The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Yar’Adua

  • To Sisi Mama’s daughter

    To Sisi Mama’s daughter

    DEaR ma,

    Of all the states in Nigeria, no one rivals Rivers, in recent times, in terms of drama and tragedy. In Port Harcourt, we have seen a routine wave of tragedy. The police, which ought to maintain order has obviously taken sides and yet we are told every day that the police have been doing nothing but playing the role expected of them.

    The source of the tragedy in Rivers reminds one of the Biblical hand of Jacob and voice of Esau; yet we are told the Presidency has nothing to do with the theatre of the absurd.

    The president, we are told, is too busy to have time for such local matter. He is a national and international figure rolled into one, with commitment to the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), African Union (AU) and the United Nations.

    Before I go further ma, let me offer an unreserved apology for twisting your mother’s nickname. We all know her nickname was Mama Sisi, but turning it around has a poetic ring to it that I just could not resist.

    I also need to ask for your forgiveness in advance for some of the points I am going to make in this letter or have already made in the prologue, which may not go down well with you as the Mother of the Nation. For me, I just believe I must point your attention to these issues, may be you can learn one or two things from them before it is too late.

    Port Harcourt, the capital city of your home state, faces a challenge of inadequate water supply. Your son and governor of the state, Rotimi as you call him, and his cabinet thought of a way out and a development bank loan was agreed on to tackle the challenge. But surprisingly, while the bank is ready to release the fund, people close to your husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, seem to be stalling the release of the fund. Some people have also mentioned you as a probably reason while Rivers’ loan for the water project is being withheld. I have no evidence to support this. What is clear to all is that the loan is being stalled. Your husband’s once-upon-a-time godfather, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has described the involvement of the presidency in the non-release of the loan as unpresidential. Even though I am not a fan of his, I have decided to separate the message from the messanger and I cannot but agree with him that whatever the animosity between the First Family and Amaechi, the interest of the people of Rivers, especially those who reside in Port Harcourt, must come first. Like he said, Amaechi will not be governor forever. By 2015, his era as governor must come to an end. There is no way he can get a third term.

    Madam, as a mother, it is time you used the fact that you have your husband’s ears to clear the logjam on the way of the release of this fund. If you fail to do this, not a few will believe this is just an extension of the perceived animosity between you and your son, Rotimi.

    Forget what Amaechi did to you when Sisi Mama (sorry Mama Sisi) died. We all know he only came to greet you in Port Harcourt and never came to Abuja like many of his colleagues did, a development you interpret to mean he never came to condole with you. Ma, this is also the time to forget other things he must have done to wrong your Majesty. Just see the whole situation as though he is being worried by ‘youthfulness’!

    Ma, I think I should educate you a bit on the water scarcity in Port Harcourt so that you will understand that this is no time to allow pecuniary interest stall efforts to bring succour to the people.

    The Rivers State government says the rehabilitation and expansion of existing water facilities in Port Harcourt city and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas will cost $900 million (about N5,732billion).

    Development partners, such as the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB), agree with this projection and thus offer their support for the project.

    The project, with a lifespan of 40 years, is to ensure sustainable water supply for residents of the state capital.

    A pilot scheme serving more than 3,000 households, I understand, has started at Elekahia, Presidential Housing Estate and Eagle Island.

    Ma, the project is not going to be handled by Amaechi. The development partners are handling it and this will ensure it is not abandoned after 2015. They will also handle the Port Harcourt Water Corporation. All these cannot be done without the Federal Government giving the development partners the go-ahead. This is where you come in. Even though you are married to a Bayelsa man, Rivers remains your home.

    For me, politics should have a limit. It should not be played at the expense of the people’s welfare. Your husband got the office by God’s grace. That fact, I believe, should always guide whatever action both of you take while occupying the office of President and First Lady. Being in power does not necessarily mean flexing muscle.

    Power is transient. Since 1960, when Nigeria gained independence, we have had many a leader. But, it was not until the time of the late Maryam Babangida that the wife of the Head of State became more than just another wife of the leader. After the late Mrs Babangida, we had another Mariam, who was the wife of the late Gen. Sani Abacha. The wife of Gen. AbdulSalami Abubakar, Fati, was too busy on the Bench to have time to play the First Lady. After her came the amazing Stella Obasanjo, whose presence was noticed by all and sundry. Death took her away in the most unfortunate manner and there was a vaccuum.When the late Umaru Yar’Adua, who was your husband’s boss, came in, the omnipresent Turai was the woman of the moment. Death took away Yar’Adua and you came in and you are ubiquitous.

    Like the rest ma, you too will go. The highest you can spend in that position is about ten years, that is assuming your husband gets a second term. He used about two years left by the late Yar’Adua. He is serving the third of his first four-year term and is entitled to another four years.

