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Tag: Jonathan

  • Malabu: APC asks Jonathan to come clean on another monumental scandal

    Malabu: APC asks Jonathan to come clean on another monumental scandal

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to speak out and take action on the monumental Malabu oil scandal rocking his administration and putting Nigeria under the global searchlight as a corrupt nation.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said President Jonathan must end his silence on the matter since half of the $1.1 billion paid to Malabu Oil and Gas for oil field OPL 245 by two oil majors was allegedly used to bribe Nigerian officials, who in turn used the proceeds to buy jets and armoured limousines.

    It said since the deal to pay Malabu the huge money was brokered and defended by the Jonathan administration, it stands to reason that officials of the same administration will know one or two things, and perhaps are part and parcel of the whole scandal.

    “The only way to know for sure is if there is an independent investigation of the allegation, which has been published by the international media after Italian prosecutors intensified their probe into the deal. This is where President Jonathan comes in. He must allow an unfettered probe of this scandal that has again put Nigeria in bad light. Whatever happens, however, the names of those who received the bribes will soon be known, thanks to the determination of the UK and Italy to show that no one, who violates their laws, will go scot-free.

    “Just like the Halliburton and Siemens bribery scandals that were also exposed from abroad, this Malabu scandal has again damaged Nigeria’s standing in the comity of nations. While US, France, Italy and Germany have jailed officials and imposed fines on the foreign firms, which bribed Nigerian officials in the Halliburton and Siemens scandals, none of those who received the bribes here in Nigeria has been touched. The Malabu scandal must not go the same way,” APC said.

    The party said Nigeria has never had it as bad, in terms of runaway corruption that has cost the nation billions of dollars in money that would have gone into national development, as it is having under the Jonathan administration.

    “There is no better way to say this. The Jonathan administration is swimming in corruption and the President has allowed it to fester because his government is feeding fat on the proceeds of graft. He has even tried to use semantics to cover up the extent of sleaze, saying stealing is not corruption,” it said.

    APC said besides the Malabu, Halliburton and Siemens scandals, the Jonathan administration has done nothing to tell Nigerians what happened to the $20billion in diverted oil money; the multi-billion naira fuel subsidy fraud for which no person has been brought to justice; opaque crude swaps at the expense of encouraging domestic refinery; payment of billions of naira in kerosene subsidy without appropriation and the gargantuan police pension fraud.

    “Under your watch, Mr. President, there is massive looting of the commonwealth by the same people being paid by taxpayers to ensure a judicious utilisation of the scarce national resources. There is a growing culture of impunity because no one is punished for the looting. Now you have another chance to turn things around for the better.

    “The Malabu scandal provides such a chance. Those who collected millions of dollars in bribes in the illegal transaction must be identified and brought to justice. We must not allow foreign countries to be the ones exposing corrupt Nigerian officials. Our government must act like a responsible government by demonstrating it will not allow violation of its laws or encourage corruption,” the party said.

  • Jonathan to open NAFEST Oct 21

    Jonathan to open NAFEST Oct 21

    President Goodluck Jonathan will open the 28th edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) on October 21 at the Township Stadium in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, at noon.

    The festival will hold from October 19 to 26.

    This year’s festival, with the theme: Celebrating Nigeria @100: The Role of Culture as a Vehicle for National Unity, is the first time Ebonyi State would host the national festival since its inception.

    The week-long fiesta has participants from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Participants also include non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools and international agencies.

    A statement by the organisers, the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), said Ebonyi State had made arrangements to feature cultural events, such as traditional dance drama, arts and crafts competition, children’s essay writing competition, children’s painting competition, traditional children’s storytelling competition, traditional wrestling, traditional cuisine competition, traditional furnished apartment, among others.

    NCAC said the festival, which will close on October 26, would promote cultural interaction, peace and national integration.

  • ‘Jonathan does not need Wike, Amaechi to win’

    ‘Jonathan does not need Wike, Amaechi to win’

    Fafaa Dan-Princewill is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Rivers State. In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he speaks on the politics of zoning, the chances of the party at the polls and other national issues.

    Why do you want to become the governor of Rivers State?

    I’ve been aspiring to govern the state for some time now. Way back, during the Babangida Administration, I contested under the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC). My reasons for contesting are still the same; not much has changed. I want good governance; we need stability in the state and the kind of leadership that will contribute its quota to national development. We have gone through the amnesty programme; there is now an urgent need for stable and mature government. I believe I have the quality, but I am still going through some consultations. I have not formally announced that I am running, but I am sure it is an open secret.

