EFFC & Magu Lied, Whistleblower of Ikoyi Flat Yet to Be Paid, Lawyer Insists

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

A lawyer to the whistle-blower that helped in the recovery of $43.5 million, £27,800 and N23.2 million at No. 16 Osborne Road, Flat 7B Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos, has said his client is yet to be paid his due reward five months after a court ordered a final forfeiture of the money.Reacting to a claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that his client is now a millionaire, the lawyer, Yakubu Galadima, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that several efforts to get the money have been unsuccessful.

“The truth is that this guy has not been paid a penny,” Mr. Galadima said.

“In fact, from April till date, the guy has been living under my meagre resources, his security was just zero. I’ve had to relocate this guy from one place to another so nobody knows his whereabouts.”

The Nigerian government in December 2016 adopted a policy on whistleblowing to encourage citizens to report financial and other related crimes to relevant authorities.

According to the policy, whistleblowers whose revelations lead to the recovery of money are entitled to as much as five percent of the recovered sum.

Since the introduction of the policy, the government has recovered about N17 billion, according to the EFCC.

Some of those monies had been recovered from LEGICO Plaza in Victoria Island, Lagos; the luxury apartment in Ikoyi; a building in Kaduna belonging to Andrew Yakubu, a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; among others.

Last June, the Nigerian government announced it had released about N375.8 million for payment of 20 whistleblowers who provided information for the recovery of over N11.6 billion.

On Wednesday, while speaking at the 7th session of the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Ibrahim Magu, the EFCC acting chairman, said the individual who helped uncover the Ikoyi apartment money had become a millionaire.

“We are currently working on the young man because this is just a man who has not seen one million Naira of his own before.

 Ibrahim Magu

“So he is under counseling on how to make use of the money and also the security implication. We don’t want anything bad to happen to him after taking delivery of his entitlement. He is a national pride.”

‘The true position’

Mr. Galadima said the EFCC boss’s “position is not correct.”

According to the lawyer, the Ikoyi whistle-blower accompanied by friends had approached him in early April this year to inform him about their suspicion of a huge amount of money stashed away in one of the apartments at the Osborne Towers.

“In fact, what came to their mind was to go and burgle the place since they know the security network of the house,” said Mr. Galadima.

“I was the one that advised them that, you don’t do that because that will amount to crime. That since there is a policy of the federal government, let us exploit that avenue.

“I took them, we went to the Commission, discussed with them, they said they were going to give the boy a form to fill and that if the story turns out to be false that the guy will go to jail. We said no problem, we undertook and we signed.

“The next day, we went to the house, all of us were all shivering thinking there was nothing inside. And then we started to discover all sorts of money in different denominations, pounds, dollars, naira. These monies were all recovered and taken to the Commission. It was counted. They brought a staff of CBN and he came and counted the money.”

In April, the EFCC headed to a federal court in Lagos seeking for the forfeiture of the money to the Nigerian government and, in June, Justice Muslim Hassan ordered a permanent forfeiture of the money to the government.

The judge had earlier granted an interim forfeiture giving 14 days for anyone interested in the funds to appear before it and show reason why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.

Nobody appeared before the court to claim the money.

“The moment the final forfeiture was made, I wrote a comprehensive letter to Magu, attaching the judgement, and said court has made a final forfeiture, where is the reward and commission of the whistleblowers?” Mr. Galadima continued.

“In fact, the letter was addressed to the Acting President then through the Office of the Acting Chairman since the money was recovered by the EFCC. That was the first letter.

“A month later, I wrote a reminder. It was after that reminder that they said we should bring the boy to Abuja. We took the boy to Abuja, he had one on one interface for the first time with the acting president. We went together with the acting chairman.

“The acting president congratulated him for a job well done and that with the money they’ll pay him, he’s now a millionaire. We all laughed.”

Mad whistle-blower

Mr. Galadima said while he was out of country on vacation, his client contacted him on the phone and told him about receiving threats to his life.

“The day we went to the office of the acting president, they gave him a number that he can reach them at any time. So he has been communicating with the acting president. Following the threats, they detailed some SSS to be working around him,” the lawyer said.

