Oshiomhole sacks Perm Sec, 41 school inspectors, demotes principal

All appears not well with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)-led administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the governor yesterday fired 41 school inspectors and demoted a principal of a secondary school.

Besides, Oshiomhole also  announced the sack of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Caro Edo-Osagie, from office with immediate effect for dereliction of duty.

It would be recalled that 20 teachers in secondary schools were, in the last two weeks, dismissed for coming late to school, a development that has elicited the ire of concerned stakeholders, civil society organisations and families as well as individuals in the state.

Oshiomhole’s action followed his continuation of the on-going sanitisation of the education sector.

The decision, according to him, is the outcome of a continuing performance audit.
The governor announced the demotion of the Vice Principal of New Era College, Mr S.E Akhabue, from Grade Level 15 to Grade Level 14 for being a perpetual late comer.

While meeting the affected school inspectors and officers at the Government House, the governor disclosed that the administrative details of the change in the school inspectorate will be made known in the coming days.

It will be recalled that the governor had paid series of unscheduled visits to public schools across the state in the last two weeks where he made mind-boggling discoveries bordering on absenteeism or dereliction of duty by teachers.

Addressing the inspectors yesterday, Oshiomhole said: “It’s obvious from what I’ve seen today and from what you’ve told me that you’ve all breached your basic duties, which is to monitor schools and file basic reports, which among things, should include reports on those present and absent so that government can take steps to assist those who want to work to remain and those who don’t want to work to go home.

“Edo State government has lost millions of naira of taxpayers’ money because of your failure to do your duties.

“You are guilty of negligence of duty and even abandonment of your duties. I believe that most times, you don’t even come to work. We do not need this set of Zonal Inspectors of Education, Chief Inspectors of Education and Local Government Education Inspectors.

“The days are gone when people don’t do their jobs. It’s shocking that you recognise that you are supposed to have written reports, yet you fail to do so.

“I am happy that parents and guardians are returning their children and wards to public schools as a result of the massive investment we have made in the education sector, yet, you, who are to ensure that teachers work, do not do so.

“I’m not hiding the fact that only those who are willing to work will keep their jobs. Everybody must be accountable. I am accountable to the Edo people, the House of Assembly is accountable, so, if we are accountable, who are you not to be accountable?
“If the teachers don’t teach, we have no future and your brief is to ensure that the teachers work and yet you failed to do that.

“It’s a new Edo, everybody must be put on notice to work and justify their pay. I have a duty to remind you that when you have abandoned your job, you have also lost it.”

The Vice Principal of New Era College, Mr. Akhabue, who was demoted by a Grade Level during an unscheduled visit to the school by the governor, was found guilty of perpetually getting to the office late.

The time-book of the teachers, which the governor went through, showed that the Vice Principal sometimes got to the office as late as 9:55a.m.
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole yesterday approved the removal of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs Caro Edo-Osagie, from office with immediate effect for dereliction of duty.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Louis Odion, the former Permanent Secretary was directed to hand over all government’s property in her care to her immediate subordinate within 24 hours.

Her sack may not be unconnected with the death of a popular actor and a staff of the Culture and Tourism, Brown Atienwen on Sunday last week at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

The late Atienwen was said to have died at the UBTH following alleged insensitivity and neglect by the ministry officials to release a paltry  N150,000 approved for the deceased treatment at the hospital by the state government.

Oshiomhole sacks Perm Sec, 41 school inspectors, demotes principal

Romney Admits Pushing Misinformation In Debate

By Igor Volsky on Oct 4, 2012 at 11:39 am

During Wednesday night’s president debate, Mitt Romney claimed that “half” of the green firms Obama invested “have gone out of business” and noted that “a number of them happened to be owned by people who were contributors to your campaigns.”

Fact checkers — including this blog — quickly pounced on the claim, explaining that only a tiny percentage of firms that received grants or loans from the Recovery Act have actually filed for bankruptcy. And now, the Romney campaign itself is walking back the GOP presidential candidate’s claim. From Michael Grunwald, author of The New New Deal: The Hidden History of Change in the Obama Era:

Grunwald estimates that less than 1 percent of green firms have gone bad in terms of dollar value.

