₦airaland Forum

Time for Barcanista to come and wail again

The country’s Olympic team cheated death on their way to Gambia for final preparation ahead African U23 Championship
Nigeria U23 team escaped plane crash on their way to Gambia towards perfecting strategies for the African U23 Championship billed for Senegal.

More shortly...http://m.goal.com/x/en-ng/news/11252/nigeria-u23/2015/11/15/17346902/breaking-news-dream-team-vi-escape-plane-crash-stranded-in

“Is it true that a sister of yours has a kid or kids for President Jonathan?” I asked. “That is totally untrue as I don’t have any such sister or relative!”, she said. She wondered how people could fabricate such blatant lies.
Family friends
I soon followed with what I regarded as an upper-cut: “It was said that you and the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan were in permanent conflict; why was it so?” She responded that their relationship was cordial enough and she gave the former First Lady the respect she should give the wife of her boss. She went further to say: “What people don’t know is that we’ve been family friends for long. My mum, Mrs Beatrice Agama, has always played the role of a godmother in the Niger Delta and all the militants love and respect her. I come from a royal privileged background and lacked nothing.” She said she was not unaware of certain insinuations about an intimate relationship with the former President but she never bothered her head about them because some people had made up their minds to spread those ugly tales about her. “If you are in the corridor of power, you must expect anything, including mud and even bricks being thrown at you.”
Now wait for the next shot! “You’ve been linked to so many young guys who made so much money from you and later absconded or turned against you… What was between you and Chris Aire, Kola Aluko, Jide Omokore, Tonye Cole, Dapo Abiodun, Wale Tinubu, Igho Sanomi and others?”, I queried her.
Madame Diezani’s response was calm and unruffled: “I vehemently deny any intimacy or liaison with any of these gentlemen.” She noted that she is happily married like most of them are happily married and asserted that she is not the Scarlet Lady that people paint her to be. She sees those rumours as insults on accomplished women who cannot be seen in sensitive positions without running riotous with some men. She said it was important to put in context how she met most of them:
“I was the Chairman of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board and I did my job to the best of my ability and intentions. My boss and I were determined to empower Nigerians, especially the young ones, who had the brains and guts to dare.” She pointed out that her firm belief and desire to empower Nigerians stemmed from the manner that she and her parents and siblings were unceremoniously dumped out of Shell Camp where her father worked and lived while she was young.
Worst days
The memory was apparently traumatic as I could notice her wiping her eyes with another napkin. She said: “I remember that day vividly. It was definitely one of the worst days of my life. We were not even allowed to finish eating before they hurriedly packed our belongings, threw them into trucks and drove us into an uncertain, unknown future.” She continued: “I was determined that what my father fought for, which was to ensure that Nigerians had a greater say in the scheme of things in Shell and thus in the petroleum industry, would be championed and achieved by me in government”.
She noted that in every government, some people must land the big jobs which every human being would love to have. She said: “I chose to empower mostly Nigerians and took the power away from foreigners who used to dominate the sector. That was why we pushed for the Nigerian Content Bill, which mercifully we got through. So you cannot expect some forces not to hate me but I was shocked that Nigerians themselves were ready to crucify me mostly on rumours and not verifiable facts. Most leaders before me have suffered a similar fate, so I take some comfort from that experience.”http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/diezani-life-as-a-cancer-patient/

