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kingsways:Yes, who in his right sense places import restrictons in an economy that doesn't have electricity for production and regulated fuel price to stop unnecessary inflation. |
kingsways:You can never outproduce China even within your own territory without making a long term plan to do that. The cost of production in your country will still be more expensive than importing from China, especially a country with no electricity .it's the reason any democratic country will find it hard to outproduce China in this current dispensation with new government coming in and always changing policies |
Import restrictons cannot work APC did it for 7years and it has not worked,it's causing untold pain in our asses. You have to solve immediate problems |
Peter Obi was invited by the EFCC for the Pandora paper and he cleared himself. HOME BUSINESS POLITICS NIGERIA HEALTH & WELLBEING EDUCATION LIFE & STYLE SPORT EDITORIAL BACKPAGE 6' PETER OBI’S PANDORA PAPERS Column | 12 months ago Obi’s non-disclosure of his foreign assets has weaponised his opponents, writes Bolaji Adebiyi It is like: Yes, he has been caught finally. That’s what the Premium Times’ story on the Pandora Papers, which reveals that a couple of Nigerian public officials and politicians have been fingered to have starched away parts of their wealth in tax havens, including the British Virgin Islands, sounds like. One of them is Peter Obi, the outspoken former governor of Anambra State. Since he left office in 2014, he has been a vocal critic of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, particularly its management of the economy, which has remained in distress since it took over in 2015. Obi has been part of the motley crowd of critics that has made heavy weather of the regime’s perceived inability to curb the raging corruption that it had promised to cage. He speaks loudly about accountability and transparency as hallmarks of good governance. For the online news medium that is noted for its thorough investigative journalism, therefore, such a transparency agitator as Obi, must like Caesar’s wife be above board. This perhaps underlines its story that outlines the former governor’s mention in the leaked papers showing that he used shell companies to hide part of his wealth abroad. To be fair, Obi was never accused of theft of public funds as there was no evidence of such. But its substantive query was the apparent breach of sections of the 1999 Constitution as altered which mandate public officers to declare their assets before and after office, and bar them from participating in any private business, except farming, or operating foreign accounts. “This newspaper exposed Mr Obi’s secret businesses and how he broke Nigeria’s law in at least three ways,” Premium Times stated. It enumerated the infractions: “One, Mr. Obi continued to hold his position as a director of his UK company, NEXT International (UK) Limited, 14 months after becoming the governor of Anambra State in contravention of Section Six of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. Two, Mr. Obi set up complicated layers of secrecy to hide his offshore holdings, which he admitted to failing to declare to the Code of Conduct Bureau, apparently hoping the public and the authorities would never get to know, thereby breaching Section 11, Part of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. Three, Mr. Obi as a governor was also operating a foreign account in breach of the constitution and the public service code of conduct rules.” [b] Obi’s initial response was that he did not steal and that the businesses were jointly owned with members of his family, which he felt he was not required to declare by law. “It was exhilarating that nowhere in the article was he accused of any form of corruption, whether in the form of diversion of public funds or in any other manner during and after his stewardship as the governor of Anambra State,” his spokesperson, Valentine Obienyen, said in a statement. “I don’t declare what is owned with others. If my family owns something I won’t declare it. I didn’t declare anything I jointly owned with anyone,” Obi said in another interview. Read against the relevant provisions of the constitution, the former governor’s argument is at best that he was ignorant of the law which required him to declare all his assets, not run foreign accounts and any company, except farming while serving as a public officer. Perhaps realising the weakness of his defence, Obi made further efforts on Monday to beef up his arsenal when he appeared on ARISE NEWS Channel. He spoke more of the transparency of his businesses that he said had been built long before he came to office. He explained that the circumstances of his emergence as governor left him with little or no chance to formerly resign his directorship, stating that he resigned on phone. Those foreign companies, he said, were put in a trust, a process he said was lawful worldwide. [/b] For those who are familiar with the constitution and the requirements of the code of conduct for public officers, Obi’s arguments are very weak and he would require a very strong legal team to wriggle out if the authorities decide to prosecute him. Clearly, his assets in the trust that are not declared are deemed concealed and are liable to forfeiture to the federal government if convicted. And it would be immaterial that they were legitimately acquired as Obi insists. However, the