Romney also singled out Tesla Motors, which designs and manufactures electric vehicles, and received a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy. Last night, he quipped, “I had a friend who said you don’t just pick the winners and losers, you pick the losers, all right?” But the company is not a loser. “Founder Elon Musk says it will accelerate its payment of the principal in the spring — and the Department of Energy isn’t complaining it’s not getting its money back.” Romney, unfortunately, has turned to rooting against an American company in his effort to unseat Obama.

Romney Admits Pushing Misinformation In Debate | ThinkProgress

Lagos Assembly divided over introduction of Chinese language

OCTOBER 3, 2012 BY SESAN OLUFOWOBI 60 COMMENTS

Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji
| credits:

The Lagos State House of Assembly was on Tuesday divided over the proposed introduction of Chinese language in the state’s school curriculum.

It subsequently summoned the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, to appear before the House on Tuesday next week.

The representative of Ajeromi-Ifelodun in the Assembly, Mr. Abdulbak Balogun, had drawn the attention of the House to a statement credited to Oladunjoye over the introduction of Chinese language to public schools.

Balogun said, “Why Chinese language in our public schools? If we want our children to learn Chinese language, why not in the university where they learn linguistics?”

Another lawmaker, Mr. Rotimi Olowo, wondered the relevance of the language to the socio-economic development of the state and the country.

He said, “Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages should be made compulsory instead of the Chinese language.”

However, another lawmaker, Mrs. Lola Akande, said the introduction of Chinese language was not a bad idea because China is the second largest economy in the world and also regarded as super power in terms of technology advancement.

She said, “The introduction of Chinese language would not disrupt the school curriculum, rather, it will strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and China.”

The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said there was the need for Nigerian students to learn as many languages as possible. He added that the introduction of the Chinese language would not have any negative impact on the students.

He said, “Most of the countries I have visited, you see a child of less than 15 years speaking about three or more languages and this has not prevented them from learning their local languages as well.

“The introduction of Chinese language would not affect other languages we speak.  It is good for us to learn as many languages as possible.”

He directed that the commissioner should brief the assembly on the methods and preparations for the introduction of the new language in schools.

Lagos Assembly divided over introduction of Chinese language — The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper

President Jonathan lied in Independence anniversary broadcast

President Jonathan lied that Transparency International has endorsed and commended his administration’s war against corruption.

President Goodluck Jonathan lied to the world in his Independence Day anniversary speech about gains his administration has made in the fight against corruption, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has revealed.

In what appears to be a major credibility stunt, President Jonathan read a speech in which he scored his government high on all sides.

In order to make his good performance appear holistic, the president included in his speech that global corruption watchdog, Transparency International, has endorsed and praised his administration’s war against corruption.

Mr. Jonathan’s words: “…the fight against the scourge of corruption is a top priority of our administration.

“We are fighting corruption in all facets of our economy, and we are succeeding. We have put an end to several decades of endemic corruption associated with fertilizer and tractor procurement and distribution.  We have exposed decades of scam in the management of pensions and fuel subsidy, and ensured that the culprits are being brought to book,” he added.

To give his claims international credibility, the presidents then said: “In its latest report, Transparency International (TI) noted that Nigeria is the second most improved country in the effort to curb corruption.”

The lie

PREMIUM TIMES contacted Transparency International seeking a copy of its latest report which the President referred to in his speech.

The group replied promptly disowning Mr. Jonathan and saying it had no such report.

“Transparency International does not have a recent rating or report that places Nigeria as the second most improved country in the fight against corruption,” the group said in an email to this newspaper.

The group said its most recent indexing of Nigeria’s corruption activities was in the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measured perceived level of publicsector corruption in the country.

In that index, Nigeria scored 2.4 on a scale where 0 means highly corrupt and 10 means very clean. It was ranked 143 out of 183 countries.

That rating was actually a dip in performance for Nigeria as the country was rated 134 out of 183 countries the previous year, 2010.

The president’s spokesperson would not comment for this story. The Special Adviser on Media, Reuben Abati as well as the Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, did not answer or return calls.

They also did not reply text messages sent to their telephones.

