Monthly Archives: February 2013

Benedict XVI Formally Ends His Papacy and Leaves Vatican

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Benedict XVI Formally Ends His Papacy and Leaves Vatican

The helicopter carrying Pope Benedict XVI flew toward Castel Gandolfo, a town outside                                                                                           Rome where popes have summered for centuries.

VATICAN CITY — Benedict XVI ceased to be pope at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Eastern) Thursday when his resignation took effect, leaving the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church vacant while its leading clerics consider who should succeed him.

Benedict left the Vatican by helicopter on Thursday afternoon to spend the final hours of his scandal-dogged papacy and the first of his retirement at a summer residence used by popes for centuries. Onlookers in St. Peter’s Square cheered, church bells rang and Romans stood on rooftops to wave flags to see him off as he flew from Rome to the summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town southeast of the city. More carillons heralded his arrival there, and he was greeted by a vivid contingent of silver-suited firemen, gendarmes in red capes, and bishops in black and pink.

Addressing cheering well-wishers from a window at the residence, he said: “Dear friends, I am happy to be with you! Thanks for your friendship and affection! You know this is a different day than others.”

Earlier in the day, in one of his concluding acts, Benedict addressed a gathering of more than 100 cardinals who will elect his successor, urging them to be “like an orchestra” that harmonizes for the good of the Roman Catholic Church. From a gilded throne in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the pope thanked the cardinals collectively, and then rose to greet each of them individually.

Draped in a red and gold mantle lined with snow-white ermine, Benedict clasped the hands of each cardinal as they removed their red skullcaps and kissed the pope’s ring. Benedict told them, “I will be close to you in prayer” as the next leader of the church is chosen. Many of them were appointed to their powerful positions as so-called princes of the church by Benedict or by his predecessor, John Paul II, and are seen as doctrinal conservatives in their mold. “Among you is also the future pope, whom I promise my unconditional reverence and obedience,” Benedict told the cardinals, reflecting the concern among Vatican watchers about what it will mean to have two popes residing in the Vatican.

As pope emeritus, Benedict intends to reside in Castel Gandolfo for several months and then return to the Vatican to live in an apartment being prepared for him in a convent whose gardens offer a perfect view of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.

He surprised many on Feb. 11 when he announced that, feeling his age and diminishing strength, he would retire, a dramatic step that sent the Vatican hierarchy spinning. He reassured the faithful on Sunday that he was not “abandoning” the church, but would continue to serve, even in retirement. In an emotional and unusually personal message on Wednesday, his final public audience in St. Peter’s Square, Benedict said that he sometimes felt that “the waters were agitated and the winds were blowing against” the church.

His retirement will bring changes in style and substance. Rather than the heavy ornate robes he wore to greet the cardinals, Benedict will wear a simple white cassock, with brown shoes from Mexico replacing the red slippers that he and other popes have traditionally worn, the color symbolizing the blood of the martyrs.

The conclave to elect the next pope, expected in mid-March, will begin amid a swirl of scandal. On Monday, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s senior Roman Catholic cleric, said he would not participate in the conclave, after having been accused of “inappropriate acts” with several priests, charges that he denies. Other cardinals have also come under fire in sexual abuse scandals, but only Cardinal O’Brien has recused himself.

On Monday, Benedict met with three cardinals he had asked to conduct an investigation into a Vatican scandal in which hundreds of confidential documents were leaked to the press and published in a tell-all book last May, the worst security breach in the church’s modern history. The three cardinals compiled a hefty dossier on the scandal, which Benedict has entrusted only to his successor, not to the cardinals entering the conclave, the Vatican spokesman said earlier this week.

On Thursday, Panorama, a weekly magazine, reported that the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, had been conducting his own investigation into the leaks scandal, including requesting wiretaps on the phones of some members of the Vatican hierarchy. That would be taking a page from the playbook of magistrates in Italy, where wiretaps are extensive.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said on Thursday that in the context of an investigation into the leaks, magistrates of the Vatican, not the secretary of state, “might have authorized some wiretaps or some checks,” but nothing on a significant scale. The idea of “an investigation that creates an atmosphere of fear of mistrust that will now affect the conclave has no foundation in reality.”

A shy theologian who appeared to have little interest in the internal politics of the Vatican, Benedict has said that he is retiring “freely, and for the good of the church,” entrusting it to a successor who has more strength than he does. But shadows linger. The next pope will inherit a hierarchy buffeted by crises of governance as well as power struggles over the Vatican Bank, which has struggled to conform to international transparency norms.

Many faithful have welcomed Benedict’s gesture as a sign of humility and humanity, a rational decision taken by a man who no longer feels up to the job.

As he stood near St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday after attending the pope’s last public audience, Vincenzo Petrucci, 26, said he had come to express “not so much solidarity, but more like closeness” to the pope. “At first we felt astonished, shocked and disoriented,” he said. “But then we saw what a weighty decision it must have been. He seemed almost lonely.”

Many in the Vatican hierarchy, known as the Roman Curia, are still reeling from the news. Many are bereaved and others seem almost angry. “We are terribly, terribly, terribly shocked,” one senior Vatican official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Newyork Times

Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris

The Comedy of Umana.O.Umana and the Politics of Continuity‏

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The Comedy of Umana.O.Umana and the Politics of Continuity
 ”Because today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups… So I ask, in my writing, what is real? Because unceasingly, we are bombarded with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing.”
― Philip K. Dick
Umana Okon Umana, SSG, did nothing to prevent high profile kiliings in Akwa Ibom State

Umana Okon Umana, SSG, did nothing to prevent high profile kiliings in Akwa Ibom State

