₦airaland Forum

I just saw the baby on Galaxy TV, and the father thanking the Nigerian Police Force, She is free!!!!

GEJ could have chosen to go and see Rehinard Bonke or Benny Hinn if he wants to, but he chose a Nigerian pastor to pray for him, I love the humility, Carry go GEJ 2011 , till, infinity (unless you Bleep up  )

FORGET ABOUT THE TEETH, HUSTLE AND MAKE SOME MONEY, THE CHICKS WILL DATE WITH YOUR BROWN TEETH, THEY WILL CALL IT GOLD TEETH,

WikiLeaks cables: Pfizer used dirty tricks to avoid clinical trial payout

Cables say drug giant hired investigators to find evidence of corruption on Nigerian attorney general to persuade him to drop legal action

*
o
o Share2189
o Reddit
o Buzz up
*
Comments (187)

* Sarah Boseley, health editor
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 9 December 2010 21.33 GMT
* Article history

Kano, in northern Nigeria, saw a meningitis epidemic of unprecedented scale in 1996 Kano, in northern Nigeria, saw a meningitis epidemic of unprecedented scale in 1996. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images

The world's biggest pharmaceutical company hired investigators to unearth evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general in order to persuade him to drop legal action over a controversial drug trial involving children with meningitis, according to a leaked US embassy cable.

Pfizer was sued by the Nigerian state and federal authorities, who claimed that children were harmed by a new antibiotic, Trovan, during the trial, which took place in the middle of a meningitis epidemic of unprecedented scale in Kano in the north of Nigeria in 1996.

Last year, the company came to a tentative settlement with the Kano state government which was to cost it $75m.

But the cable suggests that the US drug giant did not want to pay out to settle the two cases – one civil and one criminal – brought by the Nigerian federal government.

The cable reports a meeting between Pfizer's country manager, Enrico Liggeri, and US officials at the Abuja embassy on 9 April 2009. It states: "According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to federal attorney general Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases. He said Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media."

The cable, classified confidential by economic counsellor Robert Tansey, continues: "A series of damaging articles detailing Aondoakaa's 'alleged' corruption ties were published in February and March. Liggeri contended that Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that Aondoakaa's cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles."

The release of the Pfizer cable came as:

• The American ambassador to London denounced the leak of classified US embassy cables from around the world. In tomorrow'sGuardian Louis Susman writes: "This is not whistleblowing. There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people. There is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations on which our common security depends."

• It emerged that Julian Assange had been transferred to the segregation unit in Wandsworth prison and had distanced WikiLeaks from cyber attacks on MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and other organisations.

• Other newly released cables revealed that China is losing patience with the failure of the Burmese regime to reform, and disclosed US fears that Europe will cave in to Serbian pressure to partition Kosovo.

While many thousands fell ill during the Kano epidemic, Pfizer's doctors treated 200 children, half with Trovan and half with the best meningitis drug used in the US at the time, ceftriaxone. Five children died on Trovan and six on ceftriaxone, which for the company was a good result. But later it was claimed Pfizer did not have proper consent from parents to use an experimental drug on their children and there were questions over the documentation of the trial. Trovan was licensed for adults in Europe, but later withdrawn because of fears of liver toxicity.

The cable claims that Liggeri said Pfizer, which maintains the trial was well-conducted and any deaths were the direct result of the meningitis itself, was not happy about settling the Kano state cases, "but had come to the conclusion that the $75m figure was reasonable because the suits had been ongoing for many years costing Pfizer more than $15m a year in legal and investigative fees".

In an earlier meeting on 2 April between two Pfizer lawyers, Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams, Liggeri, the US ambassador and the economic section, it had been suggested that Pfizer owed the favourable outcome of the federal cases to former Nigerian head of state Yakubu Gowon.

He had interceded on Pfizer's behalf with the Kano state governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau – who directed that the state's settlement demand should be reduced from $150m to $75m – and with the Nigerian president. "Adams reported that Gowon met with President Yar'Adua and convinced him to drop the two federal high court cases against Pfizer," the cable says.

But five days later Liggeri, without the lawyers present, enlarged on the covert operation against Aondoakaa.

The cable says Liggeri went on to suggest that the lawsuits against Pfizer "were wholly political in nature".

He alleged that Médecins sans Frontières, which was in the same hospital in Kano, "administered Trovan to other children during the 1996 meningitis epidemic and the Nigerian government has taken no action".

MSF – which was the first to raise concerns about the trial – vehemently denies this. Jean-Hervé Bradol, former president of MSF France, said: "We have never worked with this family of antibiotic. We don't use it for meningitis. That is the reason why we were shocked to see this trial in the hospital."

There is no suggestion that the attorney general was swayed by the pressure. However, the dropping of the federal cases provoked suspicion in Nigeria. Last month, the Nigerian newspaper Next ran a story headlined, "Aondoakaa's secret deal with Pfizer".