Corruption cases Jonathan ignores

Since resuming office in 2010, President Jonathan is believed not to have shown vigour in the fight against corruption – including corruption involving past and current actors in his administration. The tipping point in the president’s profile, regarding reluctance in promoting transparency, came when, in his last media chat, he scoffed at a question on why he had not publicly declared his asset. On live television, the president snapped “I don’t give a damn!”

The petroleum minister, Diezani Madueke, a close ally of the president, has heaps of established corruption allegations against her, but none has been investigated by Mr. Jonathan’s administration; while she still remains in office as one of the favorite ministers.

In August 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan secretly ordered the payment of $155 million to Malabu oil, a firm owned by an ex-convict and former petroleum minister,Dan Etete. Not only was the payment done without the knowledge of the Finance Minister, as revealed by PREMIUM TIMES, Malabu transferred the money into dubious accounts including that owned by a man with links to Mr. Jonathan. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to investigate the Malabu scandal.

Two members of the President’s cabinet, Godsday Orubebe and Stella Oduah, illegally registered an NGO, Neighbour to Neighbour, on whose board they sit, and which they then used in campaigning for the President’s election; in contravention of CAC registration guidelines and the CAMA Act. The presidency has kept mum on this.

There have been several cases of visitors to the Presidential Villa being given huge sums of money after their visits. The Save Nigeria Group was offered $30 thousand, and the Northern elders N20 million; both groups rejected the cash gifts given to them by the presidency.

There are also mounts of corruption cases involving government officials, politicians and ‘friends of the government’ that have been lingering for years while perpetrators roam free.

President Jonathan lied in Independence anniversary broadcast - Premium Times Nigeria

INDEPENDENCE? WHAT INDEPENDENCE?---Monday Midnite

Nigeria is so independent that on her very first day of “independence” in 1960, her first leader ushered in Nigeria’s newfound sovereignty with the following words “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN”…. as in the Queen of England.

Nigeria is so independent that,  although she’s the 7^th largest producer of crude oil in the world, she imports most of her domestic petroleum usage from abroad.

Nigeria is so independent that, although blessed with arable lands, she depends on the importation of most foodstuff for the survival of those who can afford it. Millions who can’t…..starves, dies, while the government simply looks the other way.  

Nigeria is so independent that, as we speak, the President’s wife is undergoing treatment in an unspecified hospital in Germany because we don’t have adequate medical facilities in the country. Tens of millions of poor families who can’t afford to send ailing family members abroad, simply wait agonizingly for death to show up.  What’s even sadder is that the country is actually RICH ENOUGH to erect high-end medical facilities in every state of the federation. Money looted by one ex-leader alone can accomplish this.

Nigeria is so independent that after 52 YRS of sovereignty, in spite of enormous oil wealth, our government still cannot provide her citizens with basic human necessities commonly available to  citizens of less wealthy nations across the world----good schools, good roads, decent hospitals, round the clock electricity supply, round the clock water supply, etc; etc.

Nigeria is so independent that foreign corporations…especially those in the oil business, practically runs the country via our puppet leaders.

Nigeria is so independent that she depends on foreign aid (mostly furnished through our government and via innumerable NGOs) to implement desperately needed social programs for poverty-stricken folks across the country while most Nigerian politicians and leaders consistently loots the nation blind. 

Nigeria is so independent that a picture of President Jonathan with hands behind his back and head bent in obedience while taking directives from the Secretary of State of a western country paints an interesting picture as to who the boss really is.

Nigeria is so independent that most of the items you see in the homes of most Nigerians, including those who can barely make ends meet, are imported items. The rich arrays their homes with nice and new items, while the poor buy second-hand, third-hand or battered ones. But in most cases, they are all IMPORTED.
Interestingly, in my several decades of residence in western countries, as well as regular visits to eastern European countries, I’ve never been to a home where most items in use or at display weren’t locally made.

I can go on forever, but the more I write, the more my heart burns and bleeds. So I’ll simply ask again as I did in my FB status update this morning: INDEPENDENCE? WHAT INDEPENDENCE? 