    I believe what should be paramount on your mind is leaving a legacy of service and where is the best place to start than Rivers, where your home town, Okrika, is an integral part of. I dare say I have not seen much of substance in your contributions to Rivers. I stand to be corrected. By age, you are not old enough to be Amaechi’s mother, but on account of your position as the Mother of the Nation, he is your son. No matter your misgivings about him, nothing should be above the interest of the people. Get your husband to okay the loan for the water project and other things that might have been stalled by the ill-feelings towards Amaechi, who will leave office in 2015. The water project will serve the people for a long time to come and they will always remember your husband.

    But, if the project dies, the people will also never forget that their daughter sits idle while the approval needed is not given. I doubt if they will forgive you. The time to act is now.

     

    Bye for now, ma.

  • A harvest of corruption

    A harvest of corruption

    •Rather than abate, corruption festers under the Jonathan administration

    The controversy kicked off by the purchase of two armoured BMW cars for the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, has brought to focus again the debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s attitude to the battle against sleaze in the country. No sooner was he elected President than Dr. Jonathan announced to the world that he would tackle the monster with vigour.

    However, since he assumed power, fraud and dishonesty appear to have received fresh impetus. The first indication that the pledge to combat fraud could be cosmetic came to the fore as soon as the administration was inaugurated. Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua who was Jonathan’s predecessor was quick, without prodding, to make public the declaration of his assets. The constitution merely requires of him to fill the necessary forms with the Code of Conduct Bureau. However, Yar’Adua chose to challenge whoever had contrary knowledge of his assets to come out with it. It was an indication that he intended to live above board and a signal that whoever would not be open and transparent about his or her transaction should not bother to take up appointment under him. It was refreshingly different.

    But, Dr. Jonathan who was his deputy needed to be needled to accept the challenge of following in Yar’Adua’s footsteps. It was an early indication of what to expect if he became the Chief Executive of the Federation. When he mounted the saddle as an elected President on May 29, 2011, he threw away the Yar’Adua example and rather chose to hide behind the fact that public declaration of assets is not made mandatory by the constitution. He would not be part of creating tradition and convention on declaration of assets.

    We note that, recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cried out that it was broke and may not be in position to prosecute the plethora of fraud cases in court, especially those involving high profile politicians. This could be a further indication that the President is only paying lip service to the war against corruption.

    Last year, the landscape was seized by the desire of Nigerians to rid the country of thieves of public fund funnelled through payment of oil subsidy. Activists, patriots and nationalists trooped out to call for non-removal of the so-called fuel subsidy until satisfactory account was given of all that had been paid and a proper audit of the accounts had been carried out. Till date, nothing has changed in the mode of receipting, accounting for and expending oil money. Recommendations of the Nuhu Ribadu and the Kalu Idika Kalu panels have been kept in the shelves.

    The government demonstrated utter insensitivity by keeping the minister superintending the ministry in place. Rather than lose face as a result of the activities unearthed in the various National Assembly probes, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke remains a superpower in the petroleum resources ministry. Not even the weighty allegation that about N2 billion had been frittered away on private jet shuttles in a land where stark, absolute poverty reigns would move the President to sack the minister. Rather, ministers mainly known to be loyal to those regarded as “rebel governors” in the ruling party were shoved out.

    The pension fund scandal has led nowhere. In the federal legislature, Farouk Lawan remains a member of the House of Representatives. While it may be argued that the matter is before the courts, a charismatic leader would have made sure that such an issue is not allowed to linger for too long. Under the Jonathan administration, it is not considered offensive to national psyche that a legislator against whom such a serious allegation has been made remains in office and contributes to national debates.

    As a result of these scandals, frauds and other corrupt practices, others are emboldened to toe the same line. The reigning philosophy is that all that is needed to hold high offices of the land is to be in the good books of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. During the tenancy of Dr. Jonathan in the portals of power, ex-militants not known to have requisite qualifications and experience have been handed the security of the coastal waters and the ports.

    We are not surprised that national assets and institutions continue to decay. Examples include the all-important Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Ore-Benin roads. The roads are very important to the social and economic life of the country and its citizens as they connect the commercial and most populous city to all parts of the country – North, East and West. Industrial goods are thus expensive and precious lives needlessly lost.

    The government, as it approaches the third year mark, should sit up and re-examine the mandate it was handed in 2011. More than most Nigerians, President Jonathan has been strikingly lucky with public offices. He is touted as the first doctorate degree holder to hold the office of the President and the only one so far to have held office as deputy governor, governor, vice president and acting president before assuming office.

    He has a duty to prove all critics wrong by working for the interest of the people and ensuring that justice is upheld in all cases. This is the only way to raise public standards and seal the leaking points in the public treasury.

  • Yar’adua Part 11

    Treader while responding to a news report in The Nation on the return of Taraba State Governor Dambaba Suntai and his intention to resume office made a rather poignant remark that captures the drama that has been playing out in the last one week in Jalingo.

