What if we are unlucky to have another Maurice Iwu in charge? 3) A disturbing aspect of the bill is the power being sought for the President to be able to summarily dismiss the chairman and members of the commission.
4) Can't they simply merge the functions being proposed for this commission with that of the existing tribunals, especially in cases where electoral crimes are established?

well-analysed by mikeansy, wonder why this Uba dude has refused to see beyond his nose and realize his case is hopeless, he should save the nation this unwarranted headache and assault and be ready to prove his "acceptance" by the people of Anambra again,

Just another thug from the Adedibu camp who is being glorified by the now infamous Nigerian Tribune as a political activist. Wonder why they conveniently left out the fact that he was declared wanted by the Oyo State police command for murder during the 2008 rerun election. Guess I am forgetting myself that he is an honorary guest of Oyinlola in Osogbo.

this is more than funny, thanks for making my day!

But I really doubt if that would work in the world these days, the money from the oil in the South is enough to arm the South with all the weapons needed to defend herself. Any attempt to do this could probably be the catalyst for the Third World War,

I believe this project is definitely not a white elephant project neither is it untimely. Even London has at least 5 airports inside and on its fringes. The airport on the island is long overdue and anyone who has ever lived on the island would testify to this. Apart from the Lekki Free Trade Zone, it would also immensely help reduce cost and journey times for those who live on the island and cutting the need to either drive through the maddening traffic through the heartland of Lagos and the exorbitant taxi fares as well as generating lots of revenue for the people and government of Lagos. Most people tend to forget that MMA does not service only the residents of Lagos at present but also the whole of the South-West and areas around the South-West. It also has the potential to attract more airlines flying into Nigeria  directly instead of connecting flights and thus helping to reduce fares as well as journey times to various destinations on the regional routes and international routes as well.

There is a difference between setting up a movement and setting up a movement with an ideology behind it and with a definite purpose, We the youth need to go further than setting up movements and set up movements based on sincere ideologies, I believe that is the only way we can change the mindset of our generation and those coming behind us, that is the bridge between our glorious past of the 1940s-60s and our glorious future beyond the current wave of morally bankrupt usurpers of governance.

The same way we celebrated the endorsement of Soludonomics by the Okonjo-Iwealas and d World Banks and IMFs, no man's infallible and as such, it doesn't behove on a man of such learning to openly castigate d Soludo era as he did in such manner, tis jst d same ol' Messiah-of-our-time stage Soludos, Ribadus, el-Rufais of our world!

The issue here is the issue of pull-him-down as exhibited by Mr Atedo, as inappropriate as having him do the introduction is, it's made worse by the unnecessary sycophancy in his introduction,however factual it may be, we need to appreciate the people of the past and not link their shortcomings to their successor's strength, leave SLS to do his job and let his works speak for him!!

How can we be sure this is not just another sycophant, antecedents apart? It is too early to applaud the decisions of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, IN MY OPINION. Rather we should wait and see the results of his reforms before either praising him to the high heavens or crucifying him. We heard more than that at the start of Soludo and others before him. We need to exercise patience and not rely on someone's opinion and so-called experience!!!

I think talking about this dude is waste of precious time, watched his stage-managed live TV interview where all the supposed callers were asking about roads and transformers, for a whole state, are we so dumb to believe those are our greatest needs? We need to get this jerk off that seat, he is a great embarassment to the seat people like Awolowo, Ige once governed from.

Akala may be a dumb Bleep or devil but I don't see anything wrong with the project above. Only in heaven will that bridge cost N250k. Even $250K will not build that project from scratch. Say the truth , he tried on this one.

The bridge didn't cost N250k, I was saying not more than N250k could have been spent renovating the toilet with the pictures earlier posted since I have actually been to the front of the toilet,
The picture of the bridge was just to show the newly fixed road-divider on a short portion of the bridge a la Oyo-Akala style,

yeah I also tried posting something about the new Customs comptroller-general as published by The News magazine a week before his appointment but I guess freedom of speech is not a virtue of this forum, censoring nullifies the purpose of having a general forum as this!

