Jonathan’s aide stands surety for subsidy fraud suspect.

Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Intergovernmental Affairs, Mrs. Mariam Ali, has

volunteered to be the bail surety for one of the suspects of fuel subsidy fraud, Christian Taylor.

Taylor was on July 26 arraigned along with Mahman Ali, who is son of Mariam and a former Chairman of

the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali.

Counsel for Taylor, Mr. Kolade Obafemi, said Mariam had "prepared" to be the surety for the accused.

Taylor, who his lawyer said was a Sierra Leonean, was on July 26 arraigned before the court and

granted bail on the condition that one of his sureties must be his blood relation who was resident in Lagos.

But the defence urged the court to vary the condition on the grounds that it would be difficult for him to

secure a blood relation that was resident in Lagos as his surety. Obafemi urged the court to accept Mariam, being "a responsible Nigerian instead of Taylor's blood relation", as the surety.

"The proposed surety, Dr. Mariam Ali is a responsible Nigerian. She is the Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs," he said.

The judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, however, despite opposition to the application for bail condition variation, accepted the defendant's proposition of Mariam as a surety.

EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, had opposed the proposition on the grounds that Mariam had not

made any deposition before the court and that the accused was trying to misrepresent the fact of his

nationality.

He alleged that Taylor had in a written statement claimed to have hailed from Okpe Local Giverment

Area of Edo State and that he had stated in his asset declaration form that his father, too, was from the

state.

The judge, however overruled Jacobs, saying, "the essence of granting the bail was to ensure that the

accused attended trial."

Taylor and Ali along with their company, Nasaman Oil Services were arraigned on July 26 before Onigbanjo on three counts among which was fraudulent collection of about N2.23bn from the Federal

Government in the name of subsidy for importing various litres of PMS. Date for commencement of trial had been fixed for October 30.

Meanwhile, Abdulahi, son of Ibadan-based politician, Arisekola Alao, was again on Wednesday granted bail by Justice Habeeb Abiru of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja in a charge involving fraud in subsidy payments. This came even as the EFCC also arraigned Walter Wagbastoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi, Fakuade Babafemi, Ezekiel Ejidele, along with Ontario Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited before the same court for similar offences.

They were granted bail, shortly after the accused pleaded not guilty to all the nine counts contained in

their charge. The counts include obtaining about N1.6bn from the Federal Government under false pretence by purporting the money to be payment for subsidy on certain litres of fuel which they allegedly failed to supply.

Abiru granted bail to Alao, who was on July 26, arraigned along with his company, Axenergy Limited, on seven counts of obtaining about N1.5bn from the Federal Government purportedly as subsidy payment

for certain litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Alao faces separate charge along with Mahmud Tukur, son of the incumbent national chairman of the

ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur, Alex Ochonogo and Eterna Oil and Gas Limited,

before Onigbanjo. They were all granted bail on July 26 after their arraignment.

Their trial will commence on October 24.

Nigerian Soldiers In Army Uniform In Brutal Attack Of A Civilian In Ibadan.

Nigerian Soldiers In Army Uniform In Brutal Attack Of A Civilian In Ibadan

What looked like a normal day in Ibadan, Oyo State, turned out to be a nightmare in the early hours of 22nd of July 2012 at around 2.30am when about six soldiers of the Nigeria Army in uniform attached to the PHCN Capital Building at Ring Road Ibadan went berserk on an unprovoked savage brutalisation of Mr Akintokunbo Adejumo, a community leader in Ibadan and Southwark Borough in London and the respected Global Coordinator of Champions for Nigeria (Champions for Growth of Nigeria Initiative) www.championsfornigeria.com, a registered Organisation in the UK and Nigeria, with members all over Nigeria, continental Africa, Europe, Asia and America. Mr Adejumo recently returned to live in his home town of Ibadan after an illustrious career in Local Government, Business, Community Development and Management Consultancy in the United Kingdom.

Picture: Mr. Akintokunbo Adejumon

The attack happened in the full glare of members of the public when a strange fire outbreak occurred within the premises of the PHCN and engulfed a neighbouring building, damaging irreparably properties worth millions of Naira affecting the ex-Barcelona and Nigerian International footballer, Gbenga Okunowo’s private home. In the midst of the pandemonium that greeted the fire incident, there were concerns about the role played by the soldiers who were attached to guard the property. Their attitude and behaviour was remotely detached from the collective efforts of ordinary citizens who frantically tried to call for the fire services and do whatever they could to minimise the damage.

