United Ijaw * Welcome to United Ijaw on the web. Our preference is national self determination, the independence of Ijawnation as a Sovereign State. A state that promotes sustainable economic and social development, democratic principles, liberty, free enterprise, equal rights and justice. This is our story, this is our struggle. **** On Kaiama Declaration We Stand **** United Nations Under Secretary-General, Dr. Antonio Maria Costa, in Abuja condemned the theft of Nigeria's assets by past corrupt leaders. He said that kleptomaniac leaders stole more than 400 billion dollars from the Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 1999. **** IJAWNATION THINK! THINK. **** Almost $170 billion of the country’s wealth disappeared and ended in the private accounts of individuals between 1999 and 2003 alone... Priye Torulagha ****Nigeria has failed Niger Delta – Nnamani **** Resource Control: Niger-Delta governors are traitors – Evah **** Only the fear of a volcanic social eruption from below can stop barbaric behaviour by holders of political power – Gani Fawehinmi ***** “ if the Confab and Nigerians are not willing to heed to Resource Control, they will take it by force” - Oronto Douglas We Dare To Be Different.
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Gov's aide deducts LG funds for in-law's burial

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"It seems to me that the further away you are from where the  resources of this country are produced, the better you profit from  it. The people who are nearer, who are proximate to the source of  the resource are poor. During the Oputa panel sittings, I shuddered  to see the depravity of the people in the oil producing areas. I don't  think it is right for us to feel that as long as we can hoodwink, pull  the wool on the face of our unfortunate brothers, wave our  authority and powers and the amount of weapons we can use to  level them, we wouldn't have a conscience" ... Chief  Benjamin Akinyede


Culled form The Guardian Thursday January 29, 2004

Group accuses governors of money-laundering

  • Wants immunity removed
    From John-Abba Ogbodo, Abuja

    A NEW dimension has been added to the fight against corruption in the country with Transparency International yesterday alerting that some state governors are neck-deep in money-laundering and allied crimes.

    Consequently, the Berlin-based non-governmental organisation has asked the Federal Government to see how the immunity clause in the 1999 Constitution could be removed so as to facilitate the governors' prosecution.

    The outgoing acting secretary general of the organisation in Nigeria, General Ishola Williams (retired), declared this yesterday at the inauguration of the Nigerian chapter of African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC) at the National Assembly in Abuja.

    Williams said due to the immunity clause, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has not been able to make public the names of the affected state governors.

    He also decried the state of affairs at the State Houses of Assembly, lamenting that bribery had rendered them incapacitated in terms of laws to check the excesses of the governors.

    "Some governors in Nigeria are money-launderers. The EFCC cannot name their names. They say because of immunity. What sort of nonsense immunity is that? If a governor is a rogue, remove that immunity. The National Assembly should pass a law to remove immunity from those people who have been found to be rogues. Today, we have state assemblies that cannot make certain laws because of Ghana-must-go. It is Nigeria-is-corrupt-bag. That bag is not Ghana-must-go. That bag is Nigeria-is-Corrupt. Nigeria happens to be the only country in the world where members of parliament display money given to them as bribe on the table for the whole world to see," he declared.

    Williams further faulted the concentration of the battle against corruption at the federal level, reiterating that the corruption at the state is terrible.

    His words: "We are only concentrating at the federal level. The states are terrible. What about the state government? There are very few governors who are above board from what we know."

    The outgoing secretary warned Nigerians against fighting corruption only to satisfy conditions of the international financial institutions, pointing out that it would be counter-productive.

    "The struggle against corruption by all of us must not be seen as an action to satisfy the donors and the Bretton Wood institutions. World Bank says you must not be corrupt. IMF says you must not be corrupt. We must not act that way. We must act because it provides opportunities and enhance social and economic lives of our people. We must have that at the back of our mind. We don't care about Bretton Wood, whether World Bank or anything is interested or the donors because they, too, are as corrupt as we are. Maybe, because they have checks and balances and those checks and balance apply," he said.

    He faulted the present arrangement put in place for the prosecution of suspects in corruption-related cases and advocated a fast-track option that would not take a case more than three months to be decided. This, he stressed, would strengthen the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC).

    Williams also called for openness on the part of the Code of Conduct Bureau, pointing out that the secrecy surrounding its operation defeats the essence of its existence.

    He equally called on the National Assembly to pass into law without delay the freedom of information bill.

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, gave assurance that as a way of strengthening the ICPC, the amended act would be repealed.

    He also gave assurance that all institutions involved in the anti-corruption crusade would be supported by the legislature in terms of appropriation.

    The regional director of APNAC and chairman of the House Committee on anti-corruption and national ethics, Nduese Essien, said the initiative is an approach by the parliament not to leave the fight against corruption to the executive alone.

    The forum, he said, would work assiduously to ensure that the fight was taken to the state legislatures.

    He said as representatives of the people, lawmakers would not relent in the crusade.

    The chairman of ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi (rtd), commended the efforts of the parliament, stressing that it would solve the problem of lack of political will, which marred the crusade in the past.****okay



  • Culled form The Guardian Tuesday February 10, 2004

    Fresh posers over bid for presidential jet
    By Our Reporters

    THE uproar over plans to buy a new presidential jet may have reached another height even within the government with the latest concern being with the status of the particular aircraft to be purchased and the cost.

