Lawan: I Collected $500,000 Bribe Offer, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Revisited: Petroleum Subsidy Scam, EFCC and Presidential Denial!

As at the time of writing, Mr. Farouk Lawan, the debonair, diminutive and dapper Boyish-looking member of the Nigerian House of Assembly, reputed to be highly savvy and conversant in rules and procedural trajectories of the House business, is still holding on tight to his chair in the Lower House, years after confessing to have received more than half a million dollar from the Nigerian SSS in a sting operation that went awry. It was a high stake maneuvering, designed and executed, though with doubtful intent, by the SSS and Chief Otedola, with a goal to inducing Mr. Farouk Lawan and his deputy, Mr. Emanalo Boniface, to alter the report of their investigations into the fraudulent dealings of some bogus petroleum marketers in favor of Chief Otedola. 

As the talk of the removal of petroleum subsidy resonates, and about two years after the report of the Lawan Committee, the SSS, whose funds were recklessly dissipated in the botched job, has yet to recover a dime from the two congressmen. In a similar vein, EFCC is yet to secure a conviction of any of the major players in the scandal.

The question that Nigerians have not asked or yet to ask is: what informed the SSS's involvement in the report, given the fact that the Committee was doing a legitimate investigation? Besides, we have it on record on this Blog that the Senate, in a previous year, did publish the names of Petroleum Marketers who benefited from the Petroleum Subsidy Funds, without actually stating whether or not the beneficiaries supplied or imported Petroleum Products by the terms of the contract.

What the House of Representative or the Lawan Committee did or intended to do was more extensive and damning in every respect. And the Report later indicated so. In spite of everything, someone or some powerful Nigerians wanted a preemption of the report by any means necessary. SSS' involvement was not to protect our national interest or the integrity of the House of Representatives, but to punch holes in the report of the Committee, to discredit and render it useless. It didn't happen. 

Today, crude oil is back in the news, and the talk of the removal of the petroleum subsidy is ripe.

What I want Nigeria to remember is that, one, the more than half a million dollars furnished to Mr. Farouk Lawan and his deputy by the SSS has not been recovered.

Secondly, Mr. Lawan and his collaborators are still in the House. These gentlemen do not enjoy any immunity in the instant case. That they are still standing is an indictment on the part of the Executive, on whose branch is the SSS, as well as the Attorney General, who, from all indications, didn't consider the bribery scandal egregious enough to warrant the attention of his office.

And three, that the most influential names among the bogus petroleum marketers are not in jail, and have not refunded the money they stole. Truth is, in more decent climes, there would not have been any need for a trial, but an outright recovery or forfeiture proceeding. Because their culpability and guilt have been established beyond every known standard of reasonable doubt.

On the other hand, in the United States of America, where the Almighty Dollar is the means of exchange, their FBI could only expend about $90,000 to execute a similar operation that their counterpart in Nigeria wasted about half a million dollars to execute, without success. 

In addition, the FBI, working with the US Justice Department, tried and convicted Congressman William Jefferson, who accepted a bribe to induce a Nigerian businessman to secure favourable terms in a telecom deal. Before the trial and conviction, the FBI recovered $80,000 out of the money they gave to Mr. Jefferson for the sting operation.

At this juncture, it is trite to conclude that the deficiency inherent in the prosecution and conviction of influential white collar criminals in our public sector is made worse by a President who is seemingly oblivious to the egregious state of the situation. 

Once at a public event, the President commended the EFCC for the trial of about 200 white collar criminals. He did not make any mention of the notorious petroleum marketers. He also, in a praising mood, took umbrage at EFCC for not publishing or celebrating their accomplishments. The success stories, the President and whoever it was that briefed him before the public praise are a trial and conviction of Yahoo-Yahoo operatives and other petty thieves.

What the President may not have known at the time of that media briefing is that the children of the last two big guys of his own political party who, no doubt, are the kingpin of the one of a kind petroleum subsidy scam in the history of Nigerian oil subsidy, have not been tried or convicted. That is in spite of the overwhelming evidence of culpability established by Lawan's Committee as well as the proof beyond a reasonable doubt findings of Aigbojie's investigatory panel instituted by the President. 

Also, to say EFCC on its part is in denial is an understatement. A few months ago, while in audience with some delegates from the Netherlands Embassy at Abuja, the Chairman of EFCC, told his visitors that there is no body or institution out there exerting pressure on the agency on who to prosecute or let alone. He concluded by citing the trial of the children of the last two chairmen of the PDP. What the EFCC boss failed to tell his guests is the percentage of the scammed funds he has recovered from the two scammers. He specifically stated: Trial, and not conviction or forfeiture or recovery.

