The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Goodluck Jonathan

  • Living with powerlessness

    About 15 former ministers in the expired Goodluck Jonathan presidency are probably still living in denial, unwilling to accept the reality of change and their changed circumstances as powerful people of yesterday.

    A report quoted a Muhammadu Buhari presidency source as saying: “Some of the ex-ministers are yet to return their official vehicles, especially the Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), which they were using. It is amazing that some of them are still using pilot vehicles for passage. While some of them claimed they are still entitled to such perks for about three months after leaving office, a negligible few handed over their vehicles before May 29.”

    The source also said: “Some of them said they had not fully disengaged because they had outstanding eight months’ salaries, allowances, claims and severance package to collect from the government. We have about 15 of them who have not fully complied with the directive to hand over their official vehicles.”

    Apart from those who thought they needed to hold on to official vehicles because they were allegedly owed by the government, there is another set with another thought. According to the quoted source, “Some former ministers assumed that they were entitled to some of these vehicles because of the monetisation policy of the government. They said they were awaiting official clarification on the matter.”

    The reasons given for the anomaly fly in the face of information that the government has had to write those concerned. The source said: “The government has no choice but to write the affected ex-ministers.”  According to the September 21 report: “It was learnt that the memo has started having effect. Some ministers last Thursday returned some vehicles.”

    It can be imagined that the ex-ministers involved may be interested in keeping the official vehicles as keepsakes of sorts. To them, the vehicles must be reminders of a time when power was sweet and intoxicating. To them, not having the vehicles around may be a reinforcing sign of their fall from glory. To them, having the vehicles as souvenirs would serve to massage their dented egos.

    However, these former ministers probably need to be told some home truths, although they may not be ready to hear home truths. The official vehicles are what they are said to be, and not personal possessions. Obviously, keeping the vehicles in personal spaces for personal purposes cannot restore the lost status of the ex-ministers.

    Holding on to the official vehicles when they are no longer in power suggests that they are clinging to a fantasy. They must get used to their powerlessness, and live with it without the vehicles that symbolise power.

  • Jonathan’s statue and Dickson’s status

    Whatever his critics may say, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is still credited with political influence in some ambitious quarters despite his failed re-election dream. Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, who is eyeing a second term, demonstrated Jonathan’s importance in the eyes of those determined to remain in power in the former president’s state.

    It is interesting that Dickson considered it strategic to publicly signal the start of his re-election campaign by unveiling a statue of Jonathan. A picture of the statue was published on September 6. There was Jonathan frozen in his signature “resource-control” fashion, wearing beads and a plastic smile, waving his right hand, and holding an open umbrella painted in his party’s colours over his head.

    Following the celebration of the standing sculpture, Jonathan, who was not at the event, played host to Dickson at his country home, Otuoke, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The visit resulted in Jonathan’s formal endorsement of Dickson for the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard-bearer in the December 5 governorship poll in the state.

    Jonathan said on the occasion:  ”I am not expecting the governor to score 100 per cent There are three key parameters I will like to score Governor Dickson, which are payment of salaries, physical infrastructure and low indebtedness of the state in terms of bank loans and in the capital markets. If you compare what has happened in other parts of the country, you will praise the governor.”

    Jonathan’s encouraging words for Dickson’s campaign must be discouraging to the people, considering, among other negatives, news of water scarcity in Otuoke, a community whose claim to fame is that a former president hails from there. Against the background of Jonathan’s positive rating of the Dickson administration based on alleged infrastructural development, it is relevant to draw attention to a recent report on the water problem in the ex-president’s hometown.

    A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the area, Emmanuel Agede, was quoted as saying: “You will not believe it that here in Otuoke, we use water from an unused soak-away pit dug near our lodge, for washing clothes and bathing. For cooking and drinking, we buy sachet water; life is very difficult here; we spend the bulk of our monthly allowances on water for survival.”

    This is a big blemish on both Jonathan and Dickson. No water can wash them clean on this point.