The whistle-blower was later taken to the SSS facility at Shangisha, Lagos, and given an apartment.

“Because the guy had always been looking forward to see(ing) this money and it wasn’t forthcoming, he started shouting. When he started shouting, they said he’s mad, that he’s having a mental problem.

“The SSS people called me and said I should come and carry my luggage. They brought him to the EFCC and abandoned him there. The EFCC people called me that I should come and carry my client.”

On getting to the Commission’s office, Mr. Galadima said he was informed of his client’s mental illness and plans to take him to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba.

“I said he’s not mad, that it’s because you people are holding his money that’s why he’s reacting this way. They insisted the guy is mad, that they have to take him to a psychiatric hospital, they bundled this man. I said ok, if that’s how to prove that he’s not mad, no problem, we went to the psychiatric hospital in Yaba.

“They injected him and said they have to monitor him for a month. They monitored him for a month. The day they were going to release him, the EFCC called me again to come and carry my “critical asset.” This was a boy I never knew from Adam….. I said ok, I went to the EFCC the guy said he’s ok there’s no problem anymore, they handed him over to me three weeks ago. Ever since then, I pay money into his account on a weekly basis for his upkeep.”

Phone calls and text messages to Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC spokesperson, were not answered.

The phone lines of Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant to the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, did not go through.

On October 12, Mr. Galadima wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking the prompt payment of the commission due to his client.

“I have written twice while you are away receiving treatment to the Acting President through the office of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC on 7th June 2017 and 24th July 2017 respectively,” Mr. Galadima stated in a copy of the letter he made available to PREMIUM TIMES.

“Please note that the discovery (of the money) was a result of my client’s efforts and consequently, I respectfully urge Your Excellency to use your good offices to facilitate the prompt payment of the reward/commission due to my clients.”

Mr. Galadima said that contrary to media reports that his client’s commission is N350 million, the correct figure is N850 million.

“Because the money discovered was about N17 billion and not N13 billion that is being declared. It was calculated as at the time the money was recovered.”

Rat Attack: President Finally Returns To Office After 81 Days

President Buhari

Many may be wondering how rats could chase the President of Nigeria out of  his office. But it is the truth. Following the medical vacation embarked upon by President Buhari to London, rats invaded his office and destroyed furnitures and cabinets.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had said the President’s office needed renovation because of its devastation by rodents during his long period of absence.

“Following the three months period of disuse, rodents have caused a lot of damage to the furniture and the air conditioning units,” he had said, explaining that it was impossible for the President to operate from the office in that condition.
Although he said he could not tell when the renovation would be completed, the presidential spokesperson had stated that the maintenance company had been asked to speed up its pace of work.
Renovation works had been carried, and the good news is that 81 days after Buhari returned, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday finally returned to his main office inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President inaugurated the Armed Forces Council inside one of the halls located inside the main office.
He then proceeded to preside over a meeting of the council.
The President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, confirmed the resumption on his Twitter handle, @BashirAhmad.
While responding to a media report published earlier in the day indicating that the President had yet to resume at his office, Ahmad wrote, “And, President @MBuhari is currently presiding over an Armed Forces Council meeting in this particular office you’re talking about.”

Watch as President Obama was summoned for jury duty but he was not chosen (video)

Can you imagine summoning a former African President to perform a civic responsibility and he was not chosen?

Imagine summoning former military President Ibrahim Babngida or Chief Obasanjo to perform a civic responsibility and he was not chosen?

Heaven will fall

IBB was summoned to appear before Oputa panel, he refused to answer. He actually went to court to stop the implementation of the report. That singular action put a nail on the coffin of that noble objective. Nigerian former leaders are big men though.