    Questions are being raised on the propriety of choosing the particular one being targeted and whether the $80 million, if it must be used on a presidential jet, could not fetch a better or newer model.

    According to sources, the government has its eyes on a 1999 BBJ-1 (Boeing Business Jet) built in 1999.

    Its serial number is said to be 29272 and Registration Number is N7378P. It was initially sold directly to a company called Raytheon Systems Corporation in 1999 which ordered it for Netjet, a group that specialises in corporate jets.

    The aircraft is currently being marketed by Hallmark Aviation Limited based in Columbia, Maryland, USA.

    A company, known as Uniglobal Aviation, is said to be involved in the sale to Nigeria. The asking price is between $32.8 million and $35 million. But the crux is that the aircraft is almost out of warranty since it has done very little flying since it was bought in 1999. In fact, information on the aircraft obtained by The Guardian shows that it has flown only 22 hours in 19 cycles. It is labelled "Green," not painted and has no interior. Having been on the ground for about six years, its landing gear, which has a 10-year limit, sources claim, may have to go for total re-fit. Besides, there is said to be serious corrosion on its body. All these and other repairs, according to the calculations of those in charge of the procurement, would gulp another $45 million to bring the total cost to $80 million. A figure many say could be used to buy a better newer aircraft with a tidy balance still left.

    Meanwhile, a committee given the responsibility to buy it is either planning an inspection or may have inspected the aircraft. The buying party, The Guardian learnt, with the $80 million or N10 billion to spend, is believed to have already sourced a contractor in Europe to carry out refurbishment and refitting for between $15 million $18 million, including between $4 million-$6.5 million for crew training and another unspecified amount for spares and insurance.

    Causing a big disquiet in government also are some of the justifications for the purchase of a new aircraft. According to the spokespersons of the Presidency, the aircraft is for Nigeria and not for the president and that they would trade in three of the existing ones thus: Hawker Sideley 1000 series - $4.7 million; GulfStream II - $1 million and Boeing 727 - $12.3 million, totalling $18 million.

    Sources however claim that even these ones, it would seem, are being sold at almost give-away prices, the Boeing 727 especially.

    According to a source, about $9 million was used to re-engine the aircraft recently. Hence, the question: why would the country sell it for N12.3 million considering the amount spent on the upgrading? "Or was the aircraft worth only $3 million before upgrading?" a source queried.

    Also, aviation sources are saying that if Nigeria must buy a jet, BBJ-1 came in 1998 but already, there is BBJ-2 (2003) which goes for about $65 million with the latest technology and fresh warranty.

    "Why then buy a jet for $35 million and seek to spend up to $45 million to put it in the air?"

    It would be recalled that when the request for a new presidential jet was presented to the National Assembly, as part of the items in the 2004 budget, legislators kicked against it.

    Afterwards, President Olusegun Obasanjo informed the nation that the request was not supposed to be in the budget speech and asked that he had intended to merely inform the House of request and not make it part of the budget.

    One of his aides, Captain Usman Iyal, subsequently said the staffers in the Presidency were the ones who inserted the clause on jet in the budget speech leading Nigerians to wonder if the quest for the Presidential jet was being carried out more by the Presidential staff than the President himself.

    Meanwhile, it is not known if the members of the committee saddled with the task of procuring the aircraft had made any enquiries on BBJ-1 No. N7378P from Boeing, the manufacturer or if the Nigerian Aviation Ministry knows anything about the purchase bid. The Guardian however learnt that the due process office in the Presidency may have begun seeking answers to the many questions over the bid.



Gov's aide deducts LG funds for in-law's burial

By Samuel Oyadongha
Vanguard, Friday, October 31, 2003

 YENAGOA— A special adviser to the governor of Bayelsa State has forcibly deducted this month's allocation of local governments in the state towards the burial of his father-in law in Ogun State.

It was learnt that two aircraft owned by an indigenous airline have been chartered for the purpose of conveying guests from Port Harcourt airport.

The action of the Special Adviser regarded as the "Strong Man" of Bayelsa State politics is now causing ripples in the state. Informed sources told Vanguard that the two local government chairmen were forced to cough out N16m as their own contributions towards the burial from their October allocation.

Investigations revealed that N500,000 was deducted at source from each of the council areas while 16 out of the 24 lawmakers in the state House of Assembly whose elections were influenced by the Special Adviser were said to have doled out N300,000 each.

Commissioners and permanent secretaries were not left out as members of his (Special Adviser) cartel were said to have gone round to ensure they contributed their quota.

Reliable sources informed Vanguard that, already, there is a cold war between the state Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Mr. Fedude Zimughan and the special adviser over the former’s refusal to deduct the councils’ fund at source which the council chairmen were later said to have released on their own out of fear.

Efforts to get the comment of the Commissioner proved abortive as he was said to have gone out on official assignment staff in the Ministry who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that the relationship between the commissioner and t special adviser is strained because of the former's refusal to be intimidated