Missing $20b: I want the whole truth, says Okonjo-Iweala

The  Minister of Finance  and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has demanded to know the whole truth about the alleged missing $20b which the suspended Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said is missing from the federation account.

A statement Wednesday from the finance ministry to the BBC,  said the minister, “ asked for urgent action with regard to an independent forensic audit of conflicting claims of unaccounted funds made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamdio Sanusi.”

According to the BBC, the direct statement from Dr Okonjo Iweala, said, “My position on this has been clear from the start. The Ministry of Finance’s reconciliation showed a shortfall of $10.8bn in NNPC remittances to the Federation account. After this, the conflicting claims continued with new figures such as $20bn being mentioned. So since 13th February I have called for an independent forensic audit. 

President Goodluck Jonathan indeed announced last night that there will be an investigation into whether there are any funds missing from NNPC. He also indicated that the correct process needs to be followed in this investigation and I understand that the entity that has the proper authority to initiate such an investigation is the Auditor General of the federation.

Tukur as minister of Defence?

There are strong indications that president Goodluck Jonathan might appoint ousted chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party as the new Defence minister.

Bamanga Tukur resigned as the chairman of the PDP on the 16th January, 2014. At the NEC meeting of the party, where the resignation was accepted, President Goodluck Jonathan  said he would offer Tukur tougher responsibilities.

Will the astute businessman turn politician be able to handle the security challenges in the country?

Nigeria ‘ll break if Jonathan is not allowed to contest —EZEIFE

Former governor of  Anambra State Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has declared that Nigeria may break up if President Goodluck Jonathan was disallowed from running for a second term in office.

Ezeife, who stated this in an interview published by Vanguard , noted that:  “At this juncture in Nigerian history, President Jonathan’s interest in a second term  and Nigerians’ interest in the continued existence of the country have become coterminous.”
He also insisted that those opposed to President Jonathan’s convening of a national conference were also opposed to Nigeria’s continued existence as a united country.

He said: “If you  say because you oppose President Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office, you are also opposed to a National Dialogue, you are saying no to one Nigeria.
“ The truth of the matter is that opposing President Jonathan’s second term is like opposing the continued existence of Nigeria as one united country.

“What do you think would happen if as a result of the handiwork of the opposition, President Jonathan is disallowed from running for a second term in office? Can you control what would happen?
“ Whether you are from the North, South or West, you can’t stop President Jonathan from going for a second term and winning.

“Everybody can make noise but if those who are making noise should think deeply, they would realize that the continued existence of Nigeria as one country is anchored on Jonathan’s continuation in office come 2015.”
On what would happen if President Jonathan contested the election and lost, he said: “We would be faced with the same problem.  The Niger Delta boys would blow up all the oil pipelines and then a part of the country could say they are no longer interested in Nigeria; they could say Nigeria legally expired when the nation marked its centenary and that they are now on their own.

“This is not what I want, but I am afraid it could happen if we foolishly think of only our short term interest, instead of thinking of long term implications.
“However, if  Jonathan contests and loses in a free and fair election  where Nigerians truly vote against him, it would be less bloody than if he is not allowed  to contest at all.”

Edwin Clark attacks Obasanjo

The season of letter writing may not be over in Nigeria yet as elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, joined the fray to excoriate former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his 18-page letter to President Goodluck Jonathan.

 In his 10-page delayed response to Obasanjo, titled: ‘Let The Truth Be Told Before It Is Too Late,’ Chief Clark described Obasanjo as “a mischief maker” and “an ego maniac who always want to play to the gallery.” He also exposed how Obasanjo became stupendously rich in only eight years of ruling Nigeria as President from 1999 t0 2007, declaring the Ota farmer as one of the richest people in Nigeria.

Below are some quotes from the letter
“Ordinarily, I never intended to join in the affray of accusations and counter accusations between a former president and a sitting president and a daughter in between. But, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in your usual characteristic hatred and use of sarcastic remarks about Ijaw, you have again berated and insulted us the Ijaws in your letter to Mr. President. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has never for once acted nor behaved as an Ijaw man since he took office as President, and we hold no grudge against him for that.

