Jonathan and the 31bn question

Jonathan and the $31bn Question
By Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai

When I wrote an article in 2011, stating that the government of President Goodluck Jonathan was spending two billion naira every day, including weekends, on security without commensurate returns on the lives of Nigerians, the president’s reaction was to have his then chief goon, General Awoye Azazi, arrest and detain me for publishing ‘misleading information’. In retrospect, I agree with the accusation – because the amount I stated hugely understated the grand larceny going on in government.
An opening into what is really going on in government was provided a few days back by the Punch newspaper, which found that a staggering 5 trillion naira – or $31bn has been stolen under Jonathan’s 30-month stewardship of our nation’s affairs.
Assuming that Jonathan has been in power since May 2010, that works out to an incredulous $1bn stolen each month. If you add the average borrowing of another $1bn per month since Jonathan took office, then the true scale of the epic theft becomes clearer.
President Jonathan is making a mockery of himself if he continues to insist his government is determined to fight corruption, or that Nigeria under his watch has not finally lost the war on graft. It is no accident that Nigeria is perceived as the second most corrupt country in the world by a recent Gallup poll. According to International audit firm KPMG, the cost of fraud in the first half of 2012 alone is $1.5bn (N225bn), the highest on the African continent. And that is only because they have no real idea of what is going on in government circles While Nigeria is ranked third behind USA and China in backlogs of orders for personal private jets, the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) asserted that our nation is the worst place to be in 2013 due to deteriorating indicators of human security..
One day, we read that billions of naira of pension funds have been stolen, and the next, it becomes trillions of unbudgeted fuel subsidy monies. It seems Nigerians have simply gotten numb to these figures, or have not appreciated the opportunity cost of the sums being stolen in terms of goods and services forgone. To put things in context, if one spends one hundred thousand naira daily, it will take about 53 years to spend one billion naira! A billion dollars is of course some 150 billion naira, so go ahead and do the math.
In short, what would $31bn do for Nigeria or Nigerians? For a person who lives for 100 years, he would have to spend the sum of $310m dollars a year for an entire century – near a million dollars a day, weekends included to finish it all. And if he decides to join the league of private jet owners, that amount would purchase 1,550 planes at an average cost of $20m each.
If the funds were to be used to finance the operations of the Nigerian government, the $31bn sum effectively covers Nigeria’s N4.8trn 2012 budget with a leftover of about N200bn. And is only less than N1 billion short of the proposed N4.92trn budget for 2013. From another perspective, according to an MoU signed by government this year, 6 refineries would be constructed in modular forms within 30 months at a cost of $4.5bn. Each refinery would process 30,000 barrels of crude per day with an output of 5 million litres of gasoline. This means that with $31bn about 41 new refineries can be built.
The immediate implications of that are: the very volatile fuel scarcity situation existing all over Nigeria would be solved. And hundreds of billions of naira that are ordinarily stolen annually in the guise of fuel importation would be saved. Similarly, of the 41 refineries, one would be sited in every Nigerian state, with an extra five clustered or evenly distributed around larger consumption centres like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano and Abuja. There is simply no telling how many jobs this would create for Nigeria’s tens of millions of unemployed citizens.
And speaking of employment, some of the decisions by this government are simply confounding because the MoU for the refineries indicated that 6 months of construction work will be done in America, followed by one month of test-running and dismantling of the refinery. Another month is provided for transporting the dismantled refinery, and an extra 4 months to reassemble the plant and commence production. Not one Nigerian job will be created in the construction of the refineries for which $4.5bn was to be spent! And like everything with this hapless administration, nothing has been heard of the construction of these modular refineries, only a report of yet another committee on refineries.
The design and construction of rail services in Abuja which the Obasanjo administration awarded in 2007 and due to have been completed in 2010 was recently “re-approved” by the Federal Executive Council for about the same it was originally awarded – some $823m, less than a billion dollars. The vanished $31bn would have conveniently provided a project similar to the Abuja light rail system for 32 of our 36 states. Imagine the jobs we would have created, the savings on road repairs, reduction in accidents, cost of transportation and improvement in the standards of living we would have had.
Similarly, what became the Primus Specialist Hospital in Abuja, was awarded for less than N5 billion by the FCT Administration, and reportedly finally completed at multiples of the original price. Assuming it would cost N100 billion to build and equip such a facility, it would mean that if the looted $31bn was channelled into healthcare, it would have comfortably built about 31 hospitals of that calibre. And if it had not been inflated, the same amount might have built a world class hospital in every state capital with the best equipment anywhere. Incidentally, the First Lady would not have had to go to any German hospital for any reason. Nigeria would also have saved the N450 billion we lose annually, travelling overseas for medical treatment.
In the last two fiscal years, less than N20 billion have been budgeted annually for the capital needs of all federal universities. Between 2004 and 2007, the FCT administration and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund contributed about 200 hectares of land plus $10 million, and $25 million respectively as virtually sole contribution to the set-up of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja. With the stolen funds, the federal government would have financed the capital programmes of all federal universities for some 250 years! And if the same funds were applied to building new universities, we could easily have got at least 60 AUST- like institutions up and running all across the country.
From every perspective one looks at it, the amount of stolen funds would have improved the lives of Nigerians: if the $31bn had been invested in road construction, Nigeria would have emerged with one of the best road networks in all of Africa; even at the reported N89.53bn at which the Lagos Ibadan expressway was ‘concessioned’ in 2009, the amount would have translated into about 525,500km of roads, several multiples of the paved road network we now have nationally.
Meanwhile, was it not this administration that set up an assessment committee to look into cases of abandoned Federal government projects? The final report of the committee can be summed up in 2 points: there are 11,886 abandoned federal projects across Nigeria, and it would cost an estimated N7.78 trillion to complete these projects. With the $31bn in stolen funds, Nigeria would have successfully completed about 65% or some 7,000 abandoned projects all across Nigeria that would create jobs and improve our standards of living.
The report of the committee has not been implemented; instead, President Jonathan recently sent a letter to the National Assembly requesting approval to borrow $7.9bn to fund a pipeline of projects between 2012 and 2014. This is not to say borrowing money to fund national developmental priorities is a bad idea. But we all know that most of these monies will add up to the Jonathanian statistics of stolen funds.
On the issue of debt, if we add the proposed borrowing to our currently known $5.7bn debt burden at the end of 2011, our external debt stock would rise to $13.6bn by 2014. It leaves little to wonder if Nigeria can sustain servicing its rising debt profile. Curiously, the proposed foreign borrowing and the requests were not included in the 2012- 2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework presented to the National Assembly last year by the President himself, thereby violating the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
The most frightening aspect of the $31bn question is: what if international and reputable audit firms had been engaged to audit Nigeria’s accounts not just at the federal, but also at state and local government areas? What would have been the findings? It is not hard to imagine that Nigeria would have been labelled the world’s most corrupt country by far, without a close second.
What should concern every Nigerian is that the President knows where mass fraud is being perpetuated, yet chooses to ignore the goings on. Why else have all the reports on the petroleum subsidy fraud only resulted in more ad-hoc committees, and then white paper committees whose reports are never ever published, and then finally abandoned to gather dust with no pretext at even attempting to implement any of the recommendations? No wonder, Dr. Faruk Lawan had to be compromised, while deliberate attempts were made to discredit the Ribadu Task Force report.
If the President wants to be regarded with any vestige of respect now or in the future, he must rise up with some spine, face corruption squarely and fight it with sincerity. He must de-emphasize reliance on foreign and domestic borrowings that simply line up the pockets of the lenders and the few unpatriotic Nigerians serving their interests. He must order the Debt Management Office to publish information on existing loans, tie them to the projects for which they were obtained, and make this information public to all Nigerians on a regular basis.
In the meantime, what most Nigerians simply want to know from the president is what happened to N5trillion in 30 months. That is the $31bn question which Dr Jonathan ought to answer

