Mother of all frauds: How Nigeria Stock Exchange spent N186 million on Rolex watches for employees

Wonders shall never end.  An auditor’s report  into the affairs of the Nigeria Stock Exchange under the headship of deposed director general Mrs  Ndi Okereke-Onyuike   have  found out that the Exchange  spent a whopping N186 million on Rolex watches for its staff in 2008, as gifts to employees who had served the Exchange for 10 years.
The audit report, carried out by KPMG, and Aluko Oyebode & Co., also found out that only 73 out of the 165 Rolex watches were actually presented to the awardees. The implication is that a total of 92 Rolex watches valued at N99.5 million remain unaccounted for.  Said the report: “We observe that the gifts awarded / presented far exceeded the value stated in the staff handbook.”
The report said further: “Our investigation so far reveals that the following allegations may have merit: Total expenses of the NSE are too high, 2006 to 2008 expenses consumed more than 80 per cent of income/undisciplined spending and financial imprudence; That there has been sharing of money among council members, That the sum of N400 million were paid to the past president of the Council, That wages, training and IT expenses were overstated." The report was ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and it goes to uncover shocking cases of fraud and recklessness on the part of Mrs  Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, the disgraced, former director general.
 xclusivenigeria.com

Nigeria curfew after deadly village clashes

A curfew has been imposed on two rural villages in Nigeria's Cross River state after deadly weekend clashes.
At least 30 people are reported to have been killed in violence between members of the Boje and Nsadop communities.
Youths armed with machetes, guns and explosives attacked rival villages, killing on sight and burning houses.
The clashes are believed to have been sparked by a lingering land dispute, but some residents said the violence may be politically motivated.
They said some local politicians were engaged in a power struggle ahead of next year's elections.
Villagers fled
The BBC's Fidelis Mbah in the region says three soldiers deployed to maintain peace in the area were among those killed.
Residents of both villages have fled, fearing for their lives, he reports.
More soldiers and anti-riot policemen have arrived to step up patrols.
Cross River state government spokesman Patrick Ugbe said some badly burnt corpses had been recovered in the aftermath of the fighting.
"About 90% of the houses in Nsadop were burnt down," he told the AFP news agency.
According to the authorities, a curfew has been imposed from 1800 local time to 0600 in the morning.
The villages are in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which is notorious for its armed gangs.
Most of these so-called oil militants have now agreed to disarm as part of a government amnesty.
Niger Delta politicians originally created the gangs by arming young men to use as their private armies and to rig elections.

Written by Ejura Sambo/bbc

Women journalists who persist in the face of danger, oppression win Courage Awards

BBC reporter Vicky Ntetema was undercover, face to face with an infamous witch doctor in her native country of Tanzania. After skinning a live chicken and calling the journalist a “walking corpse,” the witch doctor offered his most potent remedy: a potion made from the body parts of an albino person. And for the right price, he said, he would commit the murder himself. After all, he had done it before.
"These things are in every homestead," he said, describing children and adults with the rare genetic disorder.
Ntetema wore her trainers that day, precisely so she could run away from danger. She had already set the emergency ring on her cell phone in case she needed to reach her driver immediately. But Ntetema didn’t use the code. Instead, she took her hidden microphone and went deeper into Tanzania to find more witch doctors -- and more confessions of targeted killings of people with albinism.
For this tenacity and determination to get the story, Ntetema was one of three winners of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s 2010 Courage in Journalism Awards. The awards honor women who have shown "extraordinary strength of character and integrity while reporting the news under dangerous circumstances." Another winner, Colombian investigative reporter Claudia Julieta Duque, was researching the murder of political humorist and journalist Jaime Garzón when she was abducted and robbed. She left the country, and upon her return, received more death threats, including phone calls with funeral music and screams of terror. She was forced to flee the country twice more, but returned determined to continue her investigation into what she believes was a state assassination of Garzón.
“I am a ghost when I'm not reporting. It's not really a life,” Duque said, speaking last week at a panel discussion at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC.
Although both women were able to come to the United States to share their stories this month, the third honoree was absent. Woeser, a journalist, poet and blogger from Tibet, has had her books banned in China and her blogs destroyed. She is under constant surveillance by the Chinese government, which has detained and interrogated her. She is now in self-imposed exile in Beijing, and Chinese authorities refuse to issue her a passport to come to the United States.
“I ask my boss to send me to this event every year, because when I head back to work, I stop whining about my job,” joked Cynthia Tucker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who moderated the event.
Tucker asked Ntetema and Duque what inspired them to pursue such challenging stories.
“I just couldn’t believe there was this kind of racism in Tanzania,” Ntetema said. “Albino people are human beings. The only difference is color.”
Ntetema, who was educated in the former Soviet Union and worked in London, was told by locals she was too "Westernized" to cover witch doctors. Ninety percent of Tanzanians believe in witchcraft, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
And although there have been more than 50 documented killings of albinos in Tanzania since 2007, the government’s reaction has been lethargic. Local police told Ntetema that if she disappeared during the investigation and the BBC asked them to find her, they wouldn’t go. They were too afraid. Even Tanzanian politicians reportedly visit witch doctors to sway election results.
Now, in part due to Ntetema’s coverage, over 170 witch doctors have been arrested, according to the BBC. And even though she must report behind a veil to mask her identity, she has decided to work full-time on the story of the murders.
Duque considers Garzón’s murder to be the biggest story of her life.
"It was the beginning of the end of freedom of the press in Columbia," she said.
More than 120 journalists were killed in Colombia in the 1990s, she said. The number of national and regional newspapers in Columbia has fallen by half since Garzon’s murder. Like Ntetema, Duque has had to negotiate with a government that is apathetic about -- or even a participant in -- the murders.
But Duque continues to persevere as an investigative reporter, covering child trafficking, paramilitary groups and human rights violations. She said at the event that she loves her country and will continue to work there despite the difficulties.
“Someone has to be there, and remember the story,” she said. “Why not me?”
 By Dana Liebelson

