June 20, 2001
Posted to the web June 20, 2001

Lillian Okenwa
Abuja

The Editor of Glamour Trends magazine, Nnamdi Onyenua, 27, recently arrested over a publication on President Olusegun Obasanjo, was yesterday arraigned in an Abuja Magistrate Court over alleged defamation of the president.

The charge sheet stated that a letter of complaint was received in the Office of the Inspector General of Police from Obasanjo on June 5 alleging that Onyenua published a story headlined "Exposed Secrets Behind Obasanjo's Foreign Trips" alleging that the president receives $1 million in allowances for each trip he undertook abroad and that the President had as at May 30, 2001 made $58 million (N6.5 billion) in allowances in two years, "an allegation you can not substantiate. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 392 of Penal Code Law."

The prosecution said police arrested Onyenua on the allegation.

The case which came up for mention had the prosecuting officer, Inspector John Ude applied for a date for further mention to enable the police conclude their investigations.

Counsel to Onyenua, Mr. Fred Agbaje, submitted that he was not pleased with the request as that implied that the accused would still remain in custody.

Applying orally for bail, Agbaje said the case was a simple matter of misdemeanor and was bailable.

He said Onyenua was an editor of a magazine with wide circulation and that he was kept in custody for two weeks until he (Agbaje) prevailed on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith, to take the matter to court.

He argued that his client worked with a reputable magazine and as such would not jump bail.

He cited Section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution which encouraged personal liberty and some cases arguing that there was no need denying his client bail.

He urged Magistrate, Mrs Ramatu Shehu to be linient with his client.

Ude objected to the request saying police investigation was still in progress, adding that Onyenua could either tamper with the process or jump bail. He described the accused as an able and qualified person that could manipulate matters.

Ude said police were working very hard on the investigation adding that the accused was yet to disclose crucial facts relating to the matter.

He said Onyeanua operated from two offices (Lagos and Abuja), adding that it would be difficult to locate him whenever he was needed.

Ruling in the application for bail was adjourned to June 21, 2001.

I would have thought that the alleged defamation of character would be a civil matter between Mr. Obasanjo and this hapless pen pusher. What say the lawyers?

What have Americans not written about their presidents? Obasanjo has nothing to learn from them in that regard because its a purely selfish matter. But in an issue as grave as national security, see how he unashamedly sucks up to them to the extent of mortgaging the security of the country in utter defiance of wiser counsel. But why not? Who gives a hoot about the Nigerian misnomer (so long as the oil flows, that is)?

A very warm welcome to BiafraNigeriaworld a.k.a freedom train.

This board is the ONLY thing which has the word "Nigeria" attached to it and guarantees freedom of expression. I joined at the tail end of April 2001 and this board did indeed live up to its billings!

Please make yourself comfortable and be sure to say it as it is. You may like to take a closer look at the thread "what is Biafranigeriaworld?".

Have a good weekend,

Pastor Tunde Bakare gave his own version of the man's end. Long robe repent, he refused and still hates the Jews. "I will bless he that bless you and I will cause him that curses you" That is the promise of the Biafrans. Karma will soon hold Obj, no sysmpathy, no crying.

Well said. Indeed Nigeria was doing well in all spheres of life before the first oil well began to spurt the infamous black gold. I had in actual fact in another thread made the comparison in the sixties’ growth rates between the different regions in Nigeria and Malaysia, as an example. Eastern region had a higher growth rate than Malaysia. The Western region was also growing albeit at a slower rate. While the North couldn't be compared with these 2, it was also growing. Note that this comparison was made according to regions, as lumping all the regions together would have confounded the analysis. The North has always been a laggard, content to have others pick up the tab. How uncannily despicable!

Well, the oil explorers hit the liquid gold and thanks to the ingenious counsel of Britain and the rest of the imperial west, the ne'er do wells from the North came scampering out of their hovels. The consequence is this unending stranglehold on the rest of Nigeria, the dragging down of the rest of Nigeria to your gutter level. But really? A segment of Nigeria has continued to grow in spite of being excluded from the oil wealth. When next you are in Nigeria, take a trip to any part of Igboland and after that I guarantee you that your defense of your feudalist masters would be a lot less strident. In the end, they screwed you almajiris more than us and their children with the benefit of the superior western education that they continue to deny the talakawas are the insurance that this is not about to change any time soon. Which town in the North compares with Onitsha or Aba? Which village in the North compares with Abriba or Awka-Etiti. Thirty years ago, the richest amongst the Igbos, those who had bank accounts (an elitist thing before then) had only 20 pounds to start life after a devastating 30-month long ethnic cleansing campaign. How does an average northerner compare with an average Igboman today? Yara, you guys are something else, from another planet, forgotten in the evolutionary process.

So man, don’t be so damn cocky parading the spoils of corruption. In actual fact, it’s you and your ilk that have stultified growth in other sectors, content only in stealing the petro-dollars. In your baa kwomi mentality, you fail to realize that there is a word called investment or that the oil is fast running out. That half wit that ceded Bakassi to Cameroon once bragged that Nigeria’s problem was what to do with money. Thirty years down the road, no telephones, no electricity, no paved roads, a disgrace of an educational system, no health care system, no welfare system, no statistics on anything (including how many Nigerians there are), etc. Experts now give the oil no more than 25 years in the future. Where would you guys be 25 years hence? Does that worry you one bit?

Though, I understand your angst about the massacres that have taken place over time, I still believe a compromise could be reached to make Nigeria the best that it can be.

What you guys are preaching as of this moment is devoid of democratic principles which in its entirety would not help to effect our neo-democracy.