₦airaland Forum

Chido Onumah
Columnist: Chido Onumah
Nigerians are justifiably outraged at the pardon of Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, ex-governor of Bayelsa State. Alamieyeseigha was governor from May 1999 until December 2005, three months after he was detained in London on charges of money laundering. President Jonathan had served under Mr. Alamieyeseigha as deputy governor.

Instructively, in August 2005, a month before his arrest, Alamieyeseigha delivered a message, through his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, at a seminar in Abuja on “Winning the War against Corruption”. The self-styled Governor General of the Ijaw nation “commended government's stride with the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau, and urged the bodies not to ignore the private sector”.

According to Alamieyeseigha who called for those with criminal records to be barred from elective office, “It is only in Nigeria where people who looted banks to a distress situation are allowed to use such loots to open their own banks or are given high political appointment". Alamieyeseigha’s paper titled: “Corruption Reduction Through Government Policies: The Bayelsa Experience”, highlighted “the various mechanism put in place by the state government to check corruption as it was inimical to national growth and development and as such, must be abhorred by all and sundry”.

By the time Alamieyeseigha was arrested a month later in London, it was reported that the Metropolitan Police found about £1m in cash in his London home and later a total of £1.8m in cash and bank accounts. Alamieyeseigha jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom by allegedly disguising himself as a woman. He had hoped to continue in office as governor. Even though that hope did not materialise, it was a good judgement call. Remaining in the UK would have been calamitous. Today, we know why.

On July 26, 2007, the fugitive governor pled guilty to six charges of making false declaration of assets and 23 charges of money laundering by his companies. He was sentenced to two years in prison. The following day, July 27, just hours after being taken to prison, he walked home a free man. In our convoluted justice system, the period he spent in detention had served to compensate for the prison sentence.

Reuben Abati, then chair of the editorial board of The Guardian and now presidential town crier had this to say about Alamieyeseigha in a 2005 piece titled, “Alami should go: It's over”: “By running away from England under the cover of the night, away from the British judiciary which was probing him on charges of money laundering, by taking evasive action from the law and communicating with his feet, Alamiyeseigha, a man who until now was known and addressed as His Excellency, has shown himself to be a dishonourable fellow, unfit to rule, unfit to sit among men and women of honour and integrity, unfit to preach to the people that he leads about ideals and values...

“As for those persons who have been packaging Alami as a victim and who have been mouthing the asinine line: ‘If Ijaw man thief Ijaw money, wetin concern Tony Blair inside’, may the good Lord forgive them for they do not know what they are saying. All Ijaw must feel embarrassed for this is a difficult moment for them as a nation. They are being blackmailed emotionally to defend not a principled fighter, not a spirit of Ijawland, but an Ijaw leader who danced naked in a foreign land. The questions that would be asked are: what do Ijaws stand for? Where is the ancient and modern glory of the Ijaw nation? These are difficult questions. Alami must save his own people the embarrassment by stepping aside. Let him return to England and act like an honourable man”.

Eight years later, nothing has changed, except that an Ijaw man is now President and Commander-in-Chief. “His Excellency, the (former) executive fugitive of Bayelsa State”, as Abati once described Alamiyeseigha remains a “dishonourable fellow, unfit to rule, unfit to sit among men and women of honour and integrity, unfit to preach to the people that he leads about ideals and values”. What a difference eight years make. Today, thanks to his pardon, Alamiyeseigha is now “fit to rule, fit to sit among men and women of honour and integrity, fit to preach to the people that he leads about ideals and values”.

Astonishingly, it is now Abati’s job to repackage “Alami” as a victim and condemn those who accuse him of being an ex-convict and a danger to society. May the good Lord forgive all the idle Nigerians who are not only exhibiting “sophisticated ignorance”, but want to destroy an Ijaw man for pardoning another Ijaw man for stealing money belonging to Ijaws for they do not know what they are saying.

