Lately, we have been reading a lot about the criminal leader of BiafraNigeria and his claims that he is fighting fraud. Before anyone could say fiam!, two Igbo men, the Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, and the former Minister for Education, Fabian Osuji, became the targets of Obasanjo's voodoo and selective "fraud fighting" apparatus.
quote:Obasanjo’s son, through the Indian Company ISPAT bought the gigantic Ajaokuta Steel plant and also on the verge of acquiring Delta Steel Plant at Aladja, Delta State and the Itakpe Iron Ore Mining Corporation in Kogi State. His company, Global Consult is also said to have controlling shares in these companies.
I do not care to defend Igbo Efulefu Wabara or Osuji. They should crash and burn. But, Olusegun Obasanjo must not be allowed to use those Igbo clowns to cover the crimes of the Obasanjo Family Mafia.
Gbenga Obasanjo is the new Mohammed Abacha.
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It's interesting to note that the American president has asked Obasanjo for an accounting of the 22 million dollars lodged in an American bank. I also think it is a legitimate question for Bush to ask. You see, there is no doubt in the minds of American leaders that the free flow of oil from Nigeria is in America's interest. This means that America is most of all interested in the stability of that country. However, there comes a time when the blessings incurred due to the stability of a foreign government must be weighed against the political time-bomb of supporting corrupt regimes whose leaders enrich themselves and their cronies at the expense of the people, keeping them poor and oppressed in the process. This, I think, is the point at which American leaders find themselves in their dealings with the Nigerian state.
Also, for those of us who oppose Nigeria as it is presently constituted, Fani-Kayode may be our best weapon against it. His non-sensical comments on this issue and on the recent Congressional report heralding human rights abuses, contrary to his purpose, only serve to highlight and rather prove the charges against this govenrment.
quote:Reliable sources said, worried by the huge sum of money in the account of President Obasanjo’s son, American President, Mr. George Bush allegedly fired a query asking Obasanjo to furnish the authorities with the source of the money lodged in one of US’ leading commercial banks.
But in a swift reaction, a spokesman of the president, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode described the allegation as a mere campaign of calumny aimed at blackmailing the president.
His words: “This is just a campaign of calumny and nothing could be farther from the truth. Gbenga is a first class individual and a man of absolute integrity who is humbe, decent and very respectful. He is certainly neither a crook nor a rogue and nobody can blackmail him.
“In any case, we will not succumb to any form of cheap blackmail. If anybody really has anything, why is it that it is now that they want to make an issue out of it?Why didn’t they do so before now? They are only tryting to intimidate and embarrass us. But whatever they have, let them bring it out and I have no doubt in my mind that Gbenga will disprove it. This is a hardworking and honest young man and they should please leave Mr. President’s family out of politics.
--excerpt from an article by Ikechukwu Amaechi, Lagos
I cannot imagine how anyone in the real world(outside the make-believe Nigerian democracy) can take this fellow seriously. I think Obasanjo could have chosen someone with more gravity and political wisdom to speak for him than this crude "spin-doctor" who doesn't seem to realize how his comments are being received outside Nigeria. In the comment above he actually accuses Geogrge Bush of blackmail, a criminal activity, quite a change from how he recently spoke of Bush's purported praise of Obasanjo's government in response to the findings of the U.S. Congressional Report.
quote:According to Fani Kayode "his comments are quite at variance with the comments of President Bush who has been commending President Obasanjo over the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria since 1999.
"President Bush and the US State Department have always commended the Federal Government over the rule of law, respect for human rights, the concept of separation of power between the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary." Fani kayode who described the comments by Hanks as "bias based on tissues of lies, disinformation, falsehood and half truth" said "Government rejects the insinuations contained in the report in its entirety." He also stated that the Nigerian Government is not going to lose any sleep about the report, it is comment of a junior officer and not the position of the US President or that of a the State Department." The President's aide alleged that Hanks has a personal motive to achieve for ascribing the report to come from the State Department, whereas, it is a Congressional Report.
