An article published on US political blog, The Daily Beast has described the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu as a former bagman for heroin traffickers., in what is likely to fuel an explosive conversation within Nigeria’s rowdy political climate about the place and utility of the APC bankroller in the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Here are excerpts from Michael Weiss’ piece.

General Muhammadu Buhari’s political partner is a former bagman for two heroin traffickers. But that’s just business as usual in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s election last month was celebrated as an unlikely victory for democracy in an African country with a tenuous record of free and fair representation. But the man most responsible for midwifing General Muhammadu Buhari’s ballot triumph over current President Goodluck Jonathan has a spotty CV. Former Lagos provincial governor Bola Tinubu, affectionately nicknamed the Jagaban, is today seen as a shrewd if not “deeply Machiavellian” Svengali in Nigeria’s politics as well as the architect of a hugely successful anti-corruption platform. But 20 years ago he had to forfeit nearly half a million dollars to the U.S. Treasury Department after being named as an accomplice in a white heroin-trafficking and money-laundering ring that stretched from West Africa to the U.S. Midwest.

Although his case has been bandied about the Nigerian press for years, Tinubu’s involvement in a federal drug and racketeering investigation waged jointly by the DEA, FBI, and IRS has gone unreported elsewhere, even after his ascendance to Karl Rove-like status last month. A recent gauzy Financial Times profile of him, for instance, neglected to mention that two decades ago Tinubu was identified as a bagman for two Nigerian heroin movers who operated out of Chicago and Hammond, Indiana. They were Adegboyega Mueez Akande and Abiodun Agbele, Akande’s nephew, who was exposed to law enforcement after selling white heroin first to Lee Andrew Edwards, another dealer later jailed for trying to murder a federal agent, and then to an undercover cop.

In a 1993 court docket from the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, which The Daily Beast obtained from Sahara Reporters, a Nigeria-focused news outlet, IRS Special Agent Kevin Moss said that Akande had run the white heroin ring in the late 1980s until 1990, when he handed off the U.S arm of the business to his nephew, who had arrived in 1988. Akande then returned to Nigeria but continued to oversee the operation from abroad with the help of others at home and in the United States, including his relatives. One of the individuals identified in his cartel by Moss was Tinubu, then a Chicago State University-educated accountant working as a treasurer for Mobil Oil Nigeria Ltd, a subsidiary of energy giant Mobil Oil, which was still a few years shy of its famous merger with Exxon in 1999.

In the biography section of his official website, Tinubu is described as having emigrated to the United States in 1975 “in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece with a heart brimming with unrelenting determination to achieve his visions.” This is certainly one way to describe his tenure stateside.

Bank employees told Moss that Akande had personally introduced them to Tinubu in December 1989 when who also opened a joint checking account with his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, who already kept a joint account with Akande’s wife at First Heritage. Five days after the NOW account was opened, $80,000 was wired into it from a bank in Houston maintained by one of Akande’s relatives. Tinubu would later use the NOW account to buy a $10,000 Certificate of Deposit for an $8,000 car loan, listing Akande as his cousin on the application.

At the time, Tinubu’s take home as a Mobil Oil Nigeria executive was a mere $2,400 a month and he claimed not to have any other revenue streams. Yet he still managed to deposit $661,000 into his individual money market account in 1990 and then another $1,216,500 a year later. He also opened more accounts with Citibank in its worldwide personal banking unit, transferring over half a million dollars from his First Heritage money market account into one of them in early 1991.

Tinubu gave differing accounts for his wealth to Moss. In one phone call from Nigeria, shortly after the U.S. Treasury seized his money, he admitted to wiring $100,000 to Akande’s Houston bank account and to receiving the $80,000 from Akande into his First Heritage account. Tinubu also said that apart from one other account in Fairfax, Virginia, he had no other money stashed in U.S. banks.

Except that there were other accounts. Citibank has a worldwide banking division known as Citibank International where Tinubu stashed an additional $550,000. He also controlled an entity called Compass Finance and Investments Company Ltd., of which Akande and Agbele were directors. Still another nexus of money transfers was uncovered by federal investigators, with cash moving from First Heritage to Citibank to Citibank International, where it wound up in Tinubu’s personal accounts and in those belonging to Compass Finance and Investments. In a follow-up exchange with law enforcement officers, Tinubu changed his story. Just days after conceding that he’d sent and received money to and from Akande, he insisted that he had no financial or business dealings with Akande or Agbele.

There’s no evidence that Tinubu was ever indicted for any crime. He eventually settled with the district court, turning over $460,000 of the seized $1.4 million, with the remainder released back to him. The Beast tried repeatedly to contact Marsha McClellan, the U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case, but was unsuccessful.

“I’m not surprised at all,” said Virginia Comolli, a specialist on Nigeria and author of Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Islamist Insurgency. “There’s a trend of various Nigerian politicians at the highest levels involved in dodgy business deals around the world, in property and cash. Even ones who seem fairly clean turn out to have some dark histories.” The perfect case in point is Tinubu’s political project and new president-elect of Nigeria, General Muhammed Buhari, who in 1983 helped overthrow a democratically elected government in a military coup d’etat on the grounds that the government was undisciplined and corrupt. “He resorted to brutal methods, beating up people for not queuing properly and imposing limitations on the media,” Comolli said. “I think a lot of the votes Buhari got were anti-Jonathan rather than pro-Buhari.”