    Could you shed light on the controversy triggered by zoning?

    There is really nothing controversial about the sharing of power arrangement in Rivers State. Anyone who is familiar with the Rivers State terrain understands the dichotomy between the riverine and upland areas. We met it, we did not create it. In every political arrangement, where you want even development and want to share the privileges and advantages of political power, there must be a balance. The Rivers people arrived at what I will call a simple formula. The state is classified into two parts; the riverine and the upland areas. The arguments are becoming clearer at every election. There will always be some people who will be in the mainstream and others who will be aggrieved. But, by and large, our people have displayed some level of maturity and understanding when it comes to the dynamics of power sharing. I will give an example. In 1999, the only reason why I did not contest for the governorship was because I am from the riverine area. It was not zoned to us. The riverine people had wanted to take a shot at the contest, but since it was not zoned to their area, they could not. Though the reality conflicted with their interest, they had to accept the situation in good faith. They decided that they will take the chairmanship of the party and allowed an upland person to become governor. That was what happened. In line with this arrangement, Chief Marshal Harry became the chairman of the party and Chief Peter Odili became the governor. They were both from the same Senatorial District. So, clearly in Rivers State, zoning is not by Senatorial District; it is rotated between the upland and riverine areas. That is why you could have the chairman of the party and the governor from the same area. It has always been so and I think that is fair. No one from the riverine area contested the primaries. Ben Giderim, an Ogoni, is from the upland area. Chief Sargeant Awuse, an Ekwerre, is also from the upland. The same goes for Odili who became the governor. No riverine person contested against them.

    If the PDP ticket is given to someone from the upland area, what will be the implication for the election?

    Well, I would not predict what the electorates will do. I’ve listened to a lot of arguments, which I think translates to blackmail. I will advise all aspirants, whether upland or riverine, not to blackmail the President or the leadership of our party. If aspirants from the riverine insist on taking a shot to govern the state, I think all the Rivers people will support the idea as a just and fair thing to do. If we go against zoning, it is possible that there will be a backlash. But, as a leader of the PDP, I will not want a backlash. I want the President to win, the party wants the President to win, and even those who are blackmailing the party want the President to win.

    Nyesom Wike is one of the most formidable aspirants. Can you beat him at the primaries?

    This is not a boxing contest, where you boast that you will defeat your opponent within specific rounds. But, you are correct, Hon. Wike, Minister of State, Education, is a formidable politician. He is a PDP stalwart in the state. No one can say that he is not strong in the state. I read with amusement when he said he even mentioned them by their name – that he will defeat some people in their wards. I thought it was funny. I noticed that he avoided mentioning some names. I think it is fair that as much as he seems so formidable, he has only contested election in one local government out of the 23 local governments. I have contested state wide. There are other people in the party that are contesting now who have also contested state wide. As somebody who has been in politics in Rivers State for decades, long before he joined politics, I think it would be unfair for us to be saying who will command more support or than the other. We will all join hands and work together. I think that is the way to go.

    Since Governor Rotimi Amaechi left the PDP, it has been polarised. What are the chances of the party at the election?

    Again, I think it is very unfortunate that Governor Amaechi left the party and it was a serious mistake. Rivers State is a PDP state. The reasons for which he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not shared by the populace in Rivers State. Again, I was very unhappy when I read that Hon. Wike said he was fasting that Amaechi should make the mistake of defecting. And his fasting succeeded. But, funny enough, immediately after Amaechi defected, Wike took the initiative of re-building the party. I think it is unfortunate that Amaechi defected. Nevertheless, that will not affect the fortunes of the PDP in Rivers State. Firstly, the biggest political asset is President Jonathan. It is not Wike, Amaechi or every other person. Any experienced politician knows that Rivers State is the political base of President Jonathan. He grew up there, taught there and lived there. The people know that he is a Rivers man. He also married to a Rivers State indigene; a formidable lady herself and politically very strong. Whatever you might say about the First lady, she has a powerful political presence in the state. So, don’t think it is Amaechi, Wike or any one of us that will make the President win or fail in the state. He is a good asset in the state and that is his base. When he was sworn in as President, and he went home, it was Port Harcourt that he went. He did not even go to Bayelsa State. Anyone who is basing the Rivers State electoral calculus on Amaechi, Wike or others is making a fundamental mistake. The President will do extremely well in Rivers State.