I would like to conclude by saying that trial is not synonymous with conviction or forfeiture. And from all indications, the Presidency is in denial with respect to the trial and conviction of fraudulent Nigerians by the law enforcement agencies. 

Therefore, any attempt to tamper with the petroleum subsidy or hike the price of petroleum products, without a show of concrete proof of recovery of the previously squandered funds by NNPC and its affiliates, must be resisted and rejected by every Nigerian.  

I supported the removal of the subsidy during the "Occupy Nigeria" protest about two years ago, not necessarily because the subsidy is economically stupid, but on the ground that, as applied or implemented in Nigeria, it does not reflect in lower prices at the gas pump. And Nigerians know the cause of that disconnect: those paid to supply never did supply. And that has been the culture. 

Before the involvement of the House Committee, and before the inauguration of the "Occupy Nigeria" protest, the President told Nigerians that there is a fraud in the subsidy regime, and that powerful forces are frustrating the happening of the intended benefits - lower prices of petroleum products. One would have thought that on the publication of the Lawan Committee and the indictment of the bogus petroleum marketers by the Aigbojie's panel, the President would have taken the initiative to direct the recovery or forfeiture process straight from his office. This is a unique case, and there is nothing abhorrent in the President being a judge in his own case on behalf of Nigerians. Oil is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, and petroleum subsidy is a crucial component of that equation. Today, we know better. 

Also, the former Governor of Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, now the Emir of Kano, supported the removal on the ground that the subsidy only benefits wealthy and highly placed Nigerians. Though the Emir's position and a few others correspond with mine, I did in fact argue that the Government should, in the meantime, step into the importation of the essential petroleum products, and reinvest the accruing profits into expansion and capacity building of domestic refineries. That is a bold step, if we must succeed in overcoming all the ills associated with our petroleum subsidy.

Okey Ndibe And The Search For Visionary Nigerians

"I believe that too many Nigerians resort to ethnic baiting precisely because they are so thoroughly impoverished, so ground down, that they must find somebody else to blame. Part of the mutual suspicion between Muslims and Christians arises from the same toxicity of lived experience. The main instigators and profiteers from Nigeria’s malaise thrive when their victims are too engrossed in ethnic and religious hate to recognise their common foes."

"I say let’s go beyond this facile notion that we must choose only between the PDP and the APC. There are lots of other parties out there, some of them founded by progressive and visionary Nigerians. Rather than be detained by the real or ostensible odds and impediments, the enlightened political elements in Nigeria should adopt one of these marginal, fledgling parties and turn it into a vibrant and vital third force in the 2015 elections. It’s going to be arduous, demanding a re-orientation of the pauperised and desperate Nigerians. But it’s a challenge that the class of enlightened Nigerians should not easily ignore. A party that offers a strong critique of the current diseased politics symbolised by the PDP and APC, and puts forward a set of principles for transforming all aspects of Nigeria, is a winning formula. Nigeria needs to be rescued from the tyrannising hands of the PDP and APC." - Professor Okey Ndibe: Sahara Reporters.

Blogger's Comment:

Standing For Something

When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was leaving for London, England, in furtherance of his educational goal (that was before our independence), he made a declaration before his people that no child of school-going age would have the need to walk for long distance to a tuition free school, when he is back to power. As he promised, the dream or the declaration was implemented to the letter successfully throughout his time in office. 

And at the dawn of partisan politics in the Second Republic, he came up again with the idea of Free Education at all Levels, and it was also a success story in the States governed by the Unity Party of Nigeria. 

Pa Awo, in the style of what Mr. Henry Ford of Ford Motors did with auto engineers, assembled the best and the brightest brains his political party could assemble or consult with in Economics and Strategic Management on how to finance the free education dream. He demanded that his egg-heads structure a financial package that would make the implementation of his dream or concept a reality. His consultants did, and Free Education at all levels was a success story. 

The dream was his dream, not imposed on him by the accident of time. It is on record that when Premier Balewa invited him for a coalition ticket, it was the issue of Free Education at all Levels, which Balewa was not comfortable with, and which Pa Awo was not willing to jettison for power power-sharing ticket, that doomed the coalition talks. It was the same story with President Shehu Shagari of the then NPN. Awo wasn't cut out for "accord concord-ale", that won't stand the test of time. Leadership involves standing for something, pragmatism or not, but at least, standing for something.  

Today, can anyone name an authentic progressive candidate at the national level under the flag of the APC? 

Vice President Atiku was Obasanjo's Vice President for eight years, a PDP administration. Today, he is a strong candidate gunning for the APC ticket. He is a shrewd businessman and a successful manager of men. He is, above all, a capitalist and a quintessential conservative. How does he fit into the APC ideological framework?

