Blame Obasanjo, not Jonathan for infrastructure decay in Lagos— Oba Akiolu

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, on Wednesday, said that residents of Lagos should desist from blaming the president over infrastructure deficit  in the state, rather, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo should be held responsible.

He spoke at the public presentation of the book titled; “The life of James Pinson Labulo Davies: A colossus of Victorian Lagos and Worthy in character and learning,” authored by Prof. Elebute at the Metropolitan Club, Lagos.

Akiolu lamented that the eight  years administration of Obasanjo which begun in 1999 and ended in 2007 denied the state of its due rights.
According to the Oba, “I told the President about six days ago that no one should play politics with development.

“Many of the problems for which we are blaming him, although he has his own challenges, were created by the Obasanjo’s administration.”

Oba Akiolu also stated that none of his children can succeed him as the Oba of Lagos.

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.

Okiro is corrupt, a chronic political jobber- Ribadu

Our attention has been drawn to the shameless lies a former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro recklessly spewed to the media yesterday. The cause of Mr. Okiro's anger, the statement, in a London court, by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu that James Ibori was instrumental to his emergence as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) needs no further equivocation as it was an open secret to everybody in the government circle then. If Okiro is now denying this in public, there is no way he can deny this open secret to a number of people including an influential governor from the North-Central then, and a couple of other people who helped facilitate his selection by Ibori. It was this same shameless method of desperate lobbying that Okiro, a chronic political jobber and sycophant  of the first order would use in getting subsequent appointments as Chief Security Officer to the PDP national chairman and later, regrettably, as the chairman of the Police Service Commission.
The assertion by Okiro that Ribadu wanted to be the IGP further underlines the former IGP as a perennial peddler of falsehood. The truth is Nuhu Ribadu's focus then was consolidating on his modest efforts at the EFCC, especially at a time when he was working on high-profile cases, including that of Okiro's godfather, James Ibori. We therefore challenge Okiro to name those people he called Ribadu's friends that narrated the fictitious story of Ribadu's interest in becoming the IGP to him.
The highest distortion in Okiro's statement, however, is his attempt to rewrite the well-known and widely documented assassination attempts on the former EFCC chairman, and Okiro's hand in it all. It is ridiculous that Okiro is now desperately trying to paint himself in another colour after all the schemings he orchestrated. It beats our imagination that Okiro would want a Nuhu Ribadu he was fighting to destroy to report those incidences to him. It would have been a case of having a culprit to be a judge in his own case. At the time, the trio of Micheal Aondoakaa, the former Attorney General of the Federation, Okiro and Mrs Farida Waziri, the former EFCc chairman, had created a hell out of the world for Ribadu. The only sensible thing to do was to avoid these characters and seek solace somewhere else. This notwithstanding, it is a blatant lie that Okiro telephoned Ribadu "several times" but that he did not answer his calls. What Ribadu and other Nigerians easily recall was an elated Okiro rushing to address the press to deny something he knew nothing about. The bullet-riddled car Ribadu drove during that unfortunate life threatening incident is still there, if Okiro or any other person would want further proof.
On the issue of withdrawal of Ribadu's personal security, if Okiro is suffering from selective amnesia, let him be reminded that that was exactly what he did. He also redeployed Ibrahim Lamorde out of EFCC, to Bauchi State Police Command as Area Commander in Ningi. He did the same thing to other top EFCC operatives that Nigeria spent a fortune to train as investigators. One of them suspected to be close to Ribadu was even locked up for months in police custody. This also belie his statement that as IGP he could not have altered the postings of police within the EFCC.
As for Okiro's corruption credentials, we would like to alert the retired IGP that he is dancing naked in the gallery as his nasty record is something known to a lot of people. A man who clearly reeks of corruption, is Okiro denying that he is corrupt when we all know he cannot account for the source of the wealth he used in building a shopping mall in Jabi, a hotel with casino in Lugbe and a private school, all in Abuja? This is not to mention his property in Lagos and Port Harcourt, while he was still serving in the police. If a public servant, one tasked with the responsibility of protecting the lives of Nigerians and instilling discipline in the police, managed to amass such wealth, what gut does he have to talk of corruption?  It is a national tragedy that a man of such flawed character has now been appointed to head an important institution like the Police Service Commission. May God rescue Nigeria
Abdulaziz Abdulaziz
Media Assistant to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

 Waziri is a liar; I trained her- Ribadu

Waziri is a liar; I trained her- Ribadu

Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has hit out at her successor, Mrs.Farida Waziri, claiming she is a liar who seek undue relevance and importance. Ribadu disclosed this in a press release, following Waziri's defense of her integrity, following former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation that ex-Governor James Ibori head-hunted her to lead the commission. It will also be recalled that Ribadu has also maintained that he prosecuted Obasanjo 'boys' during his tenure against widespread belief that he was Obasanjo attack dog.