“In addition, I want to butress the assertion that all Nigerians are equal no matter where they come from, that is no one is a second class citizen of this nation. You have no right to plunge Nigeria into crisis as your past actions and recent open letter to the president connotes. The generality of Nigerians think your letter is treasonable,”

“My dear Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, you have become an unrepentant trouble maker, as Nigeria gave you more than you truly deserve. Hence you see yourself as lord of the manor. You have without recourse in the past embarrassed all past Heads of State and Presidents in Nigeria through open letters and unsavory comments. In such letters, you have always alleged maladministration, corruption and incompetence against them,”

“Nigerians are aware that you set the stage for the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as President of the Federal Republic. But the saying goes that if you present a gift of goat to a friend you must let go of the tether. You are probably different. Right from the inception of the Jonathan presidency, your body language indicated you want to play the role of the piper, that is, dictate how Jonathan runs the government, a phenomenon you did not tolerate from those who put you in office in 1999.

“An incident that played itself out then will suffice. You masterminded the removal of Chief Tony Anenih, then PDP Chairman, Board of Trustees, and appointed yourself thinking the position will give you powers to control and manipulate the President. The futility of your actions dawned on you when you realised Jonathan is his own man. And in frustration you resigned as PDP Board of Trustee Chairman. You had thought the president will kneel before you begging that you stay on, but he never did. Every Nigerian therefore, knows that you connived, with PDP renegades and opposition parties to ridicule and undo President Jonathan and the government because he refused to be your puppet,”

“My dear OBJ, I was your colleague in the General Yakubu Gowon government in 1975. You were then the Minister of Works. The Head of State directed you to develop the Tincan Island Port. It was widely rumoured then that you carved out a portion of land from the area earmarked for the project for yourself, the area now known as Beachland Estate in Apapa, Lagos. Your clandestine usurpation of the piece of land led to series of litigations with your front man, in which I believe you are still probably embroiled.

“Mr. former President, I will also like to use the language of your daughter, Iyabo to describe you to Nigerians. You are “a liar, manipulator, two face hypocrite” and that “you have egoistic craving for power and live a life only men of low self esteem and intellect thrive.”

“As a matter of fact, your eight years sojourn as President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 benefited you immensely. You acquired many mechanized multi-billion naira farms across the country. They include the Obasanjo Palm Oil Farm in Calabar, a very large multi-million naira poultry farm in Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State, another gigantic farm in Oke-Ogun in Oyo State, larger than any of its kind in Africa, Lanlate fish farm in Ota, a big poultry farm at Ibogun and an oil palm estate at Ehuagie in Rivers State, not to mention your past holdings in tea plantation in Adamawa State.

“Apart from the foregoing, OBJ, your other investments encompass every segment of the national economy and they run into billions of naira. Some of these include your multi-million naira Temperance Hotel in Ota, your multi-billion Presidential Library, Transcorp, which owns the Abuja Hilton Hotel, your juicy oil blocs and known interest in the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria, Ikot Abasi. You barely survived on your pension as a retired army general and little earnings from your old Ota farm. Today, the spoils of office have altered your life-style. How dare you point accusing fingers at others when you have a cupboard filled with skeletons? You have forgotten the saying that “a man who lives in a glass house should not throw stones.”

“You are today one of the richest men in Nigeria if not in Africa.

“In 1999, it was widely reported in the media that you came out of Gashua prison very broke. As a matter of fact, it was stated you had N20,000 in your bank account as declared in your Code of Conduct Bureau Form. In just 8 years, as President of Nigeria, you metamorphosed from a struggling ex-head of state, into a life of opulence. You must tell Nigerians the magic behind the sudden affluence. When corruption is mentioned, informed Nigerians know those that foisted the malady on our nation.

“In the brickbat between you and your deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he revealed how you corruptly enriched yourself by buying over almost all the public enterprises so far privatized. Atiku even accused you of using PTDF money, including using the fund’s money to buy a car for your girlfriend. You introduced ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags on the floor of the National Assembly, the N50 million you later paid to some members of the National Assembly in order to support your third term bid, only to turn round last year to accuse the legislators or armed robbery. What a character you are! With all these corruption baggage as your albatross, you still keep a deceitful sanctimonious aura of innocence to make allegations against President Jonathan.