--excerpt from This Day (Lagos)
March 6, 2005 Posted to the web March 7, 2005
Chuks Okocha Abuja
You will also recall that a few weeks ago the U.S. characterized his comments about the findings of that report as "a threat."
quote:According to the source, the US is beaming its searchlight on some other Nigerians including governors and top politicians. The Diplomatic Note is also said to have expressed the interest of US in the activities of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, warning against any untoward act on him because of his recent public statement against the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). Another area the US government is not happy about is on the human rights abuse. A state governor is alleged to have presided over the killing of 19 persons believed to be political opponents, but labelled as suspected armed robbers. They are worried that the governor has failed to release the report on the matter, months after the investigation. Washington is also said to be unhappy with the rude and uncultured reaction of a Nigerian government official to the country's report on human rights and described the action of the official as a threat.
originally posted by Chima Njuko from an article by Ike Abonyi for This Day(Bush Bars Dariye and Wife From U.S.)
As a result of these last, and other foolish comments by Fani-Kayode representing the official government line, no one should be surprised to see the U.S. slowly dis-engage itself from Obasanjo, whose corrupt and illegitimate government is becomming grossly apparent to the world at large, rendering itself the more odious by hypocritically pretending to prosecute a war against corruption.
Here, I think, one should wonder why Obasanjo has had such a hard time with western countries in securing debt relief for Nigeria. Could it be that the affected countries are well aware that the Nigerian debt incurred to date mainly has gone into the pockets of Nigeria's leaders, and not for the benefit of the people of Nigeria, and isn't it probable that Gbenga's millions are just a small part of the graft endemic to historical Nigerian politics?
As you rightly pointed out, Gbenga is the new Abacha. But there are many new Abachas, and Gbenga is just one of the more visible. Why should western countries forgive a debt that has for the most part enriched a tiny minority of the society, sometimes called the Nigerian mafia. If they did, these same mobsters would be free to further steal from the nation and its people.
For Biafrans, the question here is what do we want America to do in response to its new evaluation of Nigeria. America cannot be faulted simply because it needs oil; neither are the people of Nigeria America's responsibility, but it seems that it is sensitive to the aspirations of the people there to enjoy a better life by having the blessings of good government.
For this reason, and for not wanting to be associated with robber regimes, American leaders have lately been calling a spade a spade in Nigerian politics. In this way America hopes to court the good will of the Nigerian people, and to protect its long-term national interest, which is, to buy crude oil in a stable market-place for the benefit of its own citizens. But how does one maintain stability when it seems that the people, or a large section of the country, want no less than a revolution of sorts, to dis-engage themselves from the Nigeria polity?
I think what will happen is that America will try to help this nation clean up its act, and present itself as legitimate. This is the only choice for America because it no longer(my understanding) actively seeks to overthrow governments(except in outright war) that have become an embarassment or liability, but it must acquiesce to the principle that it is the indigenous people's responsibility to change the system under which they live. In other words, it will not fight revolutions for others. They must do it for themselves. This does not, I think, preclude sympathy and help for favored causes, but that help would depend on the rightness of the cause and the likelihood of success, because it is the oil that is the desired end. This thinking should not be considered an evil. There is nothing wrong with nations wanting to peacefully purchase goods at fair market prices. However problems occur when one realizes that he is purchasing from thieves.
In this light we should see and understand the query posed by the American president concerning the financial condition of Gbenga Obasanjo, and we must further understand that unless we make our voices heard and our positions known, we will become like the proverbial chicken who missed the village meeting of all the other animals(first posted I think by Nwa Afor), at which meeting it was unanimously adopted that in future the chicken should be used for all sacrifice. In other words, our rights and aspirations will be trampled on and disallowed, as a people not having the political will to force the issues, and agitate for our rights, by any means neccessary. Only then will the cause of Biafrans be well respected, and included in any solution to the international problem that is BiafraNigeria.
