One of the Campaign promises of President Buhari was the fight
against CORRUPTION in Nigeria.
Its the major reason why most enlightened
individuals voted for him.
The first salvo was against the Senate President' wife. Next was the Senate President who lied when declaring
his assets. From there, we have had questioning and arrest by the
anti-corruption agencies of Politicians and Government Officials who looted the
treasury. Even the so called uncommon transformation crooner in Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio was called for questioning by EFCC
Then came the arrest of Dasuki and the drama began.
Right now the drama is just unfolding because all the stories going
round and from the social media are from gossips of what they imagined
the former NSA said.
Find below some of the documentary evidence as provided by the suspects or accused.
Imagined the money meant for Arm,s Purchase for the military fighting the insurgents- Boko Haram Terrorists in the North East was diverted and the money ended up in the pockets of politicians. Dasiku was in charge of disbursement and anyone that happened to walk into his office was dashed millions of Naira or millions of Dollars. He became an ATM machine loaded with Nigeria's money for the wastage of PDP members.
Find below the letter from the former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonji Iweala to President Jonathan on the requests from Dasuki . The President approved the rerlease of the money but the purpose for that approval was not achieved.
Corruption has eaten deep into our systems. Everywhere you turn, the stench of corruption is suffocating.
According to Bafarawa, former Governor of one of the States in Nigeria, "today, one can say that up to 90 percent of Nigerians are corrupt
because when you go to the grassroots level that is where corruption
starts.
“The electorate will demand money before they elect you
into office no matter how good you are, no matter the kind of ideology
you have and intend to bring for their own good.
“If you don’t
give them money, they would not support you. The game is that anyone who
comes and shares money to them gets the support and nothing more.”
This is so true but under Goodluck Jonathan's administration, 99 percent of Nigerians became corrupt. The Politicians just thought money can buy everything and went about flaunting their ill-gotten. Many became mesmerised and lost their dignity and integrity.
The Dasukigate has thrown up so many things. Men that we claimed were honest were shown in another light. People like Olu Falae, a former Minister that we used to think was above board, was one of the beneficiaries of the arms money. He did not deny it.
Others were Olisa Metuh, spokeman of PDP, Olabode George, Tony Anenih, Bafarawa etc.
Above is the letter from the Publisher of THISDAY Newspaper. He claimed the money he collected was for his bombed building in Abuja. Many newspapers and journalist were mentioned too as beneficiaries of the arms money: AIT's Raymond Dokpesi and Nduka Obaigbena. We even read that Obaigbena used the proceed to set up ARISE TV that shows on DSTV.
Dasuki"s family was not left out of the Naira rain. N1.675 Billions of Nara to his younger brother, Abubakar Dasuki. As at this time many States had started owing staff salaries for months. awaouldnt they had used this money to pay workers that were owed?
The problem now is that anyone arrested on corruption charges claim witch hunting. I wonder which witch is hunting them. If they did not want to be hunted, they should have not stolen our treasury dry.
The case is in Court. I hope all those found to have corruptly enriched themselves will be prosecuted and jailed so that others will learn from it.
Saturday, 15th March 2014, will not be forgotten easily by many people in Nigeria and especially in Lagos.
My niece was wedding that day in Ikorodu, a suburb of lagos and we needed to be there early since we had a major role to play. The first was the traditional marriage before the church wedding and my husband was in charge of introducing our family members to the groom family.
We left home by 6.30am since the traditional wedding was to start by 7.30am. You can imagined how shocked we were when we got to stadium and there was no movement. We turned and took Ogunlana Drive to collect Ojuelegba and it was same. The whole of Surulere was blocked and we were just wondering what was going on and how are we going to get out to connect Ikorodu Road. People came out of their vehicles and started asking wht the problem was. We knew the President was not in Lagos( the road is always closed for the Country's President), so what was the problem?
We eventually, took a narrow and terribly bad road to connect the bridge and got out to the .
Ikorodu expressway
Because we didn't get there on time, the traditional wedding had to be kept on hold till we arrived by 9am. The wedding went on successfully even at the Church and the Reception.
My niece Mboso and her sweetheart
Why was there so much traffic and chaos in Lagos that day? It was the recruitment exercise for the Nigerian Immigration Service. For only 4500 job opening in its service, NIS contracted a consultant who advised them that the hapless, unemployed, downtrodden and frustrated graduates in Nigeria should be charged N1000. So each applicant, candidate was to pay processing fee of N1000 Naira. At the last count, the Cconsultant made 710m naira from the applicants.