The dude merely renovated this structure and I bet that not more than N250k was spent on this particular one to get it **erm**erm** cracking again, welcome to Oyo State, the world of the bizarre such as a newly cnstructed culvert-type mid-road obstruction(with the pix below) on the bridge leading into the Secretariat,

I don't agree Tinubu's tenure was a failure, he more like laid the grounds for the monumental achievements being done by Fashola today, do you really believe a Fashola could perform so excellently well without the stable financial state of Lagos that he finds himself governing ordo we really believe that he thought out and performed the studies on the BRT, ferry services, light rail services and many others like the 10-lane Badagry Expressway? Those kind of things are not things you plan and execute overnight so I believe we should be celebrating continuity of excellence and purposeful governance instead of pillorising Tinubu.

A quick google search would show you a big difference in the financial state of Lagos pre-1999 and post-1999, not to forget he was having to fund the LCDAs and LGs wothout allocation from the federation account due to a certain OBJ, problems whic Fashola does not have to contend with so please let us think deeply before criticising.

Lastly, only a fool would not pray for his successor to surpass him in similar fashion to which we all pray to surpass our parents and have our own kids surpass us in their own time.

The President’s Buddy
August 10, 2009 10:38, 2,514 views

Thanks to his smuggling activities and friendship with President Umaru Yar’ Adua, Dahiru Mangal is staking his claim as one of Nigeria’s richest and most powerful men

By Desmond Utomwen/Katsina

Sometime in 2006, the erstwhile chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Malam Nuhu Ribadu ordered the arrest of Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, the 51-year-old multi-billionaire businessman and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the AFDIN Group (Nig) Limited, comprising Mangal Airlines (now Max Airlines), AFDIN Football Club, AFDIN Construction Company Nigeria Ltd, Manasawa Oil, Mangal Oil and Manasawa Enterprises, a clearing and forwarding outfit. Mangal also owns a transport company and a security outfit with more than 2000 staff. The array of companies notwithstanding, Mangal is more notorious as a cross-border smuggling mogul. He is to smuggling what the executed Lawrence Anini is to armed robbery. His eventual arrest followed series of complaints from some concerned interests who were alarmed by the amazing scale of his smuggling activities and their devastating negative effects on the country’s economy.

The arrest was a big blow on the political interest of leading figures of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Katsina, Mangal’s home state and the party itself, especially as the 2007 general elections were fast approaching. Mangal is the biggest single financier of the party in the state. To salvage the situation, Aminu Bello Masari, who was then the Speaker of the House of Representatives and a governorship aspirant in the state, working in concert with Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was then governor of Katsina State, intervened to secure a release for their most treasured asset in the state. Both Yar’Adua and Masari were, and remain beneficiaries of Mangal’s political sponsorship. Mangal was also one of the key members of the Masari 2007 governorship campaign network until Olusegun Obasanjo, then president, tilted the scales in favour of the incumbent, Ibrahim Shema. As this magazine learnt from sources close to the former speaker, Masari contacted a former member of the House who was Ribadu’s bosom friend to talk to the former EFCC boss.

The intervention paid off, but with a condition. Ribadu requested for an undertaking from Mangal to desist from smuggling as it constitutes national economic sabotage. Mangal had no objection to this. Even at that, Ribadu would not let him off the hook without taking the matter to Obasanjo and obtaining his approval. Later, at the meeting with Obasanjo, where Yar’Adua was also present, the latter was said to have appealed to the former president to prevail on Ribadu to drop the case against Mangal. Yar’Adua was said learnt to have argued that Mangal was the main financier of his election victories in 1999 and 2003. Beyond that, he identified the embattled Mangal as PDP’s chief financial pillar in Katsina State, with the party owing the victories of most of its elected members to his generosity and power of mobilisation.

Obasanjo, though impressed by Mangal’s contributions to the party’s progress, was, however, uneasy about his illegitimate source of income. While bowing to sustained pressure, he asked Mangal to put an end to all his smuggling activities. He went further to promise him government support if he decides to go into other legitimate forms of businesses. “You must desist from the act and we will encourage you to go into other forms of legitimate businesses that will benefit you and the country. If you don’t and that ‘mad boy’ (referring to Ribadu) catches you again, you will have your teeth to gnash,” Obasanjo was quoted as saying.

With those words, Mangal regained his freedom. But his smuggling activities did not stop. Sources said that he only went underground for a while. Today, he is back from the lull, and with Yar’Adua, his friend now calling the shots in Aso Rock, is engaged in smuggling more than ever before.

The arrest of Mangal, his very good friend could be one of the reasons why President Yar’ Adua found it difficult to forgive Ribadu and made up his mind quite early to do away with the former EFCC boss.