Drug charges do indeed appear to be the sine qua non for Nigerian high office. The year 1993, when Tinubu’s assets were seized, was a turbulent period for Nigeria following the cancellation of a national election and the establishment of a military dictatorship. Moshood Abiola, the rightful winner of that election, was accused of narcotics trafficking. So too is “Prince” Buruji Kashamu from the People’s Democratic Party, who has faced extradition back to the United States since 1998. Kashamu was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago for being the elusive “Alaji,” a globetrotting drug kingpin who smuggled heroin into O’Hare International Airport from Europe and Asia. Piper Kerman, the memoirist who inspired the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, famously worked for Alaji. Kashamu denies the charges and insists that he was purportedly a counterterrorism informant to the U.S. government before and after 9/11, and that the real trafficker was his now-deceased brother.

Read the full piece here.

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Nigeria Football Federation NFF through its president , Amaju Pinnick last week signed a deal with American giant kitting company Nike, to take care of Nigeria national football team while speculation has been on as to how much the deal was worth.

NFF has now revealed that it would earn $3.75m (743m Naira) during its three-and-half-year partnership with Nike and a $500,000 (99m Naira) bonus if the Super Eagles qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia among other freebies.

The contract is worth $750, 000 (148m Naira) in its first year and would rise to $1million (198m Naira) each year from 2016 till 2018.

After ending its previous 700,000 Euros-a-year contract (150m Naira) with German giants Adidas in December, the NFF has opted to go with Nike in a three-and-half-year deal which will see the American sportswear company supply kits from April 1, 2015, until at least 2018.

The country has now joined Nike’s portfolio of federation sponsorships which include Australia, Brazil, England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the U.S. among others.

Pinnick said on the federation’s website: “We are comfortable with the contract, because NIKE came across during the negotiations as being fluid and ready to listen to our demands. That is always the key aspect; you always need a partner with a listening ear.”

“Nigeria football is happy to associate with a global leader and I am much convinced this is just the beginning. As we go along, NIKE may also be willing to partner with some of our domestic clubs and even the League Management Company,” he concluded.

Nike will design performance and training apparel, and equipment, including team kits and footballs, for the Nigerian national football team players at every level of the game.

There will be an exclusive-edition team kit for all NFF teams until the 2016-17 kit launches in mid-2016. In addition, Nike will design an assortment of products for Nigerians to show their support for the national team, to be available from mid-2016.

The post Remember That New NFF Contract With Nike? It’s Worth A Cool N743 Million! appeared first on Ekekeee.

Former President of the United States, George Bush, has gone back on his promise not to criticize his successor Barack Obama because doing so will undermine the office of the Presidency.

Last November, Bush had responded to a question on why he’s remained so silent on government policy since he left the White House with the following words:

“I don’t think it’s good for the country to have a former president undermine a current president; I think it’s bad for the presidency for that matter.”

However at a recent dinner, Bush tore into Obama, labeling the former Senator naive on nuclear weapons negotiations with Iran and said the United States and the rest of the world is losing the ISIS war no thanks to Obama’s handling of the terrorist sect.

It will be the first time Bush will be breaking his silence on the Obama Presidency.

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President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed the former Anambra governor, Mr Peter Obi, as the new Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, it was announced Monday.

According to the presidency, the appointment is with immediate effect.

President Jonathan also confirmed the appointment of the Acting Director General, Mounir Gwazo, as the substantive Director General of the Commission.

The post Jonathan Has Given Peter Obi A New Job Description – Chairman Of The SEC appeared first on Ekekeee.

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the immediate release of the report of the forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

This comes on the heels of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari’s stated commitment to open a probe into the famed missing $20 billion missing from the state oil company’s coffers.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, while briefing State House correspondents on Monday evening, said the report’s release will put to rest any doubts about the Jonathan government’s transparency in dealing with Nigeria’s famously inefficient oil sector.

The post We Just Moved One Step Closer To Finally Seeing That Infamous NNPC Forensic Report appeared first on Ekekeee.

Nigeria should name a high-level special envoy to visit the nation and engage directly with President Zuma.  Nigeria should also send an Interagency Coordinated Action Team (ICAT) to South Africa to complement enhance efforts to provide consular services, liaison with police and security and ensure that affected Nigerians  receive proper restitution.

By Bola Tinubu

The destructive attacks in South Africa on Nigerians and other sub-Saharan Africans are tragic and mindlessly wrong. The assaults sorely bruise the objective of inter-African harmony. They also put an eraser to the idyll of progress and domestic tranquility many people saw when gazing at South Africa. The xenophobia is actually a lethal show of misdirected anger.

The attacks point to deep, underlying ruptures within the South African political economy that actually have little to with the presence of Nigerian or other Black Africans in that nation. Nigerians have become scapegoats in a fundamentally domestic struggle.

The Black populace is roiling because their economic plight has worsened since the end of apartheid. If prosperity had come to them, they would not have come to this. The political and economic accommodation between the traditionally White-controlled economic superstructure and the post-Mandela Black political elite is under challenge.

This model of governance has failed to make adequate provision for the bulk of the Black population. Due to his unique status, Mandela was able to give the Black population succor and hope while counseling them patience. That great man is no longer there. Gone with him are the succor he gave and apparently the patience of the people. South Africans thus lashed out in frustration.