Mr. Buhari, a fine retired military General, was a Military DICTATOR who criminalised the rights of free speech before his government was toppled in a palace coup. He has no iota of progressive credentials. He does not talk progressively, and he does not live progressively. He surrounded himself with bootlickers who are known to be overtly antagonistic or resistant of alternative views. Today, Buhari is a leading candidate under the banner of the APC.

The indefatigable Chief Tinubu, a stubborn maverick to the core, is having difficulties manoeuvring the APC primaries to his advantage or for the good of the party. He has an electable candidate right in front of him, but he is busy chasing after a shadow. 

First, he ran after PDP rebels at the expense of a nationwide familiarisation tour. And recently, under the cover of darkness, he endorsed the lightweight Tambuwah for the APC presidential ticket. Only for the political prostitute Tambuwah to undeclared his presidential declaration bid in less than a week. Governor Fashola, the most electable candidate under the platform of APC, thanks to Tinubu, is rotting away underutilised. So, show me the real progressive!

In the opinion of Mr. (Bombastic) Joe Igbokwe, any candidate is better than President Jonathan. Sir, I beg to differ. APC was not formed as a progressive party just to cast a pictorial difference; progressive attributes must be inherent and non-negotiable. Okay is on target. And I see reason with him.

I had cause to disagree with Professor Ndibe in his penultimate article a few days ago, because the problem with Nigeria, in my view, is leadership intertwined with structurally related problems. I beg to add that it is not exclusively the deformities associated with amalgamation. 

If we can correct the abuse associated with the deformities and the structural related problems - the north south divide, the born-to-rule mindset, the monstrosity of the central government, and the secularism factor (separation of religion and state) - I am optimistic that Nigeria will experience greatness again, with the component units exercising certain degree of autonomy. 

That Okey has not taken the pain to explain to Nigerians his ideas of a Nigerian nation-state, or how to define Professor Ndibe's contrived "contraption", is what I find problematic. 

Pa Awo called it "geographical expression" and demanded true federalism. When he realised one wasn't on the horizon, he concentrated on developing his western region. 

Balewa, on his part, described it as "marriage of convenience", and decided he wasn't ready for independence, because it would lead to the second colonisation of his own people by southerners who were as at then considerably superior academically. Even when freedom came, he decided to remain in Kaduna. 

Presently, we have a President of Southern extraction who is labouring in vain to detach Nigerian power and politics from the stranglehold of Obasanjo and all the Tukurs of Nigeria. 

So, reading Okey's instant piece on the need for a third force and visionary Nigerians was a welcome relief. The main reason I pulled or deleted my review of his penultimate piece, which, in fact, I wrote in anger.

The Disappearance or Absence of Progressive Narrative!

About a year ago, I wrote about the possibility and the necessity of a third force on this very Blog, when the APC leadership team blindly and naively ran after runaway PDP Governors. See "In Search of a Real Political Party", published September 8, 2013. Also, see "The Cluelessness of the Progressives", published April 23, 2014.  They dispensed with the idea of a grassroots support system rooted in a social mobilisation campaign tour as selflessly counselled by progressive commentators on social media. They rejected the call, arguing that it is strategically more beneficial to align with rebel Governors than embark on a recruitment drive for new followers. And they got burned in the process. 

Their biggest catch then, today, is their number one nemesis. The same progressive commentators, who rallied round them before and immediately after the formation of the APC, are now on their enemy list. APC and their Press Boys were openly and blatantly hostile to the views and opinions of the often maligned diaspora-based-know-it-all-commentators. In any case, the time is now to move forward. 

Indeed, it takes the deep to know the deep, just as it takes enlightenment to know the enlightened; nevertheless, until the deep and the enlightened are recognised, identified and supported for noble causes and challenges, that deepness and that enlightenment become nothing but a bunch of uncut imaginations. And that is a task Professor Ndibe has to champion. Given the urgency of the moment, it is expected that progressives who cherish the need for a third force and its reality should coalesce efforts to diligently identify and co-opt the "enlightened political elements" into the new start. The ongoing trend is not sustainable. That is the first start.

Find below some excerpts from "In Search of A Real Political Party", written and posted on Sept 8, 2013, on this Blog.

Why the Search?

About a month ago, some non-partisan (progressive learning) opinion writers called on Buhari and APC to embark on a familiarisation tour to impress it upon Nigerians why they are better than PDP and President Jonathan. Surprisingly, the response from Buhari supporters was brutally disparaging. By the way, claiming a progressive label when you starkly lack progressive credentials is a hard sell. Thus, making the need for a lecture circuit a major priority. Unfortunately, the call was misconstrued, and the timely articles went unappreciated. Consequently, a progressive narrative that would have heralded the emergence of APC suffered stillbirth. 

What Do We Do Now?

