Nigeria Property

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Ovation CEO published his farewell epistle to President Jonathan today on ThisDay:
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Our dear President, please permit me to write my last epistle to you as our leader and Commander-in-Chief. By this time next week, I expect you to have flown back to Yenagoa via Port Harcourt.

How I wish I could have the opportunity of being on that last trip, not to mock you but to capture your swinging moods in those few moments of realising that the end has come eventually. I would love to know how many of your big friends would take the pain to follow you or if most would abandon you to your fate and move on pronto to the new brides.

Even as a writer with what I believe is vivid imagination, I’m not able to paint a picture of the sort of life or future that awaits you in Otuoke, Yenagoa, Abuja, Chad, Germany,

Dubai or wherever you decide to hibernate in the short or long run.

Let us give thanks to God no matter the situation. You have been the luckiest man I know in Nigeria or anywhere else for that matter. You have been in high office for the past 16 years and I doubt if any other soul has had such uncommon favour. Therefore, it shouldn’t be any big deal to you, Sir. Though as a human being, one would still expect that you would feel the pain of rejection and dejection as they usually walk hand-in-hand like romantics do. It is sad that it had to end like this despite many warnings and prophesies foretold by me and a few others.

I’m not sure you saw or read any or all of the open letters published on this very page in the last five years or so. It was not that I was a busybody but I was genuinely concerned about the many afflictions that have kept our nation backward for so long. And my hope was that you would be able to fulfil a sizable proportion of your electoral promises of 2011. But that was not to be. Rather, your government waltzed from one crisis to another while you allowed yourself to be scammed by the scavengers of power who litter our political landscape.

All the appeals I made in good faith were rebuffed and pummelled by some of your aides, friends and supporters but I did not mind them because I knew a day like this would come when I would sadly have the chance to say I told you so, even though it was my fervent wish that it would not happen that way. I am never one to gloat over somebody’s misfortune and I will not do so now although I have been proved right.

However, the time has finally come to rewind and remind you of those efforts a few of us made to avert the sort of repercussions that we are now witnessing. How I wished you had listened at the time. Those who called us unprintable names and lied through their teeth that you’ve truly transformed Nigeria more than any other Nigeria have since abandoned ship. For me and my house, it is a grand opportunity for us to see man in his true colour and in animal skin. I have decided to revisit those letters hoping the incoming government would learn useful lessons from your example and avoid similar pitfalls.

It is perfectly normal for governments to get drowned in the cacophony of adulations from soldiers of fortune that have no scruples, and feel no remorse, about running their country aground. But to everything there is always a season and a reason. We cannot rule out the hands of destiny in the affairs of homo sapiens. That probably explains the obduracy of your government to take on board all reasonable advice.

I will now quote as copiously as time and space permits from some of the letters I wrote to you with religious fervour. The first passage comes from My Kobo Advice For Mr President (ThisDay 08 December 2012): “Sir, let me say emphatically that the biggest problem with Nigerian leaders is that once they attain power, they vacate this earth and migrate to another planet far away from fellow citizens. Leaders are elected to serve the people but in Nigeria we are compelled to serve our leaders… This is why it is difficult for most of you to know what goes on in the real world…

“I have decided to adopt a new approach in my column. I will take it upon myself to write this open letter as regularly as necessary and proffer solutions to different issues, in the hope that you will get to read it. I will tell you what your aides will never tell you. It is up to you to carefully read what I write and take your own decision. Let it be said that we told you but did nothing about it… I’m convinced that if you know the magnitude of problems confronting Nigerians you will work harder and change your style of governance unless you’re determined to fail spectacularly like others before you. I pray this will not be your portion…”

Sir, on March 1, 2014, I wrote My 20 Billion Advice to C-in-C. I doubt if you saw or read that as well but I will recap for the sake of this historical excursion:

“Our dear Commander-in-Chief, I write to you today with a bleeding heart. These past weeks have been extremely bloody in some parts of Nigeria. Every time I think of it, I get the feeling that those parts are not part of us. They belong elsewhere, probably in some remotest corner of the world. Those hapless and helpless citizens cannot be our own the way that we’ve allowed them to be treated. They are total strangers in a foreign land. As such, we’ve not been able to offer them the protection they deserve and the succour they desire. They have been manacled, mangled, massacred so mercilessly and ruthlessly. They’ve been butchered like rams in abattoirs. I’ve seen lurid pictures of fresh corpses and bodies of innocent victims sent to early graves without reason…

“Sir, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming you for this unprecedented crisis. It did not begin under your watch, although some may claim, uncharitably perhaps, that it has escalated under it. I cannot reasonably suggest that you’re uncaring and nonchalant about this monumental tragedy. I think the problem is that of miscommunication, as is so often the case with your administration and this has been amplified by your body language. The problem of this magnitude requires a more resolute and concerted response. You cannot treat cancer with Paracetamol…