To understand Alamieyeseigha’s pardon is to understand the character of the Nigerian state. There is no case to make for his pardon other than to say it is what the doctors ordered. And by doctors, I do not mean the type our First Lady and sundry public officers scurry to in foreign lands. I refer to the ubiquitous marabouts and native doctors that have become an essential part of governance in Nigeria.

They are the ones goading President Jonathan and have convinced him that to secure a second term, he must of necessity pardon the Governor General of the Ijaw nation. That is the only way he can secure the support of the Ijaws. Evidently, in Nigeria leadership is not about performance. What is uppermost now is that President Jonathan, the first president from the oily Niger Delta, has to, by any means necessary, complete his two terms of four years as the constitution stipulates.

A friend has likened President Jonathan’s dilemma, if we can call it that, to that of a managing director of a failed company who wants to remain MD even when his company is in the red. He will do whatever he thinks will help him keep his job, including cooking the books and satisfying every interest, no matter how vile. Of course, President Jonathan is also a victim of the Nigerian tragedy. Alamieyeseigha was set free many years ago when we had a certain Umaru Yar’Adua as president. The pardon on March 12, 2013, was just the icing on the cake.

I don’t think those who pardoned Alamieyeseigha thought or imagined that the tag “ex-convict” would ever leave him. Who cares really? Are we not witnesses to a senator wining election while on trial? A few days after his pardon, there were feelers signaling that Alamieyeseigha will run for senate in 2015. He doesn’t need to do anything to emerge the next senator representing his district. Like that other exemplar of perfidy in Akwa Ibom State, all the governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, needs to do at the behest of the president, is to remove the name of the winner and replace it with Alamieyeseigha’s, if necessary, for his great service to Ijawland.

Alamieyeseigha will be in good company when he joins the senate in 2015. For me, that is the really troubling part of his pardon and why we must continue the quest to restructure Nigeria. Like Tafa Balogun, the rogue former Inspector General of Police, Alamieyeseigha will no doubt make a case for the return of his property “confiscated” by the state.

Alamieyeseigha believes he is entitled to be a senator and much more; after all, not many in the “hallowed” chamber can boast of a superior résumé. Ours is a system that survives on cronyism. Alamieyeseigha may emerge as senate president if he so desires. He may even return to Bayelsa State someday to complete his second term as governor.

The structure of our country makes this unwholesome atmosphere possible. That is why President Jonathan deserves our pardon for his latest political blunder!

conumah@hotmail.com

Link:

http://saharareporters.com/column/please-pardon-president-jonathan-chido-onumah

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The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Wednesday as one of its sacked national officers threatend to sue the National Chairman of the party, Bamangar Tukur, for criminal contempt if he failed to reinstate him.

The National Auditor of the party, Chief Bode Mustapaha, who was sacked last Friday, wrote Tukur through his lawyer to reverse his removal with officers from the South-West.

The party had on Friday sacked Mustapha; the National Vice-Chairman (South-West), Mr. Segun Oni; and dissolved its South-West Executive.

The sacked officers are believed to be loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mustapha also asked the party to rescind its decisions to recognise the Adebayo Dayo faction of the PDP in Ogun State and reverse the sacking of the South-West zonal executive of the party.

In the letter, Mustapha’s lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole, said that a criminal contempt would be initiated against Tukur, if he failed to reverse the decisions.

He said, “It is our fervent hope that the reversal will be effected to avoid the unpleasant consequences of a proceeding in criminal contempt, which will be instituted against your good self before the Court of Appeal among several other options open to our client.”

He, however, said that he had confidence in Tukur and other members of the PDP National Working Committee.

The letter dated February 18, was received at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja on February 19, 2013.

But in spite of the letter, the PDP went ahead on Wednesday to swear in the caretaker committee for its South- West branch. The committee is led by Chief Ishola Filani.

It also swore in Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju to replace Mustapha as the National Auditor.

