Monday, November 30, 2009

The House of Representatives is to spend about N55bn next year on “miscellaneous” items, office furniture and local/international travels.



The House of Representatives is to spend about N55bn next year on “miscellaneous” items, office furniture and local/international travels.

Details of the 2010 budget also show that the House will incur more costs on various recurrent sub-heads in the coming year above the amount spent on the same purposes in 2009.

International and local travels by members of the House will consume N22bn (N18bn for local travels and N4bn for international travels) in 2010 as against the N19.8bn voted for the sub-head in 2009.

About N13.5bn was voted for miscellaneous expenses, out of which N4.2bn was set aside for public hearings to be conducted by standing committees of the House.

There are over 80 committees in the House, but in 2009, many of them did not conduct any hearings. However, N3.6bn was voted for public hearings in 2009.

Besides, a separate N15.8bn was set aside as “sitting allowances” for the 360 members of the House.

Sittings during public hearings are counted as normal sittings of committees. It was not clear why a separate vote of N4.2bn was provided for public hearings.

Further details show that the “maintenance of office furniture” will cost N287.5m in 2010 as against N250m in 2009.

Investigations by our correspondent on Monday, however, indicated that some office furniture purchased for the House this year, including chairs, were yet to be installed.

Many chairs purchased for committee rooms are still piled up in the rooms owing to lack of space to mount them.

Similarly, N460m was set aide for House committees to hire the services of consultants in 2010, up from the N400m voted for the sub-head in 2009.

Each committee was allocated N5m to hire consultants, though not all committees of the House carry out visible oversight duties.

Another whopping N3.7bn was allocated to “materials and supplies,” out of which N952.7m is for the purchase of “computer materials” and supplies and another N355.1m for “library books and periodicals.”

This year, N308.8m was voted for books and periodicals, besides the N200m earmarked for “purchase of books for National Assembly library.”

Checks at the library, however, revealed that the library had neither been expanded nor had new books worth N200m been purchased by officials.

The “maintenance of computers and other information technology equipment” at the House cost N360m in 2009. Next year, N952.7m will be spent to procure new ones.

The total budget of the House for 2010 is N58.1bn

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

BREAKING NEWS!! Yar'adua 'unconscious' In Saudi Arabia: Fears Mount In Nigeria.


Written by Sahara Reporters, New York
Wednesday, 25 November 2009 18:26

There has been palpable anxiety all over Nigeria in the last 24 hours over the health of Nigeria's sickly leader, Umaru Yar'Adua, who was admitted to the King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah on Monday after he was evacuated from Nigeria on medical emergency. It is his third medical trip in four months. The presidency always gives the impression that he is in the country for something else, although Nigerians now know better.

After Saharareporters broke the story of his latest medical evacuation two days ago, his office issued a statement admitting that he would be visiting his doctors in Jeddah.

Yar'adua suffers from a degenerative disease known as Churg Strauss syndrome. Saharareporters sources said Yar'Adua, who appears increasingly gaunt for a man who is not yet 60, was unconscious for about four hours last night, fueling widespread rumors that he had died in Saudi Arabia. Saharareporters received thousands of inquiries from readers, including government officials who claimed they had not heard from the "president".

Characteristically, Yar'Adua did not hand over to his vice, Jonathan Goodluck, a man he either fears, or holds in contempt, as he never hands the constitutional batton of power to him. In the corridors of power, the lackluster deputy is generally referred to as the "Social Prefect" because of his powerlessness and lack of influence in the presidency. Even the presentation of the 2010budget was done by Yar'Adua aides on Tuesday. His most powerful political performance this year was at the final match of the just-concluded Under-17 World Cup event in Abuja, where he represented Yar'Adua.

Source: http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4347:yaradua-unconsciousq-in-saudi-arabia-fears-mount-in-nigeria&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Abubakar Umar, Special Assistant to CAC boss, brutally murdered and burnt



Abubakar Umar, a lawyer and special assistant to Ahmeed Al Mustapha, registrar of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) was found brutally assassinated yesterday in Abuja. Abubakar was trailed by unknown assailants after he left work last night, abducted, shot to death, and set ablaze. His badly burnt body was found near Utako Market in the opposite direction of his residence in Maitama.