Mr Adejumo, a resident and landlord in the estate, was there, with other residents, championing the fire rescue effort, in kindred spirit, and tried to mobilise all around to salvage the situation. Unfortunately, the soldiers’ mood was not in tune with the anxiety of the local community about the potential large scale destruction of lives and property and it raised a lot of questions about the origin of the fire outbreak. In an action that appeared to be akin to an illicit drug induced violent behaviour, the soldiers pounced on him, for allegedly making comment about their laxity and negligence, and savagely attacked Mr Adejumo, who was defenceless, surprised and frightened for his dear life. He was kicked to the floor, wantonly booted on the head, body and dragged on the floor without any confrontation or exchange of words. His plea for mercy and patience went on deaf ears, the more he tried to catch the attention of the soldiers to show restraints, and the more he was pounced on like a rag doll as if they were on a mission to kill in the war front. The crowd were so helpless because of fear for the life of this man and theirs, making them to reflect on the unenviable reputation of Nigerian Army men in uniform. The behaviour of these soldiers on the night was so dastardly heinous and conceived with a purposeful intention of maiming or doing serious damage to the person and body of Mr Adejumo who, luckily managed to be rescued from the senseless torture and grievous harm he was subjected to by these careless soldiers by fellow landlords and residents. He was left in profound pain and agony so much that he needed to be hospitalised for treatment.

The soldiers acted as if the fire incident was a war zone disaster and the brutality meted to Mr Adejumo was a legally binding behaviour that attracts no disciplinary consequences. When a Nigerian soldier began to batter his own citizen in peace time and cause bodily carnage and aggravated harm to defenceless ordinary citizens, should question not be asked whether, infact there is any insight amongst the military class that, engagement in brutal force with civilians amounts to gross indiscipline and necessitate thorough investigation and court martial proceedings. The Nigeria Army pride itself in professionalism and sacred discipline, but when the oath of disciplinary testament is violated without any fear of consequences, then it begs the question whether our democracy is lacking in its meaning. The Military ordinarily is an institution of highly disciplined professionals, majority of whom are, but the behaviour and actions of recruits like these cast a massive shadow on the tenet of discipline within the force and bring into public disrepute the hard work of the men and officers who are working loyally and patriotically to uphold the code of discipline and professionalism within the Military.

The brutal and savage attack on Mr Adejumo, who is known for promoting peace, dialogue and selfless service to one and many, an attribute he portrayed for many years living in the inner city of London, mentoring the young and driving probity and altruistic endeavours and raising champions for community and mankind , should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet unattended to without the Commanding Officer looking at the ABC of the event and dispensing disciplinary measures to those soldiers for their crude and unenviable behaviour in Army uniform.

We call on the Governor of Oyo State to show leadership in bringing his official might to bear on this incident and ensure that, all citizens of the state is protected by the civil law and their liberty and safety is not violated by soldiers who are posted to the state. Mr Adejumo is not an ordinary Ibadan citizen, he is a community leader, a patriotic Nigeria and a selfless individual who would not trespass or trample on the jurisdiction of anyone to do his work in helping others and protecting lives and limbs of fellow citizens.

We are petitioning the GOC Ibadan division and the Commanding officer for these errant soldiers and also petitioning the Oyo State Government to give meaningful attention to this incident. In a responsive society, this will immediately attract military and civil proceeding for violation of human right to safety and breach of military code of engagement with the civilian public.
Get the Soldiers out! Name and shame them!! Investigate the incident!!! And put a stop to such crude behaviour by our men in uniform.

Act Now!

2 bombers, 3 others killed in Sokoto suicide attack.

Attacks targeting authorities in two major cities of Nigeria's troubled north have left two suspected suicide bombers dead and killed three others, authorities said Monday.

Simultaneous suicide bomb attacks Monday in the major northwestern city of Sokoto also killed a civilian and a police officer, said the regional police chief, Assistant Inspector General of Police Mukhtar Ibrahim. One of the bombers struck a compound containing a police station and regional police offices, he said, while another attacked a police station about two miles (four kilometers) away.

