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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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.
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Bakassi: Does she want to be a Nigerian?
August 14, 2008 by Felix Ashimole · Leave a Comment
All African Countries are a product of colonial administrative convenience. Cameroon and Nigeria are no exception. Cameroon in fact has an interesting history of having three colonial masters. First it was a German colony and became a spoil of war for Britain and France after the defeat of Germany in the First World War. (1919 League of Nation Mandate)The English speaking part, not wanting to be assimilated by the French culture, tilted towards Eastern Nigeria and expressed their political desire via: NCNC-National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons.
Ever since the South-West of Cameroon has been deemed Nigerian no political analyst asks, do these people whose ancestral land was invaded by European marauders after the Balkan Conference of 1885 want to belong to any of the geographical expressions?
As a child growing up after the Nigerian Civil War, I was told that Biafra lost the war because a part of Cameroon refused to allow arms meant for Biafra to sail through and as a reward, Gen. Yakubu Gowon returned that part of Cameroon back to Cameroon.
Now as an adult, I read of The Green Tree Agreement, wherein it is agreed that instead of washing African brotherhood’s dirty linen in the International Court, Big Brother Nigeria, agreed to hand over Bakassi to Cameroon on 14th August 2008. At 11 am today, the ceremony begun with the Nigerian Attorney General and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa leading Nigerian pack.
What I make of all these is that a great injustice has been done to the people of Bakassi. Over the years they have been pushed around like ping-pong at an Olympic tournament. All the groups claiming Bakassi have not the interest of the people at heart. All they are after is the mineral deposit in the peninsula, which I read has a large commercial quantity of crude oil.
It is this discovery that makes me sad. In all the African countries where crude oil has been discovered, that country has never known peace. The expatriate oil companies exploit the oil without corresponding development for the people and the areas where this black gold is scooped from. The lingering environmental problems in the Niger Delta of Nigeria are an example. Seeing the “battle” raging on in the Niger Delta, would Bakassi still want to be part of Nigeria?
Paul Biya. Did I hear you say who? He has been president of Cameroon as long as I can remember. His long stay has eclipsed Ahmadu Ahidjo’s tenure. Am sure the people of Bakassi will not want their resources to be used to further fuel the life presidency project of Paul Biya.
Poor people of Bakassi. If a plebiscite was conducted, except supervised by Nigeria’s INEC, I am sure Bakassi in conjunction with her English speaking “brothers” in Cameroon would have voted to be in an independent sovereign country.
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EFCC Arrests Former EFCC Director of Operations.
August 13, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · 1 Comment
Mr. Ibrahim Lamode, former Director of Operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) was yesterday arrested by operatives of the EFCC. According to a reliable source, he is being held in Abuja Police Command cell opposite old CBN office off Samuel Akintola Boulevard Garki II.
It was further gathered that it took several attempts before Lamode’s house was broken into to effect his arrest. Our source said that Lamode had been queried by the EFCC about a file which he denied knowledge of but at the raid, the file was found in his possession.
Informed sources in the Police Force claims that the file found on Lamode though ought to be in EFCC office, is not the file that is giving the new leadership of EFCC sleepless night. The most sort after file we were told is the George Akume file, believed to contain the bail bond signed by Mrs. Waziri before her appointment as EFCC boss.
Mr. Ibrahim Magu an ace investigator have been cooling off in EFCC cell while his houses have been ransacked with valuables including his personal computer, laptop and documents carted away by the EFCC.
Meanwhile the where about of former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu, is unknown, adding credence to the speculations that he might have fled abroad to avoid arrest by the commission he once headed. Last week, Ribadu was demoted two steps from the rank of AIG to DCP.
With this latest development, it is obvious that the war against corruption has finished the last stanza of her swan song. I repeat there is no need to kill the EFCC because Ribadu was consumed by passion without understanding the political land mines.