“In seeking to secure another term in office, you have allowed some people to amass enemies on your behalf. They did not know how to persuade people with reason and dialogue as demanded by democracy… Every critic must be stricken down and criminalised by the attack-dogs. They dissipate energy on irrelevant things while the roof is on fire… This is what has led to the implosion and conflagration in your party, PDP…”

On March 29, 2014, I painted the following scenario about how the election of 2015 would pan out (it was titled The Anatomy of APC and PDP 2):

“The way it stands is that PDP is poised to present President Jonathan without any shade of doubt. The PDP primary is going to be a rubber-stamp and a coronation at once. They are not about to leave certainty for uncertainty. Ideally Jonathan’s re-election would have been an easy walkover but not anymore. He now has many forces to contend with. The first is lack of physical development or visible performance on ground. Four years are more than enough for a serious and determined government to set a new tone and tempo for true transformation or transfiguration. What we are witnessed is too much movement but so little motion.

“Secondly, he has also brought the roof crashing down by not trudging the path of frugality that was laid by his dearly departed boss, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The simplicity of his boss was hurriedly jettisoned for a psychedelic style of governance. ..

“Thirdly, the President’s inability to deal concretely with the grave security threats and everyday carnage may turn out to be his major albatross… The fourth problem the President now has to face is how to neutralise the combined strength of the new opposition called APC. He can no longer gloss over the danger they pose to his second coming. As a scientist, I’m sure the President understands that politics is a game of numbers… Relying on election rigging is becoming obsolete and increasingly difficult. Social media and mobile telephony are breaking down those walls that aided electoral malfeasance in our recent past…”

Please, let’s fast forward a bit. On October 18, 2014, I wrote what many have termed a most defining article I called In Search of Mathematicians:

“Let’s break it down into simple Maths. Jonathan had a good spread scoring 25% or more in 31 States. Buhari managed to score 25% or more in 16 States and yet got a cumulative result of over 12 million votes. A good Mathematician should be able to help us here because I wish to show our President’s handlers that they will pay heavily for complacency if they assume and take it for granted that they can beat Buhari easily like PDP had always done in the past…

“My free advice to the Jonathan campaigner is simple; stop projecting our President as a sectional leader whose only qualification is where he comes from. Stop raining insults on Northerners and avoid maligning innocent Muslims. The religious card you wish to play will never play out in favour of President Jonathan… Our President’s handlers should worry more about how the goodwill of 2011 got frittered away in such a jiffy. Above all, they should urgently search for competent Mathematicians. Believe me, the figures are no longer adding up…”

Sir, from the above, which represents only a few of the strident appeals I made for you to rise above the babble of your so-called adherents and listen to the real people who wished you well, you could see that I tried my best for you. I warned of the danger signals and the portending clouds of doom overhanging your administration and the campaign it was pursuing but I was dismissed as an alarmist. I was labelled with many names and tags by your Party attack dogs, false devotees and even obviously sponsored internet trolls who effectively said I was a rabid supporter of what had been a lost cause before and would be a losing cause in the imminent elections.

Nevertheless, I persevered as did a few others, not because of anything other than that your success in government would be the success of Nigeria and that is what is most important to the generality of the good citizens of this country.

The rest is history. What has happened is the inability of your team to read the mood of the nation and make the necessary sacrifices. All religions speak about the efficacy of hearkening to admonitions. In the Ifa literary corpus of the Yoruba there are examples of those who called the Oracle a liar and suffered dire consequences. My ardent prayer for the incoming government of Buhari and Osinbajo is that they will not depart from listening to the sincere voices of their passionate Nigerian followers. They will not take our people for granted and they will not treat them with impunity or claim they know what is best for them when the people do not feel the same way.

As for you Mr President you have run your race in government. God has been kind to you even at the end by giving you the grace to realise that you should concede defeat and congratulate your opponent. That has turned out to be an astute decision, a masterstroke and possibly the best thing that may ever have happened to you in all these lucky years of being at the helm of affairs of our great nation.

At the end of it all, I will leave you with this Ifa verse:

“Baba alawo a ku

Onisegun a rorun,,,” meaning the Oracle will die, the herbalist too must depart this world and in effect “everything must have an end”.

You came, you saw and it is left to history to determine whether you conquered.

I wish you the best as always.

Police Lied, Ten Freed Ekiti Captives Paid Ransom To Kidnappers- Family Members Of Victims

Prominent Lugansk Militia Leader Mozgovoi Assassinated

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U20 WC: Nigeria to field the youngest squad

OAU lecturer, ex-CMD, Ekiti nurses, others regain freedom

Ten persons, including an 11-year-old boy, kidnapped in Ekiti State a month ago were at the early hours of Saturday released by their captors, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

They include Dr Folasade Alade, Dr Femi Omisore, Dr Kikielomo Adegun and a nurse, Margret Aladeneka. The victims, who were kidnapped at different locations within the state, included two lecturers at the Ekiti State University. A family member of one of the victims, Mrs Nike Aina, told NAN that the victims were released after their families had paid some undisclosed ransom.