An injured man at Specialist Hospital Sokoto, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said he saw a car race into the main gate of the compound. He said he was on a bicycle when the blast went off, the impact threw him from the bike, and he hurt his hand in the fall.

Police sealed off roads leading to both police premises soon after the blasts.

Motorcycle-mounted gunmen later shot at a third police station in another part of the city, said Sokoto state police spokesman Sani Dahiru. He could not immediately say how many gunmen there were, or whether there had been casualties.

The twin explosions and drive-by shooting come as Nigeria faces an increasing threat from a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.

There has also been a spate of recent attacks targeting uniformed officers, some of which have been blamed on the sect.

Three gunmen killed a shoe-shiner Monday morning outside an uninhabited house belonging to Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo in the north central city of Zaria, said Kaduna state police spokesman Abubakar Balteh. He said the house had been under renovation and that the man was near policemen who had been guarding the construction site.

Rioters had burned down that same house during postelection violence that swept across northern Nigeria after April 2011 presidential polls, Balteh said.

Sectarian violence has risen since that violence that left at least 800 people dead across Nigeria's north, according to Human Rights Watch. Fighting started after President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from southern Nigeria, was declared winner. Many in Nigeria's north thought a Muslim from the north should have become president.

Two past presidents and one-time rivals said in a joint statement Sunday that "the nation is gripped by a regime of fear and uncertainty... virtually all citizens have difficulties going about their normal day to day lives without great anxiety and trepidation," said the statement signed by Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo. "This cannot be allowed to continue!" it said.

The statement did not mention Boko Haram by name. However, authorities have accused the sect of trying to exacerbate religious tensions in Africa's most populous nation evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.

Over the last few days, attacks against security authorities, a typical Boko Haram target, have spanned a wide geographical area.

Air Commodore Sani Ahmed said motorcycle-mounted gunmen killed two air force officers in the northern city of Kano on Sunday.

The violence followed a Friday night clash between suspected Boko Haram members and security officers in the northeastern city of Damaturu that left a policeman and a soldier dead, said Yobe state police spokesman Toyin Gbadagesin. He added that security officers then razed a house believed to be harboring sect members.

Witness Yau Zadawa said two motorcycle-mounted gunmen also killed a policeman outside his house late Friday after he had closed from a shift guarding a local politician in the northeastern city of Bauchi.

Meanwhile, a soldier was also shot dead Friday in the Boko Haram sect's spiritual home of Maiduguri, a city about 280 miles (460 kilometers) away from Bauchi.

Security officials are frequently targeted in violence in Nigeria's arid north and have been criticized for killing suspects in their attempt to stop spiraling sectarian violence. (AP)

Apple Enters Nigerian Mobile Phone Market.

Apple Incorporated has finally announced its official entry into Nigeria’s highly competitive mobile device market.

The smartphone maker, with reported revenue of $108 billion in 2011, at the weekend appointed four authorised resellers in Nigeria.

The resellers are: iConnect (Lagos), Meed Networks (Abuja), Orchard (Lagos) and Cross-Energy Supply (Abuja) - all fully equipped and positioned to provide customers with best-in-class service support. Apple is banking on its extended market presence and an increasing demand for smartphones to increase its market share in Nigeria and Africa generally.

For years now, Apple devices have been sold in the Nigerian market through unauthorised channels. Taryn Hyam, corporate communications manager, Southern Africa for Apple told Business Day in an interview, that Nigeria was a vital market for the firm in Africa. According to her, Apple Incorporated was engaged in discussions to further expand its distribution network in Nigeria, enabling more customers’ access world-class service delivery. “We want to provide the world-class support to our customers.

“We are also offering a two-year warranty for only customers who purchase devices from authorised resellers.” She told Business Day that Apple was considering entering strategic partnership with leading telecommunications companies in Nigeria to further expand the scope of Nigeria’s device market. What’s more, network operators such as MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat for some time now have been bundling Apple devices with innovative data packages. This activity, she pointed out was going on through “unauthorised channels”.

Market watchers told Business Day, that operators may have decided to gone down this route because of the opportunity that existed in terms of access to Apple products and solutions. More importantly, analysts argue that voice revenues are declining and operators are keenly looking at how to generate more revenue from data services.

The company through Core Group Africa, its Value Added Distributor (VAD) in Nigeria, also announced that the new iPad is officially available locally from the starting price of just N105,000 (one hundred and five thousand Naira) only.