Mr. ABBA MORO, Minister of Interior
There were several centres across the Country like Lagos, Benin, Uyo, Abuja, Port -harcourt etc
In all the centres used that day, the consultant went to sleep after collecting and milking these helpless people because there was no crowd control mechanism put in place. The consultant knew how many applied and how many they extorted money from, for them to have made adequate arrangement but they did not.
For goodness sake, who conducts written examination or interview in a stadium? How were they going to supervise the written tests? Was it not absurd that the Minister of Internal Affair agreed to this horrible way of selecting candidates for an institution that is supposed to be conservative and discreet?
The TRUTH is that the Exercise was a fraud.
The first reason why I said it was a fraud is that the procedure for employment in the Civil Service was not followed. I am working in one of the Federal Government establishment and did not pay for processing fee. The government does not ask for application fee so where did this come from.?
Secondly, the government uses their own personnel for employment procedures and not contract it out to consultant, It is only the private sector that does that not public Service. Nigeria Immigration Service and the Minister of Interior who incidentally handled the recruitment refused to use established organs of Government and departments to carry out the exercise.
Also who conducts examination in a Stadium? The Stadium is an open big place with no privacy and proper coordination. How do you invigilate an examination where the people are sitting so close and there is so much noise and chaos?.
In view of the security challenge in the country, wouldnt
NIShave screened the applications online
toreduce the number of people that would
gather in a particular center at a time?.
Why wasnt the internet portal used for the application closed when they had received at least 10,000 application?
Lastly, the Consultant, DREXEL Technologies Limited, engaged by the Nigerian Immigration Service, is not registered according to the report in the Vanguard Newspapers. It was also gathered from the Labour Ministry that the company is not among the over 700
registered recruiter companies in Nigeria as at March 2014. Why were they engaged when they do not have the capacity to conduct or manage such responsibility?
DAVID PARADANG, Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration
Service
During the probe ordered by the National Assembly, the
Comptroller General revealed that they were not carried along. He stated
that the Ministry and the Minister took over the recruitment exercise
and handed it over to the consultant to conduct. He also said there was no
board meeting to that effect. Another Board member, MUSTAPHA ZAKARIYA,
also stated that there was no board meeting or if it was called, he was
not invited. The consultant in his defense, claimed that the money
collected was to set up the portal and not for the actual recruitment
exercise.
Please tell me, is over N700m made from the applicants used for setting up
internet portal to fill and download just application forms?
The Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria, HUCAPAN, the supervisory body for recruiting companies, also disclosed that the Consultant is not their member and all the other companies that passed through the so called Ministerial Tender Board before Drexel are not registered by the Federal Government. Mr. Neye Enemigan, the head of that organisation had this to say:
“The unfortunate death was avoidable. It is something that should not have happened in any civilized country. It is a shame and for me I feel very sad. I express my condolence to the family. The outsourcing company is not our member. But what is worse is that we have taken pain to investigate and we have found out this outsourcing company is not even registered to recruit. For example, the Minister of Internal Affair, Mr. Abba Moro said that they followed due process and that they shortlisted four companies; Pyrich Global Limited, Bosmos Infotech Limited, Rosebonny Technologies Limited and Drexel Technologies Limited, and that all of them went through the ministerial tenders board.
“We have investigated and found out that all the four companies are not registered to recruit. In other word, the one that got the job, Drexel Technologies Limited is not registered, licenced or authorised by law to engage in that exercise. By Nigerian labour law and to be specific, section 23, 24, 25 and 71 of the Labour Act laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 makes it clear that the Minister of Labour and Productivity, will licence any organisation that is a recruiter. So, if you have not been licenced by the Minister of Labour and Productivity as a recruiter, what you are doing is illegal.
“The company collected according to what the Minister of Internal Affairs said, over N700 million and also by law, no prospective employee is required to pay a Kobo to get a job. You are not required to pay to get form, you are not required to pay for anything. That on its own is also illegal.
ATIKU ABUBAKAR BAGUDU, Chairman senate committee on Interior.
The senate set up an inquiry and held a public hearings on the matter. I hope
that it would be done speedily. It was there that a lot was revealed about the sour relationship between the Minister and the officials of NIS. Even the Minister confessed that he was not in any of the
centres as he was at a social function.
Even the candidates got to centres/stadium before the
organisers. It was a very poor management of the situation.