She said they were dropped at a bush in the Esure Ekiti area of the state.

Also, a brother of one of the victims, Pastor Tokunbo Olofin, said, “My sister called me around 7am on Saturday, telling me they had been released. “She used one of the villagers phone to call. We have seen them, we thank God for his faithfulness.”

He told NAN that the victims havd been taken to hospitals for treatment by their families after the Police had arrived at the scene.

Olofin added that the police advised them to wait for the arrival of the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, but the relations could not as they hurriedly took them to hospitals for examination.

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A lecturer of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Dr. Femi ‎Omisore, who was kidnapped in Ekiti State about two weeks ago, has been rescued in the early hours of Saturday. He was reportedly rescued alongside nine others, including three other nurses.

It was gathered that the victims were rescued by vigilantes at Esure Ekiti, who subsequently took the rescued victims to the palace of the Elesure of ‎Esure Ekiti. ‎A family source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and the Chairman of Academic Staff of Union of Universities, OAU chapter, Dr. Caleb Aborisade,‎ confirmed Omisore’s rescue.

Though they could not ascertain if the perpetrators were arrested. ‎ Aborisade, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, said‎, “Yes, he has been rescued.”

‎Omisore was abducted on his way to a funeral ceremony at Oye Ekiti in penultimate Saturday. He is a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Design Management of OAU. Apart from Omisore that was abducted, his driver was killed and his car burnt. The reason for the kidnap of the lecturer had earlier been trailed by controversy, especially among students and other sympathisers. Some believed that the lecturer was kidnapped because he is a relation of the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the 2014 election, ‎Senator Iyiola Omisore. Others, especially a segment of his family, are of the opinion that Omisore was set-up by some of his colleagues that he had issues with.

Describing his kidnap, an eyewitness said, “A car was trailing him and his driver tried to escape but he was caught. The driver tried so much to avoid being overtaken by the unknown men but it was painful that he did not succeed. They eventually killed him.”

Kashamu adamant as NDLEA operatives surround Lagos home

Segun Arinze’s ex-wife updates mum on marriage crisis.

The untouchables: At last, Jonathan’s Wife & Political midwives bow out

President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had a number of women but none of them wielded as much power as that of an elite class often referred to as ‘the untouchables,’ GBENRO ADEOYE writes

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As President Goodluck Jonathan takes a bow on May 29, 2015 following the expiration of his tenure, so will some women who helped define his government, unless the new administration finds use for them.

Whatever is said about President Jonathan’s government thereafter will not likely leave out the roles played by these powerful women. However, an assessment of whether their roles were noble or otherwise would largely depend on the assessor.

The public have been busy though, tagging the women various names including ‘the untouchables.’ Interestingly, some people believe the women wield more power than the President himself. It is also believed that these women could get away with almost anything in President Jonathan’s government and his will to protect them was never found to be short.

Five women initially occupied this elite class, all occupying key positions in government until events led to the exit of two of them: former Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah and former Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms. Arunma Oteh.

The last three standing are the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan; the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Oduah’s power as the then Minister of Aviation was attributed to the active roles she played in President Jonathan’s 2011 campaign as its Director of Administration and Finance, where she reportedly garnered huge donations in support of Jonathan’s bid. She was also instrumental to the establishment of Neighbour-to-Neighbour outfit, which reportedly spent billions of naira on adverts and media propaganda in favour of Jonathan.

Oduah, who hails from Anambra State, was however relieved of her duties as Minister of Aviation on February 12, 2014 after a series of scandals, lots of public pressure and some heavy foot-dragging by Jonathan.

Her numerous scandals included the comments she made after the Dana and Associated Airlines crashes which occurred during her time as Aviation Minister, purchase of highly inflated BMW bullet-proof cars without following due process and allegations that she lied about obtaining an MBA degree from St. Paul’s College.

President Jonathan’s foot-dragging before eventually relieving Oduah of her duties laid claim to the kind of influence she had in the government and how indebted Jonathan allegedly was to her.

Although, Oduah is still being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, she has claimed a place in the next government after winning Anambra North Senatorial seat at the last parliamentary election.

As for Oteh, who graduated with a first-class degree in computer sciences from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, even the members of the House of Representatives felt her influence during a power tussle they had with the Abia State-born British citizen. After the dust settled, it was one of them who got his hand burnt.

Nigerians are not likely to easily forget the clash Oteh had with the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market, which accused her of fraud and misappropriation of funds.

She fired back, accusing the chairman of the committee, Mr. Herman Hembe, of demanding bribe from SEC and failing to return some money meant for travel expenses which he did not undertake.

Harambe was investigated by the EFCC and also had to step down as chairman of the capital market committee.

On the other hand, Oteh was suspended by the SEC board in order to investigate the findings of the lawmakers, which indicted her. But that didn’t last for long as she was returned to her position by President Jonathan two months later following the auditor’s report that said her offence amounted only to ‘administrative lapses.’