The terms of the agreement that led to the withdrawal of the $6bn federal suit in October 2009 against Pfizer "remain unknown because of the nature of [the] deal brokered by … Mike Aondoakaa", it said. Pfizer and the Nigerian authorities had signed a confidentiality agreement. "The withdrawal of the case, as well as the terms of settlement, is a highly guarded secret by the parties involved in the negotiation," the article said.

Aondoakaa expressed astonishment at the claims in the US cable when approached by the Guardian. "I'm very surprised to see I became a subject, which is very shocking to me," he said. "I was not aware of Pfizer looking into my past. For them to have done that is a very serious thing. I became a target of a multinational: you are supposed to have sympathy with me … If it is true, maybe I will take legal action."

In a statement to the Guardian, Pfizer said: "The Trovan cases brought by both the federal government of Nigeria and Kano state were resolved in 2009 by mutual agreement. Pfizer negotiated the settlement with the federal government of Nigeria in good faith and its conduct in reaching that agreement was proper. Although Pfizer has not seen any documents from the US embassy in Nigeria regarding the federal government cases, the statements purportedly contained in such documents are completely false.

"As previously disclosed in Pfizer's 10-Q filing in November 2009, per the agreement with the federal government, Nigeria dismissed its civil and criminal actions against the company. Pfizer denied any wrongdoing or liability in connection with the 1996 study. The company agreed to pay the legal fees and expenses incurred by the federal government associated with the Trovan litigation. Pursuant to the settlement, payment was made to the federal government's counsel of record in the case, and there was no payment made to the federal government of Nigeria itself. As is common practice, the agreement was covered by a standard confidentiality clause agreed to by both parties."






http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/wikileaks-cables-pfizer-nigeria

yes Mr. Buhari I understand, you do not have the money again to retain the services of an attorney, The money wey you steal before don finish, abi?

kokoye:
A church ought to be a place where

you will be motivated or encouraged.

you praise and worship God and feel good about it.

you fellowship with brethen and study the bible together.

you get help when you need it



But now, unfortunately, the church is now a place where the pastor makes you feel you are a loser or sinner for not been able to drop something.

IF NA FACEBOOK, I'LL JUST CLICK "LIKE"

SO HOW DID THEY COME TO THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT? WIKILEAKS?

umunnem oooo okwu onicha ga adi ka e si kwu e,

IF THEY WANT THEM TO STAY IN NIGERIA, THEN THEY SHOULD ALSO PUSH NEPA/PHCN TO GIVE UNINTERPRETABLE POWER, OR PROBABLY REVOKE NEPA/PHCNS CERTIFICATE/RIGHTS FOR NOT GIVING US UNINTERPRETABLE POWER,

They all need to go to jail, the youths are really suffering, all these embezzlement were the initial cause of the hardship in this Country,

clicked and opened the thread, looked at the source of the news, sunnews, mschewww, I wave my head back and front

OLD NEWS, HAPPENED DURING THE TIME OF OBASANJO

happy new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

femmy2010:
I think what the local firm needs is not SUBSIDIZE ELECTRICITY but regular supply of electricity.
Give the economy an uninterrupted power supply and it come jump back o life.

The lifted ban on Tokunbo is a welcome development and has shown to an extent that our leaders are not that deaf.
Frankly.How many people hitherto had the fund to buy a 10year old car for millions?

Happy new month.

The subsidy definitely has to come after the uninterrupted power supply for the country. It will be better to give the subsidy to companies on electricity than giving it out importation of gas to the country.

WHOEVER BANNED THE IMPORTATION OF TEXTILE IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS VERY STUPID, PROBABLY OBJ, THE ISSUE WITH COMPANIES IS NOT IMPORTATION, THE ISSUE IS JUST ELECTRICITY, IF THE GOVERNMENT CAN SUBSIDIZE ELECTRICITY BILLS FOR THE TEXTILE COMPANIES, THEY WILL BE PRODUCING AT A COST CHEAPER THAN IMPORTED TEXTILES, MEANING THAT IMPORTED TEXTILE WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN LOCAL TEXTILE,

Ribadu accused of financial impropriety


http://www.nigerianewspapersonline.net/forfeited-property-efcc-report-indicts-ribadu


HOPE HE DONT END UP RULING NAIJA LIKE THAT

THE ONLY THING DORA NEED TO FOCUS ON NOW IS RE-BRANDING NEPA(PHCN), OTHERS WILL BE ADDED TO THE COUNTRY AUTOMATICALLY,

ok, i give you my money and you lend it to another person and you later pay me interest

SO ARE YOU REGISTERED WITH THE RELEVANT BODIES

sounds more like MIS-REASONING after smoking weed

can I see pictures??

send details to

, does it include DOCUMENTATION AND SURVEY AND DEED OF ASSIGNMENT( C OF O)

funny thread, the subject has to be changed too


from

Re: Lmfao: 50 Cent Showing Off His Money [photos Inside]


TO


RE: LWKMD: KABUKABU SHOWING OFF HIS RENTED FERRARI,



@ kABUKABU, NO OFFENSE BUT CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE RENTAL BOARD IS DOING INSIDE YOUR CAR AND PLEASE NO NEED TO COME WITH THE INSULTS BECAUSE IT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE "THE TRUTH HURTS"

LAWYER,
THANKS FOR THE INFO, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT,

, ok, the money don dey finish abi, and you want to go back so that you can get more, ole

easy come, easy go,

Kobojunkie:
Sentiments aside, how exactly did you all come to the conclusion that Buhari is weaker?