    “Yar’ardua Part 11, we are enjoying it,” the anonymous reader wrote. He was obviously likening the controversy over the state of health of Suntai who returned from medical treatment abroad after ten months to that of former President Umaru Yar’adua who was finally declared dead after many attempts by his wife and aides deceive Nigerians.

    After undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia during which he was reported to be brain dead, a claim that was denied by his aides, Yar’adua was flown back to the country and the impression was given that he was recovering.

    I remember reading some of the claims that he was already walking unaided in the Presidential Villa and playing lawn tennis when in fact the condition of the late President was getting worse.

    After all the lies peddled by the cabal led by the former first lady, Turai, who wanted to hold on to power at all cost, they had no choice than to announce his death when he finally gave up. Perhaps he would have gotten better if he had remained abroad undergoing treatment since the country does not have the medical facilities and personnel to attend to him.

    Like in the Yar’adua case, Suntai who obviously has not fully recovered and still needs the best of medical treatment was hurriedly flown back last Sunday and the cabal around him is desperately doing everything to fool Nigerians about the governor’s health status.

    Suntai arrived last Sunday and had to be aided to disembark from the aircraft in Abuja and Jalingo. He could not utter a word and barely managed to smile and wave to those who came to welcome him.

    Instead of allowing him to continue to get the much needed rest he needs and medical attention, he had reportedly written to the State Assembly to resume, sacked the state executive and appointed some new aides.

    Instead of the expected state broadcast, a recorded few minutes video has been shown on the state television with the governor purportedly swearing in the new Secretary to State Government and Chief of Staff and greeting the people of the state.

    After finally being allowed to see the governor, majority members of the state house of assembly have declared the governor unfit and asked him to return to US for treatment.

    Ordinarily, there should be no controversy over whether the governor is well or not. If indeed he is as his collaborators claim, he should come out and say so. He should perform some public functions and leave no one in doubt that he is physically fit to resume duties.

    He has stayed away for ten months and the state has been governed by his deputy so why the hurry to return.

    Those aiding the governor clinging to power are obviosly doing so for selfish purpose. They need to know that the governor’s life is more precious than whatever position they want him to hold on to.

    This kind of hide and seek game cannot continue for too long.

  • From Yar’Adua to Suntai

    From Yar’Adua to Suntai

    Deputy Editor, Olayinka Oyegbile, writes on the link between the Taraba crisis and the late Yar’Adua’s sick drama, wondering why we must allow a repeat.

    Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac – Henry Kissinger

     

    History, that veritable subject, which those who draw our school curriculum have decided to chuck out of our school system, is about to repeat itself, this time around in Taraba State.

    Why is it that Nigeria is a country in which those in power decide to cling to it no matter what assails them? The drama going on in Taraba is too soon for anyone not to have learnt any lesson. Was it not in this country a few years back that we had a president who was so sick that it would have been better for him to abdicate power and attend to his health than cling on to it to his own peril?

    It was clear that the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was no longer able to have any control over his health. However, those close to him and who profit from his ill health were determined not to allow their “pot of soup”, if you excuse that term, to go. They knew that if he was not there they would never be able to feather their nests because a new person would come with his new friends, hangers on and favourites.

    At the end of the day, they ferried the man back home under the cover of darkness and were determined to hole him up there until God said it was all over. Now, because we failed to learn from history the same thing is playing itself out in Taraba State.

    Why are those surrounding Governor Danbaba Suntai bent on making him go through the stress of administering a state when it is crystal clear that he has no state of mind to do so? Is it not a case of them not wanting their “pot of soup” taken away from them because power is like a revolving door, you are either in or out. You can never be in-between.

    The power behind

    Women are known to be powers behind the throne and in this ugly and macabre dance in Taraba, what role is Hauwa, the wife of the governor playing? Is it not good for her to have sought guidance and knowledge from Mrs Turai Yar’Adua? Would the former First Lady not have been of good assistance to her to let her know that there is abundant life after power? I am sure she would have given her the benefit of her own hindsight to let her know that those who are trying to wail more than her do not love her husband more than her. They are only interested in their own selfish gains.

    I am still trying to fathom what Mrs Suntai thinks she is going to gain by allowing herself to join the band of those fair weather friends who corralled her to agree to bring her frail husband home when in actual fact it is clear that he cannot, at least under his present state of health, withstand the rigours his office demands. Or is there anything the court jesters are trying to let us know? Is it that occupying an office in Nigeria does not in any way demand any stress or effort?

    Why are people always afraid to leave the corridors of power? Years ago in Cameroun, former President Ahmadu Ahidjo gave up power when he was advised by a team of doctors that he could no longer cope with the strain. The same thing happened a few years back when the fiery Fidel Castro of Cuba ceded power to his younger brother. Today, Castro is still alive and his brother is presiding over the affairs of the country. Ahidjo lived for several years before he died.

    So, why are the jesters surrounding Suntai trying to force a man who is clearly under lots of personal trauma cling unto power till he drops dead?

