Johnson, Omoyeni Give Conflicting Figures in Aso Rock Bribery Scandal

THE $200,000 bribery scandal over which a presidential aide and a former managing director of WEMA Bank are being questioned continued its reverberations through Aso Rock yesterday with both men reportedly confessing to conflicting sums.

While Femi Johnson, the presidential aide now under arrest for receiving the bribe has reportedly confessed to collecting only $100,000, the alleged giver, Adebisi Omoyeni, former chief executive of WEMA Bank, is said to have insisted that he gave $200,000.

The arrest of Femi Johnson, who works in the office of the President, was occasioned by his alleged collection of the bribe in return for leaking a document on the lingering Wema Bank crisis to its suspended managing director Mr. Adebisi Omoyeni.

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This article addresses the recent bribery scandal that was made public in Nigeria. The two men accussed in this case have given officers different figures as to how much money was involved. This scandal has caused many "calls for the sack of many staff holdovers from the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in the Villa." This shows that Nigerian citizens are aware of the corrupt nature of past administrations, but many still question the exact nature of the current administration revolving around President Yar'Adua.

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Bribery At Tribunals

In a season of scandals, the judiciary appears unwilling to be exempted from the rot that has hit the system. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi says there are allegations of corruption against some judges at the election tribunals. This again brings to the fore the apprehensions about the rulings of these tribunals, as well as their ability to serve their purpose - dispensation of justice.

These allegations are not new. The House of Representatives Committee on Justice gave vent to them following petitions it got, in which there were allegations that as much as N2.1 billion has been spent in bribing judges at tribunals.

Some things are new about the latest allegations.

They are capable of pitting the judiciary against the legislature. The House of Representatives Committee on Justice is asking for the rulings of the tribunals. Its intentions are not clear.

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This article typifies the constant allegations that are always present in Nigeria and the current popular trend of news about tribunals. Even long after the tribunals are over, people are still disputing the results with the most popular form of accusations in Nigeria: Bribery, because even if the allegations are false, the stink of it stays, forever tarnishing the accused party's reputation. 

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Nigerian Soldier Killed in Haiti

A Nigerian United Nations (UN) peacekeeper has been killed by rioters in Haiti protesting high food price in the Caribbean country.

The yet-to-be-identified soldier was shot dead on Saturday in Port-au-Prince where the protest forced the country's parliament to sack its Prime Minister, Mr Jacques-Edouard Alexis.

Witnesses say the Nigerian peacekeeper was dragged from his marked car and shot as he was taking food to colleagues at a police station in the capital.

Read the full story here.

This article addresses the recent murder of a peacekeeper serving in Haiti. According to the article, the man was dragged from his car and shot. This murder happened at a protest of high food prices; the protesters were eventually dispersed by tear gas and warning shots fired by other Nigerian police officers so that they could get the murdered man's body. Just last year seven other Nigerian soldiers were killed in Darfur by rebel forces. This article refers to Nigeria as a "peacekeeper" which shows the great influence and positive impact Nigeria has and is attempting to have on other parts of the world.

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Yar'Adua Signs N2.748 Trillion Budget 2008

After several months of disagreement between the executive and the legislative arms of government on the 2008 Appropriation Bill, President Umaru Yar'Adua, yesterday, signed the Bill into law with a charge to all government agencies to implement it with "the highest sense of responsibility and with total deference to due process."

The total amount budgeted for the 2008 fiscal year is N2.748 trillion, comprising N860 billion for capital and N1.888 trillion for recurrent.

Although the signing ceremony was billed for 10 o'clock in the morning, it was not until 3:00 p.m that it finally took place following what a source described as the state of the president's health. Reporters were not allowed to witness the event as has been the tradition.

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The compromise that was offered last week was signed into action, so this is just confirmation of what was expected to happen. It is good that Nigeria is attempting to build capital, but it is hard to tell how much will actually buy the capital. The banning of reporters during the event shows the strong presence of tradition in Nigeria.

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Yar’Adua Ill, Flown to Germany

President Umaru Yar’Adua was on Monday flown to Germany following an undisclosed ailment.

His Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja, linked the sickness to an allergic reaction.

“The President will leave for Wiesbaden, Germany later today (Monday)
to see his private physicians for a medical review of an indisposition believed to be due to an allergic reaction,” Adeniyi said.

Read the full story here.



This article addresses Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua's recent visit to Germany to receive medical treatment, and this is not the first time that the President has left Nigeria to receive treatment elsewhere in the past year. According to the article, Yar'Adua was visiting a hospital in Germany to receive treatment for an allergic reaction. The article then discusses Yar'Adua's passing of the 2008 budget for Nigeria which was done in a less than extravagant manner which is much different than in the past. This could cause some worry among Nigerians, but according to the article, Yar'Adua essentially just had to sign the bill and pass it on without any sort of ceremony. The true question here is whether or not the Nigerian people see this as a weakness in their leader because he is having to leave the country to receive medical treatment.

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Assessment Complete

Parents Abandon Baby Without Anus at UCH

A three-month-old baby without anus has been abandoned at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The Head of Department, Medical Social Service, Dr. Jane Adebusuyi, said the baby boy was born with a perforated anus.

Baby Yusuf, as he is called, was abandoned by his parents two months ago.

Adebusuyi told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ibadan that the father, Mr. Muyideen Yusuf, disappeared with his wife under the guise of looking for money.

She said, “The baby was just two weeks old when they brought him to the hospital with a perforated anus.

“The father told the nurses that they did not have money and that they were going in search of money for the boy‘s treatment.”