They attacked Nigerians and other Africans not so much because our people were the cause of their woes. They attacked our people because they could do so much easier than they could attack the actual sources of their ire and economic predicament. It is easier to destroy the wares of the local shopkeeper than to change the political economy.

The former merely requires an eruption of anger; the latter requires sustained political organization, vision and dedication. Thus, although they want political economic reform, all they did was to attack non-South Africans who provided goods and services to them at the neighborhood level.

While the government of South Africa may be questioned about its continued adherence to a political economic model that appears to have exceeded its best-use date, it is completely wrong to say the South African government had even a hand in instigating the unrest.

Thus, recalling the Nigerian High Commissioner is inappropriate and counterproductive. Instead of pulling the diplomat, Nigeria should name a high-level special envoy to visit the nation and engage directly with President Zuma.  Nigeria should also send an Interagency Coordinated Action Team (ICAT) to South Africa to complement enhance efforts to provide consular services, liaison with police and security and ensure that affected Nigerians  receive proper restitution.

We should also talk to major South Africa businesses resident in Nigeria. It would help douse tensions and ill will here if they announced a plan to contribute to the restitution of affected Nigerians.

NO RECALL

Some observers have questioned the swiftness and efficiency of the South African government’s response to the mayhem. Such is their right to do so. However, the South African government did not cause the problem. They had no reason for it.  To blame the government is to increase tension and confusion, not douse them.

Recall of an envoy is usually prompted by an adverse act by the host government itself. It is not good practice to recall a High Commissioner for a tragedy the host government could not have prevented and one for which its appears to be working in good faith to end.

The recent social upheaval should be likened more to a natural disaster as the government had no proximate control over its eruption. To recall our High Commissioner might satisfy our sense of outrage; it would do little else, however. The move implicitly signals to the South African government that we blame it for causing the outburst or for being negligent in the aftermath.

Such a move would make it harder to encourage the South African government to act as we would like toward affected Nigerians. The more we diminish our presence is the more we diminish the daily pressure on the government in Pretoria. The more we diminish the pressure is the less we can positively influence that government’s action. Pulling our envoy decreases not increases our diplomatic leverage in this particular circumstance.

Also, much of the world and many Nigerians in South Africa will perceive the move negatively; they will think we are abandoning our citizens during the height of their travail.

This might demoralize them to a material degree. The absence of the High Commissioner for an appreciable period of time will undermine the efficacy of our diplomatic mission at the moment when that mission should be doing its utmost for that segment of our Diaspora in South Africa.

SPECIAL ENVOY

A more constructive step would be to designate a presidential special envoy to liaise directly with President Zuma and appropriate cabinet-level officials in South Africa.

The official should be a well known statesman preferably with a prior relationship with President Zuma.  A former head of state or someone like former Commonwealth Secretary Anyaoku would be ideal for the position.

This step would underscore Nigeria’s concerns for its citizens abroad.  It would also signal to the South Africans that this episode cannot simply be left to fade into memory as has happened in the past.

The envoy would press to ensure that adequate security is availed the Nigerian community to prevent further incidents this time of tension. The Envoy would also explore ways the Nigerian community can be better integrated and accepted in South Africa. Most importantly, he will press the South African government to improve its ability to ensure such things do not repeat themselves on such a large scale.

ICAT

Complementing the efforts of the special envoy would be a working level Inter-Agency Coordinating Emergency Team (ICAT).

The ICAT would be comprised of police and other security officers who would liaise with South African counterparts at the operational level to ensure adequate security for the Nigerian community and that the authors of violence will be apprehended.

The team would also have a strong consular component.  Nigeria should use this as an opportunity to reach out to the Nigerian community in South Africa to get a better idea of its numerical dimensions and the locations where that community is most concentrated. A warden or communication system should be established within the community so that people can be quickly apprised of emergency situations or major events.

A small legal team with experience in comparative criminal and civil law should be part of the team. On one hand, the lawyers would check to make sure those arrested are to be prosecuted. The lawyers should also investigate the proposals for restitution the South African government will make for affected Nigerians.

SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA

To douse tensions here and show goodwill, major firms in the South African business community here should be encouraged to develop a fund to restitute affected Nigerians. This fund should be contributed to the Nigerian government.

CONCLUSION

In such a circumstances, our policy approach should not be determined by anger. Our policy should be founded on a wise, dispassionate assessment of how to best protect our countrymen when they are imperiled.  Recalling our top envoy does nothing to protect them. We must do better and more than just express anger.

The steps outlined above- Special Envoy, ICAT and South African Business Restitution Fund  — are practical actions that can actually help our people and the South African government. Nigeria and South Africa are the two major sub-Saharan African economies.  We should attempt to work cooperatively to the extent possible, even in tense times.  This show of cooperation and assistance serves our longer-term strategic interests.

We should extend our hand of cooperation because that is in the best interests of our people in South Africa. If the South Africans rebuff these or similar overtures, then we can examine the need to call home our High Commissioner. However, recall should have been the last resort not the first one.

The views expressed in opinion pieces are those of the original authors and do not necessarily represent the views or editorial policy of Ekekeee.

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BudgIT,  Nigeria’s creative engine of civic awareness which prides itself on making the Nigerian budgeting numbers and public data a beauty to behold, had sent an FOI request to the National Assembly (NASS) a while ago requesting for budget details.

