I'm not making an excuse for looting but I can tolerate it if you loot and invest in Nigeria. Arik Air employs Nigerians and is contributing to our economy. Atleast he's better than those who loot and stash it abroad.

I suppose OBJ has figured that Odili has looted all he can so he'll be motivated the lead the country well, who knows? Bunch of criminals we have in politics.

Looting is looting no matter wat it is used to do eventually. When you are a governor you are meant to lead the people with integrity,fear of God and with fairness. When such a person now starts mixing state funds which he has been entrusted with along with his private funds it means that he has chosen to go against every quote of the constitution he swore to uphold.

Those funds you so passionately say that he invested cld have been used to provide basic amenities which wld have impacted positively and directly on the ppl of rivers state bt alas he chose to use it for his own private biz believing that ppl like u who r naive wld say wat u just said.

Go to rivers state n see wat odili has done,asides p.h. wat other place has there been a meaningful impact in terms of development,infrastructure as well human capital development?

a thief is a thief and will always be a thief(no matter the coloration u chose to give him/her)

Donzman, corruption na corruption. period. In fact the reason why, if indeed Odili ineed stole and set up the airline, he probably didn't take the money abroad is because it is becoming more difficult to stash money away in developed countries. He could have been arrested for money laundering but I bet he has millions abroad already.

This is why I love Donald Duke. Here's what he said when asked about corruption and people who abuse their position of trust. Duke: , I talked about the elites who are in positions of trust and authority; that is criminal. That is not even corruption. That is pure crime. When someone in a position of trust confiscates the resources of the people entrusted to him for his personal use, then that is not just corruption; it is outright crime. Yes they say corruption is a crime, but it is as criminal as armed robbery.

I totally agree with Duke, it is as criminal as armed robbery.

Is this for real? Geez!Odili has raped Rivers to death o!Where's Nuhu?What has he said?Why has he done nothin'?

This is very interesting.

Apparently, Odilli is being investigated by the EFCC.

I did my best to read the Sahara Report, but I am still not sure I saw where Odili was
directly implicated here - I guess that's why its called an investigation.

Hmm, so much for EFCC being used to prosecute Obasanjo's enemeies - did Odili say
the wrong thing to Obasanjo last week he was in Rivers.

I am waiting for new excuses from the usual OBJ bashers. . . maybe Odili told OBJ that
he now was against 3rd term, please help us all understand. . .

Having said that, I was in Port Harcourt earlier this year for the first time, but I wasn't
all that impressed by what I saw. I was expecting to see some serious infrastructure
development given the role that Port Harcourt plays in the oil industry. The airport was
a major disappointment to begin with.

EFCC probes Odili over corruption
By Jibola Oyekunle
Published: Sunday, 10 Dec 2006
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has confirmed that it is investigating Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State over allegation of corruption.

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File
Peter Odili

Its Director of Operations, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, exclusively told Sunday Punch this, during a walk it organised to mark the World International Day Against Corruption, on Saturday.

He stated that the investigation of the governor came on the heels of a report of the Sahara Reporters, based in New York in the United States.

Part of the report described as questionable an alleged payment of the sum of N2 billion to a little known consultancy company, Rockson Engineering Company Limited (with Corporate Affairs Commission registration number RC380929).

It alleged that the company, which was registered on May 16, 2000, had floated an airline (name withheld).

“In a release letter dated November 21,2000, Dr. Odili caused a bank (name withheld) to deposit the sum of N2.0 billion into the accounts of Rockson Engineering, barely six months after the company was incorporated,” the report said.

Also contained in the report is a breakdown of 7 different accounts operated by the Rivers State Government, alleging that “the account opening documentation showed weak compliance with Section 3 of the ML (P) Act 2003.

It alleged that none of the accounts had evidence of identification provided by their signatories.

Lamorde, however, declined comments on how far the commission had gone in the investigation.

He said, ”It is too early to comment on the matter because the investigation has just started. As soon as it is concluded and we have a proven evidence of corruption against the governor, we will call a press conference.”

He added that the commission would make sure that INEC screened out anyone the commission had proven evidence of corruption against, from the contestants for the 2007 elections.