     

  • How $1bn Malabu Oil deal was struck

    •Abacha, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan connections revealed

    • US, UK envoys get details of the agreements

     

    Federal Government’s inconsistency in the allocation and revocation of Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL 245) between 1998 and 2001 is largely responsible for the controversy surrounding the payment of $1.092 billion to Malabu Oil, according to fresh details of the deal obtained yesterday.

    The payment to the company owned by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Dan Etete, bordered on violation of agreement.

    Though the contract was first awarded by the late General Sani Abacha, it has been a recurring decimal through the subsequent administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.

    The Resolution Agreements signed by the Federal Government with Malabu Oil, Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep Limited, (SNUD) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Limited (SNEPCO) were approved by President Jonathan in 2011 following the amicable settlement of suits relating to OPL at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICISD Arbitration).

    Signatories to the Malabu and SNUD Resolution Agreements, based on an April 29, 2011 presidential directive, were the then Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga ( now Minister of Trade and Investment); Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke ( SAN); Vice-Chairman /Managing Director and Company Secretary of SNUD; and the then Group Managing Director of NNPC, Austin Oniwon and Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser, Director and Secretary of SNEPCO.

    In its Claimant’s Memorial before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Shell Ultra Deep Limited named those who were involved or intervened at various stages in the OPL 245 dispute with Malabu Oil and Gas as Obasanjo; ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Edmund Daukoru; Ex-NNPC GMD, Gaius Obaseki; former DG of SSS, Col. Kayode Are; Special Assistant to the President on Petroleum Matters, Mr. Funsho Kupolokun; NAPIMS; JP Morgan; a board member of Royal Dutch Shell, Mr. Malcom Brinded; the then Director of DPR, Mr. Macaulay Ofurhe; and Assistant Director of DPR, Mr. Andrew Obaje

    It was gathered last night that copies of the Malabu Oil Agreements had been forwarded by government to the British High Commissioner in Abuja and the US Ambassador.

    The British Police had indicated interest in probing the deal.

    Besides, principal officers of the National Assembly have been served copies of the agreements to enable them understand what a source described as reasons for the decision of government to resolve the disputes over OPL 245 instead of allowing the oil block lie fallow.

    An introductory note on the controversy gave insight into how Malabu Oil and Gas became a stakeholder in the petroleum sector.

    It said: “Records indicate that Malabu, an indigenous Oil and Gas company was allocated OPL 245 in April 1998 by the FGN in furtherance of its Indigenous Exploration Programme Policy introduced in the early 1990s to encourage effective development of indigenous capability in the upstream factor of the oil industry.

    “Malabu and other indigenous Oil and Gas companies were accordingly allocated Oil Blocks which they were expected to develop in partnership with international oil companies as Technical Partners.

    “Malabu had in accordance with the terms of the grant, appointed Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (SNUD) as its Technical Partner.”

    One of the agreements, shedding light on how the deal was struck, said: “Whereas on the 29th of April 1998, the Federal Government of granted an Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL 245) over oil block 245(Block 245 to Malabu.

    “On 30th March 2001, Malabu and Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (SNUD) entered into a Farm-in Agreement, and a Deed of Assignment under which Malabu assigned 40 per cent equity interest in OPL 245 to SNUD.

    “On the 2nd July 2001, FGN revoked OPL 245. By a letter dated the 23rd May 2002, the then Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, on behalf of FGN awarded Block 245 to SNUD on the basis of a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) following a competitive bid with another international oil company, on the invitation of the FGN.

    “On 22nd December 2003, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) executed a PSC with SNUD (hereinafter referred to as the 2003 PSC ) granting SNUD the right to exclusively operate Block 245 as contractor for a term of 30 years.

    “Subsequent to the revocation referred to in paragraph C above and the execution of the 2003 PSC, various law suits involving FGN, Malabu, and SNUD, were filed to determine disputes arising from the revocation of OPL 245 by the FGN, the termination of the agreements between Malabu and SNUD and the execution of the 2003 PSC in respect thereof, with SNUD.

    “On 30th November 2006, the FGN executed a settlement agreement with Malabu wherein the FGN, without admission of liability for any alleged wrongful, unlawful, unjust or any like conduct agreed to re-allocate Block 245 to Malabu in consideration of Malabu discharging and releasing the FGN from all claims and suits filed by Malabu against the FGN in connection with the revocation of Malabu’s interest on 2nd July 2001.

    “As a result of the execution of the settlement agreement, a number of dispute resolution proceedings were initiated by SNUD against FGN and/ or Malabu, including Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) arbitration No. ARB/07/8 pending at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes ( ICSD Arbitration) to enforce SNUD’s rights to exclusively operate Block 245 as Contractor on the basis of the2003 PSC beaten NNPC and SNUD.