former governor’s claim that the report is the handiwork of his political foes is worth examining. Given Obi’s pedigree as a former public officer who is generally perceived to have transparently delivered in office, and his political exposure, he may be forgiven for thinking his opponents may have been behind the report. Coming into office in 2006 virtually against the run of play, he had to endure a tedious legal battle to regain and retain his mandate. A few months later, he was removed from office and had to return to court to retrieve his seat. He inherited a politically volatile state with a high crime rate. It is to his credit that by the end of his second term in 2014, he had stabilised the state and was highly regarded as one of the most prudent and achieving governors in his class. Under his watch salaries and gratuity of any civil servants were paid as and when due. Reputed to have upscaled the critical infrastructure of the state, Obi left a hefty N75 billion, including $156 million in state’s treasury without any debt, local or foreign. Without a doubt his records endeared him to many Nigerians who see him as a shining example of what a Nigerian leader should be. Apparently angling to benefit from his nationwide approval, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, nominated Obi as his running mate. However, the ticket was beset by loud grumblings from politicians from his South-east stock, who felt they should have been the pick. Unable to secure the critical consensus to pull massive votes from the region, the ticket was worsted by the Muhammadu Buhari-Yemi Osinbajo ticket at the 2019 general election. Now, with the talk of a southern presidency and the strong bid by the South-east, not a few Nigerians think that should the pendulum swing towards the region, Obi clearly stands the best chance to clinch it in the PDP. And his best-selling point is his perceived high integrity in public office. That has now been dotted by the Premium Times report. But was the online medium used to tar him? Hardly. From a journalistic point of view, the online newspaper is on a very sound professional footing. Even the former governor did not deny the non-declaration of those assets. His point is that the non-disclosure was in good faith. That, nonetheless would still amount to an infraction of the law. However, if the newspaper had thought beyond journalism and had been politically minded, it would have considered the need to protect him once there was no evidence of theft or even tax evasion. So, as it is, the paper may have done an excellent professional job but it has also reduced the ranks of the very few pools from which the nation could recruit its next leader. It has weaponised otherwise corrupt politicians who may now argue that no one is a saint after all. |
"The Pandora paper linked a house in U.K to Tinubu who acquired it by looter funds by proxy via his related Oyetola, the current governor of osun state" President Buhari and Bola Tinubu in London mansion #PandoraPapers PANDORA PAPERS: Buhari visited Tinubu in corruption-tainted London villa acquired by Oyetola Governor Oyetola, a relative of Mr Tinubu, may have sabotaged his own country by buying the exotic property as Nigeria made to seize it. ByNicholas IbekweandTaiwo-Hassan Adebayo October 7, 2021 Reading Time: 8 mins read It was a meeting of two of Nigeria’s most influential politicians in London – President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting political kingmaker and senior member of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu. In July, the presidency announced that Mr Buhari was heading to London for an education summit. The office also added that the president would also see his doctors for “medical check-up”. Coincidentally, Mr Tinubu, who had travelled to London earlier, was also receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in the British capital. So, a perfect setting for both men to meet was created. Media handlers of the two men later flooded social media with photos of both men having what seemed like a jovial conversation in a London house. Another photo of both men standing, with their face masks drawn underneath their chins, was also shared. “President Muhammadu Buhari this evening in London, the United Kingdom, visited Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,”Bashir Ahmad, one of Mr Buhari’s media aides, captioned the photos on Facebook on August 12. Certainly, it was not the first time both men were meeting, and photos of their encounter were released to the public. However, on this occasion, the release of their photographs angered many Nigerians. Many called out the two politicians for releasing photos of themselves on medical tourism while doctors in public hospitals in the country were on strike. But what most Nigerians did not know was that the property at which the duo met was linked to one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country since Mr Buhari became president in 2015. ⓘ A PREMIUM TIMES investigation has now revealed that the mansion where Mr Tinubu welcomed President Buhari is not only embroiled in a multi-billion fraud scandal, the Buhari government had actually secured a freezing order on the property from a Federal High Court before the previous owner, who is now an international fugitive, sold it at a huge discount to an offshore company owned by the governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, a known