He urged Nigerians to develop the courage to abhor and say no to corruption.

Meanwhile, the EFCC is still keeping the officials of the Enugu State Government who were arrested two weeks ago on allegations of corruption, in spite of the ruling of a Federal High Court in Enugu on Wednesday, December 6, 2006, which ordered their immediate release.

Lamorde told Sunday Punch that the commission had not received any official order to release the detained officials. ”As I am talking to you, no written order has been received by the commission. We will not release them until we get an official order to do so,” he disclosed.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200612101364723

Much as I agree that this guy is stealing us blind, I have been in Portharcourt for a while now, and I want to believe that his independent electric power project for Rivers State is for real. I have seen hight tension cables stretching throught Portharcourt and other areas in the state, and although power supply isn't steady yet, I bet it would in no distant future.

This guy should be investigated without any delay.

I followed the story when it broke on NigeriaVillageSquare. I think the Saharareporters section is thin on actual reporting--there's no proof that Peter Odili (and definitely not Obasanjo) own or operate Arik Air. All this stuff about Obasanjo and Odili being 'close' and Odili being 'chosen' as a successor is all crap, as can be seen by the fact that he's been investigated by EFCC and Obasanjo's supposedly backing Governor Umar Yar'Adua (which I think is also speculative crap). Making broad, unproven accusations just helps these thieving bastards get away with their crimes more often. If Saharareporters were sued for libel over this case for instance, they'd probably lose big time even though we all know Odili's a thief who's been lining his pockets. Which brings us to the part 2 of the article by Dr. Mobolaji Aluko. I don't know if everybody read through both parts of the article, but the most damning information is in the second half. Rivers State has put out a 168 billion naira ($1.3 billion) budget. So where does this giant sum of money disappear to in a state that doesn't have steady electricity and a relatively small urban population outside of Port Harcourt? Just one example shows how Odili and his like steal--in the Rivers State budget, Odili has 3 billion naira reserved for 'travel'--this is 50% more than Obasanjo's presidential travel budget, according to the group quoted in the article. It's also equivalent to the annual salary of 10,000 Rivers State employees at 300,000 naira per year. So, there could be 10,000 more jobs in Rivers State today if the governor had decided to drastically reduce or eliminate his travel budget (which is non-essential for a state governor--he's not the president! Where is he traveling to at the rate of $65,000 a day?)

I'm going to divert this thread quickly, because Odili is far from the only thieving bastard among this lot--There was a long article recently about Lagos state, overpopulation etc. in an American magazine called the New Yorker. The writer spent time going through the different slums in Lagos, talking to activists and upcoming politicians etc. When it came time for him to talk to Governor Bola Tinubu, the writer had to go meet him at his expensive London flat, where Tinubu started romancing the writer with stories about how much he'd done to clean the city up. How can you be so ashamed of your own city--the place you govern over--that you're not even interviewed in the same country? Has this ever happened to American governors? Could you imagine Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, being interviewed in his Singapore home about the problems of London's ghettos? Same with Peter Odili, who was entertaining foreign journalists with imported champagne while some people in his state are kidnapping foreign workers and planning outright war. Same with Alams of Bayelsa state, who spent upwards of $25 million on his governor's mansion, including a $5 million fence and owned eight properties on three different continents, not including an oil refinery he may own in Ecuador. Most Naija politicians are blood-drinking devils incarnate, and a life sentence in hard labor is less than what many of them deserve.

A-reeking Air

Hope Arik air wont kill innocent nigerians when repercussion comes. God have mercy.

who own the company

Name Title Took Office Left Office Party Notes
Alfred Diete-Spiff Governor 28 May 1967 July 1975 (Military) King
Zamani Lekwot Governor July 1975 July 1978 (Military) Major General
Suleiman Saidu Governor July 1978 October 1979 (Military) Navy Commander
Melford Obiene Okilo Governor October 1979 December 1983 NPN
Fidelis Oyakhilome Governor January 1984 26 August 1986 (Military) Chief Superintendent of Police
Anthony Ukpo Governor 26 August 1986 July 1988 (Military)
Ernest Olawunmi Adelaye Governor July 1988 August 1990 (Military)
Godwin Osagie Abbe Governor August 1990 January 1992 (Military)
Rufus Ada-George Governor January 1992 November 1993 NRC
Dauda Musa Komo Administrator 9 December 1993 22 August 1996 (Military)
Musa Shehu Administrator 22 August 1996 August 1998 (Military)
Sam Ewang Administrator August 1998 May 1999 (Military)
Peter Odili Governor 29 May 1999 29 May 2007 PDP
Celestine Omehia Governor 29 May 2007 26 October 2007 PDP
Rotimi Amaechi Governor 26 October 2007