Already, the Nigerian police has been quick to claim that Mr. Umar died in auto accident, saying that his body was burnt because it was trapped in his burning car. But family members suspect a cover-up, contending that Abubakar's body was riddled with bullets and that the police recovered expended bullet shells from the scene where his body was recovered

Saharareporters learnt from a source at the National Assembly that the lawyer, described as a brilliant civil servant, had recently acquired a piece of land bordering the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in Abuja. In an attempt to develop the land, Abubakar applied to the National Assembly leadership to grant access to him to take materials meant for development of his land through the property of the National Assembly in the Apo legislative village.

Abubakar was reportedly directed to meet with the office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Usman Bayero Nafada, to seek the necessary approval. But his agents who met with Mr. Nafada were shocked to find out that he was only interested in taking over the land.

He (Nafada) offered to pay for it and asked Abubakar's representatives to name their price, but Abubakar refused to sell his prized possession. The deputy speaker denied the application for access and promptly requested the minster of the Federal capital territory to revoke the land allocation to Mr. Umar for "security reason".

Things took a curious turn two weeks ago when the land allocation was revoked by the Minister of the Federal capital Territory (FCT), Adamu Aliero, and re-allocated to Mr. Nafada.

Abubakar Umar, was considering challenging the FCT in court over the revocation but had not yet been able to obtain the revocation paperwork to enable him commence legal action.

Another source also told Saharareporters that his death might be connected with the arrest and prosecution of some persons involved in forging CAC documents. Last month, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested two lawyers, George Ihijirika Okechukwu and Nwaroh Emmanuel, as well as Tolulope Akeju, alias C and C. They were charged before a Federal High Court in Abuja for making a false certificate of registration of increase in shares capital serial number 756501 of the Corporate Affairs Commission in respect of Jeruzeth International Engineering Company Limited, from N1,000,000 to N25,000,000.

Abubakar has been buried according to Muslim rites at the Abuja cemetry.
http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4219:abubakar-umar-special-assistant-to-cac-boss-brutally-murdered-burnt&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Monday, November 9, 2009



Top Nollywood actor, Nkem Owoh kidnapped
By AZUH AMATUS
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Nkem Owoh
Photo: Sun News Publishing

Heavily armed kidnappers plied their evil trade in Enugu State over the weekend, abducting popular actor and comic star, Nkem Owoh, famously known as Osuofia in Nollywood movies. According to an insider, who spoke with Daily Sun, Owoh, unarguably one of the most popular names in the nation’s movie industry, was abducted last Saturday afternoon along the busy Enugu/Port Harcourt Road.

Speaking further, the source who pleaded anonymity disclosed that the abductors are demanding for N15 million ransom.
Confirming the sad news, which many in Nollywood are still oblivious of, Mr. Segun Arinze, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said he received the news with a rude shock. “I’m perplexed,” he said.

He, however, promised to issue an official statement after due consultations with his executives and members of Owoh’s family.
Also in an emotion-laden voice, Mr. Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, the Enugu State Chapter chairman of AGN, regretted the kidnappers action, describing it as devilish and wicked. “We are on our toes here in Enugu trying our best to see how Nkem Owoh will be out of the kidnappers den unhurt. We are also in touch with his immediate family. This is a trying moment for all actors. However, we are very positive and hopeful.”

Mr. Chuma Onwudiwe, the National Secretary of AGN, while reacting to Owoh’s abduction, called on the relevant authorities to join them in securing the immediate release of the actor from his abductors.
He also assured that the national secretariat is already working with the Enugu State chapter to ensure that Owoh regains his freedom soon.
It would be recalled that another popular actor in Nollywood, Pete Edochie, was kidnapped and later released by his abductors, a couple of months ago.
Nkem Owoh, from Enugu State, gained prominence in acting with his superb role in Kingsley Ogoro’s blockbuster – Osuofia in London, a comic movie that has grossed over a million copies. He has acted in over 1000 Nollywood movies, in a successful career spanning over two decades.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Bankole, Deputy Buy 18 Bullet-proof Vehicles - Each Costs N85m



Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and his deputy, Honourable Usman Bayero Nafada, are said to have acquired nine bullet-proof cars each for their official use and in preparation for 2011 governorship elections in their respective states.

Bankole is from Ogun State while Nafada is from Gombe. Their governors are respectively serving second terms and their seats will be vacant in 2011.