    “The cases remaining between FGN, Malabu and SNUD are (I) CA/A/25M/ 2003- SNUD vs. The House of Representatives and Malabu ; (ii ) ICC No. 12136 MS(C12137 MS) SNUD vs. Malabu ( Arbitration with resulting award in favour of SNUD delivered on 20th December 2004 and costs of $2.735million awarded against Malabu; iii FHC/NRJ/ 01/2009-SNUD vs. Malabu, by which the ICC Award was registered on 29 March 2010, making it enforceable in Nigeria; iv ICSD Case No. ARB/07/18-Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration between SNUD and the FGN (Ruling pending).

    “On 2nd July 2010, FGN again issued a letter to Malabu, re-allocating Block 245 to Malabu. FGN has decided to resolve its differences with Malabu amicably with respect to Block 245.

    “Pursuant to paragraphs above and with the full concurrence and agreement of Malabu, FGN is willing to reallocate Block 245 to Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) and Shell Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO) in accordance with the terms of a reallocation agreement of even date to be entered into between FGN, SNUD, SNEPCO, NAE AND NNPC (Reallocation Agreement).

    “Now therefore, FGN and Malabu have agreed as follows with respect to Block 245:

    “All existing, claimed, asserted or disputed rights and privileges of Malabu, contracts and arrangements arising from or pursuant to Blick 245 whether such rights and privileges existed, are claimed, asserted or disputed among themselves, or against the whole world ( including SNUD or any party claiming through SNUD) shall at the Execution Date, be substituted by the following arrangement.

    “FGN agrees to pay to Malabu subject to Clause 2 and 3, the sum of US $1.092,040,000 in full and final settlement of any and all claims, interests or rights relating to or in connection with Block 245.

    “Malabu, as stipulated in Clause 4 herein settles and waives any and all claims, interests, or rights relating to or in connection with Block 245 and hereby consents to the reallocation of the interests in Block by the FGN as granted in Clause 1.3 herein.”

  • How Yar’Adua died, by ex-military medical director

    How Yar’Adua died, by ex-military medical director

    •Gives insight into death of Abacha, others

    Detailed insights on the death of two former heads of state, General Sani Abacha and former President Musa Yar’Adua were given yesterday by a former medical director of the Military Hospital, Lagos, Brigadier-General Otu Oviemo Ovadje (rtd).

    Oviemo, medical doctor and internationally acclaimed Nigeria Army inventor who spoke yesterday in Lagos at a symposium also revealed how a former minister in the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s cabinet and a former Kwara State governor died due to lack of necessary medical facilities in the country.

    “The late Gen Abacha while in office could not undertake medical tourism but imported Filipino doctors to manage his condition. The Filipino’s made a mockery of his management by pumping steroids into him.

    “The President became bloated and was thought by the un-informed as improving and gaining weight. The President’s weight gain and puffiness was largely due to fluid retention. I was privileged as a celebrated Nigerian doctor at the time to advise but there were too many uninterested aides of the Head of State. It became too late in the day. He snapped and died,” Oviemo stated.

    He said it was unfortunate that the late leader could build a specialised centre to cater for his ailment, though there are more and better trained Nigerians who could have handled his case better, noting that it was profitable to bring in foreign doctors to spite the home grown, and for what is in it for them.

    Oviemo attributed the death of the late President Yar’Adua from brain damage caused by severe asphyxia to ignorance and poor management.

    “The presence of a sophisticated Air and Land Ambulance did not prevent him from dying from his condition just as the hospital in Saudi Arabia with all its gadgets could not reverse damage done to his brain during an acute deterioration of his health.

    “Imagine what could have happened to our very meek, humble and generally loved president when he suffered an acute relapse of his condition. He was rushed into the ambulance and a face mask was turned on with oxygen flushing over his face.”

    Oviemo stated that the late Head of State was “hypo-ventilating at the time and by the time he got to Saudi Arabia, he had suffered irreversible brain death.

    “Because Nigerians believe in the god of mammon and that money answers all things, they expected a miracle from the Saudi hospital. The truth is that if we had good centres back home in Nigeria, the late Head of State should have been stabilised before been flown out. Our usual first impulse is to fly out the sick and our experiences have shown that many patients die,” he said.

    He also recalled the death of an unnamed former Military Governor of Kwara State who had pneumonia, and he was called to attend. However, the said governor was flown abroad without his own knowledge and the said former governor eventually died.

    According to him, “I met the big man sweaty, restless and confused due to carbon dioxide narcosis from his poor ventilation. I only adjusted his neck and positioned his head to enable him exhale properly and his condition improved.

    “I advised them not to fly him out immediately to allow him to be stable. I volunteered to fly with him at my own expense to support him on board. By the time I returned back from Lagos where I went for my passport, the man had been flown out. Early in the morning, I got a call from one of my highly placed mentors that “we lost him”.

    “I was told that he got to Germany but he died before he could gain admission to a hospital. The General’s condition could have been very well-managed in Nigeria but for the pleasure of medical tourism and the absence of identifiable/recognisable facilities and expertise. Money has robbed many privileged and affluent Nigerians of sensibility. They never see with you or take advice when money talks,” Oviemo recalled.