Bribery scandal: FIFA suspends Adamu, Temarii

Fifa has provisionally suspended officials Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii over allegations of corruption.
The Fifa executive committee members are accused of offering to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 World Cup ahead of December's ballot.
They were secretly filmed by the Sunday Times, who posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies that wanted to bring the event to the US.
Fifa will meet again in mid-November to take a final decision.
At that meeting Fifa will also study alleged agreements between member associations and their Bid Committees in relation to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process.
The world governing body did not specify which countries could be under scrutiny.
Rumours of collusion between a 2018 bidder and a 2022 hopeful surfaced in September, prompting Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke to warn all countries that mutual voting deals are against Fifa rules.
England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium are competing to stage the 2018 World Cup, while the United States, Australia, Qatar, Japan and South Korea are all in the hunt for 2022.
Fifa's 24-man executive committee will decide who wins on 2 December, when they meet in Zurich to conduct a secret vote.
The US - the last remaining non-European bidder - pulled out of the running for 2018 on Friday to focus its efforts on 2022, where it is competing with Japan, South Korea and Qatar. On the same day, England pulled out of the bidding to host in 2022.
The alleged vote-selling scandal has plunged the voting process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups into crisis and chief executive Sepp Blatter admitted "it was a sad day for football" before insisting "confidence will be restored".
Adamu allegedly said he wanted $800,000 (£500,000) to build four artificial football pitches. This would be against Fifa's rules.
The Sunday Times footage appears to show him asking for money to be paid to him directly for endorsing a US bid.
Temarii, who is alleged to have asked for a payment to finance a sports academy, has already pleaded his innocence.
"I am 100% convinced of my integrity," Temarii, head of Fifa's technical and development committee, told Inside World Football. "That's why I have stayed on."
Temarii suggested his comments on the Sunday Times video had been taken out of context.
However Fifa ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser explained that the decision to provisionally suspend Adamu and Temarii was "fully justified and should not be put in question," said Fifa ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser.
"It is crucial to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process. We are determined to have zero tolerance for any breach of the code of ethics."
Four other Fifa officials - Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee - have also been provisionally suspended.

Son of Dog: Disgraced former Justice minister Aondoakaa sacked as SAN

 Disgraced former Attorney General of the Federation under the Yar’Adua regime Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, who gained national notoriety during his tenure as the nation’s No 1 law breaker, has been barred from using the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The dishonorable former minister gained national notoriety and infamy when he turned the constitution and the laws of the land on their head in his campaign to protect his paymasters who were being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The decision to sack the notorious former minister from the body of SAN was taken by the legal privileges committee of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria told reporters that the committee took the decision to sack the notorious Mr. Aondoakaa due to a number of allegations against him, including using his position as AGF to “emasculate the anti-corruption institutions.” He said the committee reviewed Mr. Aondoakaa’s response to a petition written against him by the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR). He accused the former minister of “lying and deception” to protect former Delta State governor Mr. James Ibori and his associates, who were being prosecuted for corruption.
“...the committee, after due consideration of the said response, has decided in its wisdom, to suspend him[Aondoakaa] from the use of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and all other privileges attached to that rank, pending the outcome of the investigation by the sub-committee set up by the legal practitioners privileges committee,” Mr. Olorundahunsi said.
According to him, the petition accused the disgraced former minister of guilty of “deliberate mis-interpretation, mis-application, and incompetence.” The petition also said Mr. Aondoakaa also showed “an inadequate knowledge of the law.” Recently, the disgraced minister had been barred by a Calabar High Court from holding any public office in future, while ruling on a lawsuit that accused Mr. Aondoakaa of derailing the rule of the law during his tenure. Also the despised former minister has recently been banned from entering the United States of America.
www.xclusivenigeria.com