The Speaker had, on many occassions, denied eyeing the governorship seat, but sources in his state have continued to link him with a possible shot at the Ogun Government House. The multi-million naira vehicles are now in Abuja, while the presiding officers sometimes put some of the cars in their official fleet.

Sources confirmed in Abuja that each of the vehicles was acquired for between N50 and N85 million and that the deputy speaker, most of the times, acted as a catalyst for the acquisition.It was also gathered in Abuja that the cars are mostly parked at a rented apartment being used as a Guest House by the Speaker.

Saturday Tribune reports that the speaker acquired the first bullet-proof car shortly after he resumed office in November, 2007, adding that the car was in his fleet during his first official trip to Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.It was gathered that because of the sensitive nature of the cars, the National Assembly had, through the outgoing Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Nasiru Arab, requested for End Users Certificate (EUC) from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to ensure the clearance of the first bullet-proof car acquired for the Speaker.

It is not clear whether those acquired after that were also granted the required EUC. A source said that some of the cars in the fleet of the speaker and his deputy included two Range Rover Sport cars each; Two Mercedes Benz bullet-proof cars and two Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps each.

It was gathered that three of such cars each are also being cleared for the use of the officers.

A source said: There is a lot of secrecy about the location of many of the cars, but there is nothing to hide about the ambition of these two presiding officers. Initially, they were said to be seeking a return to the National Assembly to retain their seats so as to help the president in his second term bid, but the conclusions have been reached now with the lavish acquisition of bullet-proof cars.

There are also issues with the pricing of the cars, which sources said, are on the high side. It was gathered that costs of new vehicles are not supposed to be more than N15 million higher than the regular ones, but that most of the ones purchased by the legislators have been bought at exorbitant prices.

There were also allegations, during the week, that the House of Representatives was short of cash, prompting some unusual borrowings.

But the spokesman of the House, Honourable Eseme Eyiboh, told the Saturday Tribune that the allegations against the speaker and his deputy as well as the allegations that the House was lacking fund were unfounded.

Eyiboh denied knowledge of the importation of 18 bullet-proof Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) by the presiding officers of the House for the 2011 general elections.

He also rejected speculations that the House has overshot its budget, prompting it to engage in borrowing to meet up its expenditure. Eyiboh, Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, who spoke with Saturday Tribune in Abuja, said that it was not possible for either the Speaker or his deputy to import such vehicles as there was no budgetary allocation for them.

Sources at the Office of the Speaker are insisting that the vehicles in question were those that had earlier generated controversy following the decision of the National Assembly management to replace the vehicles in the convoys of the principal officers of the House earlier in the year.

The sources noted that the vehicles, which were ordered at the time, were only just being delivered and argued that they were certainly not as many as 18 that had been rumoured, maintaining that they had nothing to do with the 2011 ambitions of the officers.

According to sources, which spoke with Saturday Tribune in confidence, the purchase of the vehicles followed a presentation by security details attached to the Speaker, who have strongly recommended the replacement of fleet of vehicles because they had gone out of shape.

The particular incident, which prompted that recommendation, was when the flag-bearing car of the Deputy Speaker had to be towed from Gombe to Aso Rock Villa for repairs after it broke down, the sources disclosed.

Speaking on the allegation, Mr. Hameed Bello, Special Adviser on Media to the Deputy Speaker, dismissed the existence of the bullet-proof vehicles for the principal officers as he observed the speculation was the handiwork of mischievous politicians.

The onus is on those who are saying it to prove the allegations. We have to be careful what we do because this is the era of politics, he told Saturday Tribune.

However, he remarked that if individual members were to buy vehicles that were personal to them, it was not the business of the House of Representatives.

Elombah.com asks:

On the current matter of Bankole and his deputy purchasing numerous armoured vehicles (at a minimum of 85 million Naira each)

Where are we going in Nigeria? All these and yet we are talking of oil subsidy.

Can we as members of the Nigerian Diaspora community not sign a petition letter demanding some explanations from Mr Bankole--demanding answers to the following questions:

a) is it true the armoured vehicles were purchased as reported in the newspapers?

b) If the news story of the purchase is true --for what purpose would so many armoured vehicles have been purchased considering that Mr Bankole and his Deputy could only ride in one vehicle at any given moment?

c) Under what budgetary allocation(s) were the vehicles purchased?

d) Did the purchase of the armoured vehicles follow proper regulatory and procedural processes including--appearing as line items in the budget, proper approval of the budget by the HOR members and that the purchase followed proper tendering processes as required by the law?

e) Is the purchase of t he armoured vehicles in keeping with the letter and the spirit of the austerity measures recently announced by President Yar’Adua in the wake of the dwindling economic fortunes of Nigeria and the falling revenues from crude oil?