An intense battle between President Jonathan and the House of Representatives subsequently ensued with the House demanding the sacking of Oteh. President Jonathan refused. As a result, the lawmakers delayed the passage of the 2013 budget and later insisted on zero budget for SEC, all because of Oteh, but Jonathan refused to budge and SEC managed to get funding up until her tenure ended in January 2015.

PATIENCE JONATHAN

Mrs. Jonathan wields enormous influence in her husband’s government. She has never been shy to make comments even in areas where the presidency has been silent.

For instance, at the peak of the battle between the Presidency and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, when speculation was rife, Mrs. Jonathan admitted to the feud and went ahead to say she was angry with the governor for his refusal to follow her directive. She scolded the governor in public over his plan to demolish some structures in Okrika area of the state to pave way for school buildings, even though the position of the First Lady is not recognised by Nigeria’s constitution.

Also, when the Presidency was silent on the whereabouts of Mrs. Jonathan, when she was on medical trip abroad, put paid to the speculations by admitting that she was ill and had been abroad to get treatment.

In June 2014, in apparent violation of the electoral act, Mrs. Jonathan reportedly started campaigning for her husband ahead of the 2015 elections, and when she visits any city in the country, she locks it down as she does so with a long motorcade, including bulletproof limousines and scores of security operatives.

Mrs. Jonathan, 57, has often been accused of interfering in state party politics and sometimes imposing her candidates on party members.

And during her husband’s campaigns ahead of 2011 and 2015 elections, Mrs. Jonathan organised rallies across the country, making defamatory statements about her husband’s political rivals.

She holds a National Certificate of Education in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, and a Bachelor of Education degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Port Harcourt.

In spite of such qualifications, Mrs. Jonathan was often criticised by a cross section of Nigerians for lacking the articulation and composure so required by the office of the First Lady. Her action after the abduction of over 200 Chibok girls, who are still missing, has also been described by the public as arrogant and insincere.

Although, her position was an unelected one, Mrs. Jonathan had no qualms summoning ministers and other public office holders.

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA

Okonjo-Iweala is on her second stint as Minister of Finance; she occupied the same office between 2003 and 2006. She left the position as a hero at the time because of her contributions to the debt relief Nigeria enjoyed during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. She also served as foreign minister for a brief period in the same government.

Under President Jonathan, Okonjo-Iweala was given more power with her position as coordinating minister for the economy in addition to her position as Finance Minister. This was criticised by some members of the public who described it as a constitutional aberration of the office as conferred on her with fiat by President Jonathan, saying the office of the Vice President should be in charge of coordinating the economy.

Okonjo-Iweala has called the bluff of the National Assembly and many state governors without any consequence.

Many governors called for her removal but nothing came out of such calls. When the Head, Media and Information Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Shuaib Yushau, wrote what was considered a critical article titled, ‘Still on Okonjo-Iweala over Controversial Appointments’, against Okonjo-Iweala, he got the boots.

The article had called on the minister “to ensure that appointments into important positions should be done in credible and transparent manner that can withstand public scrutiny,” but there has been no record that his allegations were investigated. The incident only showed how much power Okonjo-Iweala wields in Jonathan’s government.

When the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, alleged that about $20bn was unaccounted for and purportedly missing under Okonjo-Iweala’s nose, it was the whistleblower who paid for it with his job. As for Okonjo-Iweala, who also serves on the Advisory Board of Global Financial Integrity, her position was safe as she continued to assure Nigerians that all was well with the economy.

In January 2012, Nigeria witnessed one of its worst organised protests tagged ‘Occupy Nigeria.’ Against the opinion of the majority of Nigerians, Okonjo-Iweala and Alison-Madueke were reportedly the ones who insisted on the removal of fuel subsidy, and literally ordered that it be done at the beginning of that year.

In spite of the opinion of many Nigerians that Okonjo-Iweala has failed in her second stint as Minister of Finance, the Presidency has continued to assure that the country’s economy is in safe hands.

Okonjo-Iweala graduated from Harvard University in 1977, and earned her Ph.D. in regional economic development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981.

DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE

Nigeria’s oil sector queen, Alison-Madueke has been the first woman to achieve some feats. She was the first Nigerian woman to be on the board of Shell Petroleum Development Company, Nigeria, the first female Minister of Petroleum Resources and the first female President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

If there was a poll for the minister with the highest number of calls for resignation or sacking, Alison-Madueke would easily win the contest.

The oil sector is Nigeria’s biggest and revelations of massive fraud in the sector have continued to fuel calls for her removal. With the alleged corruption in the sector, the opinion of many Nigerians is that the person who supervises such rots cannot be said to be clean.

In spite of various allegations against Alison-Madueke and calls for her resignation, the Presidency has refused to probe her.

Meanwhile, several panels, including those headed by Nuhu Ribadu, Farouk Lawan, and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede as well as the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative have indicted departments under her watch.