Cecilia Ibru goes to jail

Cecilia Ibru: End game

The end of the road came yesterday for Mrs Cecilia Ibru, the former managing director of Oceanic Bank PLC, as she was convicted of bank and securities fraud by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos presided over by Justice Dan Abutum. The judge handed down a six months jail sentence on Mrs Ibru; she will also forfeit over N191 billion naira in cash and assets.
Justice Abutum said Mrs Ibru had knowing committed the criminal activities, and therefore sentenced her to six months in jail. He also asked her to hand over N150 billion stolen funds and assets.
The former high flying Mrs. Ibru has staggering assets spread around the world, and they include:
1. Good Shepherd House, IPM Avenue , Opp Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers)
2. Residential block with 19 apartments on 34, Bourdillon Road , Ikoyi (registered in the name of Dilivent International Limited).
3. 20 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Victoria Island (remainder of lease or tenancy upto 2017).
4. 57 Bourdillon Road , Ikoyi.
5. 5A George Street , Ikoyi, (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited),
6. 5B George Street , Ikoyi, (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited).
7. 4A Iru Close, Ikoyi, (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited).
8. 4B Iru Close, Ikoyi, (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited).
9. 16 Glover Road , Ikoyi (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited).
10. 35 Cooper Road , Ikoyi, (registered in the name of Michaelangelo Properties Limited).
11. Property situated at 3 Okotie-Eboh, SW Ikoyi. 12. 35B Isale Eko Avenue , Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi.
13. 38A Isale Eko Avenue , Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi (registered in the name of Meeky Enterprises Limited).
14. 38B Isale Eko Avenue , Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi (registered in the name of Aleksander Stankov).
15. Multiple storey multiple user block of flats under construction 1st Avenue , Banana Island , Ikoyi, Lagos , (with beneficial interest therein purchased from the developer Ibalex).
16. 226, Awolowo Road , Ikoyi, Lagos (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers).
17. 182, Awolowo Road , Ikoyi, Lagos , (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers)
18. 12-storey Tower on one hectare of land at Ozumba Mbadiwe Water Front, Victoria Island .
19. 5, Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos (registered in the name of Casi Properties & Investment Ltd).
20. 18A, Adetokubo Ademola Street , Victoria Island, Lagos (registered in the name of Casi Properties & Investment Ltd).
21. 270, Ozumba Mbadiwe , Victoria Island, Lagos (registered in the name of Casi Properties & Investment Ltd)
22. 270, Ozumba Mbadiwe , Victoria Island, Lagos (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers Limited).
23. 15,000 square metres of land at Okunade Water Front, Lekki Peninsula .
24. 7,000 square metres of land at Okunade Water Front, Lekki Peninsula - (registered in the name of Melake Properties Limited).
25. 8,000 square metres of land at Okunade Water Front, Lekki Peninsula - (registered in the name of (Casi Properties Limited). 26. 1,000,000 square metres of land in Lekki.
27. 101 hectares of land along Lekki Expressway behind Chevron Nigeria .
28. 103 hectares of land bought from Dom Gas
29. Plot 5, Igbo-Efon, Off Lekki/Ajah Expressway, Victoria Island, Lagos by 1004 (registered in the name of Casi Properties & Investment Ltd)
30. Block 6, Flat 1 &2, Femi Okunnu H/Scheme Phase IV- Lekki (registered in the name of Oceanic Homes Savings & Loans Ltd)
31. One storey building at 50 Marina , Lagos .
32. 10 storey building at 60 Marina , Lagos .
33. 60, Marine View, Apongbon, Marina , Lagos (registered in the name of Dele Oye & Associates)
34. 10, Sobo Arobidu Street , Ikeja, GRA (registered in the name of Jeedab Fibre Limited).
35. Property at 10A Sobo Arobiodu Street , Ikeja (registered in the name of Chiaroscuro Limited).
36. AP Filling Station (Beside Former Hotel Bobby) Onipanu Lagos , (registered in the name of Vivi Oil Investments Limited).
37. Building at 154, Ikorodu Road , Lagos (registered in the name of Casi Properties & Investment Ltd).
38. Ilemba Hausa Road , Ajamgbadi, Lagos (registered in the name of Vivi Oil & Gas Company Limited).
39. Land at Iyana Ipaja Round About, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos , (registered in the name of Vivi Oil Investments Limited).
40. Building at 7, Randle Road , Apapa, Lagos , (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers Limited)
41. Block 34, Flat 6, LSDPC Housing Estate, Ebute-Metta Lagos (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers Limited)
42. Three residential towers at Port Harcourt , GRA. 43. 22 Sani Abacha Way, Port Harcourt, GRA (registered in the name of Velvox Investment Company Limited).
44. Metro Plaza Building , 991/992 Zakari Maimalari Street , Central Area, Zone 5, Abuja , (registered in the name of Abinof Food Company Limited).
45. The 4 Floor Building at Herbert Macaulay Way , Wuse Zone 6, Abuja (registered in the name of Casi Properties and Investment Ltd).
46. Metro Plaza Building, ANNEXE B, Zakariya Maimalari Street, Cadastral Zone, AOO, C.B.D, Abuja (registered in the name of MST Properties West Africa Ltd).
47. Flats 1-4, Block D33, Abuja Games Village , Abuja (registered in the name of Convent Trade & Services Limited).
48. Block D33 (Flat 1-4) Games Village , Abuja (registered in the name of Casi Properties and Investment Ltd).
49. Block B40, Flat 5 & 6, Zone 3, Gymnastic Games Village (registered in the name of Oceanic Homes Savings & Loans Limited).
50. Executive Guest House, 4 bedroom Bungalow, Ndanuba Street , Maitama, Abuja (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Manager Limited). 51. Executive Guest House, Ali Akilu Crescent , Asokoro, Abuja , (registered in the name of Ogekpo Estate Managers Limited).
51. 29 Real estates in Dubai
52. Seven residential properties in Dubai
53. 15 Real Property in South Africa
54. Other properties in London, England
55. Abridged Shares In listed Nigerian Companies without limitation:

Hoodlums explode bombs in Abuja, disrupting independence celebrations…FG promises retribution

A series of explosions rocked parts of Abuja, the federal capital territory as senior government officials and foreign dignitaries gather to celebrate the golden jubilee of Nigeria's independence. The device detonated at about 11am, some 40 meters from the state box where President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and other visiting heads of government and international delegates were sitting, leaving two mobile policemen with serious injuries. The policemen, who suffered first degree burns from the explosion, lay on the floor while their colleagues tried to administer first aid and ward off journalists who had rushed to the scene to take pictures.
The federal government had been determined to make the independence celebration a bold statement of festivities. There were grand military parades and calisthenics display by some 1600 school children aged nine to sixteen. The event was witnessed by thousands of Nigerians who cheered and clapped to commemorate the nation's 50^th anniversary.
President Jonathan has said that the perpetrators of the bomb explosions in Abuja earlier today will surely be found and dealt with. The incident has so far claimed about eight lives in the Federal Capital Territory, according to police reports.
"To those behind these vicious acts, the president wants you to know that you will be found, and you will pay dearly for this heinous crime," a statement from the office of the president read.
The presidential spokesman, Ima Niboro, described the bomb explosion which occurred near the Ministry of Justice in Abuja as ‘a low, dirty and wicked act of desperation by criminals and murderers, who do not wish Nigeria well.
"Coming at a time that the world had gathered together to celebrate Nigeria at 50, these bomb attacks are the worst anniversary gifts any nation can get," the statement said. "Their purpose was to ensure that the celebration at Eagle Square was cancelled by all means. It is sad and unfortunate.
"President Goodluck Jonathan grieves with the families that have lost loved ones in the incidents. The president shares their consternation and understands their confoundment, as they mourn while the nation celebrates.
"The president wants these families to know that their loved ones have not died in vain. Rather, they have paid the supreme price for our unity; and in their death, they have watered the tree of our freedom."
According to a Federal Road Safety marshal who spoke with NEXT, there were two explosions, probable timed to follow each other.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the first explosion came from a commercial bus parked along Shehu Shagari Way, near Bayelsa House. This explosion drew a crowd towards the scene when a more powerful explosion went off, this time, from a smaller car. As a result of the two explosions, other cars parked around the area immediately caught fire. The marshal said the fire affected between 10 and 20 cars.
He added that he counted at least 15 people hauled into the Civil Defence trucks that were first on the scene, but could not confirm their status.
He,however said the victims were security guards, policemen and some children selling sachet water on the street. An SSS official was also mentioned as one of the victims, as well as a family of four in one of the cars.
Victims were first rushed to the State House clinic, but when facilities became strained, were moved to other locations.
The situation is now under control, as the fire service has put out the various fires. People have resumed normal activities but the area is still cordoned off.
www.xclusivenigeria.com
01/10/10

The Global Economic Crisis And Nigeria's Economy

     The impact of the collapse of the mortgage sector in the United State of America in early 2008 had sent the first shock waves across financial institution prompting serious liquidity crisis. The contagion impact on this crisis  was to spread first to England, and later to the whole of Europe and the other parts of the world including Nigeria, in keeping with the reality of a globalized world. It was easy for the contagion effect to spread to other parts of the world due to the centrality of the United States and the European economics. World Bank statistic shows that the US controls 26 per cent of the wealth of the world; the Euro zone controls 22 per cent, while the United Kingdom has a share of five per cent. Japan controls eight per cent, China six per cent and India two per cent. And therefore any crisis arising from any of these dominant nations of the world is bound to impact the other nations to varying degrees.
Shittu Olayinka