Mangal’s arrest by the EFCC was not his first encounter with security agents. At the twilight of the dark era of General Sani Abacha, Mangal was also a guest of the police for the same reason. Police sources disclosed that following an unrest that was ignited by a disagreement within the smuggling ring in the state, the then Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Coomassie ordered his arrest, alongside his friends, Alhaji Mansir Zango, Iro Isansi and others. As the story goes, Mangal, who craved to be the lord of the smuggling mafia in the state, had attempted to force this unwritten code down the throats of other petty smugglers there. By its definition, he would be referred to as the godfather or ultimate leader of the smuggling ring while every other smuggler would pass through him or would be answerable to him. But this didn’t go down well with others who then protested. Backed by some youth in Jibia Local Government, the people revolted, threatening to disrupt the entrance or exit of all his smuggled products around the Nigeria-Niger border. The unrest in the area attracted the attention of Coomassie. Incidentally, the former IGP is also from Katsina and is said to be well aware of the smugglers’ nefarious activities. Fortunately for Mangal, Coomassie was on his way out of the force as he had attained the retirement age and his exit led to the natural death of the case. Mangal immediately got his way into the thick political mix of the transition period that followed Abacha’s demise and contributed immensely to the victory of his friend, Yar’Adua as governor. With Yar’Adua in the saddle, giving him a state cover, Mangal got his wings back to fly even higher beyond the initial storm.

His smuggling activities became so pronounced as to attract the veiled condemnation of notable citizens such as the former Minister of Defence, Gen. T.Y Danjuma. At a confab organised by Leadership newspaper on the de-industrialisation of the north, on 4 March last year, the retired General referred to the worrisome rate of the smuggling activities of the influential Katsina businessman as detrimental to the country’s economy. As Danjuma noted in the keynote address, his smuggling activities are one major reason industries in the northern region are collapsing.

Danjuma stated: “In its heyday, the textiles manufacturing sub-sector alone employed about 1.3 million people directly and indirectly. Today, the UNTL, Arewa Textiles, Kaduna Textiles, Chellco, Bagauda Textile Mills, Holborn, Gaskiya Textiles, Universal Spinners, Kano Textile Industries, Dangote Textiles, Nortex, Supertex, Zamfara Textiles and several others spread across the 19 northern states have effectively shut down. And with them have gone hundreds of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. Most of the cotton fanners have been laid off together with the labourers that helped in harvesting the product; our ginnery plants are idle and so are the traders, agents and distributors that used to provide employment to thousands. Textile is only one example. By one estimate, in Kano alone, about 700 different factories have shut down in the last decade. There was a time Kano competed with Lagos for having the larger number of industries. Today, only the carcasses of those factories remind us of their existence once upon a time. It is clear to most people that the cost of energy and the ever flourishing business of smuggling at the northern borders are the main reasons for the demise of our manufacturing industry. Smuggling is a major cause of de-industrialisation because it is much easier to smuggle goods through the northern borders than it is through the Lagos borders, for example. This problem can only be solved whenever the government makes up its mind to do so. Many of the big-time smugglers are well known and are even known to be cronies of leaders in power.”

If Danjuma was crying wolf, perhaps, the recent outburst by the Customs’ Comptroller in charge of Imports and Exports at the headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Julius Nwagwu, was most instructive. Fielding questions from senators at a two-day public hearing organised by the Senate committee on Industries, Nwagwu attributed Customs officers’ inability to check smuggling to the influence of “well-to-do Nigerians” and “untouchables” involved in it.

As TheNEWS investigation revealed, Mangal’s smuggling activities cut across all manner of products. These range from various food items to furniture, textile and automobiles. He supplies the products to different distribution outlets across the northern states with the north-western states of Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna as his solid base. He is also reported to be engaged in smuggling petroleum products out of the country for illegal sales to neighbouring African countries. In his smuggling escapades, the presence of the men of the Customs Service, Police Force and military personnel who jointly man the various border posts and routes offers little or no threat. Though the Katsina/Kaduna Command of the Customs Service has about 13 border posts, they cannot check Mangal’s smuggling activities. The Jibia road leading to the Niger border from Katsina city, which is the main smuggling route for Mangal, also has the 35 Battalion Army Barracks, which feigns ignorance over the smuggling activities. At best, the activities of the various security personnel are targeted at the petty smugglers who cannot “settle” as much as Mangal. It was learnt that a clear and well thought-out scheme has been mapped out to compromise the various interests that ought to challenge his nefarious activities.