I-Team: UN Delegates Living Large While Their People Starve

U.N. delegation visitors from some of the world's poorest countries are spending lavishly in New York City during the General Assembly

U.N. delegation visitors from some of the world's poorest countries are spending lavishly in New York City during the General Assembly

By Chris Glorioso and Tom Burke

|  Friday, Sep 28, 2012  |  Updated 10:44 AM EDT

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NBC 4 New York

As diplomats congregate for the United Nations General Assembly, delegations from some of the poorest countries in the world are spending extravagantly in New York City while their homelands struggle, NBC 4 New York's I-Team has discovered. Chris Glorioso reports.

As diplomats congregate for the United Nations General Assembly, delegations from some of the poorest countries in the world are spending extravagantly in New York City while their homelands struggle, NBC 4 New York's I-Team has discovered. 

“The lavish spending is just endemic of autocratic politics as a whole,” said Alastair Smith, a politics professor from New York University and co-author of “The Diplomat’s Handbook.”

He believes the U.N.’s Manhattan address has become a distraction from the intended work of the General Assembly.

“They are here for the shopping, the food the wine, the dining. If it was in a less attractive place, I'm sure fewer people would want to come as hangers-on,” said Smith.

On Monday, I-Team cameras found several visitors with the U.N. delegation from Swaziland walking out of high-end retailer Bergdorf Goodman. The women had Bergdorf Goodman shopping bags, though they said the items inside were just gifts.

According to U.N. data, nearly 70 percent of Swazi people survive on less than $2 a day. The nation has one of the highest AIDS rates: 18 percent of the population is HIV positive.

Despite those struggles back home, numerous members of the Swaziland U.N. entourage are staying at the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the I-Team has learned.

Also staying at the Mandarin Oriental were members of the delegation from Togo. According to one U.N. report, 2.4 million Togolese citizens live on less than $1.25 a day.

Diplomats from Gabon were staying at the Plaza Hotel, where rooms go for a $1,000 to $15,000 a night.

Nigeria’s delegation is keeping five vehicles parked outside the Pierre Hotel where the cheapest room is about $800 a night – or roughly what most Nigerians earn in two years.

At the Waldorf-Astoria, where rooms are between $800 and $9,000 a night, the I-Team found the delegation from Mali, a country where 4.6 million people are battling starvation. A recent U.N. report found Mali is the third poorest nation in the world with a poverty rate near 87 percent.

To be fair, not every poor nation spent so much for hotel accommodations: Members of the Tanzania delegation were found staying at a DoubleTree hotel in Midtown.

Although it may be unseemly for diplomats from poor countries to live ostentatiously during their stays in Manhattan, advocates for business point out there is an undeniable upside to much of the diplomatic extravagance – the boon for New York City’s local economy.

"I don't think it is really up to us to moderate the type of spending that comes from other countries. That's their business,” said Nancy Ploeger, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “What I'm concerned with is the economic impact on this city. I like the money. I want the money!"

None of the permanent missions to the UN from Togo, Swaziland, Gabon, Mali or Nigeria returned calls or emails relating to this story.

Nonprofits that monitor developing nations are also becoming increasingly sensitive to the issue of third world rulers spending lavishly abroad.

The group “100 Reporters” is actually holding a contest asking New Yorkers to snap photos of UN diplomats spending ostentatiously.

By one estimate, the ruling classes of third-world nations divert as much as $1 trillion from their developing economies to spend and invest the funds in the U.S. and other Western nations.

“The real underlying motivation for the movement of so much money out of developing countries is the hidden accumulation of wealth,” said Raymond Baker, executive director of Global Financial Integrity, a nonprofit watchdog that monitors capital flows into and out of impoverished countries.

“This is about getting rich secretly and not having to distribute those funds locally,” Baker said.

I-Team: UN Delegates Living Large While Their People Starve | NBC New York

What Nigerians don't know about IBB, Buhari's oil industry management - David-West

By AKEEB ALARAPE

The nation's oil sector has got more than enough scandals in the last two years, with stunning revelations on how the resources of the country ended up in private pockets. Two-time former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof Tam David-West, took a retrospective look at how the rot started, in this no-holds-barred exclusive interview.


It's nine months after subsidy removal. How would you assess this?