On top of her problems, she’s having a running battle with the most dreaded form of cancer of the breast and she’s had to undergo surgeries to remove the lumps and later some chunky tissue. The treatments have not been that successful and it’s been a ding-dong affair for this once ebullient and elegant lady.
We had to give assurances of not sensationalising her story if granted access. Of course it has never been our practice to do so and thus, this was not a problem. We promised not to embellish her stories in any way or reveal off-the-record discussions which were truly personal and confidential and had nothing to do with her travails. There was a strict proviso that no form of recording would be allowed and we had to adopt the novelistic style. The result of that covenant is what you’re reading today.
We must note that we were highly restricted and encumbered by strings of events as well as existing litigation and other possible future developments. We could not get as much revelations as we expected but the little we managed to get provided enough insight into a woman who had achieved so much and enjoyed substantial accolades before the sad turn of events. Had she remained in Shell, where she became the first and only female Director, and shunned the murky water of Nigerian politics, maybe she would have savoured the klieg-lights forever.
We knew it was going to be very difficult getting pictures in her present not too genial or glamorous condition. That was practically tough on our first meeting as she was just returning from her hospital rounds and looked totally exhausted. We however succeeded in getting a few pictures this time some of which we are revealing for the first time today.
Intrigues of power play
The Diezani Alison-Madueke story is a classic study in the intrigues of power-play. Barely months ago, she was at the pinnacle of the temple as Minister of one of the biggest oil-producing nations on earth. She was elected the President of the powerful Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). And the world was at her feet. The cancer issue had crept in, like a thief in the night, but was being treated and managed by the best doctors available in England. There was that optimism that all shall be well at the end of the day until everything that could go wrong started going wrong, like in Murphy’s Law.
Madame Diezani confirmed that she and the government she served loyally and passionately never thought for one second that the Nigerian general elections could turn out the way it did or that they would suffer the crushing and devastating defeat that they did. The first and major casualty would be the woman who controlled the destiny of Nigerians as Petroleum Resources Minister. Under her care, a whopping $20 billion was alleged to have literally vamoosed into thin air. Till this day, no one has come forward to authenticate the veracity or otherwise of such mind-boggling claims. Instead we’ve received conflicting figures on the supposed infractions.
This is a story like no other and it cannot be told like any other. It is a tale from the super highway of power and the fast lane of confusion. Nothing is sweeter than power and money, in no particular order, as long as you have both you are in the rarefied company of national decision-makers. And nothing is sadder than having both and falling from grace to grass or from fame to infamy. Mrs Alison-Madueke had the world not just at her feet but firmly in her palm. She could apparently turn a certified pauper into a certificated billionaire within the twinkle of an eye. In short, she could make and unmake. Diezani was the subject of many fables. And this is the crux of the matter. Her closeness to President Goodluck Jonathan and the influence she wielded on him was never a hidden matter. This lent credence to the mystical power over the Nigerian economy that it was claimed she possessed. I fired my first shot from that direction and it was as if she expected it