Unasked question about corruption

Unasked Questions About Corruption,

Femi Falana
For most Nigerians, a discussion of corruption is often an opportunity to lambast the state and its managers. The media will continue to report cases of corruption. Sometimes corruption probe panels turn out to be the subject of probes themselves!  In other words, a demon calling the devil bad! It is based on the foregoing that the state has always received knuckles. But is blaming the state the only response that should guide our response to corruption? Why has public focus been limited to the activities of the state and its actors?  What happens to the individual and group levels of analysis in the corruption matrix? Is the state the only liable institution?
We should ask the unasked questions in our attempt at locating and fighting corruption. First, what are individuals doing wrongly in the fight against corruption? Secondly, how do groups in the society, some of which often claim to fight corruption, contribute to the flourishing of the menace?
In a society where corruption is centralised, monies stolen from the public purse is redistributed and used to create employment and infrastructure within the society. Thus, rather than send such monies to Swiss or British Banks as the late Gen. Sani Abacha and Mr. James Ibori did thereby creating employment in Switzerland and Britain, the organised corruption follows the methodology of Suharto of Indonesia. It is therefore argued that the Suharto regime did not condone the exportation of corruption largesse hence the development of Indonesia today! What would have happened if all the stolen funds from Nigeria were retained in the Nigerian economy?
The State and Graft punishment
However, a cursory examination of the ant-graft laws in Nigeria today will reveal that there are sufficient laws to deal with the issue of corruption. Sadly however, according to the perception index of Transparency International, Nigeria was ranked 144th out of the 146 countries, beating Bangladesh and Haiti to last position. The KPMG also recently released a report in which Nigeria was ranked as the most corrupt state in West Africa.
As stated above, it is not because Nigeria does not have sufficient laws to deal with the issue of corruption. In fact, there may be very few countries with more anti-graft laws, the problem however, is that there is no political will in addition to the fact that our system harbours sacred cows and the “untouchables”. We are all witnesses to the Halliburton scandal and how it was bungled by Nigeria in order to shield the powerful.
In other words, while accused persons may file interlocutory appeals, the EFCC should have enough courage to drag judges who grant orders staying proceedings to the National Judicial Council (NJC).  Similarly, lawyers who file such sham applications and other frivolous motions should be reported to the disciplinary committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for gross misconduct.
Corruption in Nigeria, no doubt has assumed a dangerous dimension, which percolates all the strata of the society. The civil society is not spared in this menace. In fact, it has so much eaten deep into the fabrics of our society that the hitherto insulated places have now been taken over by corruption. Rather than being a conscience of the masses, the civil society has become a tool in the hands of corrupt people. Our NGOs have become corruption vessels and the effect is what we see today - a society without conscience.
Foreign aids meant for specific roles have been converted to personal use. Gone were the days when NGOs stood and spoke for the oppressed masses; now, they are agents of retrogressive, oppressive and corrupt personnel. The situation is even made worse due to the proliferation of NGOs where people just register organisations whimsically.
The roles of religious bodies in the fight against corruption have also become a source of worry. These bodies have become haven for corrupt individuals whose monies are used to sustain them.  Instead of speaking the truth, religious leaders have suddenly become appendages of the ruling class using their vantage position to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor members of their congregation who often see them as next to God.
Why is it that in spite of the stinking poverty in the country, religion is hastily becoming another source of psychological trauma for the ordinary Nigerian? A poor man goes to church or mosque and is greeted with SUVs and other flashy vehicles belonging to the cleric. Even when the congregation cannot afford to eat two balanced square meals in a day, some of our religious fathers deliberately or inadvertently display wealth? Do the religious fathers think about repercussion of some of their actions? How many religious leaders are so committed to feel for the poor families in their congregation to a point where they are touched to leave out some of the worldly things like gold wrist watches and of recent private jets? For a good number of youths, it is not therefore evangelism or the love of Christ that makes them heed the call, rather it is a bid to become like my pastor in materialistic wealth. Most especially, while industries are grounding, religious structures are rising.
Hence, a new source of wealth has arrived. It then becomes easy to understand why some of the most corrupt individuals in Nigeria find it easy to go to churches and mosques on Sunday and Friday without fearing that tough messages await them there.
You would recall that a few years ago, there was a move by a state government to impose taxes and levies on churches, mosques and other religious centres. All those who were opposed to the policy should be having a second thought in view of the growing opulence of some religious leaders. In the United Kingdom a Nigerian "bishopreneur" is currently being investigated for fraud by the police. Indeed, one of the issues being looked into is the propriety of collecting tithes from poor congregants only to channel the proceeds to acquire limousines and private jets.
Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly was reported to have said that not until the religious leaders, including himself, were incarcerated, there wouldn't be sanity in the churches. He said churches have failed their congregations, as pastors have now become tyrants, oppressors and leaders without care for their followers.
In a swift reaction, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who  acquired his jet a couple of weeks ago, took a swipe at Bakare for condemning their crave for jets and opulent life. He said everything a pastor could get for evangelism should be acquired. Not minding the economic situation of the people, I think the statement credited to this leader is uncharitable knowing full well that many Christians today would fare well if the resources used in buying these jets are made available to them. Just like Bakare said, there is need for sanity also in the civil society. It is sad that poor members of the congregation cannot afford to put their children in the schools ‘owned’ by their churches or mosques because the tuition fees are colossal and beyond their reach. What a sad plight!
If this is the case, then, the tax authorities must extend their dragnets to all religious centres where substantial income is generated on a regular basis in the name God. A few months ago, a contractor donated a church worth several millions of naira to the Otuoke community in honour of President Goodluck Jonathan. Just last week, an ex-president raised N400 million to build a small mosque in the premises of a library. Such business ventures and schools including universities set up by religious institutions which charge exorbitant fees that the children of the poor members cannot afford should pay taxes to the state. The prosperity pastors who are buying jets to preach the gospel to those who wallow in abject poverty should be assessed according to their wealth and be made to pay commensurate taxes. After all, they pay appropriate fees for parking their jets at local and international airports at home and abroad.
In reaction to bias of the law in favour of the bourgeoisie there has been a popular demand by Nigerians for the introduction of the death penalty in corruption cases. Since armed robbers are sentenced to death for robbing individuals violently of a few thousands of naira, it is logical to argue that those who divert billions of naira budgeted for fixing of roads and equipping of hospitals which led to the loss of many innocent lives should face the death penalty.
Notwithstanding the horrendous effect of corruption in the society, we should not be frustrated to support the campaign for the brutalisation of humanity through the death penalty. Even in Nigeria, our experience with murder and armed robbery has proved that the death penalty is not a deterrent for violent crimes. A state that cannot enforce a law that prescribes a punishment of two years for money laundering will frustrate the trial of any member of the ruling class for corruption under a law that provides for the death penalty. While the Criminal Code has prescribed the death penalty for certain offences, the Lagos High Court has held that the execution of the death penalty by firing squad or hanging is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates the fundamental rights of convicts to dignity guaranteed by section 34 of the constitution.
Lest I forget, parents too are no longer the representation of exemplar behaviours. Thousands of parents know that their children are corrupt but won’t speak up. Rather they thank God for giving them “the opportunity”.  Children without any job buy cars and parents are not perturbed.  The role of the family as the first point of socialisation is being challenged by greed just as in some grandeur men of God.  Elite theorists, in spite of their criticisms have noted that the masses are gullible. Unfortunately, Nigerian masses seem to represent this gullibility. There was Occupy Nigeria for increase in fuel but what has happened with the multi-billion cases of corruption?  Nigerians as individuals are still waiting to hold their leaders accountable.
What is to be done?
My conclusion is simple: Nigerians must take their destiny in their own hands. Nigerians must know that corruption does not just happen but it survives on the level of morality at the individual and group levels. Youths must shake themselves out of the bondage of unscrupulous politicians who have nothing to offer but the bastardisation of values. Where are their children? Ask yourselves? Progressive religious leaders must take back religion from the business people that have hijacked it for materialistic gains.