The country is worse for it because it is all fraud. If we are looking at the subsidy alone, President Goodluck Jonathan will know that he has performed very badly. I have documents to show that Jonathan was initially opposed to the figure Okonjo-Iweala gave him. I have the document. But it was slammed down his throat. I am opposed to subsidy and I have been vindicated. There is no subsidy. The government has even confirmed my position and that of Muhammadu Buhari. Before that time, the late Gani Fawehinmi had written a booklet on subsidy. The government has changed the figure of the amount they get from subsidy 10 times. I said this at the Gani Fawehinmi lecture. The figure has changed 10 times in quantum and like amoeba, changing its shape.


All the money Okonjo-Iweala claimed to have been recovered, were they lost in the first place? Okonjo-Iweala has only recovered the fraud. Later, she will say they are paying oil marketers over N500 million of subsidy. Let her organise a national debate that there is a subsidy and not a charade. If you forget about Tam David-West, can she also ignore an expert in oil and gas, Dr. Ngene Agbo, who was head of Petroleum Department at the University of Ibadan (UI) before? He is now in Dallas Texas.


He wrote, and it was published in the newspapers, that fuel must not cost more than N36 per litre. In fact, when they were to remove the subsidy on January 1, he wrote again that IMF asked them to do so. I have the document. So, there is no subsidy and the action of the government has shown that.

The bottom line is for government to build refineries. Nigeria could, at best, build 20 refineries in two years. The money is there. If we build at least five more refineries before Jonathan lives, petrol prices will come down because we are not going to import fuel anymore. That is the type of legacy he should leave behind.




Could you tell us about your relationship with Buhari and Babangida?


I worked with Buhari, but when Buhari was overthrown, Babangida brought me back. I was to come back to Ibadan, but Sani Abacha pleaded with me to stay. It was Abacha who made me change my mind. Abacha was my friend for over 30 years. We all served at Rivers State when I was commissioner for education under Zamani Lekwot.


He (Abacha) was the Brigade Commander and we were good friends till he died. Therefore, when Buhari was overthrown, I was brought back. So, I know Babangida, I know Buhari. Any time I meet any new person in my life, as a friend, I do what I call personality profile. I will try to know the person's strength and weakness. That profile guides me.


People will not know that I was closer to Babangida than Buhari. While Babangida called me a pet name 'TD,' Buhari called me Professor. My relationship with Buhari was very official; my relationship with Babangida was both official and personal. So, I was closer to Babangida than Buhari when I was in government. I never visited Buhari at Dodan Barracks, except for official purposes. I visited Dodan Barracks many times on unofficial purposes to see Babangida. His great wife, Maryam, in her grave, can confirm this.




How would you assess Babangida's performance in the oil industry?


What I am going to say about both of them is not because Buhari wants to become president or I am known to be an unapologetic Buhari supporter. I am not supporting Buhari out of sentiment but out of fact and figures. I had been talking about the mess in the oil industry in several newspapers interviews since 1994. I have been consistent about it. So, whatever I am saying about these two Nigerians I am saying it very objectively and without any regret and I challenge anybody to contradict what I am going to say.


Yes, the Babangida government ruined the oil industry. How did he do it? How many people in Nigeria know these dirty millionaires? Dirty millionaires because the money they are getting is dirty money. How many people know the conditions to lift the Nigerian oil? I mean strict conditions, which were there before Buhari. He was oil minister before and I also inherited the conditions. Nigerians will be shocked that one can lift Nigerian oil now as if one goes to market to buy palm oil or groundnut oil.


Babangida broke all the rules. Buhari operated them and I operated them during our time. Oil makes up over 90 per cent of all the money Nigeria has outside, that is foreign receipts. Also, oil makes up about 80 per cent of our annual budget. So, why must we be careless about it?


To lift Nigerian oil, these are the conditions set down, which Babangida broke. One, you must be an end user. By end user, it means we don't give oil to people who will resell at Rotterdam. You must get a refinery. If you don't have refinery, which you must or should, you should show a contract that you have a long time contract with a refinery at least 10 years. Then, you must deposit with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) three consecutive annual audit report of your company before you could be allowed to sign the contract to lift oil. This is to show that such company is healthy. Then, you must be prepared to pay a non-refundable $1million to NNPC as proof of good faith. All these rules were broken. 
No one in Nigeria even heard about them again.