What you are about to read is probably the most anticipated story of the year birthed in the long awaited authoritative investigative newspaper of the future. This pregnant saga fell into labour last week in the pre-natal wing of Pendulum ward and it has now given birth to a big bouncing baby christened, The Boss.
This is an apt metaphor for the melodramatic scoop which is the cover of the first edition of what I believe will be a catalyst for unbiased investigative reporting in Nigeria. The Boss had long been conceptualised as a leadership newspaper to occupy the void created by lack of true and credible investigative journalism in some traditional and online media. The original plan was to launch in December or early January. But the Diezani-Alison Madueke story changed all that. It was too compelling to restrict to the Pendulum column alone. And here we are with what promises to be an exciting addition to the media landscape in Nigeria and beyond featuring an enthralling cover story that will run and run.
After that effervescent introduction of the meeting between this reporter and the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, published in Thisday, everyone requested for details of the encounter. Some unbelieving Thomases even suggested the story was pure fiction, or at the very best “faction” to borrow Kole Omotoso’s word. They wondered why a more comprehensive interview could not be published, garnished with clear crispy pictures of Madame Diezani.
It was obvious many had read the story in a hurry and did not assimilate the carefully worded tale of a woman in deep pain and anguish for variety of reasons. Of course there were insinuations that it was a public relations stunt but mercifully most readers thought it was a well-balanced story. It even went viral.
At any rate, those who took their time would have noticed that I had to settle for such a gripping monologue because it was virtually impossible to extract more information from a cancer patient who had spent her day with her medical team in a private London hospital. Our protagonist had also probably taken the risk of meeting this reporter in order to check if he was going to play the quintessential antagonist or do his job professionally and dispassionately.
That meeting obviously impacted on her decision to open up eventually, two days after Episode One. A call came through on Friday, November 6, 2015, from a female aide of Mrs. Alison-Madueke to request for a meeting the following day at 2.30pm at a location yet to be determined.
The appointment was immediately approved. Later in the evening, this ubiquitous aide made yet another call shifting the appointment forward by a few hours to 11am the same Saturday. My response again was yes. The pot that would eat pepper must endure some heat, says a Yoruba proverb. The Diezani story was worth all the sacrifice in the world. In other climes, journalists would have shown more than cursory interest in chasing that super exclusive chat. Her copyrighted picture would have fetched a few million dollars, probably. Anyway…
A text message flew into my phone very early Saturday morning. It contained the address and full postcode of a new venue different from the one of two days earlier. Not to worry. My wife offered to chauffeur me again but without her sister this time around. While on our way, the female aide called to ask if we were going to make the 11 o’clock time pronto or arrive late. I replied we would arrive earlier rather than later. I would soon understand the import of her question. Madame Diezani was apparently on her way and I was expected to be comfortably seated prior to her arrival. Presumably, so I would not know how and from what direction she had come. There was no sign this time of any overbearing or anxious security man. Mrs. Alison-Madueke had laughingly dismissed as funny my James Bond imagination of Thursday, in any event. Since the meeting was supposed to be strictly one-on-one, my wife had to wait in the car while I was away. The venue turned out to be a popular restaurant near Regent’s Park, famous for its breakfast.
I was a bit surprised and disappointed at the choice of location. I was hoping she was going to give me access to her now famous apartment which was said to have been bought at a most staggering amount, or the new multi-billion dollar home that was rumoured to have triggered the alarm leading to her arrest, claims she would dismiss as tales by moonlight.
Glimpse
I called the mobile number I had been given as I approached the doorway of the restaurant and her female aide emerged from the bowel of the restaurant to lead me to a somewhat secluded corner where a table had been reserved. I was seated facing the entrance and hoping I could catch her glimpse whenever she arrives.
After waiting for about 20 minutes or so, I heard some footsteps and the once most powerful woman in Nigeria surfaced. She looked slightly better than at our last meeting for which I was glad. I sprang to my feet as we exchanged pleasantries. I mentioned to her that she looked better and she said she’d been resting and gaining strength in preparation for the radiotherapy sessions expected to last five agonising weeks.
She ordered for full English breakfast while I settled only for a cup of cappuccino.

Igwe Alex Nwokedi, Press Secretary to the Head of State during the military regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is the sitting Uthokoneze and paramount ruler of Achalla Kingdom, Anambra State. The 79-year-old former Chairman, Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers and erstwhile Chairman, Eastern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Forum, spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the calls for Biafra and threat of secession by Afenifere among other things
What is your perspective on the brewing agitation for Biafra in your part of the country?
General Yakubu Gowon, in one of his published interviews, spoke well when he said he was surprised that people could be talking about Biafra over 40 years after the matter had been resolved. Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a respected governor of the people, of course, has also spoken like a patriotic Nigeria when he counselled that Igbo should stop hating other Nigerians. That comment credited to him gives a good perspective on the Igbo people of this country. Igbo people are loving people but we should talk about what unites us than talking about what divides us.
I have read a lot about the so-called agitation for Biafra and I even read something about people who said they wanted to secede from Nigeria and become Oduduwa country. Biafra and Afenifere are no threat to the unity of Nigeria.
So, as far as I am concerned, we should talk more about what unites us than what divides us. I am more concerned about the need to develop all the regions of Nigeria. I am concerned about the need for government both at federal and state levels to collaborate and bring physical development to all parts of the country. It is sad, for instance, that Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Road is not motorable.
As a matter of fact, when I was coming to Lagos, I drove through the old road to link the airport and that road, so narrow with narrow bridge, is very dangerous. I have read so much about how contractors handling that road complained that they have been owed for over three years, a situation they said had led to the retrenchment of many of their workers including the expatriates and that they were now considering folding up. I appeal to the Federal Government to look into the issue and come to the aid of the people of that area by paying the money owed the construction company so that they can fix the road in good time. The road facilitates the movement of goods into and out of the South-East to other parts of Nigeria and, if properly fixed, falling and breaking down of vehicles plying the road will stop and, also, it will boost the economy of the nation from that axis.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/sorry-biafra-died-over-40-years-ago-igwe-alex-nwokedi/

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Awon Igbo olori pelebe yen ti de

Up gunners

AJIMOBI SHOULD JUST PAY SALARIES, I LIKE HIM BUT HE SHOULD JUST PAY

Report reaching DAILY POST, Sunday afternoon has it that President of the National Association of Nigerian Prostitutes, Jessica Elvis is dead.