  • Jonathan’s letter writers

    Jonathan’s letter writers

    Whether they wrote the letter to President Buhari from self-motivation, or they merely read former president Goodluck Jonathan’s lips and put their worries in writing, the ex-ministers who issued a statement late August condemning the Buhari government’s seeming ploy to deflate the contributions of the former president were controversial, if not misguided. Dr Abubakar Suleiman, a former National Planning minister, reportedly issued the statement on behalf of some Jonathan ministers. They decried what they believed were efforts to ‘condemn, ridicule and undermine’ the contributions of Dr Jonathan to nation-building. The former president should be given his due, they suggested tersely.

    If the Nigerian presidency had not been run by a camorra of former presidents, nearly all of whom think they are supernatural, infallible and exceptional, no one who carefully contemplates the sordid manner Dr Jonathan presided over Nigeria would think of standing up for him or writing anything in his defence. In the light of the forced resignation of the Guatemalan president, Otto Perez Molina, not to talk of his detention in jail, former Nigerian presidents have been treated undeservingly very well.

    The Buhari presidency may be acting very awkwardly in exposing and remedying the misdeeds of Dr Jonathan, but it has not been severe or irrational. From all the disclosures so far, Dr Jonathan should be in jail awaiting trial. And not only he, even his predecessors, chiefly Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, should have been tried long ago and put away for the abominable manner they presided over Nigeria and caused her so much grief. While it is recommended that the Buhari presidency should fine-tune its investigations into the misdeeds of past governments to eliminate the veneer of vendetta, it should not waver in its determination to unearth those misdeeds.

     

  • Jonathan, Alison-Madueke, ex-CSO fingered in $6.9m scandal

    Jonathan, Alison-Madueke, ex-CSO fingered in $6.9m scandal

    •Security agencies probe purchase of mobile stages
    •How NNPC secret account was used

    Security agencies are now probing   how the administration of  former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly withdrew $6.9million (N1.460b) from a secret account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to buy three  12 meter (40 feet)  mobile stages for use at public events.

    The cash was said to be part of the unremitted funds into the Federation Account by NNPC.

    The purported purchase, according to investigation, did not pass through due process and was known only to Dr. Jonathan, his then Chief Security Officer, Mr. O.J. Obuah and former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    Obuah, it was gathered, raised a memo to his boss for the purchase and the release of the money to that effect.

    Jonathan allegedly gave his approval and authorized the former minister to disburse the fund.

    Shedding light on how the deal was struck on October 17, 2011 through a curious memo from Obuah, a source familiar with the development said preliminary investigation suggested that there was no record of purchase of the said stages.

    It was learnt that the $6.9million was paid into a company’s account after NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.

    The affected company, J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, was purportedly registered by Obuah.

    The source said: “Between himself, his Chief Security Officer and the former Petroleum Minister, former President Goodluck Jonathan spent in just one shot deal a whopping $6.9 million dollars to buy three 40-feet mobile stages for use at public speaking events.”

    Federal government investigators and security agencies, sources added, believe this is just one of the tons of alleged corrupt practices frequently engaged in and condoned under the last president.

    “Besides the fact that the sum for the stages was incredibly inflated, according to mobile stage industry experts, government investigators say there is no evidence yet that any stage was purchased at all,” one source said, citing several documents.

    One of the documents says: “At the centre of the fraudulent financial ring was the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. O.J. Obuah who initiated a memo to the former president on October 17, 2011 asking for the purchase of three mobile stages.

    “He said in that memo to the former president that this is regarding “my earlier discussion with Your Excellency on the security implication of your public appearances and your subsequent directive on the need to procure a secured presidential platform.”

    “And on the same day without any financial advice or purchase order reviews, the former president minuted his approval of the request to buy the three stages to the then Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    “In his minute, the president said ‘we have discussed this, please deal.”

    “Right after that okay from the president, on the same October 17, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administrative Matters, Matt Aikhionbere did another letter on the strength of the president’s approval requesting the Petroleum Minister to take action on the request to purchase the stages for $6.9m.

    “By the next month, an NNPC payment voucher number 3840336 was already in place revealing that the money was released. NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.