Nigeria is not a one-party state. There is the newly registered APC, and from all indications, the leadership of the party will not field a candidate that progressives at home and abroad will rally around with enthusiasm. That is the main concern of real progressives, me in particular. If APC cannot grow out of the shadow of Lai, Buhari, Tinubu and Ikimi, they will continue to encounter problems garnering nationwide acceptance. 

There must be a total, vehement, and unequivocal detachment from what's been. I do believe in my heart that General Buhari has the tenacity and toughness to deal with those stealing our wealth, but whether he has the intellectual wherewithal to carry Nigeria as a country, its people and resources to a new and enviable level in this modern time, is my doubt. We are not under Military rule. Nigerians do not want another abusive and intolerant President Obasanjo again at Aso Rock. That makes a nationwide or campus tour very relevant. He has to talk.

That the core members of the new APC are not, historically speaking, progressives is not the main concern. That they are not strategising at the moment towards developing a new brand, really progressive with a populist narrative, will doom the party. So, one can say without equivocation that it's deja vu all over again. These folks do not know when and how to capitalise on troubling occurrences within their major rival parties to strengthen their messages. 

The Search for the Unknown Force and a New Nigerian.

On a last note, Nigeria will not disintegrate. A third credible force will emerge to battle the PDP, given the fact that the APC is seemingly lethargic at the moment. In a similar vein, it won't be from within PDM or the New PDP - they are already polluted. It won't be the Military, either. Battling PDP in the 2015 election may fall on either the Independent Democrats or an unknown third force. 

Therefore, Independent Democrats, in their search for a flag bearer, must go beyond the present bunch of discredited leaders who wrecked and corrupted a supposedly great nation. They will have to do a real search for a real intellectual/technocrat as a Presidential candidate for 2015 to prevent the emergence of the third force.

If they don't, Nigeria will come to a standstill after a brutal and bloody upheaval. At the end of the day, language, tribe, culture, and religion will cease to be of any influence in defining Nigerian oneness as a nation-state. The oppressed will speak in one voice, whether from Kano, Umuohia, Sokoto, Abeokuta, Ewohimi, Asaba, Keffi, Eket, Warri, or Lagos. A true hero will emerge out of the debris to restore sanity, grace, and real leadership to Nigerians at home and abroad.

(President Jonathan can avert a bloody revolution from evolving: it is about true leadership. And that again, depends on whether or not he is willing to send thieving ex-Governors to jail, prevail on bogus Oil Marketers to forfeit their loot and belongings to the Federal Government, stop the large-scale squandering of riches in high places, and restore stability in our educational sector.

The fact that the present opposition forces, as highlighted above, are indolent, politically and strategically speaking, is not enough ground for the PDP to start celebrating a 2015 victory, because Nigerians are no fools.  Also, that the country is going out of existence as postulated by western organizations, is not happening. Nigeria will remain one country, but with independent component states emerging in the true sense of a true federalism. 

PDP, New PDP, APC, or PDM as presently composed, cannot lead that new beginning - restructuring and openness. They are responsible for the decadence of the past and the uncertainties of the present. The monstrosity of the federal government is not sustainable - there is a need for a great deal of dilution (reducing the power and control of national revenue/resources and institutions by a sitting President). 

It is now left for Independent Democrats to step into the scene, with vigorous populist/progressive agenda, anchored on the principle of one nation one destiny (egalitarianism) under the leadership of an all round intellectual warrior - one who truly espouses the principle of true federalism, sustainable development of our natural resources, and war against official corruption as well as embezzlement of our public funds.  That is the party I am ready and willing to align with. If Independent Democrats fail to live up to expectations, assuming also that President Jonathan did not transform himself, then the emergence of a third force cannot be compromised. 

Thank you, and God Bless.

Alex Aidaghese - September 8, 2013.

How Boko Haram can be defeated — Col. Umar - Vanguard News

"The Human rights allegations must be investigated and appropriate measures taken to avert hostility between our security forces and civilians. There is need for strong cooperation between our troops and the civilian population they are out to defend."

"To beef up the strength of the military, Umar called on the Federal Government to recall all armed forces personnel in the reserve. It may also consider reabsorbing all able bodied and willing discharged veterans of international peacekeeping operations. There is the need to order back to barracks all security personnel who are currently deployed on non-essential duties for retraining and redeployment to the war front in the North-East."

“We are aware that not less than 20 per cent of our security manpower is deployed for duties as guards and servants to non-entitled serving and retired officers and their spouses. These should be withdrawn and properly redeployed. Without giving away our strength to the enemy, I will recommend that we increase our recruitment and employ only those that are willing to defend the country. This will also make it possible to rotate our personnel to ensure that none stays in the front longer than 12 months per tour." - Col. Umar: Vanguard News Paper.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/boko-haram-can-defeated-col-umar/#sthash.66ukaEMm.dpuf