On Monday, BudgIT received a response from NASS denying it access to the budget.

“We have now decided to sue the clerk of NASS and our lawyer is working on the papers. We will file our case before end of next week”, said Stanley Achonu, Operations Lead of the advocacy organization.

Find the full statement from BudgIT in which it makes its intentions very clear, below:

___________

BUDGIT and PPDC to NASS: “See you in court.” Nigeria’s National Assembly refuses to make public its Budget

The National Assembly has refused to disclose its budget details on the basis that it contains personal, third party related and privileged information.

On the 17th of March 2015, BudgIT, in collaboration with Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) made a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request to the Clerk of the National Assembly (NASS), requesting for the following:

1. The detailed breakdown of NASS budget of N150bn for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
2. The performance report for National Assembly budget of N150bn for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

This request was made following the long-standing secrecy around the budget of the National Assembly. From 1999 to date, an estimated budgetary provision of N1.26 trillion has been made to the National Assembly, with Nigerians kept in the dark on what or how this huge sum was spent.

On the 27th of April, a response letter, dated 23rd of March, 2015 was received from the Legal Services Department of the NASS, refusing this request, on the basis that:

1. Some of the information in the National Assembly Budget for 2011-2014 is “personal, third party related and privileged and are all exempted under Sections 14 and 15 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and
2. That the other information you requested for are published and available in public libraries and cannot be applied for by virtue of Section 26 of the Freedom of Information act, 2011.

Section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 exempts personal information  including “files and personal information maintained with respect to clients, students, patients, residents, students or individuals receiving social, medical, educational, vocational, financial, supervisory or custodial care or services directly or indirectly from public institutions, personnel files and personal information maintained with respect to employees, appointees or elected officials of any public institution or applicant for such positions, files and personal information maintained with respect to any applicant, registrant or licensee by any government or public institution cooperating with or engaged in professional or occupational registration, licensure or discipline; information required of any taxpayer in connection with the assessment or collection of any tax unless disclosure is otherwise requested by the statute; and information revealing the identity of persons who file complaints with or provide information to administrative, investigative, law enforcement or penal agencies on the commission of any crime. “

It is difficult to imagine that a publicly funded budget falls within the category of information that the Freedom of Information Act exempts under Section 14 or would fall under Section 15 which provides exempts information that contains:

“…Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business where such trade secret or information are proprietary, privileged or confidential…, information the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with contractural or other negotiations of a third party and proposals or bids…”

Although it is inconceivable how a budget would fall under these categorizations in Section 14 or 15  of the FOIA that have been relied on by the National Assembly, it must also be noted that the Act in Section 14(3) requires disclosure of personal information as described in Section 14(1) quoted above if such disclosure would be in the public interest and if the disclosure clearly outweighs the protection of privacy. Likewise, Section 15(4) also requires disclosure of information in Section 15(1) if the public interest in the disclosure clearly outweighs in importance any financial loss or gain to, or prejudice to the competitive position of or interference with contractual or other negotiation of a third party.

BudgIT and PPDC categorically state, with great professional restraint, that the response by the National Assembly is outrageous as there are no grounds (even Section 14 and 15) to deny the information requested. Rather, all elements of public budgets fall squarely under information that are statutorily required to be proactively available as provided by Section 2(3) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

Both organizations are shocked at the reasons put forward by the Acting Director for Litigation and Counselling, Mr Charles Yoila, on behalf of the Clerk of the National Assembly. It is a basic fact that the Budgets of public institutions are public documents and generally contain no personal, third party or privileged information. Detailed breakdowns of all budgetary allocations to the Presidency are publicly available on the BudgIT website and contains none of the data stated in the section Mr Yoila has quoted. In the most extreme circumstances worldwide, information released under FOI which contains sensitive information like individuals’ personal addresses or financial information  may have only these sections redacted prior to release. But usually, nowhere in Budgets does such person-specific information exist, and neither did the NASS proffer specific examples.

We therefore submit that this blanket response by the NASS is yet another crutch, which those who are expected to hold public funds and information in trust for the people often lean on to delay their being held accountable to those whose taxes and votes put them in business.

BudgIT and PPDC have these questions for the Clerk of Nigeria’s National Assembly:

1. In what specific way(s) is/are a breakdown of public funds allocated to a public institution like the National Assembly (NASS) in the Budget ‘personal’ information?
2. Specifically, what information about the financial expenditure of an institution sustained on public funds constitutes ‘privileged’ information?
3. What information exists in the NASS Budget that isn’t “privileged” information? Will the NASS, through its Clerk be willing to immediately release this information?
4. Who are the third parties listed in the NASS Budget?
5. Does the National Assembly now include names of vendors and service providers in its Budget? Can these not be redacted in line with international standards by overlaying graphical elements such as black rectangles on top of text, while the monetary figures are released into the public domain, in line with Nigerians’ right to know?
6. In what library can the public find the performance report of the National Assembly Budget?

These are a few of the questions begging for answers and as custodians of the public’s trust, as representatives of the people, we ask in good faith and ask that you reciprocate in good faith.

BudgIT and PPDC are shocked that four years after the FOI Act was passed into law, this puerile response is coming from an institution no less than the NASS, which itself passed this law. In the strongest terms, we condemn the Clerk of the National Assembly for persistently treating the NASS Budget as a secret document, and for blindly reeling out words from this law to deprive the public of vital information.