    “It was first routed from the US bank to an NNPC account in Zenith Bank account number 5000026593, Maitama branch in Abuja, from where the money was sent to a private account. The sum of $6.9m was then credited to a Sterling Bank account of one J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, a company investigators say was registered by Obuah.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “The $6.9miilion in question was promptly paid on November 29, 2011 into a private account belonging to the former CSO.

    “The former president approved the procurement of the mobile platforms without due process and bye-passing the Procurement Act neither was there an appropriation in the 2011 budget for such facility.

    “Neither the minister of Finance nor the Director-General of the Budget Office was aware of the deal.

    “There are no records of this purchase which was carried out late 2011.”

    The preliminary findings also indicated that the cost of the stages might have been inflated.

    The source said:  “According to the investigators, the cost of mobile stages depends on size and designs; only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the US spend hundreds of thousands on their huge stages way bigger than the 40-feet stages.

    “Even then, those musicians and super stars would not pay over $2m per stage, according to industry sources.

    “The process of procurement of the three mobile stages was not known to extant Nigerian laws and due process regulations, nor were the offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General in the know.”

    It was learnt that the deal was one of the issues  for which the ex-CSO was grilled quizzed by the Department of State Security(DSS) during his recent arrest and detention.

    One of the officials handling the investigation added: “ The CSO himself according to investigators has not been able to show proof of the purchase and his memo irked his bosses at the SSS that he took the initiative to request  for the stages, an action which officials say was way above his pay grade.

    “It is not the duty or responsibility of the CSO to make the determination on that purchase. He was meant to have informed the service, which will then review the situation and act accordingly.

    “What has happened here is that the former president and the former minister with the collusion of the CSO decided to use public funds for other purposes since no one has found the stages as we speak.”

    “This is just one of the several instances where the Jonathan administration used secret NNPC accounts to fund questionable projects and for alleged personal financial aggrandizements.”

    It was gathered that some of these embarrassing issues were part of the matters raised by Jonathan with the National Peace Committee headed by the former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar.

    The committee later facilitated a secret parley between President Muhammadu Buhari and ex-President Jonathan.

    But at the session, Buhari insisted that the law must take its course with  anyone found guilty of corruption.

    At the June 29th meeting of the National Economic Council at the State House, the council had raised questions over the non- remittance of the finances generated by the NNPC into the Federation Account.

  • For Jonathan, charity doesn’t begin at home

    What is one to make of news of water scarcity in Otuoke, a community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State whose claim to fame is that former President Goodluck Jonathan hails from there?  With Jonathan’s influence in his power years, a federal university and a teaching hospital materialised on his hometown’s soil, but the lack of potable water takes the shine off these.

    A report quoted Emmanuel Agede, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the area: “You will not believe it that here in Otuoke, we use water from an unused soak-away pit dug near our lodge, for washing clothes and bathing. For cooking and drinking, we buy sachet water; life is very difficult here; we spend the bulk of our monthly allowances on water for survival.”

    The reason for this scandalous situation, reportedly offered by the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) in Otuoke, Mr. Elijah Ateki, shifted the blame. It is unclear whether he did so innocently. “Otuoke community depends on rivers and now that all the rivers are polluted by oil, it is difficult for us to get potable water,” Ateki was quoted as saying.   His explanation was simply simplistic.

    It is relevant to take a look at Jonathan’s profile as the community’s most famous son. Jonathan was president for five years (2010–2015) and vice-president for three years (2007–2010). In Bayelsa State, he was deputy governor (1999-2005) and then governor (2005-2007). So, for 16 years Jonathan was in power at various levels, but failed to provide potable water for residents of his village. By extension, he also failed to do so at the state and federal levels, considering the revealing statistics that over half of the country’s 160 million population lack access to pipe-borne water.

    Jonathan’s failure to use the leadership positions he enjoyed to better the life of people in his immediate community and the country at large is probably a reflection of his poverty of ideas and anti-people thinking.

    This is the same character that spent public funds as if they were meant to be employed solely for self-aggrandisement and the pursuit of personal glory. It is generally agreed that the amount he sank into his doomed presidential re-election campaign ahead of the 2015 general elections contributed in no small measure to the ruin of the country’s treasury.