But in a saner country, the 44th President of USA was summoned, he showed up. If he had served on the panel, he would have been paid $17.20 entitled to him. Imagine that.
Read the full gist below:

Former President Barack Obama, free of a job that forced him to move to Washington for eight years, showed up to a downtown Chicago courthouse for jury duty on Wednesday morning.
The 44th president’s motorcade — considerably shorter than the one he had when he lived in the White House — left his home in the Kenwood neighborhood on the city’s South Side and arrived at the Richard J. Daley Center shortly after 10 a.m.
Obama — wearing a dark sport coat and dress shirt, but without a tie — waved to people who gathered outside after hearing reports that he would be reporting for jury duty.
Angel Martinez, who also had been summoned for jury duty, shared a video of the former president shaking hands with the crowd. He captioned the tweet: “OBAMA! Jury duty & I just shook hands with the best president ever!!”

Presumably, like other would-be jurors, Obama began his service by watching a decades-old video in which a much younger Lester Holt, who was a local news anchor in Chicago in the 1980s and 90s, explains the ins and outs of jury duty.
CBS Chicago reports that his stint on jury duty was short-lived.
By lunchtime, a judge had determined that the panel of potential jurors Obama was a part of would not be needed, and they were dismissed.
The former leader of the free world should still be eligible to receive the $17.20 a day that jurors are paid for performing their civic duty.
Obama is the highest-ranking former public official to be called to jury duty in Chicago. CBS Chicago reports Obama was previously called for jury duty at the Bridgeview Courthouse in January 2010, in the middle of his first term, but was excused because of his busy schedule at the time.
He is not the first former president to be called to jury duty. In 2015, former President George W. Bush answered the call in Dallas. He was not selected to sit on a jury. And in 2003, former President Bill Clinton reported for jury duty in federal court in New York City. He also was not selected.
Nor is he the first famous Chicagoan to be called to jury duty. In 2004, Oprah Winfrey was on a Chicago jury that convicted a man of murder. A decade later, Lawrence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T, showed up to a suburban Chicago courthouse for jury duty, sporting his usual Mohawk, but without the gold chains for which he is known. But despite the more subdued outfit, Mr. T was not chosen to sit on a jury.

Watch the video as he arrives for jury duty

President Buhari Presents 2018 Budget Estimate

President Buhari

In a bid to meet his administration’s target to restore the budget calendar to the January-December fiscal cycle, President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday presented the N8.612 trillion 2018 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, representing a 16 per cent increase over the N7.441 trillion budget for 2017.
Of the N8.6 trillion budget, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing headed by Mr. Babatunde Fashola, got the lion share of N555.8 billion, signifying the administration’s commitment to infrastructure projects, to expand the economy and create more employment opportunities.

Clad in a light blue traditional babariga and cap with his trademark glasses, Buhari walked into the Green Chambers of the House of Representatives at 2.02 p.m.
He was ushered in by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, his Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, Senate and House Leaders, Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, and the House Whip, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa.
The event was witnessed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha; Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita; Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari; Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara; national executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the party’s chairman, Chief John Oyegun; the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; and his finance counterpart, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, among other ministers and senior government officials.
Tagged the budget of consolidation, the Bill is proposing N2.428 trillion as capital expenditure, representing 30.8 per cent of the budget, N3.494 trillion for recurrent expenditure, N2.014 trillion for debt service, N456 billion for statutory transfers, and N220 billion for the Sinking Fund to retire maturing bonds to local contractors.

The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, however hinged the early passage of the budget on the cordial relations between the executive arm of government and the legislature.
The key parameters and assumptions for the 2018 budget proposal were set out in the yet-to-be approved 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), which has been committed to the Senate and House Committees on Finance, Appropriation and National Planning.
These include a benchmark oil price of $45 per barrel, oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day, including condensates, exchange rate of N305/$1 for 2018, real GDP growth of 3.5 per cent and inflation rate of 12.4 per cent.
The estimated total revenue for the 2018 budget was put at N6.607 trillion, 30 per cent more than the 2017 budget estimates. Of the total projected revenue, oil revenue was put at N2.442 trillion, while N4.165 trillion would come from non-oil revenue sources.
The projected deficit in the 2018 budget estimates was put at N2.005 trillion, representing 1.77 per cent of GDP.