In their letter, Mustapha’s lawyers said the action of the PDP was in disregard of an order of stay of execution by the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on June 25, 2012.

They said that the Court of Appeal had ordered a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment of January 27, 2011 which the party relied upon to sack the officers on Friday.

The court of appeal had said, “An order of stay of execution or further execution of the judgment and orders of Hon. Justice C.E. Archibong of the Federal High Court, Lagos in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1248/2011 delivered on 27/1/11 is hereby made.”

Mustapha’s lawyers attached a copy of the order to the letter written to Tukur.

The letter also stated, “Our client instructed us to write this letter to you sir following the publication of the decision of the National Working Committee of the PDP led by your good self to remove our client from office as well as dissolve the South-West Zonal Executive Committee of the party and also give recognition to Adebayo Dayo faction of Ogun State PDP in compliance with orders and judgment of the court of law.”

It added that Mustapha had “implicit and unflinching” confidence in Tukur’s leadership.

When asked whether he was aware that the party was served with the stay of execution, the National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon, said, “I am not in Abuja. Therefore I am not capable of speaking on the matter.”

Also, the chairman of the South-West caretaker committee, Filani, told one of our correspondents that he was not aware of any court matter against the PDP.

The party said the removal of the former National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Mustapha, Oni and others was not vindictive.

Rather, the party said it decided to remove them from office to avoid committing its officials to prison for contempt of court.

The PDP said it decided to act swiftly on court rulings that ordered the removal of the officers.

Deputy National Chairman of the party, Dr. Sam Jaja, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while administering oath of office on the members of the caretaker committee of the party for the South-West.

He said, “We did not remove the former occupiers of offices in the zone due to act of vindictiveness. It was done purely on the orders of courts and we as a party must obey court orders.

“We are aware that there were plans to charge the leadership of the party for contempt. In order to avoid this, we needed to do what we did. We did not do that to either spite anyone or any group.”

He told the caretaker committee members not to engage in execution of any personal agenda but to be on the same page with ideas and agenda of the party.

In his response, Filani described the committee’s work as ‘horendous,’ but promised that the committee would do a good job.

Already, he said he had visited Obasanjo, who according to him, remaines a staunch member of the party both in the zone and in the country.

Filani said, “The sacking of the people has nothing to do with Obasanjo. Indeed, as soon as I was appointed, I went to visit him on Sunday and I explained the circumstances leading to my appointment to him.

“He was satisfied with my explanation. Our own is to reconcile and we pray to succeed and by the grace of God, we shall succeed.”

Asked what was the response of Obasanjo to his explanation, Filani said he would not disclose it.

Earlier, the Legal Adviser to the party, Chief Joe Gadzama(SAN), had administered oath of office on the new National Auditor of the party, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju.


Link:

Instead of going to European and other foreign countries to seek for help on how to tackle crude oil theft, the Goodluck Jonathan administration should move against “principalities and powers in high places,” who are the sponsors of crude oil theft, the Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said in Abuja on Wednesday.

Sunmonu, who spoke at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas 2013 Exhibition and Conference, compared the stolen crude deal to the drug business with couriers, small dealers and sponsors.

He said though it was commendable for the government to take the initiative of discussing with foreign countries suspected to hold the proceeds from the sale of stolen crude oil, the problem could easily be solved if the sponsors were found out and dealt with.

Sunmonu said like the drug business all over the world, criminals who sabotaged crude oil pipelines in the Niger Delta were only working for bigger entities that should be found out and dealt with.

“The truth is that the small criminals in the creeks of Niger Delta bursting pipelines and stealing crude oil are not working for themselves. Like the drug cartels around the world, they are being sponsored by big principalities and powers in high places, which the government should go against if the fight against crude oil theft is to be won,” he said.

The Shell boss said efforts should be made by all stakeholders to tackle the problem of poverty among the people, adding that if this was taken care of, the problem would have been half solved, as the perpetrators would not have any reason to allow themselves to be used to steal the country’s commonwealth.