    He added that during the second term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a former minister died from asthmatic attacks which could have been easily treated if necessary medical facilities were available in the country.

    South Africans, including their top government officials according to Oviemo, hardly undertake medical tourism like their Nigerian counterparts, noting that former President Nelson Mandela was still being treated for a heart condition in his country when he could have been flown out for treatment.

    He said many Nigerians cannot afford the price of management in centres that are well-equipped, while some of the centres are entrusted to mediocre due to nepotism or political consideration.

    Oviemo spoke at the symposium organised by Mcnext Intellectual Property in collaboration with the Student Union Government of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos on the topic Where are we in the Global Plan?

    He also lamented the country’s decline in Defence Technology and Agriculture.

  • Yar’Adua: Three years after

    Yar’Adua: Three years after

    The late President Umaru Yar’Adua was in office for a little less than three years. Three years after his demise, AUGUSTINE AVWODE writes on those things for which he would always be remembered.

     

    I  think my greatest achievement is the effort to institute a strict culture of respect for the rule of law in Nigeria. All the problems this country is facing can be traced to the breakdown of the rule of law, regulations, procedures and due process in almost every aspect of our national life, including interaction between our citizens”.

    That was the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua during an interview he granted to mark his first year in office. In his usual self effacing manner, he did not harp on things that are considered tangible, nor reeled out an endless list of what Nigerians often describe as “dividends of democracy.” For him, the foundation was more important as it determines the fate of the structure that anyone plans to erect.

    Before he came into office on May 29, 2007, Nigeria was reeling under the jackboot of impunity even in a democratic setting- to the chagrin of all. Yar’Adua, therefore, sought to instill the culture of respect for the rule of law, due process and order. And very soon, people latched on to the mantra of the rule of law and due process.

    President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend testified to the enduring place of the late President in this respect. He urged Nigerians to emulate the late Yar’Adua’s commitment to due process and rule of law.

    Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Rueben Abati, President Jonathan said Nigerians, especially public officials at all levels of government, should rededicate themselves to the late “Yar’Adua’s exemplary commitment to upholding due process, the rule of law”.

    A chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dr Ibrahim Lame, spoke glowingly about the late President. Lame worked under the late Yar’Adua as Minister of Police Affairs.

    Speaking to The Nation on phone, Lame said the late Yar’Adua had a clear vision and understanding of the situation in Nigeria and, more importantly, what to do to salvage it.

    “To be frank with you, I can say that after Balewa and Sardauna, we never had a President who had a clear vision and understanding of the situation in Nigeria and what to do like the late Yar’Adua.

    “He was so concerned about the rule of law because once you don’t have the rule of law in a democracy, you’re finished. So, he realised that the entire process of checks and balances was not there, even under Obasanjo. He felt that the best way to become a model of a progressive and democratic society was to recognise the supremacy of the rule of law”.

    On his fight against corruption, Lame said Yar’Adua’s style of instituting probity, transparency was by example. In this regard, he compared him with great Nigerians who left their footprints on the sands of time.

    “The late Yar’Adua emphasi-sed probity; he wanted everybody in position of leadership to be transparently honest. He fought corruption by example. That was what the late Sardauna did; that was what Chief Awolowo did and what the late Balewa did and what Aminu Kano did. They were transparently honest. Materially, you can’t accuse them. There was no material information that will send bad signals about the late Yar’Adua; he declared his assets, he never got involved in any contract that I know of; he allowed discussions and debates to take place, he offered independence to all his functionaries; he never interfered with their jobs”, he said.

    On the economy, Lame singled out the historic step taken by the late president to restore orderliness and peace in the Niger Delta, an economically strategic region to the country. The Bauchi state-born politician said if the late Yar’Adua had not taken that decision, the economy, which was already on its knees, would have crumbled.

    “He was concerned about the economy. When the destruction of oil installations was getting too serious by militants in the Niger Delta, the late Yar’Adua gave amnesty to them in order to save Nigeria and the economy. He did that at the greatest political risk. And at the time he did that, the economy was almost crumbling. Our only source of revenue was oil and we were not able to get it. So, he had a great understanding of what must be done to save Nigeria.”

    But notwithstanding the unfortunate fate that befell the late president, Lame ranked him as one of the greatest leaders ever produced in the country.

    “Unfortunately, like every human being, he had challenges. He had health challenges. He wasn’t very well and that had some negative effects on his achievements. But in terms of vision, focus and devotion, he was one of the greatest leaders Nigeria ever produced”, Lame said.

    Apart from his total commitment to the rule of law, the late Yar’Adua would be remembered always for presenting his vision to Nigerians in a pack. After he won the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on December 16, 2006, the late Yar’Adua hit the campaign trail with a sensational Seven-Point Agenda. What was significant about it all was the manner in which he tried to articulate his programme of action for the country, if voted into power. What is more, other candidates, particularly at the state level, latched on to the culture of arranging and labeling programmes as ‘so and so agenda’. The Seven-Point Agenda represents a deliberate effort to package the plans of a candidate to be executed once he comes into office.