    How can we avert violence in Rivers during elections?

    That is a reason for concern. I think we can all join hands in appealing to all the contestants, all the aspirants to avoid any act, either by commission or omission that will lead to violence. I think that is already being done. Most Rivers people have agreed that we should put violence behind us. The President has said it over and over that a single life should not be lost because of his ambition. I think that message is clear in Rivers State. I hope that there will be no violence. Even Governor Amaechi, a Rivers man and our brother, is equally concerned.

    The governor claims that the President has not done anything for Rivers in the last seven years…

    I am not in the shoes of the governor. I don’t know exactly what the issues are. He said that the President has done nothing, but frankly I don’t think that is a fair assessment. Amaechi’s position is not shared by the electorate. The mere fact that we have a President who is a Rivers man is rewarding. He is a Port Harcourt boy; this on its own adds value to the state. There are many direct and intangible benefits that come from this. There are many projects; there are many developmental projects. Rivers State is the home to the oil sector. Any development of Nigeria without Rivers State will make no sense. Fairly, I think that is an exaggeration. Governor Amaechi obviously is angry and not in good terms with the President. He would say whatever he wants to say.

    What is your advice for the political class?

    What Nigeria needs is for everyone, including the politicians, to join hands to make our country greater. Our country is at war, whether we like it or not. We are a nation at war right now. The crisis that Boko Haram has plunged the country into is something that calls for concern. My advice for every politician, especially in Rivers State, is to look beyond the election. We must understand that this country is for all of us. If things turn out well, it will be for the benefit of all of us. People holding position of authorities should act in a responsible manner

  • What Jonathan Forbes told Diezani…

    It is an outright dubious award. It is so dubious it stank even to Jonathan Forbes as he served the odious dish. You should have seen the grimace on his face and his body language as he presented the worthless token to our Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. He knew he was suckering her but why not, let the Niggers pay. Even the dainty lady and her coterie of aides and favour-chasers knew they were being had big time but all is fair that transpires in the Big Apple.

    It would have been nice to publish the citation that earned our oil minister the Forbes Best of Africa Award in Leadership. However, her apologists have been assaulting Nigerians with what they consider her legacy achievements. They tell us she was the first female Nigerian director in Shell Petroleum but they failed to say it was a sideshow in Shell’s Staff Cooperative or that anybody whose parents were Shellite could easily join the firm and rise to any level. Neither did they mention the minority quota.

    They said she was the first female transportation minister and oil minister and Hardball asks: to what end? Just any folk could be so opportune. They said she introduced local content and I say the legislation was ready before she got to office. Besides, Hardball thinks that stuff is tokenistic nonsense. They need to find out what the Brazilians, Venezuelans and even Algerians are doing on their oilfields.

    They say she ushered the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and I say what does that mean? Whatever it may be, she cannot push it through parliament in three years notwithstanding the huge war chest at her disposal. They said she has built oil and gas pipelines and I say why did she bother, she could simply have sold the crude in jerry cans.

    The cheek of it all: they said she has ensured there has been no petroleum scarcity and I broke down and wept for our much raped motherland. At what cost is this if nearly all the fuels consumed in this huge country are imported and largely from countries that have no crude oil deposit. By the admission of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Nigeria’s four refineries have been operating at 10 per cent capacity for sometime now.

    In 2012, after the fuel subsidy protests, Diezani told Nigerians that four Greenfield refineries would be built in two years. No earth has been turned anywhere for this purpose. The cost of importing just petrol into Nigeria in one year will build all the refineries we ever needed.

    If Diezani is truly a great African leader as Forbes wants us to believe, and if she was a Shell hot shot as her people have written, how come she cannot figure out that it is utterly stupid for Nigeria to be importing  all its fuels in the last quarter century? Does she not know that Nigeria is the only major oil-producing nation still importing its fuels? Does she not know that there are about 6,000 opportunities Nigeria is failing to tap in every barrel of crude oil it exports?

    If she was such a great leader, how come she could not see the strategic madness of exporting 6,000 products and buying back each of them at a premium? A thousand and one questions Hardball has for Diezani but what is the point, she will answer to history.

    But what did Jonathan Forbes say to Diezani as he handed her the odious trophy. Hardball was embedded and he can exclusively report that Jonathan said to Diezani: ah, mugu don fall!

