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 Politics › OBJ, The Prowling Goat Seller by yashau(op): 11:53am On Dec 01, 2014 |
By Oceherome Nnanna Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is haunting his hand-picked former protégé, President Goodluck Jonathan, like a malevolent ghost. You may wonder why OBJ, after four years as a military ruler and another eight years as an elected president, is still butting like a stubborn, demon-possessed ram at the doors of Aso Villa, Abuja? What does he still want? What did he forget in the seat of power after occupying it for 12 years? Why can’t he just go home and enjoy his new- found affluence after his latest eight years as president during which he doubled as Minister of Petroleum Resource for six years? If you put this question before Obasanjo he will tell you it is because he “loves” Nigeria; he is a great “nationalist”, and he cannot keep quiet when things are going wrong. He will conveniently hide the fact that he is the cause of many of our problems. Political interests He will not accept responsibility. Instead, he will divert attention and point accusing fingers at others, making accusations that he is also guilty of a million times over. In the process, Obasanjo succeeds in hoodwinking a few gullible, uninformed Nigerians and raises applause among those whose political interests resonate with his objective of bringing down a sitting president. But those of us who know him probably more than he knows himself are not carried away. We know his motives and methods all too well. Obasanjo’s estranged daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, in a letter in January this year in which she disowned her father, told us Obasanjo believes in his heart he “owns” Nigeria. President Jonathan, in his own angry rejoinder to a windy, scathing attack by Obasanjo, likened the Ota poultry farmer to a goat seller who, after selling his goat and pocketing the money, still holds on to the goat’s tether rope. In other words, Obasanjo, after handpicking and installing people in power, seeks to control them. When they refuse to be at his beck and call, he starts to fight dirty in the public square because he has come to see the Nigerian seat of power as his personal booty. After all, he fought the civil war and collected the instrument of surrender from Biafra. We have since heard the truth about how Obasanjo fought that war. One of the civil war commanders, Brigadier Godwin Alabi-Isama, in his book: The Tragedy of Victory, actually described OBJ as a coward. In various interviews after the book was published, he disclosed that Obasanjo has bullet wounds on his buttocks. This means he was shot while running away from enemy onslaught! But he makes loud noises about his civil war “heroism” and feels entitled to exclusive freebooting on our national estate. Obasanjo is confronting GEJ because the president is a gentleman. He could not try it with the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua, who was much tougher and savvier in the game of power than Jonathan. As sick as Yar’Adua was, he was able to curtail Obasanjo’s goat-seller mentality and keep him tightly leashed. Those were the days when people like Nasir el Rufai actually bolted to America and only returned to become a troublemaker because Jonathan is a gentleman. This same Obasanjo troubled General Babangida when the latter was in power because Babangida respected him. But when he tried it with General Abacha, we know what happened. Obasanjo came out of jail in 1998 looking like an exhumed corpse. Besides, Obasanjo is a master in the game of hypocrisy. He likes to call other people thieves, and he is the first to accuse another person of being corrupt. The idea is to divert attention from his own unquantifiable deeds that fabulously enriched him, both as a military leader and elected president. Sound Sultan, one of Nigeria’s most creative avant- garde musicians, has a song he entitled: “One day bushmeat go catch de hunter“. In it he sang: “Ole de shout ole”.When you catch a pickpocket red-handed, to avoid being lynched he begins to shout: “ole!, ole!!” (Thief!Thief!!).Was it not under Obasanjo that bags of money meant to induce lawmakers to impeach a political enemy of the president were displayed in the House of Representatives? Yet he calls MPs “looters”. When Abacha raised the pump prices of petroleum in 1994 he established the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF and used the proceeds to intervene in infrastructural reconstruction. Where did Obasanjo put proceeds of eight price hikes that took fuel price from N22 to N65 per litre over eight years? At least, Jonathan ploughs back his own increase from N65 to N97 into a fuel subsidy regime that guarantees steady fuel supply and funds for the implementation of Subsidy Re-investment Programmes, SURE-P, nationwide. Fuel subsidy was bedevilled by corruption, but it is working. We are enjoying it. But we can’t see anything Obasanjo did with his own extra N43 per litre. Billions were sunk into the refineries but they never worked. Billions were wasted on Independent Power Plants, but turbines were imported and left for years at the ports because they could not be moved inland. Government companies were sold for pennies to fronts and cronies. But in four years, Jonathan has laid down a clear agenda to overcome the challenges of the power sector. It is very slow-going, but is moving forward, with zero reports of corruption in the sector which is now mainly in private hands. Yes indeed, Jonathan has his problems as a leader. He is too laid back about fighting corruption. It doesn’t seem to bother him. President Jonathan is too much in the background as my leader. I like my leaders there up front, inspiring me with words, deeds and examples. I like them tough and decisive, but always putting the interest of the nation first. I don’t like walking up front and looking back for my leader. Thirdly, I don’t like the way Jonathan has handled Boko Haram. If he had done the needful things two years ago, we would not have the second largest number of displaced persons in the world, with parts of our territory under devilish Salafist Islamists. I also have reasons to believe that if the Jonathan regime was given the support it needed, it would have recorded more successes than any other in our history. The quest by regional hawks to snatch power by all means, tied to the Boko Haram terror war and jackal- like opposition, have taken a toll on all of us. No regime has been sabotaged by the same people it strives to save from their enemies the way some Northern leaders have undermined the Jonathan regime. People who destroyed Nigeria in their 40 years of total brigandage are ganging up as the “opposition” to return us to where they left us in 1999, and Obasanjo has become their fire-eating generalissimo. If Jonathan is a problem, Obasanjo created it by selecting him to pair with a terminally ill Yar’Adua, so that he (OBJ) would call the shots from Ota. Yar’ Adua and Jonathan were his “Plan B” after he failed to grab third term. I agree with former Speaker, House of Representatives, Umar Ghali Na’Abba, that if Obasanjo looks into the mirror he will see the trouble with Nigeria. The goat seller wants his goat back after pocketing his profit. Well, Nigeria is not Obasanjo’s goat. The earlier he gets the message the better for him – and us all. |
| Politics › Re: Why Would Boko Haram Blast Kano Central Mosque? Join The Talk by yashau(m): 9:27pm On Nov 29, 2014 |
publicenemy:nonsense!! |
| Politics › Re: I Regret Not Having A Yoruba As Speaker. Jonathan by yashau(m): 2:21pm On Nov 29, 2014 |
baLLoTBOxX: |
| Politics › Re: Obj Speaks On Gmb: by yashau(m): 12:22pm On Nov 26, 2014 |
THE SERVANT CALLED BUHARI!!! I write this because of millions of Nigerians who are below 30 and who constitute a significant chunk of our voting population. This is the ICT generation that is largely ignorant about the events of the Buhari era (1983-85) and so can be misinformed and misled by needless propaganda. I have sat with many in the under-30 bracket and those slightly above who only have faint recollections of the Buhari era and the level of ignorance about that era is amazing. Before being MILITARY Head of State, Buhari had been Governor of one of the Northern States (under Obasanjo’s Military government) as well as Minister for Petroleum. He later served as Chairman of PTF under Abacha. Please consider the following unassailable facts: ·He birthed and supervised the establishment of our existing refineries. ·There was no religious crisis while he was Head of State. It started under his successor IBB! ·In his time as Head of State he reduced inflation from 23% to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team (not achieved under any other era, even military). ·JJ Rawlings of Ghana took over 2yrs before him, and killed all the corrupt leaders, while Buhari only sentenced the corrupt leaders here to prison. ·Under his watch as PTF Chairman, what he did in road construction in that short period hasn't been matched by 12yrs of the PDP. ·Hospitals and universities around the country never witnessed as much benefits as they got from the PTF from any government after or before his time. ·Despite serving in senior capacity in the oil sector, first as Minister for Petroleum and then Petroleum Trust Fund, Buhari has no petrol station, much less a rig, refinery or an oil block like so many of our leaders. ·He could have retired into nauseating opulence like an IBB or Danjuma or even OBJ but didn't. ·Instead of hobnobbing with the high and mighty, he has cast his lot with the ordinary man most of who follow him out of hope and belief in his values. People who know him have said of him... "All I need from Buhari is his word, I can take it to the bank". ·He is the only politician in the North today who fills rallies without renting a crowd. The Kaduna rally of 2nd March is eloquent proof! ·He refused to collect an allowance while serving as Chairman of the PTF because he said since he was already drawing a pension from government, his conscience would not allow him to draw another salary from the purse of the same government. ·He is the only former head of state that does not own property or land in Abuja . ·Every attempt to rubbish him through probes in time past eneded up vindicating him! The man who was asked by OBJ to take over the running of PTF before it was scrapped with the aim of probing and indicting Buhari, was the one who ended up being prosecuted for misappropriating $100m of PTF funds! Buhari again, was vindicated ·He has OPENLY challenged those who accuse him of religious fundamentalism to come out and show proof. No one has till today, taken up the challenge. His personal driver of many years is a Christian from Plateau State ! ·His government initiated the War Against Indiscipline that has made environmental cleanliness, queuing up, not urinating by the roadside etc features of our national life even till today Does it then surprise you why corrupt people would be spreading such heinous rumours about Buhari? He is a threat to them and they know what he is capable of doing to corruption and corrupt people when he comes into office! So shine your eyes and make the right decision. If honesty and probity are the things you want for Nigeria ,now is the time to choose right. When you cast your vote for the BUHARI, you would have cast one vote for a honest servan 3 Likes |