Blame It On The Devil–Minister Of State For Power Says Nigeria Electricity Woes Caused By Evil Spirits

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Hajiya Zainab Kuchi, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Power, knows exactly where Nigeria’s power problems stem from: the Devil is to blame.
Addressing members of the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Ruling Party, in Abuja, Madam Zainab said:
“We must resolve to jointly exorcise the evil spirit behind this darkness and allow this nation take its pride of peace in the comity of Nations.”
The minister in a statement by the Deputy Director/Head of Press of the ministry, Greyne Anosike, said, “Nigeria needs help, any nation that loves Nigeria must collaborate with it now to resolve her energy crisis…We are getting irritatingly slow.”
She told the delegation that Nigeria was carefully following the Power Sector Roadmap aimed at transforming the power sector and expressed belief in the ability of the Jonathan administration to turn the sector around.
“It would amount to lavish diseconomy to embark on new projects and abandon the old ones in which huge tax payers resources had been sunk,” she added.

Thus Saith The Clueless King (VI)–By Segun Dada

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And it came to pass that in the 11th month of the second year of the jubilee, with some days between the 55th name-day of theclueless king, the clueless king summoned the representatives of the criers in the kingdom to the palace on the hill. His heart was heavy for he seemed to have fallen out of favour with the subjects of the kingdom of Naijaria.
After Rubenus the son of Abat had summoned the criers on behalf of the clueless king, he retired into his chamber with Doyinus to give Rhino the son of Omokiri directions regarding the next line of shooting down perceived enemies of the clueless King.
After the criers where seated, the clueless King in all his glamour andopulence appeared at the entrance of the palace court. His face looked grim and his lips where shining. He had on his crown. He then said; “thou criers of the kingdom of Naijaria, listen to these words for they are my latest declarations to the people of the kingdom. Take them word for word, for they contain life and hope and inspiration and mind not my shining lips for I kissed Queen Gbags on my way to the court.”
“Here are my declarations”, announced the clueless King:
1. Tell the people, that the ruling clan is growing from strength to strength everyday. They are the best ruling clan in the whole world and shall rule the kingdom of Naijaria for the next 60years and more. This message is extremely important because I know the well being of the ruling clan is more important to the subjects than even the air they breathe.
2. Also, tell the subjects, that the ruling clan shall take over leadership of the province of the Ondoites in the 10th month of of the 5th year of the jubilee for even the Governor of the province was of the ruling clan. This message is also extremely important for the subjects for it is a matter of life and death.
3. Contrary to what the subjects have heard in the past, I do not eat more than twice a day. I eat only in the mornings and the nights. My food is also very inexpensive but I am being saddled with the responsibility of providing food for the leaders of other kingdoms when they come visiting. They gobble up all my food and make it look like I am a glutton. The subjects need to know the truth! My wife eats about four times a day. But since she came back from resting in the kingdom of the beer-gulpers, she has since reduced her food intake to three and a half times a day.
4. For the good of the kingdom, I implore the unemployed subjects to be patient. I have constituted a committee of my trusted aides and lords to make sure jobs will be provided between this day and the 5th year of the jubilee. Before the jobs are provided, I appeal to the unemployed subjects and their dependents to be strong. Hunger has never killed anyone before. Three seasons is not that long a time too. Patience is required!
5. No king in the history of the kingdom of Naijaria has ever fought corruption the way I have. I should be renamed the slayer of corruption in the kingdom. The war against corruption isn’t necessarily fought by sending corrupt elements in my Government to jail. It is fought by calling on priests, ‘Sad-u-see’ and Levites to the council of the corrupt elements. Pay no attention to those who call for a death sentence for corrupt elements. They have not truly grasped the true concept of salvation.
6. We have distributed so much fertilizer. Go and grab your share before it runs out.
7. The children of the tribe of the Haramites are evil. They refused to listen to the voice of reason to stop the life of violence. Forget what Rubenus the son of Abat said about us speaking to them. We are not on speaking terms. So the subjects are going to have to live with them like I said earlier in the year.they are our cross and we shall carry them together. I feel your pain! *Sobs*.
8. I promised to create wealth in the land not abolish poverty. You people need to listen harder. No wonder you all rooted for me to become King. I am not a professor ‘Pella’ the magician neither am I a General. You people need to be patient with me.
9. The subjects claim I travel out of the kingdom too much without informing them. So, I am using this medium to inform them that I will be traveling to the kingdom of the Kurds for a meeting. If you didn’t know before, now you know.
10. By the end of the 5th year of the jubilee, the citizens of the kingdom of Naijaria will be glad that I am king. They will carve sculptures of me and worship me all over the Kingdom. They shall know that I am better than the best they will ever have. They will beg me to continue to be King forever.
And the criers agreed to take the message to the people and the clueless one called on Queen Gbags to prepare a feast in honour of his birthday.
Follow the writer on twitter @dolusegun