In addition to the above direct questions directed at Mr Bankole, the Nigerian Diaspora community could also do the following:

a) request that the EFCC look into the matter

b) request that the auditor general of the federation pay special attention to the matter during preparations for its annual report.

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2127:bankole-deputy-buy-18-bullet-proof-vehicles-each-costs-n85m-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=67


Crooks & Crooks INC. The EFCC's 10% game .


The EFCC, which energetically jumped into the banking crisis and whose chairman moved over 100 agents to Lagos at the height of the financial sector meltdown,is collecting 10 percent of all the monies recovered from debtors on behalf of banks, according to industry and EFCC sources.

This legally dubious and ethically questionable practice means that the EFCC has now profited to the tune of N17 billion from the total of N171 billion it says it has helped collect from some of the biggest debtors in the land, a list that is a who is who of Nigeria's business and political elite.

We have no evidence to suggest that senior EFCC officials, including its chairman, Farida Waziri, are personally benefiting from the windfall. But the practice suggests that the EFCC now sees itself as a debt collector rather than a crime buster. And the law setting up the commission, clearly written to avoid a potential moral quandry, does not allow it take such self compensation from targets of law enforcement.

The ten per cent charge

This revelation introduces a new dynamics to the banking crisis, the role of the EFCC, the current ethical complexion of the agency, and the integrity of regulatory agencies in the country."We of course collect 10 per cent administrative charges for all our labour" an EFCC operative told NEXT, on condition of anonymity, in Abuja at the weekend insisting that "it is not a bribe, it's just administrative, and it's done everywhere in the world, even the police do it here."

Spokesman of the Commission, Femi Babafemi who announced to reporters on Monday, November 2, in Abuja that it had so far recovered N171 billion from the debtors of the banks, vigorously denied that a portion of this had gone into the private pockets of EFCC officials.Mr Babafemiasked: "How can that be? There is absolutely nothing like that. The money is paid into the banks directly. EFCC has agents in those banks and they only co-ordinate the payment directly into the banks. Most of these transactions are not cash based. Whether formally or informally, it is not possible. Anyone who does that in this agency will go to jail. It is an allegation that we have heard and it is an allegation that we have investigated. There is no law allowing us to do that so how will the EFCC do that?" Mr. Babafemi stated.


Scripted Muteness:

NEXT received hostile responses from officials at the distressed banks when this question was posed to them. However, independent investigations confirmed that the practice is widespread."We pay them 10 percent of whatever they recover for us. But it is not only us, go and find out from other banks, we all pay the 10 percent," a spring bank official told NEXT.

Francis Barde, the of Head corporate affairs of Union Bank, however, claims that Union bank does not pay a commission to the EFCC or the Nigerian police. "No charge has been sent to Union Bank for payment by any of the law enforcement agencies.

Therefore, we have paid nothing," Mr. Barde told NEXT in response to our enquiries.

Jude Nwauzor, a corporate communications officer at Spring bank failed to respond to repeated enquiries via text messages, email, and phone calls after an initial pledge to respond to our questions, if we would send them to him by email.

While official Spring Bank response was not forthcoming, inside sources insisted that "this is not the first time we are paying 10 percent to government agencies, we have always paid 10 percent to the police force at any rate, if they help us recover our bad loans. We don't ask questions because what is more important is to recover the money," the bank official told us.

NEXT has documentary evidence of these transactions.In a deal that occurred on October 28, 2009, Spring Bank paid a commission of N50,000 for a 500,000 recovery. The money was paid to the police. This practice, bank officials confess, has been going on for years, even though they are aware that the practice is illegal. They also explain a preference for law enforcement recoveries over those of attorneys. "If we go to recovery agents, we will still pay the 10 percent, so why not give it to the police or the EFCC since they will still help us get our money albeit in a shorter time," a bank chief told NEXT.

While the EFCC denies that they collect the commission, the police, speaking through its public relations chief, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed that they sometimes get paid for their services, though he declined to state the percentage they collect. "Police can collect money for some services rendered, and such is receipted for and paid to the Police Reward fund," he said but distanced the police from debt recovery business. "The police is not employed to collect debts," Mr Ojukwu stated in response to our enquiries.