With no proper crowd control and coordination of examination
materials, pandemonium and struggle took over and the rest is history. 20 applicants died in the stampede and scores of others were wounded.
In the Benin City Centre, a pregnant woman lost her life and that of the
unborn child.
The company is quack and the
company should be dealt with in accordance with the law. They
were to release 201m for the conduct of the exam but they released only 21m. Thank God that the President has ordered that the money paid by the applicants be refunded.
The botched NIS Recruitment Exercise just showed us that the rate of unemployment in this Country is frightening and worrisome. I pray the Government will rise up, create jobs, provide enabling environment, provide infrastructure (electricity, good road, less taxes) and encourage small scale industries
I read in the Punch today that Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Monday warned the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, to stop undermining the laws of the State. Oshiomhole said this at the inauguration of the 14 newly elected Local Government Chairmen in Benin.
ESAMA OF BENIN KINGDOM
Apparently the Esama's cup is filled because the man has been carrying on as the Lord of the manor for years even before his son became the Governor of the State and no one stopped him. For Governor Oshiomole to now get angry means the Esama is out of control. The Governor said his government has the capacity and the will to contain Igbinedion’s excesses and he is going to do it. If you ask me, I will say the excesses of not only the Esama but all those people either in power or out of it should be checked and contained. Hear the Governor, -
“There is evidence that he (Igbinedion) has undermined the prosperity of the state for a very long time. Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones.
“I want to send a warning to Chief Igbinedion that he should take it easy; he has acquired a lot of government land that the people have not engaged him on. He walks as if he is above the law. He was a chief tax collector in this state, pocketing 25 to 30 per cent of every kobo that accrued while his son was the governor.
“I have not looked back because my mandate is to look forward. I want to put him on notice that if he continues with elderly rascality, I will bring him to justice.
“He must never ever underestimate the fact that I have the will and I have the capacity to deploy that will; if he crosses the law, he will be cut to size.
“Elders must teach the younger ones to behave responsibly.
The Governor further condemned what the Esama of Benin Kingdom was alleged to have done on Saturday, the 20th of April 2013, during the Local Council election in Okada, Edo State where his business empire is.
“You heard how he is using ITV ( Igbinedion Television) in a very reckless manner, in clear breach of the NBC code. He reduced himself as a high chief, leaving where he is registered to vote and going all the way to Okada on a day movement was restricted across the state.
“He got to Okada and illegally used mobile policemen to walk on the street; going to the police station where sensitive election materials were kept in order to vandalise the sensitive electoral materials to ensure elections did not take place.
“If he misleads himself into believing that he has the birth right to continue to appropriate and privatise the resources of Edo State, he is living in a fool’s paradise.”
Oh yes my Comrade, tell him he is not above the Law ojare. He is a citizen just like every Nigerians and every Edolites. Elders must show the younger ones how to behave. No one is above the law, not even the Queen in England or President Obama in the US. If the law says no one should leave one point to the other during election day, then no one. By the way, is the Esama an electoral officer? Why was he going to inspect election materials? It's about time we behave within the law.
The Governor accused the High Chief of pocketing 25 to 30 percent of the total tax accrued to the State for 8 years, why has he not reported him to EFCC so that they can charge him to court or preferably force him to return part of the stolen state money? The State could use the money for roads construction and repairs.
No wonder the State was not developed all that time that Lucky Igbinedion was Governor. For 8 years, major roads in Benin City, the capital of Edo State were not tarred, maintained or expanded. There was no new infrastructural development in that State. In fact, some major roads in the city had turned to motorcycles and foot paths because weeds had taken over.
Flood was the order of the day in the State as flood channels were blocked and no new channels or outlets were created as Fashola is doing in Lagos State.
I smiled when I read that Oshiomole called his activities,'elder rascality'. It reminded me of the Esama's attitude at the book launch of one of my friends father at NIIA last month. The man was at the High table with Chief S.O.U. Igbe (Author of the Book) and was really disturbing Sony Irabor the MC by calling him to come over for one correction or the other. To the Esama, It was supposed to be a show but to some of us it was unnecessary distraction. I know the MC is a gentleman but you could see, he was not finding it funny.
Anyway, the man and his son ruled the State for 8 years so he thinks he owned the State and may find it difficult to stop now except the Governor stops him.
Talking about all the lands the Esama has acquired legally and illegally, tell me who is going to challenge him? The Governor can but is he ready to do that now?