look at how many have looted river state blind all these years.

Peter Odili is a thief and should be sent to jail period, but how can he be sent to jail when EFCC is solidly behind him, Amechi should do everyting he can to jail that thief, odili is murderer.

Ngozi .O.:

Peter Odili is a thief and should be sent to jail period, but how can he be sent to jail when EFCC is solidly behind him, Amechi should do everyting he can to jail that thief, odili is murderer.

Do you think this is possible?

If you plan to fly, please read the article below:

January 5, 2011
LucieA

I was shocked this afternoon at the sight I witnessed at the boarding gate for an Arik Air flight from Lagos, Nigeria. A very large group of exhausted, irritated, unkempt looking international passengers were trying to get information about their flight. They looked like they hadn’t slept in days. I was catching another flight at a different gate but I had to stop and ask them what had happened.

One tired gentleman told me that they had been at the airport since 9pm the night before, in order to catch their flight to South Africa at 11pm. However, when they came to the boarding gate, they were not allowed to enter the plane. They were not sure what the cause of the problem was and were not given any information by Arik staff. They were simply told not to leave the boarding gate area. So they sat down thinking the delay would last an hour or two and they would be on their way home. The hours dragged by.

Arik Air did not provide them with any answers, nor did they offer them hotel vouchers so they could wait comfortably for the next available flight, nor did they find them accommodation at the airport, nor did they provide meals for them or even snacks or drinking water. There is no toilet in the boarding gate area so there was no place for them to even go to the restroom or freshen up. They were not even given access to the lounge area so that they could rest. Only a few of them could find seats, the rest were sitting in their business suits on the floor.

This is how over 200 international passengers were held against their will without information, without assistance, without even food or water for more than 15 hours! It should also be noted that these TWO HUNDRED PASSENGERS were international passengers, meaning they were in a foreign country so there was no option to go back to their homes and wait for their flight information. They had no home there and had been prevented from going home for reasons unknown to them.

It is required of every airline to provide current, up to date information to their passengers. When there is a delay that is not due to the fault of the passenger, arrangements are to be made such as hotel vouchers, meal tickets, beverages and especially access to complete bathrooms!!! These passengers are human beings – not cattle! Yet they were treated without due respect.

This is not the first time Arik Air has behaved in a criminal matter. Many friends and associates have recounted stories of abuse at the hands of Arik Air. One business partner had his wallet taken from his seat pocket while he slept and $2,000 removed from it by an Arik staffer. He was the lone passenger in his row with an empty row both in front of him and behind him. The only one that could have bent over him while sleeping and been unnoticed would be the flight staff. A sister company of ours sent a team on retreat and when they arrived at their destination, the luggage for the entire flight had been left behind at the airport and there was no announcement made on board the plane before takeoff. But how can an airline leave all of the luggage on the tarmac and not load it before taking off?? That is incredulous! I believe if an inquiry is made, many more grievances, even worse than these, will be discovered.

While I was discussing with the man, an Arik staff appeared and announced the flight was now running and would be taking the TWO HUNDRED PASSENGERS to their destination. When prodded for the reason for the delay, the staffer reluctantly informed them that the delay was a lack of fuel in the plane!

This is outrageous and completely unacceptable. They have abused their position as an airline and their directors, managers and staff are not fit to run something so sensitive as an airline. We place our lives in the hands of airlines every day, trusting them to carry us safely from one location to another with our lives, our luggage and our decency in tact. Arik Air violates all of these trusts. Serious action should be taken to prevent our citizens from finding themselves trapped and abused at the hands of Arik Air.