South African government assaults press freedom

A bill under consideration by South Africa’s governing party threatens to impose harsh media restrictions, and journalists fear press freedom will soon be reminiscent of that under Apartheid.
"The bill effectively criminalizes investigative journalism," Nicholas Dawes, editor-in-chief of South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper, told IJNet. "It will also hurt civic activism, and I believe the work of public representatives and the government itself." On August 4, South African investigative reporter wa Afrika was arrested on grounds of fraud and interrogated about an unpublished story he co-wrote about a police deal. Though charges were dropped, a senior police official later admitted Afrika was detained due to political pressure from the African National Congress (ANC), the party responsible for the bill.
The “Mzilikazi wa Afrika affair” made waves in a country that has boasted some of the highest levels of media freedom in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Freedom House. In recent years, South Africa’s ranking has steadily slipped, and some journalists point to this recent incident as proof of the deteriorating media climate.
Now, the Protection of Information Bill, introduced by the ANC in March, would impose restrictions on access to government information and criminalize the disclosure of information that harms the “national interest.” The national interest clause is broad enough to include such information as police investigations and commercial transactions.
Under the bill, possession of such information would also be illegal, meaning that a journalist who receives a classified document -- even one that shows government wrongdoing -- can immediately be subject to jail time for not handing the document over to the police. The penalties for disclosure include up to 25 years in prison.
To supplement the bill, the ANC has proposed a Media Appeals Tribunal appointed by government officials, which would mediate complaints against the press. The Tribunal could potentially wield the power to issue jail time to journalists.
The proposal has sparked a widespread backlash from journalists and media advocates worldwide.
“The bill would undoubtedly harm media freedom,” Professor Franz Kruger, director of the Radio Academy at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, told IJNet. “The whole notion of a media tribunal, appointed by parliament and able to hand out as yet unspecified punishment to journalists is very worrying.”
The bill also gives government officials unchecked authority, press freedom advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote in a letter to President Jacob Zuma, and government-sponsored media tribunals in Africa “have been used time and time again as instruments of political censorship.”
In defense of the bill, State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele said in Parliament September 17 that certain definitions had been dropped, including the national interest clause. Cwele flatly denied the proposition of a public interest clause, which the bill’s opponents suggested would help defend whistleblowers. And he reiterated that journalists should hand sensitive documents over to the police.
Human rights group Media Monitoring Africa said it welcomes the change of the language, but maintains the revisions do not go far enough. The group remains concerned about the severity of jail times issued to journalists.
Some experts worry the bill harkens back to the days of censorship in South Africa. During Apartheid, the government repeatedly threatened the media with legislation to punish journalists—but a bill never came to fruition. In the 1980s, a government-appointed press commission pressured journalists to register with the state, arguing, “In the conflict between state and media interests, state interests are paramount.” Again the bill was tabled.
In 1994, then president Nelson Mandela encouraged greater freedoms for media, saying in a speech, “A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference… it must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens.”
President Zuma maintains that the current bill is necessary to improve state security. But some have pointed to Zuma’s own foibles with the media as a possible motive. Zuma was under close media surveillance for five years over his relationship with his financial advisor, who was convicted of fraud and corruption. Later, he was involved in a lurid rape trial, where he was ultimately acquitted, but also subject to unrelenting coverage of his personal life. His uneasy relationship with the press was further complicated when he accused the media of violating his children’s right to privacy.
With presidential elections looming in 2012, Zuma is under increasing pressure to maintain his position in the party. The ANC itself is “facing a serious crisis of internal coherence, and deep anxiety about the extent to which cronyism and corruption is eroding its values,” Dawes said.
The ANC has criticized South Africa’s ombudsman system for failing to counteract sensationalist reporting and has proposed the Tribunal as a better alternative. However, according to Kruger, media ombudsmen side with the ANC in more than 60 percent of cases, indicating that the ANC’s complaint of media bias is unfounded. The Press Council of South Africa also recently launched a major internal review.
“Improving journalist quality in South African Society requires that we all give life to the constitutional role assigned to free press,” Dawes said. “This will take time, and it won’t be easy, but it is the only way forward.”

Global Social Policy Principles: Human Rights and Social Justice

The processes of globalization have led, in the last years of twentieth century,
to the demand for the development of a universal set of principles to guide
social policy. In the Harvard Lecture of December 1998, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer proposed the development of such principles not only to ensure
minimum standards for every country in times of change but to equip people
to make the most of the new opportunities that globalization engenders
(Brown: 1998). Social policy has, traditionally, been undertaken and
analysed at the national level. Competition between countries to attract
trans national corporation and common markets in capital and labour,
However, have generated the need for supranational social policies
(Deacon 1997). It is suggested in this report that the "global architecture"  
(Eyben 1998) of UN conventions, declarations and world conference
documents provides the most authoritative available source on which
such principle could be constructed. UN documentation provides an
internationally legitimised set of agreements on social, economic and
political issues. The UN framework is constructed upon the concept
of human rights which acknowledges the entitlements and needs
of all people on the basis of their common humanity and the
obligations of all governments to respect, protect and promote
those rights. The object of this report is to assess the implications
of this framework for the construction of global social policy
principles.
Shittu Olayinka
PRO
Committee for The Defence of Human Rights
(cdhr)
Abuja Branch
olayinka2k2@gmail.com

Say No To Quran/Koran Burning.