The new iPad is now available in Nigeria as part of the next global rollout by Apple. This is the first time it will be available through the official Apple channel in Nigeria. The new iPad Wi-Fi and iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular** will be available in black or white in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. It features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video.

The new iPad delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life, is amazingly thin and light and runs almost all of the over 650, 000 apps on the iTunes App Store. It provides the most versatile, on-the-go user experience whether checking email at home, reading a magazine while waiting in a queue, watching a movie on a plane, updating documents before a meeting, checking sport fixtures, uploading a Facebook status, or sharing a bedtime story.

“Apple’s category defining mobile device, the new iPad, has revolutionised the mobile computing industry and delivers the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology. We are thrilled to make this unbelievable product available to Nigerians”, said Rutger-Jan van Spaandonk, executive director of Core Group Africa. Core Group Africa has appointed Apple Authorised Resellers to ensure the product is available through official channel partners.

A full list of Apple Authorised Resellers will be available on www.isocietynigeria.com and will be updated as new official channel partners are added. Core Group Africa is including an unbelievable benefit for Nigerian customers during the launch period - an additional years warranty free of charge.

The extra year of warranty extends the standard warranty to a 2 year period for new iPads that are sold by Core Group Africa through Apple Authorised Resellers. In order to qualify, customers must provide proof of purchase from an Apple Authorised Reseller from the official launch date and must register their iPad on www.isocietynigeria.com. Any additional terms and conditions are listed on the www.isocietynigeria.com website.

Nigeria's Democracy not threatened by Military, says IBB.

Former President Ibrahim Babangida on Tuesday said the nation's democracy faced no danger from the military due to the officers' training and exposure to the tenets of democracy.

Babangida said this in Abuja at the National Defence College (NDC) Graduation Lecture of Course 20/20th Anniversary Celebration.

The former military leader in a paper entitled: ``The Creation of National Defence College: 20 Years After, ’’ noted that the college's curriculum had exposed participants to the tenets of democracy right from its inception in 1992.

He said that the college had inculcated among military and paramilitary personnel, core values and ethics that supported democratic rule.

``I can say without equivocation that our democracy faces no danger from the military. This is because the curriculum of this college has exposed participants to the tenets of democracy from its inception.

``Therefore, long before Nigeria returned to democratic rule, military officers who passed through this college were prepared for life of service under civilian leadership and control.

``Thus, by the time international partners were falling over themselves to give lessons in civil-military relations within the democratic context, most senior officers in the armed forces had already learnt this at the college,’’ Babangida said.

According to him, the college has raised a critical mass of senior officers who are committed to democracy and that itself facilitates national development.

The former president, who said his administration built temporary site for the college in 1992, stressed the need to build a permanent site to ensure that the college became a world-class institution.

He stressed the need for the college to have first class facilities, human resources and management systems and processes to enable it to fulfil its mandate.

Mrs Olusola Obada, the Minister of State for Defence, urged the security agencies to be proactive in combating security challenges in the country.

Obada tasked the participants to use skills and knowledge acquired at the college to contain terrorism, kidnapping, human trafficking and other crimes.

In his welcome address, Rear Adm. Thomas Lokoson, the Commandant of NDC, said the college's graduation lecture was to expose the graduating officers to new horizons of imagination, creativity and service in the interest of the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 130 participants graduated from NDC Course 20.

Some participants came from Republics of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone.

Impeachment: Jonathan bows to Reps on budget implementation.

There were strong indications, on Friday, that the Presidency has launched moves to stave off the recent  impeachment threat from the House of Representatives to President Gooduck Jonathan.

The move coincided with  a claim by a principal officer of the House (names withheld) that the threat was actually a ruse, as at no time did  members of the House take such a decision.

The Minority Leader in the House, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila had initiated the motion to the effect that the president be issued the threat on account of alleged poor implementation of the 2012 Federal Appropriation Act as passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by the president.

The issue has generated a lot of controversy with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through its Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Jaja, on Thursday in Abuja, promising not to compel the House to drop the impeachment threat.

The House gave the president until September 18 to achieve a 100 per cent budget implementation, failure which it could commence impeachment procedures against him.

We however, learnt that the Presidency had, through the appropriate ministry, taken concrete measures to convince stakeholders that it was duly implementing the budget as passed by the legislature.