___________________ The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves... Posts: 660 | From: Valle del Sol | Registered: Nov 2004
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Below, in the middle, is a picture of Otu(m)(n)ba Gbenga Obasanjo. Maybe our Yoruba brothers on this board can help me out. I don't know the meaning of the word "Otumba" or is it "Otunba?" All I know is that when a Yoruba man starts to add Otu(m)(n)ba to his name, you know he is also becoming a 419er.
quote:
And, what is it with all these Gbenga troublemakers anyway? There was the Gbenga Aluko scam too. Now, we have another Gbenga, Gbenga Obasanjo, majoring in the business of 419.
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Parties Seek Probe of Gbenga Obasanjo's $22m Account Presidency: There’s no such account From Josephine Lohor and Chuks Okocha in Abuja, 04.05.2005
Coalition of Concerned Political Parties (CCPP) and Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) have called on President Olusegun Obasanjo to extend his renewed anti-corruption crusade to include investigation of his son, Gbenga said to have $22 million in his bank account. The parties also want the president to probe the N30 billion COJA contracts and the N400 million Defence Ministry scam involving his cousin Julius Makonjuola. In a swift reaction, the Presidency denied that $22 million had been found in Gbenga’a account. The political parties said the sack of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Omobolaji Osomo, was to pre-empt the planned revelation by the former minister, whom they said wanted to address the media on how allocations were made to some senior government officials who have denied applying for the Ikoyi houses. CCPP and CNPP said "until these and other cases of corruption are probed and prosecuted, Nigerians will see President Obasanjo's anti-graft crusade as an act of witch hunting the perceived enemies of his government." The parties which include all other 29 registered political parties outside the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) listed the corruption practices which the President must tackle before he is to be taken serious. They include: the N214 million National Identity Card scam involving former ministers; N400 million allegedly embezzled by Makanjuola when he was Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Defence; N300 billion for road construction under Chief Anthony Anenih as Minister of Works; Senator Arthur Nzeribe’s claim that Presidency gave him N300 million to bribe his colleagues; and N60 billion for the stadium in Abuja, which the World Bank estimated at N19 billion. Also, the parties want a probe of the N30 billion purportedly spent on All African Games, over $2 billion expended on NEPA which has remained epileptic, the Ajaokwuta Steel Company Ltd/SOLGAS Scandal, the Halliburton Scandal, the Military Pension Board Missing Money among others. The parties offered to support the President in the renewed action against corruption, if only he would be total and not selective. However, the parties said that the sack of the Minister of Housing was a pre-emptive attempt by President Obasanjo to stop Mrs. Osomo from explaining how senior government officials were allocated the controversial Ikoyi properties. They parties said that the minister would have been sacked after due investigation into how the allocations were made. However, they said that, "the biggest problem Obasanjo must address is the fraud and corruption that characterized the 2003 general elections and the 2004 council elections. However, Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Media Mrs Oluremi Oyo, yesterday reacted to a media report to the effect that President George Bush of United States had queried Obasanjo over the $22 million allegedly found in his son, Gbenga’s, account, saying the story was untrue and false. Oyo, in a statement, said “the Presidency of United States has never had any cause to query President Olusegun Obasanjo about $22 million lodged in a bank account in the United States or such matter.” She added that “Federal Government has not uncovered any plot to destabilise the country by bombing major cities.” Any effort at tackling the economic and financial aspects of corruption pervading the various arms of government both inter and intra without a concomitant attention to the electoral corruption of 2003 and 2004 would be an exercise in futility." It warned against denigrating National Assembly as the Legislature remains the backbone of democracy. Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the President on Public Matters, Chief Femi Fani Kayode has described as untrue the publication that the President's son, Gbenga Obasanjo has over $22 million in his United States Bank Account. Fani Kayode said that the Gbenga is an honest businessman, whom the President is proud off. He also said that it is not true that the President hurriedly sacked Osomo as the Minister for Housing so as to cover up some senior governor officials involved in the scandal. From This Day
___________________ Biafra is inevitable.Illegitimis nil carborundum. Posts: 760 | From: europe | Registered: Jan 2005
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quote:19 Bank Accounts Opened in US Banks by Gbenga Obasanjo
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by LAOLU AKANDE & SEYI ODUYELA
There are fresh indications that the US banking authorities may have begun a deliberate surveillance of the banking habits of Gbenga Obasanjo after a discovery of the existence of 19 bank accounts opened in his name in American banks. Already a query has been raised on the matter with the possibility of closing some of the accounts.