In 2014, the House of Representatives investigated the alleged squandering of N10bn over a two-year period on the arbitrary charter and maintenance of a Challenger 850 aircraft for unofficial use. She refused to cooperate with the lawmakers’ investigation and the President defended her on national television, saying his ministers would have no time for work if they were summoned by lawmakers for every allegation against them.

It is said that her words were law in the Federal Executive Council and that no Minister could oppose her memo.

Various controversies under her watch include the oil subsidy scam by some cabals yet to be brought to book, alleged missing $20bn oil funds unaccounted for, oil theft and the award of pipeline contract worth billions of naira to ex-militants and militia leaders.

In the league of ‘the untouchables’, it is believed that Alison-Maduaeke leads the pack.

VP Sambo, other ministers to travel abroad after May 29

President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and other ministers have closed arrangements to travel abroad not long after the May 29 inauguration of the incomming government.
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While Jonathan had said he would go out of the nation for an abundantly deserved rest after the May 29 inauguration Sambo is planning to go to London on May 31, two days after the introduction of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s new President.

It was learnt that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had additionally closed arrangements to return to the US after the President elect’s inauguration. Nonetheless, her Petroleum Resources partner, Mrs.Diezani Allison-Madueke, has already gone out of the nation.

Despite the fact that sources near to the minister said she would come back to the nation to attend the last Federal Executive Council meeting of President Jonathan’s regime the minister would leave the nation after the FEC meeting. A senior Presidency official, who talked on the state of namelessness, notwithstanding, revealed that the VP was planning to rest in London. As per him, Sambo will rest for around two weeks abroad before coming back to the nation.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Umar Sani, in any case, said the arranged outing couldn’t be credited to any apprehension of oppression by the approaching government. Sani said if Sambo was anxious about Buhari, he would have left the nation before the May 29 initiation day.

He said,
“There is nothing to fear. Vice-President Namadi Sambo is not afraid of any persecution or victimisation by the incoming government. His planned trip has nothing to do with fear. If he is afraid of anything, he would have gone before May 29.”

Like Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, also planned to travel abroad, but he said he would leave for the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. He stressed that he would be back in the country when the exercise is over. When asked if the trip was to avoid Buhari’s manhunt for perceived corrupt public officials, the minister said, “It is strange to me and I have not heard anything like that.”

But the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said no amount of road block could stop him from travelling to any country of his choice. Shekarau also dared the incoming administration to proceed and mount a checkpoint for him in the crusade against corruption, adding that he had nothing to hide. His Special Assistant (Media and Communications), Mr. Nnamdi Olebara, said, “Shekarau has no skeleton in his cupboard; if he is travelling, it is not because of any arrest because he has nothing to fear.

“Anybody who knows Shekarau right from ages knows that he has nothing to fear. Asking of when he will travel is digging into somebody’s privacy. Let Buhari mount a checkpoint if he knows that Shekarau has committed any crime.

“If Shekarau is going to his mother’s house, he doesn’t need any permission; if he is going to Saudi (Arabia), he doesn’t need anybody’s permission. He is not escaping to anywhere because he has nothing to fear. He is a committed patriot who has revolutionised the education sector, brought sanity and a lot of development.”

The Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, said there was nothing wrong for members of Jonathan’s cabinet to travel abroad after the May 29 inauguration of the new government to rest.

He said though he would be returning to the classroom as a lecturer at the University of Abuja, there was no reason for anybody to think that any member of the current administration that travels out after May 29 is afraid of probe.

In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Ilorin on Friday, he explained that it is normal for people to take rest outside the country after strenuous political and administrative engagements. He also said none of them is afraid that the incoming administration would jail them.

Sulaiman said,
“I am not travelling out. I am a lecturer. After May 29, I will resume work at the University of Abuja.

“There is nothing anybody can do. This is democracy for God’s sake and there is rule of law. People have liberty, right and freedom to seek redress. Nobody can intimidate anybody. If Jonathan has worked for five or six years, there is nothing bad for him to take a rest outside the country. If Sambo has worked for four years, there is nothing wrong in him taking a rest; so also the ministers. Taking a rest is good for everybody.

“Taking a rest is not borne out of any fear that the incoming government is going to witch-hunt anybody. I am not afraid of probe. If anybody wants to ask questions, there are procedures to do so. The era of putting people in jail cannot come again. It is gone forever. We have a right to live and go and rest anywhere and when there is time for questions, we can come back and answer them. I do not think that people are leaving the country for fear of being probed.”

But the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Musiliu Obanikoro, plans to travel abroad for a two-week vacation after May 29. Obanikoro, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Friday, said he might go to Ghana or South Africa or the United States to take “a deserved rest.”

He said,
“I think it is a wise thing to take a rest after all said and done. I will start with a six-week executive course in Harvard University and I will follow this up in August by starting a degree course in History at the same prestigious institution.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Information, Senator Patricia Akwashiki, and their Foreign Affairs counterpart, Amb. Aminu Wali, ruled out plan to leave the country for fear of prosecution.