This magazine learnt that officers who display somewhat overzealous tendencies by wanting to carry out their duties in line with the rule of the job are either frustrated out of service or transferred to remote areas. In fact, there appears to be an unwritten code which bars any official of the Customs Service from standing in the way of Mangal. “If you do, you get crushed,” quipped a Customs Inspector.

Mangal’s penchant for compromising state officials and security personnel is legendary. It is a common joke in Katsina metropolis that as a new Customs’ or police boss, if you have not gone to pay homage to Mangal, then “you have not resumed properly.” Customs officers are understood to lobby to secure redeployment to the area regarded as a goldmine. And generally in Katsina State, the influence of the AFDIN boss is all-pervasive as his residence at Kofa Kwaya is a Mecca of sorts to favour seekers and government functionaries.

When TheNEWS visited the Katsina Area command, the Comptroller, D.H. Takura, who spoke through the Public Relations Officer of the Command, A.G. Mohammed, refused to comment on the alarming rate of smuggling in the area. He maintained that the Comptroller would not talk to the Press except he first secures the clearance of the Comptroller-General in Abuja.

Over the years, Mangal’s smuggling operations have grown both in scope and nature. From a direct smuggler, moving only his products in and out of the country, his operations have expanded to offering safe delivery of contraband goods on behalf of a variety of other smugglers to any destination in Nigeria, sometimes under the guise of clearing and forwarding services. A source claimed he himself had had cause to hire Mangal’s services for smuggling purposes. In justifying the act, the source maintained that some of them are compelled to seek his services since it is safe, fast and guaranteed. “Sometimes, you just can’t help joining them. While I may not like smuggling, I was compelled to seek Mangal’s services after my earlier goods were delayed unnecessarily at the ports by Customs officials,” the source confided.

Some businessmen, especially importers spoken to in Kano, Katsina and Kaduna last week claimed Mangal demonstrates his selfishness by using customs men loyal to him to harass legitimate importers.

Other well-informed sources disclosed that in some instances, Mangal’s smuggled goods are escorted by Nigerian soldiers in and out of the country. The source further revealed that the charges range from N1.5m to N2.5m for 20-foot and 40-foot containers respectively. This magazine further learnt that sometimes, Mangal uses his cargo planes operated by MAX Airlines to deliver goods into Nigeria. “We cannot stop him or even try to collect duties because we know that Presidency officials will intervene directly,” a source said.

From a relatively small fleet of trucks a few years ago, Mangal is said to currently own a large fleet of more than 1,600 specially built long-haul trucks with which he picks up and delivers goods. The numerous trucks operate from Sokoto to Niamey and from Katsina through Jibia to Maradi in Niger Republic.

While Mangal rakes in a fortune from smuggling, the country’s economy suffers greatly. Apart from the attendant massive closure of industries particularly in the northern region, the smuggling activities around the northern borders have also robbed the major airport in the region, the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, of huge revenues as many importers have chosen his services in smuggling various items into the country. Findings revealed that in the past two decades, the revenue drive of the airport has been on the decline as smuggling activities in the area have crippled the hitherto bourgeoning business activities around the airport. Consequent upon this, most companies legally licensed to carry out clearing and forwarding activities have either closed shop or relocated to other air and sea ports in the southern part of the country. From over 40 daily flights of both domestic and international categories of huge cargo inflow that MAKIA once thrived upon, it today can hardly record a single cargo plane in a week as almost all the products needed within the region are smuggled in through the borders.

In both Katsina and Kano, Mangal’s smuggling activities are well known to all and sundry. What however is surprising to many visitors to the state is the notorious manner the act is being carried out in the President’s home state. In fact, smuggling in the state runs on per second basis and is done in the full glare of the public.

A source in Katsina told this magazine: “This has been a widely known fact for a long time. I am surprised this is just becoming of interest to you. All the textile materials which importation government banned are being smuggled by Mangal into the country without hitch and resistance by government officials. The President has been in that state. He was governor of that state for eight years. He can’t claim ignorance. As a matter of fact, Mangal is his closest friend and associate. This only tells you that the act has a presidential backing.”