Sources close to US banking authorities confirmed that the investigation had begun after a US firm was perceived to have been mistreated in an open bidding of one of the companies the BPE was meant to privatize. It was allegedly discovered that the Nigerian government was favoring a Russian company against a US company that had previously won an open bidding process.
The US company-believed to be BFIG had bided $410m for the purchase of ALSCON, and won the opening bidding process when suddenly the BPE was said to be favoring RUSAL, a Russian firm that had bided a lower amount of $205m.
It is now being alleged in some US government quarters that Gbenga Obasanjo, Nigeria's president's son has vested interests in RUSAL, the Russian firm who had lost the bid to BFIG, but is now being favored to purchase ALSCON.
Based on a comprehensive protest submitted to the US government, senators and certain opinion leaders here in the US, banking authorities started to investigate Obasanjo's son, who had attended school here at the John Hopkins University here in the State of Maryland-where incidentally he was known for his outstanding brilliance.
A copy of the protest was made available to this reporter. It was titled 22 facts on Nigerian Government Bias Against BFIG.It is normal practice here in the US that individuals petition their governments and representatives in cases of discrimination or maltreatment abroad or even at home. And because of the success of America's representative democracy, such representatives in government would often take steps or seek to remedy the situation in the interests of the citizens whose voting power is never underestimated here.
Sources said that it was then discovered that Gbenga had opened 19 different accounts in US banks with different name variations. it was learnt that some of the accounts were inactive, while others had what a source called "heavy cash." Only last week media reports said an account in Gbenga's name had been found by the US government with $22million in it. It was learnt that the investigation was provoked by the simple question; why did he need 19 bank accounts?
The Americans are worried, said a source that the Nigerian government was not following due process and also concerned that the Russian company may be interested in ALSCON, partly to understudy America's technology which had been used to set up and construct ALSCON in the first place even before now.
A newspaper report had last week reported that $22m was found in the account of president' son, and that the money was said to be in one of the "many accounts maintained by the son of the president in the United States of America."
Reacting, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, a special assistant to President Obasanjo had said the report "is a mere campaign of calumny" aimed at blackmailing the president.
According to him "This is just a campaign of calumny and nothing could be farther from the truth. Gbenga is a first class individual and a man of absolute integrity who is humble, decent and very respectful. He is certainly neither a crook nor a rogue and nobody can blackmail him."
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Mersrs Akande and Oduyela write for Africananews.com
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Femi Kayode Can spin this anyway he wants, it still doesn't change the facts. The facts are that Obasanjo and his family are looting Biafranigeria dry.
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Obasanjo is quick to tell us how much he makes from his Otta farm without including his salary as President and how much he pays in taxes. The news information below shows how democratic leaders openly reveal their income and taxes.
WASHINGTON - President Bush reported adjusted gross income of $784,219 for last year, on which he paid $207,307 in federal taxes, according to presidential returns released Friday by the White House.
The tax bill for the president and first lady Laura Bush was lower than the previous year, when the first couple reported $822,126 in adjusted gross income and paid $227,490 in federal income taxes.
The Bushes listed as income his presidential salary and investment income from trusts that hold their assets.
The couple contributed $77,785 to churches and charitable organizations, including Evergreen Chapel at Camp David, Md., St. John's Church in Washington, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army World Service Office, AmeriCares, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the federal government's Combined Federal Campaign.