Ncc commissioner removed

NCC Commissioner Removed For Exposing Fraud

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The lingering battle in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) following the unravelling of spectrum fraud in the telecom regulatory agency has taken a sour turn with the Federal Government terminating the appointment of the agency’s executive commissioner, Technical, Mr. Bashir Gwandu, who had exposed the fraud.
In what the government termed insubordination to the NCC board and the federal government, the letter was said to have been signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim.
Engr. Gwandu had exposed spectrum fraud at the NCC, which involved the former and the current executive vice chairmen of the NCC.
Sources within the NCC, who confirmed the development, revealed that the SGF’s letter which conveyed Gwandu’s dismissal, said that it took effect from November 9, 2012. A source at the NCC, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed the sack.
LEADERSHIP had reported the spectrum fraud and the cracks among members at the top echelon of NCC following allegations that a particular frequency spectrum was sold at a giveaway price by the current management of the commission.
Gwandu had raised allegations that corruption and illegality were being committed at the NCC over the sale of frequency spectrum. However, the source said the allegations were found to be false, hence his sacking.
According to the source, “Gwandu was sacked for insubordination. Gwandu raised some allegations that were investigated by the NCC Board and the Ministry of Communications Technology and the allegations were adjudged unfounded. This prompted the federal government to act.”
Why Jonathan fired BPE boss, Onagoruwa, as Dikki takes over
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday directed the Director-General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), Ms. Bolanle Onogoruwa, to vacate office immediately.
Accordingly, he ordered her to hand over to the most senior director in the Bureau, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, who will hold the position of DG of the BPE in acting capacity until further notice.
Although reasons for Onogoruwa’s sack was not given by at the time of filing this report, LEADERSHIP gathered that the change of baton effected with immediate effect yesterday was not unconnected with the recommendation of her sack by the National Assembly as well as the shabby handling of the ongoing privatisation process in the power sector.
BPE sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told LEADERSHIP that the presidency was incensed with her over shoddy manner in which she handled the power privatisation process.
Our source said that the power privatisation process required the submission by the preferred bidders of bid security in the form of a letter of credit or bank guarantee for 15 per cent of the transaction value to the BPE, and that following the preferred bidders’ compliance with this directive, the BPE ought to have reported to first to the vice president, Arc. Namadi Sambo, who is the chairman of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), of which BPE is the secretariat. However, Onagoruwa, probably out of excitement, bypassed normal procedure and made the announcement directly to the media.
“When the VP heard about it from the media, he was angry,” our source said.
A terse statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice President, Alhaji Umar Sani, to this effect expressed Mr. President “sincere appreciation to Mrs. Bolanle Onogoruwa for her services to the nation and wishes her the best in her future endeavours”.
The vice president is the chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, while Onogoruwa, and onetime BPE DG and businessman, Atedo Peterside, are at the helm of affairs. They had always briefed the press at the end of the council’s monthly meeting.
Onagoruwa was appointed BPE boss by former President Goodluck Jonathan on August 11, 2010, after functioning in acting capacity from March 8, 2010. She had also been embroiled in a face-off with the National Assembly, which, in July this year, passed a resolution calling on President Jonathan to relieve her of the post and walked her out of their chambers.
Subsequently, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Public Petitions and Privileges refused to recognise Onagoruwa as the DG of BPE when she appeared before it to respond to some petitions written by staff of the organisation over wrongful termination of appointment.
Rather than acknowledge and allow Ms Onagoruwa react to the petitions, the chairman of the committee, Ayo Akinyelure, had told her that the Senate no longer recognised her as the substantive director-general.
Her troubles with the National Assembly started in November 2011 when the Senate ad-hoc committee that investigated the activities of the BPE between 1999 and 2011 accused her of some official misconduct and recommended her sack.
The Senate committee which investigated the privatisation of federal government’s assets recommended the sack of Ms Onagoruwa for gross incompetence in the management of the bureau and also indicted her over her role in the sale of the federal government’s five per cent residual shares in Eleme Petrochemical Company.
The panel had also recommended that the former directors-general, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Dr. Julius Bala and Mrs. Irene Nkechi Chigbue, should be reprimanded by the NCP for seeking approval directly from the president rather than the NCP as stipulated in the Public Enterprises Act 1999.
At the time, the National Assembly had been miffed that its resolutions were treated with a wave of the hand by the presidency and subsequently cited this incident and other grievances as reasons to commence impeachment moves against President Goodluck Jonathan.
Source: Leadership Newspaper

It's time for the children of anger to really get angry

It’s Time For The ‘Children Of Anger’ To Really Get Angry–By Malcolm O Ofi

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“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power andis not easy.”
- Aristotle
The politically aware Nigerian youth is probably the most angry person in the world. This is more so because the heart is sore at injustice, and aggrieved to the marrow at the current political climate that has led the fortunes of this nation moving in all directions but forward. In a nation that has been blessed in abundance in terms of natural and human resources, it is a wonder that she has continued to languish in mediocrity and infamy and wallow in unbelievable filth.
Our socio-political order has been so abused and crafted to perpetuate a situation where intellectually and morally bereft old cows are continually recycled to concretize a system that totally excludes the active participation of young, vibrant and independent minds from governance. In the face of a rapidly changing world, this anomaly has led to a steady decline in the importance of Nigeria as a hub to foster development in Africa.
Since the inception of the fourth republic as ushered in by the PDP, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented wave of corruption and brigandage. This has been brought to the fore by the current administration under President Goodluck Jonathan that has seen the sum of N5 trillion stolen under its watch in less than three years in the face of dire economic consequences. It has been pointed out that looted funds between 1999 and 2012 surpass all loots between 1960 and 1999 in quantum, value and frequency. Now, we wonder how the return of democracy became our undoing.
With the impunity with which public officials act without any form of accountability; indulge in ostentatious lifestyles while at the same time, singing tunes of how the cost of its ineptitude and unwillingness to battle the well-fed monster called corruption should be borne by the masses, and a total abdication of its basic functions as government, it is no wonder why there is so much anger in the land. Unemployment is at its worst in the history of this nation with our decayed institutions of learning churning out thousands of graduates each year to flood an already saturated army of unemployed youths.
The dangers inherent in such a grim situation can never be over emphasized. The period of youthfulness is a time of activity. Whether such activity will be negative or positive is squarely up to the social climate and other germane factors. The continual negligence of this source of labour for nation building has gradually become a scourge to the system; the strength of this nation has become its achilles heel with the real potential of creating chaos. Anger is gradually giving way to all forms of inhumane considerations and leading us back to our basest state. Is it really rocket science to understand the increase in crime and steady erosion of what moral sanity is left?
One fact about life is if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Gone are the days when we sit morose and wait in hopes that successive governments would herald better tidings. The time for active spectatorship is over. Nigeria is overripe for a revolution. It is time for all youths, employed and unemployed; educated and illiterate; christians and muslims to come together in unity and channel our collective anger towards the irresponsible powers and institutions that be. We are different but with a common ancestry. It is time to put all differences aside; be it tribal, religious, ideological or whatever. Our oppressors know us well enough and take advantage of our differences to continually devise means to sow seeds of discord to keep the battle amongst ourselves rather than directing our collective energies against them.
No good ever came without sacrifice. It is time to shed all personal aspirations for collective interests. It is time to revive the dead spirit of patriotism. It is time to create a new era of leadership by youths to replace these obsolete relics who seem determined to run the nation aground before 2015. Our anger must amplify our voices now more than ever in challenging the rot in our system. Our anger must be felt on the social media and in the streets. Our anger must be felt in theheat of the sun. We must take back our nation; our lives depend on it. I know I deserve better. How about you?
Malcolm O. Ifi
The writer is on twitter @saymalcolm

A president in need of an identity

A President In Need Of An Identity–By Debo Adejugbe

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“Your philosophy determines whether you will go for the disciplines or continue the errors.” – Jim Rohn
The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others. ~ Nietzsche.*****
Every man; irrespective of status, education or religious background craves an identity. A niche carved out of what he represents that people can readily identify him with at any time, no matter the situation involved. Everyone has it, irrespective of cravings or how they try hard to suppress the dominant character in them – it beams without the slightest prodding, even when we deny it.
The Merrian-Webster dictionary describes ‘Identity’ as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual: INDIVIDUALITY” and as “sameness of essential or generic character in different instances: ONENESS”. Wikipedia defines it thus: “Identity may be defined as the distinctive characteristic belonging to any givenindividual, or shared by all members of a particular social category or group”. We all have it in us and people recognize it in their interactions with us.
To lack identity is to lack essence!
Yet, this is not an impossible situation, even among the elite who draw up the policies that drive our economy and nation; maybe especially at those hallowed levels. We’ve seen people who grab at straws when the very essence they represent is sought in clear terms; they lack that distinct definition required to push through their personality and stand.
Watching President Goodluck Jonathan at his last recorded ‘live’ media chat, which threw up more questions than answers, I couldn’t help myself but ruminate on what he really stands for.
Who is and what does His Excellency Mr. President stand for?
Arriving at a conclusion was so hard for me, even after taking several scenarios into consideration. We have at one time or the other, during the height of the unique circumstances that has so far defined his political career (Deputy Governor » Governor » Vice President » Acting, then Substantive to Elected President),concluded he is a product of mother luck. We have hazarded the guess also that whatever he touches turns to a lucky wand that smoothens all rough edges into submission. We now know better.
Think about Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua: what comes to mind? Think Jonathan: Anything in mind?
After that recorded “live media chat” was relayed via NTA and broadcast by several other stations, I began to sort the different names Mr. President has had the honour (?) of taking on since his ascension to the highest office in the land. Perhaps it would help me to unravel this elusive identity.
Clueless? Obviously, he isn’t the first clueless president we’ve had. Slow? A toga for another. Maradonic? We know who the cap fits and no one lauds Mr President for his stratagems!Brutal and vindictive? We know the enclave that houses the trademark user. Corrupt? Naa! Too many have bought into that franchise!Dull? Well, he can’t take exclusive credit for that.
There are diverse criteria that could be smuggled in and they still won’t be definitive of our dear Mr. President. He is a “bit” of everything that I listed and more, but something shines through all of these.
As I despaired that I might not hit the mark, something cannoned off my thoughts. I told myself there must be an area where the president has excelled with flying colours since he assumed office. Thoughts and facts started filtering in, in no particular planned sequence.
The President while speaking through the deputy senate president at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, asserted:“We are vigorously fighting the endemic corruption at all levels and in all sectors of our country. I can assure you that there will be no sacred cows. Whoever is found to have transgressed will be made to face the full wrath of the law.” Ironic isn’t it? Especially coming from a President who sits happily in chambers with Diezani Alison-Madueke, serially indicted by several of the presidential committees commissioned by the C-in-C himself!
I stumbled upon a damning report from “Sunday Punch” detailing how $31billion (over N5trillion) had been pilfered since the President’s ascension to power on May 6, 2010 and all I could do was shake my head in sorrow. Relate that to the quote above, and you will understand why I concluded that he is seriously searching for an identity to help him negate the obvious. He has been caught up in illusions of what he is not, and is desperately trying to make us believe he is a believer, not an usurper!
What’s in figures? Let’s have a look at what our president really identifies with, but still earnestly denies in an attempt to write for himself a different epitaph in history, no matter how far from thetruth!
The $31bn sum was arrived at, after poring over the submitted reports from the various committees tasked by the president to look into certain sectors of the economy. For a start, The Ribadu report put crude oil theft at about $6.3bn (N1.2trn) a year, which translates to some 250,000 barrels a day and $12.6bn in the two years of his presidency. Just this October, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga wrote to the president about the loss of about 24million barrels, worth a whooping $1.6bn stolen between July and September, saying his signature was forged on the Export Clearance Permit used to transport them out of the country!
It gets scarier.
The Ribadu report also said “Ministers of Petroleum Resources between 2008 and 2011 handed out seven discretionary oil licences and that government lost $183m (N29bn) in signature bonuses via these deals.The Ribadu panel discovered that three of the oil licences were awarded under the current petroleum minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who took up her position in 2010″ according to Sunday Punch.
Taking into account the N2.6Trn paid as subsidy on petroleum products in 2011, you will agree the signs are ominous.
The Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments, headed by Mr.Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, also noted in its report that in 2011, 197 subsidy transactions worth N232bn were illegitimate.
In the other sectors, the House of Representatives’ committee on Environment uncovered a seedling fraud of N2bn in a contract awarded by the Ecological fund office. In Telecommunications, a frequency of 450MHz valued at about $50million was sold at $6million by Nigeria Communications Commision. The identification of NCC as a fraud outlet was further confirmed by the N6.1bn nairaSIM card registration project it embarked on and the further N1bn additionally budgeted for the same purpose in 2012.
One is made to wonder what the job of the various telecommunications providers is if NCC has to take up the functions of a SIM registrar.
KPMG, the global audit and financial advisory firm, on Wednesday November 21, 2012 rated Nigeria as the most fraudulent country in Africa, for the first half of 2012 putting the cost of fraud at $1.5bn (N225bn) while Transparency International has perpetually placed us amongst the very corrupt in its periodic Corruption Perceptions index report. We were 134 out of 183 rated countries in 2010, but have slipped to 143 out of the same 183 by 2011 under the present president’s watch.The Report is accessible here: cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/. Add the Gallup polls (“Global States of Mind: New Metrics for World Leaders”) that has consecrated us, with our inputs, as the second most corrupt nation on earth and you’ll be forgiven if you think, Nigeria, in one fell swoop will varnish into oblivion due to corruption.
The President spits fire and brimstone, though with hint of slapstick comedy in tow, when it comes to the issue of corruption, majestically pumping his fists to show resolve and setting up countless committees that throw up amazingly decisive recommendations and punishments for those whose hands were caught in the chocolate jar. Sadly, he wastes no time in performing a volte-face when decisive action is required, passing reports of such committees to other committees to vet and more committees to read, on their gradual journey into the bin.
While the president struggles with an identity, it is instructive to point him to the foundation of his government and most thriving business he has going for him: help him design a totem featuring a woman robbing a bank and a picture of a dozy Akposin hat. Present it to him with fanfare as his official staff of office while he dances round the fireplace in Aso Rock.
All we see is the security budget while security itself deteriorates further, with the president scoring himself high on security issues, Boko Haram or not. He keeps touting figures and Megawatts as if that is what translates to stable power supply, while the improvement being bandied around in the power sector has become the hollow shout of an idle mind. The queues for fuel looks like something from the old movies of Abacha, yet our president expects, nay demands the congratulatory message floods for a job well done. Jokes abound, but this is a different level entirely.
Weakness is not humility, Mr President, with all due respect. You come to our screen to tell us “I never promised to reduce poverty, I only said I will create wealth”. You ridicule every right thinking person in this country with your simplistic view of President Obama’s victory and while all these happens, you feign ignorance of the absolute corruption going on around you.
Rather than face the business of governance, you employed executive comedians in Abati and Lion Okupe to massage your cluelessness and attack those who see through your “humble” smokescreen.
And without a single iota of unease, you keep a straight face with us, expecting us to appreciate your unique brand of selective amnesia in issues of national importance. Leadership has taken a permanent sabbatical since your back rested on the President’s chair.
We acknowledge you Mr. President. The Overall Lord of all comedians in the Federal Republic (OFR), the Comedian-In-Chief (C-in-C) or should we say Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic (GCFR)?

I’m @deboadejugbe

Re: And It’s El-Rufai Again – By Chinedu Ekeke

Re: And It’s El-Rufai Again – By Chinedu Ekeke

I cringed last week as I read heaps of tweets that followed an essay by Obinna Mgbeahurike (Known as The Arch Cardinal on twitter) targeted at Malam Nasir El-Rufai. A good number of the tweets emanated from Reno Omokri, an aide in Nigeria’s presidency, who recently took it upon himself to desecrate public space with gutter language, the type reserved for motor park touts. And the author of the said piece, donning his combat garb, was on hand to hit back at anybody who dropped any comment that expressed a contrary view. At a point, he declared to one commentator, “I don’t remember any invitation passive or active for your opinion in MY BLOG.” The emphasis was on the ownership of the blog; the same blog he wanted people – none owners – to visit and read. The whole idea was for every contrary view to steer clear of the blog. You either agree with the declaration that El-Rufai was a crook or keep shut.

Before I continue, I would like to enter a caveat here. In the course of my interactions with Mr Obinna on Twitter, I got to find out that he is from my state, my local government, and even my maternal clan, where, unfortunately, I’ve not been before. It means I have enough reasons to want to get sentimental about Obinna’s views if I am wired to think that way. In the real sense of it, he is my brother, and I am going to handle this rejoinder as a brother.

Mr Obinna began with a latent anger. He claimed El-Rufai had refused to give him attention on Twitter despite his attempts to attract such. He then concluded that it was out of pride or arrogance that El-Rufai ignored him. He said the man feels ‘too important to engage a lowly man’ like him (Obinna). He went a step further to mock the man’s physical size when he declared; “Maybe because my name doesn’t ring a loud bell … or perhaps am a bit too tall for Nasir to see my head and figure out what I am about.”(Emphasis, mine).

Everybody who has up to 1000 followers on twitter understands how difficult it is to engage that number, let alone a person who has up to 50,000 followers. Malam El-Rufai has over 100,000 followers, and Mr Obinna should understand the difficulty in engaging even 20% of that population. Not responding to people’s questions on twitter doesn’t make the person being questioned arrogant. Yet I have seen El-Rufai engage many of his followers in series of question and sessions. It is impossible to respond to everybody on your timeline if you have over one hundred thousand followers. This is why the mockery of El-Rufai’s physical size is unnecessary. None of us on earth contributed anything to our physical looks. We were all made by God.

The writer wasn’t happy that El-Rufai took umbrage at President Goodluck Jonathan for the recent Gallup polls in which Nigerians adjudged their government the second most corrupt in the world. For Mr Obinna, El-Rufai has no business accusing President Jonathan’s administration of corruption because there was a Wikileaks cable release that declared El-Rufai corrupt. Here’s what Obinna quoted: “–Al-Rufai is at the center of the corruption allegations. Well-known to PolCouns eight year ago, when he was homeless and seeking a loan to import a taxi from the UK, al-Rufai is said to have recently purchased seven upscale properties in a posh Abuja neighborhood. His demolitions of commercial and residential buildings in the capital have reportedly provided an opportunity for himself and several of his friends. After demolishing residential properties in Kubwa, the land was reallocated to several of his friends and to an investment company he allegedly owns. The community of Chika, where about two square miles of development was demolished in December, has allegedly been allocated to the same group of people.’ (Culled from a US Embassy Cable Message. The full report can be viewed here: http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=06ABUJA483&q=al-rufai ).”

As I read Obinna’s explanations of the Wikileaks cable quote above, I could see a man beaming with excitement. It was to him like victory, victory over an enemy. A cast iron evidence against a smart rogue was dug up, and yes, it was weighty enough. The implicit message leaped out of the pages of the essay and stirred readers in the face. He was so sure his piece couldn’t be punctured.

Well, let’s hope it doesn’t.

First, I’m surprised Mr Obinna is just seeing that particular Wikileaks cable. I saw it last year. Mr Obinna is already one year too late on that. I also saw other Wikileaks cables. I analysed them even then, and here’s what I found out.

The Wikileaks cables released about Nigeria were written under two United States Ambassadors, John Campbell and Robin Sanders. I discovered that cables by Robin Sanders were more factual while those by John Campbell were more of speculations and hearsays. I will give examples.

When you read cables by Campbell, you won’t find any difference between what he wrote and how Nigerian newspapers report. You get to see too much of ‘rumoured’, ‘believed to have’, ‘reported to have,’ etc. It is difficult to point to lines of certainty in the cables. For instance, here’s what

John Campbell wrote in the particular cable where El-Rufai was mentioned: “(C/REL UK) The Bureau of Private Enterprises oversaw the privatization of many government-owned business, including sugar, steel, rice and other sectors. It is widely believed that the privatization exercise benefited both the President, through Aliko Dangote, and the Vice President, through various agents.”