BudgIT and PPDC put it on the record that because the era of treating the public’s requests for information with disdain must end, this is a challenge we relish and will see to its logical conclusion. On behalf of every Nigerian, see you in court.

Stanley Achonu

Operations Lead, BudgIT Nigeria

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A popular Kogi radio station, TA’O FM was bombed by unknown persons Monday night, leaving four security officials dead.

The DailyPost says that the incident, which happened in the town of Okene at about 8pm, led to the complete razing of the building which houses the radio station.

Kogi police spokesperson, Shola Collins said that the police has opened an investigation into the incident.

It was not immediately clear why the station was targeted. However, there have been sporadic clashes in parts of the central Nigeria state following a controversial supplementary election at the weekend.

The post A Kogi Radio Station Was Bombed Last Night, Leaving Four People Dead appeared first on Ekekeee.

The Senate has passed a budget of N4.493 trillion for the 2015 fiscal year.

The budget passed on Tuesday, saw an increase of N135.4 billion over what the executive prepared and submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The passage followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committees on Appropriations and Finance on the 2015 Appropriation Bill, tabled before the Red Chamber by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Ahmed Maccido during plenary.

However, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Ahmad Lawan hinted that in spite of the passage, the National Assembly was still be expecting the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari,  to send a supplementary budget to the 8th Assembly, when he assumes power on May 29.

Lawan criticized the budget for a lack of balance between capital allocation and recurrent expenditure proposed just as he lamented its late passage.

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Apparently, Nigerian politicians have discovered the weapon that is the impeachment. The latest casualty? The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly.

Hassan Shalla has been impeached for an alleged breach of trust and embezzlement of allowances of his colleagues.

The speaker and his deputy were absent during Tuesday’s proceedings which lead to their removal, which was chaired by Abubakar Sabo, a state lawmaker representing Birnin Kebbi North constituency.

About half of the 24 members of the house were in attendance at the sitting, and voted for the impeachment.

At the sitting, the motion for Shalla’s impeachment was moved by Aminu Gumbi from Yauri constituency and seconded by Aliyu Mutubare from Kalgo constituency.

A member, Habib Jega, who was impeached in controversial fashion in December last year, was appointed speaker via a motion moved by Bala Danbaba Waje, which was seconded by Mohammed Yellow from Shanga constituency.

The post Kebbi’s Lawmakers Have Ensured That Speaker Hassan Shalla Is The Latest Nigerian To Be Impeached appeared first on Ekekeee.

The Peoples Democratic Party is reacting to reports which broke on Monday that private broadcaster, African Independent Television had been barred from covering the activities of President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.

The soon-to-be former ruling party criticised Buhari for attempting to stifle the freedom of the press, especially since he is no more a private person by virtue of his election.

In a statement released by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, the PDP stated that the Nigerian constitution grants the media the power to cover his activities.

The statement said: “The PDP as a party that have nurtured the nation’s democracy in the past 16 years cannot afford to fold its hands and watch the constitutional rights, media freedom and personal liberty of Nigerians, the basic tenets of democracy being demolished.

“We ask, is this a beginning of the feared erosion of the freedom and personal liberty the media and Nigerian citizens have been enjoying in the last 16 years under the PDP led-administration?

“Has our dear nation finally fallen into the clutches of totalitarianism and impunity where government actions will based on egocentric decisions and impulses of individuals rather than the rule of law?

“While we assure the President-elect of our resolve to run a mature and responsible opposition based on issues, we are disturbed by this emerging development and reassure the Nigerian people that we will continue to stand with them on issues of democracy and freedom at all times.

“Perhaps, we need to remind General Buhari that part of the challenge of his new position, even as President-elect is that he has lost his private life which is now subject to public scrutiny and media interrogation, as required of the custodian of the mandate of the Nigerian people.

“The PDP is not oblivious of the background of the President-elect especially as it relates to the freedom of the media, but we had thought that having declared to be a converted democrat, he would make himself amenable to the basic principles of democracy by following the due process of the law on any circumstance.

“General Buhari may also wish to be reminded that the Nigerian constitution upon which provisions he emerged President-elect, also gave the media powers to cover activities of public office holders while at the same time providing legal avenues for redress in the event of any violation.

“If the right of the President-elect was in anyway violated by the AIT or any media house for that matter, he is expected to act within the law and seek redress in the courts otherwise one would have no option than to conclude that he is out for personal vendetta.

“The APC and the President-elect may have one or two lessons to pick from President Goodluck Jonathan, who though the most maligned and abused President in the history of our nation, even by the APC, allowed his actions to be sufficiently guided by humility, tolerance and the rule of law.”

The post ‘You Are No More A Private Citizen’ | PDP Serves Buhari A Reminder Over AIT ‘Ban’ appeared first on Ekekeee.

Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan, over the unauthorized (as it turns out) recall of Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa.

It is understood that Sheni did not get clearance from the President before inviting the country’s charge d’Affairs in South Africa for a consultation.

President Jonathan reportedly made the suspension order on Monday, while also asking Mr Sheni to clarify why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for embarrassing the Nigerian government… yet again.

Ambassador Sheni was believed to be behind the embarrassment which the Jonathan administration suffered over a phantom phone call between the President and the Moroccan monarch.