Below is the Press statement from Nuhu Ribadu

My attention has been drawn to the press statement issued by the immediate past chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, in a reaction to statements credited to former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
While I had tried not to comment on the activities of the EFCC or my successors in office to avoid subjectivism, I however find it expedient to clear my name of careless and mischievous references made by Mrs Waziri. I am therefore writing this with utmost reluctance,  public debate having been polluted with deliberate tincture of amnesia, necessitating umpteenth repetition of a simple fact that should have sank once and for all. It is sad that merchants of falsehood keep recycling crooked statements to the point of cliche, in spite of attempts at clarifications.
Firstly, it is not correct that I worked under Mrs Waziri, as she always claim.This is a naked lie that she keeps flaunting to seek undue relevance and validate her own appointment. At no time in my career did I work under the same section or unit as her. In fact, contrary to the Waziri's claim that She "trained" me, it was I that actually lectured her and others, on fraud investigation and prosecution, when she was newly posted as Head of Special Fraud Unit, even though she was my senior in rank. I was then the Head of Prosecution at the Tribunals under the leadership of Mr Sunday Ehindero, then CP Legal.
On the issue that EFCC under my leadership was used to push through the aborted third term agenda, it is evident that Mrs Waziri, who was nowhere near EFCC at the time, is ignorant of what transpired. It is saddening that after all the damage inflicted on the operations and credibility of the EFCC by Mrs Waziri, she turns back to abuse the young men and women who had put in all their energy in cleaning up our country especially during that critical time, by dismissing their work and sacrifice.
As I had cause to state in a recent article on my stewardship of the EFCC, we almost deliberately avoided going after governors and public servants from the opposition to avoid the charges of bias or doing the bidding of the government. Moreover, we halted our works on the politically exposed persons throughout the period of the third term debacle, to insulate and protect the integrity of the Commission.

EFCC was not about Nuhu Ribadu. Rubbishing its work, therefore, is like insulting all the thousands of its operatives across the country who put their lives in the line to make Nigeria a better country. If Mrs Waziri has a personal score to settle with anybody, she should direct her attack at the person but not the organization.
Nuhu Ribadu

I will expose 'shameless' OBJ- Waziri

Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri threatened yesterday to open up on ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, if he does not mind his words.
She told Obasanjo that those who live in glass houses do not throw stones – in a robust defence of her integrity, following Obasanjo’s allegation that ex-Governor James Ibori head-hunted her to lead the commission.
Mrs. Waziri said it was “illogical and nonsensical” for anyone to continue to insinuate that Ibori had a hand in her appointment.
She said the allegation was “one of the lies Obasanjo’s sit-tight pawns cooked to stop my appointment as EFCC chairman in 2008.”
Mrs. Waziri, who took on Obasanjo in a personal statement in Abuja, said Obasanjo does not have the qualifications she obtained.
She said with a Master’s Degree in Law and another in Strategic Studies, she was qualified to head the EFCC.
The statement said: “My attention has been drawn to a number of allegations made against me by Mr. Obasanjo. One of such was the alleged involvement of former Delta State Governor James Ibori in my appointment.
“While I hold the office of a Head of State, either serving or retired, in the highest esteem, I will like to put on record for the umpteenth time that this is totally unfounded, blatant lie and arrant falsehood.
“It is, therefore, worrisome when a man who has been twice a Nigerian head of state can descend so low to peddle falsehood. The truth is that I never met Ibori in my life, until after months in office as chairman of the EFCC when I used to see him in the Presidential Villa.
“It is on record today that I initiated the investigation that drove Ibori into the waiting hands of Interpol and Met Police. As such, it is illogical and nonsensical for anyone to continue to insinuate that Ibori has a hand in my appointment.
“I remember this was one of the lies Obasanjo’s sit-tight pawns cooked to stop my appointment as EFCC chairman in 2008.
“On the issue of qualifications raised by Obasanjo, the qualification for appointment as chairman of the Commission as stipulated in its Establishment Act says that the chairman shall ‘be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent; and possess not less than 15 years cognate experience’.
“The late President Yar’adua did not have to alter the Establishment Act when he was appointing me unlike what Obasanjo did.
“Again for the records, I served in the Nigeria Police Force for 35 years and got to the pinnacle of my career before my appointment as EFCC chairman.”
Mrs. Waziri said she had never been a pushover in her career and asked Obasanjo to revisit her records.
“If Obasanjo’s real age has not blurred his memory, I will like to remind him that I was a Commissioner of Police, Admin Force CID, CP General Investigations, CP Anti-fraud, CP X Squad, CP Police Special Fraud Unit where I secured the first conviction in a case of Advance Fee Fraud in Nigerian history.
“These are all prime investigative organs of the Nigeria Police where I related with other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, across the world. I must place on record that at SFU, I did not only relate with FBI, Interpol and Met police among others, we carried out joint operations at different times on a number of cases. I have also led the Nigerian delegation to the Interpol headquarters in France.”
Mrs. Waziri warned Obasanjo against statements which can mislead the public.
She added: “To further expose the height of mischief in the allegations, the past and present chairmen of the EFCC have both worked under me, yet someone can open his mouth to say I am not qualified to head the same agency.
“This is in addition to my educational qualifications, such as a first degree in Law, a Masters degree in Law and another Masters degree in Strategic Studies. I doubt if Obasanjo himself can boast of this level of educational qualifications.
“I will also like to remind Obasanjo that no chairman of the EFCC has till date beaten my records in terms of investigation of high profile cases, prosecution, conviction and recovery.
“I will like to warn that those who live in glass house don’t throw stones and, as such, Obasanjo should not allow me open up on him. Respectable elder statesmen act and speak with decorum.”