According to Buhari, “We plan to finance the deficit partly by new borrowings estimated at N1.699 trillion. Fifty per cent of this borrowing will be sourced externally, while the balance will be sourced domestically.

“The balance of the deficit of N306 billion is to be financed from the proceeds of privatisation of some non-oil assets by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).”
Buhari said based on MTEF/FSP parameters, total federally collectible revenue was estimated at N11.983 trillion for 2018.
“Thus, the three tiers of government shall receive about 12 per cent more revenue in 2018 than the 2017 estimates. Of the amount, the sum of N6.387 trillion is expected to be realised from oil and gas sources. Total receipts from the non-oil sector are projected at N5.597 trillion,” the president explained.
Buhari, in an address which lasted for one hour and nine minutes, also presented key capital spending estimates to include N263.10 billion for the Ministry of Transportation, N145 billion for the Ministry of Defence, N118.98 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, N95.11 billion for the Ministry of Water Resources, and N82.92 billion for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Others are N63.26 billion for capital projects in the Ministry of Interior, N61.73 billion for the Ministry of Education, N71.11 billion for the Ministry of Health, and N53.89 billion for the Niger Delta Ministry.

Capital spending for Special Intervention Programmes was put at N150.00 billion, N109.6 billion for the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), N40.30 billion for the Federal Capital Territory, N45 billion for the North East Intervention Fund, N71.20 billion for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and N100 billion for Zonal Intervention Funds (ZIFs).
Recurrent expenditure for key ministries such as interior was estimated at N510.87 billion, N435.01 billion for the education ministry, N422.43 billion for the Ministry of Defence and N269.34 billion for the Ministry of Health.

The 2018 budget is also proposing the sum of N9.8 billion for the Mambilla hydro power project, including N8.5 billion as counterpart funding, N12 billion counterpart funding for earmarked transmission lines and sub-stations, N35.41 billion for the National Housing Programme, N10 billion for the Second Niger Bridge, and N300 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of strategic roads.
The 2018 budget will consolidate on the achievements of previous budgets and deliver on Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2018 – 2020, Buhari told the audience.
The president spent considerable time highlighting the successes of the 2016 budget, probably due to the low implementation of the 2017 budget which was passed in June this year and is expected to end when the new budget is passed.

The president said N1.2 trillion was expended on capital projects in the 2016 budget, adding that 2017 was a year of uncertainty while 2018 is expected to be a year of better outcomes.
“Nigeria’s journey out of the recent recession was a revealing one. We heard many opinions from within and outside Nigeria on how best to address our economic woes. We listened carefully and studied these proposals diligently.

“Our belief has always been that the quickest and easiest solution may not necessarily be the best solution for a nation as diverse as ours. We took our time to create a balanced and equitable response, keeping in mind that only tailored Nigerian solutions can fix Nigeria’s unique problems,” Buhari said.
The president listed the achievements brought about by his policies to include an increase in external reserves to $34 billion as of October 30, 2017, an export-import trade surplus of N506.5 billon by the second quarter of 2017, rise in ranking to 145th position by World Ease of Doing Business report from 169th position, improved tax administration, optimising efficiency in expenditure, increased investment in infrastructure, agricultural and health sector development, and the Social Investment Programme.
“Our Sovereign Wealth Fund, which was established in 2011 with $1 billion, did not receive additional investment for four years when oil prices were as high as US$120 per barrel. However, despite record low oil prices, this administration was able to invest an additional $500 million into the fund,” he said.
Commending the members of the National Assembly for their collaborative support in moving Nigeria forward, Buhari gave the lawmakers the assurances of his strong commitment to deepening executive-legislative relations.

“I appeal to you to swiftly consider and pass the 2018 Appropriation Bill,” he said and expressed hope that the budget would be passed before January 1, 2018.

Credit  Thisday

We Will Be Stoned To Death If We Present Buhari, APC Group

An All Progressives Congress group which goes under the banner of Southern Mandate of Nigeria (SMN), sai Nigerians will stone them at campaign grounds, if President Muhammadu Buhari is presented as their presidential candidate.
National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Francis Ikonomwan, in a statement made available to journalists in Benin, Edo State, described the call b members of Buhari Support Group on President Mohammadu Buhari to contes the 2019 election, as political sycophancy.