A well orchestrated media hype has started again in AKWA IBOM STATE. Even though the political war will be won and lost in 2015, the participants have started the battle. The stake is high; the governorship seat of oil rich AKWA IBOM STATE. There is “excitement” and agitation in the air as political “warlords” are cutting down real and perceived enemies with long drawn knives. The buzz is actually centered on the candidacy of a former civil servant known as UMANA.O.UMANA, whose protagonists are willing to sell their hands and legs to ensure his emergence as governor in 2015.This shenanigan has taken the focus of critics who should be more concerned about the activities of the present administration.
One would be magnanimous to state that UMANA.O.UMANA, as a citizen of AKWA IBOM STATE, has the undisputed prerogative to seek the mandate of the people to be elected as governor. It is also incumbent on the electorate to decide if he has the capacity and sagacity to govern AKWA IBOM STATE. For avoidance of doubt, this writer is of the view the best candidate should emerge irrespective of tribe, religious and ethnic persuasions.
In this era of globalization, AKWA IBOM STATE needs a visionary and charismatic leader who is expected to lead us out from this present state of insecurity, high unemployment rate, excruciating poverty, political and economic quagmire which have bedeviled our home land. We need that responsive leader with great interpersonal skills and a flair for attracting investors in order to ensure and enhance a backward integration policy that will create thousands of formal and informal job opportunities, thereby ensuring our youths are taken out of the streets where they are currently engage in all kinds of social vices.
It is a known fact that in the last five years, the AKPABIO government has only concentrated on capital projects, some of which may not be fully utilize in the next ten years. The cost of some of these capital projects is supposedly astronomical and worst still; there is no immediate economic correlation between the projects and the downtrodden in terms of putting food on the table. Flyovers are being built on locations where there may not be traffic congestion in the next ten years. Meanwhile, even with the “free” and “compulsory” education policy that is being brandished by the AKPABIO government, the downtrodden can hardly send their wards to school due to inappropriate and obnoxious levies that is arbitrarily imposed on students by teachers and the seemingly government inability to pay teachers regularly. The bottom line is, poverty level is worsening, there is no tap borne water, epileptic electricity power supply is still our lot and the proletariat still lives in shanties due to a housing policy that reportedly favours only the bourgeoisie.
The policies and strategies of the present administration which UMANA.O.UMANA is and has been part and parcel of, has not brought the right succour and respite to the downtrodden, rather political and economic contractors are having a field day. Unemployment rate is still astronomical as our citizens are left with no choice than to get engaged as cooks, stewards and okada riders.Kidnapping is now the booming industry. This is dismaying if one is to take cognizance of the human and natural resources AKWA IBOM STATE is blessed with.
Recently, the Anglican Bishop of Uyo Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Isaac Orama, raised an alarm about the disheartening poverty level in the STATE when he said, unemployment and poverty are major issues in Akwa Ibom State that need “urgent” attention from government.Therefore, it is tempting to postulate that this is a case of gross misplaced priority of policies because someone is putting the cart before the horse. It has been noted that although Governor Akpabio is widely celebrated in the local and international media for his “unprecedented achievements”, beyond the semblance, the poverty and unemployment rate in the state is among the highest in the country. Most state-owned industries have closed shop and the state is not known to have attracted any substantial investment in spite of Governor Akpabio’s several overseas trip in search of foreign investors.
According to a recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment rate in AKWA IBOM STATE is 34.1%.In the survey, the bureau noted that unemployment rates in oil producing states like Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers were higher than the national average because the oil industry that dominates economic activities in those areas is a capital-intensive industry that has very limited space for unskilled labour, which is abundant in the affected states. What this assertion means is, AKWA IBOM is lacking the requisite manpower to achieve overall goals and objectives.Hence; the government focus should be on industrialization, capacity building, agriculture and human capital development to ensure acquisition of requisite skills, knowledge, competences and enhancement of rapid employment generation. These are important needs; not wants like the 50 billion naira IBOM TROPICANA ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.
In the words of George W Bush, “Government does not create wealth. The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate “. It is true government cannot achieve everything and need the private sector to boost employment generation. It is still a misery the AKPABIO government has not been able to create the right environment for private/public participation initiatives (PPP) to strive in the last five years despite unfounded claims of uncommon transformation and unprecedented achievements. It is amazing and indeed a paradox, investors are scared to touch the AKPABIO government with a very long pole. Billions of naira has allegedly been wasted on fruitless foreign trips purportedly embarked upon to seek investors. But it appears the investors understand that the investment-drive of the AKPABIO government is mere “political pomposity”.
If we are to achieve PROJECT AKWA IBOM-that is, overcoming the misery of economic and political underdevelopment, we must get our industrialization right. We need to facilitate colossal investment in agriculture and manufacturing. Crude oil will surely dry up one day, leaving the citizens a dilapidated environment especially in the riverine areas. Already, it was recently alleged the US government, due to technological advancement, will soon stop importation of crude oil. The implication is the demand for crude oil will slide downwards. It is a shame our economy prosperity is still anchored on federal allocation, instead of diversified source of revenue from the agricultural and tourism sector.  Unlike what the innovative DONALD DUKE did in CROSS RIVER STATE, the agricultural and tourism sector has been totally ignored by the AKPABIO government. This writer is of the view, AKWA IBOM will benefit from economic prosperity, driven by appropriate utilization of the resources we have, to get what we want.