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EFCC, Ribadu And The Civil Society Sympathy
August 13, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
As the hues and cries over the demotion of Ribadu hits the Olympus, I am forced to look at the characters of those crying more than the bereaved. These cries have nothing to do with the “ill manner” Mrs. Waziri is running the EFCC. The cry has nothing to do with the effect of this shameless act by the Police on the image of Nigeria. A good number of these are the members of the civil society that benefited from the Civil Society-EFCC partnership under Nuhu Ribadu.
EFCC under Nuhu Ribadu, started a programme tagged FIX NIGERIA INITIATIVE. Under this quasi-NGO, a great number of timber and calibre of the civil society community were drafted in to assist EFCC to spread the message and get an attitudinal change among Nigerians. Under this programme, the likes of Adams Oshiomhole, Femi Falana et al appeared on Fix-Nigeria sponsored adverts on NTA and added their quota to the war. When EFCC under Ribadu was accused of witch hunting Obasanjo’s enemies, the ready answer was “let him run after them, when another EFCC boss comes on board, let him run after Obasanjo’s cronies” So why the hullabaloo all about?
Mrs. Waziri, should look into this Fix-Nigeria Initiative, she will see enough to keep the civil society off her back. A good number of pro-Ribadu Civil society groups benefitted questionably from this Fix-Nigeria Initiative. To further scar them, Mrs. Waziri should conduct a probe into the structure, activities and source of funding of these Civil society groups. In a counter insurgence move, the Civil Society should make available the claimed bail bond for George Akume believed to be signed by Mrs. Waziri.
My headache with Ribadu was that he personalised the war and with the active aid of the media saw himself as the only good incorruptible Nigerian and failed to clone other incorruptible Nigerians to take over should he fall as he has fallen. It is this glorification and refual to build human structure that is behind his travails. Those he ran after are leaving no stone unturned to show that Ribadu has a foot of clay and can of fresh worms.
The owner of Russell Centre Zone 4 Abuja, Chief Nwude had the guts to accuse Ribadu of not selling his properties equitably. In deed the lion has been crippled and the antelope has come to collect overdue debt.
Apart from this criminal confrontation, a “black sheep” in the Civil Society community who was not favourably engaged by Ribadu, wrote a petition to the new EFCC boss, asking how the properties of exconvict, ex-governor of Bayelsa, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha were disposed.
For those crying over Ribadu, my candid advice is to start engaging Mrs. Waziri before she smears Nigeria’s image with indelible ink of unseriousness over zero tolerance of corruption. According to Zik, broken bottle has no mekwaterism. The Civil society should mobilise Nigerians to seek alternative remedy to the trial of those perceived corrupt ex-governors, as it is obvious that the Rule of Law concept can be a flexible tool to perpetuate corruption. But charity they say begins at home. The civil society should look inward, after it’s their kit and kin that is defending Kenny Martins, who have been indicted over his activities in Police Equipment Fund.
In all these Civil society’s cry, which group has risen in defence of the fears raised by the star witness in the lingering trial of Kenny Martins?
| 3.2 |
Nigerian Judiciary: A benchmark of corruption.
August 13, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The rot in the Nigerian Judiciary received a hoot of disapproval with the questionable and inconsistent interpretation of the Electoral Act which midwifed the April 2007 General Election, believed to be the worst in Nigeria history. This rot has been heaped at the door step of the Court of Appeal, especially after the stench from Osun state and the abracadabra in Jos that upturned the judgment of the lower tribunal and returned David Mark as the winner.
But what most Nigerians have closed their eyes to, is that the corruption in the judiciary goes beyond the Election Tribunals. The real rot commences in the Registry of the Nigeria judiciary. A lawyer who spoke with us, said that these Process Unit staff as they are called, are responsible for missing content in a litigant’s file, contrary dates of adjournments. Apart from extorting a litigant by claiming that there is no file to house his writ of summons and other originating documents, these junior staff willingly tell litigants which judge is open to receiving bribes.