He described members of the Buhari Support Group as a “bunch of people who do not mean well for our Party, AP and Nigerians at large, but rather, they represent their selfish interest.”

Ikonomwan who noted that President Buhari has failed to deliver on his campaign promises and so Nigerians can no longer entrust him with the leadership of the country, urged him to ignore such calls, adding that it is not i the interest of the nation.
“We are saddened that these people are not sensitive to the plight of Nigerians. The fact remains that Nigerians are not happy with President Muhammadu Buhari and our party, the APC.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has not been able to deliver on his campaign promises. What has this administration to campaign with in every sector of the economy or is it the fight against corruption that has been swept under the carpet?

“Even the political leaders and the people who fought for his emergence a President today have been abandoned and are all lamenting today.
“There is a total disconnect between the people and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Poverty and Hunger is now the order of the day in Nigeria as we speak. It is getting obvious by the day that Nigerians can no longer trust President Muhammadu Buhari with the leadership of this country.

“If APC fields Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate in 2019, we are afraid that Nigerians may stone us at campaign grounds. We may just end up giving the opposition party the presidency in 2019 on a platter of gold.
“However, we wish to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore such call as it is not in the interest of Nigerians.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s priority now should be how to use the remainin part of his administration to deliver on our campaign promises and do the needful by not indicating interest to contest in 2019,” the statement said.

Why LASG sealed Funmi Tejuosho’s House in Ikeja (video)

The Lagos State Government may have begun revoking its assets illegally acquired by highly placed persons in Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi, Magodo, Lekki and Victoria Island among others, in line with the report of a panel of inquiry it set up to probe the sale of such assets between 2006 and 2016

Lagos state government has the commenced the revocation exercise at the weekend, noting that the state government might also prosecute over 100 beneficiaries of illegal asset acquisitions in the state.
Hon. Funmi Tejuosho has been affected in the on-going revocation of illegally sold assets, when Policemen in Lagos State over the weekend invaded and sealed up her residence on the orders of Governor Ambode.

The policemen, who visited the longest-serving female honourable in Lagos State did not have any court order but insisted that they would eject the members of the family members of Honourable Tejuoso who reside in the building.
The house, owned by a company but occupied by Honourable Tejuoso is situated at 3A Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos

The policemen, said to have been authorised by the Governor and the Attorney General of Lagos State eventually evicted Tejuoso’s members while some who were adamant were locked inside.

Honourable Funmilayo Tejuoso is however outside the country on official assignment and there is no order of court evicting her from the premises or authorising the eviction efforts.

A source explained in detail how Tejuosho was involved in the alleged illegal deal to which he said the state government lost billions of naira, noting that two wings of a 5-bedroom semi-detached house located in Ikeja GRA was the official residence of Deputy Speaker of Lagos House of Assembly.
He said the lawmaker representing Mushin Constituency I moved into the apartment when she was serving as the State Deputy Speaker between 2007 and 2009, but allegedly used a firm linked with her to acquire the property at a ridiculous offer while serving as the deputy speaker.
After extensive review of the report, according to the source, it was discovered that two wings of a 5-bedroom semi-detached house located around Ikeja GRA valued at hundreds of millions of naira was in 2010 offered to a certain Funmi Smith of Debam Mega Solutions Limited.
He said: “The property was acquired by a firm linked to Hon. Funmi Tejuosho. It was sold at a sum far less than half of its market value, but seven years after the offer barely half of the offered sum had not been paid to the state government coffers by the company.”
“The state government has resolved to revoke such assets or the beneficiaries pay the market value. The state government lost billions of naira to such illegal asset acquisition across the state. It is not acceptable given the state of economy and entrenched public interest.
“The lawmaker has been living in the official residence more than seven years. She has denied deputy speakers after she was impeached in 2009 access to their official residence. In fact, the current deputy speaker cannot access his official residence.”
Apart from the lawmaker, another source revealed that no fewer than 100 highly placed persons including political actors, lawmakers as well as former government functionaries who served under the administrations of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola would be affected.