Comptroller Nwagwu also declared: “We all know that smuggling is capital intensive and is carried out by those who have the ways and means. Well-to-do Nigerians and their wives operate from Nigeria to Dubai as if they are going to Nasarawa State here. And when they are coming back, you receive telephone calls from quarters you do not imagine to tell you, ‘please my wife travelled’. The wife, you discover, is coming back in one week with 10 suitcases, 12 suitcases. Are we not just mouthing policies?” Nwagwu was sad that some Customs officers have lost their jobs for insisting that the right thing be done.

According to saharareporters, an on-line media agency, one Dikko Abdullahi, who was recently promoted to Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, is said to be the main link in the department to Mangal’s expanding smuggling operations. Abdullahi, believed to have a relationship with Aso Rock both as a distant cousin of President Yar’Adua as well as via his marriage to a sister of Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, the President’s wife, has reportedly received rapid prominence in the Customs Service since Yar’Adua came to office. He was promoted from Comptroller to Assistant Comptroller-General within a short time. It was also learnt he is being groomed to take over as Comptroller-General of the NCS in the near future.
Today, Mangal is one of the most powerful civilians in the country. Many believe that he is made so due to his obvious closeness to the President. Mangal confirmed this much himself. On Wednesday 5 March 2008, he bought a full-page colour in the New Nigerian newspaper to congratulate Yar’Adua on the verdict of the Presidential Election Tribunal which upheld Yar’Adua’s election as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Although he is rarely seen with Yar’Adua, most leading politicians know Mangal is one of the surest routes to the President’s heart and remains one of the silent, unseen power brokers in his government. Though barely educated, what he lacks in western education is made up for in his astuteness and shrewdness in business.

Politicians in Katsina see Mangal as meaning more than a friend to Yar’Adua. He is a business confidant and a dependable ally. On the political front, Mangal’s deep pocket, which provides the needed war chest to stand elections in Nigeria, makes him almost indispensable to the President. He is, indeed, a beautiful bride to many political aspirants in the state. This magazine learnt that those who do not need him for his financial assistance certainly would need him for his ability to mobilise the “boys”. In the elections that Yar’Adua had contested, he was identified as always in the thick of ensuring that nothing went wrong against the President’s interest. Residents in the state recalled how armed uniformed security personnel were attached to him on election days to ensure perfect execution.

Mangal’s intimidating presence in the political landscape of Katsina has become so much concern to some politicians, especially the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP. For instance, in a CNPP’s letter to the Justice Muhammadu Uwais-led National Electoral Reform Committee last year, the alliance complained about Mangal as one of the political problems of the state.

As inimical as Mangal’s smuggling activities may appear to the country’s economy, those who have encountered him, however, fondly attest to his philanthropy. It is this gesture, this magazine learnt, that has won him the admiration of many of his followers as well as political and business associates.

Mangal, having made a fortune from smuggling activities, began building networks across government circles from 1990 after he struck a mutual relationship with the then military administration of Colonel Yahaya Madaki. He expanded this under the civilian administration of Saidu Barda which came on board in 1992 and consolidated with the appointment of Navy Captain Emmanuael Acholonu, the longest serving administrator in the state, from December 1993 to August 1996, which marked the height of his closeness to leaders in government. During this period, he became one of the major contractors to the government. Since then, he has never looked back, pulling every string to remain in the corridors of power. He plays smoothly from the grassroots, through the state government to the federal.

His touch is also not lost on the traditional institution. This is evident in the assignments he is given to handle both within the emirate and political circles. For instance, on Saturday 7 August 2004, Mangal was in the thick of the turbanning of Aminu Bello Masari, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the third Dallatun Katsina by His Royal Highness, the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammadu Kabir Usman Katsina. Mangal was chairman of the organising committee.

In the build-up to the 2007 polls, Mangal’s service was required by Yar’Adua to reconcile the feuding and aggrieved forces within the state PDP as he desperately sought the presidential ticket. The aggrieved members included Masari and Ambassador Magaji Muhammad who were harbouring grugdes on the party’s governorship primary elections. The Mangal committee was also mandated to meet with some former House of Representatives and House of Assembly members who were forced to step down for other candidates.

The chairman of the PDP in the state, Alhaji Kabiru Daudawa, expressed, during inauguration of the committee, the party’s confidence in Mangal and the committee to bring about the much-needed reconciliation to ensure victory for the party in the general elections.