Now, let us digress here to scrutinize the antecedents and pedigree of UMANA.O.UMANA who is the secretary to the AKWA IBOM state government (SSG) . From information at my disposal, UMANA .O.UMANA is intelligent having distinguished himself academically in his university days. He can simply be described as an “establishment” career civil servant who rose through the ranks because of his uncanny ability to do the bidding  of his masters. That is to say he is good at taking and executing orders. Most civil servants in Nigeria are lay-backs and bureaucrats who can never initiate concepts that can ensure/enhance achievement of organizational goals and objectives. The civil service in Nigeria is characterized by corruption, bureaucracy, incompetence, red tapism, lack of initiatives, inappropriate usage of government properties, maladministration and is generally known for aiding/abetting politicians to mindlessly loot the treasury. Believe me; it is difficult to move a file from a table to another in a ministry without “settlement”. And I dare to ask, can a cockroach be innocent in the gathering of fowls? Is it possible UMANA .O.UMANA is totally “clean”, having wined and dined in a system that can best be described as the most corrupt in this country.
What values are AKWA IBOMITES expecting from UMANA .O.UMANA in 2015? Is the UMANA government going to be a continuation of the AKPABIO government? Is it not going to be business as usual? Is he going to be like his principal who has NOT been able to attract a single industry/investor/factory in the last five years? Are the bloodlettings, ethnic genocide, kidnappings and hostilities going to continue? For someone who has been taking instruction all his life, does he have the qualities of an articulate transformational and charismatic leader? Is he not coming on board to do the biddings of his paymaster who may likely want to cover some political and financial “dirt”?
AKWA IBOM needs a flexible leader with great interpersonal skills; not a technocrat who is conversant with strict adherence to rigid rules and regulations that is not in tandem with the ever changing business environment.
 The truth is, an average AKWA IBOMITE suffers from a disease called self-defeatism; having been “battered”  by economic deprivation, flawed electoral process, environmental degradation, insecurity and phobia for political and ethnic assassination. These social anomalies have affected the thinking and actions of the average citizen. He/she is willing to dance to the whims and caprices of political scavengers just to have a “peace of mind”, to eat his/her AFFANG SOUP and FUFU. And like the ostrich, is willing to bury its head and pretend all is well. Such is the degree of our dilemma as a people that we just can’t stake our comfort zones to salvage ourselves from perennial servitude. Ethnicity and tribalism is utilized to ensure segregation, hence, it is difficult for like-minds to assemble and chase those “crazy bald heads” out of town.
According to Edward R. Murrow, “A nation of sheep will beget government   of wolves”. People of AKWA IBOM STATE must rise from their sheepish state and tackle this flawed electoral process that produces visionless leaders who are mandated by a cabal to enrich themselves at the detriment of the downtrodden. All they do is to award dubious contracts for irrelevant white elephants projects .They will do anything to realize their every wish. It is weird AKWA IBOM is more or less a one party STATE. The opposition parties in AKWA IBOM STATE has been emasculated, beaten and slaughtered by a force that is characterized by well groomed spin doctors, sycophants, and naked brute power. Even candidates in the last gubernatorial elections, like Engr.Iniekong Udonwa and Captain Sam Ewang, who were bold enough to declare their candidacies, tasted bitter pills they will never forget, as their mother and wife were respectively killed and kidnapped. People like LARRY ESIN who a lot of people had hope on ,as that man who could be the face of the opposition, has reportedly crawled back to PDP ,for “political accommodation”.
I dare to ask, why is there no longer political ideology among politicians like in the days of yore when we had men of “timber and caliber”- apologies to K.O.MBADIWE. In recent times, our political hemisphere has been invaded by political vultures and prostitutes who are very willing to grab political offices for self aggrandizement.  The good people have left the political arena, yet we expect a miracle to catapult change into our lives.
The average AKWA IBOMITE is not ready to contribute towards our liberation and restoration because of lack of self belief. But the people want a CHANGE. They want to be in a situation where they can vote for candidates of their choice. But the obnoxious activities of a cabal have continued to keep the people in political wilderness, denying them and raping their rights through a dubious and flawed electoral process.
Already some politically conscious AKWA IBOMITES have started to react covertly. The people are bitter, angry and desperate that workers are not paid so at when due, the “state of the art” hospitals are mere consulting clinics, there is still abject poverty despite unfounded claims of unprecedented achievements .The March 2011 mayhem in UYO ,is a pointer to this. People are no longer comfortable watching these mindless looters who swindle the collective wealth of a people through bogus white elephant projects, building mansions with high wall fence and living in opulence at the detriment of the downtrodden.
Recently, an online publication (Naijaleaks.org) published a damaging report which revealed an amorous business and political relationship between Governor AKPABIO and UMANA.O. UMANA. According to the report, Godswill Akpabio, Umana Okon Umana, and Emem Akpabio are the real owners of SEPTA ENERGY, a company that was allegedly awarded a 40 million DOLLARS contract without due process to lay pipes for gas supply to IBOM POWER PLANT. That this company, also known to engage in discriminately labour practices, has woefully failed to deliver, because electricity power supply is still epileptic, is a discussion for another day. Other joint investments include Universal Energy, the proposed Ibom Airline Company Limited, Seven Energy, two commercial private jets leased to Top Bras Aviation Company based in Lagos, oilfield vessels operating in Nigeria waters and the  recently acquired a 10% of 49.9% equity shares of Bilfinger Berger of Germany, an international affiliate of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC. It was also alleged by NAIJALEAKS that Gov. AKPABIO reportedly swore an oath to hand over to UMANA.O.UMANA in 2015 at all cost, after he borrowed 2 billion naira from a friend of UMANA.O.UMANA to finance his election in 2007.Perhaps this is the reason why the former deputy governor Mr Ekere was allegedly forced to resign, for having the effrontery to nurse a gubernatorial ambition which would have put spanner in the works.
Where, how and when did UMANA .O.UMANA, a public servant, acquire all these stupendous wealth? How much is his monthly salary? Can this man be trusted? Is he not coming as a hatchet man  to cover a mindless  looting  that would otherwise be discovered by the EFCC and instigate another IBORIGATE? According to NAIJALEAKS, UMANA .O.UMANA is allegedly a conduit for wiring all AKWA IBOM stolen loot abroad in his capacity as Chairman of FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSE COMMITEE  FGPC of Akwa Ibom State.
I believe it is incumbent on AKWA IBOMITES to decide who will govern them come 2015.But in the course of making this salient decision, ethical and moral issues need to be taken cognizance of. Let us vote wisely and hope for the best.
EMMANUEL IMOH EKEREUWEM
 A MORAL PHILOSOPHER AND POLITICAL THINKER
IS A CONSULTANT WITH VANGUARD FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
ABUJA

