₦airaland Forum

Senate President David Mark returned to Nigeria on Wednesday after a trip to Israel for medical treatment.


Mark left the country on April 14 for medical treatment in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Speaking to newsmen on his arrival at the airport with his wife, Helen, Mark said he was moved emotionally by the show of love and support from Nigerians.

“First of all, let me just thank Nigerians and thank God that I am back and I am as fit as a fiddle. I got so many phone calls whilst I was there.

“The Senate consistently remembered me in its prayers as well as the House of Representatives, the President and his wife.

“When I couldn't answer calls, text messages came in from all Nigerians and I am simply moved by the show of love that Nigerians have demonstrated.”

He was received at the airport by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, the Ministers of Interior, Mr Abba Moro and Water resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe.

Others who also received him at the airport were the Minister of State, Trade and Investment, Mr Samuel Ortom, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Moshe Ram, some senators, friends and well wishers. (NAN)

The Coalition of Northern Leaders, academics, professionals and businessmen, has described the conviction and sentencing of former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, to 13 years in UK prison for money laundering, as a proof of their view that the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta are getting more revenue than they have the capacity to manage.


The convener of the coalition, Dr. Junaid Mohammed in a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH said the Ibori's conviction and that of former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, for looting their state treasuries to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds sterling, only showed that the 'huge' revenue allocated to the region was encouraging corruption.


“Clearly, the recent events, which are the prosecution, conviction and jailing of James Ibori, confirm in a very dramatic manner what I've been saying since 1982 when I was in parliament.


“The term 'capacity to manage' was introduced into Nigeria's revenue discussion by the late Dr. Pius Okigbo, who was the first economic adviser to the Federal Government. In the commission which he headed, which was set up by the Shehu Shagari government, he brought in the relevance of the capacity to manage resources as one of the specifications for giving people resource or denying them the same,” he said.


Re-echoing his earlier assertions, Mohammed said the amount of resources allocated to oil-producing states, including Delta and Bayelsa states, had introduced uncontrollable inflation and increased criminality. He however explained that they were not against government solving the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta.


“The earlier arrest and sentencing of Alamieyeseigha and recently, Ibori, are to me and to our organisation a complete vindication of what we have been saying. And we wish to speak for the records that we are not against the government doing something to materially address the problems of the Niger Delta, especially, the ecological problems that arise from the exploitation of oil.


“But the problem is that government has been giving money mainly to agitators, criminals, and retired generals from the Niger Delta, and particularly generals who are oil bunkerers,” he said.


Mohammed hoped that other governors of the Niger Delta states and the states in the other regions of the country, who had looted treasuries of their states would be brought to book whether inside or outside Nigeria.


On the management of Ibori's loot, Mohammed said it was good that the UK court had ruled that they be returned to the people of Delta State, but noted that giving the money to the state government led by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, a relative of Ibori, would be as good as returning the money to Ibori.


He said, “The money should be given to the Federal Government in trust for the people of Delta State and kept until another governor takes over and then the National Assembly would pass a law to ask the Federal Government to then return the money to the state government.”

ABUJA – PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu are among notable Nigerians who have sent messages of goodwill to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark.


Senator David Mark, it will be recalled, left the country Saturday for Israel and he is currently receiving medical treatment there.

Also yesterday, the Senate at its plenary prayed for the quick recovery of the Senate President, just as Senator James Manager, PDP, Delta said the Christian prayer and the Moslem prayer was said by Senator Ahmed Lawan, ANPP, Yobe North.

President Jonathan, who spoke with Senator Mark on the phone on Monday prayed for his quick recovery to enable him (Mark) return to his desk in Nigeria.

According to a statement by Mark's Special Adviser, Media, Kola Ologbondiyan, President Jonathan said, ''We are praying for your quick recovery back home and wish that you return to your desk quickly too."

Hon. Tambuwal in his conversation with the President of the Senate prayed for Allah's blessings and protection for Senator Mark adding however that the members of the House are wishing him well and also praying that he joined them in the National Assembly very soon.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ekweremadu, who spoke with the President of the Senate yesterday, expressed the goodwill messages of the Senate noting that all his colleagues are with him (Senator Mark) in their prayers.

The President of the Senate in answering the various calls expressed his gratitude to Mr President and other Nigerians who remember him in their prayers adding that his fast recovery is partly a function of their prayers and best wishes.

Reference: Missed the entire first half no thanks to a thunderstorm and hail stones but the second half was very Mourinhesque. Park the bus and take prisoners when opportuned. Reminds one of the Intermilan semi final a couple of years back. Chelsea tried, Drogba is a class act, Barca once again has no plan B and for once the ref was neutral. All these factors I don't expect to be repeated at the Nou Camp so I still think Barca will go through. You simply cannot outpossess your opponents over 180 minutes and not score. Chelsea has to work on its counter attack strategies if it will survive next week.

manny4life: What is illegal? The slave part, tax part or the Social Security part, which is it? Please, what he said is in order. Come to think of it, the more you work for peanuts, the more you get tax slammed from every corner. Whoever is relying on SS is just wasting their damn time. SS will run out by 2050 (about 37 years from now). Add that to how old you are now i.e. if you're in your early/late 20's, you would have contributed a huge chunk YET you wouldn't received anything.

Talk about 5years to fast track? Damn, that is one hell of a fast tracking. Perhaps, if Nigeria gets it together or perhaps hasn't split due to ethnic-religious grounds, may be visa application will probably decline.

Dr. Uhiegbu added that his team was working in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence in de-mining the entire South-East and South-South states, where about 50,000 landmines were suspected to have been laid during the 30-month-old war.