Information from The Nation newspaper was used in this report.

Atiku is wanted by FBI for corruption - Obasanjo

AFTER a long break, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, seem set to renew their hostilities.
Obasanjo is insinuating that ex-Vice President Atiku is corrupt, saying he was investigated by his administration following alert from the United States.
He said Nigerians should ask Atiku why he has not visited the United States since he left office, if he has no case to answer.
Obasanjo, who bared his mind on why he moved against his deputy in an interview with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) magazine, Zero Tolerance, said he could not understand why the anti-graft commission has not taken Atiku to court.
He said he did not at any time instigate former EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu against Atiku.
Obasanjo said: “Ask Ribadu, if I ever say to him, ‘go do this’.
“No; that is not true. We got a letter from America in June 2006, listing a number of people to be investigated; Atiku was one of them and that letter went straight to the EFCC.
“It was just shown to me because they will not be able to investigate my number two without my saying ‘ok’. So, I said if we got this letter from America, so be it.
“If we have agreement with FBI, Metropolitan Police and they are helping us and we are helping them and they write to us and say these are the people we want you to help us investigate, what do you think we should do? You as EFCC, what will you do, coincidence or no coincidence?”
He said Atiku had refused to travel to the United States since he left office because of alleged corruption.
He went on: “Well, I don’t know what the EFCC has found out about him, but I don’t know if he can go to America. Do you know? I am asking you, do you know?
“He travels? Travels to where? To Dubai? Let him go to America and return to Nigeria.
“Well, I don’t know what the EFCC has found out about him, but I don’t know if he can go to America. Do you know? I am asking you, do you know?”
But Atiku could not be reached last night for his reaction. He was away in China.
His Media Adviser, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “Turaki (Atiku) is in China and the time difference is about eight hours. There is no way I could reach him. You can run your story, we will react later. Turaki will wish to personally react,” he said.

I prosecuted ‘Obasanjo boys’ – Ribadu

Former chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has claimed that he prosecuted “Obasanjo boys” as against popular saying that he prosecuted only the perceived enemies of the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said this in a reply to an article by Mahmud Jega of Daily Trust, with the title "Gra-gra versus softly-softly". Ribadu noted that most of the prominent names he prosecuted while in office were of the same political party with the president.

“It is therefore amusing when I hear people these days charge me of "selective justice". Well, perhaps those charges could be passed as the example of what Wole Soyinka called “our collective amnesia". Take a comprehensive list of high profile people EFCC brought to justice, majority of them were people that could be correctly tagged "Obasanjo boys". Even though some of them suddenly turn around the moment they found themselves in trouble with the law, as a way of buying public sympathy,” he said.

Ribadu also gave credit of the work done during his tenure to the political will of President  Obasanjo to fight corruption. He said, “Success of anti-graft efforts is hinged largely at the leadership level, especially the political leadership. We were lucky to have the cooperation of the leadership at the time. To the credit of President Olusegun Obasanjo, he let us do the work even at a time we were going against some elements that were extremely close to him”.