Mr. Babafemi of the EFCC said he was unaware of police culpability. "I don't speak for any other agency but I can speak for the EFCC. If any other agency is collecting 10 percent, not the EFCC," Mr. Babafemi stressed .

The Spring Bank headache

An indication that the stressed banks are not comfortable with paying a 10 percent commission to the EFCC and another 10 percent to their recovery agents emerged at a meeting the new chief executive of the troubled Spring Bank Plc Olusola Ayodele, had on Wednesday, October 28,in the board room of the bank at its corporate headquarters in Lagos. In attendance were other top executives of the bank and senior management aides. "The mood was typically uneven between our spring bank old hands and the Bank PHB arrivals who we call gold diggers," recalled a senior bank aide who spoke to NEXT in strict confidence, "top on the agenda was how the bank would debrief its recovery agents, law firms, that help us recover our bad loans."

Since she arrived at Spring Bank, sources at the bank told us, Mrs. Ayodele has been gingely finding her way through the vestiges of institutional landmines that line all the operational pathways of the bank since the banking consolidation exercise of 2006.

The 2006 exercise sought to fuse sometimes radically dissimilar institutions into one healthy family but the Spring Bank experiment consistently proved to be a poster-child of institutional chaos. The peak of the turmoil came with the 51 per cent acquisition of Spring Bank by Bank PHB shortly before Christmas last year. The new banking crisis that came with the sacking of the board and management of eight banks including Spring Bank and PHB, racheted up the troubles of the bank,

Faced with a staggering N96 billion debt profile, Mrs. Ayodele thought, according to aides, that the bank was overly haemorrhaging, trying too hard to service her 15 or so debt recovery agents, all of which are major law firms who took 10% of all debt recovered.

"At the end of the meeting, the decision was reached" according to a source at the table, that the bank could not afford to pay this ten per cent agency fees twice, since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commsissions [EFCC] would also receive 10 percent of the recovered sum.""Madam has asked us to stay all our relationships with our recovery agents. You know they were initially helping us on some of these loans. But so as not to make double 10 percent payment, to the agent and the EFCC, we had to terminate all our agreement with the recovery agents," a top bank chief told NEXT.


Lawyers disgust:

Commercial, and criminal lawyers moved swiftly to condemn these charges being collected by the anti-graft agencies. Jiti Ogunye, a Lagos human rights lawyer described the police spokesman's statement as ill advised, and asked a series of question. "Why must you reward the police? Does it have a legal or statutory backing? It is only calling an act of corruption by another name. A police reward fund? Who utilises the fund, what do the police use the money for? Do they use the money to buy guns, or buy vehicles or run their police stations or what? Do they use it to pay their salaries?" Mr. Ogunye asked rhetorically stating that "our superior courts, particularly the court of appeal has said that the police is not a debt recovery agency."

Nevertheless, Mr. Ogunye stated that it was illegal for the EFCC or any agency to collect such funds. "There is no law in Nigeria today that allows security agencies or anticorruption agencies to take any percentage of the money that is recovered in the course of their investigation or in the course of their work" adding that "it is just an act of corruption."

Charles Musa, a criminal law expert speaking from Abuja, said "If it is true, it is most unfortunate. They have no legal basis. It is a flagrant breach of the police act and that will be a very corrupt practice, for the police to collect any money out of money it covers for banks."

Mr. Musa said "the police should not be involved in recovering money because it is a civil matter. If there is a criminal aspect to the case, it is the duty of the police to prosecute that criminal aspect, and leave the negotiation and recovery of money. No money should even be paid to the police or paid to the police station, or even to EFCC."

Regarding the police reward fund, Mr. Musa admitted that "I've not done any research into police reward fund, and I don't know the legal basis" thinking "maybe it is an NGO registered with the CAC" but adding that "If police collect police reward fund, do they give you receipt, and on what basis, is it voluntary. I still think it sounds like a corrupt practice."

Speaking specifically of the EFCC, Mr. Musa said he hoped they were not collecting such money. "EFCC or any law enforcement agency has no basis to collect any such money. No basis to collect any money at all. That is why the EFCC probably denied it. They are aware of that, I will be surprised if they will ever admit to such a thing," he stated.