| Politics › 2015: Buhari Raises Funds On Facebook by yashau(op): 9:46am On Nov 26, 2014 |
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor ABUJA — Former Head of State and All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, General Muhammadu Buhari, has gone to social media to raise funds for his presidential campaign. The initiative through a crowd funding platform on facebook is a new development in the history of Nigeria’s presidential political campaigns. In a message on his facebook page, Buhari urged for sacrificial giving from his supporters, noting that he was not ignorant of their already difficult living conditions. He, however, cautioned that sacrifice was needed in order to put an end to the life of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and with it, according to him, the tide of corruption, insecurity and other pains on Nigerians. The message posted last Saturday had as at press time drawn 1,683 likes and been shared by 797 persons. In the message, Gen. Buhari said: “As we have made it clear, our campaign is going to be funded, planned and run by ordinary Nigerian citizens like you. This is in recognition of your role as biggest stakeholders capable of changing the course of history of this great yet badly run nation. “In this regard, we launch our crowd funding platform through which every Nigerian can contribute his token towards shaping the destiny of this country. Here are the details: Account Name: Buhari Support Organizations Account Number: 2026724405 Bank: First Bank Nigeria Sort Code: 011150000 “Dear friends, I know what it means to ask citizens over 60 per cent of whom live on less than $1 per day to donate for this campaign. I know many of you are finding it difficult to pay your rents, school and medical bills, to buy the fuel to cook your food, light up your homes or power your vehicles. I know how it hurts and I know you have suffered enough. “But that little contribution – that little sacrifice you make is an investment in the future that come 2015 will usher in a new era for our country, one that promises jobs and opportunities for anyone willing to work hard, and peace and prosperity for all. “So when you look at that little amount of money you are parting with, and the money our opponents are offering you for your votes, think not about the nominal value, think about the choice you are making, and that choice is very clear; either you put your money for a change you trust in, or for four more years of insecurity, corruption and bad leadership under President Jonathan. “Our opponents have huge financial resources, I have only you and God, and I trust that our struggle will triumph. Our opponents have foreign bank accounts and possessions to run to when they destroy this country, me and you have only this Nigeria to live and die in. So let’s join our hands to make it better. “Thank you and God bless http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/2015-buhari-raises-funds-facebook/#sthash.epLkR3Dw.dpuf
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| Politics › Re: Hurray! Rochas Has Done It Again. by yashau(m): 7:19am On Nov 26, 2014 |
Onyegecha:Your source pls? at list show us some picture, alaiye baje. |
| Politics › Re: APC Cloning Voter's Cards In Lagos ‘office’ – DSS by yashau(m): 7:27am On Nov 25, 2014 |
[color=#770077][/color]Evidence pls!! before I make my comments |
| Politics › Re: APC Cloning Voter's Cards In Lagos ‘office’ – DSS by yashau(m): 7:26am On Nov 25, 2014 |
[color=#770077][/color]Evidence pls!! |
| Celebrities › Re: King Sunny Ade’s 7 Beautiful Wives by yashau(m): 7:09pm On Nov 09, 2014 |
EvilSeeed:Na wa for u oooo, ur mama fine reach these women? 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: External Reserve And Debt Under Obasanjo, Yaradua And Jonathan Administrations by yashau(m): 4:57am On Nov 08, 2014 |
Babangida.............C6 Buhari...................C5 Abacha..................D7 Abdulsalami...........C4 Obasanjo...............C4 Yar'adua................B2 Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is w 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: External Reserve And Debt Under Obasanjo, Yaradua And Jonathan Administrations by yashau(m): 4:45am On Nov 08, 2014 |
automaticcars: |
| Politics › Re: According To Prof. Wole Soyinka: "Only Four Sets Of People Can Vote For The PDP" by yashau(m): 5:35am On Nov 07, 2014 |
dplordx: |
| Politics › Re: General Buahri Our Next President by yashau(op): 10:28pm On Oct 31, 2014 |
[quote author=yashau post=27621747]HON. DINO MELAYE Wrote I read online the question a lady asked. The question is how can Buhari who earns over 300million naira yearly claim that he can not afford to pay 27million naira for the APC presidential form. I became interested and decided to investigate. I went to the ministry of Finance where I discovered that it is true that all former Presidents and Head of states actually get 23million naira monthly. But I found out that General Buhari actually wrote the minister of Finance to reject the 23million monthly pay. He said in his letter that he will only accept 10percent or that amount which is 2.3million and that is what he has been taking. This is just to clear the air. What a Nigerian! what class of integrity! God please make us men and women of integrity. Amin.[/quote PreSident Shehu Shagari “The army after toppling our democratic regime have no option but to install Buhari as head of state so as to avoid credibility problem especially in the sight of international community because of his being an epitome of integrity.“ President Goodluck Jonathan “Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was a true patriot, respected former head of state & elder statesman & a nationalist.“ President Olusegun Obasanjo “There are only 2 honest & reliable Nigerians. Myself & Buhari. All what PDP is saying of Buhari being fundamentalist is mere hot lies. They just fear let‘s go to jail “ "Muhammadu Buhari as a member of the Supreme Military Council and as Head of NNPC was by nature taciturn and introvert. But he took any work that was given to him very seriously. He is reliable as he is hardworking and honest, his path of moral probity and rectitude” Incorruptible President Musa Yaradua “Buhari was a big brother & a father to some extent that mean nothing in life & to the nation always other than good. So, I fear no harm from him.“ General Abdusalam Abubakar “Buhari was honest & sincere in all his conduct that perhaps, only very few Nigerians could match in integrity.“ General Sani Abacha “I have realise our collective mistake in over- throwing you. I have seen the terrible damage which our inaction caused to the Nigerian psyche. I am most sorry. Please, come & do what is best known of you. Patriotic service to the nation.“(PTF Inaugural Speech) ( Quote ) ( Report) 1 Like ( Like ) ( Share) Two Events to Happen May 2015. Buhari Will be Inaugurated as President and FC Barcelona will be crowned European Champion Re: Jonathan, Shagari, Obasanjo and Others Opinion On Gen Muhammadu Buhari by barcanista ( m): 9:23pm General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida “If Buhari quit PTF job as he promise & as we knew him to mean his words all along, I support the idea of scrapping PTF as no one else can do the job as him.“ "I respect Buhari. He was my Boss .He was an honourable man. And I can say this anywhere”. -General Ibrahim Babangida ALH. ISIYAKU IBRAHIM-PDP BOT Member “As a member PDP BOT, i decided personally to donate the #5,000,000 to Buhari‘s campaign organisation because of my firm believe in his ability to right all the nation wrongs . “Buhari is as clean as the book I am holding” Prof Tam David West “The issue of Gen. Buhari‘s presidency was always being dreaded by the criminals who looted the nation to stuppor by embarking upon campaign of calumny so as to smear his name with a view to denying Nigerians having a leader who can improve their lots.“ Sen Ahmed Makarfi-Fmr Kaduna State Governor, PDP BOT Member “If the truth must be said, Buhari remain the only real threat to PDP wither he run for the presidency or not due to his wider followership among the masses that now hit the elite circle.“ Alh Balarabe Musa, Fmr Kaduna State Governor "Now my task is to challenge all of us to ensure this man becomes President this year. General Buhari deserves to be given a chance. When he became Head of State after the 1983 coup, thousands of Second Republic politicians, including me were picked and locked up by the Junta. But even in kirikiri, I discovered that the NPN elements among us were giving bribe to prison officials to ensure they got double ration of food. It dawned on me that people who can offer bribes even in kirikiri have no reason to be our leaders. Buhari was vindicated" Chief Femi Falana, Fmr President, West African Bar Association "Buhari was a soldier of HONOUR. There are soldiers and there are soldiers. There are soldiers who are men of honor. The man (Buhari) has decided to commit 26% of budgetary allocation to education" ( |
| Politics › General Buahri Our Next President by yashau(op): 10:13pm On Oct 31, 2014*. Modified: 10:40pm On Oct 31, 2014 |
HON. DINO MELAYE Wrote I read online the question a lady asked. The question is how can Buhari who earns over 300million naira yearly claim that he can not afford to pay 27million naira for the APC presidential form. I became interested and decided to investigate. I went to the ministry of Finance where I discovered that it is true that all former Presidents and Head of states actually get 23million naira monthly. But I found out that General Buhari actually wrote the minister of Finance to reject the 23million monthly pay. He said in his letter that he will only accept 10percent or that amount which is 2.3million and that is what he has been taking. This is just to clear the air. What a Nigerian! what class of integrity! God please make us men and women of integrity. Amin. |