Watch Video of the eviction below….

The Angel Of Death That Stalks The Nigerian’s Corridors Of Power, By FFK

Hate him or love him, Femi Fani Kayode has a deep knowledge of Nigeria’s history. You may not agree with him at all times, but you cannot ignore him.

He went down the memory lane and analyse  how many of Nigeria’s political leaders were afflicted by loss of relatives, children, or close associates while holding political offices.

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has lamented the tragic events that happen to those who occupy Nigeria’s number one seat and their loved ones or individuals who show interest in the position, saying the death of Jide Tinubu was tragic.
According to him, “one year and six months before the 2019 presidential election, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos state, APC National Leader, Buhari’s closest and most powerful ally in southern Nigeria and a man who, it is rumoured, ​h​imself has presidential ambition lost his first son”.

This is contained in an article he titles: The angel of death that stalks the corridors of power.
Fani-Kayode also recalled other instances that involved those who have had the privilege to be in the presidential villa.
He wrote: “Chief Bisi Onabanjo, the first democratically-elected Governor of Ogun state lost his first son. Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the first democratically elected Governor of Lagos state, lost his first daughter. Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, the second democratically-elected Governor of Oyo state lost his son.
“Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, the first Minister of Finance of Nigeria was killed. Chief Alfred Rewane, one of the founding members of the Action Group and a leading figure in NADECO, was killed. The list is endless and I could go on and on.

“Alhaji Musa Yar’adua was Minister of Lagos Affairs in the First Republic. He was blessed with a long and peaceful life. However two of his sons were not so lucky.
“His first son, General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, who was number two to General Obasanjo when he was military Head of State and who for many decades was one of the most powerful men in the country, was murdered whilst he was in prison.​ ​His second son, President Umaru Yar’adua, was cut short in his prime by a strange and inexplicable ailment after he had been President for only three years.
“He was succeeded by his number two, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan lost his brother and his mother-in-law one year after the other after he became President.​ ​After losing the presidential election in 2015 he lost his Special Advisor on Political​ ​Affairs and his Chief Security Officer within a matter of months.
“Worse still those that he had been deputy to throughout his political life, either as Deputy Governor or Vice President, always suffered one form of misfortune or the other, whether it be death, shame, incarceration or impeachment, and he would end up stepping into their shoes and taking their place.
“When it comes to our military rulers the story of consistent tragedy is no different- General Aguiyi-Ironsi, our first military Head of State was killed.​ ​General Yakubu Gowon, our second military Head of State, was toppled from power, exiled, lost his brother and his first son was jailed.
“General Murtala Mohammed, our third military Head of State, was killed and lost both his son and son-in-law. General Olusegun Obasanjo was our fourth military Head of State and we touched on his misfortunes earlier.
“General Muhammadu Buhari, our fifth military Head of State, was toppled from power, locked up for three years, lost his mother whilst he was in detention and was not allowed to attend her burial, lost his number two (General Tunde Idiagbon) in very strange and suspicious circumstances and later lost two daughters.
“General Ibrahim Babangida, our sixth military Head of State, was eased out of power and compelled to ”step aside” amidst massive controversy and turmoil and later lost his wife.
“His number two, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, lost his first son, Chief Ernest Shonekan, our first and only Interim Civilian Head of State, was badly humiliated and toppled from power.
“General Sani Abacha, our seventh military Head of State, lost his son, was removed from power and was killed. General Abdulsalami Abubakar, our eighth military Head of State, as far as I am aware is the only exception and appears to have escaped any misfortune.”

Rev Martin Luther King was involved in drunken & sex orgies, FBI released files

Dr Martin Luther King was a civil right activist that fought for the emancipation of rights of black Americans. He was celebrated in USA and a public holiday was given in his honor.