A case of growing rot in the system

Shortly after arriving back from a trip to the Unites States, the executive Chairman of the agency, Farida Waziri, on Monday November 02, huddled with her operational chiefs in a meeting at the EFCC's training and research Institute in karu, near Abuja. Mrs Waziri complained bitterly about corruption in the ranks.She threatened to get stern on future reports of corruption but insiders say she has given a veil of protection to operatives found guilty but who are from the police ranks. "There is a blatant rank polling here. If you are from the police you are okay but if you come from other institutions, you are held to impossible standards," said a bitter seconded staff. The case of an operative who collected a N13 million bribe who was merely shuffled from one department to another was offered to NEXT an illustrative example of the systemic rot now in the ranks of the agency.

How bad loans were recovered

Prior to the CBN wielding its axe on the management of five banks which it considered "stressed", banks in the country employed law firms as ‘recovery agents' to recover bad loans or non-performing loans from debtors.

Typically, law firms would seek to take debtor companies into receivership (a situation where the bank appoints a new management usually the law firm for the company), asking the court to declare the company bankrupt and thus not able to meet its financial commitments and thus sell the company among others.

These recovery agents, as part of their agency fee, were paid 10 percent of any money they helped the bank recover. However, since the EFCC was called into the case of the troubled banks, the recovery agents have had less to do.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5478507-146/story.csp


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Coronation of Corruption: Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Utuama, at Umaru Abdullahi's coronation.






Professor Utuama coordinated series of criminal acts of bribery of the judiciary during Ibori’s tenure and was indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the 170-count charge filed against Ibori first before the federal High Court in Kaduna and later before the Federal "kangaroo" court in Asaba, Delta state. His law firm, Prime Chambers was used as a conduit for money laundering and compromising of lawyers, judges and their shell companies. Several millions of Naira was shelled out through Utuama’s Prime Chambers account No: 6012901256 at Zenith Bank. However, Utuama enjoys absolute legal immunity therefore providing the cover he badly needs to continue facilitating judicial scams on behalf of Ibori using Delta State funds.

As Saharareporters has repeatedly reported, the outgoing President of the Federal Court of Appeal, Umaru Abdullahi, remains one of the most corrupt judicial officers in Nigeria’s history. Last week, the Emir of Daura in Katsina State, against judicial service rules, conferred him with the title of Wali Hausa. And who was at
Justice Abdullahi’s infamous coronation ceremony in Daura?

You guessed it: Prof. Utuama.

Photos show Prof. Utuama, in various attires, with his partners in crime at various special events sponsored by the Delta State government. It was a big thank you from the criminals that looted Delta State and successfully used Nigeria’s corrupt judiciary and twisted political processes to get away with these crimes.

Meanwhile, the Delta state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan and Prof. Utuama are currently before election petition tribunals set up by Umaru Abdullahi, but that could not stop this show of shame and brazen impunity.

Utuama and Abdullahi: The meeting of corrupt officers of bar and bench

http://saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4151:photonews-coronation-of-corruption-delta-state-deputy-governor-prof-utuama-at-umaru-abdullahis-coronation&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Crook And His Money.


Ribadu Lodged $15m Ibori’s Bribe With CBN – Waziri
Written by Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna
Monday, 02 November 2009 02:54

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has finally broken its silence on allegations by its former boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, that he lodged $15million bribe money from former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The EFCC's boss, Mrs Farida Waziri, stated this in Washington, while on a working tour to the United States. In an interview she granted the Hausa Service of the Voice of America which was monitored in Kaduna on Wednesday, Mrs Farida Waziri confirmed the insinuation saying, “Yes I confirmed that the money is in the Central Bank; yes you know when I came, the case was already in court and I read the allegation in the case file.”

Ribadu had in September alleged that Ibori induced him with $15 million to halt charges against the former governor. This allegation spawned a major controversy between the duo.

It would be recalled that Chief James Ibori had in September 2009, debunked Ribadu's bribe money allegation. But the former anti-crime czar said he received and lodged the money with the apex bank. In his self-defence, Ibori clarified that Ribadu had wanted him to influence his appointment as Inspector-General of Police, saying, "Yes, I maintain that I never, repeat never, bribed or attempted to bribe Ribadu, who, always loose with the facts, tried to hoodwink the public by alleging that I was speaking after two years of being investigated.