Specifically, it was learnt  that upon the impeachment threat, the Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had started releasing budgetary allocations to Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs].

Further investigations revealed that the impeachment threat was actually designed by the House to ensure that the Federal government Ministries, Departments and Agencies got their allocations.

This became necessary because various MDAs had allegedly had cause to complain to House committees’ chairmen during oversight functions to them that their allocations were not forthcoming as at when due.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the House might have softened its stance on the alleged impeachment threat over Jonathan’s alleged poor implementation of the 2012 budget.

Investigations indicated that the whole ploy of the threat was a move by the House to have the executive to key into the implementation the 2012 budget.

In fact, one of the key members  of the House told us in confidence that the  threat was never part of the House resolutions when the issue of 2012 budget was debated.

According to him, “the impeachment thing was not part of our resolutions during the debate of the 2012 budget, and I wonder why it should now be an issue. If there is the reason for it,we will go for it’’.

But the source, on Friday, while debunking the threat added, “we are not plotting against the Mr. President as being rumoured; we are only demanding the full implementation of the budget as passed the National Assembly and assented to by the Mr. President himself. In fact,  after our adjournment, Mr. President invited us for a dinner. Do you wine and dine with your enemies? No.”

Re: Nigeria’s 100% budget implementation.

There is an ongoing impasse between the Nigerian House of Representatives and President Goodluck Jonathan over the request by the former that the latter achieves a 100 percent implementation of the 2012 budget by September 18, 2012.

I write from a position devoid of personal bias or selfish intentions. I write with a view towards ensuring that we are not ridiculed in the global comity of nations. The request that the Federal Government achieves 100 percent is not completely out of place. However, it should be handled carefully.

Looking at the issue from the point of view of the House of Representatives, if the budget was properly drawn up and every item on it duly reviewed under a rigorous and painstaking process, then a deadline of September 18, 2012 for the implementation of a substantial part of the budget given to the president is in order. In a previous article, I suggested that a combination of any of the budgeting methods (traditional, zero-based, priority-based and/or activity-based) be adopted in the process of arriving at our annual national budget. If this had been done, I expect that the growth in the enormous budget approved year-on-year would have led to not just national growth as is being witnessed, but national development as well. It was observed with keen interest the controversy that surrounded the announcement in the year that Nigeria’s budget was to cross the one trillion naira mark and at the same time an ironic silence as the budget crossed the four trillion naira. Instead, it appears that the more the funds committed to developing this nation of ours, the more the inadequate infrastructure in the country deteriorates. A paradoxical situation is instead witnessed as a higher cost of living is closely encountered in a country with a very poor standard of living. Where is Nigeria headed to?

On the other hand, I would also like to call on fellow chartered accountants in the House of Representatives to use their training to educate the honourable members of House of Representatives on how impracticable it is to achieve 100 percent implementation of the budget by the stated date. No institution – private or public – meets its budget exactly. It is because of this that supplementary budgets are made and, subsequently, deficit or surplus budgets recorded. The budget is necessary, however, because it serves as a guide on what to do. It helps to prevent the mismanagement of funds and, if well developed and implemented, leads to advancement for the institution involved. What this means is that having a budget is necessary but its implementation should not override an organisation’s strategic vision. A budget should instead assist in achieving the vision, not hinder it.

Against this backdrop, therefore, if the presidency should go ahead to achieve 100 percent implementation of the budget by September 18, then does it mean that the Federal Government need not earn more revenues nor pay staff salaries for the remaining months of the year? Or does it mean that the House of Representatives signed the budget for 2012 into law with the mindset that it was only for January 2012 to September 2012? What does the House of Representatives mean by 100 percent implementation by September 18? If the budget is implemented by 100 percent by that date, what contingency plans do the legislators have to provide funds to meet exigencies, should they arise, after that date (and they are more likely to arise than not)? I’m sure that there are several brilliant minds in the House of Representatives who can answer these questions that I seek answers to. I want our honourable members to consider all these as they broach their impeachment proceedings. After all, September 18, 2012 is not the end of the Gregorian 2012 calendar year. Or is it?

Ultimatums such as these may lead to mismanagement of funds and circumvention of due diligence which the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is known for advocating. It may result in a situation whereby money is spent for the sake of money being spent. It may consequently lead to inflation and further devaluation of the naira, amongst a host of other problems. It is therefore suggested that the House of Representatives should instead focus on investigating how the monies budgeted are spent and whether Nigeria is getting value for money per naira spent.