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A baby born with a perforated anus was admitted into the hospital last week at the age of about 3 months. His parents brought him into the hospital and left saying that they were going to try to get money to pay for his treatment. They never returned. The hospital has attempted to call their emergency contact numbers, but they are disconnected, and go to their house, but it does not exist. Two parents literally abandoned their disabled son because they could not fathom how they would be able to pay for his surgeries. Hopefully very few other parents in the world would ever do that to their completely dependent child.

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Nigeria‘s Biggest Drug Baron Arrested in Scotland

A Nigerian smuggler who brought $500,000 of cocaine to Scotland was jailed for six years some weeks back thanks to a language expert. A trial judge heard a six-kilo consignment was hidden in wooden slats in packing cases flown to Edinburgh Airport from South America.

Nigerian-born Edmond Okoli, 43, turned up to collect the crates of cheap crockeryfrom Peru. He was heard singing a song in his native dialect as he drove from the airport, with the words ‘He who’s got the drug is going...'

Okoli denied smuggling cocaine in November 2005 along with others. He told an earlier trial he was offered $500 to pick Peruvian artifact.

But a jury rejected his story and found him guilty.

The High court in Edinburgh heard how the police and customs officers searched the
pottery on their arrival but drew a blank until they turned their attention to the packaging. Some of the slats making up the crates revealed a suspicious shadow when X-rayed.

A hole was bored into one piece of wood, followed by a probe, which flicked out traces of powder. Searchers noticed three lengths of wood were a different colour and all had been hollowed out to take packages of cocaine.

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One of Nigeria's most prominent cocaine dealers has been caught, arrested, and convicted after years of smuggling. He was suspected after he picked up Peruvian pottery from an airport in Scotland while singing a song about drugs. The pottery was searched extensively, but the police could find no drugs. Okoli actually hid the cocaine in the wood the composed the crates that the Peruvian pottery was shipped in. Though this plan does sound pretty masterful, Okoli was caught in the end and will suffer as a result. The police are currently working on determining who else was involved in the cocaine smuggle.

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Arik Air to Commence Commercial Flights to US

Air travellers between Nigeria and the United States of America, now have a choice as another Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, has been given approval to commence direct commercial flights to America thus becoming the third Nigerian carrier to get such approval.

The U.S. Department of Transport (DOT), in a letter to the airline dated April 4, 2008 and signed by the Director, Office of International Aviation, Paul L. Gretch, said the Nigerian flag carrier had satisfied all requirements and thus qualified to fly direct into any part of the United States.

According to the approval letter, Arik Air has been found to be operationally and financially qualified to conduct its proposed operations and is substantially owned and effectively controlled by citizens of Nigeria .

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Nigeria is attempting to widen the tourist industry of the country by increasing the places that commercial flights can travel in and out of. The U.S. is obviously a huge market, so this should be good for their economy. However, one of the foreseeable issues with this new approval is that pilots with substandard training could be operating these aircrafts and endangering hundreds of lives. This new change affects our community fairly directly because one of the three cities that Arik Air is allowed to fly into is Atlanta. If anyone is up for a trip to Nigeria, new legislation has made it much more possible.


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N300m scam: How we shared N10m – Iyabo Obasanjo

Embattled Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello has said that N500,000 was disbursed to each member of the Senate Committee on Health from the controversial N300m scam in the Federal Ministry of Health.

The Senator, who the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission claimed on Tuesday was at large because of her alleged involvement in the scam, said the money was given to the senators to cover parts of their expenses during a four-day seminar and retreat in Ghana.

She said in a statement to EFCC that the retreat and seminar was to facilitate the passage of the Health Policy Bill.

In the statement obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, Obasanjo-Bello, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, said it was not unusual for a ministry to sponsor an executive bill.

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This thinly veiled, terrible excuse for the corrupt use of the health department's use of its greatly needed money is a poor reflection of the justice system in Nigeria. Just because she is the daughter of the former president, this criminal is still free to give excuses.

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N300m Scam - Grange, Aduku, 11 Others Charged

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned former Health Minister, Prof Adenike Grange; former Minister of State for Health, Gabriel Yakubu Aduku, an architect; and 11 others on a 56-count charge of graft involving about N300 million.

But the name of the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo, which was mentioned as having partaken in the graft, was missing on the list of the accused persons charged to court yesterday.

The EFCC told the court that Iyabo was currently at large and could not be arrested for prosecution but would be arrested and brought to justice once found.

Iyabo, according to count 56 of the charges between December 2007 and March 2008 in Abuja while serving as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, dishonestly received the sum of N10 million belonging to the Federal Government having reason to believe that same was stolen. Her action is said to have constituted an offence punishable under Section 317 of the Penal Code Act Cap 352, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) Abuja.

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Corruption remains rampant in Nigeria, as 300 million Naira have been swindled from the government. What is somewhat different is the exclusion of the president's daughter from an accused list, despite proof of her involvement. Officials do assure that even these ties do not exclude Iyabo Obasanjo from justice, which is hopefully true.

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President and Assembly agree on budget

After the protracted bickering over the delay in the passage of the 2008 Appropriation Bill, the Presidency and the National Assembly have reached an agreement on how to address the points of disagreement in the budget.

According to [Ayogu Eze], the President would compile his reservations on the budget and send them to the National Assembly in form of an amended bill to the budget with the Assembly pledging to give them positive consideration.

Adeniyi said in Abuja yesterday that "it was an amicable meeting. It was very cordial. And an agreement was reached. And under it, the President will assent to the budget. He will then send an amendment bill to the National Assembly on the areas there were consensus on review.

"Both parties resolved their differences on the budget and decided to reach a compromise. The budget document will be signed the way it is now but an amendment would be sent to the NASS in another two weeks."

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As posted earlier, the budget delay has been very detrimental to Nigeria's economy. It's a good thing that the disagreement is getting closer to being resolved. Contrary to the somewhat misleading news headline, however, the budget is not yet finalized or written.

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