"Yet, the bribery allegation I reacted to publicly, was the one he made in a witness statement in London as recently as August 26th, 2009. I had to reply to that one publicly because, as Ribadu himself knows, that allegation will not be tested by any trial, as no charge whatsoever, whether related to that bribery allegation or not, has ever been leveled against me in any court of law in the entire United Kingdom.

"His allegation of two years ago, which I have not publicly reacted to, is being tested in court. I am a Christian and will not deny him. Very many times, he tried to get me to assist him in one way or the other, including his desire to become the Inspector General of Police.

"In his approach, he posited that in his estimation and knowledge of Nigerian politics, I was one of those who could help him achieve it. In fact, he promised that if I did, he would not file charges against me and would not prosecute me. I told him to give me time to reflect on it, but it would be stupid of me to have bought into his blackmail; so, I ignored him.

"When he then realized that I was not succumbing to his cheap blackmail, he decided to go ahead with his plan to humiliate me".

Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who also swiftly replied Chief Ibori's outburst, had argued "How could I have been seeking the assistance of a convicted felon for the highest police position in the country? If I wanted to be IG, he would be the last person I will consider to help me. Ibori, just like the others we tried to bring to justice, is desperate and would do anything to escape justice as he has always done.

"Nothing emphasizes Ibori's capacity for falsehood and felony than his claim at the press conference that I 'framed' him for attempting to bribe me with $15 million. As he told the lie, and as I write this, the $15 million remains as an exhibit deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria. I must state, however, that I am used to these types of allegations and fabrications by those who are struggling under the present circumstances to find a way out of their advertised felonies and crimes against the people.

"It has now become fashionable for all sorts of morally-bankrupt people to try to use me to do one thing or the other. Any close observer of the events in Nigeria in the last decade would agree that what we were able to achieve as founders and operators of the EFCC was of a more fundamental nature, in the context of our urgent national crisis, than becoming IGP.

“But that is a matter for another day. People understand what we tried to do and recognise that the felons must be brought to justice so as to allow millions of our compatriots to enjoy their God-given resources. Ibori claimed that he could trace 'the genesis of his ordeal to his staunch and uncompromising stance on a major electoral promise he made back in 1998 to the people of Delta State that he would champion the cause of redressing the injustice associated with resources derivable from their land.'

"I will only like to ask if it is in keeping with this 'promise' that he became a billionaire overnight 'on behalf' of the suffering masses of Delta State. Finally, Ibori said he remained my 'loyal friend'. I am also still open to his 'friendship', but that will never be at the expense of my loyalty to my fatherland and commitment to transparency and honesty in public office.

"I have a friendly advice for Ibori, though. Instead of wasting the money of Delta State people that he stole to pay lawyers all over the world, isn't it better as a 'Christian' that he claims to be to return his loot to the people of Delta State and have peace with his God? If he fails to do so, at the appropriate time, no matter how much the Iboris of this world run from the law, they would one day be made to atone for their sundry crimes.

"If they are able to bribe their way through in Nigeria and get men and women of questionable character appointed into office to shield themselves from prosecution, they cannot do the same in the United Kingdom and before God. But even in Nigeria, the protection that they enjoy today is temporary. Wait, James, still on our friendship, since I couldn't see you when I visited Lagos recently, why don't you visit me in London to catch up with your other friends".Reacting to the recent verdict meted out to Chief Olabode George and others, Waziri, said "Yes am happy because all that Nuhu Ribadu did were plea bargain and you know it is not in our law. I rejected plea bargain because how can someone loot and use the money to be free. In our following of rule of law we do not agree with it and so this is a big conviction and landmark."Commenting on her commission's progress, she noted: "We are doing our best and have shut down about 800 websites, and charging people of that character to court, and we had set up a mechanism, Transparency Clearing Desk. Any one that wants to do business in Nigeria should contact us if you give us address we go to Corporate Affairs and find out not for a company to register with the aim of selling fish only to be engaging with road construction.

"Yes I cannot imagine how some one will loot and rush abroad to America to buy posh house, and even when he comes he would not stay there. Do you know how much tax it is accruing? All these funds will develop our country. He will buy house in Dubai, South Africa and deposit money in bank and when he dies no one knows. So stealing will not just be allowed to continue. I think it is a psychological problem and something is wrong", she said.

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