Also, you must not sell to South Africa because of apartheid. Your company must show a staff strength of at least 20 people. These are the conditions you must fulfill before you can lift Nigerian oil. Babangida broke all of them under the funny name of liberaliaation. When he broke the rules, he made it easy for a lot of people to jump into lifting of Nigerian oil, to the detriment of the country. That was the beginning of the disaster. Why did he break the rules? Did he break them in the interest of the nation or in the interest of some people? I cannot prejudge. I leave him (Babangida) to his conscience and God. Secondly, all oil revenues must be paid into the Federation Account. Babangida broke that too. Why is that so? Every month, the Commissioners for Finance from all the states came to Lagos in those days; we always sat and shared the money we were paid.


Within the Gulf War too, while we had $1.2billion, Babangida established a parallel account that was called 'Dedicated Account.' The Dedicated Account was run by only himself and the then Governor of Central Bank, the late Alhaji Uba Ahmed. Ahmed was a very good man. I still honour him. But it was an executive decision. Nobody had a say on how the account was used. So, in addition to the Federation Account, that by law, all proceeds of oil must go into, Babangida set up a parallel account he called Dedicated Account, which he lodged extra $1.2 billion Gulf War windfall.

When the Gulf War started, I wrote an article that oil price would go up because it was all common sense. 

The oil market is very volatile. If there is problem in Iraq or Iran, the market fixtures say that oil that will come from those countries cannot come to the market.

So, there is artificial scarcity and oil prices go up. I wrote it then that we should invest the money to offset our foreign debts, as Kuwaiti did. Kuwaiti has one of the best oil management in the whole world. Another issue in the oil industry then was the increase in the price of fuel. Then, we started talking about subsidy. In Buhari's time, we were exporting fuel in thousands of litres.


What would you say about rot in the oil industry, as regards operations of businessmen?


The Babangida government made it easier for them to have their ways in the camouflage of allowing indigenous participation. Indigenous participation is good but in what form? Oil industry is a very expensive business. I once told the late business mogul, M.K.O. Abiola, in those days that with all the money he had he could not build a refinery on his own. I told him he has to get foreign partners with him for support.


No Nigerian millionaire could build a refinery, as at that time. I don't know what is operating now. So, the result of what Babangida did is that corruption became rampant. I have no evidence to say Babangida himself is corrupt, but his government's activities suggested that a lot of things done then increased corruption.


Another thing he did was that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) used to meet every Wednesday. It was sacrosanct. In Buhari's time, the federal executive met regularly every week. Babangida stopped it. What I am saying can be supported with facts and figures. I can face the world with them. Babangida cancelled weekly meeting of the federal executive council, where decisions were taken for the country. It was like saying the parliament may not meet but the president can issue laws. That was what it means.


The federal executive only met when he (Babangida) wanted it to meet. I have evidence to show that. There are also great men and women that served with me and can confirm whether what I am saying is true or not. Ministers were asked to come down to seek approval for contracts. Any contract up to N10 million could be discussed with Babangida personally. They didn't need to discuss it at the weekly federal executive council. Just come down to him and discuss.


All I am saying are true and I stake my honour on them. Anybody can check this fact with ministers that served at the time I am talking about. For us then N10 million was a lot of money. So, if a minister had three contracts to discuss, that would be N30 million. Just a discussion between a minister and the Head of State; both agreed and just go.


What attempt did successive governments made to address this?


You see successive government also saw the bad sides of the disruptions but they could not stop it because they benefited from it. The solution is for Nigerians not only to talk but to act. They should stop voting against their conscience. They should look at the candidates and reject any candidate that has a history of corruption. If a corrupt candidate gets to power, he will form a confraternity of corrupt people and they steal more and more of Nigerian money.


Are we not ashamed that Nigeria cannot pay N18, 000 minimum wage, yet the same country is paying N1 billion for food allowance of the President and Vice-President from the oil money? To me, with good leadership, all these would stop. What is good leadership? A leadership that harnesses the blessings that God has showered on Nigeria, for the benefit of Nigerians, is a discipline leadership. A good leader is the one that cares for the ordinary man and not the big man.