  • The $5.7m arms deal

    The $5.7m arms deal

    Coming on the heels of the $9.3m similar scandal, calls for caution in taking reprisal actions against S/Africa

    The Jonathan presidency appears very prone to scandals. The frequency has now become so casual that historians in years to come, referencing Nigeria of this era, may refer to it as one of ‘one week, one trouble’. Last week, just as Nigerians were trying to make sense of the senseless hauling of humongous $9.3 million cash, illegally into South Africa, for so-called arms deal, in a private citizen’s aircraft, another scandal broke that South Africa has again seized another $5.7 million, also paid under questionable circumstances to a South African firm, for arms. While the Nigerian government is fretting and threatening retaliatory measures, the South African government is subjecting the monies to investigation.

    Just like in the first instance, there have been babbles of official reaction. But, why has Nigeria, which was once respected as the undisputed leader of Africa, become an object of international ridicule, even in Africa? While South Africa is invoking its laws, which allegedly have been broken by the alleged arms transaction, Nigeria on its part is threatening to deal with South Africa’s economic interests in Nigeria, for what it considers orchestrated diplomatic embarrassment by South Africa. Without equivocation, these developments go to confirm that Nigeria’s diplomatic standing in the comity of nations has fallen very low, for the status of a nation determines how she is treated by others under international relations. To stem the tide, those who are in charge of our country must rise up to reclaiming our international glory.

    Even while awaiting findings from South Africa, the two alleged arms transactions unfortunately show that our government officials have been very tardy over the so-called arms purchase transactions. While the ugly side of Nigeria was clearly exposed by the handlers of the $9.3 million, who illegally moved into South Africa such amount of money without any diplomatic cover, the second transaction shows tardiness, if as claimed by officials of the Federal Government that the company which was paid to supply the arms, shortly after lost the capacity to deliver. From the reports in the press it appears Nigerian officials who packaged the alleged arms transaction did not do a due diligence over the South African firm before entering into such an important contract, as they claimed.

    Before blaming South Africa for adding to our woes, our officials should note that the proximity of the two incidents also raises a legitimate alarm on the part of the South Africans, which entitles them to call for thorough investigation. While how and when their country turned to a haven for shady arms deals should be a source of worry to them, the fact that the Nigerian government in two quick successions has become a subject of investigation over arms transaction should worry our government, with regards to efficiency. What Nigeria is entitled to is to demand the application of the rule of law in the two cases and where applicable, international standards in the investigations. We think it would be unfair for Nigeria to demand that South Africa should ignore their local laws, or exercise them in a manner that is untoward, merely to cover Nigeria’s own shortcomings. The fact that we do many things with impunity in our country does not mean we should be angry with another country that believes in the sanctity of its own laws.

    We also disagree with the threat made by the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, that Nigeria would resort to strong arm tactics against South Africans’ economic interests in Nigeria, in retaliation for the monies seized by South Africa. While such tactics fall into what is referred to as real- politik in international relations, such a threat can only be legitimate where it is established that South Africa is extending similar unfavourable diplomatic standards to Nigerian companies doing business in that country. But, if as in the current imbroglio, Nigeria through her own inefficiencies or through unlawful conducts exposes herself to losses; it should bow its head in regret and work against a repeat of such tardiness the next time. That is the honourable thing to do, not bare-knuckle diplomacy, which may further ridicule the country in the comity of nations.

    As we have always argued, the Jonathan presidency must show by its conduct that it deserves the high office it occupies. While it should work hard to overcome the security challenges facing our country, we doubt whether in pursuit of that, it should resort to all manner of tactics. Indeed, if our reputation is secure as it should be, we fail to understand how any decent country would deny Nigeria access to arms, if we sought to buy. After all Nigeria has been always at the behest of the United Nations in quelling crisis across the world. So, why would South Africa, which Nigeria spent huge material and diplomatic resources to rescue from apartheid, refuse us arms, if we make a legitimate demand?

  • 2015: ‘Why North won’t vote Jonathan’

    2015: ‘Why North won’t vote Jonathan’

    As the 2015 general election gathers momentum, President Goodluck Jonathan and his strategists are working round the clock to woo the North to support the President’s re-election bid, particularly the North-West geo-political zone.

    But while northern governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), chieftains of the party and some other stakeholders from the zone have endorsed President Jonathan as the party’s candidate for the 2015 presidential election, credible northern sources have described the endorsement as an exercise that cannot translate to victory for the President.