“The Halliburton bribe scandal and the Siemens case were lightly touched by President Jonathan in his open reply to you. These two high profile corruption cases happened during your tenure as President. Your assistant and right hand man Babatunde Adeyanju was fingered to have been involved in the collection of the Halliburton bribe money,”

“You know over the years, I have always criticised you about your performance starting with the Ibori’s ex-convict case even though he may not have a good case. Your vindictive and mischievous attitude towards political opponents was unacceptable and very few of us were able to criticise you. You felt former governor Ibori of Delta State and Alamieyeseigha, his counterpart in Bayelsa State, were being used by the former Vice President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, against you and you decided to punish them. But when Ibori gave you money he became your good boy, despite the position held by Delta elders against him.

“In the case of Alamieyeseigha, you tried to use his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, against him but he refused. You went on to use the Chairman of the EFCC to intimidate members of the Bayelsa House of Assembly and they carried out a kangaroo impeachment to remove him from office. You then immediately directed the security agencies after the impeachment to handcuff the governor and took him to Abuja for prosecution. I also criticised you when you asked your security men to arrest the candidate who was standing against your daughter in the senatorial election in Ogun State even though there was no case against him in Nigeria.”

“You may also remember my open letter to you published in the Vanguard newspaper in which I ask you to leave Yar’Adua alone to run his government. That you attempted to rule Yar’Adua’s government from Ota farm is unacceptable. I quoted the example of France and Great Britain to buttress my case. I continued my attack on you and your cohorts when President Jonathan refused you to run his government from Ota farm. However, everything you asked President Jonathan, he gave to you. The first two important ministerial appointments, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who are no politicians were given to you for Ogun State.

“You had a hand in almost every appointment in the Southwest hence the party collapsed in the Southwest. El-Rufai said in his book “Accidental Public Servant” that you sent him to General Buhari inviting him to be the presidential candidate of the PDP in 2011 with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as his running mate. El-Rufai told the story of how together with Dr. Odimegwu, former Chairman of the NPC and two others, drove from Lagos to Ota in the night only for you to say that Jonathan should be given another chance. They discovered that your daughter, Iyabo, has won her senatorial case in a High Court. You can see how petty you are.

“Dear OBJ, you fed fat and harassed others with the EFCC. The anti-corruption apparatus became a coercive instrument in your hands to browbeat perceived political enemies. Your vendetta against political opponents and those you believe were working counter to your third term ambition knew no limits. You, however, received a moral indictment from the former EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as revealed through Wikkileaks. Ribadu was quoted as saying that while you were busy harassing and prosecuting others for corruption, ‘you were also busy covering up your own corrupt tracts,’ 

It will be recalled that President Jonathan has dragged Obasanjo to Rights Commission, EFCC, ICPC among others over allegations in the latter letter.

APC condemns Jonathan's response to Obasanjo's letter

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the presidency has been greatly diminished by its decision to throw decorum to the wind and engage former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a hot exchange of words in what may now be described as 'lettergate', the latest in a series of scandals to hit the Jonathan presidency.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said while it is not interested in joining the fray over the issues contained in the letters written by both men, the decision by the President to go personal in his reaction crossed the threshold of decency and brought the presidency - and indeed the country - into disrepute.

It said in other climes, the President would have simply issued a terse response to such a letter denying the allegations that border on national security, if any; as well as saying the former President's observations have been noted, and that the government would study them and then engage with the former President in private, while assuring that the ship of state is on course.


''Instead, the President's response read like the stuff of gossip magazines, and the exchange of words felt like what one would have expected in a beer parlour. At the end of the day, the Presidency allowed Obasanjo to take the higher moral ground by simply insisting on the allegations he made in his letter and saying he would not respond to the presidency's reply

''The President, who accused Obasanjo of doing him a great injustice, has himself done a great injustice to the Presidency, which is an institution in which he is only a tenant. In the end, the President of Africa's most populous nation, the leader of the foremost black nation on earth and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria simply desecrated his own presidency and allowed those who can only be likened to gravy train passengers, rascals and knaves to seize the initiative from him.