Option A4 Group, Leicester-United Kingdom condemns the attempt by Rev. Terry Jones of the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center to burn Qurans on September 11 2010. Such action if carried out, will have serious negative consenquencies globally, and might likely spill over to our beloved country, Nigeria.

The negative experiences, deaths and huge losses arising from a Swedish cartoon of Prophet Mohammed, is an example of what Rev Terry Jones wants to plunge the world into. The world needs peace now more than ever before. Therefore, we call on all faith leaders in Nigeria, security services, political leaders, state governors, regional leaders, village heads, community leaders, opinion leaders, etc to hold an emergency meeting(s) on how to prevent a spill over effects, should Rev Terry Jones proceed with his plans to burn Qurans on September 11 2010. May God bless Nigeria.

Chinedu Vincent Akuta.
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/

NIGERIA FOR SALE: The Insult Of Babangida/Odili And Saraki Presidential Ambitions

In the opening paragraph of my article, “We Really Must Be Really Scared Now!” written in June 2009(http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com ) I wrote “I am scared for myself, my family, my people (all Nigerians), Nigeria itself. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not going to let Nigeria kill me. I am just sad and scared because idiots are getting away with murder, literarily. I am scared because I might die outside Nigeria, with my family scattered all over the world, not wanting to have anything to do with their fatherland. Lord, am I scared?”
It is the morning of 14 September 2010, and I am still as scared as ever about events in our country, Nigeria. I woke up to disturbing (at least for me, because in Nigeria, such sentiments depend on which side of the fence you are or which side your bread is buttered) news, namely:
1.    Former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, is in advanced talks with Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State, as he closes in on a running mate for the 2011 Presidential Elections, and secondly,
2.    Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, on Monday informed President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo of his desire to contest the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party.
These two pieces of news sent me into a depression. Of course it has been in the news a long time that Babangida wants to contest to come an pick up what he forgot in Aso Rock, the depressing news (and incidentally, became good news, after settling down a bit and letting my brains work and get the better of me) is that of Odili being considered for his running mate.
Odilii was said to have been recommended by no less a person than the irrepressible Raymond Dokpesi, chairman of DAAR Communications, and director general of Mr. Babangida's presidential campaign. The two men (Odili and Dokpesi) had reputedly beneficial business dealings which, in our dear country, translate into stealing state funds, bribery, embezzlement and other fraudulent uses of state funds. Also, Dokpesi was the director general of Odili's campaign when he tried to run for president in 2007. At the time, Odili was alleged to have invested N400 million of funds taken from the Rivers State treasury, into Dokpesi's company. The EFCC, under Farida Waziri, quizzed Mr. Dokpesi over the money, but no charges were ever brought against this sacred Nigerian cow.
Odili, a medical doctor by training, was governor of Rivers State from 1999 to 2007, completing two terms. His tenure was marred by human rights violations, insecurity, violence and widespread fraud. He was the alleged “godfather” of some of the now notorious Niger Delta militants, who he used as political thugs to rig and win elections or do his other nefarious bidding and then dumped them, causing them to act on their own because their source of funding had been withdrawn by their Godfather.
During his governorship, Rivers State was, in theory, one of the wealthiest states in the country owing to its enormous oil revenue, but Mr. Odili instituted relatively few improvements. Instead, the former governor is on record for acquiring a South Africa-based hospital, and two Brazilian jets.
In November 2006, Peter Odili announced that he would run for president in the 2007 election under the ruling PDP. However, a day before the PDP's presidential primaries, Odili stepped down from the contest, paving the way for fellow governor, Umaru Yar'Adua, to emerge as the party's flag bearer. Reports say Mr. Odili (who was initially, President Obasanjo’s choice for President) was forced out of that contest when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led by Nuhu Ribadu,  barged into then President Obasanjo’s office  and slapped down thick files containing reports implicating Odili in fraud, mismanagement of state funds, money laundering, and abuse of office. Obasanjo had to call Odili and told him to look at the files and asked him politely to step down. It was also said that Odili was made to return over 30 billion Naira he was alleged to have stolen or he would go to prison. I heard that on the eve of the PDP primaries, Odili had booked every hotel room in Abuja. It was said that he salted away over 250 billion Naira during his tenure as Governor of Rivers State. I will believe that, if you dont.
Odili filed a suit challenging the powers of the EFCC to probe his administration. The court, in his home state of Rivers, granted him an indefinite injunction stopping any investigations into his finances, describing it as a breach of his civil rights. (Only in Nigeria)
Till today, Odili is still walking round in Abuja a free man, looking up his ill-gotten investments in South Africa, probably flying in his jets just around Nigeria on ego-trips but barely going to Port Harcourt because he has been declared persona non grata by his people. He could only sneak in under the cover of darkness without the usual fanfare and then sneak back out the following morning or lay low until darkness comes again.
So my take on this? Please forgive my bias, but as a CORE anti-Babangida’s return to Aso Rock, this is indeed positive news. At the beginning of this article, I said I was depressed by the news; but as I write this article and let my brain wake up from the lethargy generated by this news. I also recollect Abraham Lincoln’s words: “A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks in the upcoming elections” Odili and IBB are both politicians, corrupt ones at that and they cannot think in the future. It is impossible. The bank balance of these two rogues is probably enough to provide uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria; two treasury looters united by ambition. As thick as thieves, they say. Of course they have every right as Nigerians to contest for any position they so desire, but the good news is that, their coming together is going to do more damage to their ambition. Babangida apologists, who have always challenged Nigerians to bring out any evidence of Babangida’s corruption and other allegations, are even now squirming in their seats at his choice of running mate, who was easily and unquestionably one of the biggest treasury-looter in Nigeria under the tenure of Obasanjo.