In March, the Ministry had claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan had a telephone conversation with the King of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, a claim which was immediately denied by the Moroccan government and the President subsequently ordered a full investigation into the matter.

A new permanent secretary has been redeployed to replace Sheni at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The post Jonathan Has Suspended A Foreign Ministry Official Over SA Ambassador ‘Recall’ appeared first on Ekekeee.

Latest information from Defense Headquarters says the Nigerian armed forces have freed 200 girls and 93 women from Boko Haram Sambisa forest stronghold.

There is no confirmation at the time of filing this report, if the over 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped from a school dormitory in Chibok a year ago, were part of the rescued.

Military spokesperson Gen Chris Olukolade has just told CNN that the rescued girls and women are being screened for identification. He said the rescued are being profiled in the operational area and that the mission is ongoing.

See tweets from Defence Headquarters below:

FLASH: Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls & 93 women from #Sambisa Forest. We cannot confirm if the #ChibokGirls are in this group /1

— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) April 28, 2015

Troops captured and destroyed 3 terrorists camps including the notorious Tokumbere camp in the #Sambisa Forest Operation /2

— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) April 28, 2015

#Sambisa Forest: The freed persons are now being screened and profiled. We will bring you details later. /3 #NeverAgain

— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) April 28, 2015

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In a recent interview with The Punch, leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Chief Olabode George, had said APC leader Bola Tinubu who is a political arch-rival of his, had begged him for forgiveness as they seek to mend fences after years of bitter political feuds.

But Tinubu has said George is only being economical with the truth.

“I was informed about a recent interview by Bode George in one of the national dailies and felt it necessary to clarify his claim that I begged him for forgiveness. I don’t know when and how I ever offended Mr.George. I have never wronged the man or even thought of it. I sought no forgiveness because no forgiveness was needed.

“I think somehow he is still trying to implicate me as instigating the criminal proceedings once lodged against him. From my recollection, Mr. George was found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction based on convincing evidence of wrongdoing. He insults the judiciary by implying that his conviction was wrongly derived”.

Tinubu added that George was indicted for fraud by his own party and that he had nothing to do with it.

“Mr. George seeks to imbue me with more power than I could possibly have. I am flattered but in all humility I must protest the false assessment. If he can remember, the government of the day was that of the PDP. I have never had nor sought much influence in those circles. He was charged by the government ruled by his own party for an offence concerning financial irregularities at the Nigeria Port Authority, NPA, an appointment he received from that same government. It is an incredible tale indeed to state that somehow I could direct a party that tried to dismantle the progressive political structure of my party to bring down one of its key members.

“The more plausible explanation for his legal tribulation was that a member of his own cabal blew the whistle on Mr. George’s antics for reasons that only he and that person truly know. The rest is now history.

“I believe he was convicted of “ Invoice Splitting” a violation of financial regulations. This malpractice is a deliberate circumvention of the law so that the culprit may approve expenditures above his mandated authority to do so and without proper oversight.

“In the end, it was Mr. George’s own hand and actions that led to his incarceration more than anything I could ever have done.

“Mr. George claims the alleged apology was made at the burial of Chief Alao Arisekola. On that date, personalities such as Oba Otudeko and Governor Ajimobi approached me because I did not greet Mr. George initially. They pleaded that, in the memory of the man we were all gathered to honor, I should greet Mr. George. At their request, I turned back and came to greet him by saying “Good Afternoon Egbon”. That was all.

“If Mr. George wishes to interpret that as an apology, he has the right to do so. I also have the right to state categorically that no apology was made or even intended”.

Bode George had also promised to leave Lagos for good if the APC won the governorship election in the State and Tinubu says his political adversary may only be trying to swallow his words with his recent interview.

“I think he is trying to find a way to walk back from his election hyperbole that he would go on exile if the APC won the Lagos State governership election. He realizes that Lagos under the APC is a very good place to live afterall. If he wants to remain in Lagos, he does not have to manufacture an excuse or explain away his bad words. Neither the APC nor I have any aims against him. In the election, the people rejected his party and his brand of politics. That is enough for us. We move on to greater progress. We have no time or inclination to trouble ourselves by troubling Bode George. Any trouble he is experiencing is a product of his own mind”.

The post “I Never Begged Bode George For Forgiveness” | Bola Tinubu Is Baffled appeared first on Ekekeee.

A spokesman for the Nigerian army identified as Sani Usman, has just informed Reuters that the Chibok girls were not a part of the 293 girls and women rescued by men of the Nigerian armed forces earlier today.

The Chibok schoolgirls were abducted a year ago from their school dormitory in the dead of the night. Their kidnap spawned global outrage and protests with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

Reuters quotes a text message from Usman as spelling out: “The troops rescued 200 abducted girls (not Chibok girls) and 93 women”.

CNN’s Christian Purefoy who has just spoken to an unnamed army spokesperson says he was also told that the rescued girls aren’t the Chibok girls.

Earlier, Gen Chris Olukolade had said the army was profiling and screening the rescued for identification.

We’ll bring you more updates as they come in.

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As President-elect Muhammadu Buhari readies himself for the onerous task of putting aright a country on the brink no thanks to years of profligacy and graft, one man stands between him and his mission. He is Lt-Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (retd).

“Dambazau has constituted himself into a principality of some sort around Buhari since after the election”, a source within the APC top hierarchy who craved anonymity for this story, told Ekekeee.