Governors Forum’s election put off till May Due To Bad-Blood.

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Forum’s election put off till May Due To Bad-Blood
It was a simple gathering of governors to elect their forum’s chairman.
But the Abuja meeting turned out to be more – a verbal war between two governors and a retreat by President Goodluck Jonathan – backed opponents of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) chairman.
All was tense. After four hours, the governors postponed the election till May.
The bad blood generated by the Presidency’s move to oust Amaechi and the insistence of his supporters to ensure he continues defined the meeting.
Faced with a defeat of its bid to remove the Rivers State helmsman, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formed its own Governors’ Forum on Sunday night under the leadership of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio.
It was learnt that anti-Amaechi forces proposed the postponement for time to restrategise.
The anti-Amaechi forces secured only 16 signatures out of the 36 governors at the start of the meeting. They needed 24 signatories for two-thirds or 19 for simple majority.
Reading the communique at the end of the meeting, Amaechi said: “We, the governors of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at our 3rd meeting of the year held on Monday 25th February, 2013, at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, deliberated on a number of issues and resolved as follows:
“Members reviewed the affairs of the Forum in the past 21 months, detailing activities, achievements and challenges experienced during the period.
“After exhaustive deliberation of the issues regarding filling vacant positions, the Forum resolved that election in this regard be postponed until May when the Chairman’s initial two-year tenure will expire.”
Akpabio said: “We thought that the election should be held in May so that by that time, the new leadership will start functioning immediately after they are selected, elected or by consensus they are brought into office.”
“This is almost a committee of equals. Anybody can be chairman or vice chairman. So, it is not a big deal for us.”
On the newly-formed PDP Governors Forum, he said: “We are going to ensure total unification of the PDP. This time around, we want to put our house in order.”
“While the Chairman of NGF can speak for all of us, the PDP Forum will only speak for the PDP governors.
Anambra State Governor Peter Obi said: “The meeting went very well. The reason why we postponed the meeting is that our Constitution says the chairman must give a detailed account of his activities during his tenure before the election.”
“And today, that account was presented. The incumbent has the right to recontest as long as our Constitution is not amended,” he said.
The low point of the meeting was when Akpabio and Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida engaged in a shouting match over the formation of the PDP Governors Forum.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said the session was characterised by tension on both sides of the divide. Amaechi was presiding.
It was gathered that the tension followed a series of caucus meetings attended by the governors preparatory to the session.
The source said: “Both sides had perfected their strategies, but the atmosphere was war-like for the conduct of an acceptable election.
“As a matter of fact, discussions on the desirability of the election got to a point that the newly-elected chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, engaged in a shouting match at the session.”
A source, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “The two governors almost engaged in fisticuffs when Aliyu stood up to make his views known on the formation of PDP Governors Forum at the Presidential Villa on Sunday night.
“The Niger State Governor said there was no basis for forming the PDP Governors Forum. He told his colleagues that there was no problem running the NGF and if anybody has a contrary opinion, he can raise any issue for resolution at the forum. He described the PDP Governors Forum as a deliberate move by the Presidency to split the Nigeria Governors Forum and turn it into a tool to be used.
“Aliyu repeatedly said ‘by forming another forum within a forum, it means forces from outside are at work. He said he saw that a dictator was going to emerge in President Goodluck Jonathan.
Akpabio replied: “The PDP Forum was formed with the consent of party leaders in order to keep the party united.
“There is nothing wrong with it. After all, you are the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum. Is there anything wrong with that? Has Northern Forum divided the NGF?
“The President or the PDP is not using anybody.”
“The shouting match between the two governors was so serious that some governors started packing their files, preparatory to leaving the venue of the meeting because they did not want to be part of the mess.
“At that point, the two governors embraced each other. I think they raised their voices against each other as a carry-over of their irreconcilable positions on Jonathan’s second term ambition.
“While Akpabio is for Jonathan’s second term, Aliyu recently reminded the President to stick to the one-term pact he signed with PDP governors. So, a minor issue at the meeting led to the shouting march.”
The source added that the poll shift was at the instance of anti-Amaechi forces who sensed a loss at the meeting.
The source said: “It was apparent to the forces against Amaechi that they might not secure two-thirds majority or a simple majority to remove the Rivers State Governor.
“Prior to the commencement of the meeting, they were collecting signatories and they secured 16 out of 36, with only an opposition governor against Amaechi.
“They also came to the meeting with a joker to make Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema the new Chairman of the NGF. All their permutations failed like a pack of cards. The pro-Amaechi governors also had a Plan B to make Aliyu the next NGF leader, in case of worst scenario.
“In the midst of the commotion, Akpabio stood up to move a motion for the postponement of the election till May.
Akpabio was quoted as saying: “Why are we in hurry to conduct this election? After all, the tenure of the chairman of the Forum will end in May.
“The election has heated up the polity, as if we are fighting each other. Let us hold the election in May when this tension would have died down.”
The source added: “The proposal from Akpabio was seen as an olive branch from the forces against Amaechi and it was unanimously adopted that the election be postponed till May.”
Asked why the pro-Amaechi governors agreed to the postponement, the source said: “We knew Amaechi’s opponents forces would have staged a walk-out, if we had gone ahead with the election.
“They did not have the number but they can create a crisis within the Forum and split it. This thing requires tact.”
Some of the states represented at the meeting are Borno, Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Niger, Enugu, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Ondo, Anambra and Abia.
Others are: Plateau, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Benue, Sokoto, Gombe, Kano, Kogi, Adamawa, Jigawa, Imo, Edo, Kwara, Ogun, Osun and Katsina.
The Nation Newspaper.

Names of Cultists in Akpabio’s Administration: Update!

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                                                  Names of Cultists in Akpabio’s Administration: Update!
Godswill Akpabio

Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State

Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State

Since I posted this list (below) on February 2010, there have been changes, lots of changes. For instance, Cultist Enobong Uwah has been elevated to Commissioner; Cultist Onofiok Luke has been elevated to Member, AKS House of Assembly; Prince Ikim was kicked out of the ring and is now on the run, afraid of his life.
It is time to update the list by adding more names, especially the new ones who are now in positions of authority. Please forward your suggestions to me at my private email address (thompson.essien@yahoo.com) or contact me at 503-661-6368. You can also send a text message to me at 503-358-3373.
Remember that Umana Okon Umana is going to use some or all of these men to kill for him in the upcoming gubernatorial election. As we already know, cultist Onofiok Luke and cultist Enobong Uwah are busy recruiting their fellow cultists into the campaign of Umana Okon Umana.
Therefore, it is important that we identify who they are now so that we can monitor and document their activities for a possible prosecution in future when they are out of office; believe me, these men are not as strong as they claim to be or want you to believe. These are men with low self-esteem with a serious inferiority complex, which is why they always resort to violence as an option to conflict resolutions.
Again please contact me with information; we really need to update the list, before it is too late.
Ikpafak Thompson Essien
The Voice of the Poor Masses
Defender of the Oppressed
Social Critic
A native of Ibibio nation of Ubium Republic extraction, now living in the safe and beautiful city of Portland, Oregon, where no AKPF, ADUMA, ADV, and Akwa Ibom State politicians can reach.
“On July 13, 2009, a group known as Supreme Council of Akwa Ibom State Youth Leaders published a full page advertorial in The Nation newspaper on the political situation in Akwa Ibom State. It was signed by 36 youth leaders of political groups that are supporting Akpabio, including Isantim Kenneth Okon, the supreme leader of the group. They said it was time the old generation retired from politics: “we think the time has come for them to take a deserved bow out of active politics and relocate to the background from where the youths would only be too happy and very willing to pay homage and tap from their spring of experience.” TELL MAGAZINE
 These are the men:
                             Names of Some Cultist Members in Akpabio’s Administration
Isantim Kenneth Okon
Nse Essien
Michael James
Nse Ntuen
Emmanuel Ukoette
Enobong Uwah
Prince Akpabio
Emmanuel Ekpenyong (Iraq)
Eseh Umoh
Onofiok Luke
Umoh Ekpo
Emman Mbong
Nkanang Nkanang
Monday Eyo
Charlse N
Joe Emah
Ibiok Esuh
Imeh King
Nse Brownson
Rowland Inwang
Mfon Micah
Inem Inyangette
Eteyen Archibong
Attah Albert
Ekerete Ekpenyong
James Asuquo
Duncan Uweh
Tony Eboh
Tony Akan
Abraham Lincoln
Ifiok Udo (Bengon)
Anietie Ufot
Etetim Anwatim
Akan Ibok
Victor Umondak
Usoro Ukpanah
============ ========= ======
ABOVE WERE THE 36 TELL Mag REPORTED TO HAVE SIGNED THAT OLD POLITICIANS SHOULD GIVE WAY ON BEHALF OF SUPREME COUNCIL OF AKWA IBOM YOUTHS.
============ ========= =====
OTHERS NOT INCLUDED ABOVE:
Bassey Albert Akpan
Prof Etok Ekanem
Don Etim
Ignatius Edet
Prince Ikim
Buccaneer
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
VIKINGS
KKK
VIKINGS
KKK
KKK
BUCANEER
BUCANEER
VIKINGS
KKK
VIKINGS
VIKINGS
VIKINGS
KKK
BLACK AXE
BLACK AXE
BLACK AXE
KKK
BUCANEER
BUCANEER
KKK
BUCANEER
KKK
PIRATES
PIRATES
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
PIRATES
========
=========
VIKINGS
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
Chairman Etinan LGA
Board Member
Chairman Itu LGA
Chairman Essien Udim
SA & Chair AKS Taxi scheme
Gov’s SA Protocol
Gov’s PA Gen Duties
Gov’s PA Youth Matters/chair youth
Youth Council Chairman
Gov’s PA
Youth leader
Vice Chairman Uyo LGA
Board member
AKPF Youth Chairman
AKPF Youth wing leader
AKPF youth secretary
Board member
Gov’s SA political
Coordinator CAG
Chairman CAG
Board member
Former Gov’s PA
Gov’s SA project monitoring
Board member
Board member.
============ ========= =====
============ ========= =======
Commissioner for Finance
Commissioner for Agriculture (He was trice rejected on account of this from becoming commissioner under Attah after SSS screening)
Commissioner for Works
Speaker AKHA
Gov’s Unofficial Security goon/hit man