Why is this so? It is the nature in every society, whether America or Africa, anywhere, the poor people are more in numbers than the rich people. That is what I would call the social pyramid. Every community is structured like a pyramid. Only a few people are on top. As one is coming down the pyramid, one is confronted with army of the people.


So, the poor people in every community are the numerous and at the bottom of the pyramid. Therefore, if you do something that helps the poor, you are doing the work of God. If a leader makes policies that make the people happy, such leader is doing the work of God because God loves poor people so much that he creates so many of them everywhere.


Why are you an ardent Buhari supporter?


Buhari is one of the cleanest men I have ever met in my life. If anybody wants me to dislike Buhari, such person should give me an example of his corruption. I will run away from him totally. But right now, there is no evidence. On the contrary, the more they attack him on this issue of corruption, the more they are making him Gold bier. I will give two examples.


One, Babangida thought Buhari was making a lot of money on counter trading, so he set up two independent bodies to investigate counter trading. One of the bodies was headed by J.K. Randle, while the second was headed by Prof. Aboyade of blessed memory. None of them found anything against Buhari. None. I attested before the two bodies.


Great Aboyade commission was digging into Buhari's counter trading, J.K. Randle, who's still alive, did the same thing. But both of them produced reports that showed that counter trading was so clean and was making so much money for Nigeria. Then two, soon after Obasanjo was sworn in, there was a social function for him in Lagos or so, then surprisingly, some people tried to praise Buhari, Obasanjo said: 'don't praise him, I have not probed him.' It was after that incident that Obasanjo set up Dr. Haroun's probe panel of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). Haroun probed PTF inside out.

Buhari was discovered to be as clean as snow. You know, why he agreed to be the head of PTF was not to condone what Abacha was doing then, but he saw it as a way of serving the country and he did well. I have the record. Haroun came out and said PTF account was audited every year while Federal Government account was not audited in 36 years.


You know Babangida detained Buhari for 40 months after he overthrew him. Buhari's mother died while he was in detention and as a Muslim, I expected Babangida to rise above politics and allow Buhari to go bury his mother. If he was released, I am sure he wouldn't have run away. Buhari was not allowed to go bury his mother. But in the night after the woman was buried, Babangida released Buhari. His son died, the same thing happened.


Anyway, after Buhari came out of detention, he told Babangida to tell the world about his corruption. The records are there. The same thing happened with the PTF. He told Obasanjo to publish the report of the panel, but Obasanjo could not publish it because it was a certificate of honour for Buhari. If that Haroun's report had any page in it that indicted Buhari, Obasanjo would have used that to disqualify Buhari from contesting against him.


Buhari is clean. He is not corrupt. To show how Buhari loves Nigeria, he doesn't like spending Nigerian money frivolously. When he overthrew Shehu Shagari, Buhari never changed any chair or curtain in Dodan Barracks. Buhari used what Shagari was using until he left.

As minister, our total pocket money under Buhari was N200 per month. You could spend less than N200 without accounting for it, but anything above N200, you must account for it. When he increased the money to N250, we clapped for him at the executive council.


Now, as a former governor of the defunct north-eastern state, former minister of petroleum, former head of state, former executive chairman of PTF, Buhari has no house in Abuja. If he goes to Abuja, he stays in a private hotel. He has no house either uphill or downhill, apart from his house in Kaduna.


What's your view about money paid to ex-militant leaders to secure oil pipeline?


I read the story and the justification of Asari Dokubo on the money. I read all the rubbishes on it. You see, Jonathan cannot be a better Niger Deltan than me. In the case of Niger Delta militants, I have a curious position. Asari Dokubo used to be with me here in Ibadan. I have a book coming out on him. He changed from Christianity to Islam to qualify him for training in Libya. I have the document. Soboma, who died, was also my cousin.


So, I was surrounded by ex-militants. I cannot do anything against them, which is not proper. But is it right for Jonathan to have paid that money to Dokubo, Tompolo and Ateke Tom? If Jonathan has done some research he would know that Asari Dokubo has no followers anymore. He claimed he has 4, 000 people. Did Jonathan tell him to bring out that 4, 000 people? I know that the other time Asari Dokubo went to Port-Harcourt, he hired people to follow him. My book is coming with more details on this.