Aganga, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Communications, Mrs. Yemi Kolapo, said,
“The minister has been in office since all this while and he is currently in Lagos meeting with some businessmen. So, there is no reason to do that.”

Also the Special Assistant to the Information Minister on Media, Mr. Joseph Mutah, said Akwashiki would not leave the country because of the fear of the incoming government. He said, “Why would she travel out of the country because another government is coming to power? The minister will remain here before and after the inauguration of the new government.”

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmedu Ogbole-Ode, was emphatic th“Why would she travel out of the country because another government is coming to power? The minister will remain here before and after the inauguration of the new government.”at Wali did not plan to travel out of the country. “Where is he going to? He has no plan to go to anywhere, he is staying put in the country, you can quote me on that,” Ogbole-Ode said.

Source: Punch

Man ‘sneaks into women’s loos to eat faeces

The Head of the GRU accuses US and allies of creating the transnational “Islamist” terrorist network

Dear friends,

I am posting today the speech of Colonel-General Igor Sergun, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. To say that his man, or the GRU is secretive would be an understatement. Almost all the information publicly available about Sergun is in the short biography (researched by Scott) which I have placed at the end of this post. As a general rule, the GRU never makes a public statement, nor does the person heading it. It is thus interesting that on one of the very few occasions were General Sergun agreed to speak in public, he chose to focus on the risks of the so-called “Islamic” extremism and that in a relatively short presentation, he made four reference to the fact that these “Islamic” terrorists are basically a creature of the West. One might be tempted to say “nothing new here, we all know that” – but that would be missing the point. The point is that the head of Russian military intelligence is openly declaring that the so-called “Islamic terrorism” is not an original or indigenous phenomenon, but an instrument in the toolset of western imperialism which is used to subvert the countries which dare oppose the worldwide hegemony of the AngloZionist Empire.

The Saker

——-

Translated by Shed

THESES OF THE PRESENTATION
of the Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff
at the IV Moscow Conference
on International Security
devoted to: “Global Security: Radical Transformation
or Creation of New Rules for the Game?”
(April 16, 2015 г.)
The subject:
“Hot Points” of the Global Fight with Terrorism “

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

One of the most dangerous challenges of the current times is presented by the international terrorism, which is rapidly acquiring a political nature and is being turned into a real force, striving to come to power in certain countries.

We are witnessing a steady trend towards globalization of activities of extremist organizations. This includes a wide geographic spread, strengthening of the interaction between previously disparate groups, as well as swift adaptation to situational changes.

Among international terrorist organizations, the role of radical Islamists is increasing. Their leaders are developing collaboration and seek to create zones of instability, which include not only countries but entire regions.

The “Terrorist International” under creation aims at restoration through military force the “Great Caliphate” within the borders encompassing the Middle East, the Caucasus, Northern Africa and Iberian Peninsula. A campaign for formation of the united front of the “Global Jihad” was announced, with the aim of conducting armed struggle against the “main enemies of Islam”, represented by the USA, Western European countries, Russia and Muslim countries with the secular governments.

Currently, terrorism presents the greatest threat for Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, where ” Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant “, ” Al-Qaeda “, ” Jabhat al-Nusra “, Islamic Taliban Movement and other radical groups are active,

Al-Qaeda’ remains one of the most powerful terrorist organizations, although in current conditions it has become to a greater extent “the banner of the war against infidels” for the Islamists, while the related regional groups operate virtually independently.

Lately, the ” Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant “, which managed to force its control over a significant part of Iraq and Syria, is successfully striving to occupy leading position among the extremist organizations.

The terrorists have declared the establishment of an ‘Islamic Caliphate’ on occupied territories and started to set up their own ‘public institutions’, including financial and judicial systems. Sustainable centralized control over the armed groups has been organized.

The strengthening of ISIS has seriously destabilized the situation in Africa. ISIS provides substantial military and financial assistance to the local extremists, sends reinforcements composed of the Syrian and Iraqi terrorists. The groups receiving such support are ‘Ansar al-Sharia’, operating in North Africa, and ‘Boko Haram,’ in the West of the continent, while the greatest threat to the stability of East Africa is the Somali terrorist organization ‘Al-Shabab al-Mujahedeen,’ responsible for a number of high-profile actions.

Equally alarming is the situation that is developing in the Middle East and Central Asia, where extremist organizations such as the ‘Taliban’, ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan maintain high combat potential. We estimate that currently, in Afghanistan alone, about 50 thousand militants are fighting. Afghan and Pakistani territories host a network of terrorist training camps, including the training camps for suicide bombers.

Active dissemination of radical Islamist ideas has a negative impact on the development of the situation in Southeast Asia. In particular, unpredictable consequences could be caused by the extremist organization, ‘Jamaa Islamiya’, whose main goal is the creation of a single Islamic theocratic state within the borders of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Muslim provinces of Thailand and the Philippines.

