Ohakim Begs Minister With N20 Billion
August 18, 2008 by 
Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State has revealed that his administrator is ready to invest N 20BN into Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (SMICA), if the ministry of aviation will concede it to Imo State. He made this revelation at Imo Concorde Hotel during a stake holders conference on SMICA.
SMICA came alive when the Port Harcourt Airport was closed down for maintenance. Prior to this, most airport users prefered to fly to PH and by road get to Owerri, as a result of many airlines’ shying away from SMICA. There is need for this trend to be arrested as the dependable handling of flights when PH airport was locked, shows SMICA is capable of hanling heavy traffic.
Despite SMICA being designated as a cargo airport, there has been insignificant landing of cargo plans in the airport.
Before federal government intervention, SMICA started under the governorship of Late Chief Sam Mbakwe was built with sacrificial contribution from the people of old Imo (Abia Eboyin and present Imo states.)
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Nigerian Journalism : Thisday Newspaper, Tinubu, Fashola, and the Chagoury Tango.
August 18, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The news that Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu the predecessor to Governor Fashola of Lagos State was hosted in Beirut by the cronies of late Gen. Sani Abacha, made front page in Thisday Newspaper after Thisday hosted her annual musical festival in Abuja. The report has it that using Hitech limited, the Chagoury are in control of over 60% of the total infrastructural development contracts in Lagos.
Since this news broke, the Lagos State government using The Nation Newspaper believed to be owned by Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu have engaged Thisday. It got to a ludicrous head when the Lagos State Governor returned the award given to him in February as the best Governor 2008 in infrastructural development. Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim also got the best governor in the environmental category. When these awards hit the airwave, my reaction was “why give 2008 award in the beginning of 2008?” More also why should a media house that ought to be a watch dog and an Oliver Twist, be giving an award to governors whose elections as at that time were seriously challenged and the courts were yet to rule.
Arising from the bashing by Thisday’s negative report on Lagos State, the Lagos State governor answered my query. Those awards are Greek gift given to solicit adverts and other concessions from the recipients. This was evident with the deluge of state government adverts that flooded Thisday after the award.
Thisday newspaper is not the only Nigerian media outfit involved in this unethical reportage. A newspaper led concurrently for three weeks with damning exposure of questionable award of pension by Gombe State House of Assembly to Governor Danjuma Goje. When adverts from Gombe State and friends of Gombe State started appearing in the pages of this newspaper and other newspapers, nothing was heard of the Goje pension saga.
This questionable journalism practice is also extended to corporate Nigeria. A GSM service provider gave tariff free lines to major columnists and editors. This Greek gift has ensured that this company does not get the truth about her reported. When any columnist or editor runs out of weekend cash, or money for staff salary, a not too favourable report is done, which is automatically followed by an advert or appearance on the cover of the weekend edition/centre page special report or pull out from the affected corporation or individual. This is how Nigerian media runs.
If not, why did Thisday report a story they have had in their shelf during the award ceremony, only to release it when they were denied right to host this year’s Thisday Music Festival in Lagos? The previous year’s was hosted in Lekki Lagos state.
Though this style of reporting common in Nigerian media is a shame, the issues raised by Thisday have not been addressed by Lagos State government. Was Hitech responsible for the Ijegun fire disaster? Has she and Lagos State government paid compensation to the family of those who lost their lives due to the negligence of Hitech?
Instead of following these leads and investigate the activities of the Chagoury during Abacha’s maximum dictatorship, another Nigerian newspaper has joined the fray. Nation Life in her Saturday August 16th 2008 Edition in page 52 took an upper cut at Thisday publisher Mr. Nduka Obaigbena. This week’s report is part (2) of what must have started last week. The rider reads How Thisday Publisher got into trouble in South Africa. To show the cowardice of the paper, the by-line of the story is merely by Our Reporter. This alleged incident happening in 2004. The report went ahead to claim that the publisher of Thisday has gone to “beg” Mr. Albert, (Gilbert) the head of the Chagoury family. With a graphic description of the conversation, one would have expected Nation Life to reveal the name of Bank’s MD that made the visit with Mr. Nduka and the serial number of the N20 milion cheque that was bounced. In case the publishers of Nation Life do not know, giving a dud cheque is a financial crime worthy of EFCC intervention.
In other climes, media expositions of crimes have led to the collapse of multi-national corporations and the resignation of government officials. But the Nigerian journalist, for a port of cold portage throws objectivity to the winds and sees no need for adequate investigative journalism.
The Abacha Henchmen Chagourys Take Over Lagos story of Thisday, was signed off thus “ This article is the first in Thisday series on state governments” Nigerians are sceptically waiting for the expose on other governors, provided they are also those that have been giving Thisday centre spread adverts.
| 2.5 |
Lawyer Charged For Stealing N 150,000.
August 18, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Barrister Abdulkarem an Ekiti State based lawyer and 4 others were on Friday 15th August 2008, arraigned in an Ado-Ekiti Chief Mageistrate Court for stealing N 150,000:00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) and vandalising properties belonging to the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Itunu worth N1.7 million.
The lawyer and his culprits are also facing charges of false imprisonment, assault and kidnapping as it was alleged that they abducted two officials of CAC and detained them at an Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) detention camp.