The White House also released the 2004 tax return filed by Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne.
The report shows the Cheneys owe federal taxes for 2004 of $393,518 on taxable income of roughly $1.3 million.
Throughout last year, the Cheneys paid $290,855 in taxes through withholding and estimated tax payments. When they filed their return on Friday, they paid the remaining $102,663.
The Cheneys' income included the vice president's $203,000 government salary and $194,852 in deferred compensation from Halliburton Co., the Dallas-based energy services firm he headed until Aug. 16, 2000. Cheney elected in December 1998 to recoup over five years a portion of the money he made in 1999 as chief executive officer of Halliburton. This amount was to be paid in annual installments — with interest — after Cheney's retirement from Halliburton.
"The amount of deferred compensation received by the vice president is fixed and is not affected in any way by Halliburton's current economic performance or earnings," a statement issued by the White House said.
The Cheneys' tax return also reports Mrs. Cheney's wage and salary income from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, and compensation for sitting on the board of Reader's Digest until retiring in 2003.
The Cheneys donated $303,354 to charity in 2004, primarily from royalties from Simon & Schuster on Mrs. Cheney's books: "America: A Patriotic Primer," "A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Woman" and "When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots."
Bush spent a portion of Tax Day in a suburban cafe in Ohio promoting the idea of making the tax cuts passed during his administration permanent. The White House gathered five local small business owners to sit with the president around a table at the Yours Truly Restaurant in Mentor, Ohio, and talk for the cameras about tax relief and how it had helped them expand their businesses and hire more employees.
"Tax relief helps small businesses. If you're interested in expanding jobs, one way to do so is to help small businesses," the president said. If Congress allows the tax cuts to expire, as most are now slated to do, "your taxes are going to go up," Bush said.
He also put in a plug for simplifying the tax code, an item on his domestic agenda that has taken a back seat to others such as overhauling Social Security. Bush said $300 billion in taxes go unpaid by Americans every year.
"That's why we need simplification," he said.
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It is time for Olusegun Obasanjo to surrender his son, Gbenga Obasanjo to face EFCC justice. We cannot have the president playing cover-up for his looting son, while he pretends to be prosecuting a war on corruption.
___________________ Home is Best Posts: 43 | From: UK | Registered: Jan 2003
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Why don't the credit card thief, FumiGATOR Ononide tell the world how abacha's sons differ from his father's master's son Gbenga? From the way this YOU ROBBER writes one can easily deduce that he's criminally minded because he never addresses those issues that borders on good governance. MONKEY!!
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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Alleged sharp practices: Reps probe Obasanjo’s son
ABIODUN ADELAJA, Abuja
GBENGA, President Olusegun Obasanjo’s son, was yesterday fingered in alleged deal between Global Infrastructure Holding Limited and the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe.
This is even as House of Representatives which alleged sharp practices in handling of the deal, raised an adhoc committee to probe the transaction.
The House decision to probe the deal was sequel to a motion brought by Hon. Umar Faruk on behalf of 15 federal lawmakers, urging a probe into the alleged oil deal.
Contributing to debate on the motion, Hon Idris Nadabo informed his colleagues that Gbenga Obasanjo was a co-owner of Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, the company which secured the vexed "concession deal" with NIOMCO, Itakpe.
According to Hon Nadabo, Obasanjo during his numerous foreign trips usually introduced his son, Gbenga to foreign firms as a credible businessman, a development which has enabled him (Gbenga) to allegedly influence some deals in Nigeria.
Also contributing, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila said that Gbenga appears to know so much concerning the privatisation exercise, suggesting that he be invited to the House to tell the nation the much he knows about the exercise.
Other federal lawmakers who took turns to condemn the deal, insisted that a public hearing into the transaction would unveil those who have been milking Nigeria through the privatisation programme.
Global Infrastructure recently signed a concession deal with NIOMCO Itakpe under which the former will manage the assets of NIOMCO on a paltry three percent declared yearly turnover payable to government.
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