    These include power and energy, food security, wealth creation through diversification of the economy, enhancing the transport sector, land reforms, security of lives and property and education.

    Whether he was able to execute the same or whether the succeeding administration jettisoned the Seven-Point Agenda matters little. Its importance lies in the effort to envision all that would be needed to steer the country into the path of development and growth.

    The late Yar’Adua will be remembered for the amnesty by the federal government for those who had turned against the country and her economic and social interests. When militancy got to a head in the Niger Delta region in 2009, the late Yar’Adua, after a series of consultations, declared a general amnesty for the militants that had almost crippled the economy. In no time, the situation changed and has never been the same ever since. It was a master stroke that saved the nation’s economy from imminent collapse. Its effectiveness can be measured by the fact that the government of today has been prevailed upon to grant a similar amnesty to the Boko Haram sect in the North in the hope that it would help to bring peace to the beleaguered region.

    Besides, the late Yar’Adua endeared himself to Nigerians by publicly declaring his assets. Few months after his inauguration in 2007, he made public his assets. He had done a similar thing as the governor of Katsina State. This unusual action was received with public approval and was seen as a demonstration of his determination to live up to public scrutiny. He was generally regarded as a President that was above board notwithstanding the perceived fraternity with two or so governors that had come across to the Nigerian public as pathetically corrupt. Yar’ Adua’s action put pressure on many other elected public office holders to do same. But typical of the Nigerian situation, such a suggestion was met with so much disdain and argument that no law made the public declaration of assets compulsory.

    A man, sincere almost to a fault, the late Yar’Adua in his inaugural speech, shocked even his party members when he openly admitted that the election which produced him was flawed. He immediately promised electoral reforms to correct the anomaly in the system. The elections were widely criticised by both local and foreign observers as not free, fair and credible. It contrasted sharply with the position of some of his party members who believed that a party can always ‘capture’ a state rather than win it. But while Yar’Adua admitted before the world that his election was fraught with irregularities, the court upheld the elections as free and fair enough to keep him in office. He went ahead to make good his promise by inaugurating the Justice Mohammed Uwais panel on electoral reforms.

    But like Shakespeare put it, death, a necessary end, will come when it will. It eventually came for the late President Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010, ending an agonising struggle with fate but his sterling qualities continues to endure.

     

  • President urges Nigerians to emulate Yar’Adua

    President urges Nigerians to emulate Yar’Adua

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday recalled the great personal loss and the fulfilling partnership he enjoyed with the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    The occasion was the third anniversary of the death of former President Yar’Adua and the audience comprised top echelon of the Federal Government and dignitaries from diverse areas of the nation’s life. It was in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    Jonathan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, recalled how humble, insightful, patriotic and dedicated the late President was. He urged other Nigerians to imbibe the same attributes that made the late President a man to remember.

    The President noted that the late Yar’Adua was a leader who truly served his countrymen and women with all his strength and God-given abilities.

    The statement reads: “On this anniversary of the late President’s transition, President Jonathan urges Nigerians, especially public officials at all levels of government, to rededicate themselves to emulating President Yar’Adua’s exemplary commitment to upholding due process, the rule of law and other globally-accepted principles of democracy and good governance.

  • Court fixes May 2 for judgment in Yar’Adua wife’s suit over land

    Justice Peter Affen of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Jabi, has fixed May 2 for judgment in a case instituted by former First Lady, Turai Yar’Adua against her successor, Patience Jonathan, following their inability to settle.

    Mrs Yar’Adua had sued, claiming that Mrs Jonathan has trespassed on the 1.84 hectares land in Abuja earlier allocated to her pet project, Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (WAYEF).

    Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Minister of FCT, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

    Yesterday, WAYEF opposed an application by the other parties for further adjournment, following which the judge informed the parties that the judgment was ready and would be delivered if parties failed to settle before May 2.

    The disputed land, plot no. 1347 Cadastral Zone AOO, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT, was initially allocated to WAYEF while Mrs Yar’adua was the First Lady.

    The FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed had revoked the allocation for what he described as “overriding public interest” and reallocated the same land to Mrs. Jonathan on the 2nd of November, 2011 for the building of the African First Lady Peace Mission headquarters.

    Mrs. Yar’Adua complained that the land allocated to WAYEF on 19 February 2010 was being trespassed upon by Mrs. Jonathan and got a court order dated 5 March 2012 restraining the defendants from affecting WAYEF’s title and interest over the land.

    WAYEF, through its lawyer, Adamu Ahmed Ibrahim and Company is asking for N1.5 billion as general damages, N100 million as exemplary damages, N100 million as aggravated damages in addition to N261 million already paid for Certificate of Occupancy as well as N454 million paid for building designs.

    WAYEF stated that while it appears that the Ministry of Justice may be interested and committed to a settlement, their terms and what they offer says otherwise.