''This is what happens when a President is surrounded by self-serving, boot-licking and dishonest people, at the expense of seasoned technocrats and veteran policymakers, who would have reminded the President that while critics can afford to fire all sorts of darts at him, as the custodian of the presidency at this point in time, he cannot afford to respond in kind because, in doing so, he would be debasing the presidency as an institution,'' APC said.

The party said the President was not unaware of this because he struggled in his letter to maintain some minimum level of decorum, and then quickly lost control and engaged in a bare-knuckle fight.

''The President himself knows that he ought not to have engaged in such exchange when he wrote early on in his letter: 'It is with the greatest possible reluctance that I now write this reply. I am most uneasy about embarking on this unprecedented and unconventional form of open communication between me and a former leader of our country because I know that there are more acceptable and dignified means of doing so'.

''However, he quickly jettisoned such reluctance and, in an unfortunate debasement of the tone and quality of statecraft, went full blast, calling the former President a liar, a conflict instigator and an unreliable ally, among other inferred derogatory labels that may have now shut the window to reconciliation between him and his political God-father, in addition to portraying Nigerian leaders as delinquents.

''To worsen matters, President Jonathan could not restrain himself from using even the revered and ecclesiastical platform provided by his appearance at a Church service on Christmas day to further lambaste his critics and spew out hot words. This, surely, is not what is expected of a President, a leader and anyone who wants to be a nation builder" it said.

Read Jonathan's letter here

I am not training snipers for Jonathan- Hamza Al-Mustapha

...challenges Obasanjo to public debate

The former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Sani Abacha, Hamza Al-Mustapha, has debunked insinuations by former president Olusegun Obasanjo in his famous letter to President Goodluck Jonathan that he (Al-Mustapha) was released from prison to help the president train assassins to eliminate opposition politicians.

Speaking to the Hausa Service of the Voice of America, VOA, monitored in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr. Al-Mustapha challenged the ex-president to a public debate on the allegations he raised.

Mr. Al-Mustapha said he was away in India receiving treatment for injuries he sustained while in detention during the administrations of Abdulsalami Abubakar and Mr. Obasanjo when he heard of the allegations.

“I read Obasanjo’s letter and subsequent comments by Nigerians, I would have responded immediately, but I was away in India receiving treatment,” he said.

He also said although his name was not mentioned in the letter, he was sure the former president was referring to him.

“If he has anything to say on me, he should mention me directly or even challenge me and not make allusions,” Mr. Al-Mustapha said.

Mr. Al-Mustapha swore that the allegation that he is being used by Mr. Jonathan to train assassins is false. He said he has always been in the vanguard of people from the north to be recruited into the military and para-military agencies; and would therefore never involve himself in anything that would hurt the region.

“Perhaps it is Obasanjo and his cronies that are planning what he was insinuating,” he added.

“I urge everyone to pray for Obasanjo to accept my challenge for a public debate so that the truth will come out,” he said.

Mr. Al-Mustapha said he is focused on helping Nigeria find its rhythm by uniting the people, especially the youth and the poor.

“From 1974 to the present, a lot of things are buried with all sorts of lies. But all would be revealed one day,” Mr. Al-Mustapha said.

Jonathan want to kill me- Amaechi

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi on Monday in Port Harcourt said that he is on the hit list of President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 Presidential election.

Amaechi’s statement came on the heels of the raging controversy sparked by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President  in which Obasanjo  accused Jonathan of training snipers and putting 1,000 Nigerians on a watch list ahead of the 2015 elections. 

Governor Amaechi alleged that those behind the recent explosions at the Government House and other parts of the state are being sponsored by the presidency, even as he accused President Goodluck Jonathan of denying Rivers people access to portable drinking water amongst others developmental projects.

Amaechi who spoke at a rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement – a political group backing Amaechi’s stand on the state’s political future remarked that  “I’m number one on the list. They want to kill me.” 

Amaechi, who is also the a factional chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), told the gathering that yesterday’s event was not for him to declare for APC, assuring that his declaration would be at the new stadium.