Mangal has also become a big player in the oil sector. Petro Energy, which belongs to him, is one of the 28 companies selected by President Yar’Adua to airlift the country’s crude oil after Yar’Adua, in April 2008, announced that he had sacked “briefcase companies” involved in lifting Nigeria’s crude oil. Prior to the selection of the new companies, there were close to 50 companies lifting Nigeria’s crude under Obasanjo. Though Yar’Adua’s decision to prune the number of crude-lifting companies was considered by many as a prudent action, later events would confirm that the President had other designs up his sleeves, ostensibly to allow him bring his favourites on board the lucrative oil business.

A cursory look at the 28 companies shows that while some well-established foreign-based companies that have engaged in lucrative crude lifting contracts with Nigeria for a long time were retained to give credibility to the decision, others are direct “front companies”. Mangal’s Petro Energy is said to be one of the latter. The major companies include Addax Petroleum, Arcadia Petroleum Limited, Trafigura Petroleum Company and Glencore Petroleum Company. Saharareporters noted that a group of other crude-lifting companies are controlled by the NNPC, even though they are mostly registered as offshore entities. These include Vitol, Carlson, Duke, Nigermed and NAP oil petroleum companies. Other companies in the crude oil lifting business include CAMAC Petroleum, a company owned by the controversial Houston-based Nigerian-American, Kase Lawal; Sahara Energy, Oando, Lanxing Refinery, PMI Refinery, Fujairah Refinery, China-based SINOPEC Petroleum, Indian Oil, MRS Oil, Sun Refinery and Taurus Petroleum, owned by Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki.

At various times, Mangal’s companies have been beneficiaries of Yar’Adua’s award of contracts. For example, AFDIN Construction handled jobs on the Katsina High Court complex, Funtua township roads, part of the College of Legal Studies, Daura and many link roads in Katsina metropolis. Critics allege that each kilometre of road constructed by AFDIN gulps about N70 million, as against a kilometre of federal roads in the state, which costs between N45 and N60 million. Though there are no cases of abandoned projects by AFDIN, the roads it constructed are said to be of lower quality compared to the federal roads constructed by Julius Berger Nigeria plc, which have superior asphalting and wider drains that can stand the test of time.

Mangal is also a beneficiary of the construction works at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Dala, Kano State awarded at the cost of N72.8m on 26 November 2008, as well as the Northwest Funtua Dukke-Chibauna-Katsina power project under the National Rural Electrification Project at the cost of N13.5m. Yet there is no limit to the perks Mangal gets from the Yar’ Adua administration. He is alleged to have secured fertilizer distribution from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. He is one of very few individuals to get that privilege. But he allegedly diverts a lot of it to Niger Republic instead of making them available to needy Nigerian farmers. And when his trucks are returning from Niger Republic, they bring in smuggled textile materials unhindered.

As a governor, Yar’Adua, under controversial circumstances, re-allocated the plot of land originally allocated to the Forest Reserve along Katsina State Rolling Mills road for Manga’s personal use.

Mangal delved into the airline business with the contract to lift pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in December for the hajj. The airlift recorded one of the most controversial and poorest performances. On 9 December 2007, more than 2,000 intending pilgrims in FCT protested the failure of Mangal Airline to airlift them to Saudi Arabia for the year’s hajj.

The pilgrims converged on the headquarters of the FCT Directorate of Muslim Pilgrims, chanting: “We shall not agree to the injustice of Mangal Airline; we must perform this year’s hajj.” A cross-section of the demonstrators told the News Agency of Nigeria that the airline had performed below expectations in airlifting intending pilgrims from FCT. The case was the same in Maiduguri, Jigawa and many other parts of the country where Mangal Air was contracted to airlift pilgrims. The pilgrims’ agitation led the FCT Minister, Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo, to make alternative flight arrangements to successfully airlift the pilgrims. For example, Kabo Air was urgently drafted in to help salvage the situation.

The Jigawa State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Mahmoud Gumel, announced the immediate revocation of the state government’s contract with Mangal Airline to airlift its pilgrims. The Jigawa government also threatened to take legal action against the company for defaulting in the pilgrims’ airlift. The deputy governor, who was also the state’s Amirul Hajj, expressed disappointment with the airline over what he described as “sheer negligence and irresponsibility”.

Mangal Air, which was contracted to airlift Jigawa pilgrims, was said to have reneged on its contractual agreement after just four trips out of the seven it was expected to make, thereby leaving about 2,500 pilgrims stranded. Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, who was visibly disturbed by what he termed as “sabotage”, said they were working on getting an alternative airline.

But Manga doesn’t appear to be leaving anything to chance anymore. He is taking a bolder step to consolidate. After the initial flop, he went into an alliance with some Indian partners, thereby giving room for the transformation of Mangal Air to Max Air. In the alliance, one Manwani S. is jointly heading the airline with Bishir, Mangal’s younger brother.

At the moment, Mangal is said to be waiting on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to issue it an Air Operator Certificate, AOC, to commence operations in the country. An AOC is indispensable for any airline to operate and the NCAA is the only constituted body to either issue a fresh certificate or revalidate an existing one. No commercial airline operator is allowed to fly without an AOC in line with the stipulations of the Aviation Navigation Rule. An AOC has a two-year validity after which the holder subjects it for revalidation or renewal, which involves documentation and auditing of the airline in question.

Ibrahim Dahiru, Special Assistant to Max Air’s MD/CEO, who spoke with journalists last November in Abuja, hinted that the airline has taken delivery of a Boeing 747-series out of the three it ordered from the aircraft manufacturers in the US. Each Boeing 747 plane ordered by Max Air has a 480-passenger capacity. On the acquisition of the AOC, the airline is expected to be fully involved in future airlift of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, in addition to other domestic and international commercial flights.

Sources hinted in Kano that Mangal’s foray into the airline business may be borne out of his quest to secure a legitimate stamp that would further ease his importation and cargo carriage business. A massive structure to house the operating head office of the airline is being built along Ashton Road in Kano, a stone’s throw from Kabo’s. The structure is sitting on an expanse of land said to have been acquired for about N120m. The arrival of Max Airline is said to be giving Kabo Airline the biggest competition ever. Already, the Kabo foundation seems to be seriously threatened as their key staff are leaving in droves. Mangal was quoted as saying he was ready to offer better conditions of service and higher salaries than any airline operating in the country. This may be paying off. Successfully, he has poached one Captain Dilic, a former pilot with Kabo, to oversee part of his operations.

Born in 1957 to the family of the late Alhaji Barau Tukur of Masanawa Quarters of Katsina metropolitan city, Dahiru began his transportation business at a tender age. He cut his teeth in business and transportation under his parents. He attended Gafai Primary School from 1964 to 1971 before proceeding to Katsina Arabic Teachers’ College for Higher Islamic Certificate from 1971 to 1976. He is said to have earned the name Mangal after a notorious Indian villain actor Mangal Singh. From conveying goods to and from local markets, the resilient Mangal later began to ply the route to neighbouring Niger Republic. His daring and fearless disposition to his transportation business brought him both respect and hatred early in life. At a tender stage, he was a thorn in the flesh of security agents who attempted to stand against his cross-border activities, an act that was to later get a “presidential blessing”.

In June 2008, the Financial Times of London, listed Mangal as one of the six Nigerians it rated “Six of the best: Lords of the emerging private sector”. The report described the six men as constituting an elite club of business executives who have exploited Nigeria’s emerging private sector opportunities to become super rich in recent years. The list, which led with the president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, also has the names of the chairman of Globacom, Mike Adenuga; Chief Executive Officer of UBA, Tony Elumelu; the chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia and Zenon Oil’s Femi Otedola

According to FT, Mangal “is, however a well-connected and increasingly prosperous businessman from President Yar’Adua’s native Katsina State with interests in haulage and trading, as well as air charters. Mr Mangal is said to have helped finance Mr Yar’Adua’s gubernatorial campaigns in Katsina in 1999 and 2003 and is one of the few businessmen to have the President’s ear.”

Recently, first lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua rallied support for the proposed International Cancer Centre, Abuja (ICCA) in a ground breaking ceremony. The project which is an initiative of the First Lady is expected to provide services in the areas of diagnosis, treatment and research. The proposed centre will also have an initial capacity for 128 in-patient beds made up of male, female and pediatric wards. The palliative care building will have capacity to cater for 20 terminally ill patients with facilities made available to out-patients in the day rooms.

The First Lady said she had nursed the inityiative since her visit to the famous M.D Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston Texas, United States in March 2008.

The event drew the attention of many Nigerians to the person of Dahiru Mangal who clearly stole the show. The project was estimated to cost of N10 billion and the chief launcher, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, donated five hundred million Naira but was surpassed by Alhaji Mangal whose total donations, including those from his friends and business associates amounted to two billion naira.