It is hoped that this is not a ploy to draw attention away from the ongoing prosecution of members of the House of Representatives for various corrupt practices as is being suggested in some quarters. The name Nigeria has suffered a lot of shame already. This stance of the House of Representatives, if not changed, may lead to it being rubbished the more.

• 
  

Raid of Makoko leaves thousands homeless.

Makoko is a massive, floating waterfront slum in Lagos, Nigeria that was at one time home to 100,000 people.

Authorities recently gave the people there 72 hours to gather up all their belongings before men in speedboats arrived to destroy their houses. The mass eviction has left thousands homeless in an already stressed urban environment.

Those living in Makoko subsist largely as fishermen and workers in nearby saw mills, cutting up water-logged timber that's floated into the city daily.

Those living in Makoko subsist largely as fishermen and workers in nearby saw mills, cutting up water-logged timber that's floated into the city daily.

Makoko rises out of the murky water that separates mainland Nigeria from the island that gave birth to Lagos, its largest city.

Men armed with machetes and power saws descended on the shantytown to demolish it, leaving some 3,000 people homeless.

Their homes destroyed, many families have been left living on boats or seeking refuge in churches.

"The government is treating these people as though they were not human," Felix Morka, a rights activist at the Social and Economic Rights Action Centre in Lagos told the Al Jazeera News Network.

"It's very condescending of the government to contemplate displacing nearly 150,000 people without any discussion or notice. That is wrong," he said.

Government officials deny any wrongdoing. "Let us look at how these people live. Is there any reasonable society that would allow its citizens to live the way they are living?" Lateef Raji, an adviser to the governor of Lagos State told reporters.

The mass eviction has since touched off violence. Trouble started this past weekend when authorities tried to demolish a building after officials reached an informal agreement about how they would target homes for destruction.

Community Chief Timothy Hunpoyanwha was shot to death in an officer involved shooting, residents have said. The incident remains under investigation, prompting Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola to halt the demolition exercise.

Fashola remains firm that Makoko should not be allowed to grow any further. A government notice issued about the evictions seems to suggest it wants the entire community gone.

"The Lagos state government is desirous of restoring the amenity and value of the waterfront... [and] improve the waterfront/coastline to underline the megacity status of the state," the notice read.

Constructed of bamboo homes and shacks built out of driftwood, Makoko is close to the University of Lagos campus and visible to daily traffic that plies the Third Mainland Bridge, the link from the mainland to the city's islands.

Those living in Makoko subsist largely as fishermen and workers in nearby saw mills, cutting up water-logged timber that's floated into the city daily.

Keeping Up With The Jonathans.

''Darling are we sure we made the right decision by accepting the permanent secretary appointment?''

''What are you talking about? You've been looking for an opportunity to get rid of me from Aso Rock. Now that you got your chance you are changing your mind.''

"It's not like that, I just want to ensure all parties are happy with the decision."

"And since when did you start caring about what everyone wants? Looks like BH is getting to you."

"What is BH? Boko Ha....."

(Interjects) "shhhhhhh, don't mention that name abeg. Don't you know they have eyes and ears everywhere?"

"I just appointed new security chiefs, they are on top of the situation."

"You didn't just say that. It's okay to be deceived inasmuch as you are not deceiving yourself. But you are carrying that stereotypical message to our matrimonial bed. Kai, Reuben don enter your head o!"

"Are they false?"

"Yes they are. Or do you think they are true?"

"Yes. Cos newspapers rarely publish news on BH these days."

"What do you expect? ThisDay office was bombed right under our nose here in Abuja. Thank God the bomb didn't extend to Jabi Motor Park on the other side of the road. Since then, papers had lowered their coverage since they are not sure which outlet is next. My dear, stop listening and reading wrong reports they doctor here in this rocky heavens."

"So how will I know what is truly happening in Nigeria?"

"Two options. Me and Facebook."

"But you are a Perm Sec now, and my Facebook page is filled with curses that outlive our tenth generation. So I'm still stuck with my special advisers and various presidential committees."

"Give me an official appointment and I'll advise you accordingly."

"Lol, I can't stop laughing."

"Which one is 'lol'? Is it not a popular chatting abbreviation? Why are you using it for me?"