 

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                                                  Names of Cultists in Akpabio’s Administration: Update!
Since I posted this list (below) on February 2010, there have been changes, lots of changes. For instance, Cultist Enobong Uwah has been elevated to Commissioner; Cultist Onofiok Luke has been elevated to Member, AKS House of Assembly; Prince Ikim was kicked out of the ring and is now on the run, afraid of his life.
It is time to update the list by adding more names, especially the new ones who are now in positions of authority. Please forward your suggestions to me at my private email address (thompson.essien@yahoo.com) or contact me at 503-661-6368. You can also send a text message to me at 503-358-3373.
Remember that Umana Okon Umana is going to use some or all of these men to kill for him in the upcoming gubernatorial election. As we already know, cultist Onofiok Luke and cultist Enobong Uwah are busy recruiting their fellow cultists into the campaign of Umana Okon Umana.
Therefore, it is important that we identify who they are now so that we can monitor and document their activities for a possible prosecution in future when they are out of office; believe me, these men are not as strong as they claim to be or want you to believe. These are men with low self-esteem with a serious inferiority complex, which is why they always resort to violence as an option to conflict resolutions.
Again please contact me with information; we really need to update the list, before it is too late.
Ikpafak Thompson Essien
Portland, Oregon
“On July 13, 2009, a group known as Supreme Council of Akwa Ibom State Youth Leaders published a full page advertorial in The Nation newspaper on the political situation in Akwa Ibom State. It was signed by 36 youth leaders of political groups that are supporting Akpabio, including Isantim Kenneth Okon, the supreme leader of the group. They said it was time the old generation retired from politics: “we think the time has come for them to take a deserved bow out of active politics and relocate to the background from where the youths would only be too happy and very willing to pay homage and tap from their spring of experience.”- TELL MAGAZINE
 These are the men:
                             Names of Some Cultist Members in Akpabio’s Administration
Isantim Kenneth Okon
Nse Essien
Michael James
Nse Ntuen
Emmanuel Ukoette
Enobong Uwah
Prince Akpabio
Emmanuel Ekpenyong (Iraq)
Eseh Umoh
Onofiok Luke
Umoh Ekpo
Emman Mbong
Nkanang Nkanang
Monday Eyo
Charlse N
Joe Emah
Ibiok Esuh
Imeh King
Nse Brownson
Rowland Inwang
Mfon Micah
Inem Inyangette
Eteyen Archibong
Attah Albert
Ekerete Ekpenyong
James Asuquo
Duncan Uweh
Tony Eboh
Tony Akan
Abraham Lincoln
Ifiok Udo (Bengon)
Anietie Ufot
Etetim Anwatim
Akan Ibok
Victor Umondak
Usoro Ukpanah
============ ========= ======
ABOVE WERE THE 36 TELL Mag REPORTED TO HAVE SIGNED THAT OLD POLITICIANS SHOULD GIVE WAY ON BEHALF OF SUPREME COUNCIL OF AKWA IBOM YOUTHS.
============ ========= =====
OTHERS NOT INCLUDED ABOVE:
Bassey Albert Akpan
Prof Etok Ekanem
Don Etim
Ignatius Edet
Prince Ikim
Buccaneer
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
VIKINGS
KKK
VIKINGS
KKK
KKK
BUCANEER
BUCANEER
VIKINGS
KKK
VIKINGS
VIKINGS
VIKINGS
KKK
BLACK AXE
BLACK AXE
BLACK AXE
KKK
BUCANEER
BUCANEER
KKK
BUCANEER
KKK
PIRATES
PIRATES
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
PIRATES
========
=========
VIKINGS
KKK
KKK
KKK
KKK
Chairman Etinan LGA
Board Member
Chairman Itu LGA
Chairman Essien Udim
SA & Chair AKS Taxi scheme
Gov’s SA Protocol
Gov’s PA Gen Duties
Gov’s PA Youth Matters/chair youth
Youth Council Chairman
Gov’s PA
Youth leader
Vice Chairman Uyo LGA
Board member
AKPF Youth Chairman
AKPF Youth wing leader
AKPF youth secretary
Board member
Gov’s SA political
Coordinator CAG
Chairman CAG
Board member
Former Gov’s PA
Gov’s SA project monitoring
Board member
Board member.
============ ========= =====
============ ========= =======
Commissioner for Finance
Commissioner for Agriculture (He was trice rejected on account of this from becoming commissioner under Attah after SSS screening)
Commissioner for Works
Speaker AKHA
Gov’s Unofficial Security goon/hit man