    The sources observed that while the North and the South-South had worked as political allies for decades, the age long romance ended with the nonsense Jonathan’s election in 2011 and his current re-election bid have made of the zoning principle after the death of former President Umar Musa Yar’adua.

    A prominent northern leader who pleaded anonymity said in respect of the broken alliance: “Ordinarily, it would be in order if the North supports a South-South person to become the president of Nigeria. Where things went wrong was the death of Umaru Musa Yar’adua and what came up later.

    “Jonathan emerged not because the constitution gave him the mandate to emerge. Even if the constitution gave him the mandate, there was a new kind of atmosphere of political propaganda, mischief and mudslinging against the North and Northerners, whereby things were made to look as if the North had been edged out of power and now the South-South is in charge and anybody can go to hell.

    “That created a situation whereby the decades of good relationship between the South-South and the North was brought to an end.”

    The source added: “There are lots of things Jonathan has done for the North. He has appointed Northerners into positions more than any other president in this country. But most of the appointees who were expected to use their positions to help Jonathan and his government, have not been able to do so.

    “Most of the people he has appointed are simply serving themselves. They do not come here in the North to campaign for Jonathan.

    “Remember that many governors and other politicians from the North went to Abuja to endorse Jonathan and they were there clapping for him. But even in Kaduna, one of the states where the governor and other political office holders have endorsed Jonathan, you would not find Jonathan’s poster on any house.

    “So, if in Kaduna State where the Vice President comes from and the PDP has been ruling since 1999, nobody can take the risk of pasting Jonathan’s poster on his house, then you can see the hypocrisy in the kind of people we want to adopt.

    “If the governors adopted you, what of the people in the state? Have they also adopted you? Yet you can hardly find a state in the north where Jonathan has not appointed somebody to a prominent position. The Immigration, Customs and Prisons services are all being led by Northerners. Although the heads of the Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Appeal are there on merit, they are actually from the north.

    “Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are led by northerners and you can also see northerners occupying prominent position in Jonathan’s cabinet. So, his thinking that the people he appointed will be able to mobilise people to support him has not actually worked.”

    The source added that Jonathan has made a number of enemies in the North who are opposed to him for various reasons.

    He said: “Some are opposed to him because he violated the principle of rotational presidency by his insistence on contesting the presidential election. There are also those who are opposed to him because they have not gained anything from his government.

    “There are those who are opposed to him because they see his government as clearly incompetent and corrupt, condoning corrupt people and incompetent in terms of handling issues of security, economy and even the whole idea of governance. And there are others who are opposed to him because he came from the southern part of Nigeria and those who are opposed to him without any reason.”

    Human rights activist Mallam Shehu Sanni, noted that the President has spent all his time appeasing the northern oligarchy and the northern political establishment who simply want power for themselves. The President, he added, had failed to identify himself with the progressives in the North.

    Sanni said: “Instead of talking to people like Balarabe Musa, Col. Dangiwa Umar and other progressive elements in the north, he prefers to reach out to Emirs. The Northern bourgeoisie and political establishment have already made up their minds and there is nothing he can do about it.

    “Again, Jonathan shot himself in the foot when he allowed the South West to align itself with the North. The South West supported him to become the President in 2011, but his people engineered him to turn against them.

    “His government was run without any prominent position held by the Yoruba, and he ended up fighting even with popular governors and popular political leaders who have roots in the South West political history and establishment. He ended up allowing his own forces to unite against him.”

    He reasoned that the 2015 election would be a battle between Jonathan’s South South region and the other parts of Nigeria, particularly the North and the South West, adding eight out of every 10 people in the North are against Jonathan.

    He added: “The worst of all it is that formerly, he had the strong support of northern minority Christians, but since 2011, they have not seen any significant change in their lives. Jonathan may not be directly responsible for this but the people who were brought in from that zone to represent his government.

    “So, what Jonathan has done is eliminating his friends and making it possible for them to join his enemy to form a force against him. And this is what he is going to confront in 2015.”

    In his own comments, former Chairman of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties and ex-governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, wondered what Jonathan had done to convince Nigerians to vote for him.

    He said that while it is true that he inherited the problem of insurgency, it is also true that he elected to address the problem and record more achievements than his predecessors. “But he has not been able to correct anything, yet there is a criminal campaign for people to vote for him,” he said.