Note that he stated, “It is widely believed…”. No certainty. This isn’t different from what he’d been reading in Nigerian dailies.

Here’s another one by Mr Campbell:

“(U) For example, in a widely-circulated August 22 letter to President Obasanjo, Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu accused Obasanjo of corruption, listing a number of dubious deals, including: ABUJA 00000483 002 OF 004 –Cancellation of the contract for the construction of the national stadium in Abuja, only to re-award the contract to a different vendor at a higher price. –Use of public funds for capital improvements at two private schools secretly owned by Obasanjo. Obasanjo’s response was to agree to be “investigated by the EFCC, which reports to the President. When the EFCC invited Kalu to provide evidence to support his accusations, Kalu refused, pointing out that the EFCC was not an independent investigative body and had no authority to prosecute the President, and the investigation died out.”

Is there anything different from this and what we read in Nigerian dailies within that period?
Still on Obasanjo, Ambassador Campbell wrote; “(S/REL UK) It is also widely believed that the President’s inner circle also reaps hefty rewards with impunity.” (I highlighted the ‘widely believed’ for the sake of emphasis).
Now let’s look at Robin Sanders’ cables:

“Jonathan told the Ambassador ‘everyone’s confused’ about who is in charge of Nigeria.”
Sanders continues: “(C) The AgP lamented, “This terrible situation in the country today has been created by four people: Turai Yar’Adua [the ailing President’s wife], his Chief Security Officer (CSO) [Yusuf Mohammed Tilde], his Aide-de-Camp (ADC)[Col. Mustapha Onoedieva] and Professor Tanimu Yakubu [Yar’Adua’s Chief Economic Advisor].”
And this: “(C) Jonathan said the CSO and ADC saw him separately to let him know that they did not intend to mistreat the AgP and expressed their willingness to work with him (which the AgP doubts).”

In all the cables sent by Robin Sanders, one cannot trace speculations or hearsays. They come with certainties. Everything was about findings, and findings. Sometimes the cables were minutes of meetings held with people in government. They carried the weight of credibility. The same cannot be said of John Campbell’s cables. It was Campbell who sent the cable on El-Rufai, and like all his messages, this one also came with only hearsays. One would have expected that with all the sophisticated intel at their disposal, Mr Campbell’s embassy would have got the clear details of El-Rufai’s shady deals. It is not enough to just allege that El-Rufai ‘is said to have recently purchased seven upscale properties in a posh Abuja neighborhood.” Who said? The Embassy was in a position to provide proofs on this. If Mr Campbell had known that the cable would leak any time in the future, I doubt if he would have sent just speculations as intel. This goes to show that the Wikileaks cables aren’t unquestionable. Some of them should be questioned. Others are convincing enough to believe immediately. Mr Campbell’s don’t qualify for instant swallow. They must be questioned.

But let us even look at the issues alongside Mr Obinna’s analysis. He said El-Rufai was seeking, wait, N6 million, to import a taxi, and that El-Rufai was equally homeless. That is ridiculous. By 1998, El-Rufai was a consultant to the regime of Abdulsalami Abubakar. The government handed over in May 1999. It means that even a day before Obasanjo became the president, El-Rufai was still a consultant for the government. I don’t know if it is possible that a government consultant in Nigeria will be homeless. Consultants do not earn the same salary as ministers. Even in the private sector, consultants do not earn the same salary with employees of the organization they consult for.

But let’s even ignore the fact that he was a consultant, El-Rufai studied quantity surveying and established El-Rufai & Partners Ltd, a quantity surveying firm, in 1982 (That is 30 years ago. Also note that he was born 1960. He established that firm at 22 years). As at 1982, I wonder how many quantity surveying firms, as well as quantity surveyors, Nigeria had. The firm was successful from inception, and has so remained to date. El-Rufai started practicing as a quantity surveyor while still in youth service, and bought his first car while still serving. As at then, he didn’t even know how to drive. It is unimaginable that the owner of a successful business will be homeless in 1999, the same year he was consulting for the Federal government. If this isn’t questionable, I wonder what is.
To fortify his claims, Mr Obinna wrote; “We know Nasir to be a lawyer and a Quantity Surveyor both of which he didn’t practice for this period so whence the stupendous wealth? Ponder on these for a while.”

That is not true. El-Rufai was a Quatity Surveyor first, and practiced for many years. He only became a lawyer in 2008, after he left public office. For emphasis sake, El-Rufai practiced quantity surveying!

Why did I go this far in defence of Nasir El-Rufai? It is because I feel there should be a limit to the propagation of falsehood against opponents of President Jonathan. If we brand everybody who has been in government a criminal, then we will be discouraging people from doing their best when they get to government. If we create the culture of castigating everybody in government, we’ll build a system where public office holders would only end up telling themselves; “They must condemn me anyway. So what’s the difference?” Nasir El-Rufai is one of the very few people who did their best while in government. Yes, the President under whose regime he served was grossly corrupt, but that doesn’t erase El-Rufai’s giant strides as a minister. Are we to suggest that Oby Ezekwesili should be vilified because she served under Obasanjo? Would we be fair to her if we say that? She was exceptionally good, and we must appreciate that about her. Ditto for El-Rufai.

Is he a saint? Far from it! Who amongst us is a saint, anyway? So I agree with Obinna that El-Rufai is a sinner. But what is the weight of his sin? I don’t know. I, however, do know that President Goodluck Jonathan weighs much more in the sinners’ scale. He was indicted in 2006 by a powerful task force set up by Obasanjo. The indictment was for false declaration of assets and for owning assets way above his means. It is surprising that the same person who saw the Wikileaks cable on El-Rufai doesn’t know that the Jonathan he defends should be in prison for false declaration of assets, in a real country, that is.

Are we still believing Mr Campbell’s hearsays on El-Rufai? Should we then assume that it is out of Jonathan’s love for El-Rufai that he hasn’t prosecuted him? It can’t be! It is for lack of evidence. Whoever believes Jonathan forgives his enemies should ask Ibori and Orkah. If this government has anything to tie on El-Rufai, they would have hauled it at his face long before now.

The danger of my writing this piece is that some people will call me a paid writer. That isn’t important. What is important is that I know I wasn’t paid to write this, neither did I tell El-Rufai I was going to write in defence of him. I picked interest in El-Rufai many years ago, long before the birth of Facebook and Twitter, when he exposed two senators who demanded bribe from him before confirmation as a minister. He fits into my definition of a courageous person. He looked at generals and PDP chieftains in the face and demolished their illegal structures in Abuja. Those were enough for me to know he is courageous.

The whole idea of Mr Obinna’s essay was to intimidate El-Rufai into silence in the face of the monumental decay Mr Jonathan has set in motion in the governance of Nigeria. That was why he asserted; “A crooked man has no business in calling others crooked. That is my point.”

