Senate Will Protect Iyabo From EFCC, Senate Claims

The Senate yesterday stood its grounds, insisting that the chairperson of its Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, is innocent of the corruption charges brought against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Consequently, the Senate promised to protect her from unnecessary harassment and intimidation by the anti-financial crimes commission.

The Senate had, through Obasanjo-Bello's lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola, requested Senate president David Mark to prevail on the EFCC not to arrest her over the N10 million her committee collected from the Ministry of Health.

The committee had agreed to have participated in the sharing of the money.
Addressing Senate reporters yesterday, Senator Eze insisted that their colleague Iyabo was not found wanting in any way.

He noted that when the Senate listened to her, they came to the conclusion that she was neither culpable nor found wanting of any misconduct and that if due process was followed she would have no questions to answer.

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Obasanjo has now garnered the support of the senate in hiding from the EFCC. It seems, though, that if she is truly innocent, she would not be hiding. If she was not involved with the corruption, she should go before the EFCC, and they should bring a legal end to this.

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N300m Scam: Why I won't Submit to EFCC — Iyabo

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, explained yesterday why she would not submit herself new to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for arrest and prosecution in connection with the N10 million received by the Committee from the Federal Ministry of Health.

She said her decision did not mean that she was above the law. She said the EFCC should let her be since she was already challenging the competence of the two-count charge slammed against her in court.

She said from all indications, EFCC was not really interested in prosecuting her over whatever offence she was alleged to have committed but simply interested in disgracing her.

It was also gathered yesterday that the Presidency might have frustrated EFCC’s initial moves to detain the Senator.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja through her counsel, Mr Bankole Akomolafe of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) Chambers, Senator Obasanjo-Bello said: “The Ministry of Health paid N10 millionto the Senate and not to Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. The sum of N10 million was paid to the Senate Committee on Health by the Senate to cover the retreat for the study of a bill. Apparently the EFCC utilizes the same sort of funding for similar retreats, so Obasanjo-Bella is confused as to why they are accusing her of stealing money.

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Senator Obasanjo-Bella has been accused of embezzling ten million naira and is being convicted by the EFCC. She feels that she is being unjustly accused and denies the claim; she says that the money went towards a retreat the the Senate took to discuss a new bill. She is convinced that she is being singled out amongst all of the other senators because the EFCC is trying to disgrace her.

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I’m Afraid for My Life, Says Iyabo Obasanjo

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, daughter of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, has said she fears for her life. Obasanjo-Bello is implicated in the N300 million Health Ministry scam and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) now wants her to be prosecuted for the alleged offence.

Her comments came after the anti-corruption agents raided her home in Abuja in an attempt to bring her to face prosecution. She told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday that EFCC agents slapped her personal assistant during their visit to her house two days ago. "I am afraid of the EFCC... they slapped my PA when they got to the house," she said "I'm not on the run but I feel as if I'm a victim of harassment... I'm afraid for my life," she added.

Obasanjo-Bello, who chairs the Senate's Health Committee, was charged along with ten other top officials of the Health Ministry, including two former Ministers – Prof. Adenike Grange and Gabriel Aduku - for sharing the proceeds of corruption. After charges against Obasanjo-Bello were read in court last week, the EFCC said she had to turn herself in as soon as possible.

She was said to have bolted out of the house through the back door when the men of EFCC came to her house uninvited on Tuesday. She told the BBC she could not understand why her home was raided when she had visited the EFCC offices twice in the past week and made herself available through her lawyer.

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Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of the former president, fears for her life after the EFCC ransacked her house on Tuesday. There are rumors that she benefitted financially from her father's less than moral practices while in office. She feels the the EFCC crossed a few lines by actually slapping one of her employees in the face while they tore apart her house. If the EFCC really wants to put an end to corruption in Nigeria, they are going to have to do a better job of proving to citizens that they are a legitimate government agency that wants what is best for the country.

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Yar'Adua Orders Minister's Arrest

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest a serving Minister for allegedly flouting a presidential directive on returning unspent funds in the last days of 2007 to the public treasury and for partaking in sharing in the proceeds of contracts awarded illegally.


Sources also told The Guardian that the female Minister might be among those to be shown the way out in the "looming sweeping changes in several areas of the Executive, including top officials of the administration."


The sources also added that the President, buoyed by recent court reprieve, has made it known to some of his aides that many of the Ministers, who emerged through unavoidable political process, "do not have the requisite capacity for their assignments."


The Minister, currently facing interrogation by the EFCC, is accused of awarding contracts without following due process in the last few days of 2007 and sharing in the proceeds of the contracts.