The FBI in a series of leaked files attempted to smear the image of this clergy man, 49 years after his assassination  in 1968. One does not understand the rational behind it, as BBC reports

Dr King was assassinated three weeks after the dossier was written

A secret FBI dossier on civil rights leader Martin Luther King alleges that he had a string of affairs and other “sexual aberrations”, as well as links to the Communist Party.

It is dated just three weeks before Dr King’s assassination in April 1968.

The file was released in a tranche of documents relating to the assassination of John F Kennedy released on Friday.

Mr Kennedy is not referenced in the file and it is not clear why it was kept secret for almost 50 years.

There is no evidence that any of the claims in the report were verified.
Its cover shows it was assessed in 1994 by an FBI task force on the JFK assassination, which concluded none of the document should be released.

Many of the allegations contained in the paper appear to be reports of private conversations between others, or hearsay reported third-hand.

One allegation, that King had a mistress in California with whom he fathered a child, was attributed to “a very responsible Los Angeles individual in a position to know”.

Among its other accusations are that:

Dr King was surrounded by advisers with strong links to the Communist Party USA

His statements were always subject to approval by the alleged communist sympathisers

He was a secret supporter of communism, “a whole-hearted Marxist”

His organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, set up a “tax dodge” to raise funds for its activities

Dr King took part in “drunken sex orgies” and coerced young women to participate

He had love affairs with at least four women, including folk singer Joan Baez

The list of alleged indiscretions would likely have been deeply problematic for the civil rights leader if it had been made public in 1968.
Much of the document aims to paint Dr King as a tool of the communist party

The paper paints Dr King in an extremely negative light, despite his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize and his contribution to passing the Civil Rights Act four years previously.

It is not entirely clear why the dossier was commissioned. But several pages of the 20-page document are concerned with Mr King’s upcoming “Washington Spring project” which was scheduled for the coming months.

It warned that despite Dr King’s history of calling for peaceful protest, “the combined forces of the communist influence and the black nationalists advocating violence give the ‘Washington Spring Project’ a potential for an extremely explosive situation.”

Dr King was killed before the planned march.

A ‘slow thinker’ with ‘abnormal’ sexual preferences

Despite Dr King’s historical reputation as a skilled speaker, the FBI file claimed that other advisers approved everything Mr King said.

“King is such a slow thinker he is usually not prepared to make statements without help from someone,” it reads.

Linking Dr King to communism, it claimed:

“King is a whole-hearted Marxist who has studied it (Marxism), believes in it and agrees with it, but because of his being a minister of religion, does no dare to espouse it publicly.”

And in another part says: “During the early 1960s, the CPUSA [the communist party] was striving to obtain a Negro-labor coalition to achieve its goals in this country… Martin Luther King, Jr, and his organisation were made to order to achieve these objectives.”
Dr King’s alleged sexual misconduct is tacked on to the end of the file

At a February 1968 workshop to train ministers in urban leadership, it is alleged: “One Negro minister in attendance later expressed his disgust with the behind-the scene drinking, fornication, and homosexuality that went on at the conference.”

“Several Negro and white prostitute[s] were brought in from the Miami area. An all-night sex orgy was held with these prostitutes and some of the delegates.”

The document alleged that Dr King also engaged in a “two-day drunken sex orgy” in Washington in January 1964.

“When one of the females shied away from engaging in an unnatural act, King and other of the males present discussed how she was to be taught and initiated in this respect,” it added.

“It is a fact that King not only regularly indulges in adulterous acts but enjoys the abnormal by engaging in group sexual orgies.”

Rofo Rofo Fight as the Head of Service And Abba Kyari engaged in a Heated Argument ( video)

Corruption, Bad Leadership Bane Of Nigeria’s Woes, Obasanjo

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, that the botched recall of a former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, was not consistent with the avowed war on corruption. Obasanjo said this at the 2017 Foundation Day Public Lecture titled: “Corruption and the Challenges of the African Child”. The lecture was organised to mark the 14th anniversary of Dorcas Oke Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL).
The former president also identified corruption and poverty as the two major contributors to the formation of Boko Haram terrorist sect in the North-east.

Speaking in Ibadan, Obasanjo said, “Corruption must be punished, and must be seen to be punished. Any accomplice in corruption and cover-up and any failure to punish must also earn punishment.

