He was the former Governor of Kogi state. He was indeed a two time governor, who was reputed to have brought so much development to the young state. But in doing so, he approximated so much to himself in more ways than one. For one, he named so many of his accomplishments after himself and his forebears. But all that complex would have been tolerated until reports revealed that while in office, he acquired two palatial houses in London and United states of America. He did not, or could not deny it, especially as the ownership of those buildings was not part of the assets he declared before assuming office.
Indeed, he rubbished his critics over the ownership of such houses, claiming that as an "international banker" he could indeed own far much more properties wherever he chooses.
From there, the ICPC took over the case. As is usual, the anti-graft commission tried to mystify its investigations and findings. Without much legalese, the prima facie case established indicated that the houses where acquired while in office. The worth of the properties are not discountable from Audu's legitimate earnings in office. But ICPC danced here and there with the case until it claimed that the ubiquitous court injunction has stopped it from acting on its findings. If what held ICPC back was that Audu enjoyed immunity as a governor, what has happened since May when he left office?
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
His case was a far more celebrated one in all. He is the Governor of Bayelsa state, one of the oil and gas bearing states.
In the build up to the election the Bayelsa can of worms was thrown open with sundry cases of orgy of corruption. Here was a state where one Kariere Roberts, a probable proxy, collected hundreds of millions of naira from the state coffers through several phony companies that were not registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) before being used to "execute" all the phony feasibility study funds. The Bayelsa case was reeky. It got so bad that the image of the PDP was being impaired by the deep stains caused by the Bayelsa case, such that the national chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh in January this year, had to write the ICPC to conduct its investigation on Alamiyeseigha and his government, so that the party could determine whether it would allow him re-contest or not. The ICPC truly investigated and came out with embarrassingly dirty details. The state tried to argue it with some faux pas moves. Expectedly, the high expectation of the public went with the haze of politics as the case suddenly got dropped, on the excuse that the Bayelsa government had secured an injunction forbidding the Chief Justice of the Federation from appointing an independent counsel to investigate the case against him.
What bothers members of the public is why a man who claimed to have no skeleton in his cupboard will labour to get a court injunction restraining people from investigating him, rather than throw open his doors for anybody to see and believe that indeed his hands are clean. Like others before it, that was the end of the matter.
Adebayo Adefarati
He is the former governor of Ondo state. There were several cases of corruption levelled against the old man. Some of his commissioners were also indicted. One of the popular scandals around the former Governor was the Plot 90gate, where a property bought with state funds in Victoria Island in Lagos remained as private property for a long time. Again the ICPC took up the case, but it soon went with the wind. And till date, the public does not know the status of that case and many such others. Yet the ICPC airs programmes on the national tube, without properly addressing these past cases which have actually made many people lose hope in the capacity of the commission to tame corruption.
Julius Makanjuola He was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. He was accused of below-the-table deals. Along with four others, he was arrested, and his case was really celebrated as many pro-Obasanjo fans used it to loudly make the point that "Baba is serious with anti-corruption fight" especially as Makanjuola was believed to be a distant cousin of the President. After some adumbrated trial process, the then Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Kanu Agabi, was to enter a Nolli Prosequi (No case prosecution)case against Makanjuola. The president reacted by feigning an indignation, where-in he queried Agabi over his action. That was in year 2002. Till date, it is neither known what has become of Makanjuola and co, nor of the N450 million. But the slogan of anti-corruption crusade is yet in high crescendo.
Tony Anenih
Last year, the President was so touched by the dismal nature of the nation's roads that he once exclaimed in a rare moment of honest introspection that "I am ashamed of federal roads". The statement was made at a time the former Minister of Works and Housing, Chief Tony Anenih was not only presiding over the ministry, but was also charged with managing the N300 billion supposedly allocated for road works in the country - and 320 billion, by any standard, is a huge sum, even if it is CFAs.
But there is nothing whatsoever on Nigerian roads to suggest anything near that sum was expended on any part of the Nigerian road. So if there is presidential shame and public disgust on the failings of the Nigerian roads, who has answered for it? Especially as it is not a case of no funds. Indeed, what did Anenih do with the N300 billion allocated to his ministry under his headship such that even till date, over eight months since left office, Nigerian roads are largely unpassable.
But that was not the first time huge sums of money suffered a haze on Anenih's hands, Early in year 2000, the Federal Government had earmarked the sum of N10 billion to execute the Poverty Alleviation Programme. The money was given to a committee to manage. The committee was headed by Tony Anenih. Till date, it is not known how much poverty was alleviated by the Anenih committee; rather what is known is that poverty has been verily elevated. No questions were asked by those who should worry about how public funds are spent.
I just Wonder ?
Ik chira odera
___________________ Biafra is not part of nIGERIA but a nation on the making. Posts: 66 | From: BIAFRA | Registered: May 2003
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