    Citing the example of the illegal movement of the sums of $9.3 million and another $5.7 million seized from the country by the South African government, Balarabe wondered which other country a thing like that could happen and the President would not have been subjected to a commission of inquiry.

    He said: “In fact, the action alone would have forced him to resign. In most civilised countries, the act of illegal transfer of money for the illegal purchase of arms would have resulted in the resignation of the President or his impeachment. But in Nigeria, nobody is even thinking about it.

    “Jonathan is the President, so he is god on earth. His actions cannot be questioned or punished. Is this a desirable President for any country? Let us be honest with ourselves.”

  • 2015: Akpabio predicts ‘hitch free’ re-election for Jonathan

    2015: Akpabio predicts ‘hitch free’ re-election for Jonathan

    The Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday predicted a hitch-free re-election for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

    The governor gave this verdict following what he described as overwhelming endorsement of Jonathan by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Akpabio, who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, spoke with State House correspondents after holding a closed-door meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: It is not only that it makes 2015 easier for the PDP. It also makes the political calculation in Nigeria totally free and devoid of violence and unnecessary acrimony and it brings harmony within the politics of the entire nation. Note that it deepens democracy.

    “I was asked this question by a member of Congressional Black Caucus in United States two weeks ago, he said why the endorsement and we explained. I said here is a President despite all the distractions, he has remained focused in trying to transform the Nigerian economy and today even under the present circumstances, Nigeria is running the biggest economy in Africa. I didn’t say so, it is the World Bank and the international agencies that said that. What we need to do now is to translate that into job creation for our children and to bring more industries to Nigeria and to attract more investments.

    “But of course we cannot rest on our oars, we must work harder to improve the power sector and the impetus in the agricultural sector. So that endorsement for me deepens democracy in every sense of the word and also signals to the world that Nigeria has arrive in terms of democratization. Don’t forget that the PDP is modeled after the democratic party of America that has almost similar practice. When they see a performing President in America they don’t allow him to go for unnecessary primaries and that was what happened with Barack Obama.

    “Obama didn’t go through any primaries in the democratic party. And so the governors of Nigeria took a look at the best practices of democracies worldwide and that endorsement came and was rectified by the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee of our great party. It is the first time such is happening since 1960 and we congratulate all Nigerians and all stakeholders that took part in that endorsement. And I can assure you that it will allow the President to focus on the main elections and the business of governing the country.”

    He, however, maintained that such endorsement was not feasible in Akwa Ibom because of the large number of gubernatorial hopefuls, which made stakeholders to leave the field open for a free and fair primary election to select a PDP governorship candidate in the state.

  • $9.3m cash: Jonathan, Oritsejafor sued

    $9.3m cash: Jonathan, Oritsejafor sued

    Five  Nigerians  yesterday  approached  the Federal High court No 1 sitting in Kano  to compel President Goodluck Jonathan, and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor,  to unravel the mystery  surrounding the $9.3 million (N1.5 bn)confiscated by the South African government.

    The plaintiffs, led by Dr Saidu Ahmed Dukawa  who instituted  the matter, are seeking to compel President Jonathan  to explain the rationale behind the alleged transaction that culminated into the seizure  of  the money by the South African authorities.

    Their prayers includes the handing out of the details that would clarify the tag of illegal deal embellished on the transaction by the South Africans, while further urging the court to compel the president to disclose the identity of those arrested in the possession of the huge sum that was confiscated.

  • Family of slain graduate petitions Jonathan

    The family of the late Chukwuma Ihezie, who allegedly died in police custody, has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan seeking his order for an autopsy to be conducted on the deceased to enable them to take his corpse for burial.

    “Chukwuma died in mysterious circumstances in detention six days after he was arrested by the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Enugu State Police Command.

    “The police had branded the graduate of Engineering a robbery suspect, an allegation his family had refuted.

    “It was, however, gathered that few months after the police authorities completed their investigations, it was discovered that the deceased was indeed not a robber.

    “The spokesman of the family, Mr. Chinedu Ihezie disclosed that the police, after thorough investigation, discovered that their son was not a criminal.”

    “He added that consequently, the car, laptop and other personal effects of the deceased have been released to the family.”

    “Ihezie, however, said although the police have asked them to go ahead and bury the corpse of their son, it would be difficult to do so as the Enugu State Police Command had allegedly turned down a request for autopsy.”