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President Yar'Adua has ordered that the now former minister of the EFCC be arrested for not returning unspent funds back to the treasury at the end of the year. This punishment seems a little hypocritical considering that Yar'Adua allegedly also uses government funds for his own personal use. However, despite Yar'Adua's hypocrisy, this story shows that the government is making an attempt to punish criminals and thereby decrease the corruption that plagues the government. Possibly the most interesting thing about this story is that editors of a competing newspaper were payed earlier this year to not report this story. However, the story leaked out and now the government looks even more corrupt.

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Aliyu Recants on Alleged Fraudsters, Begs Senators

SENATOR Nuhu Aliyu yesterday dramatically backed down over his allegation that there were fraudsters in the National Assembly. He tendered an apology to his colleagues and withdrew his statement.


According to the former head of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who had spent 35 years in the police, he had been made to realise that "until a suspect is tried and convicted for a crime, he could not be called a criminal." ...


But it was not a very good day for the senator as fellow senators whose friendship
he prized took turns to pour venom on him.


However, there were still voices in support of the senator.

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This article addresses Nuhu Aliyu taking back his allegations of "419ers" in the Nigerian Senate. Aliyu stated in a letter addressed to the Senate President David Mark that he was losing friends in the Senate because of his remarks about fellow Senators. He said that the debate must end and the Senate must return to being a "family." Despite Aliyu's apology, many Senators have continued to "pour venom" on Aliyu saying that he should have been aware of what he was saying and contemplated it before he said anything.


This article brings into question the legitimacy of the government if such harsh allegations are going to be made about fellow leaders. If these allegations continue, Nigeria's right to rule that is felt by the citizens could be lowered.


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Uproar over Claims of Fraudsters Being in Senate

IT was meant to be a normal legislative day, but it was bedlam at the Senate yesterday as a member alleged for the second time in two years that there were
fraudsters in the Upper House. Voices were raised, accusing fingers pointed, eyes became red, egos were bruised and an angry Senator flashed documents with names of alleged fraudsters...


At a very stormy session yesterday, the Upper Legislative Chamber also urged the Federal Government to remain steadfast in its commitment to the war against corruption just as it invited the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, to brief it on his plans to sustain the anti-graft war.

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This article addresses Senator Nuhu Aliyu's allegations that there were men in the Senate who were fradulent. This article is significant because it addresses the war on corruption that President Yar'Adua has initiated, and it shows the true corruptive nature of Nigeria in that even some of its highest leaders are the most corrupt. Although Aliyu received serious backlash because of his statement, he stood by his assertion and stated that he would name the "419's" as they are commonly referred to in Nigeria. This assertion could show the power of one man's voice if further action is taken on his allegations.


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Eighth Former Governor Arrested

An eighth former governor of Nigeria was arrested Wednesday, January 9, 2008, on account of President Yar'Adua's new policies regarding corruption. Lucky Igbinedion of Edo state was arrested after accusations that he stole more than $24 million through three front companies.

The other former governors who have been arrested are: Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu state, Segun Osaba of Ogun state, James Ibori of Delta state, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, Joseph Dariye of Plateau state, Dr. Orji Kalu of Abia state, and Saminu Turaki of Jigawa state.

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This article shows the new policies that Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has implemented. He has vowed to stamp out corruption in Nigeria and plans to do whatever it takes to make this happen. The implementation of these policies are applicable to everyone; no one is safe from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) including those who previously served in a leadership role in Nigeria.

The Good, the Bad, and the President

NIGERIANS are painfully aware of how much corruption has cost their
country—over $400 billion, according to official estimates. That is the
equivalent of about two-thirds of all the aid given to the whole of Africa since
the 1960s, and more than anything else explains why most people in this oil-rich
country still live in poverty.


Yet in recent years the government had started a belated fight against
corruption. And if one man has become the symbol of that campaign it is the
crusading young head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Nuhu Ribadu. Since 2003, Mr Ribadu has attained almost mythic status among his
countrymen by charging and prosecuting the politicians, and particularly the
state governors, who are responsible for most of the fraud and looting of public
funds. For the first time, he gave Nigerians hope that their country could
actually be different. So the news on December 27th that Mr Ribadu is being
forced to resign on a technicality has caused deep dismay among his supporters.
It is also very worrying for the future of Africa's most populous
country.



In short, Mr Ribadu finally got too close to the top. His anti-corruption
agency, once accused of prosecuting only the government's political foes, has
under the new president, Umaru Yar'Adua, been pursuing the former state
governors who lost their immunity from prosecution after leaving office last
May. He had some big successes. The EFCC has arrested seven governors, including
two of the most notorious, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State and James Ibori of Delta
State, both of whom spent Christmas in prison. Another round of arrests was
planned for early January.

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Mr. Ribadu, the head of the Education and Financial Crimes Commission, was responsible for many of the arrests made in relation to governmental corruption. However, he had to give up his position in December due to government regulations. Without his guidance, the Nigerian government could return back to the state of corruption that plagued the country prior to Ribadu's reign.