Elvis died Sunday afternoon in an undisclosed hospital in Benin after battling a protracted heart-related disease.

Confirming the sad development to DAILY POST on Sunday afternoon, the Secretary General of the association, Tamar Tion in a terse text message described Elvis’ demise as a sad loss to the group.

“Hi Ameh, want to inform you that we just lost our President, Jessy this afternoon. She died after battling heart-related disease for years. It is a sad loss to NANP and we pray God to give her family and 15-year-old daughter the fortitude to bear the loss,” the statement added.

http://dailypost.ng/2015/10/25/breaking-president-of-nigerian-prostitutes-jessica-elvis-is-dead/

Is this not the governor that led thugs to beat up a judge? He should just...

PrinceVecllin:
I will miss Dr Ebele.

Were

Kikiki

Omoyele Sowore: Again, I must restate that we are not in the business of advising the Buhari government. I hope you saw our story about Femi Otedola not paying his debt to the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) since 2006, right?



The Paradigm: Do you have any major sponsor or backer?



Omoyele Sowore: I started SaharaReporters using my personal savings. Also, we keep receiving backing from socially conscious investors like Omidyar Network. Before them, we received funds from Ford Foundation. The rest of our revenues comes from advertising.



The Paradigm: The common norm in the Nigerian online media industry is for people to blackmail organizations and people for adverts, favors or some financial reward. What can be done to put a stop to this?



Omoyele Sowore: We are not a blogging regulatory agency. If people don’t want to be blackmailed, they should stop courting blackmailers. We have heard so many of these stories. But many of those who claimed they were being blackmailed were themselves shady characters. But I can tell you this: ultimately, those who set up websites to blackmail people or organizations for cash will be doomed. The browsing public can sense when a website is designed to blackmail and scam.



The Paradigm: Some bloggers are presently facing the justice system for allegedly writing a false story against a bank MD. Do you think the police are right to have charged these bloggers to court? Doesn’t it negate freedom of speech?



Omoyele Sowore: For me, the problem is that they [bloggers] were arrested accused of this nebulous “cybercrime” offense and then were simply detained. They were denied an opportunity to face their accuser(s) in court. It appears that the bank MD in question just went up to a judge and paid for prison cells to keep the bloggers away. It is a form of judicial travesty. Some bank MDs have been known to loot their banks, and they’ve never spent a week in prison. It is really sad that you can purchase justice (or injustice) in the black market like this.





The Paradigm: Senator Bukola Saraki emerged the President of the Senate against the wishes of his party and without the blessings of President Buhari. Do you think his election should be allowed to stand?



Omoyele Sowore: I am not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). My position on Bukola Saraki stems from his corrupt activities, which SaharaReporters has covered for several years now. Mr. Saraki ranks as one of Nigeria’s biggest thieves, and he has evaded justice for so long.



The Paradigm: Senator Saraki’s camp has also accused SaharaReporters of bias. Do you have any personal issues against him?



Omoyele Sowore: In a sense, I have a personal moral issue with anybody whose greed and looting have contributed to Nigeria’s backwardness and degradation. I think it is honestly unfair that former Governor James Ibori is in jail for laundering monies stolen from his state and Saraki is walking free after stealing so much from his father’s defunct bank and from Kwara State. It is unjust. All members of Senator Saraki’s camp know he is a very big thief. The records are there for all to see. It is the reason Saraki may not be able to declare his assets as of 2007. He was richer than most people according to his assets declaration form we obtained.



The Paradigm: What is your view on how vigorous the anti-corruption war has been under the current regime?