proxy and a relative of Mr Tinubu. TEXEM Advert This revelation emerged as part of the ongoing global Pandora Papers reporting project, led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and in which PREMIUM TIMES is a key participant. READ ALSO: PANDORA PAPERS: How Stella Oduah secretly bought N5billion London properties with cash The project involved 600 journalists from 150 news organisations around the world sorting and analysing a trove of almost 12 million confidential files, tracking down and interviewing sources, and adding context using public records and documents. The leaked files were retrieved from some offshore services firms around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore entities for clients, many of them influential politicians, businesspersons, and criminals seeking to conceal their financial dealings. Google Street View Images of the Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London Google Street View Images of the Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The property, which is situated at 32 Grove End Road, in the wealthy Westminster neighbourhood of London, has become a sort of mecca to associates of Mr Tinubu, and politicians of the ruling APC, after the former Lagos governor started staying there for what appears to be recuperation. Apart from Mr Buhari, other politicians who have visited Mr Tinubu at the expansive 6,975 sq ft property are the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; a former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Mr Amosun’s successor, Dapo Abiodun; the governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi; the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu; members of the Lagos State House of Assembly; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; a contingent from Kano State led by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje; top fuji musician; Wasiu Ayinde, among other dignitaries. Some Nigerian senators visits Tinubu in London Some Nigerian senators visits Tinubu in London The 32 Grove End Road villa exudes stunning opulence. According to an advert brochure of the property released by popular United Kingdom real estate company, Savills, the estate is made up of two buildings – a five-bedroom property with a formal reception, a study, a master bedroom with an en suite dressing room, bathroom and a cinema suite with a balcony overlooking the rear garden. Two of the other four bedrooms in the property are en suite. The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The second building on the estate is a self-contained two-bedroom flat which is built above the property’s double length garage. The property comes with a gym, two guest cloakrooms, a carriage driveway that can park up to eight cars, and front and rear gardens, and an electric gate. The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London The Mansion at 32 Grove End Road, London ⓘ Bought from a fugitive at a £8 million discount Documents obtained from the UK property register revealed that in July 2013, the property with title number 340992, was bought for £11.95 million by Zavlil Holdings Ltd, a shell company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, a notorious tax haven. Further documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that Zavlil Holdings Limited is owned by Kolawole Aluko, an international fugitive wanted by law enforcement agencies in Nigeria and the United States for money laundering. Kola Aluko and his associate, Jide Omokore, were indicted in the U.S. and Nigeria for multi-million-dollar fraud and money laundering violations allegedly in collusion with a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. In 2016, the Federal Government of Nigeria filed a Mareva injunction at a Federal High Court in Lagos seeking to confiscate a list of properties belonging to Messrs Aluko and Omokore valued at $1.8 billion. A Mareva injunction is a Court order which freezes the assets of a defendant pending the outcome of a litigation. In the suit against Messrs Omokore and Aluko, alongside their companies, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited, the Nigerian Government asked the court to grant it seven orders to prevent the accused from disposing the assets. The government alleged they were acquired through fraudulent means. The third prayer the government made to the court was to grant it an order restraining the accused “from giving any instruction, demanding, accepting, receiving payments and/or transacting, transferring, mortgaging or howsoever dealing in any manner with assets of the Defendants in both houses and land in Abuja and Lagos and others located outside Nigeria.” The government then listed 17 properties in Abuja, Lagos, the U.S., Canada, Dubai, Switzerland, and the UK. Among the listed properties was “Grove End Road, London”. The court granted the government all its prayers. In October 2017, an attempt by the defendants to dismiss the Mareva injunction granted on the properties was subsequently dismissed by Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, the trial judge. But just around the time (on October 18, 2017) the court dismissed the defendant’s attempt to dismiss the injunction, documents obtained from the U.K. property register revealed that Mr Aluko sold the house for £9 million to Aranda Overseas Corporation, an offshore company incorporated in the British Virgins Island by two of Mr Tinubu’s most trusted surrogates – Adegboyega Oyetola, formerly chair of Paragon Group of Companies and incumbent governor of Osun State and Elusanmi Eludoyin, Mr Oyetola’s successor at Paragon. The huge discount at which the property was sold is curious and raised questions of whether Mr Aluko desperately needed to sell the property even while a court of law had placed a freeze order on it. The United Kingdom, especially the greater London area, is noted for rapid increase in the value of properties. According to PREMIUM TIMES’ calculation of the likely value of the property when it was bought by Aranda Overseas Corporation done on the website of UK’s National Building Society, which is the largest building society in the world, the property should be worth approximately 17 million pounds. Thus, Mr Aluko sold the property at a discount of £8,000,000. How we used public photos to confirm Identity of London villa In the application filed by the Nigerian government, the house number of the property on Grove End Road was omitted. However, PREMIUM TIMES’ extensive investigation in Nigeria and the U.K., including a detailed analysis of photographs of visits to Mr Tinubu, has shown that the APC leader is staying at the same property the Nigerian government wants forfeited. We were also able to determine that it was at the same property that Mr Tinubu welcomed Mr Buhari on August 12 as well as other politicians who visited him. Our reporters carefully analysed some of the photos of these visits. Sources close to Mr Tinubu also confirmed that he stays and welcomes guests, including Mr Buhari, at the property. Two photos of the visit of Mr Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, were particularly helpful in making the initial connections. We compared the photos with those of the estate published in an advertisement brochure for the property by the real estate firm Savills, and they matched with features seen in some of the photos shared by those who visited the political kingmaker and presidential hopeful. In one of the photos, Mr Abiodun, wearing a blue jacket and brown pants, stood beside Mr Tinubu, who spotted a white robe just behind. Double door entrance in front of a staircase. They smiled as they touched each other with their elbows in what seems like a playful coronavirus “shake”. The floor tiles of the doorway and the intricate mental work of the railings of the staircase are identical to one of the photos in the advertisement brochure of 32 grove End Road published by Savills. Bola Tinubu and Dapo Abiodun in London Mansion Bola Tinubu and Dapo Abiodun in London Mansion In another photo, Messrs. Abiodun and Tinubu were captured having what seemed like a hearty laugh. A comparison of the concrete rectangular concrete slabs around the garden with those of the garden in the Savills brochure showed that they are identical. Bola Tinubu and Dapo Abiodun in Londom Mansion Bola Tinubu and Dapo Abiodun in Londom Mansion We also compared the photos taken during Mr Buhari’s visit and those taken during the visit of the Kano State governor and his entourage and they clearly showed that Mr Tinubu met with them at 32 Grove End Road. President Buhari, Governor Ganduje during a vist to Tinubu in London President Buhari, Governor Ganduje during a vist to Tinubu in London Beyond analysing photographs of the interior and exterior of the building, we also sent representatives to visit the location and determine that the APC leader stays there. We put our findings to Tunde Rahman, the spokesperson for Mr Tinubu. He promised to get back within 24 hours when we reached him on the telephone. Four days after, we are yet to hear from him. When reached for comments, Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant on media to Mr Buhari, asked that questions be emailed to him. We did as he instructed. However, we did not hear from him subsequently. How Oyetola broke the law In November 1999, eighteen years before it was used as a vehicle to purchase the London property, Mr Oyetola and his billionaire partner, Mr Eludoyin, sought the service of a Bristol, UK-based international company registration agent, Jordans Limited, to help them set up a company. They wanted a kind of setup that would guarantee some secrecy and on November 11 of that year, the company was registered. Leaked confidential records revealed that Messrs Eludoyin and Oyetola became the shareholders and directors of Aranda and we did not see any record that the latter resigned from the management of the company even as he served as chief of staff to his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, thereby breaking Nigeria’s law. In Nigeria, a person is statutorily obligated to withdraw from engaging in or directing a private business, except if it is farming, upon becoming a public officer, Section Six (6) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act stipulates. Apart from Aranda, Mr Oyetola has another footprint in the offshore shadow economy. He and Mr Eludoyin, in 2003, incorporated another shelf company in the British Virgin Islands, Global Investments Offshore Limited. Gboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun State. Gboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun State He ran the company as a director almost throughout his term as Mr Aregbesola’s Chief of Staff. However in June 2018, months before he became governor, he withdrew from the company and made his children – Rukayat Oyetola, Hafiz Oyetola, and Rasheedat Oyetola