Another source of corruption in the Nigerian judiciary is the lawyers. A good number of lawyers in a bid to get ahead encourage the corrupt practices by these junior staff. A good number shunt due process and compromise the judiciary staff into inserting documents into a file out of time; some go to the extent of informing litigants that there is need to pay certain amount of fees to facilitate favourable judgment. When their matter is not assigned to an amiable judge, they refile and grease palms in order to get their process before the “appropriate” judge.
If the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-Umbrella body for all lawyers in Nigeria) is serious about the fight against corruption in Nigeria, there is need for her to start from members of the bar, rather than this crocodile tears over Ribadu and EFCC.
The judiciary Service Commission, should clamp down on any judge fingered in corrupt practices. As a deterrent, any judge whose name is whispered in questionable deal, should be placed on suspension and in innocent, the accuser should be disrobed if a lawyer and if a litigant, be prosecuted for obstructing justice.
| 3.2 |
CAC Holds Customers Forum
August 12, 2008 by Felix Ashimole · Leave a Comment
After a protracted delay and numerous abortions coupled with .attacks by our own Che Oyinatumba, the Corporate Affairs Commission held her Customers Forum (CF) at the Obecha Ladi Kwali Hall of Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Abuja. The essence of the CF, is to provide an amiable environment for the administrators of CAC and the customers to find ways of solving the daily problems bedevilling CAC customers. It was also an opportunity for the commission to put across her side of the story in light of the unbalanced and unsubstantiated editorial by one national daily newspaper.
In recent times, CAC has been having problems with regards to quality and timely services. According to the Registrar General (RG) Al Mustaph these problems are surmountable and in most cases, it is the customers of CAC that generate these problems. According to the RG, who marshalled statistics from customers questioners to buttress his point, a good number of availability print outs are never collected hence clogging the sorting process. To solve this problem, the RG proposed a print on demand programme and or sending the availability directly to an accredited customers’ mail box either an internet based or a CAC internal network box. Power fluctuation was not left out as part of the problems c
While promising that services will be better once CAC moves to her new site in Mitama, the RG said that he will not leave any stone unturned in the quest to make the CAC the best institution in the world.
I.n order to be paperless compliant, the RG unveiled a uniformed Memorandum and Article that was unanimously agreed will take effect from November this year. He further said that adequate computers have been provided for in the new office which will eliminate middleman syndrome and allow customers to search for a name before requesting and paying for availability with the commission.
On the issue of dress code that has been a source of friction between the customers of CAC and the security men at the gate, the RG reiterated that proper dressing, is the hallmark of a lawyer and that the commission is willing to contest up to Supreme Court any decision allowing lawyers/customers of CAC to wear jeans while engaging in an official legal capacity. This position of the commission, received the backing of the NBA Unity Bar. Abuja chapter of the NBA, was represented by the able chairman, Akingboro Esq., who not only identified problems encountered by lawyers transacting business with CAC but acknowledged that the commission is making concerted efforts to serve her customers better.
One the lingering issue of touting by CAC staff, the commission has set up a Central Disciplinary Committee to investigate allegation of touting against some staff caught with incorporation documents. The RG urged lawyers to be vigilant and report any staff engaging on such and should not connive with the staff to perpetuate crime.
A lawyer who spoke to our correspondent, paid glowing tribute to the RG and commended the commission for rapid responds to the plight of CAC customers. She further said it’s not yet uhuru as any institution run by human beings is prone to problems and it’s only a responsive administrator that can proactively nip the problems in the bud. She also wants the customers of CAC to take RG at his words and complain if these novel ideas are not put in place and functional in 3 months time.
Another lawyer said that the Customers Forum, though started one hour behind schedule, was worth it, as it gave room for the customers to bare their minds and have their ruffled nerves calmed by the reassuring words of the RG in the presence of the NBA Abuja Branch Chairman.
The Customers Forum, ended with a pool side buffet befitting a king’s wedding.
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