Mr Obinna should do well to remind
his ‘saintly’ president Jonathan that the indices have never been this scary for Nigeria. In just 3 weeks, every index paints a grim picture of our situation. Gallup polls affirm that his government is the world’s second most corrupt; KPMG says Nigeria is the most fraudulent country in Africa; and then, Nigeria is the worst country to be born in 2013. These should be enough to make him sit up. He should be grateful to El-Rufai and the rest of us who help him point out where his attention should focus, where his unpatriotic aides like Reno Omokri mischievously refuse to point him to.

You can follow @ekekeee on Twitter for more direct engagement.

How police raped.

How Policeman Raped Nursing Mother Inside Police Station In Owerri


Some people are damn wicked! A police corporal with the Imo State Command is currently in trouble for molesting a nursing mother, who had gone to the station to seek refuge.
It was gathered that Mrs. Maureen Anyalebechi, from Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State had, on November 10, 2012, gone to Umuguma Police Station to pass the night, when she could not locate the residence of her brother in the World Bank area of Owerri West Local Government Area.
Owing to the fact that it was late in the night, Mrs. Anyalebechi went to the police station with her seven-month-old baby, where she met Corporal Chigozie Odenigbo and another female police officer.
The victim told The Sun: “When I discovered that it was late to continue searching for my brother’s place, I decided to go to the nearby police station, to beg them to accommodate me for the night because it was already late.
“As I went in there with my baby, I met two police officers, a lady and a young man, and after explaining my situation, the male officer asked me to follow him to one officer’s house, where he claimed mosquitoes would not bite my baby and I thanked him and followed him innocently, but to my greatest surprise, the policeman pounced on me. He hit me from behind and before I knew what was happening, he snatched my baby from me and flung him away. He was holding me by the throat to stop me from shouting for help and started molesting me.”
She revealed that after the police officer had satisfied himself, he helped her to her feet and also picked up her baby and took her back to the police station. Mrs. Anyalebechi further narrated that when they came back to the police station, the female officer was alarmed when she saw that her clothes were torn and asked Corporal Odenigbo to explain what happened to her. The corporal, she said, denied ever doing anything to her.
Mrs. Anyalebechi said that she had to report the matter to the Divisional Police Officer, when he arrived for duty in the morning, who promptly ordered the arrest and detention of Corporal Odenigbo. She said to her surprise, the policeman was released.
Sensing that the police wanted to cover up the crime, she had to contact a lawyer, who took her to the Imo State Police Commissioner, Bolanta Adisa, last Friday, who summoned the DPO of Umuguma Police Station.
Upon the confirmation of the molest assault on the nursing mother, CP Bolanta ordered the arrest of Corporal Odenigbo, promising that thorough investigation would be carried out. He said that if found culpable, the policeman will be prosecuted and dismissed from the Force.
A Source disclosed that this same Corporal Odenigbo allegedly assaulted a female police office

10 things about men that turns women off

10 things about men that turn women off

from DFTM

Guys spend a lot of time trying to figure out what attracts women. Unfortunately a lot of them are still confused about what characteristics women find repulsive in men. You are more likely to have good relationships with the opposite sex once you understand the following 10 behaviors women find unattractive.
1. Having poor grooming and hygiene
Traits such as smelling bad, having bad breath, broken or stained teeth, botching your shave job, wearing wrinkled, unflattering clothing and uncleanliness in general are not sexy and will keep women completely away from you.
2. Lack of ambition
Women love being around men who have their own life, ambitions and goals. Looks can take you a long way, but once a conversation gets going and women realize you have no goals whatsoever or you have goals but no concrete plan to achieve them, they will become instantly turned off.
3. Being irresponsible
Women don’t want to invest their time and energy into guys who can’t take care of their business and will more than likely become just another burden in their lives. The last thing a woman wants to deal with is a man who can’t ever seem to hold down a job or pay his own bills.
4. Lack of confidence
Women want their men to lead the way, protect them and make them feel secure. Constantly listing all your faults, feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about your circumstances are sure fire ways to turn a woman off and make her stay away from you for good.
5. Having no sense of humour
Whether you realize it or not, humour is critical to your success with women. In fact, a sense of humour usually tops a woman’s attraction wish list and is one of the best ways to turn her on. No woman wants to be with a guy who can never laugh at himself, make a joke or find humour in a situation.
6. Men who give too many compliments
Women love compliments, but if you make too many or too big a compliment, most women won’t believe you and will wonder what you are trying to sell them.
7. Being a drunk
Nothing is less attractive to a woman than a guy who is a sloppy drunk! If you can’t maintain your alcohol consumption, the less likely you’ll be able to use good judgment and avoid saying really stupid things around women.
8. Having a beer belly
Your stomach is predominantly what a woman sees when she looks at you. The stomach is also the main source of the excess weight on a man, so if you have a saggy, protruding pot belly, get rid of it!
9. Being obsessed with sports
Most single women are not obsessed with sports and they don’t spend their weekends on the couch watching sports on TV. There’s nothing wrong with like sports; but, having an obsession with sports can adversely affect your dating life and could even cause a woman to dump you and find someone else who can fulfill her needs that you are neglecting.
10. Being too aggressive
Women don’t like it when a man they have just met insists on touching her too often. Women mostly prefer cool, calm, gentle and well-mannered men. When you are too aggressive with a woman, you creep her out, get pushed away and you get rejected.

NYSC is a Failure

NYSC is a failure” – Rochas Okorocha calls for a scrapping of the scheme 

inShare

by Rachel Ogbu

The governor of Imo State maintains that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has run its course and government needs to forget it and find new avenues to unite the country instead.

Governor Rochas Okorocha, speaking at the 50th anniversary lecture of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in Kaduna State said the NYSC scheme had outlived its usefulness.

“The NYSC was set up to promote unity but that has failed, so we need to look into other areas to improve the quality of education for our youths’ he said.

Okorocha also advocated that specialised schools like the Law School is created in all fields of study to equip students with practical skills to fit into the modern society.

“It is worrying that some of our graduates cannot read or write but if they attend specialised schools after graduation they can have more practical skills than theoretical,” he added.
He said exposing graduates to further practical skill acquisition would  also help government to find the placement of universities on the scale of excellence.

“We should stop grading universities by age but by specialisation which can be achieved through exposure to other graduates in a post-graduate school,” he added.

The governor also suggested that if universities considered alternative sources of funding they would not necessarily rely on government for revenue all the time.
“Universities can set up farms to produce food and technology firms to bid for contracts to increase internal revenue,” he said.

Okorocha also wanted universities to look into the bloated number of staff to save costs and asked the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to co-operate with university authorities to survive by reducing consistent demands for wage increases and allowances.

“Most universities have a huge number of non-academic staff and other non-essential staff coupled with adjunct teachers that are a drain on the resources of universities. ASUU should do more than just plan for strikes over the least problems.  They should engage university authorities on ways to save costs,” he said.