directors. He also transferred his shares in Global Investments Offshore Limited to Mr Eludoyin and his son Haifz in June 2018. A register of directors we saw shows that all the formalities for the transfers were concluded and signed on June 1, 2018. By remaining a director of Global Offshore for the entire period he was Chief of Staff to Mr Aregbesola, Mr Oyetola violated Nigeria’s code of conduct law and could be arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal if authorities decide to prosecute him for the infraction. It however remains unclear why Mr Oyetola would rush to buy a property his country was pushing to confiscate due to well-known corruption allegations against its then owner. Also unclear is why Mr Tinubu, who apparently wants to become Nigeria`s president, would agree to stay at the controversial property. As for Mr Buhari, it is yet unknown why he would visit Mr Tinubu at a property suspected to have been originally bought by Mr Aluko from the proceeds of alleged theft of Nigeria’s oil money. Mr Oyetola ignored multiple requests for him to comment for this story. His spokespersons declined to revert days after they promised to do so. As indicated earlier, the spokespersons for Messrs Buhari and Tinubu also declined to comment for this report despite multiple requests by our reporters. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/pandora-papers/488537-pandora-papers-buhari-visited-tinubu-in-corruption-tainted-london-villa-acquired-by-oyetola.html |
According to the Pandora paper, Tinubu acquired a house in U K fraudulently while Peter had a legitimate asset. It's good that we clear the air, kindly follow the thread |
olatuns2017:by now for Buhari in North, we were hearing sai baba. Everything is cold for Tinubu because northerners will vote their person irrespective. |
Slimm01:Tinubu is not Abiola. Tofa is not Atiku No one has beaten a popular core northerner on his turf since we started democracy in 1999. Tinubu is not as strong as Atiku |
GamalNasser:you are a very stupid person and a very ignorant, unexpsoe idiot. I am not gay btw, but you thought process is shameful and extremely stupid |
Yes, if he has the credentials to deliver, I don't see how his sexual inclination matters |
sweetgala:Jonathan didn't win Buhari in core north. That's northwest and northeast Those guys have herd mentality |
gassbee:So you think Obi won't get some votes from BAT? Dream on BAT can only win Southwest BAT is not strong enough to win Obi in southeast and southsouth BAT is not strong enough to beat Atiku in the North. Atiku will be second in southeast and southsouth which will give him the Victory |
sangresan:did Abiola ever becomes president? No one can beat a northerner who's popular in the north since 1999. Tinubu cannot either, Atiku is too popular for him to beat |
essentialone:show me 2011 election results, I will wait ![]() |
nnewsnjobs:This is realism staring you. You cannot put all your fortunes on Tinubu beating Atiku in the north. I can put mine that Atiku will beat him because it’s sure. The historical pattern Favors atiku |
tiger28:Obasanjo and Jonathan didn’t win a core northerner in core north Go and verify |
SlavaUkraini:However Kwankwaso comes in, Tinubu cannot beat Atiku in the north. Tinubu cannot beat Atiku in south south Tinubu cannot beat Atiku in southeast Tinubu can only beat Atiku in southwest This is irrespective of whatever Obi or kwankwaso brings |
ForumNL:Yes I can put all my money on it that they see Yoruba Muslims as fake Muslims and Atiku will defeat Tinubu there |
DrAkpamudehe:lol |
DrAkpamudehe:i am obidient, I am just being realistic |
Records shows that Voters Apathy is worst in Southwest than any part of Nigeria |
Here is mine and I am using it for Peter Obi. E shock you? ![]()
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obi may not win the elections but those saying that he won’t win one state are delusional. I see Atiku winning this election, Tinubu has been rejected in the north, southsouth and southeast, it will take a miracle for him to win. While I want Obi to win, Atiku has the edge but Peter Obi will get a lot of votes, might even get more than APC |
raphieMontella:okay delete |
raphieMontella:kindly drop your WhatsApp number |
Koralords:mtcheew, noise maker. Let me face others |
asanausana91:well, I don’t know if Obi will win the election and I cannot say that I know. I cannot bet my money on that. This post is for those who think he cannot pull any weight or he’s just a social media sensation. 7 states will be too much for a Twitter president |
Koralords:alright, email me your contact @ workch2@outlook.com Let bet, Tinubu will not win the elections |
Bluntguy:lol, so he’s no longer a social media man. I cannot guarantee that obi will win 15states however, 7 states should be too much for a social media sensation as well. |
PandoraObi:Oh, I thought he was a social media sensation? Ok let’s do it this way, 50k with you, Tinubu will not win this election. Drop your official email so we can exchange contacts and place this bet. |
250k bet, just one person cos I don’t have a lot of money. I saw a thread saying Obi cannot win 7 states. Seun, mynd44 etc take note. We will transfer the funds to seun’s account before election and open a thread for everyone to see. Winner will receive funds after the election. My email is workch2@outlook.com Put your money where you mouth is. Let’s have fun |
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