"Sorry dear, I'm just at a crossroads and shocked with the strong odds against my government. There is nothing I do that people won't complain about. Just imagine how kids that were not born when I got my PhD were insulting me when I honored MKO by renaming UNILAG. One of the posters read 'GEJ is confused as usual'. I don't know how to please these people."

"You don't have to please anybody. You should learn from me. They say I can't speak correct English language and advise I stick to the written speeches. But do I care? I don't mind them. I know a lot of journalists are now in Bayelsa waiting for me to start making silly grammartical mistakes but I don't go around worrying myself."

"I think you should be concerned. I was a lil scared when you said 'we all have AIDS' but not as scared as when you said "fellow widows". Those are serious words with potentially fatal consequences, especially in a superstitious nation and presidential habitation like ours."

"You won't die young my dear. You didn't die as a lecturer despite the numerous ASUU strikes, you didn't die as deputy governor, as governor and as vice president."

"But there is power in the tongue, or didn't you hear the vicar's message at the Fathers' Day celebration service?"

"Ooooh! The service at which you refused to say amen to the preachers' prayers."

"Yea, that one. But what is the problem of Nigerians, must I say amen to every prayer said by Pastor Adeboye, Cardinal Okojie, and Pastor Chris?"

"Which of the 'Chrises', the one with hair issue or the one with marital issues"

"Don't judge the man of God"

"People shouldn't judge me either"

"You are their leader, they elected you."

"Pastors are leaders too, double standards could destroy this nation."

"How?"

"My wife makes linguistic mistakes, she becomes a laughing stock; the GO makes grammartical errors, they call it a word of knowledge"

"A man beats his child, they charge him for assault; a pastor slaps a member, they call it deliverance."

"Oh, this is my favorite."

"Tell me"

"Okay here it is. Fela marries many wives in a day, they call him a fornicator; a pastor divorces his third wife going for fourth, they say he's being persecuted."

"Someone once said the best way to get away with a crime in Nigeria is to say the phrase 'Thus saith the Lord' before commiting the crime."

"Just like the various killings in the north that are giving me sleepless nights. As you can bear me witness, I barely sleep these days"

"I agree with you, and it is affecting your performance, I can tell."

"Which performance are you talking about?"

"No it's nothing, keep talking"

"Just imagine the headaches I have to cure: insecurity, power, refineries, roads, godfathers, ACN which by the way is getting stronger these days, and the economy which Ngozi said needs urgent actions"

"What of the pastor that keeps attacking you from the pulpit, Dele who keeps swinging the pedulum, El-Rufai that can't stay off Twitter, Omojuwa, and the 'enemies' cursing you on Facebook? Obviously Reuben cannot handle all of them alone. Maybe you should set up a committee to handle that area for you."

"LWKMD"

"Stop using those chat abbreviations for me"

"Sorry dear, your suggestion made me laugh. If I heard you right, you want me to set up a Presidential Committee On The Handling Of The President's Enemies. Right?"

"Something like that"

"That is not a committee, it's a killer squad, members will include professionals like Sergeant Rogers. Abeg I no get that kain mind"

"Those people are not being fair with their clamour for your resignation, the latest being the legislators"

"Seriously, I'm not afraid of the plot, because how can a house whose members couldn't obey the first rule of corruption which is "Thou shall not get caught" successfully impeach me?"

"Are you saying it is not possible? Cos if you are thinking that then you might be wrong."

"How do you mean?"

"Remember Etteh Must Go?"

"Yes"

"They painted her before the whole world as corrupt only for you to give her a national award when she was found innocent. I see them deploying the same strategy here, that's why we need my Perm Second job which has a guaranteed retirement package."

"I can't imagine that happening because I've not concluded my Transformation Agenda"

"Just keep exposing them, I know that's why they are angry but don't dull yourself like Etteh and reduce the number of literary warriors by attracting them with juicy appointments. I love what you did with Ribadu, poor boy"

"You are so intelligent and helpful tonight, what is responsible?"

"The weather is cold, my husband is here and we are all by ourselves. What do you expect? Stop asking questions and let's get it over with before breaking news take you away from my side."

"Now you understand why I like to be on top, of the situation of course."

"Hehehe, oya now"

Who killed Chuka Umunna's father?