Sunmonu said Shell and other International Oil Companies operating in Nigeria have had their pipelines sabotaged by crude oil thieves on several occasions.

The oil companies have privately and publicly blamed the government for its failure to provide security for the pipelines despite the fact that they pay all the charges and taxes the government asks of them.

He also said the setback in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill was one of the several difficulties hindering Shell’s planned investment of about $30bn in two offshore deepwater projects in the country.

The Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Abiye Membere, similarly said the country’s total crude loss to bunkering activities had dropped from 150,000 barrels per day to 80,000bpd towards the end of 2012.

Membere said the government’s security measures to curtail the menace of oil theft in the country had so far yielded results and that the volume of crude stolen from the country had now dropped from 150,000bpd to 80,000bpd as of the end of last year.

Link:

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday announced a cash gift of N5m to each member of the victorious Super Eagles and the team’s three assistant coaches that clinched the gold medal in the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

While the Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, was given N10m, members of the technical crew were also given N2m each.

The cash gifts also came with a plot of land and national honours for each member the team.

Keshi bagged the national honour of the Commander of the Order of Niger while his three assistants and the team captain, Joseph Yobo, were conferred with Officer of the Order of Niger.

The remaining players were conferred with Member of the Order of Niger.

Jonathan made the announcement amidst loud ovation from the lucky players during a state dinner he organised in their honour at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, few hours after their arrival in the country.

The President said two sets of Nigerians youths, musicians and footballers, had been placing the nation on the world map.

He described the players as super heroes, saying their victory was an inspiration to million of Nigerians.

He said the trophy was the most precious centenary gift presented to the nation by the team.

The President recalled that there was skepticism on the part of Nigerians on the ability of the team to deliver when they left for the tournament.

He commended them for ignoring criticisms and refusing to surrender by their superlative performance.

“The lesson in your victory for all of us is that we should never give up in the midst of criticism. Believe in yourself. With time, you will see the fruits of your labour,” he said.

He said the victory was an indication that there would be victory for his administration as he works hard to transform the country.

He said his administration would continue to give sports it’s pride of place in the country.

He assured the Chief Coach of his full support, urging him to ensure that the nation qualifies for the next World Cup.

The President urged Nigerians not to allow their differences to divide them, observing that the noise of joy during sporting victories were the same across the country.

Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the victory as another moment of national rebirth and fresh air.

He said as the nation savours the sweetness of the victory, sports administrators in the country were not unaware of the responsibility placed on their shoulders to sustain the victory at all levels and in all sports.

“Winning this trophy is only a milestone for us, not the destination. Until we fulfill your (the President’s) vision for us which is to be the best, we will not rest on our oars,” he said.

The minister asked stakeholders to put the years of rancour and acrimony behind them because a lot could be achieved when united.

He said the Nigerian character of resilience fetched the team, which he described as work-in-progress, the trophy.

In formally presenting the trophy to the President, the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, said it was a national pride for the players to win the trophy after 19 years.

Jonathan had while engaging the players and their handlers in a teleconference ahead of the tournament’s semi final match against Mali promised to make them “very happy young men” if they could return to the country with the trophy.

The colourful event was attended by the wife of the President, Patience; Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwwal; Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihediora, and state governors among others.

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He was not killed in a relaxation joint it was in front of his new house in hotoro quaters where he used go regularly. Alcohol and prostitution is banned by both the govt and the militant vigilantes in all parts of kano state and city except for sabon gari. We must avoid sensationalization in order to give a dog a bad name.
For the benefit of those who want to know Danladi neither drinks or smokes. He was known to be very religious and friendly to both his friends and foes. Also to say that militants killed him is not exactly right because so far no one knows who killed him, it could be anybody.

A lawmaker representing Gaya constituency on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was killed today by unidentified gunmen in Hotoro area of Kano city.