“The reason for gathering today is to remind Nigerians that the current Federal Government is carrying on with impunity. There is no rule of law in Nigeria. They are using police to molest us. Where police fail to molest us, they are using thugs to shoot dynamites and guns against innocent people.

“I read the President’s (Jonathan’s) letter and he said ex-President Obasanjo should prove the 1,000 names on the watch list. I am number one on the list. They want to kill me, but they have no God. The God we worship will protect me. Before the end of the year, I will address the state.

“They will shoot you. They have no fear for your blood. They want the position at all costs. Whether you all die, they do not mind governing just the land. You must know that if you read the story of revolution, you must sacrifice. Somebody said my son should come to the front. If you want my son tomorrow, I will produce him.

“If I have surrendered myself and I am ready to be in front, let them shoot. Anytime you start a street march and you do not see me in the front, you must know something must be wrong and you must know that they have arrested me. I am not a big man governor. I am a governor that is on the streets with his people.

“One other thing that is bothering me is that all those who are on the other side, saying they want South south President, I agree with them, they want South south President. In politics, you are not here today (yesterday) because you like Amaechi; you are here because of your own political interest. If a South south President refused to give you water, you will push him out.

“We gave the President (Jonathan in 2011) nearly two million votes, let him tell us one project he has done for us. I have challenged the President that I belong to the APC. If he wants Rivers people to vote for him, let him give Kalabari people back their oil wells and I will come back (to the PDP). He cannot. The President cannot. Instead, he will take more.”

The rally which took place at the Liberation Stadium had in attendance, APC leaders, including the interim National Chairman, Bisi Akande; former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, who is the party’s interim Deputy National Chairman; interim National Vice Chairman (South-south) Tom Ikimi and Dr. Sam Sam-Jaja.

Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was represented by his deputy, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu. Also in attendance were the interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed; two senators from Rivers State – Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) and Wilson Ake (Rivers West)- as well as a member of the House of Representatives from Rivers state, Dakuku Peterside (Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro constituency). There were many other eminent personalities.

Jonathan drags Obasanjo to rights commission, EFCC, ICPC

President Jonathan Goodluck yesterday submitted himself to the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, for probe over criminal allegations against him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Former President Obasanjo had written an 18-page open letter to Jonathan, accusing him of incompetence, engaging in anti-party activities, ethnicism and training about 1,000 snipers ahead of the 2015 polls.

Jonathan, who denied the allegations in his response, is specifically inviting the rights commission to unravel the truth in the allegation that his government had begun training over 1,000 snipers to terminate his political opponents.

In a letter to the commission, President Jonathan is seeking for a thorough investigation of the allegations against him, touching on alleged human rights abuses.
The letter, signed by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, on the directive of Jonathan, had already been submitted to NHRC.

The letter dated December 23, 2013 was submitted yesterday. Sources close to the Presidency said  that similar letters had been written to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The two anti-graft agencies are to probe allegations of economic crimes and official corruption against the Jonathan’s administration as contained in Obasanjo’s letter.

Presidency absents from burial rite of Pa Odiase, composer of national anthem

No official from the presidency officially attended the burial rite of Pa Ben Elide Odiase, the late deputy commissioner of police (rtd), who composed the national anthem and was awarded a member of the order of Niger by the federal government.

 However, Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has said that the Police in particular and Nigeria in general has lost an icon in the person of Odiase, who died at the age of 79.

He made the remark during the commendation service held Friday morning during the commendation service at Police College in Ikeja, Lagos which was graced by both serving and retired police officers as well as rank and file.

Orits Wiliki, Reggae Superstar and the Chairman Nigeria Music Copyright Association, an association which the late Police officer was a member during his life time lambasted the federal government dismal treatment of the funeral rites of a man who not only make Nigeria and Nigerians proud with his selfless service to mankind but who used his God given talent to compose the National Anthem we all savor with reminisces today.

“It is indeed sad that the government in Nigeria has always failed to address the issue of honoring those who made great impact on our life as Pa Odiase did. What would one say, of the near absence of government presence (Local, State and Federal) at a great occasion like this,” he lamented.