“He shields everyone; including persons who have plenty of good intentions, from having access to Buhari. If Buhari knows what’s best for him, he has to dispense with Dambazau’s services as soon as possible”, the source added gravely.

Dambazau’s antecedents make for depressing reading as well. As Chief of Army Staff in the Yar’adua administration, he was a member of the cabal who made sure an ailing President Yar’adua was prevented from handing over power to Jonathan who was his number two man.

“Jonathan had to pay him off through IBB. This man who is today positioning himself as the ‘be all’ and ‘end all’ around Buhari, is a dangerous man”, another source added.

Dambazau’s first task as Chief of Army Staff was to fritter over N2bn (two billion naira) sum left by his predecessor for the furnishing allowance of the military officers’ quarters, our investigations have revealed. Only the intervention of his in-law who was once a prominent Emir, saved his career and prevented him from answering for his crimes.

He is credited with polarizing the Nigerian Army along religious lines and still reports to the Hill-top mansion of former military ruler Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB).

“He is IBB’s boy and that worries us”, a member of a Buhari support group which contributed in no small measure to the success of the candidate at the ballot, told Ekekeee.

“Dambazau has alienated Buhari from all the men and women who were instrumental to his election success. Even Tinubu and the South West APC stalwarts are fuming at Dambazau’s antics. There is a power tussle within the APC structure post-election and Dambazau is the major negative catalyst fanning the embers”, the Buhari supporter said.

When an ailing President Yar’adua touched down in Abuja subsumed in an ambulance, Dambazau it was who ordered that the airport lights go off as a Commander-In-Chief who was holding on to the last breath in his lungs, was sped off in a convoy in the dead of the night. His job was to ensure that the cabal never handed over power to the Vice President.

“People remember the Yar’adua cabal for Turai; the late President’s wife. But Dambazau was the head of the cabal. Yayale Ahmed who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) at the time, took Dambazau to Quanish Jeddah, Saudi Arabia before Yar’adua was transported to Nigeria. Their discussion centered on the ailing Yar Adua and the need to take over the reins of power to “avoid” a constitutional and national crises. Dambazau duly obliged the other members of the cabal and with the Nigerian Army at his beck and call, he was moments away from becoming Nigeria’s next President before common sense prevailed. He is a slick and cunning (if very brash) operator. The kind of man Buhari doesn’t need around him at this time if he is serious about changing Nigeria”, the source said.

But Buhari has a long standing friendship with Dambazau forged through years of mutual respect. The former Army Chief is currently the Director in charge of the Security Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and reportedly staved off many attacks on Buhari during the electioneering campaigns; a fact not lost on Nigeria’s President-elect.

“But it is now very clear that Dambazau staged most of those attacks on Buhari and prevented same to curry favor from the people’s General and put himself in the frame for an appointment as the National Security Adviser (NSA) in Buhari’s cabinet. No one in the APC likes this man and for some strange reason, Buhari does”, our source lamented.

It’s a lobby that appears to have paid off with Dambazau now in pole position to nick the NSA job, all his previous baggage nonetheless.

“The worry we have now is that this man still reports to IBB and his loyalty still lies with IBB. What becomes of Buhari’s presidency when the man in charge of his security is an errand boy of a one time military ruler who toppled Buhari in the ’80s? The same IBB who alongside other Nigerian leaders brought this country to its knees and who looted the country dry?” an APC chieftain who would not want to be named for this story because he was not authorized to speak on the subject, told Ekekeee.

Maj.-Gen. Dambazau was the General Officer Commanding, 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan before his days in the Yar’adua administration.

The post Unveiling Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd): The Man Standing Between Nigerians And Buhari appeared first on Ekekeee.

According to latest earnings released by the financial services authorities, Nigeria’s three most capitalized banks now have more than N11.6 trillion in total assets.

Interim report and accounts of the trio of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc, FBN Holdings Plc and Zenith Bank Plc for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015 showed that the balance sheet size of the three banks rose to N11.601 trillion by the end of Q1 2015.

The total assets of the three banks almost equal the entire market capitalization of all quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which opened yesterday at N11.663 trillion.

FBN Holdings remained the largest bank, in terms of assets, with total balance sheet size of N4.51 trillion. Zenith Bank followed with total assets of N3.94 trillion while GTBank has total assets of N3.15 trillion.

The earnings reports indicated that FBN Holdings held its fundamentals against the headwinds with appreciable growths in all key indices within the three-month period.

Total assets had closed December 2014 at N4.34 trillion. FBN Holdings’ net assets also rose from N522.89 billion in December 2014 to N542.53 billion by March 2015. Profit before tax meanwhile rose to N26.944 billion in 2015 as against N24.78 billion recorded in comparable period of 2014. Profit after tax also rose from N21.55 billion in first quarter 2014 to N22.60 billion in first quarter 2015.

The first quarter report of GTBank showed that the bank recorded double-digit growths in the top-line and bottom-line in the first quarter. Key extracts of the unaudited report showed that gross earnings and pre-tax profit rose by 17 per cent each. After tax, net profit rose by 15 per cent.

Gross earnings leaped to N79.02 billion in first quarter 2015 as against N67.58 billion recorded in comparable period of 2014. The top-line performance was driven by strong growth in interest income and effective management of operating expenses and cost of risk. Profit before tax rose from N28.01 billion to N32.65 billion.