Danladi Isa Kademi was shot dead around 6.30 pm Nigerian time by Islamist militants operating on a motorcycle.

Mr. Kademi was a former chairman of the association of Local Government Chairmen in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris confirmed the killing of the lawmaker to the media, but said the police had warned the lawmakers to stay away from relaxation joints.

Link: http://saharareporters.com/news-page/kano-lawmaker-shot-dead-relaxation-joint

Henry Okah/s and his/their NigerDelta family on behalf of jonathan are freed already as the Good and reasonable people in the world expect.
the work of a fiend-brother between jonathan and his real benefactor Okah is coming to end beginning, while we await God remove nNigerdelta from british-nigeria amalgamated map of now till 2014.

The trial of the Nigeria-born terror suspect, Henry Okah, was concluded today at a high court in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr. Okah, a prominent member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), is accused of plotting terrorist activities in Nigeria.

Defense counsel Isaac Lucky Maunatlala opened his argument by telling the court that MEND was involved in an armed struggle. Stating that the struggle had been on for several decades, he reminded the court that Nigeria’s Minister for the Niger Delta, Mr. Orubebe, had testified to that fact.

The defense attorney also told the court that the emails by Jomo Gbomo, who claimed responsibility for the bombings of March 15, 2010 and October 1, 2010, came from Nigeria. Mr. Okah’s attorney asserted that the fact the email account could be operated by more than one person meant that his client was not guilty of the charge of terrorism.

A sore point during the trial focused on the uncertainty over the identity of the person named Jomo Gbomo as state witnesses offered varying testimonies about the identity of the said Jomo Gbomo. The credibility of the witnesses was attacked by the defense advocate who pointed out inconsistencies in details offered by witnesses. 


The defense argued that Mr. X, who claimed to be the supervisor of the attacks, was not mentioned by other participants in the bombings. In addition, the witnesses claimed they used timers to activate the bombing even though investigations by the Nigerian government showed that mobile phones were used to detonate the bombs.

State prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams, insisted that the phone records tied Mr. Okah to the perpetrators of the bombings. In addition, the prosecution argued that the bank record of a state witness, Chima Orlu, showed that the accused deposited money into the witness’s account. The prosecution explained that some months were missing from the bank account because the Nigerian government had not submitted the missing information. 

Speaking to one of our sources, Mrs. Okah accused the Nigerian government of desperation in instigating her husband’s arrest. She stated that the Nigerian government caused her husband to be arrested long before the arrest of the witnesses whose testimonies and affidavits the Nigerian government claimed were the basis for Mr. Okah’s arrest. Accusing the Nigerian government of fraud, she said the only way the Nigerian government could link tie her husband to any bombing was the fact that Mr. Okah had traveled to Nigeria and registered with his name in Port Harcourt. She said the Nigerian government subsequently tried to link planning for all bombing activities to the date of her husband’s visit to Nigeria.

Mrs. Okah said she was following the proceedings closely and trying not to be overcome by emotion, adding that there was more to the case than met the eye. She asked, “How possible is it that they can accuse my husband of a crime of this nature without investigation? There is an appalling lack of investigation done. My husband was stated to have been giving instructions for the bombing at the same time the South African police force was interrogating him at our residence. Our house was under siege from the early hours of 30th September to the late evening, yet the State Security Service agent, Mr. Abubakar, said my husband was giving instructions to the participants of a bombing on how to assemble dynamites, timers, movement of cars and so on. I cannot understand how they can want a man so badly that they are prepared to resort to anything to tie him to it. They even tried to use his journal entries of 5, 6 years back. A journal not a diary! These entries are used not minding whether the entries were observations, studies or general perceptions of my husband.”

The case was adjourned tentatively to Monday, January 21, 2013.


Link: http://saharareporters.com/news-page/henry-okah%E2%80%99s-trial-nears-end

Giant of africa indeed. Niger Republic did it seamlessly while some of the politicians in abuja have refineries outside nigeria