Buhari would never have stood on the podium preaching democracy, which he had once fought against. Otherwise enlightened ones would not be campaigning for a Buhari ticket for presidential “selection”. I understand that those shouting Buhari for president have their reasons just like the condemned Reverend King’s disciples have reasons for allowing themselves to be treated like slaves. And both parties love their heroes!





Buhari comes across as a lair or at best a pretender – barbarous pretender. Buhari came preaching discipline of which he lacked. He and his comrade, Tunde Idiagbon, introduced WAI (War Against Indiscipline) whilst they trampled on people’s right to live. What of the controversial 53 suitcases! Talking about discipline, 14 year-olds were banned from tavelling to Mecca during that period yet Idiagbon’s 14 year-old son was reportedly went to the “holy land”.





Out of all the coup plotters, Buhari and Idiagbon committed the most grievous mainly because they were the ones who terminated the so-called Second Republic in 1983. And all of a sudden this man now believes in democratic dispensation. He wants to use the platform he abhors to quench his thirst for power. The man’s decision to rule Nigeria again does not surprise me (I barely expect something tangible from coup plotters, for they are all opportunists. All they ever wanted is power – vicious power). But what of those who supposed to know better and now clamouring for such a leader!





Buhari may not be a corrupt man but he committed judicial murder by the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. The names of Lawal Ojuolape, Bartholomew Owoh and Bernard Ogedegbe come to mind. Ogedengbe especially was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital punishment at the time of the crime. One day I hope this man would be charged with premeditated murder.





His followers like to hold him in high esteem as a vanguard of equitable apportionment of guilt when in fact he kept Shehu Shagari, the then deposed president in a comfortable house arrest somewhere in Ikoyi while the vice president, Alex Ekwueme, was detained in Kirikiri prisons. Also, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, then a Federal Permanent Secretary, kept undeclared foreign accounts against the decree instituted by Buhari but heaven did not fall whereas Fela Anikulapo Kuti languished in jail for years for being in possession of foreign exchange he had legally received for the upkeep of his band during international appointment.









The Major General may be different from other coup plotters as his followers want us to believe, but he is equally dodgy. If he knew that his actions during his reign were defensible, why did he refuse to appear before Oputa Panel? His offences, according to Oputa Panel, are human rights violations and gross abuse of power. What prevented holy man Buhari from clearing his dented image? Arrogance? And this is the same man talking about equity? Buhari is as serious as Babangida and co who treated Nigerians with unmistakable contempt.





If it was Babangida’s cunning regime he had crushed, and immediately restored the power to the appropriate authority, I would have begged Nigerians to forgive him on the understanding that he did not accumulate wealth as much as his fellow adventurers during those moments of youthful exuberance. Buhari’s brazen effrontery is part of what is wrong with Nigeria . The General should even consider himself lucky, for he could have been executed like Vatsa and other unlucky ones. Or have you forgotten that death penalty is the punishment for coup plotters? I dream of the day they will pay for their deeds


Let General Buhari go back to the army and plan another coup if actually he means to unleash another terror on us. But he must not rule Nigerians through the “ballot” he once suppressed. He must not ever come close to holding any public office. If he likes, let him acquire titles upon titles. I am afraid he might re-introduce decree 2 in order to get rid of you and I like the two journalists – Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor.





His apologists often make implausible excuses for the brutal regime he presided over by saying no one is perfect. We are not talking about individual but government and no government must make silly mistakes. If a government does make any cheerfully irresponsible mistake however, it must be minimal and there must be remorse. Thus any worthy leader knows that leadership means suffering.












Anyway, endorsing Buhari has opened my eyes to the reality or fallacy of Nigerian politics. I am learning. And this may be a further indication that, those you hold in high esteem; those you think are genuine in their actions concerning Nigeria – may actually be role players. I mean, what then has been the huff and puff of a human rights advocate now endorsing a man who has demonstrated that human dignity is not a priority? Double standard and, or contradiction? We all need to have our heads examined indeed!

if gej is weak then buhari is weaker,

kai! the man get taste oooo, Marriage for UK, why not for lagos headquarters,

kai! the man get taste oooo, Marriage for UK, why not for lagos headquarters,

Flogging the kids!!!!! whats next give them to Zamfara Ex Governor to marry MSCHEWWW!!!