Of course given his closeness to the first family, Mangal knows he will make much more than that in no time.

http://thenewsng.com/cover-story/the-presidents-buddy/2009/08

This is from this week's edition of The News Magazine, the Customs Comptroller General was just announced on NTA Network News.

Or maybe you could have a set of people more responsive to their own people, state police would employ state indigenes who would feel more concern for the people they are supposed to be protecting since they are all kin and blood.

Pls note the crack on the wall even before it has been opened to the public, going on the hunt for the remaining toilets,
This is the one around the Labaowo Junction-Bere area.

I have the pictures of one of the toilets which was even only renovated and not constructed from scratch but the file is large and am not being allowed to upload it here, would bring it up as soon as I can reduce the file size.

"Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no Nigerians in the same sense as there are English, Welsh or French. The word Nigerian is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not." - Path to Nigerian Freedom pg 47-48 Obafemi Awolowo.

Reading the above made me think deeply on the composition of Nigeria and the different challenges posed to us as a people. Nigeria has seemingly stagnated due to the fact that we have refused to base our togetherness as a nation on the strengths of our differences as a group of diverse nations. As evidenced in the practice of federalism practiced by countries similar in composition to Nigeria as Switzerland and United Kingdom, we can not grow in our present contraption where there is gross concentration of power and duties in an all-powerful central government instead of an ideal situation where we should have powerful states/regions with a strong enough central government to cater for areas of common need such as national security i.e the armed forces, intelligence agencies and para-military forces excluding the police; and foreign affairs. States/Regions should be made to cater for the needs of their peoples and pay tax/duties to the central government and not the other way as currently practiced. There are many countries doing great without access to oil as evidenced in the likes of Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ghana(until next year). Only by so doing can we really develop our people and make governance less attractive to purposeless administrators/leaders. We are a people abundantly blessed by nature with more resources than most of the so-called developed economies in the world.

Under the present system that aims at getting all the peoples in Nigeria to the goal of development at the same time and hour, we are consistently doomed to continuously wander with no concrete achievements to write home about. True federalism would solve problems like local government creation since their funding would be from the state governments and as such problems of increased funding from the federation account leading to suspicion among the different nations in Nigeria would be eliminated. This would also reduce the problem of illiteracy as states would be compelled to develop their people as individuals to be able to compete with other states as a means of avoiding being left behind and also to harness their resources as best as they can, whether mineral resources, petroleum, manpower, intellect, industry etc.

Please do contribute constructively on the (in)fallibility of this viewpoint.

Must we wait for India and China to rise as someone said? Why can't we rise and have someone call on us instead? We need true federalism which means complete resource control with tax being paid to the central gov't by the states. Free oil money is not helping us grow afterall Awo, Bello and Zik had no oil money. We need to develop our manpower more!

No, the new guy has his full four years mandate! He's been sworn in for the first time, similar to the case of Mr Peter Obi by the judgement of the Supreme Court in 2006.
Good riddance to bad rubbish, never was active on the floor. A popular protagonist of do or die politics in the recent past election in Ekiti State. He should have more time for his thugs now with his accumulated loot!

Ghana recently celebrated 10 years of uninterrupted power supply so please get your facts right.

Pls don't say our darling OYATO governor is not working again. Come to Oyo State if u nid visual evidence of his purposeful governance. The roads in front of the Government House were only recently PATCHED after months of neglect, there is a deep crater in front of the Government Secretariat, I guess there's no need to list his other achievements when these are already listed.
As a sign of our love for him, we are already begging him to re-contest in 2011 by placing billboards at strategic locations around the Government Secretariat in the hope that he would magnanimously accept to do so in similar fashion to the rush by traditional rulers in the state to make him a worthy chief of their domains.
Or what other state has the following among others having their own fleet of cars in government convoys:
Speaker of the House of Assembly (3)
SSG
Chief of Staff (3)
Deputy Chief of Staff(2)
and having policemen in the convoys stopping traffic in both directions of movement even for a 3minute trip from the House of Assembly to the Speaker's residence or from the Government House to the Secretariat.

N.B= If you are a good supplier of cutlasses, there is no limit to the number of contracts you can be awarded as those are the best forms of democratic dividends the good people of Oyo state need.

OYATO NI JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
DESTINY NI JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Grab a copy of the film of our darl governor's life at the nearest filmseller.

Pls note that this is satirical.