In recent years, the level of terrorist threat in Europe has increased. This is primarily due to the insurgents returning from the “hot spots” ready to use the gained experience at home. About 600 jihadists returned in the past four years to Germany alone.

The extremists’ influence has spread to include some South American regions. The Tri-border Area, located along the junction of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, is considered a springboard by the extremists.

An undercover activity of some of the states aimed at achieving their own foreign policy missions through secret financing of Islamic structures destabilizes the situation.

While flirting with the extremists, some Western countries seem to be sure that the so-called policy of controlled chaos in far-away regions shall not result in tragic consequences, at least, in the middle term, but I think such opinion is unsound.

It is no secret that it was at the instigation of Western ‘partners’ that since the 1980s, Islamic extremism was rapidly gaining momentum. To counter the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, there was heavy arming – with the funds from the United Stated of America and other NATO states – of scattered groups of Jihadists and Mujahideen who subsequently merged into major terrorist groups and movements. With financial and military assistance from Washington and its allies, rendered in order to eliminate the regime in Syria, unwanted by the West, the ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ and ‘Jabhat al-Nusra’ were created. Military intervention in Libya by the Alliance entailed similar results.

Availability of the stable sources of financing for the extremists is the reason for a serious concern. The most reliable cash-flow channels include various non-governmental organizations and foundations. For example, in the states of the Arabian Peninsula there are about 200 such organizations.

A major source of income is the control over drugs production and trafficking. This activity brings the Islamists of the Middle East and Central Asia up to US $500 million a year.

It happens quite often that actions of Washington and the West in general in various regions of the world contribute to creation of serious problems, including drug trafficking, religious extremism and terrorism, after which Washington heroically mobilizes the international community to neutralize the problems.

In general, under the slogan of struggle for ‘pure Islam’, international terrorism is becoming a form of transnational crime. In fact, it has become a lucrative business with capital turnover running into billions, with drug trafficking, hostage taking, smuggling weapons and precious metals.

In search of additional sources of funding, jihadists purposefully develop links with nationalist organizations, pirates and separatists.

Thus, we should expect that, in the short term, the level of terrorist threats in the world would remain high enough. Scaling up of extremist groups, among others at the instigation of the United States and its allies, especially in the Middle East and Central Asia, poses a real threat of terrorism export to European countries, the republics of the CIS and the Asia-Pacific region.

Thank you for your attention.

Official Emblem of the GRU

——-

Biography of Igor Sergun (researched by Scott)

Official biography of the Chief of the New Russian Military Intelligence, Igor Sergun, official website of the Russian Ministry of Defense. [Source]http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/heroes/hero.htm?id=10682023@morfHeroes

Igor Sergun was born in March 28, 1957. He served in the Armed Forces since 1973, and graduated from the Moscow Suvorov Military School [Source] http://msvu.edumil.ru/ and [Source]http://www.vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/398

and the Moscow Supreme Soviet Higher Military Command School [Source]

http://mvoku.ru/

and the Military Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet Army and as well in the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation [Source]

http://ens.mil.ru/education/higher/academy/more.htm?id=8654@morfOrgEduc

He worked in military intelligence since 1984, and served in various positions in the Main Intelligence Directorate. He speaks several foreign languages and was awarded state awards. In 1998 as a colonel, he served as a RF Military Attaché in Tirana, Albania. At this time he was awarded with a medal “Participant of Operation March-Shot Bosnia-Kosovo 12 June 1999.”

In December 2011, he was appointed as Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

Mark Galeotti in his book Spetsnaz: Russia’s Special Forces writes by the 2000s the Russia’s military intelligence was on the brink of complete annihilation brought by the reforms of General Shlyakhturov. However, he was forced into retirement at the end of 2011, and his successor, Lt. Gen Igor Sergun, proved a much more active and effective chief. [Source] https://books.google.com/books?id=snzzCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=igor+sergun&source=bl&ots=82KXdl5pdG&sig=Xx2aTG7y5bKDUR_tqKr969FwEtw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wjNeVY-YNNPrgwT10IGwDw&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAjha#v=onepage&q=igor%20sergun&f=false

In 2014 Igor Sergun became a target for the Western sanctions against Russia.

“Brussels: Russia’s armed forces chief of staff and its military intelligence chief were among 15 people listed on Tuesday as targeted by the European Union’s latest sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. General Valery Gerasimov, army chief and the country’s deputy April 29, 2014″ [Source] http://www.intelligence-world.org/tag/igor-sergun/ Igor Sergun has been was targeted “for the activity of GRU officers in eastern Ukraine” while Gerasimov was listed as “responsible for the massive deployment of Russian troops” along the Ukraine border and “lack of de-escalation of the situation”.