Again, Nigerians need not fear an IBB/Odili ticket; they have had it before they even started. Their combination has confirmed the fears of Nigerians that they are going there to loot again. Also, we should rejoice that Babangida has again played into Obasanjo’s hands, who it was who terminated his Presidential ambition in 2007 when he (Obasanjo) sent a plane all the way from Abuja to Minna and presented him some hard evidence which compelled him to withdraw from the Presidential race, saving face by saying the late President Yar ‘Adua was his “brother”.
Problem is they have money and if we let them get there, Nigeria’s treasury will be emptied in no time, there will be genocide. We will be taken back to the 70's when there was no visible infrastructure, and by time they finish with us, or the treasury, we will be grateful for the few ones we have now. I am not crying “wolf” here. Look at my previous articles on several issues.
A digression: On an interview on the highly condescending Alistair Soyode’s show on BEN Tv, there was one of of IBB’s apologists, in his fifties. How did he defend Babangida’s qualification to come back and be President of Nigeria? This man said IBB qualifies to be Nigeria’s next President because he (IBB) married a woman from the East and speaks the 3 major languages in Nigeria...what does one say about such thinking?
Now, Dr Bukola Saraki, incidentally another trained medical doctor (like Peter Odili), who was never known to have practised his medical profession anywhere before. He simply went straight to his father’s (another medical doctor who hardly practiced medicine to fulfil the Hippocratic Oath of  doing good for mankind) then- thriving banking business immediately he came out of university entering the bank first as a director and later the vice chairman, second only to his father. That bank, Societe Generale (SGBN), collapsed some years ago, and along with it went the money of innocent depositors. But it was not an ordinary collapse, because the Directors of the bank, that is, the Sarakis’ personal fortune went up shortly after the collapse. Obviously, the depositors’ money went into the Sarakis’ pockets.
According to SaharaReporters “It was that their family owned bank - Societe General Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) - whose fortunes had been on the downturn since 1995 while the personal fortunes of the  Saraki's, particularly, Bukola was on the rise, had gone completely under. According to a copy of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Assets Declaration forms obtained by Saharareporters - filed and signed by Bukola Saraki on every page- Bukola's personal fortunes only sky-rocketed while depositors lost huge investments in the SGBN which eventually went out of business in 2003 shortly after the Sarakis won the controversial elections into the senate and governorship seat in April 2003 and were sworn-in as the Governor of Kwara State and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria respectively”.
Yet despite this obvious lack of business acumen and poor financial or fiscal management, the younger Saraki went into politics and was elected, or rather, selected as the Governor of Kwara State.in 1999. Of course it was the visible hands of his powerful father, who had, and still has a very strong grip on Kwara politics. He had been dictating who will be the Governor of Kwara State for the past 20 years or so, if not more.
But the news of his interest in becoming the next president of Nigeria is my concern here. According to Olurotimi Adeola in Transparency For Nigeria (www.transparencyng.com ) “What is he (Bukola Saraki) bringing to the presidency that he couldn’t showcase in Kwara where he has spent the last seven years administering? Or maybe he believes his father who is the great political oracle of Kwara state have extended his sphere of influence to the entire country this time around. It’s an open secret, that Dr. Olusola Saraki, the father of Governor Bukola has manacled the people of Kwara state politically in the last three decades. He alone determines the ‘soul’ of the state; in spite of this, one cannot point at any tangible benefits to the malnourished masses of that state in his over thirty years of control. Governor Bukola Saraki is a beneficiary of his father’s conquered political sphere no doubt; without the elder Saraki, Governor Bukola would never have won a councillorship seat in his state. Little wonder his sister Senator Gbemisola too is gunning to replace him……What would be Bukola Saraki’s leadership credentials if he finally enter the race for presidency? Is he going to show us, how he has created employment opportunities in Kwara and prove that most Kwarans are now gainfully employed as a result of his pragmatic stewardship in the last seven years? Is he going to showcase to Nigerians, how lives and properties are now so secured and safe in Kwara State, and that all residents go to bed with their two eyes closed? Or present to Nigerians, a Kwara State where water supply and electricity run for twenty four hours without interruption;  where public hospitals are well equipped and manned by qualified and satisfied staff; where public schools meet required standards; where there are good network of roads, good public transport, standard markets etc; and finally a grateful and appreciative citizenry? If these are not the credentials Bukola Saraki is bringing to the race for president, then he has no business seeking the presidency of Nigeria”.
According to some reports, Bukola Saraki bought 15 luxurious cars including a Ferrari,  all of which were worth N240 million between 1997-2003, a period described as most critical in the life of the SGBN while he was the Executive Vice Chairman of the SBGN. (I saw that Ferrari in Ilorin – Imagine driving a Ferrari on Nigerian roads, madness)  I also heard that the Sarakis physically went into the vaults of the bank and carted away every penny they could find to finance the 2003 elections that gave them double victory in Kwara State as well as another victory of constitutional immunity from prosecution by the relevant agencies of government
My advice is that now is the time for depositors and investors who were cheated of their life savings by the Saraki dynasty to take necessary and appropriate legal actions to retrieve their investments with accrued interests. The resulting bad publicity and outcry should be enough to put a permanent stop to this inordinate ambition by a so-called aristocratic dynasty to foist themselves on Nigerians and continue the treasury (and indeed, bank vault) looting they started in their state.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Bukola Saraki is above the laws of the land. Obasanjo refused to commit himself to a probe of how SGBN failed, because Saraki Senior himself was bigger than Obasanjo, and Obasanjo dared not probe him and his family. Saraki is now one of the most powerful Governors in Nigeria. Incidentally, he’s hardly in his home state of Kwara. He’s always swaggering around in Abuja and ruling Kwara State as an absentee landlord. He has got a lot of people in government – via political appointments, civil service, Foreign Service, police, immigration, henchmen and hatchet men, etc - who are very loyal to him.
The politics of powerful connections and father/family towering influences should be exorcised forthwith in Nigeria politics.
Please let us not allow Babangida/Odili and Bukola Saraki to even get their names on the ballot paper, and if they do, LET US REJECT THEM OUTRIGHT.
This is the time to sensitise the Nigerian electorate to the risks in electing Babangida-Odili to even act as road-diggers or dog-catchers for Nigeria. Open your eyes; use your ears and use your brains!