Omoyele Sowore: I am very worried that the anti-corruption fight is neither well organized nor well institutionalized. It is akin to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Oputa Panel, which had more entertainment value than any visible substance. President Buhari’s anti-corruption war makes good copy for newspaper reporting, but few big-name corrupt suspects have been hurled before the courts. It is just all hearsay. And of what value is the anti-corruption war in which no one is really hurt?

reporting that took place in Abuja. It was revolutionary and that’s what journalism ought to be about. I witnessed the event, and encouraged from the rear. Adeola asked the most important question that any serious reporter ought to ask Mugabe. As you’re aware, Mugabe’s physical health has begun to deteriorate lately. He has been unable to walk unaided, and has read old scripts at the Zimbabwean parliament. Apart from being an amazing reportorial moment, the encounter with Mugabe was a historical moment. I hope we can repeat it.



The Paradigm: During the difficult days of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, you often traveled into Nigeria despite the fact that the country’s security apparatchik was looking to take you down. How did you do it?



Omoyele Sowore: I wasn’t afraid of President Goodluck Jonathan or any of his officials, but it was a necessity on our part to preserve our operations. So, I did create an underground airport in the West African region.



The Paradigm: Stella Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation in the Jonathan administration SaharaReporters exposed as being corrupt, now seats as a senator of the Federal Republic. Don’t you feel, sometimes, that the exercise of exposing corruption is an exercise in futility, seeing the weaknesses or ineffectiveness of our justice system? It seems that criminals are guaranteed freedom if they steal a lot, but only the poor pay for their crimes?



Omoyele Sowore: I’d disagree slightly. Sometimes we don’t realize that some of what we do as part of an activist media has historical reverberation and futuristic impact and relevance. Part of the effects of our work will be felt in the future. In fact, some of us who are in the trenches may not get to see the full impact of the work we do. To comment specifically on Stella Oduah, I can assure you that she has hardly rested since sneaking her way into the Senate. She is still very much running from one court to another, shopping for corrupt judges to offer her some relief by subverting the course of justice. She may succeed in the short run, but in the long term, a lot of judges—even corrupt ones—are feeling the heat. They are realizing that they are under the searchlight from us and other conscientious media groups and anti-corruption groups and individuals. So the culture of impunity is, even if ever slowly, on the decline. That trend will continue, if enlightened members of society do our jobs in a principled, conscientious way.



The Paradigm: What is your advice to new appointees under the new government of Muhammadu Buhari?



Omoyele Sowore: I do not advise people in government. I have never met Buhari before in my life. I have spoken to him for interviews, but I am not interested in advising him. A man who runs for the Presidency should know what to do, and what he wants his appointees to do. My own job is different.



The Paradigm: Since the new president came on board, SaharaReporters has been soft on him. Is it that there is no dirt to report with all his activities and appointees so far?



Omoyele Sowore: Not true. Perhaps, you have not done your research. We’ve been on Buhari’s case. We have been scrutinizing his appointments, providing a robust platform for people to take him on. We have challenged him via articles, reports and cartoons about his style of governance. We came up with the story about one of his appointees having a fake doctorate degree. We reported on his wife’s desire to be “First Lady” at all cost. We called him out on the quote in Washington, DC where he said he would favor regions that voted for him more. We revealed that the Warri Refinery wasn’t working under him—and now it has shut down. You’ve probably not being reading our website.



The Paradigm: Immediately President Buhari won the March 28th election, some corporate hawks like Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola and other shady businessmen started gathering around him. What is your admonition to the new administration?

The Paradigm: One of your sworn enemies in the Jonathan administration was Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She has accused SaharaReporters of bias. How true is it?



Omoyele Sowore: I don’t have any sworn enemies that I am aware of, but I have to make a confession. I am one of the young people who had a good knowledge of the way the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) operate. I was lucky to be schooled by the likes of Femi Falana, Bamidele Aturu, Chima Ubani, Gbenga Olawepo, and several others, including the inimitable Gani Fawehinmi (who I should admit wasn’t much of a socialist). These activists exposed the workings of the World Bank and their lackeys to us way before Joseph Stiglitz won the Nobel Prize for saying the same thing or before John Perkins wrote his bestseller, The Economic Hit Man. I knew from the onset that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala was a fluke. Unknown to many, she is one of the longest serving government officials in Nigeria in the last 16 years Mrs. Iweala has been a recurring government decimal. She supervised the ruin of the Nigerian economy; she supported everything that is bad for us. But her biggest flaw is that she hates taking responsibility for her actions. She loves scaring people; she’s a crybaby and a bully. I detested those attributes about her. She will use anything she can find to blackmail anyone that confronts her. I wasn’t scared of her, she didn’t intimidate me, and she didn’t like that. But she was an absolute failure. That’s why the US would not even touch when she wrongly claimed that she was the leading candidate for the World Bank presidency job.



The Paradigm: You are not running a personal vendetta against her?



Omoyele Sowore: A vendetta against her? No! It was our duty to expose how the policies she championed were hurting the economic and social interests of Nigeria, period. She hates anyone who challenges her fake credentials. You imagine a situation where the World Bank won’t even want her near their president’s office, after she had been used to con Nigeria into making huge nebulous debt payments.

The Paradigm: There are some stories you ran that were not exactly the way you reported them. Do you get worried when such things happen? How do you correct them or make amends?



Omoyele Sowore: You did not mention any stories that are not “exactly the way you reported them.” So it’s difficult to answer that particular question.



The Paradigm: There is the issue of ethics, which has always been a source of concern for journalists who feel threatened by the rise of new media. How do you create balance in your stories and how you report them?



Omoyele Sowore: I personally feel that the repetitive echo of “ethics” is sometimes a red herring. Often, the reason the so-called professional, mainstream media are losing out is that they have failed in delivering on their (ethical) promise to society. Some of the self-styled “ethical” journalists are embedded within the corrupt system that has weakened African nations. Some of the greatest violators of “ethics” are those complaining and whining about ethics. The public may be growing tired of so-called ethical journalists who are no longer reporting real news. The public is now increasingly reaching out to those who can deliver on the radical need for sharing significant, critical information.



The Paradigm: Still talking about ethics. During the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, one of the most popular presenters on SaharaTV named Adeola, hounded President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. She asked him when he was going to seat down. Some critics found that exchange very disturbing. Do you think ‘anything goes’ is the new rule of the game, or when is too far, too far?



Omoyele Sowore: I think the confrontation between our Adeola and President Mugabe was one of the best things to happen to journalism in a long time. The people of Zimbabwe were most excited about the unbelievable, decisive, dynamic and courageous

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for treatment of my physical injuries. On the fifth day the doctors showed me a syringe they said was recovered from the scene of the attack. They wanted to test to find out what it contained. That same night I had to flee LUTH with the help of the Chief Security Officer, one great fellow named “Lawal”. He said the police had come to get me. I was dressed as though I was a dead person being wheeled to the morgue. Lawal took me to his house that night and I used his official telephone to call my aunt in FESTAC Town. When the family heard my voice they were surprised because the police had told my dad earlier in the day that I was dead. That was how my treatment ended abruptly at LUTH. Meanwhile they arrested all the other student leaders, tortured them, and charged them with armed robbery. They wanted to kill me.

When I arrived in the US, I was tested for lead and HIV, just to rule out any possibility that I was carrying any deadly element or virus. I was cleared and have since moved on to better things.



The Paradigm: Tell us how the attack on campus happened?



Omoyele Sowore: As I just explained, I was attacked by campus gangs sponsored to eliminate student leaders opposed to the military. The University of Lagos Student Union had some of the most fearless and, I’d say, vibrant student leaders in Nigeria during the reign of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.



The Paradigm: Did you finish your degree in UNILAG?



Omoyele Sowore: I finished at UNILAG. I went on to serve in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Yola. They followed me there, got me arrested, detained, and tortured. And when I was released they seized my NYSC certificate. When I arrived in the US, I requested for my transcript after I applied to do a Masters at Columbia University in New York. I was surprised when I saw a copy my transcript. UNILAG claimed I graduated in 1993, but they didn’t release my results until 1995.



The Paradigm: What was your course of study?



Omoyele Sowore: I studied Geography and Planning in the faculty of Environmental Sciences. I majored in Ground Water hydrology.



The Paradigm: Have you added any other qualification?



Omoyele Sowore: Yes, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University in New York. I graduated in 2003 with a concentration in “Law and Public Policy.”



The Paradigm: So, are you a trained journalist or not? How did you start writing?



Omoyele Sowore: I am not a journalist. It is my fundamental right to communicate freely with others. And you don’t require professional training as a journalist to do so.



The Paradigm: Have any of your sources been unmasked or exposed?



Omoyele Sowore: None that I know of.



The Paradigm: Talking about the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, you were instrumental in bringing corrupt appointees under the regime to public shame and even the outright rejection the former president at the polls. Any regret doing this?



Omoyele Sowore: Not that I did this alone, but I was also instrumental in helping Mr. Goodluck Jonathan to come to power when the “Yar’Adua Cabal” swore they would stop him from assuming office. We deployed every arsenal at our disposal to reveal that then President Umaru Yar’Adua was absolutely incapacitated, and could no longer discharge the duties of his office. In this way, we helped create the momentum that enabled Jonathan to assume presidential power. When Mr. Jonathan began to betray his oath of office and to undermine the interests of the Nigerian people, it was our duty to document all of that. I do not regret any of those acts.



The Paradigm: Looking back, do you think you could have done some things better?



Omoyele Sowore: I wish I had started earlier than this. Could you imagine if we had a platform like this since 1990?

In an exclusive interview with The Paradigm, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters revealed never before seen information about himself and his platform. He informed The Paradigm about his childhood and what drove him into activism, his foray into the United States of America, his issues with embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki, Stella Oduah and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Mr. Sowore does not see himself has having “made it big” and says he has no car or house and struggles to pay his bill like everyone else.

Enjoy!





The Paradigm: First of all, thank you for having this time with us. People want to know the man behind Sahara Reporters? What are your motivations? Why do you do what you do? Is the website solely owned by you?



Omoyele Sowore: I am motivated by the desire to exchange information with others. I am naturally opposed to maintaining the status quo, especially where the status quo is unjust. I love to shake things up. So it was a great moment when the Internet offered me the tool to bring about an interactive mass media platform for Nigerians and other Africans. Governments—I mean, shady governments—hate the interaction between citizens. We’ve accomplished that task of creating interaction and massive engagement using a wide variety of tools on the Internet including those of disruptive technology.

To your question about ownership, I founded SaharaReporters but it is owned by all of its users, contributors and writers.






Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters
The Paradigm: When was the turning point in your life? When did you decide to start fighting for people’s rights?



Omoyele Sowore: On Christmas Eve in 1980, when I was 10 years old, I was woken up when the Nigerian police force invaded my village over a marketplace dispute. Our people were humiliated, abused and raped that night. The next day more police came and lined up people they suspected of participating in the melee the day before. They hit one of the fathers of the suspects in the village and his tooth fell out. I was angry, but couldn’t do anything about it. But that was the day I decided I would fight back against the federal republic of injustice.



The Paradigm: Could you give us a quick story of how you started and how you made it big?



Omoyele Sowore: I hate to claim that I have made it big. It is a jargon that I think belongs to the hip-hop scene. I am not rich. Like everyone else here, I am struggling to pay my bills. I have nothing to my name. No houses, no cars, no airplanes. And to be honest, I do not want to have any of these luxuries. So, if you are talking about impact, I will humbly leave that to history.



The Paradigm: There seems to be some controversy as regards your migration to the US? How true is it that you were running away from those who threatened to kill you?

Omoyele Sowore: I came to the US in February 1999. Before coming to US, I was well known in activist circles. I waited until the military had been defeated before I left. However, I had health issues that I needed to deal with because of the attack on my person at the University of Lagos in 1994 as well as eight detentions under some of the most harrowing conditions. And these detentions came with torture at the hands of the SSS, the police and the Air Force in Lagos and then Yola [in Adamawa State] after I had completed my NYSC. All of these took a toll on my health. These were well documented. After checking into a Center for treatment of torture victims in New York, I decided to stay in the US. There was no controversy about it. A simple Google search would show you my full story.



The Paradigm: Is it true that you once had lead poisoning injected into you?



Omoyele Sowore: I was injected with an unknown substance at UNILAG during an attack sponsored by the government against us [student union leaders] when I was the President of Students’ Union Government at the University of Lagos. I was admitted into the Lagos Univers

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http://saharareporters.com/2015/09/25/ilorin-attack-saraki-upset-kwara-governor-who-responds-%E2%80%9Cwe-warned-you%E2%80%9D

Senate President Bukola Saraki, who stoned yesterday with rocks and water sachets by an irate mob at the Eid Prayer Grounds in Ilorin, Kwara State, has accused Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of leaving him vulnerable and open to attack, an aide of the governor has told SaharaReporters.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State
Our source added that Governor Ahmed confided in aides and the traditional ruler of Ilorin that the Senate President made himself the target of furious crowd because he failed to listen to security reports and advice urging him to stay away from Ilorin during the Sallah holiday.

A security source corroborated the governor’s sentiment. According to him, security agencies in the state had been aware of public anger against the governor and Mr. Saraki, especially as information circulated among residents about the size of the senator’s assets and personal wealth. He added that many people in the state, among them unemployed youth and workers who are owed arrears of salaries, felt that the Saraki family had exploited them for years.

A reporter in the state also told SaharaReporters that rumors circulated widely that Governor Ahmed had given Mr. Saraki N1 billion from Federal bailout funds meant to clear several months of salary arrears to workers. “Whether it’s true or not, the rumors were making the rounds. And they made many people incensed against the governor and Senator Saraki,” the reporter said.

Other sources in the state disclosed that a few local imams (Islamic preachers), shocked by media reports about Mr. Saraki’s obscene wealth, revealed in his past asset declarations, preached about the senator’s greed.

“Once we heard what the preachers were saying in mosques, we warned the governor [Ahmed] to avoid any public outing as it was clear that people [were] angry and waiting to attack him and his godfather, former Governor Saraki,” one of our security sources said.

He added that, days before the Sallah festivities, security agents had seen piles of stones hidden in drainages around the prayer ground, and told the governor about it.

An aide of the governor told SaharaReporters that Governor Ahmed, in turn, communicated his concerns to Mr. Saraki in Abuja. “But Senator Saraki continued to feel that he was popular in Kwara State, especially in Ilorin,” said the governor’s aide. “He would not agree to exercise caution because he wanted to show his popularity after his ego was bruised at the Code of Conduct Bureau,” the aide added. Mr. Saraki was last week arraigned at a tribunal for false declaration of assets.

Ignoring all security warnings, the Senate President reportedly ordered the governor to arrange a series of high profile events for him in the state capital. The events proposed by the embattled senator included meet and greet at the Ilorin Airport on his arrival in the state.

A few days before Senator Saraki’s arrival, the airwaves were saturated with radio announcements calling on politicians and civil servants in the state to welcome the former governor at the airport. In the end, the event was abruptly canceled when security agencies warned that protesters were planning to launch an attack on Mr. Saraki at the airport.

SaharaReporters learned that, a night before the Sallah prayers, Governor Ahmed told Senator Saraki that he would not attend Eid prayers at the Ilorin praying grounds on account of adverse security reports. But Mr. Saraki was not deterred, said our sources. Instead, he ordered his aides to scout the length and breadth of Ilorin and surrounding towns in order to mobilize a huge crowd to show up and sing his praises at the prayer grounds.

On Sallah, Governor Ahmed headed for his hometown, avoiding showing up in Ilorin.

Meanwhile, Mr. Saraki arrived at the venue where he was initially serenaded by a retinue of hired praise singers. However, shortly after the formal prayer events started, with the Chief Imam presiding, and the Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari, next to him, prot

Thanks

helphelp:
Lmao...

But this OP no get sense abi na moderators cover the girl face...either ways...No sense

Ordinary searching "Lola in unilag" gave me all the info I needed about the gist on Twitter...

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What a nice epistle from Akpabio