After taxes, net profit increased to N26.56 billion in first quarter 2015 compared with N23.11 billion recorded in first quarter 2014. Earnings per share improved from 81 kobo in first quarter 2014 to 94 kobo in first quarter 2015.

The balance sheet remained strong with total assets of N3.15 trillion. Customer deposits increased to N1.69 trillion in March 2015 as against N1.65 trillion by the year ended December 31, 2014. Shareholders’ funds however plunged marginally from N374.33 billion in December 2014 to N357.59 billion in March 2015.The bank continued to improve on its credit asset management.

[BizWatchNigeria]

The post #EkekeeeFACT: N11.6 Trillion – Nigeria’s Top 3 Banks Are Now As Large As The ENTIRE Stock Exchange appeared first on Ekekeee.

The Punch reports that the federal government on Wednesday approved the establishment of two new private universities for the country at its weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

One of the new universities is Edwin Clark University, located in Kiagbodo, Delta State, whose proprietor, Ijaw leader and former federal commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark is a close Jonathan ally and backer.

The second university is Hezekiah University located in Umudi, Imo State.

Details are still sketchy at the moment. We’ll bring you more on this later.

The post Edwin Clark Gets A Nice, Chummy Parting Gift From Jonathan – A New University appeared first on Ekekeee.

President Elect Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated a 19-member transition committee with a charge to members not to engage in a witch hunt or fault finding exercise as they interface with the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan administration.

He also said his administration would not witch-hunt anybody because government exists a continuum.

Buhari said this while inaugurating the Ahmed Joda-led transition committee in Abuja, on Wednesday.

While expressing gratitude to committee members for accepting to serve at very short notice, he explained that the change from one government to another always involves complicated operational challenges.

According to him, the incoming government needs to know where the previous government stopped so that it can know where to continue.

Buhari told committee members, “this assignment though onerous, it is well within your ability to accomplish, you are required to assess the information provided to you and advise me on its quality and accuracy.”

“It is a simple matter but you must have the right information if you are to shape appropriate policy decisions. Needless to repeat; that your committee and our government are not to witch-hunt or engage in fault finding.

“We want the facts and nothing but the facts, what has been done cannot be undone, our job is to learn from the mistakes of the past in an attempt to avoid similar errors.

“The time given for you to complete your assignment, two weeks, is short but because of the postponement of the election for six weeks from February 14 to March 28, the transition period has been truncated, we are obliged therefore to fast track steps to May 29.”

The President elect also charged the committee to ensure that it does not overlook “essentials.”

Buhari who spoke glowingly about Mallam Ahmed Joda the committee chairman, described him as one of the few surviving links of the first republic civil service to the present day.

He enjoined members of the committee to be prepared to work hard because Joda is an exacting taskmaster adding that very few young men of his age can keep up with him.

On his part, Joda, who spoke on behalf of other members expressed appreciation to the President-elect for considering them to be worthy to help prepare the ground for the incoming administration to take over smoothly on May 29, 2015.

In his words, “We as a committee are determined to do the best we can within the time that is allowed to accomplish your wishes and to make it possible for you to achieve your vision and all that you wish for  our country.

The committee members include: Ahmed Joda, Dr. Doyin Salami, Adamu Adamu,Wale Edun, Mrs. Bola Adesola, Dr. Festus Odumegu and Mrs. Nike Aboderin and the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Oyegun.

Others are, Rivers State Governor, Rotimi  Amaechi, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Boss Mustapha, Sen. Hadi  Sirika, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Alh. Abubakar Malami, Gen. Lawal Jafar Isa, Mohammed Hayatudeen, Solomon Dalong, Prof. Tam David West and the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

In what has been a busy day for Mr Buhari, also on Wednesday, attended the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Buhari was accompanied by the All Progressives Congress’ National Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and other party chieftains to the event which was held at the International Conference Centre, in Abuja.

Here are some pictures from the event courtesy of YNaija

The post Buhari Just Promised “Not To Witch-hunt Or Engage In Fault Finding” (READ, LOOK) appeared first on Ekekeee.

The Peoples Democratic Party says Lagos Governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode is planning to delay the yet-to-be conducted local council elections in the state.

The Lagos chapter of the party, few weeks earlier, had claimed that the All Progressives Congress-led government in Lagos was not interested in conducting elections into the local government councils.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, the PDP also accused the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission of working with the APC to delay the polls.

The statement reads in part, “The Lagos State chapter of the PDP has reiterated her conclusion that the APC government in Lagos is not popular amongst the electorates, especially for any grassroots elections and as such deliberately frustrating the conduct of local council polls long overdue since October 2014.

“The PDP has at this time accused the LASIEC as an electoral body which has exposed itself as an appendage of APC in the state and not at all independent in its decisions and administration.”

According to Gani, Ambode is planning to delay the polls until after a year in office.

“The delay to conduct council polls in Lagos is deliberate to eventually give undue advantage to the APC. The defence put up by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters (who was quoted to have blamed the delay in the conduct of the council polls on the Independent National Electoral Commission) is preposterous, repulsive and clearly an indication that APC will turn out to be a party of impunity and inconsistencies,” he continues.

The spokesman also said that the state’s councils were operating contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

The post He’s Not Yet In Office, But The PDP Has Already Made A Big Allegation Against Ambode appeared first on Ekekeee.