Draft Criminal Charges Detail How Gov. Peter Odili Plundered Rivers State’s $500million To Set Up Arik Air And Buy Up Media At AIT, Thisday, Newswatch And ChannelsTV

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Draft Criminal Charges Detail How Gov. Peter Odili Plundered Rivers State’s $500million To Set Up Arik Air And Buy Up Media At AIT, Thisday, Newswatch And ChannelsTV

Posted: February 22, 2013 – 18:20

Peter Odili , Mary Odili and judges
By SaharaReporters, New York

SaharaReporters has obtained detailed draft charges that never made it to the courts regarding the brazen looting of Rivers State treasury by the state’s former governor, Peter Odili. The documents show how Mr. Odili used a combination of government officials and personal companies disguised as fronts to fleece Rivers State to the tune of N100 billion between 2004 and 2007.

Saharareporters’ analysis of the draft charges, which were prepared by well-known Nigerian lawyer Festus Keyamo on behalf of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the chairmanship of Mrs. Farida Waziri, reveal that, between December 2004 and September 2006, Emmanuel Nkatah, a personal staff of the governor operating at the Rivers State liaison office in Abuja, alone withdrew over N4 billion naira from Zenith Bank account No. 6010916567 which belonged to Rivers State Government House.

The 220-count draft indictment targeted Mr. Odili and 24 others regarding allegations of theft, conspiracy to commit theft, money laundering and fraud.

The draft charges listed other accused persons and beneficiaries of Mr. Odili’s extensive looting. The list includes founder of Arik Airline, Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, former Minister of Aviation, Babalola Borisade, two former People’s Democratic Party chairmen, Ahmadu Alli and Barnabas Gemade. Also listed as co-accused are Pauline K. Tallen, Mrs. Olufemi Agagu, Ike Nwachukwu, a retired general, and Ukandi Damanchi, a professor.

The businesses named in the charge sheet include Courage Communications Ltd, Attn Ltd, Ragolis Water Ltd, M/S Wetland Health Services Ltd, Transky Ltd, Foby Eng. Ltd, First Medical/Sterile Company Ltd, Habila Resources Ltd, Rockson Engineering Co. Ltd, Ojemai Farms Ltd, Ojemai Investments Ltd, and Godsonic Oil Company Ltd, an oil company owned by Peter Odili which also has business interests in the Nigeria/Sao Tome Joint Development Zone (JDZ) Block 4.

The documents reveal, for instance, that between January 2004 and December 2006, Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the alter ego of Rockson Eng. Ltd, received over N60 billion from the accounts of the Rivers State government. Also between September 2005 and the year 2006, Mr. Borishade was the beneficiary of an illegal diversion of over N4 billion in the guise that it would be used to rehabilitate Port Harcourt International Airport. On March 3rd and March 10th 2006, then Governor Odili withdrew the sum of $2 million U.S. dollars for personal use but in the guise that the money would be used to sponsor senior government officials on a trip abroad. As his tenure as governor drew to a close, Mr. Odili intensified the questionable withdrawals. On March 16, 2007, he withdrew another $2 million for the same purpose of sponsoring senior government officials on a foreign trip. On April 20th 2007, he withdrew another $2 million for the same purpose. On May 23, 2007, days before he left office, he withdrew another $1 million.

Of particular interest in the indictments is Mr. Odili’s corrupt entanglement with several major media organs. The charge sheet listed some media companies that received huge sums of money from Mr. Odili’s loot. SaharaReporters learnt that the dole-outs to the media were designed to buy their silence.

The biggest chunk of the payoffs went to Nduka Obaigbena’s Leaders and Company Ltd, the publishers of ThisDay newspapers, Raymond Dokpesi’s Daar Communications PLC, owners of African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower FM, John Momoh’s Channels Television Ltd, and Newswatch Communications Ltd, publishers of Newswatch magazine whose chief executive is Ray Ekpu.

In particular, the charge sheet stated that between 2004 and 2007, Gov. Odili channeled almost N2 billion to Daar Communication, over N300 million to Leaders and Company, N50 million to Channels Television Ltd and over N100 million to Newswatch Communications Ltd. all received part of the loot from Mr. Odili’s slush fund.

In addition, Mr. Odili was notorious for doling out cash to numerous prominent editors, columnists and reporters. Thanks to his policy of bribing the media, he received little or no negative publicity during his eight-year rule. “Governor Odili presided over Rivers State at a time when a lot of revenue was rolling in here,” said a Port Harcourt-based politician. “Yet, the state capital, Port Harcourt, was in very bad condition and the state had no good roads or other infrastructure. Where did all the money go? Why did members of the press not ask questions?”

Sometimes, Mr. Odili splashed cash on party officials as well as other notable figures. Among those who received N20 million each were Mr. Ahmadu Ali, Mrs. Olufemi Agagu, Mr. Barnabas Gemade, and retired General Ike Nwachukwu.

The documents indicate that the scale at which public funds were converted to private use was staggering. There was clear evidence of money laundering and blatant stealing of Rivers State funds for the personal use of the governor and his cronies.

Mr. Odili’s legal trouble started on October 31, 2006 when a petition came into the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The commission launched investigations into various allegations of corruption and financial crimes leveled against Mr. Odili and other officials of the Rivers State Government. On December 12, 2006, the EFCC issued an interim investigative report and prepared a draft of 223 charges against the governor.

In a counter-move, the then Attorney-General of the state, and later Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs minister, Odein Ajumogobia, on February 23, 2007 sued the EFCC, the then Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rotimi Amaechi, and other defendants in a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt. In the suit, Mr. Ajumogobia asked Justice Ibrahim Nyaure Buba  of the federal High Court in port Harcourt to bar the EFCC from investigating, prosecuting or ever harassing Mr. Odili and officials of his administration. In the suit (number FHC/PH/CS/78/2007), the then Attorney-General claimed that the EFCC had no powers to investigate the state government and that such a move went contrary to provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution which gave such power to the State House of Assembly. The suit asked the court to bar the EFCC from sharing whatever information it had gathered with the media or coercing the State House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings on the governor.