| Politics › Re: Jonathan Is An Embarrassment To Ph.D Holders - Professor Akin Oyebode by yashau(m): 8:49pm On Oct 31, 2014 |
HON. DINO MELAYE Wrote I read online the question a lady asked. The question is how can Buhari who earns over 300million naira yearly claim that he can not afford to pay 27million naira for the APC presidential form. I became interested and decided to investigate. I went to the ministry of Finance where I discovered that it is true that all former Presidents and Head of states actually get 23million naira monthly. But I found out that General Buhari actually wrote the minister of Finance to reject the 23million monthly pay. He said in his letter that he will only accept 10percent or that amount which is 2.3million and that is what he has been taking. This is just to clear the air. What a Nigerian! what class of integrity! God please make us men and women of integrity. Amin. 2 Likes |
| Politics › Re: Agents Of Corruption Are Against Buhari's Presidential Ambition - Tsav by yashau(m): 8:48pm On Oct 31, 2014 |
HON. DINO MELAYE Wrote I read online the question a lady asked. The question is how can Buhari who earns over 300million naira yearly claim that he can not afford to pay 27million naira for the APC presidential form. I became interested and decided to investigate. I went to the ministry of Finance where I discovered that it is true that all former Presidents and Head of states actually get 23million naira monthly. But I found out that General Buhari actually wrote the minister of Finance to reject the 23million monthly pay. He said in his letter that he will only accept 10percent or that amount which is 2.3million and that is what he has been taking. This is just to clear the air. What a Nigerian! what class of integrity! God please make us men and women of integrity. Amin. 1 Like 1 Share |
| Politics › Re: 2015:Jonathan can’t win Lagos for PDP –APGA by yashau(m): 8:12am On Oct 30, 2014 |
Descartes:Tomorrow some people will comes out and be saying Lagos is no man's land ''ignorace'' Alaida ikan mo. |
| Politics › Re: 2015:Jonathan can’t win Lagos for PDP –APGA by yashau(m): 8:07am On Oct 30, 2014 |
Descartes:Tomorrow some people will comes out and be be saying Lagos is no man's land ''ignorance'' |
| Politics › Aww...read What UK Telegraph Wrote About Governor Fashola by yashau(op): 12:59pm On Oct 25, 2014 |
In a piece titled "Meet The Man Who Tamed Nigeria's Most Lawless City", UK Telegraph chronicles how Governor Fashola came into office and transformed Lagos and also how he effectively managed the Ebola epidermic in the state. Read below... He famously claims to be "just doing his job". But in a land where politicians are known for doing anything but, that alone has been enough to make Babatunde Fashola, boss of the vast Nigerian city of Lagos, a very popular man. Confounding the image of Nigerian leaders as corrupt and incompetent, the 51-year-old governor has won near-celebrity status for transforming west Africa's biggest city, cleaing up its crime-ridden slums and declaring war on corrupt police and civil servants. Next month, he will come to London to meet business leaders and Mayor Boris Johnson's officials, wooing investors with talk of how he has spent the last seven years building new transport hubs and gleaming business parks. Yet arguably his biggest achievement in office took place just last week, and was done without a bulldozer in sight. That was when his country was officially declared free of Ebola , which first spread to Nigeria three months ago when Patrick Sawyer, an infected Liberian diplomat, flew into Lagos airport. Health officials had long feared that the outbreak, which has already claimed nearly 5,000 lives elsewhere in west Africa, would reach catastrophic proportions were it to spread through Lagos. One of the largest cities in the world, it is home to an estimated 17 million people, many of them living in sprawling shanty towns that would have become vast reservoirs for infection. To make matters worse, when the outbreak first happened, medics were on strike. Instead, Mr Fashola turned a looming disaster into a public health and PR triumph. Breaking off from a trip overseas, he took personal charge of the operation to track down and quarantine nearly 1,000 people feared to have been infected since Mr Sawyer's arrival. Last week, what would have been a formidably complex operation in any country came to a successful end, when the World Health Organisation announced that since Nigeria had had no new cases for six weeks, it was now officially rid of the virus. "This is a spectacular success story," said Rui Gama Vaz, a WHO spokesman, who prompted an applause when he broke the news at a press conference in Nigeria on Tuesday. "It shows that Ebola can be contained. The WHO announcement was a rare glimmer of hope in the fight against Ebola, and even rarer vote of confidence in a branch of the Nigerian government, which was heavily criticised over its response to the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram insurgent group in April. As a columninst in Nigeria's Leadership newspaper put it last week: "For once, we did not underachieve." For Mr Fashola's many supporters, it is also yet more proof that the 51-year-old ex-lawyer is a future president in the making, a much-needed technocrat in a country dominated far too long by ageing "Big Men" and ex-generals. "He is the best governor we have ever had," said Odun Babalola, a Lagos-based pension fund portfolio manager. "He's made a lot of progress in schools, railways, and infrastructure, and unlike a lot of politicians, who are corrupt, he's a good administrator." True, the successful tackling of the Ebola outbreak was not Mr Fashola's doing alone. For a start, the doctor's strike that was under way when Mr Sawyer collapsed at Lagos airport turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Rather than being taken to one of Lagos's vast public hospitals, where he might have languished for hours and infected numerous fellow patients and staff, he was instead admitted to a private clinic. There he was seen by a sharp-eyed consultant, Stella Adadevoh, who spotted that his symptoms were not malaria as had been first thought. She then alerted the Nigerian health ministry, and along with other doctors physically restrained Sawyer when he became aggressive and tried to leave the hospital to fly to another Nigerian city. Her quick thinking help stop the virus being spread more widely, but also cost her her life: she caught Ebola herself while treating Mr Sawyer, and has now been recommended for a national award. But even by the time Mr Sawyer had been isolated, the virus was already on the loose. Knowing that he had passed through one of the busiest airports in west Africa, health officials had to try to track down every single person who had potentially been infected by him, including the other passengers on his flight. The list started at 281 people and grew to nearly 1,000. as eight others whom he turned out to have passed the virus to subsequently died. That was where Mr Fashola stepped in. He broke off from a pilgrimage to Mecca, flew home and then helped set up an Ebola Emergency Operations Centre, which spearheaded the mammoth task of monitoring all those potentially infected. A team of 2,000 officials were trained for the task, who ended up knocking on 26,000 doors. At one point the governor was being briefed up to ten times a day by disease control experts. He made a point of visiting the country's Ebola treatment centre, a way of communicating to the Nigerian public that they should not panic needlessly. "Command and control is very important in fighting disease outbreaks, and he provided effective leadership," said Dr Ike Anya, a London-based Nigerian public health expert. "He also said exactly the right things, urging for the need to keep calm. Regardless of whether you support his politics, he has been very effective as a governor and I would be happy to see him stand for leadership." Born into a prominent Muslim family but married to a Christian, Mr Fashola trained as a lawyer and went into politics after being appointed chief of staff by the previous Lagos governor, Asiwaju Tinubu, a powerful politician often described as Mr Fashola's "Godfather". But while he has long enjoyed the backing of a political "Big Man", is his role as a rare defender of Nigeria's "Little Men" that has won him most support. Once, while driving through Lagos in his convoy, he famously stopped an army colonel who was driving illegally in one of the governor's newly-built bus lanes, berating him in front of television cameras. "The bus is for those who cannot afford to buy cars," he said. "I want a zero tolerance of lawlesness, and those who don't want to comply can leave our state." It was one of the first times Nigerians had ever seen a civil servant confronting a member of the security forces, whose fondness for committing crime rather than fighting it has long contributed to Lagos's legendary reputation for lawlessness. Armed robberies - sometimes by moonlighting police - used to be so common that few people ventured out after dark. Foreign businessmen would routinely travel with armed escorts, and the few willing to live there would stay mainly in a heavily-guarded diplomatic area called Victoria Island, a rough equivalent to Baghdad's Green Zone. Add to that the suffocating smog, widespread squalor and regular three-hour traffic jams, and it was no suprise that the city had a reputation as one of the worst places in the world to live. Today, much of the problems remain. But members of the vast Nigerian diaspora say they now notice big changes whenever they go back. "When you return you see an absolute difference - things have improved 100 per cent," said Nels Abbey, a London-based Nigerian journalist and businessman. "Traffic is not what it used to be, bus lanes have been introduced, and it feels a lot safer. Fashola has been like a Tory mayor for Lagos - he is trying to make it attractive to the well-off." Styling himself as Lagos's answer to Boris Johnson has not endeared him to everyone. As well as laying plans for a vast offshore business park intended as