Articles, Speeches, and Interviews

1. Russia Names New GRU Chief [Source]

http://www.intelligence-world.org/russia-names-new-gru-chief/

December 27, 2011 – Major General Igor Sergun was named head of the General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate on Monday. He replaces outgoing GRU chief Alexander Shlyakhturov, who was said to have reached retirement age.

Игорь Дмитриевич Сергун, помимо прочего, награждён медалью «Участнику марш-броска 12 июня 1999 г. Босния — Косово», т. е. о событиях в этом регионе он осведомлен особо.

2. Major General Igor Sergun becomes the Head of GRU

ГРУ возглавил генерал-майор Игорь Сергун [Source]

http://spec-naz.org/news/287/gru_vozglavil_general_mayor_igor_sergun/

2. Russian general says USA is behind every war in the world today [Source]

https://meduza.io/en/news/2015/04/24/russian-general-says-usa-is-behind-every-war-in-the-world-today

The head of Russia’s chief military intelligence directorate, Colonel-General Igor Sergun, says the United States is preparing to deploy its troops on a permanent or temporary basis to more than 100 countries around the world. Sergun says the US hopes to create in these countries the facilities necessary for “prepositioning weapons and military equipment necessary for armed operations in forward zones.”

3. Interview with the Head of GRU Igor Sergun: we don’t reveal secrets

Начальник ГРУ Генштаба России Игорь Сергун: Тайны не раскрываем! [Source]

http://www.narodsobor.ru/events/safety/12321-nachalnik-gru-genshtaba-rossii-igor-sergun-tajny-ne-raskryvaem#.VV4l0OzD9_8

4. Russian spy agency: Global crisis demands new tactics [Source]

http://rt.com/politics/intelligence-military-gru-sergun-169/ January 19, 2012

5. Igor Sergun: “Terrorists intent to grab power in some states.”

Игорь Сергун: “Террористы реально претендуют на приход к власти в ряде государств”

http://www.arms-expo.ru/news/protivodeystvie_terrorizmu/igor_sergun_terroristy_realno_pretenduyut_na_prikhod_k_vlasti_v_ryade_gosudarstv_/

6. Middle East, Central Asia Terrorists Earn $500Mln in Drug Trade [Source]

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150416/1020980714.html

April 16, 2015 – Terrorists in the Middle East and Central Asia receive up to $500 million from production and trafficking of illicit drugs, the chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Intelligence Directorate said.

7. Head of GRU: Terrorism has become multibillion dollar business [Source]

Начальник ГРУ: Мировой терроризм стал миллиардным бизнесом

http://warfiles.ru/show-86093-nachalnik-gru-igor-sergun-mirovoy-terrorizm-stal-mnogomilliardnym-biznesom.html

8. Jihad turns global [Source]

http://in.rbth.com/world/2015/04/23/jihad_turns_global_42775.htmlr

April 23, 2015 Andrey Ilyashenko, specially for RIR

International terrorism has become one of the most dangerous threats to mankind and it has turned global. This is the considered opinion of Colonel-General Igor Sergun, Director of GRU, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Gen. Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Speaking in mid-April at the IV Conference on Security in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Sergun provided a detailed analysis of the problem. Since he is not among the public figures frequently cited in the media, RIR decided to offer its readers the most complete summary of the key theses of the general.

9. Moscow Conference on International Security 2014 (Part 2: The panels) [Source]

http://www.ponarseurasia.org/article/moscow-conference-international-security-2014-part-2-panels

10. Igor Sergun’s Speech at Moscow Conference on International Security 2014 [Source]

http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=11929769%40egNews

Igor Sergun’s speech was made available on the conference website. He noted that the Taliban views the withdrawal of ISAF forces as a success. They expect victory, so see no reason to bother with negotiations at this point. He discussed the three most likely scenarios for future developments in Afghanistan, including some fairly ridiculously exact percentage likelihoods for each scenario:

1.Balance of political forces within the country remains relatively unchanged, supported by a limited Western presence. Afghanistan remains a source of terrorist, extremist, and drug threats for Central Asia. Likelihood 39 percent.

2.Taliban seizes power in the absence of a foreign presence. Islamists could begin infiltrating Central Asian states. Likelihood 27 percent.

3.Afghanistan disintegrates and is divided into ethnic enclaves. This scenario leads to an increase in battle for influence by local and regional powers. Likelihood 31 percent.

In the second part of this speech, Sergun discussed the logistics of the ongoing withdrawal of ISAF forces from Afghanistan. Given the amount of equipment present in the region, his analysis showed that Western states would not be able to withdraw their equipment in the allotted time frame. He argued that while the 40,000 personnel could be withdrawn by the end of 2014, it would be impossible to complete the withdrawal of 40,000 vehicles and 300 helicopters any earlier than 2017. As a result, he claimed that Washington will soon need to start a propaganda campaign to convince the international community that U.S. presence in the region will need to be extended at least through 2024 in order to ensure regional stability. However, this will not change the threat posed by the Taliban to Central Asian states.

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