This is the more reason why we need to embark on public enlightenment and education campaigns to ensure that the voters know competent candidates with track records this time around, not just opportunists, charlatans, pretenders, the corrupt and the corrupters and people who think ruling Nigeria is their birthright.
The TRUTH has to be said always.
By:
Akintokunbo A Adejumo

Letter to Ribadu

Ribadu, 
Glad that you have joined the presidential race to contest under the platform of,
Action Congress of Nigeria. Last year (May 29th 2009), at the state of the Nigerian
nation symposium, held at the London Metropolitan University, organized by the
Nigerian Liberty Forum, people at the auditorium started shouting Ribadu for
president, after your speech. Perhaps you have decided to answer the call of those
Nigerians that shouted Ribadu for president.
 
You won my admiration after your speech on that day. I became fascinated about your
comments on the Niger Delta crises, corruption, Atiku Abubakar (former Vice
President), Chief Gani Fawehinmi, etc. You even dared the late Yar Adua’s government
when you sneaked into the country to see Gani’s corpse at the mortuary. I have no
doubts, that you have won the admiration of other Nigerians, while am also not under
any illusion that many will not be comfortable with your presidential ambition. 
 
It gave me pleasure, when I heard about your involvement with the formation of
Nigeria shadow government/cabinet in the United States of America. Shadow
government/cabinet is also an idea I have propagated in the past. As we prepare for
elections next year, let me also ask Nigerians to also prepare for the formation of
shadow government/cabinet. Further details can be found on the enclosed web link
(http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/2010/02/shadow-government.html). 
 
Your entrance into the presidential race has provided Nigerians with additional
choice to make between other presidential aspirants. Though that, you might not have
fought corruption completely during your tenure as the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), personally I give you kudos for the extent you reached in
fighting corruption in Nigeria. You were quoted saying that, when you fight
corruption, corruption fights you back. I will agree with you completely on that.
Corruption can only be fought with the active collaboration of Nigerians. No agency
can fight it alone, because corruption has grown into a monster in Nigeria.
 
Giving free and fair election, and the candidate with the most track record at
fighting corruption, I believe you stand better chances of wining. However, I am a
bit skeptical about some top members of your chosen party (Action Congress of
Nigeria), many of whom are corrupt politicians. Be that as it may, am also aware
that in politics, there are no permanent friends, or permanent enemies, but
permanent interests. Perhaps that could explain your involvement. But I have a
different view, which is that corrupt politicians should be declared enemies of the
Nigerian state.
 
For the sake of credibility, I would suggest you seek your presidential career with
the National Conscience Party (NCP), founded by the late Gani Fawehinmi (Senior
Advocate of the Masses). More so, be prepared to disclose publicly all sources of
your campaign funding. We will also like to know the following; costs of your
campaign, public declaration of your assets and liabilities, medical certificate of
fitness, and your manifesto to govern Nigeria, including plans to fight corruption.
As you do the above, be sure I will campaign for you. May God bless Nigeria.
 
Chinedu Vincent Akuta.
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK