₦airaland Forum

CNN Apologises To Atiku Over Report On Corruption Charge

Global news channel, Cable News Network (CNN), has apologised to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over allegations of corruption leveled against him and which the network had copiously reported.

"In a story in our December 8, 2007 telecast concerning corruption in Africa, it was reported that

former Nigerian Vice President Abubakar was indicted on corruption charges by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

"Not included in that report was the fact that a Nigerian court subsequently dismissed the charges, finding that the charges were unfairly pursued against Mr. Abubakar and also noting that they were ‘grossly unconstitutional’ and a ‘deliberate usurpation of the judicial power,’" CNN said on Saturday evening in its INSIDE AFRICA programme monitored in Lagos.

"According to his attorney, there are no indictments pending against Mr. Abubakar in any jurisdiction," it added.

The issue of corruption was the major weapon the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo deployed against his deputy after they fell out on account of disagreement over political beliefs and state policies.

The ultimate aim of Obasanjo then was to stop the presidential ambition of Atiku and the EFCC, under Nuhu Ribadu, was used to execute that project through phony a indictment.

Atiku in turn explored legal means to clear his name and save his political career also.

Howver, less than 48 hours to the hearing of the suit by Atiku, challenging his indictment on alleged corrupt practices, the office of the Minister of Justice in December, 2006 formally released the government gazette on the matter.

The gazette, dated September 6, was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette.

It contained the indictment of the Vice President by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a panel raised by President Obasanjo, which was headed by the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bayo Ojo (SAN).

The immediate aim of the gazette was to disqualify him from contesting for the office of president in the April 2007 election, which he nonetheless did on the platform of the Action Congress (AC) after he successfully secured judgment against the antics of the government.

Section 137 (1) (i) of the 1999 Constitution states: "A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a judicial commission of inquiry or an administrative panel of inquiry or a tribunal set up under the tribunals of inquiry act, a tribunals of inquiry law or any other law by the Federal or state government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or state government respectively."

http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=162&a=9363

I'm beginning to think that all of the charges brought against a lot of the past governors, senators etc etc were figments of OBJ, Nuhu Ribadoo and Bayo Ojo. Could Alams have stolen so much as stated in the papers at that time, could Ibori and other governors presently standing trial have done so badly with government funds? No doubt, the real thieves are feeding fat somewhere, while people who did put something on ground are being ''unjustly'' punished.

debosky:
trust some ill advised comments to pop up on this thread, just typical.

@ ono

there is much more tying Nigeria together than oil & trade, there are shared histories, strong economic linkages and asset ownership which is not based on 'state of origin'

Nigerians need to be given the ability to sit down and talk, all theis 'yoruba's don't want igbos' and 'hausas can't stand ND' is reductionist at best. This is the reason the smaller ethnic groupings keep clamouring for their own states so their voices don't get drowned under the Yoruba-Hausa-Igbo noise. The complexities of the Nigerian state cannot be reduced to mere oil and trade or tribal origin.

A truly sovereign national conference with people elected to serve there based on their ethnic nationalities and groupings to discuss how we want to be together as a nation is needed.

@ Seun

some nations are breaking up, only to reunite, but on their OWN terms. What we need to do is to renegotiate with each other on the basis of this union.

David has very well posted what my reply would have been. But also I must state that we will never have any referendum until the oil dries up.

stillwater:
And who is fighting with you? Why are you biting yourself?

If you think I'm biting myself after reading and replying your post, then I guess you need to do some checkup yourself.

stillwater:
@TOPIC

No. I can't imagine losing my Yoruba friends.

Who told you you'll lose any friend? Well I have friends over here in Ndjamena, friends in Ghana and other countries. We meet once in a while. So, tell me how you'd loose your Yoruba friends if you're in a new country outside this cursed one?

And you think some of us here will believe whatever comes out of the mouth of that jail bird? I now know why Abacha wanted him dead. I will never ever trust anything from that man.

I feel you Bro. It is well. We will get there.

Seun:
We are united by oil and trade. Give it up.

I like the way you put it. But let me put it pragmatically: United by oil (99%) trade (1%).

Backslider:
@ EmekaNaija
This same Gbenga said then that Obasanjo was already building a retirement mansion and would vacate office 2007.

And isn't that true? Have you not heard that OBJ now have a Hiltop Mansion, similar to what obtains at Minna, at Abeokuta GRA?

But in here, some peeps think Ibori is the greatest of all thieves.

Anything dear. How about chatting on msn for a while?

I also read that he awarded a contract worth $570 million to his cronies and associates today. Going by the several stories hitting the headlines, stories that will make you weep for this country, I guess he's one of the worst things that has happened to us as a nation.

Jairzinho:
Has she confessed to/denied sleeping with OBJ & her dad?

What difference does her confessions make. I personally don't see any. Yes or No, there's an element of truth in the whole story.

Osisi, that pic is truly grizzly. Could you please take it down. Damn!

Chief OBJ. Damn!

I haven't seen McKren's response yet. Where are the apostles of OBJ?

Terminator:
Records made available to Elendureports.com indicate that between April 2004 and August 2005, Edo State House Speaker David Iyoha made 3 trips to the United States of America, 3 trips to London, and 1 trip each to Germany, South Africa, Cameroon, and Canada. Thus, in less than one-and-half years, the Edo House Speaker has been out of the country a minimum of ten times and the Edo people have paid dearly for all these trips. The least expensive was his trip to Germany, which cost Edo State taxpayers one million, seven hundred, and ninety-six thousand naira. His trip to Cameroon cost taxpayers a whopping two million and thirty-thousand naira, while his numerous trips to the United States cost between three and four million naira a trip. In total, these ten trips have cost Edo people about thirty-one million naira.

Between October 2003 and August 2005, another high-flying member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Patrick Obahiagbon, traveled outside Nigeria eight times. In total, he spent about eighteen million naira for all eight trips.

We asked, "Why did Gov. Lucky Igbinedion allow members of the House to junket the world?" A Benin source told Elendureports.com, "That's how the Governor settled them. He allowed them to loot the Treasury through these phony trips so they will look the other way as he does his thing. Don't you know the game? Scratch my back, I'll scratch your own." The Edo State Speaker was recently questioned by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of defrauding a South African businessman.

But that was about the time OBJ was globetrotting the whole world, looking for willing investors for Nigeria. Would you blame these people? They were only following the footsteps of their leader.

tony4:
am not surprise about this story, if obj can be sleeping with a woman whom he represent father in law on there wedding day,i.e a wife to former ogun state commissioner, the woman he gave 607 during his period as a president, the same woman Atiku show us the cheque obj use to buy the 607,
when the media published the story obj did not respond

Hmn, how about you being a bit more explicit. I don't understand a thing from what you've written up there.

walcolm:
voltron was really da bomb, it completely overtook G-Force and became the reference point for high tech animations

G-Force was called Battle of the Planets at the time, I guess.


So, we are this many that loved Voltron. I tot I was the only one that loved the sci-fic cartoon adventure.

@Funmi,
I concur, but you know how OBJs greed can propel him into doing abominable things. That man is ''trouble incarnate'' trouble waiting to explode! OBJ has done a lot of damage to the psyche of the average egba man in particular and the Yoruba people in general. Never in the history of this country has anything like this ever happened to both serving or retired leader of this nation.

May God help us not to ''hear'' this kind of story again in our lifetime. What a mind boggling shame!

NigEclipse:
The 30-page petition, dated 16 July 2007 and entitled “A Comprehensive Report On The Systematic But Ruthless Looting of Pubic Funds and Resources of Ebonyi State by Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu and His Wife from 1999 To May 2007: A Case Study of Corruption, Public Deceit and Embezzlement,” was signed by the coalition’s President, Ogazi Linus Ogbonnaya. Arranged in two volumes, the first details the facts of every allegation made against Egwu, while the second contains appendices of documents to prove each allegation. In all, Egwu and his wife are alleged to have appropriated close to N80 billion out of the over N150 billion accruing to the state as revenue under his eight year-watch as Chief Executive Officer. For his successor, the governor left a debt profile of N10 billion.

Men! 80 billion naira?! How's it that I missed that the first time?

NigEclipse:
On the allegation that former president Obasanjo was never in Ebonyi to commission any project throughout Egwu’s reign, Otu thundered: “That’s a big lie. The President was in Ebonyi on 8 December 2000 and laid the foundation stone for the Afikpo/Abakaliki road and commissioned some faculty buildings at the Ebonyi State University. He was also here in 2003 to launch the rice mill in Abakaliki which he nicknamed Uncle Sam’s rice.”

So we now have big and small lies. And since when did foundation stone laying of a project equal the commissioning of that project.

Ha! And here I am thinking Ibori stole the country - not Delta State blind. I think we're finished. The black liquid has brought curses on this country.

lafile:
Okay so Ghana redominated. Big deal. If that is the only index used, then Ghana would be a better place than Japan. We have 1 Pound = 212 yen

LOL!! In that case, Ghana is the giant of Asia or the world. LOLL!!

Aside from this shameful washing of ''personal dirty linen in public'', which I believe OBJ and his family deserves, I can only pray to God to give us women who'd prolong our lives as men here on earth as wives.

Gbenga, first son of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, got contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) while his father was in office, his estranged wife, Mojisola, has claimed.

Mojisola and Gbenga are currently seeking the dissolution of their seven-year-old marriage at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja Division, in Suit No. ID/172HD/2006. While Gbenga is claiming that his wife was sleeping with the former president  - his own father - in order to get government contracts, Mojisola claims her husband has been violent towards her. In her cross-petition against Gbenga, who is the petitioner, Mojisola is demanding hefty compensation because of the financial status of the husband.

She claimed under “Particulars of Income of the Petitioner” that the petitioner (Gbenga) makes an average annual income of N500 million. According to her, “The Petitioner earns from commissions paid to him as an Agent to a construction company with various construction projects, which was recently awarded an 11 billion Naira construction contract.

“The Petitioner has several construction contracts from Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“The Petitioner owns substantial shares in an Oil Trading Company, Linetrale Trading Company Ltd, a Company engaged in importing, selling, supplying and marketing of petroleum products.
“The Petitioner also collects oil allocations from Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
“The Petitioner receives payments from Health Aids Support Services, an HIV consulting firm currently working on a transaction with MTN, and some state governments.
“The Petitioner receives commission for brokering different deals on behalf of foreign companies and earns a sizeable commission therefrom.
“The Petitioner received Commission for the supply of 800 vehicles to Ogun State.
“The Petitioner has substantial investment in some Oil Blocks.
“The Petitioner has substantial investment in Glo Oil Ltd. and Hyster Investments Ltd.”

She claimed Gbenga had the capability to earn income because he is a “medical doctor with a Masters in Public Health and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, USA. The Petitioner has the goodwill of being the son of the serving President of the largest black nation in the world which gives him access to several eminent world political leaders and business personalities all of which he has utilised and continue to utilise and leverage upon to earn considerable income […] all state governors in Nigeria, Commissioners of various States in Nigeria top executives in the public and private sector of the Nigerian economy.”
She listed the physical estate of her husband as “land in Maitama, Abuja, land in Banana Island, Ikoyi, land in Lekki Phase 1, land in Abeokuta, a house in GRA Ikeja, Peugeot 607, Land Cruiser Jeep 2006 model, Kia Opirus” among others.

She claimed she became aware of the particulars of Gbenga’s income as a result of “prior discussions” between them while they lived together.

As “ancillary relief” for the dissolution of the marriage, Mojisola asked the court for a permanent order directing the Petitioner to pay a lump sum of N54 million for the maintenance of the Respondent (herself) and the two children of the marriage, Boluwatife and Wuraola, till the children attain  adulthood.
She also sought an order that the Petitioner provide two of the fleet of cars owned by him for the Respondent and her children's use together with a chauffeur to be paid by the Petitioner; an order that the family house at No. 8 Ladipo Bateye Street, GRA Ikeja be settled on the Respondent or in the alternative the Petitioner be ordered to pay the sum of N50million to be used by the Respondent to purchase a decent house of comparable standard for the accommodation of the Respondent and her two children; and an order directing the Petitioner to make adequate financial arrangement for provision of security for the two children of the marriage (including adequate security safeguards for the premises where they will be residing) being grand children of the incumbent president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mojisola is seeking a monthly payment of N300,000 for the period of 15 years or till the children attain adulthood.
She is also seeking that the Petitioner pay a lump sum of £360,000 or its Naira equivalent and $400,000 or its Naira equivalent for the education of their two children of the marriage. The sum of £360,000, she claimed, would cover cost of school fees for a period of six years each for the two children at a secondary school in Switzerland already picked by their father, while $400,000 would be the cost of a four-year degree programme for both of the children in an American University.

Gbenga’s younger sister, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, a former commissioner in Ogun State, is currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over claims that she assumed a “fraudulent” identity to help an Austrian company, in which she had interest, to secure power contracts in Nigeria while her father was president.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=100587

I bet part of the money was spent on his daughter's phoney company. . . . remember there's a case at hand where Chief Dr. Mrs Iyabo Obasanjo Bello - aka Damilola Okanlawon esq. is answerable. I think the amount is some 3.2billion naira, rite. Now, that's a large chunk off 1.2 trillion naira.

A little bit of probing would reveal that part of that money was spent on building the all-new Hiltop Mansion at Ibara-Abeokuta GRA. Now we can see the light . . . . . at the end of the tunnel.

You know what? there's no point joining issues with you. Your mind is already tuned to the ''no explanation would suffice'' phase. Otherwise, why can't you see that all the so called stolen monies were used to ''oil the PDP machineries countrywide'' during the Obasanjo locust years, and that ''very few'' of those monies actully went into the looters account?

Mariory:
Is that an excuse to support their stealing?

Please, remember our ''agreement''. No discussion of any type btw you and me. OK?

ishmael:
Yes, atleast we know of one, Donald Duke of cross river state; he used his own loot to repair his state. The rest are big thieves. Alams, Ibori, Igbinedion, Victor Attah and father Odili. Nemesis is already catching up with them.

Well, the bearded sharia enforcer was accused of pilfering too. So also was the pastor at Taraba. Even Dariye jumped bail in the UK and is a fugitive as we speak. What's new? The art of stealing was perfected by the North and Western ethnic groups. Let me spare the Igbos for now, even though, they too cannot claim their governors are that clean - Nnamani's ''Ebeano'' jingos still rings loud and clear. And Orji Kalu just finished cooling off at the EFCC.


Show me one governor from any other part of this country, other than Duke who did something worth celebrating in this country during the OBJ locust years.

Hmn.

bibiking1:
Where were they when Jos was providing Tin, Kano was providing groundnut, Ibadan Cocoa? they were feasting on the resources produced by these regions.

Let me help you a bit. Kano also provided hides and skin for making leather wares, etc. And at the time, we had huge rubber plantation in the Niger Delta, including palm produce for export and other industrial raw materials. Generating the much needed revenues.

Like I said sometime ago, the good things those mineral resource brought to those places can be visibly seen on ground there. The tin in Jos made Jos a centre for tourist attraction, brought a Federal University to the place and several other goodies of this life. There is a cocoa house at Ibadan, built at the time with proceeds from the sale of cocoa. Kano was/is a centre of commerce at the time, with groundnut pyramids all over the place - all that has dissapeared now, with the advent of the black liquid.

The Niger Delta people weren't feasting on the resources from those areas. They instead pay for them. No government at the time will allow you to forcefully take over a tin mine at Jos. Rather tin miners pay tax to the central government, thesame with the coal mine at Enugu. You can see what the proceeds from coal has done to Enugu.

ishmael:
Yes, they stole money too; but still used the stolen money to develop their states.

LOL!!

Then, we can safely say that the governors in the Delta used the stolen money to develop their states too. Abi?