an "African Dubai", he has accelerated programs to clear the ever-expanding shanty towns, ordering their occupants to return to their homes in Nigeria's poorest east and north. That has led to criticism from human rights groups, although others say it is hard to see how Lagos will ever improve otherwise. "Do I endorse it?" said Mr Nels. "I am afraid it is a bit of a necessary evil." Another big achievement has been increasing tax revenues, vital in a city where the GDP of $43 billion makes it the fifth-biggest economy in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr Fashola has tried to sweeten the pill by putting up signs on all new infrasructure projects, saying "paid for by your taxes". It is a rare acknowledgement of gratitude in a country where a guaranteed stream of state oil wealth has historically allowed rulers to remain aloof from the ruled. However, despite being relected with 80 per cent of the vote in 2011, the main hailed as Nigeria's brightest political hope in years is far from guaranteed a life in office. Having served two terms in office already, he is not allowed to run as Lagos governor again. And as a member of a minority tribe and the country's opposition All Progressives Congress, he currently lacks the political backing to go head to head against Goodluck Jonathan in next year's elections. In the meantime, fresh from ridding Lagos of Ebola, he is focusing on an arguably even tougher challenge, launching a new initiative to stop motorists stuck in traffic jams from blasting their horns all day. As he put it: "If we can overcome Ebola, then we can overcome noise pollution." Culled from UK Telegraph... 4
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| Politics › Re: SS/SE,If Nigeria Divides Today!Can You Vote Jonathan As The President Of Biafra. by yashau(m): 2:14am On Oct 25, 2014 |
bigass:thread of month, if I may say 'Oya' my ss/se bigot over to u! 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: What Is The Diff Btw A Minister And A Minister Of State In The Same Ministry? by yashau(m): 7:36pm On Oct 24, 2014 |
0merta:gbam! |
| Politics › Re: #MUST READ# BUHARI 2015 Age Is Not Barrier- David West by yashau(m): 1:09pm On Oct 16, 2014 |
[b][/b][color=#000099][/color] ojuoluwani:General Buahri 2015 |
| Politics › Re: PDP Welcomes Buhari To Presidential Race: Faults His Claims On State Of The Nati by yashau(m): 9:23am On Oct 16, 2014 |
kasiem:there's somethin i seen not to understand, why are pdp is afraid of buahri? |
| Politics › Re: Sue Me, Jonathan: You're Worth $120 Million Dollars! Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo by yashau(op): 2:06pm On Oct 15, 2014 |
johnmartus:truth word my brother! |
| Politics › President Jonathan "Interviewed" By Naij.com Reader by yashau(op): 1:57pm On Oct 15, 2014 |
If you had a chance to talk to President Goodluck Jonathan, what would you say to him? Which questions would you like President Jonathan to answer, and why? Naij.com guest contributor, Comrade Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari from Katsina State, gives account of his unique “dream” opportunity to spend some time interviewing President Jonathan. Finally stepping into the innermost parlor of the Presidential Villa was an energy-consuming exercise. After leaving my car at the first gate, passing two security checkpoints, I had to pass another four security checks. Eventually, I entered the waiting room for the press. I didn’t see Abati, perhaps he has traveled to his village. “President Jonathan will now see you.” It was already 11:00pm. I was escorted by a tall Nupe security officer inside a new SUV 2014 model to the quarters of President Jonathan. Two checkpoints were mounted at the two gates. Numerous DSS agents were scattered all around. We passed two corridors and three parlors. Finally, I saw President Jonathan. I wanted to greet the First Lady as I saw her leaving. “Good evening, Mr. President.” “Evening,” President Jonathan answered. “You are welcome. Have a seat.” A hot tea was already by our sides. “Sir, good leadership as a result of free and fair elections has been among the longest aspirations of Nigerians since the return of civilian leadership in 1999,” I started. And this is what President Jonathan got to say: “I set the stage for free and fair elections by constituting an electoral commission comprising of Nigerians with impeccable credentials for firmness and incorruptibility.” I wondered what sixteen thousand soldiers were doing in Ekiti during governorship elections this year. Most leaders only vie for political offices to loot public funds so that they can continue living the lives of kings even after leaving their posts. I went further to ask President Jonathan about the issue of corruption and his actions towards curbing it . “I charged our anti-corruption agencies to speed up the war against corruption, and respect no sacred cows in the process”. But how about the issue of the twenty billion dollars reported by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi which was not taken serious and immediately investigated? What about the sixteen million dollars impounded money in South Africa? Remembering the fuel subsidy removal crisis, I asked him: “Sir, do you think Nigerians are happy with your administration?” “If I read your message right, my government has not earned your trust. And without trust, we have no moral authority to demand sacrifices from you. More so when we, the government, have not made sacrifices ourselves. I have come to realize that more than everything else, the Nigerian people want accountability from their leaders”. I quickly interrupted as I could see vivid anger in the eyes of some of the aides to President Jonathan: “But, Sir what about those who lost their lives , who is to blame?” “I have seen the anger in the hearts of many suffering Nigerians. Your anger is well- justified. The anguish of our youths, the despair of the old, can no longer be taken for granted. I fully accept the blame of all that happened”. “Mr. President,” I continued, “last week, a United States-based website rated you the sixth richest President in Africa, with a net worth of over 100 million dollars (16 billion naira) in your known accounts. Allowance of the President by RMAF is 320 million naira yearly. What can you say about that?” “I want Nigerians to know that I am worth fifty billion Naira. My salary and allowances each year is about 320 million naira. That, my fellow Nigerians, is outrageous in a country where hundreds of millions of my fellow citizens live on less than N320 a day. “To show how serious I am about the changes I want to put in place, I will forgo any salary and allowances for the rest of my term as president. Moving forward, I will pay for the feeding of my family and so will the vice president. I am slashing the budget for feeding at the presidency to three hundred million naira a year and that will be for visiting dignitaries alone. The 25 percent cut in salary that I announced two weeks ago for staff of the executive branch, I want to increase it to 50 percent for those making more than 2 million naira a month. And it includes cuts to their allowances. I’m also cutting all other expenses in the budget for the presidency by half. That alone will bring in one hundred billion naira back into the treasury. “I have ordered the presidential fleet of aircrafts to be reduced to two instead of nine. We have serious problems in this country and we need to tackle them with all seriousness. Now, I cannot do it alone. I need your help for us to transform this country,” President Jonathan replied. “Mr. President, with all the resources, forces and power of a government, with political, traditional and religious leaders of Nigeria, what do you think is the cause of moral decadence in Nigeria?” “I believe, one of the reasons why our society is not at ease is because we have neglected our ennobling traditional value system. There was a time in our country that when you were honoured with traditional or religious titles in any community, you were deemed to personify the highest ethos of that community”. On the 20th minute of my conversation with President Jonathan, an aide came and presented him a note. I observed the brief smile on the President’s face. I started to think our meeting was over, and I would be asked to leave. “Please continue,” President Jonathan said, still smiling. “Mr. President, how do you see Nigerians contributing since your Transformation Agenda has come into effect?” President Jonathan smiled again and nodded: “I thank the many individuals, stakeholders, groups, associations, non-governmental organisations, unions and political leaders from across the country who have, in recognition and appreciation of our efforts and commitment to repositioning our dear nation for more rapid growth and development, urged me to seek a second term in office. In deciding on an appropriate response to such calls, I will place the greater interests of national harmony, cohesion, unity, security, political stability, progress, equity, justice and fairness above any personal ambition or sectional agenda.” When I glanced at my watch, we had only five minutes remaining. And I still want to ask President Jonathan about the 2015 general elections, insurgency, privatization, office of the First Lady, and many other things. Suddenly, my phone rang. My 300-level law student brother was all over my head: “Have your phone, it’s disturbing.” It was then that I understood my encounter with President Jonathan had been just a dream. Mr. Jari used excerpts from various speeches made by President Jonathan on a number of occasions. For us to publish your own opinion write-up, submit it to info@naij.com. Also, you may find the tips listed in our Guide for Guest blogging useful. We’ re looking forward to hearing from you! |
| Politics › Sue Me, Jonathan: You're Worth $120 Million Dollars! Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo by yashau(op): 7:33am On Oct 15, 2014 |
An online magazine richestlifestyle.com recently published the ranking of the richest African presidents. The magazine ranked President Goodluck Jonathan 6th. Jonathan, a whole president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country with the largest economy in Africa, was assessed to have a total worth of $100 million dollars. The president was furious. Speaking through his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, he called the idea that he is worth $100 million dollars false. “As is well known, President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant,” Abati argues. “The President has held public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws. He has had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president which are matters of public record.” The president then threatened to sue the online publication for libel. The website immediately removed Jonathan from the ranking. But what is President Jonathan’s worth? That question still needs to be answered. Since the president will not just tell us and save us and save himself the headache, we will calculate it for him. But before we do so, lets look at what the law about declaration of assets says. The Nigerian constitution requires that top government officials declare their assets before they are sworn into office. President Jonathan did not do so when he was sworn in on May 29, 2011. Nigerians had to huff and puff for months. During one media chat when the question was put to him that Nigerians were worried that he was disobeying the constitution by not declaring his assets as at when due, the president said he did not give a damn. Eighteen months after, while nobody was looking, President Goodluck Jonathan declared his assets. We know this because on September 24th, 2012, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Dr. Sam Saba, speaking through Alhaji Ibrahim Manzo, the Federal Commissioner representing North West in the Bureau, brought the good news to the media. At that event, Saba reiterated that no law said that the President should declare his assets publicly. Saba also added, “What is important is that he has declared his assets and when we go through his form and we discover any area that is questionable, then we will take him to court.” This was on September 24th, 2012. At that time the Code of Conduct Bureau was yet to go through President Jonathan’s form. Which was how we determined that it was sent to them around that time. And since we have not heard from Mr. Saba, over two years after, we can safely assume that he went through the forms and found nothing questionable that would require him to take the president to court as he promised in that speech at a Compliance Training Workshop for Public Officers in Abuja. What President Jonathan declared is secret, sealed and locked away in the office of Code of Conduct Bureau. The presidency insists that the constitution did not require that he makes his declaration public. The chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau on his part asked those who want to know what is in the president’s declaration form to invoke the Freedom of Information Act. Paragraph 3, Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, provides that the Code of Conduct Bureau shall have power to: (a) receive declarations by public officers made under paragraph 12 of Part I of the Fifth Schedule to this Constitution; (b) examine the declarations in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct or any law; (c) retain custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe. The next option left for Nigerians who wish to know the content of the president’s declaration forms was to invoke Schedule (c) which says that the Code of Conduct Bureau retains custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe. In October of 2011, the African Center for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) dragged the Code of Conduct Bureau to court for failing to release to the public the asset declaration of the president. AFRICMIL had in July of 2011 sent a Freedom of Information request “to be allowed to inspect and obtain copies of the 2007 asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; the asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan after the end of his tenure on May 28, 2011; and the current asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan when he assumed office on May 29, 2011.” As expected, nothing has come out of it. Whatever the constitution says, and whatever interpretation President Jonathan’s men give it, the gold standard has always been for government officials to make their asset declaration public on taking over office. President Umaru Yar’Adua did that. He also compelled the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to do the same- something he did a day after he was sworn in. Despite Jonathan’s refusal to follow best practice in 2011 and his fury at Richestlifestyle.com’s partners who did the calculations for him, we will, together, try to do the calculation on these pages. So let us start our calculation from the declaration President Jonathan made in 2007 when he was Vice President under the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua. As at 2007, President Jonathan under oath stated that the value of his assets was N295,304,420.00. At that time, the figure was N561,148,472.00 less than what President Umaru Yar’Adua declared – which was N857,452,892.00 Now note that Jonathan and Yar’Adua came from similar background. They were university teachers before they joined the government as political appointees and later full time politicians. Yar’Adua was governor of Kastina state for 8 years before he became President while Jonathan was deputy governor of Bayelsa for 6 years and governor for 2 years before he became Vice President of Nigeria. Other than Yar’Adua coming from a well-off family, the real difference comes in how long they were at the helm in their respective states. But because Yar’Adua was in control of Kastina state, a relatively poor state compared to Jonathan’s Bayelsa state, the difference in their assets as declared in 2007 was understandable. When Jonathan made his assets declaration in 2007, his spokesman then, Mr. Ima Niboro said that by doing so the president had shown that “there is nothing to hide.” He also stated that the then Vice President was a firm believer in the rule of law which Niboro said had guided Jonathan in his conduct in office through the years. Makes you wonder what happened to the president’s belief in recent years. Did he suddenly have things to hide? Or did he suddenly find that the rule of law has an exaggerated importance? Based on the declaration made by Jonathan in 2007, he had four buildings located in Yenegoa, Abuja and his home town in Ogbia, Bayelsa state. He said that he owned a five bedroom duplex in Gwarimpa 11, Abuja. The building he said was acquired in 2003 through loan and was valued at N24,990,000.00 Another seven bedroom duplex located at Otuoke in Ogbia Local government area of Bayelsa state was valued at N18,000, 000.00 and was acquired through ‘savings and gifts in kind.“ Jonathan declared another four bedroom duplex acquired in 2003 through ‘savings and gift in kind’ in the Kpansia area of Yenegoa. The value of the building was N15,000,000.00 The last building is four flat storey house acquired between 2003 and 2007 through savings, he reported. The value of the property was put at N10,000,000.00 Under vacant and undeveloped plots, the then vice president stated as follows: “1032.50 square meter of land located at Onopa Yenegoa and valued at N3,098.00. Plot 2C, 374 Low density Area Yenegoa allocated by the Bayelsa state government and valued at N150,000.00. 2760.00 square meter plot at cadastral Zone BO2, Durumi, Abuja, allocated by the Federal Capital Development Authority and valued at N5,578,540.00. One Parcel of farm Land at Otuoke Ogbia acquired through inheritance and estimated at the value of N50,000,000.00 Plot Medium Density in Yenegoa allocated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing the valued at N1550.00 Plot 29, Low density Area Plot in Yenegoa allocated by the Bayelsa state government the value of which was put at N4,908.00. While the last undeveloped plot owned by the then vice president is plot 2246 Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja, the value of which he put at N4, 800,000.00. It was allocated by the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA. The declaration stated that the then Vice president’s investment in stocks which was being managed by City Code Investment Company was as follows. S/No Name of Stock Number Of Shares Value As At 5/25/07 1 CADBURY PLC 8,666 N264,313.00 2 FLOUR MILLS PLC 8,466 N635,119.32 3 GUINESS NIG. PLC 6,395 N796,177.50 4 UNILEVER 18,750 N337,500.00 5 UNION BANK OF NIG. PLC 23,466 N727,446.00 6 FIDELITY BANK PLC 33,333 N296,663.70 7 UBA PLC 180,000 N6,838,200.00 8 ACCESS BANK PLC 84,656 N1,635,553.92 9 CADBURY PLC 2,500 N76,250.00 10 UNION BANK PLC 716,109 N22,199,379.00 11 FIRST BANK PLC 20,000 N808,000.00 12 FLOUR MILLS PLC 13,333 N1,000,241.66.00 13 NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC 10,000 N363,000.00 14 BANK PHB PLC 866,666 N24,959,980.80 15 OANDO 15,125 N1,134,375.00 TOTAL 2,007,465 N62,072,200.00 Other investments include 4nos passenger boats for hiring which was valued at N5, 260,000.00 while the total cash in Nigerian banks being personal saving of salaries/allowances and income from his investments stood at N58, 984,123.00 The vice president households utensils including generators, a BMW car valued at N15, 800,000.00 which he said was a gift; air conditioners, furniture, electronics and kitchen utensils were valued at N41,800,000. 00 Looking at the figures above and considering capital gains, appreciations of properties in Abuja and the new university town of Otuoke and depreciation, a very very conservative estimate placed the assets as declared in 2007, seven years ago, to be at least five times what it was then. That is very conservative considering that last year alone, the Nigerian stock market delivered a return of 47%. So the assets declared in 2007 at N295,304,420.00 will today be worth N1,476,522,100.00 which is about $9.0 million USD. President Jonathan was Vice President for three years (2007-2010). As Vice President we believe that his salaries and allowances and security vote could not be lower than what a senator takes home in Nigeria each year. Without adding bribes to pass bills and unaccounted constituency allocations, a Nigerian senator takes home $1.4 million each year. The senate president, the number 3 man in Nigeria takes home at least twice that, which is $2.8 million. In fact, it is safe to assume that the perks that come with the office of the Vice President guarantees that the occupant makes more money than governors of states. But just to continue to be conservative in our calculation, let us say that his remunerations as Vice President came up to twice what the senate president takes home each year. So Jonathan would have added $5.6 million a year. In three years that would become $17.4 million dollars. In 2010, Jonathan became the Acting President following the death of Yar’Adua. What it meant was a total takeover of the nation’s treasury. If he was getting as Vice President N1 billion a year as security vote, it became at least ten times the amount. We know this going by the discrepancy in what governors get and what their deputies get in security votes. On average, a Nigerian governor gets N250 million a month for security vote ie N3 billion a year while their deputies get about N300 million a year. Jonathan’s base salary, allowances, estacodes and other numerous pays also increased in a significant way. Continuing with our conservative calculation, instead of multiplying his pay as Vice President by ten, we will simply multiply it by two. So, for the next one year as acting president, 2010 – 2011, Jonathan probably made $11.2 million dollars. So as Acting President, he added $11.2 million dollars to his assets. In April 2011, he ran for a full term and won. He became a president in his own right with absolute control of the government. Two weeks later, on April 29, 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan secretly approved the transfer of $1.1 billion to the London account of Malabu Oil and Gas owned by former Minister of Petroleum and a convicted money launderer, Dan Etete and Sani Abacha’s son, Mohammed. The money came from funds paid to the Federal Government by two multinational companies; Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited and Shell Nigeria as part of the settlement of the Malabu oil block case between the Federal Government, Malabu and the two multinational oil companies. As soon as the money got into the account of Malabu Oil in London it was wired to secret accounts of cronies and some political associates of President Jonathan. Without implying that Jonathan benefited in any way, we know from his 2007 assets declaration that a lot of money he used to purchase assets he declared came in form of “gifts in kind.” At this point, it is safe to assume that the game changed and the money being dealt with had turned into billions. As full president, Jonathan’s salaries, allowances and security votes should be obviously higher than what he made as acting president. With traveling cost in billions of naira and feeding allowance hovering around one billion, the president remuneration could be as high as five times what it was as acting president. But thinking along the same conservative line, we say that he was getting twice the amount he made as acting president. So that would be $11.2 x 2 = $22.4 million a year. In four years, that money would be $22.4 x 4= $89.6 million dollars. So to add up without factoring in compound interests: His 2007 assets of N295,304,420.00 will today be worth N1,476,522,100.00 which is about $9.0 million USD. His earnings as Vice President is $17.4 million dollars. His earnings as acting president is $11.2 million dollars. His earning as President is $89.6 million dollars. So his total worth in assets will be $127.2 million dollars by the time he leaves office on May 29, 2015. Now that is a very very conservative estimate. It does not take into account numerous gifts in kind and in cash, like the Anglican Church in Otuoke renovated and donated to President Jonathan by an Italian construction company, Gitto Construzioni Generali Nigeria Ltd. The Nigerian people are mature enough to deal with any figure public officials announce as their assets. Nobody in Anambra state lost their minds when Gov. Andy Uba declared N1 trillion naira assets in what is now known as anticipatory declaration of what he hoped to acquire in office. Nigerians are not going to hit the streets in protest because a president or a governor or local government chairman announced an insane amount. Instead, what is insane is the belief that Nigerians will think the president is poor because he refused to make public his asset declaration. President Goodluck Jonathan came to Abuja from Yenagoa with a cloud of corruption hanging on his head like a question mark. Any reasonable person would have thought that he would be the one to embrace transparency, accountability and openness. Aversion to best practices and embrace of mediocrity have continued to crush any hope of real advancement in Nigeria. The real shame is not that President Jonathan got away with not declaring his assets as at when the constitution required. And it is not that he will not declare his assets publicly. The shame is that we, as Nigerian people, do not know how much our president is paid, how much he costs us and how much he is worth. Not knowing that forecloses any chance of us knowing how much leaks out of our system into the pockets of government officials at every level. In the meantime, now that you have joined me in calculating President Goodluck Jonathan’s assets, be ready to be sued by the president for libel. RUDOLF http://saharareporters.com/2014/10/14/sue-me-jonathan-youre-worth-120-million-dollars-least-rudolf-ogoo-okonkwo 1 Like |
| Politics › Sue Me, Jonathan: You're Worth $120 Million Dollars! Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo by yashau(op): 7:19am On Oct 15, 2014*. Modified: 7:59am On Oct 15, 2014 |
Photo Credit:Correct Me If I am Right SOURCE: COLUMN: CORRECT ME IF I AM RIGHT READ MORE: CORRUPTION , COLUMN YOU MAY ALSO LIKE READ NEXT An online magazine richestlifestyle.com recently published the ranking of the richest African presidents. The magazine ranked President Goodluck Jonathan 6th. Jonathan, a whole president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country with the largest economy in Africa, was assessed to have a total worth of $100 million dollars. The president was furious. Speaking through his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, he called the idea that he is worth $100 million dollars false. “As is well known, President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant,” Abati argues. “The President has held public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws. He has had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president which are matters of public record.” The president then threatened to sue the online publication for libel. The website immediately removed Jonathan from the ranking. But what is President Jonathan’s worth? That question still needs to be answered. Since the president will not just tell us and save us and save himself the headache, we will calculate it for him. But before we do so, lets look at what the law about declaration of assets says. The Nigerian constitution requires that top government officials declare their assets before they are sworn into office. President Jonathan did not do so when he was sworn in on May 29, 2011. Nigerians had to huff and puff for months. During one media chat when the question was put to him that Nigerians were worried that he was disobeying the constitution by not declaring his assets as at when due, the president said he did not give a damn. Eighteen months after, while nobody was looking, President Goodluck Jonathan declared his assets. We know this because on September 24th, 2012, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Dr. Sam Saba, speaking through Alhaji Ibrahim Manzo, the Federal Commissioner representing North West in the Bureau, brought the good news to the media. At that event, Saba reiterated that no law said that the President should declare his assets publicly. Saba also added, “What is important is that he has declared his assets and when we go through his form and we discover any area that is questionable, then we will take him to court.” This was on September 24th, 2012. At that time the Code of Conduct Bureau was yet to go through President Jonathan’s form. Which was how we determined that it was sent to them around that time. And since we have not heard from Mr. Saba, over two years after, we can safely assume that he went through the forms and found nothing questionable that would require him to take the president to court as he promised in that speech at a Compliance Training Workshop for Public Officers in Abuja. What President Jonathan declared is secret, sealed and locked away in the office of Code of Conduct Bureau. The presidency insists that the constitution did not require that he makes his declaration public. The chairman of Code of Conduct Bureau on his part asked those who want to know what is in the president’s declaration form to invoke the Freedom of Information Act. Paragraph 3, Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, provides that the Code of Conduct Bureau shall have power to: (a) receive declarations by public officers made under paragraph 12 of Part I of the Fifth Schedule to this Constitution; (b) examine the declarations in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct or any law; (c) retain custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe. The next option left for Nigerians who wish to know the content of the president’s declaration forms was to invoke Schedule (c) which says that the Code of Conduct Bureau retains custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe. In October of 2011, the African Center for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) dragged the Code of Conduct Bureau to court for failing to release to the public the asset declaration of the president. AFRICMIL had in July of 2011 sent a Freedom of Information request “to be allowed to inspect and obtain copies of the 2007 asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; the asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan after the end of his tenure on May 28, 2011; and the current asset declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan when he assumed office on May 29, 2011.” As expected, nothing has come out of it. Whatever the constitution says, and whatever interpretation President Jonathan’s men give it, the gold standard has always been for government officials to make their asset declaration public on taking over office. President Umaru Yar’Adua did that. He also compelled the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to do the same- something he did a day after he was sworn in. Despite Jonathan’s refusal to follow best practice in 2011 and his fury at Richestlifestyle.com’s partners who did the calculations for him, we will, together, try to do the calculation on these pages. So let us start our calculation from the declaration President Jonathan made in 2007 when he was Vice President under the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua. As at 2007, President Jonathan under oath stated that the value of his assets was N295,304,420.00. At that time, the figure was N561,148,472.00 less than what President Umaru Yar’Adua declared – which was N857,452,892.00 Now note that Jonathan and Yar’Adua came from similar background. They were university teachers before they joined the government as political appointees and later full time politicians. Yar’Adua was governor of Kastina state for 8 years before he became President while Jonathan was deputy governor of Bayelsa for 6 years and governor for 2 years before he became Vice President of Nigeria. Other than Yar’Adua coming from a well-off family, the real difference comes in how long they were at the helm in their respective states. But because Yar’Adua was in control of Kastina state, a relatively poor state compared to Jonathan’s Bayelsa state, the difference in their assets as declared in 2007 was understandable. When Jonathan made his assets declaration in 2007, his spokesman then, Mr. Ima Niboro said that by doing so the president had shown that “there is nothing to hide.” He also stated that the then Vice President was a firm believer in the rule of law which Niboro said had guided Jonathan in his conduct in office through the years. Makes you wonder what happened to the president’s belief in recent years. Did he suddenly have things to hide? Or did he suddenly find that the rule of law has an exaggerated importance? Based on the declaration made by Jonathan in 2007, he had four buildings located in Yenegoa, Abuja and his home town in Ogbia, Bayelsa state. He said that he owned a five bedroom duplex in Gwarimpa 11, Abuja. The building he said was acquired in 2003 through loan and was valued at N24,990,000.00 Another seven bedroom duplex located at Otuoke in Ogbia Local government area of Bayelsa state was valued at N18,000, 000.00 and was acquired through ‘savings and gifts in kind.“ Jonathan declared another four bedroom duplex acquired in 2003 through ‘savings and gift in kind’ in the Kpansia area of Yenegoa. The value of the building was N15,000,000.00 The last building is four flat storey house acquired between 2003 and 2007 through savings, he reported. The value of the property was put at N10,000,000.00 Under vacant and undeveloped plots, the then vice president stated as follows: “1032.50 square meter of land located at Onopa Yenegoa and valued at N3,098.00. Plot 2C, 374 Low density Area Yenegoa allocated by the Bayelsa state government and valued at N150,000.00. 2760.00 square meter plot at cadastral Zone BO2, Durumi, Abuja, allocated by the Federal Capital Development Authority and valued at N5,578,540.00. One Parcel of farm Land at Otuoke Ogbia acquired through inheritance and estimated at the value of N50,000,000.00 Plot Medium Density in Yenegoa allocated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing the valued at N1550.00 Plot 29, Low density Area Plot in Yenegoa allocated by the Bayelsa state government the value of which was put at N4,908.00. While the last undeveloped plot owned by the then vice president is plot 2246 Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja, the value of which he put at N4, 800,000.00. It was allocated by the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA. The declaration stated that the then Vice president’s investment in stocks which was being managed by City Code Investment Company was as follows. S/No Name of Stock Number Of Shares Value As At 5/25/07 1 CADBURY PLC 8,666 N264,313.00 2 FLOUR MILLS PLC 8,466 N635,119.32 3 GUINESS NIG. PLC 6,395 N796,177.50 4 UNILEVER 18,750 N337,500.00 5 UNION BANK OF NIG. PLC 23,466 N727,446.00 6 FIDELITY BANK PLC 33,333 N296,663.70 7 UBA PLC 180,000 N6,838,200.00 8 ACCESS BANK PLC 84,656 N1,635,553.92 9 CADBURY PLC 2,500 N76,250.00 10 UNION BANK PLC 716,109 N22,199,379.00 11 FIRST BANK PLC 20,000 N808,000.00 12 FLOUR MILLS PLC 13,333 N1,000,241.66.00 13 NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC 10,000 N363,000.00 14 BANK PHB PLC 866,666 N24,959,980.80 15 OANDO 15,125 N1,134,375.00 TOTAL 2,007,465 N62,072,200.00 Other investments include 4nos passenger boats for hiring which was valued at N5, 260,000.00 while the total cash in Nigerian banks being personal saving of salaries/allowances and income from his investments stood at N58, 984,123.00 The vice president households utensils including generators, a BMW car valued at N15, 800,000.00 which he said was a gift; air conditioners, furniture, electronics and kitchen utensils were valued at N41,800,000. 00 Looking at the figures above and considering capital gains, appreciations of properties in Abuja and the new university town of Otuoke and depreciation, a very very conservative estimate placed the assets as declared in 2007, seven years ago, to be at least five times what it was then. That is very conservative considering that last year alone, the Nigerian stock market delivered a return of 47%. So the assets declared in 2007 at N295,304,420.00 will today be worth N1,476,522,100.00 which is about $9.0 million USD. President Jonathan was Vice President for three years (2007-2010). As Vice President we believe that his salaries and allowances and security vote could not be lower than what a senator takes home in Nigeria each year. Without adding bribes to pass bills and unaccounted constituency allocations, a Nigerian senator takes home $1.4 million each year. The senate president, the number 3 man in Nigeria takes home at least twice that, which is $2.8 million. In fact, it is safe to assume that the perks that come with the office of the Vice President guarantees that the occupant makes more money than governors of states. But just to continue to be conservative in our calculation, let us say that his remunerations as Vice President came up to twice what the senate president takes home each year. So Jonathan would have added $5.6 million a year. In three years that would become $17.4 million dollars. In 2010, Jonathan became the Acting President following the death of Yar’Adua. What it meant was a total takeover of the nation’s treasury. If he was getting as Vice President N1 billion a year as security vote, it became at least ten times the amount. We know this going by the discrepancy in what governors get and what their deputies get in security votes. On average, a Nigerian governor gets N250 million a month for security vote ie N3 billion a year while their deputies get about N300 million a year. Jonathan’s base salary, allowances, estacodes and other numerous pays also increased in a significant way. Continuing with our conservative calculation, instead of multiplying his pay as Vice President by ten, we will simply multiply it by two. So, for the next one year as acting president, 2010 – 2011, Jonathan probably made $11.2 million dollars. So as Acting President, he added $11.2 million dollars to his assets. In April 2011, he ran for a full term and won. He became a president in his own right with absolute control of the government. Two weeks later, on April 29, 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan secretly approved the transfer of $1.1 billion to the London account of Malabu Oil and Gas owned by former Minister of Petroleum and a convicted money launderer, Dan Etete and Sani Abacha’s son, Mohammed. The money came from funds paid to the Federal Government by two multinational companies; Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited and Shell Nigeria as part of the settlement of the Malabu oil block case between the Federal Government, Malabu and the two multinational oil companies. As soon as the money got into the account of Malabu Oil in London it was wired to secret accounts of cronies and some political associates of President Jonathan. Without implying that Jonathan benefited in any way, we know from his 2007 assets declaration that a lot of money he used to purchase assets he declared came in form of “gifts in kind.” At this point, it is safe to assume that the game changed and the money being dealt with had turned into billions. As full president, Jonathan’s salaries, allowances and security votes should be obviously higher than what he made as acting president. With traveling cost in billions of naira and feeding allowance hovering around one billion, the president remuneration could be as high as five times what it was as acting president. But thinking along the same conservative line, we say that he was getting twice the amount he made as acting president. So that would be $11.2 x 2 = $22.4 million a year. In four years, that money would be $22.4 x 4= $89.6 million dollars. So to add up without factoring in compound interests: His 2007 assets of N295,304,420.00 will today be worth N1,476,522,100.00 which is about $9.0 million USD. His earnings as Vice President is $17.4 million dollars. His earnings as acting president is $11.2 million dollars. His earning as President is $89.6 million dollars. So his total worth in assets will be $127.2 million dollars by the time he leaves office on May 29, 2015. Now that is a very very conservative estimate. It does not take into account numerous gifts in kind and in cash, like the Anglican Church in Otuoke renovated and donated to President Jonathan by an Italian construction company, Gitto Construzioni Generali Nigeria Ltd. The Nigerian people are mature enough to deal with any figure public officials announce as their assets. Nobody in Anambra state lost their minds when Gov. Andy Uba declared N1 trillion naira assets in what is now known as anticipatory declaration of what he hoped to acquire in office. Nigerians are not going to hit the streets in protest because a president or a governor or local government chairman announced an insane amount. Instead, what is insane is the belief that Nigerians will think the president is poor because he refused to make public his asset declaration. President Goodluck Jonathan came to Abuja from Yenagoa with a cloud of corruption hanging on his head like a question mark. Any reasonable person would have thought that he would be the one to embrace transparency, accountability and openness. Aversion to best practices and embrace of mediocrity have continued to crush any hope of real advancement in Nigeria. The real shame is not that President Jonathan got away with not declaring his assets as at when the constitution required. And it is not that he will not declare his assets publicly. The shame is that we, as Nigerian people, do not know how much our president is paid, how much he costs us and how much he is worth. Not knowing that forecloses any chance of us knowing how much leaks out of our system into the pockets of government officials at every level. In the meantime, now that you have joined me in calculating President Goodluck Jonathan’s assets, be ready to be sued by the president for libel. RUDOLF http://saharareporters.com/2014/10/14/sue-me-jonathan-youre-worth-120-million-dollars-least-rudolf-ogoo-okonkwo 1 Like 1 Share |
| Politics › Re: Ghana's Laughable Offer by yashau(m): 9:41pm On Oct 14, 2014 |
CrudeGH:olori buruku ni eleyi sa aiyelala lo ma je oju e,.olosi 3 Likes |
| Politics › Buhari Reveals Why He Is Contesting For 2015 Elections by yashau(op): 9:24pm On Oct 14, 2014 |
Former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), on Monday blamed bad leadership for Nigeria’s woes, including the present insecurity in the country. Buhari said his insistence on governing Nigeria is borne out of his desire for a secured and egalitarian society. The All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, after his meeting with the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed. The ex-head of state said, “I had contested the presidential election three times and I lost three times and I ended up in Supreme Court three times. We thank God because the Constitution does not limit how many times you can contest. Whichever stage you are, once you are 18 and above, you are fit to apply for the country’s highest political office. They did not put age limit in the exercise. “I had ruled this country before in a different system. From 1999 till now, am sure you know what has been happening. “I believe what Nigeria needs now is to be secured and efficiently managed. This is the APC’s stand. And I will like to use this opportunity through my party and through the system to ensure a secured and efficiently managed Nigeria as the country is not being well managed now.” Speaking further: “This is up to the party and the people to choose the candidate to represent it at the presidential election. We want a level playing ground for everybody. Let Nigerians be given the impression that we care for them. Let them believe that they do matter, that all the efforts to salvage the country are for them. But if there is a consensus agreement, it is not forced on the people, all well and good. “It will save time and resources. But if people insist that the candidates should present themselves and let the people decide, it is all well and good. The system allows it www.naij.com/305009-buhari-reveals-why-he-is-contesting-for-2015-elections.html |
| Sports › Ex-falcon Footballer Chified Shares Very Inspiring Piece by yashau(op): 10:55am On Oct 12, 2014 |
In this inspiring piece which she shared on her instagram page, former Falcon's player Chichi Igbo talks about how she overcame all obstacles, including her father who didn't believe in her dreams of being a footballer, and becoming the only Nigerian girl to go pro internationally at the age of 16. Find the piece below... Give away jersey signed by myself and my teammates. This is a special piece, won championships and scored a lot of goals in this jersey, I cld've decided to save it as a souvenir but I want to inspire someone, touch some's life, give hope or just put a smile on someone's face. Let me tell y'all something you don't know about me, something to remember whenever it seems to hard to keep pushing, when you feel the world is on your shoulders. I was that girl that was told by her Dad that she'd never amount to nothing if soccer is what I wanted to waste my time with. Got my ass whooped everyday by him, but next day I'm out there with the boys doing what I burn for. Villagers started talking cos hanging around boys was not normal but all that was on deaf ears. I was that girl on the street, kicking my orange, tied bags, basically any round object I cld find, barefooted. I was that girl that walked miles to and from school barefooted on the hot sand and burning sun, patched up uniforms, come home to no food. Worked at the farm everyday so we could eat, walked miles from the stream with water on my head so we could have water. I was that girl that was used as a slave by the so called "bigger players" running errands, shopping, washing their cloths while they were napping, getting their rest before the next training session. But I'am the only Nigerian girl to go pro overseas at 16. my struggle didn't end there but life got a lot better. What I'm trying to say is dreams do come true, you may start all the way from the bottom, the road may not be smooth, you have people try to discourage you from following your dream but don't let anything or anyone stop you, stay focused and follow your heart. Stand firm and stay pushing, let them be your motivation. I'm glad my Dad was alive to see me become what he never imagined. I shaded tears the day he told me he was proud of me. I thank him for being my motivation cos I worked my ass off just to prove him wrong. DON'T EVER STOP BELIEVING IN YOURSELVES!! |
| Politics › Cameroon Paid Boko Haram$400k Ransom, Plus Arms Andammunition by yashau(op): 7:16am On Oct 12, 2014*. Modified: 12:19pm On Oct 12, 2014 |
S SOURCE: READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE , NEWS YOU MAY ALSO LIKE READ NEXT aharaReporters has learned that the Cameroonian authorities paid Boko Haram insurgents at least $400,000 in ransom in order to secure the release of Francoise Agnes Moukouri, wife of Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali. Cameroonian President Paul Biya Boko Haram insurgents had abducted Mrs. Ali in July from the town of Kolofata. The insurgents also seized the town’s district head. The deal to secure their release was struck three days ago, as SaharaReporters exclusively reported. Our source, who was part of the negotiation that led to the release of Mrs. Ali and several other hostages, disclosed that the terms of the settlement included the payment of an undisclosed sum of money from the Chinese government. Boko Haram subsequently released 10 Chinese construction workers who had been held hostage since their abduction in May. In addition, the Cameroonian government agreed to release four commanders of the Islamist group who had been in Cameroonian jails. The most disturbing part of the deal is that Boko Haram militants demanded and received a significant supply of arms and ammunition, including a guarantee by Cameroon that the weapons would have safe passage to insurgent fighters. Our source disclosed that President Idris Derby of Chad was instrumental in the negotiations because of his closeness to some Boko Haram commanders. SaharaReporters had exclusively reported three days ago that the Cameroonian and Chinese hostages had been released. Cameroonian Minister of Information, Issa Bakary, initially denied the report. However, the office of the Cameroonian President, Paul Biya, today declared that 27 hostages, including Mrs. Ali, 10 Chinese construction workers, and the district head of Kolofata had been released. The Islamist group has wreaked havoc in Nigeria’s northeast zone and has made occasional forays into neighboring saharareporters.com/2014/10/11/cameroon-paid-boko-haram-400k-ransom-plus-arms-and-ammunition-secure-release-deputy-prime 2 Likes |
| Politics › Must Read! Abubakar Shekau: Nine Lives Or Nine Liars by yashau(op): 7:57am On Oct 04, 2014 |
Article below written by Dr. Peregrino Brimah of ENDS.ng. Read below... So long as the Francophone media is bent on dragging Nigeria to its begging knees, Shekau will never die. The controversy on the death of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau is one that is entirely manufactured by Globalist media. It is nothing less than media terrorism by the desperate colonialists. But these globalist media cannot be solely blamed. It is us who have Boko Haram sponsors in the Presidency and as our army Chiefs after all. Protected, supported and paid with billions by our President. We have no credibility and as long as this nation keeps such clueless and adamantly wicked men at its helm, the globalist media will continue to disgrace and terrorize us and will keep Shekau immortal. The globalist media has stubbornly insisted on denying the fact that we have killed two of the very Shekaus they have themselves shown in videos as the actual person. They pretend not to notice the very different people who all impersonate Shekau in the many videos they release as a singular person, but when we kill these very people they just publicized then they say it wasn’t him and push out the next available video of another of his impersonators, gleefully, as soon as Boko Haram sells it to them. The latest bump-head Shekau we killed has been promoted by them on many occasions as the one and only Shekau. Now they are releasing video of droopy left lip, almond eye Shekau. The minute we kill this one again, they will bring out the next and the next, in frank terrorism and with an ultimate plan to frustrate Nigeria into submission for foreign complete invasion and destruction as was done to Libya; thanks to our participant, wealth blinded, terrible leadership. It is ironic that in 2011 when America “killed” Osama who we all know was already dead since 2001, and never showed us even a single picture of his dead body, none of these very media questioned the blatant lies. But now they invest heavily in giving our Shekau nine lives. It’s not their fault; it is our fault for electing leaders with no shoes because we were colonially battered into a dumb foreign tribalist culture. With our President who scores world worsts every time, recently of note, doing abominable things like using the #BringBackGoodluck” slogan, how will they ever fear and respect us? After all, when late President Umaru Yar’Adua killed Mohammed Yusuf, the actual Boko Haram leader believed and touted to be immortal, dem no born any globalist media well (translated: No media had the guts) to broadcast video’s of his aspiring impersonators. A little time, 2015 or 2019, this will all be over. #VictoryForNigeria. We stand by our Civilian-JTF and active soldiers, those engaged in the battle front, not the morbidly obese, cash bloated, Abuja barrack land usurping Boko Haram sponsor Army ogas at the top. Dr. Peregrino Brimah; http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: drbrimah@ends.ng Twitter: @EveryNigerian 1
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