Governor, you are the chief law officer of Edo State and if someone has contravened the law, use the weight of the law to deal with the situation accordingly. If the Esama has no regards for constituted authority, do something. If he has pocketed 20-30% of Edo revenue illegally, please get it back.
ALHAJI LAWAN FAROUK, LAWMAKER and CHAIRMAN HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PETROLEUM SUBSIDY PROBE.
Am going to write about the $3M Bribery scandal presently rocking the nation but have to reproduce this blog from one Ogunyemi Bukola. The blogger titled it
'The Gospel According To ‘Saint’ Farouk'. It makes an interestind reading.
1) And it came to pass after these things, on the first day of the first month of the twelfth year after the second millennium, that king Jona son of Bele announced to the people saying; there is no money left in the royal treasury, and the future of the kingdom is in great danger.
2) Therefore, a measure of oil shall no longer sell for three scores of silver and seven, but shall now be seven scores of silver and one. But the people grumbled aloud, and said one unto another, what shall it profit our king to gain all these oil money and lose his throne?
3) For it is appointed unto him to reign but once, and after this prison, for many are the atrocities which he has committed.
4) So they said unto the king, eat thou thy food in peace in the palace, and surround thou thyself with thine women, only touch not our oil price and do thy people no harm.
5) But the king would not listen, and said unto himself, I know my people, they shall only grumble for a while and soon they shall forget.
6) But the people would not forget, for the burden was too much for them to bear, and they said; now unto him that is able to increase the price of oil exceeding abundantly above all that his people can bear or think, according to the greed which worketh in him;
7) Unto him be curses in the streets by the masses throughout all ages, protests without end.
So they took to the streets and gave the land no peace, and there was no going out or coming in throughout the kingdom for two weeks, and the king feared greatly and said to himself, surely these people shall overturn me if I answer them not.
9) So he called the head of the labourers unto the palace, and gave him bags of gold, that he mayest turn off the wrath of the people against the king.
10) So the king assembled the people and said unto them; a measure of oil shall no longer be seven scores of silver and one, but shall now be four scores of silver, one dozen and five, to this your leaders have agreed. Praise me now therefore for I am a benevolent king.
11) And after all these, the Loudspeaker of the House of People said, let us inquire into the king’s claim that there be no money in the royal treasury. So they appointed Farcrook, son of Lawal.
ALHAJI AMINU TAMBUWAL, SPEAKER NIGERIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
(12) And said unto him, gather ye now all the oil sellers, that we may know who stole from the kingdom. This did he with diligence, and came back with his report saying,
13) Thieves abound in the land, and so have the oil sellers stole from the people, and gave them not oil, this they did with the help of Aliyaro the king’s mistress; and the amount he mentioned was unheard of in the land.
14) When the people heard this, they were dismayed, and sorrow gripped their hearts.
15) But the oil sellers went in unto the king in his chamber, and said; “rememberest thou not, O! king that what we stole we did make available to thy campaign, and by this did we make you king?
16) “If thou deliver us unto the people that they may punish us, we will hold not our tongue from telling the people that thou art one of us.”
MR. FEMI OTEDOLA, CHAIRMAN ZENON OIL AND FORTIS PETROLEUM.
(17) And they said unto him, “How else shall we destroy the message if not to destroy the messenger? Let us therefore implicate Farcrook the son of Lawal in this matter.”
18) So they sent a certain rich man from the West by the name Otedollar, and he took Farcrook into his house and gave him some money, that he may alter the report which he had set before the people.
19) And it was that Otedollar went before an assembly of the people and said unto them, “Trust ye this man who said we stole from the treasury? Surely he is one of us, for he came unto me in the middle of the night, and he left with his pockets full of money.”
20) And the people where amazed, and their hearts bled, for Farcrook was a man in whom they had put their trust.
21) So Farcrook arose, and said; “Otedollar is my briber, I did not request. He maketh me to sit down in his Maitama house; he leadeth me beside the chilled champagne.
22) “He exploited my greed; he leadeth me in the path of marked dollars for subsidy’s sake.
23) “Yea, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of EFCC, I will fear no arrest: for bribes are with me; my loots and my kickbacks they comfort me.
24) “Thou preparest the dollars before me, in the presence of the SSS: thou anointest my mouth with wine; my pocket runneth over.
25) “Surely the shame and reproach shall follow me all the days of my life, but I will dwell in the house of PDP forever and ever.”
26) And the people wept, but there was no one to console them.
Ogunyemi Bukola