On March 20, 2007, Justice Buba granted the Rivers State government all that the state’s Attorney-General prayed for in what is now called a perpetual injunction. Upon leaving office, Mr. Peter Odili again went to court and asked that he should be made a beneficiary of the perpetual injunction granting him permanent immunity from prosecution. Again, Justice Buba’s court agreed. The judge imposed “a perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from arresting, detaining and arraigning Odili on the basis of his tenure as governor based on the purported investigation.”

In 2007, the Nuhu Ribadu led EFCC claimed they immediately file an appeal but the court of appeal never assigned the case as Mary Odili was a judge with enormous powers at the Court during the period.

Again in 2008, the EFCC filed an appeal against Justice Buba’s ruling. In the brief, the EFCC argued that the commission had the right under the statute that created it to investigate economic crimes allegedly committed by the state government and Mr. Odili. It also argued that the Buba Court was wrong in proceeding with an “Original Summons when it was obvious that the parties were in serious contentions on the facts.” The appeal described Justice Buba’s action as “at best incompetent,” insisting that the court “lacked jurisdiction” to hear the case. It concluded that “the judge was wrong to have issued the declaratory orders and injunctions against the Appellant (EFCC) which amount to prohibiting [the EFCC] from carrying out its statutory functions and setting aside its report when in fact the report was not even placed before him.”

Five years after, the EFCC’s appeal is still at the Appeal Court of Nigeria in the Port Harcourt judicial division waiting for the lower court’s verdict to be vacated.

Meanwhile, Mr. Odili also went to the same court and on January 27, 2011 won a ruling that he should be joined as an interested party in the substantial case.

However, no date has been set for the hearing. Sources close to Saharareporters said that the administrations of former President Umaru Yar’Adua and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan have had no interest in seeing Mr. Odili tried. “Both President Yar’Adua and now President Jonathan subtly encouraged the no-action status quo,” a legal source in Abuja told SaharaReporters.

In fact, while Mr. Odili’s charges had been prepared and awaiting filing at the Federal High court, President Jonathan nominated his wife, Mary Odili, to the Supreme Court in May 2011. Several sources told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Odili played a key role in the plot to scuttle the wide-ranging indictment against her husband.

After governing the oil-rich Rivers State from 1999 to 2007, Mr. Odili ran for president in 2007. But he was forced to withdraw when some interests within his party confronted him with the numerous allegations of embezzlement of government funds during his governorship.

In his autobiography, Conscience and History, published last year, Mr. Odili acknowledged that he negotiated the charges against him with then President Olusegun Obasanjo. Mr. Odili offered to drop his presidential bid in exchange for a sort of soft landing that initially included being offered the Vice-Presidential slot. That slot was later given to Mr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Former Governor Odili is one of the nine governors whose corruption cases are in perpetual limbo in the courts. Others are James Ibori of Delta State, currently serving jail time in London for corruption, Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia state, Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State, Saminu Turaki of Jigawa State, Boni Haruna of Adamawa State, and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State.

In spite of the swirl of corruption around Mr. Odili, he had no difficulty persuading Lincoln University, one of America’s most prestigious historically Black colleges, to accept donations from him, a fact noted by Human Rights Watch. By the end of 2006, Mr. Odili had become one of the school’s largest donors, with at least $1.64 million in donations. During that year, the university bestowed a controversial honorary degree on Mr. Odili. Lincoln held a luncheon in his honor, and named a building after him, actions that drew outrage from Nigerian groups as well as Human Rights Watch.

Political sources in Abuja told SaharaReporters that several factors have helped Mr. Odili evade prosecution so far. One factor is his wife, whose position as a justice of the Supreme Court makes her an insider who is able to ensure that her husband will not face a no-nonsense judge. Another factor is that Mr. Odili was very close to former President Obasanjo, and was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Obasanjo’s failed plan to change the Nigerian constitution in order to continue as president. Besides, since the end of his tenure as governor, Mr. Odili has moved to Abuja where he maintains a quiet profile, making as little political noise as possible. After years of feuding with his successor, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Mr. Odili and the Rivers State governor had a kind of reconciliation in 2011, just as Mrs. Odili was elevated to Nigeria’s apex court. In a country where political considerations are often paramount, Mr. Odili has ensured that he is not perceived as a political threat to President Jonathan and other powerful political interests while his businesses which are proceeds of corruption booms.

Mr. Keyamo’s detailed charge sheet was prepared for former EFCC chairman Farida Waziri. The file was inherited by current EFCC chairman Ibrahim Lamorde who has failed to prosecute Mr. Odili despite the fact that, as several legal authorities told SaharaReporters, the so-called injunction obtained by the former Rivers State governor does not really stand in the way of the anti-corruption agency.

Court orders AGF, EFCC to submit details of assets seized from Ibru

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Court orders AGF, EFCC to submit details of assets seized from Ibru

By INNOCENT ANABA

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Friday, ordered Attorney General of the Federation and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to within 72 hours, furnish President of Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, PSAN, Mr  Boniface Okezie, with details of property seized from former Managing Director of defunct Oceanic Bank Plc, Mrs Cecilia Ibru.

It will be recalled that Ibru was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by former  Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, after she (Ibru) pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of recklessly granting credit facilities.

Cecelia Ibru

Cecelia Ibru

Ibru had admitted granting an illegal credit facility of $20 million to WAVES Project Nigeria Limited and N2 billion unlawful credit to Petosan Farms. She also agreed that she failed to ensure that the 2009 balance sheet of Oceanic Bank was a true view of the state of affairs of the bank.
Friday, order was made by Justice Mohammed Idris in a judgment in a suit by Okezie,under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.

Okezie had prayed the court to compel EFCC, to disclose the total cash and value of property recovered from Cecilia Ibru.

He had sought to know the whereabouts of the recovered assets, and the  portion of the asset returned to Oceanic Bank and its shareholders.

He had also sought to know the source and amounts paid to  EFCC, for the prosecution of former bank Chiefs in Nigeria, the list of criminal prosecution carried out by  EFCC through private lawyers, and the reason for not utilising the commission’s counsel.

He had also asked the court to compel the AGF, to disclose the list of criminal prosecution carried out by the Ministry of Justice through private lawyers, and  why the Ministry of Justice had resorted to the use of private lawyers for prosecution, instead of lawyers in the Ministry of Justice.

In his judgment, the court held that by the provisions of sections 2 and 3 of the FOI Act, the plaintiff was conferred with the requisite “locus standi” (right) to institute the suit.

”By the provision of the FOI act, where an information is sought, public institutions are required to deliver same within seven days.