“We cannot afford to have sacred cows in the fight against corruption. The Maina saga should never have been allowed to occur. It is not in tandem with the fight against corruption.”
Referring to his days in office, Obasanjo said, “When I was elected President in 1999, my administration took the issue of corruption very seriously and we established Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission as well as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, among other anticorruption initiatives. These institutions were provided the political support needed to fight corruption and they did their best.
“But once we left office, they became very politicised and weakened to the point that they were unable to discharge their duties. In fact, one of the governors, who had been labelled and gone to jail for corruption, was to look for replacement for Nuhu Ribadu (the pioneering chairman of EFCC), and you know the type of replacement he would get.
“There is need to support and strengthen these institutions, especially in the area of prosecution. The law enforcement agencies or the government alone cannot fight corruption. They must be supported by a judiciary that is upright and transparent. It is very demoralising to law enforcement officers when they painstakingly investigate a case and the culprit finds his way around the judiciary to escape.
“Individually and collectively, we have to be mentally restructured. We must change our mind-set as a people. We must all return to our core values of hard work, honesty, integrity, justice, equity, fairness, humanity and communality. In other words, we need to go for more rearmament.
“We cannot continue to celebrate criminals, who enrich themselves from our commonwealth, and think that corruption will disappear. Those who loot the public purse must be seen and treated as undesirable in the community, rather than celebrate them. They should not be made to feel welcomed in our families, religious bodies and societies. If a person strips himself or herself of humanity and dignity by stealing public or private funds, we should not clothe them, respect or admire them.”
Speaking further, the former president said, “This is where many of our religious leaders have to discriminate in favour of teaching the scriptures and our cultural values. They anoint criminals for their ill-gotten wealth, and demonise the poor. We must show our young people that there is dignity in labour and reward in transparency and integrity. Perhaps, this is one area where organisations like DOHAL must continue to invest. We must celebrate and promote our young people, who exhibit traits of transparency, integrity, honesty and accountability. This will encourage others to emulate their examples.
“There is a need to make the youth an integral part of the fight against corruption. Young people are the greatest assets of any country. They have the energy, the passion to act as change agents if they are well nurtured and included in the fight against corruption. The added advantage of youth inclusion in the anti-corruption process is that they have technological tools that make transparency and accountability easier.
“But I see hope and a great future ahead. There are Nigerians of world-class standards, characters, attributes and performance, if we’ll only look deep. We should encourage them and celebrate them wherever we may find them.”
While noting that the solution to corruption and poverty is in building strong institutions, Obasanjo said his on-going research for a degree in Christian Theology had helped him to uncover how corruption that subjected the masses to abject poverty led to the formation of Boko Haram, solely established to kick against the Western education that produced the corrupt people.
According to the former president, “Corruption breeds poverty, crime, insecurity, instability and generally inhibits growth and development. It underdevelops and kills. I am currently researching on the situation in the north-eastern Nigeria for my thesis in Christian Theology. And what I found is most alarming.
“One of the reasons that members of the extremist group, Boko Haram, gave for their insurrection is that they became disillusioned, when they saw how corrupt Western educated leaders were. According to them, if those who occupied government offices by virtue of their Western education would corruptly enrich themselves and deprive others of the basic things of life, then that education is ‘haram’, which means forbidden.
“I am told that when Mohammed Yusuf, the original leader of Boko Haram and his early followers first started, they all gathered and tore their certificates, because they said a certificate, which could not fetch them a source of livelihood, is useless to them. Similarly, they saw Western education as corrupting the individuals.
“We may not agree with their position, but the disappointment and disillusionment of citizens over the inadequacy or poor performance of their leaders is real. Adding rising corruption to other inadequacies in leadership and we’ll see the instability and insecurity, which we have witnessed in the North-east in recent years.”
Obasanjo identified measures that could curb corruption with a view to safeguarding the future of the country, saying, “We must strengthen our law enforcement, and justice system, and encourage them to complement each other in the fight against corruption.”