    A letter addressed to President Jonathan, which was copied to the Senate President David Mark, Hon. Matthew Omegara, Representing Okigwe North Federal Constituency, House of Representatives, The Chairman, Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police Enugu State Command, the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Abuja, reads in part: “With sorrowful and painful heart, we the entire family of the late Mr. Sabastine Ihezie, hereby cry unto you for your urgent intervention as our last hope on the callous and extra-judicial killing of our son/brother, Chukwuma Ihezie, by some self-acclaimed, untouchable gods of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force, Enugu State Command.”

    The letter signed by Chinedu Ihezie on behalf of the family of the deceased, is praying President Jonathan to prevail on the police authorities to, among other things, “arrest, dismiss and prosecute the officers involved in the matter.,

    “Conduct a genuine post-mortem examination on Chukwuma’s corpse and release his corpse to us for burial.”

    In the letter, the family of the deceased also said: “Chukwuma Ihezie is a native of Umuozu Ezumoha in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. Born in 1983 (just 30 years old), he was the last born of the family. A 2013 graduate of Mechanical Engineering of the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu, he, out of determination, engaged in cab driving to earn his living and pay his school fees.

    “He also continued the menial job even after graduation because of lack of job opportunities. The poor mother toiled without measure to feed and care for the family which was occasioned by the early death of the father. From birth till death, our son had no case of fighting, let alone criminal case anywhere in the world. This attestation stands to be investigated even where he lived, No.8, Concrete Avenue, Railway Quarters, Enugu, Enugu State.”

    “Chukwuma Ihezie was callously murdered in police custody six (6) days after being arrested. He was alleged to have “aided” an armed robber (still unknown and cannot be provided) to commit crime which is unfounded. Our heart is bleeding; our hope is in God Almighty through you. The future hope and light of the family has been so extinguished. We humbly cry unto you, sir.”

    “Note sir, on 12/1/2014, Chukwuma went for his normal cab work and was arrested by Independence Layout, Enugu police men for picking a passenger whom the police falsely labelled a robber. He was kept under detention in their station under a DPO by name Zakari Yau. He was later transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Office, by Zakari Yau, alongside with his handwritten statement. The police officer in charge of SARS Enugu State Command was CSP Uche. His 2IC was Felix Bolu.

    “On 18/1/2014, Chukwuma was shot on the spinal cord and killed by SARS without a fair hearing in any court of law. His corpse was dumped in UNTH Ituku Ozala, Enugu mortuary on Saturday, 18/1/2014. Chukwuma was arrested on 12/1/2014 and hurriedly killed on 18/1/2014 to cover up a secret, which could have been unveiled if he was allowed to talk.”

     

  • The ‘great’ man in Jonathan’s kitchen

    The Head of the Presidential Stewards in the State House, Abuja, Mr. Onuh Michael, was a shining star last Monday when he stepped out alongside 313 others to receive national honours from his boss, President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Onuh, who has put in over 30 years as a steward, has an unbroken record of serving nine presidents from Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s to Jonathan’s administrations.

    He has been attending to the domestic needs of the first family, which has given him opportunities to travel to so many countries, including the United States, Libya, Venezuela and Jerusalem.

    Not only was the 59-year-old steward, who lives in a rented apartment at Karu, Nasarawa State, given Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) Award at the 2014 National Honours Award at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, for meritoriously serving nine presidents, he was also among the three award recipients singled out for free housing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Before the award was given to him, he had earlier admitted that he had accommodation challenges, saying: “The regret I have is that for someone that has been working for his country for over 30 years, it is not good that I don’t have my own accommodation. I live at the outskirts of the city (in Karu, Nasarawa State) in a rented house.

    “My greatest challenge is coming all the way to work from a very far distance every day. Waking up by 3:00 a.m. to be at work and closing in the early hours of the morning only to be back again very early to work is a big challenge for me.” After receiving the award and listed among those to get free accommodation in the FCT, he expressed gratitude to President Jonathan for putting smiles on his face.

    He said: “The President is always full of surprises. He has done it again today.

    “I thank my God that I am witnessing this in my lifetime, that I am now a landlord in Abuja. I will ever be grateful to him.”

    Speaking on the Head of Presidential Steward at the 2014 National Honours Award, President Jonathan said: “A very dedicated steward who has survived every heads of state loyally since President Shehu Shagari. From Shagari till today, to have survived about nine presidents and nine first ladies, you must be a great man.”