The lawyer was granted bail on personal recognition and a bail bond of N50,000:00. The matter was adjourned to October 15th for hearing.
| 2.5 |
UniJos Partners With Abti-American University Nigeria
August 18, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
A delegation from University of Jos led by Dr. Patricia Lar has visited Abti-America University Nigeria (AAUN) Yola to seek collaboration in the areas of student registration, grading and transcript.
According to Apollos Goyol the university’s Director of Research, “the current registration and grading software in use in AAUN was developed by the students of the institution.
Another member of the team said other Nigeria Universities should visit Abti-America University and learn from her.
Meanwhile in a survey of performance of World Universities conducted by a Chinese University, no Nigerian University made it to the top 500.
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Nigerian University Commission Fails Nigerians
August 16, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
According to the world ranking of universities released by Centre for World Class Universities Jiao Tong University China, no Nigerian University made it to the top 500. The report is alarming in view of the reason given for the proliferation of private universities in Nigeria. The federal government unable to sustain university education and guarantee quality education opened the flood gate to private sector participation. Despite these mushrooming universities that has become a thing of pride and competition among the religious sector of Nigeria, nothing has improved. Graduates from these universities, cannot hold a candle close to the old school graduates of government ran universities.
In a reaction to the ranking, Professor Isaac Adeyemi, the Vice Chancellor of Bell University Ota (believed to be owned by Obasanjo), said the absence of Nigerian University on the medal table was due to the absence of reliable Nigerian university website. He said that the assessors based their assessment largely on data collected from university websites worldwide.
In this era of info-tech highway, the VC’s admission is an indictment that Nigerian University Commission is yet to appreciate that the world has gone paperless. Even JAMB that has gone online for registration still cannot put her acts together. Students on exam date discover to their horror that they have conflicting exam numbers.
The professor failed to address his mind to the fact that the quantum of Nigerian undergraduates jetting out to Asian Campus of European Universities could also be a vital data used by the assessors at arriving at the rating. European Universities, especially British through British Council now come to Nigeria to organise admission and visa procedure for Nigerian Undergraduates. In the days of yore, Nigerians only went outside the shores to acquire Masters Degree or a discipline not on any Nigerian University’s curriculum. An active accomplice in this brain drain and underdevelopment of Nigeria is United Bank for Africa (UBA). Aside from the top 10 staff of UBA not obtaining any degree in Nigeria, UBA as official policy is assisting the influx of these Universities into Nigeria. Our investigation reveals that some of these Community Universities are not among the top notch in their country.
How can Nigerian Universities have a reliable website or be among the top 500 when Nigerian University Administrators connive with GSM service operators to host campus parties and lewd competitions instead of establishing a department of Information/Communication Technology/Law?
| 3.2 |
Peter Odili Celebrates 60 Years In Abuja.
August 16, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The birthday bash of Sir Dr. Peter Odili, immediate ex-governor of Rivers State in Sheraton Hotels Abuja on Friday 15th August, has put an icing on the allegation by the incumbent governor that those who ruined River State have relocated to Abuja.
For a governor who testified at the Justice Eso led rivers State Truth and Reconciliation Panel that he was generous to a fault while serving as governor of Rivers State for 8 years, one would have expected Sir Dr. Peter Odili to celebrate his birthday in Port Harcourt where he claims he touched lives and has a strong following.
It is a shame that Nigerian Politicians are like the proverbial sheep that soils her sleeping stead and prefers to sleep on all fours. It was during the tenure of Sir Odili that the local communities’ agitation against the oil companies grew fangs and gangs believed to be armed by the PDP ahead of 2003 General Elections introduced criminality into the peaceful struggle for resource control.
Sir Odili, whose wife is a judge of the Court of Appeal got perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from investigating or and prosecuting him or his activities as governor of Rivers State. I think Mrs. Waziri Farida should brief a SAN to appeal this questionable injunction if she is serious about running after ex-governors.
| 3.2 |
Abuja Carnival Runs Into EFCC Troubled Waters
August 15, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The office of the Abuja Carnival located at Aminu Kano Crescent was last Friday raided by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). At the end of the raid, cases of documents were carted away with no arrest made.
But at the turn of the week, the Chairman of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Otunba Olusegun Runsewe was arrested and queried for two days by the EFCC before he was granted administrative bail and told to report again to the EFCC office off Adetokunbo Ademola crescent Wuse II Abuja. Also invited to the EFCC include the administrative staff of the Carnival secretariat. A good number of them had their houses raided at about 8 PM, in front of their children. At press time, these administrators are answering questions from EFCC operatives.
A reliable source at the EFCC said that the investigation is in connection with the 2006 Abuja Carnival held while Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was the minister of culture and tourism.
Chief Fani-Kayode had been picked up by the EFCC in connection with his role over the aviation intervention fund. At a Senate public hearing Chief Fani-Kayode accused his predecessor in the aviation ministry of unaccountable 9 Billion Naira. This led to the arrest of Chief Babalola Borishade at the premises of the National Assembly.
Our source at EFCC reports that it was during the interrogation of Borishade that he squealed that certain money was misappropriated by Fani-Kayode as minister of Culture and tourism.
It was further learnt that the misappropriated carnival fund was used to finance the failed third term bid by the PDP under Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
There is no doubt that the Abuja Carnival put Nigeria on the international tourism map. This EFCC probe as commendable as it is, should not kill the hard earned clean image of Nigeria gotten with money invested in the Heart of Africa project.
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