    Against the background of the water problem, it may be said that Jonathan didn’t give a damn whether the people were thirsty or whether they could quench their thirst with drinkable water.

    Jonathan himself was so thirsty for power that he focused on his own thirst to the detriment of the country. In the process, he rubbished the saying: Charity begins at home. To employ gardening metaphor, Jonathan failed to water the plant he was elected to tend. He was a lousy gardener.

  • Bishop Kukah’s firestorm

    Bishop Kukah’s firestorm

    No matter how much gloss anyone would like to put on the recent views of Bishop Matthew Kukah, especially his opinion on former president Goodluck Jonathan, it is undeniable that he has not shown enough discretion in many of the interviews he has granted the media. Some of the views were indeed incendiary, going both the mood of the country and the horrifying tales of graft perpetrated by officials of the last government. Given all he has had to say on the matter, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese seems to have sympathy for Dr Jonathan, and appears to prefer that the man be left alone. Unfortunately for the bishop, no one wants to leave the former president alone, a baying for blood that is exacerbated by the worsening state of the economy, the hunger in the land, and the continuing constriction of the political space due to stalled appointments and lack of opportunities.

    Press interviews, by nature, do not afford the interviewee the luxury of long pauses and reflections. Even the best of politicians and officials, lay and ecclesiastical, are prone to gaffes, hyperboles and incendiary statements. To survive and flourish, therefore, media workers, particularly the broadcast media, prefer direct, live interviews where the true man often manifests in all his volatile and ugly colours, without garnishments, and with all his faults, warts and demons. In such interviews, the real, prejudiced, intemperate and maudlin man is often coaxed out, to the entertainment of the public, the dismay of the interviewee’s supporters, and sometimes the grief and humiliation of his family.

    In the now widely quoted Channels Television interview, Bishop Kukah let off a firestorm that may affect his image for a while longer than he would hope. He was absolutely himself — no pretences, no dissembling, no fear. But was he wise in his answers? It is hard to judge, for, sometimes, it is not so much wisdom that makes a man, but courage. In the interview, the bishop was doubtless courageous and brilliant, and he managed to say what he wanted to say, even if it rubbed the public the wrong way. In parts, he struggled to give the impression he was a patriot with a sound and unquestionable view of crime and punishment; but in other parts, he also laboured to prove that patriotism must be without hysteria, especially mass hysteria, and be balanced with the long-term interest of the country.

    For speaking his mind courageously on Jonathan and corruption, Bishop Kukah will in the foreseeable future continue to draw the ire of the public. The Channels interview was not his first on Jonathan and the corruption investigations. But he apparently felt the need to explain himself, and, forsaking the admonition to let bad enough alone, as the wise always say, he managed to worsen the situation by revealing his innermost thoughts on the matter. He had initially responded to allegations that the National Peace Committee sought audience with President Buhari to plead for Dr Jonathan in regard to the ongoing frenzy over the anti-corruption war. The public felt uncomfortable with his answer. Now, Channels Television asked why he thought it was a distraction to emphasise the investigation of corruption cases. His answer this time was even more provocative.

    Predicating his intervention on his priestly duties, a responsibility he insinuates is apparently answerable to heaven rather than to public opinion, Bishop Kukah defended his right to intervene on anybody’s behalf. Then, out of the blue, the bishop exploded: “And please let us not lose sight of what has happened in this country. Jonathan said it and I am sure Nigerians have heard it, that when we met with the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, they also made it very clear that not all of them were in support of the singular decision that Jonathan took (conceding electoral defeat) and I think that as Nigerians, we must become sufficiently serious and realise that that singular act is what has kept us as a nation. With all the billions and trillions in the world coming from the outer space, we would need to have a nation first. So, I think that even for that singular act alone, Nigerians must be appreciative of what President Jonathan did.”

    It was this response that infuriated many Nigerians. Their belief that Bishop Kukah and the peace committee had unpopular and unhealthy opinion of the hated Dr Jonathan was reinforced. They suggested it was perhaps true that the committee had soft spot for Dr Jonathan, a feeling that might have been caused by a deal reached between Candidate Jonathan and Candidate Buhari before the polls, a deal that was probably cemented shortly before Dr Jonathan’s famous concession. Whatever the case, it is no longer speculation that Bishop Kukah and the peace committee think exceedingly highly of Dr Jonathan’s magnanimity in conceding defeat, and in addition think that that singular act is unexampled and expiatory.  Said the bishop: “Even if you are going to go into a probe, it is not a substitute for governance and we are interested in the fact that every sane Nigerian must be conscious of the fact that it might be another person today and might be you tomorrow. And I think that we should not become so preoccupied with Jonathan to the extent that we forget the spectacular benefit that we gained under his presidency. Politics has ended, and now is the time for governance.”

    Bishop Kukah’s controversial but honest opinion is undoubtedly unpopular. While it is difficult for him and the peace committee to disguise their respect and possibly love for Dr Jonathan, a sentiment that may be unhelpful in fostering economic and political development of the country, not to say public morality, their view on the skewed focus of the government on ‘probes’, or what some have described as ‘public lynching of Dr Jonathan’, is no doubt a timely and critical observation. This incidentally is also the view of Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos. In the opinion of the cardinal, bishop and peace committee, while corruption investigations should go on in the background, the shape and structure of governance must come to the fore. The former must not be a substitute for the latter, they argue, and the latter must receive priority. Even if Bishop Kukah and the peace committee wrongly felt obliged to rescue Dr Jonathan from public lynching, their observations on the diminution of governance seems beyond cavil.

    Without saying it directly, perhaps because they feared it might be misinterpreted, the peace committee also tried to suggest that the peaceful change from one government and party to another is a salutary development that must be nurtured as much as the desire to recover looted state funds. Bishop Kukah advances two main reasons for this conclusion. One is that the committee fears that if the dynamics of calling to account a successor government is not well managed, the incentive for peaceful handover of power may be eroded, with all the deleterious consequences.  Two is that if the process of calling a preceding government to account is not handled with all the dignity and solemnity it requires, it may set a bad inquisitorial precedence for future governments, with no one sure who’ll be next. In other words, for Bishop Kukah, it is not everything that is right that is expedient. And when the bishop further suggested that the ruling party needed to be faithful over little things in order to deserve bigger responsibilities, he appeared to hint that a gentleman’s agreement was in place, and that that deal was probably being violated.

    Two weeks ago, in this place, this column suggested it was urgent and crucial for President Buhari to unveil his economic blueprint in order to dispel the feeling of tentativeness and ad hocism enveloping the country and the economy. It suggested that the president’s American trip should have been delayed until that blueprint was published, scrutinised and fine-tuned, and a cabinet put in place. The column concluded by suggesting that the Buhari government seemed to have placed undue emphasis on winning office than on preparing for office. In some ways, both Bishop Kukah and Cardinal Okogie are also saying that the unending and almost titillating talk of probe is caviar to the general. It is important to call the last government to account, given the huge amount of stealing that went on under Dr Jonathan, but it is even more crucial for the Buhari presidency to manage the process with all the solemnity, gravity, order and brilliance it deserves.

    This column may not exactly agree with the peace committee and Bishop Kukah on why the previous government should be scrupulously investigated, or whether the investigations should be conducted in a way that does not reek of witch-hunting, but there is no dispute on why it is urgent for the Buhari government to enunciate its economic, political and social manifestos, and elevate governance above the frenzied blood sport that the probes are threatening to become. President Buhari must strive for balance in everything, learn to discriminate between various public opinions and the many publics, and have the good judgement to set the foundation for how the Nigerian presidency should be perceived and judged both locally and internationally.

  • Young PDP guber aspirant, Siasia, to dump party

    Young PDP guber aspirant, Siasia, to dump party

    Moses Siloko Siasia, 35-year old governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for a new political party.
    Siasia, the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) of Mosilo Group, is expected to lead over 700 youth leaders across the eight local government areas of the state to the new party.
    According to a source within Siasia’s campaign disclosed on Wednesday that the decision by the astute businessman to dump the PDP is based on the injustice to other aspirants by the newly selected executive committees of the party who are loyal to Governor Seriake Dickson.
    The source further told The Nation that besides the insincerity and unity of purpose observed by Siasia, the lack of internal democracy within the various organs of the party in the state contributed to the decision.
    The source also hinted that over 15 political parties within the state are willing to adopt Siasia as their sole candidate.
    “Moses Siasia is leaving the PDP because he is convinced that the party is not yet ready to change its ways of imposition and godfatherism.
    “He is convinced that the PDP has not learnt its lessons from the last general elections and will surely suffer the same fate at the forth-coming elections in the state. The governor is running the PDP in Bayelsa like a private estate and has sidelined former President Goodluck Jonathan, a prominent son of the state.
    “There is no reason to continue to stay in the party with him. It is advisable for everyone to leave the party for him so he can do as he wishes with it. Very soon, he will be the only one left in the party,” The Nation gathered.
    Furthermore, the source noted that Siasia will declare for his new party very soon adding that ‘he will not join APC’ because of the cultural mentality of the Ijaw people who see APC as the party responsible for the defeat of their kinsman at the presidential poll.
    The also added that Siasia, being very loyal to the Ijaw race, will never do anything to offend them or hurt their emotions. “He is a patriotic Ijaw son”.
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  • When Baba met Barack

    When Baba met Barack

    Fresh from his electoral triumph in 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan travelled to Washington D. C. where he would briefly meet President Barack Obama before heading for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS.

    At the event he shared a platform with former United States President Bill Clinton. After wishing him well, Clinton said to Jonathan who was turned out in his trademark caftan and black bowler hat: “I can tell you the Secretary of State (his wife Hillary) tells me your hats are always cool.” The diplomats and VIPs at the meeting cheered and laughed heartily.

    “And I envy your name,” Clinton added to more laughter. “If I’d had a name like Goodluck, I might still be in office!” Four years later not even his uniquely optimistic name could help him cling to power – leaving Obama to welcome a new Nigerian president in whom the world invests the tall hope to deliver what Jonathan couldn’t.

    No one would ever accuse Buhari of being a fashion plate, so it wasn’t his dress sense that his host went on about. He praised his character instead. In a continent where leaders have become notorious for graft, frivolity, fickleness and excess, it certainly was a plus that a Nigerian president was being celebrated as an example for Africa.

    Towards the tail end of Jonathan’s tenure, much of the goodwill which he initially had with the US had largely evaporated. While the Americans were critical of his administration’s abysmal record on corruption, the greatest source of strain had to do with tackling the insurgency.

    The much-hyped US offer to help Nigeria track down and rescue the Chibok girls collapsed in a cloud of controversy over how the armed forces handled the intelligence they received. Some say the body language of the local security leadership suggested they weren’t too keen on having American cowboys riding roughshod over them and taking all the glory.

    Little surprise therefore that before the foreign helpers could parachute into our territory, the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh declared authoritatively that his forces knew where the schoolgirls were being held. Who knows, the handover notes received by the new service chief might just contain this top secret.

    As the elections drew close, relations between Nigeria and the Americans grew decidedly chilly in the light of their pointed allegations of human rights abuses against our troops and refusal to sell us arms on those grounds. With his ratings tanking, a desperate Jonathan was forced to resort to unorthodox measures. The $15 million cash seizure debacle in Johannesburg was the outcome and the rest is history.

    The speed with which the Americans invited President Muhammadu Buhari over, and the special welcome laid out for him, underscores how keen they are to mend fences with a traditional ally on the African continent.

    In the course of his almost six-year stay in Aso Rock, Jonathan met with Obama three times but I don’t recall anything arresting that was said between both men beyond the anodyne diplomatese.  Contrast that with the US president’s effusive praise for Buhari’s integrity and vision.

    So at the level of symbolism, there was a sense that the visit went quite well for the president and his country. For the first time in a very long time, the narrative emanating from these parts was positive: a seamless transition from an incumbent government to the opposition and an anti-graft leader in a nation that has become notorious for corruption. Apparently something good can still come out of Nigeria.

    But not everyone is swayed by the positive spin that has been put on the visit. Those who would have us believe Nigerians made a historic mistake by voting Buhari in March have been nitpicking. They point at everything from the gender insensitivity that saw the president travelling without a single woman in his team and having his son along for the ride.

    But of greater significance is the claim that the four-day trip was a waste of money because it didn’t produce a promise to sell things like the potent Apache or Cobra helicopters for use against the insurgents in the North-East. That sense of dissatisfaction was enhanced by Buhari’s statement bemoaning the continued refusal of the Americans to sell us arms hiding behind the Leahy Law, which bars such transactions with nations whose forces are accused of grave human rights abuses.

    The best way to determine whether the visit was a success is to go back to what Buhari outlined as his objectives before setting out. He was going to discuss military and defence cooperation as well as measures to strengthen and intensify bilateral cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria and West Africa. The administration’s war against corruption, as well as fresh measures to boost Nigeria-US trade relations were also up for discussion.

    In all that was laid out before the trip, there was very little that was specific and nothing suggested that the delegation was going to force their hosts to sign on to sell us arms. Obviously, emerging from the visit with such a deal would have been a massive coup.

    That said, it would be churlish not to acknowledge that the swift thawing of relations between the traditional allies was important. In the course of the visit, the World Health Organization (WHO), representatives of the World Bank, committed to spend $300 million to fight malaria in Nigeria.

    In terms of numbers, that sum was dwarfed by the World Bank’s pledge to invest $ 2.1 billion for rebuilding the infrastructure devastated by the insurgency in the North-East.

    Buhari has repeatedly stated his determination to recover monies plundered from the nation’s coffers by government officials and others. His plans received a boost as the Americans offered to track illicit money from Nigeria in all their jurisdictions.

    Given what we now know about outrageous sums that found their way into private pockets in recent years, a nation that cannot pay its workers’ salaries should not sneer at any deal to recover monies running into billions of dollars. I suspect that such arrangements didn’t deliver much in the past because friends of Nigeria couldn’t find reliable and zealous partners in our political leadership to get the job done. In Buhari they sense they have a man they can do business with.

    In the face of an insurgency that has received second wind with a wave of suicide bombings, a showpiece arms sales agreement would have been the icing on the cake. It is disappointing that it didn’t happen. It would have been expecting too much to think the Americans – no matter their desire for a fresh start with Nigeria – would rush into such a commitment with a seven-week old administration which still has a lot to prove.

    For now it is convenient for them to hide behind the Leahy Law. Rather than waste energy griping and pointing out the hypocrisy of the Americans who have never allowed a little thing like human rights stand in the way when they want to sell arms to some of their ‘special allies,’ Nigeria should consider what her options are.

    If we’re so enamoured of the Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, then we can begin to work to get off the list of countries categorised as human rights abusers. Buhari has committed himself to probing allegations made against the military by Amnesty International and has also pledged that under his watch, such practices would not be permitted. I’m sure that the US would be looking to see what concrete action he takes in this regard. Author of the act, Senator Patrick Leahy has suggested as much in his biting reaction to Buhari’s criticism.

    The alternative is to take our cash into the market place. The US and UK are not the only countries that sell arms. France, Russia and China to name a few are big players in the global arms industry. All three are keen to extend their scope of influence in Africa and around the world.

    All said and done, even if all Buhari achieved in Washington was the restoration of an old friendship, he should be applauded. Given her challenges, Nigeria needs all help it can get from friends around the world. That is far better than the hulking, sulking embarrassment it was fast becoming in the recent past.

  • In order

    In order

    The Buhari administration deserves commendation, not condemnation, for calling on former public officers to account for their stewardship

    The on-going probe of activities of some officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration has continued to attract the attention of Nigerians. The search of the residence of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has particularly generated some controversy. Some have come up with conspiracy theories on the reasons behind what they consider the former NSA’s ordeal. It has been suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the search acting on vendetta informed by a 30-year-old grudge against Col. Dasuki who was said to have effected the arrest of General Buhari when his military administration was sacked in August 1985. Others claim it is the beginning of a massive witch-hunt of those who served under the Jonathan administration. Curiously, no evidence has been produced to support the theories.

    The fact, as known today, is that officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) went to the home of the former NSA to effect a warrant for search obtained from a court of law. No one has said the DSS officials broke into the house as was the case under the military. They are said to have introduced themselves and shown the warrant. In response to the suggestion that the siege on the house lasted longer than necessary, thus constituting harassment, the DSS has explained that they were delayed because the search was resisted by military men on guard duty at the house.

    We find the explanations of the DSS credible and laudable. President Buhari received the mandate of Nigerians to cleanse the Augean stables left by his predecessor. He has vowed to recover looted funds and bring those found culpable of subverting national security and economy to book. So far, we do not see how he has stepped out of line.

    We call on Col. Dasuki and others who served under the former government who might be invited for interview by the security agencies to cooperate as no one is above the law. It is instructive that all who are being called to serve the state would at some point have to render account of their stewardship. Those who have served conscientiously have nothing to fear as the public is watching keenly for any suggestion that such an exercise is about witch-hunt.

    We support the conduct of the DSS in their efforts. The service promptly issued a release explaining why the search was necessary and how it was handled. No one has come forth with a contrary statement. The allegation of treasonable felony is too serious to be ignored by any responsible government. The result of the search, too, cannot be overlooked. They speak volumes about the rot that was the order of the day under the Jonathan administration. How did a retired colonel acquire 12 cars, five of which were bullet-proof? Were they official or private? If official, were they disclosed in the NSA’s handover note? Then, what was he doing with so many assault rifles? If allowed by the rules of engagement, he should be cleared. But if not, he deserves to be duly tried and punished.

    We wish to state, however, that the seizure of Col. Dasuki’s passport is unconstitutional as it was not based on a court order. Every accused is innocent until proven guilty and as such basic rights should not be violated. The international passport is the right of every Nigerian that cannot be whimsically withdrawn.

    The case of the former Chief Security Officer to Dr. Jonathan, Mr. Gordon Obua ,is not much different. He is an official of the DSS and as he has come out to explain, his employers have the right, and indeed, duty, to recall him for questioning as might be deemed fit at any point in time. We therefore call on all security agencies that might have cause to interrogate him and others to be civil in their approach and respect his fundamental rights. People under such circumstances deserve access to their lawyers as and when they might deem it fit and should not be restrained from receiving visitors at any point in time unless the courts sanction such strict isolation.

    All said, it is about time all Nigerians realised that officials are servants of the people and have no right to use their offices to do anything that cannot stand up to scrutiny. We call for a speedy investigation of all the allegations and openness in the process.

  • Tension in Niger Delta as Tompolo resuscitates MEND

    Tension in Niger Delta as Tompolo resuscitates MEND

    There was concern in military circles in the Niger Delta region on Thursday following the planned meeting of leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

    The meeting, slated for Izon House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, is being convened by MEND leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo.

    A terse invitation, a copy of which was made available to our reporter, reads: “My dearly beloved Commanders and Leaders of various wings of the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), I greet you all.

    “It is my pleasure to humbly invite you to a very crucial and urgent meeting as follows:

    Venue: Izon House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    “Date (of the meeting is) Saturday, July 25th, 2015. Time (is) 2pm Prompt,” concluded the letter, which was signed with Tompolo signing off with his traditional title – Izon Ibe-Ebidouwei of Izon nation.

    Contacted, Tompolo said the meeting was to deliberate on recent developments in Nigeria as well as the fate of the Niger Delta region in the current political dispensation.

    Speaking through his media aide, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, who did not divulge further detail about the meeting, said the MEND leaders would chart a path for the progress of the region.

    However, The Nation gathered that the planned meeting is a source of concern for top military commanders in the region.

    Tompolo, a known supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was the founder of the deadly group that crippled oil production in the region from 2005.

    The Nation gathered that he was placed under security watch following the defeat of Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election.

    The former militant leader had maintained a low profile since after the election and subsequent inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.

     

    Also on Tompolo:

    Jonathan okays oil jobs for Tompolo, others

    FG terminates Jonathan’s N21billion contract to Tompolo

    Tompolo, Asari only reacted to North’s threat, says Oritsejafor

    Tompolo: I insist Nigeria’ll break if Jonathan loses