”Where however it declines, it must elicit valid grounds for its refusal in writing to the applicant within seven days. In the instant suit, it appears that the AGF has not declined to provide the required information, but had sought for adequate time within which to collate the required information and serve same on the applicant, whereas, the EFCC had bluntly refused to comply.

” I am of the view that on receipt of the plaintiff’s request, EFCC had a duty to respond, but in this case, they simply kept mute. Let me say, that non of the defendants has such powers under the law.

”The EFCC had failed to file any counter affidavit stating the reasons for its failure to avail the plaintiff with the required information.

In my view, the defendant did not show that by its non disclosure, it was protecting the certainty, deliberative or policy making process within the agency.

”EFCC has not shown that it is protecting the disclosure of an information that will constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the privacy of individuals in the agency, or that would contaminate its court proceedings.

I am of the view in this case, that non of the information required by the plaintiff threatens the national security.

”The FOI act is meant to promote democracy, transparency, justice and development. It is designed to change how government works, because we all like Nigerians, have resolved that it should no longer be business as usual.

”Therefore, every public institution “Must” prepare itself for a full implementation of the FOI act, and the judiciary has no choice but to comply with the enforcement of the act. Obedience to the rule of law especially by those who take oath of office in public institutions, is a “desideratum” to good governance.

”Judgment is hereby given in favour of the plaintiff, and the defendants are directed to provide the said information within 72-hours of this judgment.

The law is the last resort of human wisdom and the court will never sanction what is injurious to the public. this is the judgment of this court,” the court ruled.

2015 GUBER ELECTION: WHO IS AFRAID OF UMANA O. UMANA?

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2015 GUBER ELECTION: WHO IS AFRAID OF UMANA O. UMANA?

Umana Okon Umana,

Umana Okon Umana,

I am glad that Umana Okon Umana is a member of this medium. I have a feeling that whenever he reads what is said about him, he would look at himself as the Man in the Mirror. Many men with good intentions would reflect and say: “Well, since my people don’t want my leadership, I better withdraw.”
 
But Umana Okon Umana is never a man with this type of reflections under his belt partly because the primary goal he is pursuing, the governorship race is not due to the care he has for the people, but to save him from possible criminal investigations with the anticipation that he would be able to hide under the cover of Immunity Clause; this is the only rationale why Umana Okon Umana is ready do anything, even kill if that is what it will take for him to become a governor.
 
When Umana Okon Umana started spending his ill-gotten money towards his quest for governorship, what he did not anticipate was the mounting opposition, which is now being, overtly and covertly, organized against his gubernatorial ambition. Even with the mounting opposition, Umana Okon Umana is still under the illusion that at the end, he will conquer by using the same dubious tactics of rigging, intimidation, assassinations, kidnappings, and bribes that he deployed for Akpabio to usurp the Hilltop Mansion.
 
Unfortunately for Umana and luckily for the people of Akwa Ibom State, what transpired during the last gubernatorial election served as a valuable lesson to everyone. They have learned that the justice system is a joke. Therefore, to win election, any election, in Akwa Ibom State, the playing-field must be matched in equal terms. 
 
Last month, when I was contacted to join in signing a petition to stop Umana Okon Umana, I declined because I thought the callers were attempting to set-up a trap for me. Ever since I was falsely accused by Nsima Ekere of detonating a bomb in Akwa Ibom State, I have been able to use common sense and caution whenever I am contacted by people I don’t know…not out of fear, but to stop dangerous people from exploiting and soiling my good name.
 
Now that brother Michael Ukanga Ekpo has publicly confirmed the existence of the petition as real, if I were Umana Okon Umana, I would drop the desire for the governorship. I don’t know who signed the petition against Umana to the security agencies, but I know one thing; for the first time in the history of Akwa Ibom State, the people in the five federal constituencies (Oron, Eket, Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, Eastern Obolo) have decided to bury their differences in order to solidify and strengthen their efforts to stop Umana Okon Umana. If Umana Okon Umana wants to test the power of a determined group, let him go ahead with his resolve.
 
Ikpafak Thompson Essien
Portland, Oregon

 

First Lady Patience Jonathan In Rent-A-Crowd Protest Against Prof. Wole Soyinka Over N4 Billion Mission Building Scandal

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PHOTONEWS: First Lady Patience Jonathan In Rent-A-Crowd Protest Against Prof. Wole Soyinka Over N4 Billion Mission Building Scandal

Some “Nigerian Women” rented by Nigeria’s first lady and the minister of the FCT Bala Muhmammed  were out early yesterday morning on the streets of Abuja for a “staged demonstration”  in  support of the minister’s plan to build a N4 billion mission building for the first lady’s pet project.

The women, youths and physically challenged protesters were all carrying placards supposedly written for them abusing Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.

Some of the placards read:  “Educated illiterate”, “Soyinka: Grammar King without sense”, “Abuja has come to stay “.

BREAKING NEWS: Legendary Actor Justus Esiri Passes On

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BREAKING NEWS: Legendary Actor Justus Esiri Passes On

The Late Justice Esiri

The Late Justice Esiri

These are tough times for the Nigerian Entertainment Industry; legendary actor Justus Esiri has died.

The Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), famous for his role as the Village Headmaster in popular 80′s sitcom of the same name, passed on last night.

There are no details yet on the cause of death.

Esiri who has featured in several Nollywood movies, hails from Delta State.

He is the father of Onoriode Esiri, known commonly as, Dr SID, a Nigerian singer-songwriter.

Kidnappers kill two Mobile policemen, abduct four Agip staff

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Kidnappers kill two Mobile policemen, abduct four Agip staff

BY EMMA ARUBI

Kidnappers in Niger Delta

Kidnappers in Niger Delta

WARRI —  UNKNOWN gunmen, Monday, killed two escort mobile policemen and adopted four other staff of Agip Oil Company in Okpai, Kwale in Delta State.

The gunmen, numbering about six, were reported to have accosted the coastal bus conveying the workers  back home from work at the Agip Okpai/Beneku field operated by Agip and Sterling at about 4 p.m. and short dead the two mobile  escort policemen before carefully selecting about four members of staff from the bus and taken to an unknown destination.

The identities of the two dead mobile policemen and the four abducted Agip staff could not be ascertained

Though no contact had been made at press time, no ransom had also been demanded by the abductors.

Delta Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, ASP Famous Ajieh could not be reached for confirmation but security sources and staff confirmed the abduction of some of their colleagues.