On the surface, what Jonathan has done looks as the right thing but if one digs down into it, it is very questionable. It is a good idea to get local militants to secure oil pipelines, but there is this other question. First, they are paying them millions. Asari Dokubo is collecting N9 million for 4, 000 followers. But did Jonathan see this 4, 000 personnel or their list? I am saying as of now, Asari Dokubo has no followers. His people fought against him and they had left him. So, to me, all the principles on the surface are attractive but when one looks at the nitty-gritty, it is questionable.


Asari Dokubo has never got a paid job in his life. He dropped out of the university twice, first at the University of Calabar. So, what message are we sending to the younger generation? That if they take arms against their country and fellow countrymen, they will be compensated? A vice-chancellor salary is about N1 million now and a dropout is being paid N9 million.


Ateke Tom is now permanently in Abuja. Has Jonathan confirmed how much control he has in the Niger Delta area? The only person that I can say has presence in the area is Tompolo. So, the government should come out with facts and figures on this action. Secondly, the President is indicting himself. He is the Commander-in-Chief, as the Chief Security Officer of Nigeria. The constitution says the security of individuals in the state is strictly the responsibility of the state. Is the President saying that the SSS, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and all other security bodies in the country cannot do what Asari Dokubo and the rest are doing? Why can't they complement one another?


What do you think of Jonathan?


Let me say what I have said repeatedly. I have nothing personal against President Goodluck Jonathan. I have never met him before and I don't know whether I want to meet him. But the problem with him is that he believes so much on praises of sycophants. According to Senator Fulbright, an American statesman, in his book, 'The Arrogance of Power,' he said to criticise one's country (leader) is to do it a favour or also pay it a compliment.


It is a favour because it will make the leader to do better than he is doing. It is a compliment because it expresses a belief that he can do better. So, if I say he is not doing well, I expect him to do better. I have already complimented it, that he has the potentials to do better but he is not doing well. So, criticism is more act of patriotism than mere adulation.


Whatever areas I take to score Jonathan, I will not give him a pass mark. Security is worst in our history. Corruption is the worst. In fact, corruption is worst now. I don't need anything from Jonathan as a person. All I need from him is to do well, so that the Ijaw will be proud. Another thing is that after Jonathan, an Ijaw man will not smell Aso Rock in our lifetime.


Why would they allow an Ijaw man there when the first one they gave to us, messed it up? Long and short, Jonathan has not done well. If Jonathan is an examination paper for me to mark, in A grade, he is out. I will not give him B; I will not give him C. I will give him D. The totality is that he has not done well and the earlier he realises this the better.


What would you say about South-South forum?


The south-South forum or Southern Peoples Assembly is nonsense. As far as I am concerned, the people there are knowledgeable people, but I can't help feeling that the groups were formed to collect money from Jonathan. When Odili was South-South president, the same Edwin Clark and the late MT Mbu were at loggerhead, leading two groups of South-South assembly.

Now, the South-South said it has endorsed Jonathan for 2015 and he is clapping? They don't like him. Anybody that can say that to him is an enemy based on these reasons. One, he has spent only the second year of the first term. Any Ijaw man that wants to help you should make you to perform very well now.


Are you saying you don't support President Jonathan's plan for 2015?


He is going to fail. I can swear before Almighty God and all the things that Ijaw people believe, I have heard knowledgeable Ijaw people say he should not try it; it's not good for us. Already, the country is more split now than ever in our history. The dichotomies are showing more and more now. If a minority man has come, he has a sacred duty to put it together.


One of the greatest speeches in our history is Tafawa Balewa's speech in the Parliament entitled 'Unity in Diversity.' It was a fantastic speech. That is what the President is supposed to do, so that when he leaves another minority man would have a chance. Right now, if Jonathan leaves another minority man, especially an Ijaw, would not have a chance, because he has messed it up. If he is doing well, does he need the South-South Forum to tell him that he is doing well? If he is doing well, the whole country will tell him that he is doing well. He doesn't need a South-South Forum.


The South-South Forum is a disadvantage for him. Why is it that the South-South Forum is endorsing him for 2015? He should sit down and think. If he is doing well, I will be the first to write an article to praise him. I can even go to Abuja to congratulate him.