    It said the land being offered by the FCTA was a much smaller parcel of land than the one purportedly acquired from WAYEF for the first lady

     

  • Alamieyeseigha, Yar’Adua, Diya, Adisa get state pardon

    Alamieyeseigha, Yar’Adua, Diya, Adisa get state pardon

    Jonathan tables request before Council of State

    President reads out long list of beneficiaries

     

    Many   high profile ex-convicts got a suprise gift from the Federal Government yesterday. They were pardoned.

    Among the beneficiaries of the Council of State’s reprieve is a former Governor of Bayelsa State, DSP Alamieyeseigha, a former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, the late Maj-Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and some military officers implicated in the 1995 and 1997 coups against the late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

    Also on the pardon list are a former Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya, a former Minister of Communications, Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju, a former Minister of Works, the late Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa, a former Managing Director of the defunct Bank of the North, Alhaji Shettima Bulama and Dr. Chiichii Ashwe.

    But the Federal Government did not release the list of beneficiaries last night – apparently because of the backlash, which the pardon of some of the beneficiaries may cause for the administration of President Jonathan, a source said.

    Dr. Jonathan made the recommendation for pardon the first item on the agenda at the Council of State meeting, it was learnt.

    But he did not drop any hint on whether or not he had consulted the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).

    According to the source, Jonathan told the meeting that he had decided to exercise the powers conferred on him by Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution.

    The source said: “The President said he had decided to consult with the Council of State to back his desire to pardon some of these recipients. He then reeled off the names of the beneficiaries of the state pardon, beginning from Alamieyeseigha.

    “The meeting was also treated to a long list of armed robbery suspects and awaiting prisoners in some states, who should also be pardoned.

    “From the countenance of the President, we suspected that the meeting was called purposely because of Alamieyeseigha, but they included others to give it national representation.”

    Another source said: “We learnt that Alamieyeseigha had formally applied for pardon from the Federal Government. It is this application that the President chose to act upon.

    “Some top sources said Alamieyeseigha indicated in the request for pardon that he opted for a plea bargain in the case of fraud against him, following the assurance that he would be granted state pardon. In fact, it was said that Jonathan prevailed on Alamieyeseigha to accept plea bargain.”

    The source went on: “I think the government wanted to live up to its agreement with Alamieyeseigha. Some of us got to know that as a matter of fact, were it not for the death of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, he would have been the one to pardon Alamieyeseigha.

    “But no one was able to produce any agreement with Alamieyeseigha to us. It was obvious the President wanted it.

    “Some of those pardoned had been recommended to the Council of State since 2009. For instance in June 2009, a former Chief of General Staff, Lt.-General Oladipo Diya, and 44 other military officers convicted in the General Sani Abacha coups of 1995 and 1997 were recommended for pardon.”

    In a memo dated June 23, 2009, others recommended for amnesty to the Council of State were Major Generals Abdulkareem Adisa (deceased) Tajudeen Olarewaju, Col. Lawan Gwadabe, 41 Other officers, four other ranks, Senator Chris Anyanwu, the late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and a journalist, the late Bagauda Kalto, former special adviser to the Chief of General Staff, Professor Femi Odekunle, an activist, Comrade Shehu Sani and two State Security Service operatives, namely, Anthony Awoloyi and Julius Badejo.

    Others on the list were a former Managing Director of the Bank of the North (BoN), Alhaji Shettima Mohammed Bulama and Dr. Chiichii Ashwe, who were convicted for contravening financial laws but crave for the removal of the stigma attached to their names for purposes of re-integration into the society.

    “So, it was not surprising that these names were on the list put to the Council of State by the President,” the source said, adding: “Surprisingly, none of the governors raised issues on Alamieyeseigha at the session. Instead, some of them stood up one by one to condemn the circumstances under which the former governor was convicted.

    “The governors, however, focused more on armed robbers on death row and some suspects who have spent long time in prison awaiting trial.

    “In fact, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, challenged the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN), for writing a letter stopping the execution of a condemned person. But Adoke told the Council that he stopped the execution because the condemned person has a pending appeal before the Supreme Court.”

    A governor said: “The President harped on the need to forgive, reconcile and re-integrate. He based his decision on Section 175 of the Constitution.

    “Some of us looked at the relevant section and accepted his recommendations. Even though we know the decision might have to do with 2015 poll, we felt we should leave the ultimate decision to the public and posterity.”

    Section 175 says: (1) “The President may (a) grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions;

    (b) grant to any person a respite, either for an indefinite or for a specified period, of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence;

    ( c) substitute a less severe form of punishment for any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; or

    (d) remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the State on account of such an offence.

    (2)”The powers of the President under subsection (1) of this section shall be exercised by him after consultation with the Council of State.

    (3) “The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, may exercise his powers under subsection(1) of this section in relation to persons concerned with offences against the Army, Naval or Air Force law or convicted or sentenced by a court-martial.”