The father of a Labour frontbencher who is tipped as a future party leader died in a mysterious car crash that friends fear was a  political assassination.

Bennett Umunna, whose son Chuka is Labour’s business spokesman and MP for Streatham, was killed in Nigeria shortly after  standing for state governor.

Although Mr Umunna – a wealthy London businessman who was a director of Crystal Palace football club – was tipped to win the post,  his supporters claim he lost the vote after refusing to pay bribes during the campaign.

 

 

Questions: Bennett Umunns, left, who is the father of Labour's business spokesman, right, was killed in a mysterious car crash which friends fear was a political assassination

Now close friend Ron Noades, who was chairman of Crystal Palace at the time, has spoken for the first time about his belief that the car crash 20 years ago was no accident.

‘We always thought he was killed by someone, because he did things on the night of his death that he never did in Nigeria,’ he said.

‘He was travelling at night and, secondly, he got into a car with a driver who was not his regular. We always thought he was killed by someone who may have seen him  as a threat.’ 

Mr. Noades, 75, who lives in Purley, South London, also claimed that Mr Umunna had withdrawn a large sum of money from his bank account shortly  before his death. Although Chuka Umunna, 33, has spoken of his father’s death in the past, he has remained vague about the details.

In a recent interview, he said: ‘There was a lot of speculation in Nigeria. He was a well-known  figure. I don’t really want to go  into it, but things in Nigeria don’t operate like here.

‘It’s not like you’re going to get an official post mortem or a proper police investigation.’

Bennett Umunna, who became a successful businessman after arriving in Britain as a penniless immigrant in the Sixties, died after his car apparently crashed into a truck carrying logs on April 1, 1992. 

 

Shared grief: Chuka Umunna with his sister Chinwe and mother Patricia

Weeks earlier, Mr Umunna, 51, had stood to become governor of Anambra, about 270 miles south of the Nigerian capital Abuja.

He regularly travelled back to  the country as the head of a  thriving import-export firm doing business between Europe and West Africa. Mr Noades’s wife Novello, 54, also a close friend of the Umunna family, said: ‘From all the facts  I heard at the time, I think Bennett was assassinated.

‘He was involved in the politics of the country. From what I heard, his car crashed into a vehicle that was carrying logs. That’s how he died.  I don’t know whether the driver  died as well.

‘I remember that day, when I found out about Ben’s death. We moved to our new house, and then I received a call from Ron.

‘He told me Ben had died in Nigeria. I remember crying all day in the bathroom. I was devastated.’

Mr Umunna’s death was registered on the British Consular and High Commission deaths abroad database.

Rising star: Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna said the death of his father is a private matter

A British death certificate states he was living in the city of Enugu in the neighbouring Enugu state, and died on the Onitsha-Owerri highway in Anambra state.

The document does not give his cause of death, but says a local death certificate was presented as ‘evidence of death’.

In Nigeria, the accident was widely covered in the media and it is believed some minutes of silence were observed in Enugu.

Mr Umunna, who is said to have been a tribal chief known as Ben Osi Umunna, was a well-known  and popular businessman in the country, as well as the chairman of a Nigerian football club.

On one internet forum, he is described by a contributor as  ‘the business mogul who came back from England and changed the  face of Enugu in the late Eighties and also became the chairman of Rangers International.

‘He provided a lot of jobs and he became an instant hit. He helped [charitable cases, including] a group of widows, who were on his payroll until he died in a ghastly motor  accident about ’90 or ’91.’

Mr Umunna travelled to England by boat in the mid-Sixties, arriving at Liverpool, to improve his prospects and made his way to London after a stranger gave him money for the train fare. 

He performed a number of menial jobs, including cleaning cars, before building up his business. He became a director of Crystal Palace in the late Eighties after investing £50,000 in the club.

He married Patricia Milmo, a solicitor, in 1976, and the couple  had two children – Chuka and his sister Chinwe, 31, who is also known as Chi Chi.

A spokesman for Chuka Umunna said: ‘Chuka’s father died more than 20 years ago in very tragic  circumstances. 

As Chuka has made it clear previously, the circumstances surrounding his father’s death are a private matter and not something he comments on, painful and upsetting as they are to Chuka and his family.’

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180339/Bennett-Umunna-death-Labour-MPs-father-killed-mysterious-car-crash-refusing-pay-bribes.html?ito=feeds-newsxml