Auto accident planned to kill me – Oshiomhole

EDO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that the auto crash which led to the death of three journalists in his convoy was an assassination attempt on his life.

Oshiomhole escaped death by a whisker after a truck reportedly rammed in his convoy along the Warrake Road while on his way to Auchi after receiving some Peoples Democratic Party members who defected to his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, in Afuze on Saturday.

Apart from the three dead journalists, others in the convoy, including security and government officials, among others were seriously injured.

The governor said in Benin on Sunday, “They (truck driver and his assistant) were just inside the vehicle, they were not carrying anything, they were not carrying any goods. We asked the other occupant about the driver, he said he didn’t know, he just ran into the bush. He stayed in the bush until after we had left and those who were still around the scene saw him when he was trying to run away after we had left.

“If I was in the regular jeep (official), he could have hit me because I was driving a small car which I decided to drive myself, if I was in that car, it could have been my lot, he pushed that car off the road and then crashed into the one the journalists were driving in.

“It is a straight road and not a bend, so if he was losing control he could have swerved into the bush. When I asked the guy where is the driver, he said he (driver) opened the door of the vehicle and left, he claimed the driver just said he should follow him. I asked him, you are not under 18 and somebody just tells you, ‘follow me and then the man passed his town passed another and went into another local government and you still did not ask questions?’

“Well, we’ve asked the SSS and the police to investigate. Then, before we knew anything, the PDP was already issuing a condolence message.

“Although we’ve been hearing all kinds of things but we are not going to… the blood of those dead guys will not go in vain. We will get justice for them and more importantly those who thought that our fighting spirit will be weakened are joking, because we are challenged the more.”

Oshiomhole said he helped in rescuing those trapped in their vehicles after the accident.

“For about 40 minutes we were trying to get them out, but God is in control, I believe the devil s a liar,” he said.

Publicity Secretary of the state chapter of the PDP, Mr. Mathew Uroghide, said his party was shocked by the governor’s allegations.

 He said, “My first reaction is that I am indeed taken aback that the governor is pointing accusing fingers at the PDP. It is sad that at a time the state is mourning the death of journalists, the governor is trivialising the matter by playing politics with the lives of those who died.”

Bukola Saraki surrenders to police

Former governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Monday afternoon surrendered to the Nigeria Police Force at its headquarters in Abuja.
Poliec sources confirmed to journalists that Saraki appeared at the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday afternoon.
He had said in a statement on Saturday that he would surrender himself on Monday.
Saraki, who is a sitting senator, had been sought by the Special Fraud Unit of the NPF based in Lagos over an alleged N9.7 billion loan issue.
The police said that as governor, Saraki obtained a loan from the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc through a proxy company, Joy Petroleum, owned by his late aide, Matthew Obahor.
But Saraki had said he had no link to the said loan and that he had no relationship with the company, Joy Petroleum.
The SFU spokesperson, Joy Isinume, told a news website, Premium Times, that it would not hesitate to use maximum force to arrest Saraki.
More details later.

North is ungrateful - South-South

In their reactions to the demand by the North for a reallocation of oil resources, some key South-South figures described the call as insulting and a further proof that the North is ungrateful to the South. Below are their excerpts of the reactions:
Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, founder of the Niger Delta Peoples’ Volunteer Force (NDPVF).
“I have said it before and I will continue to reinforce it; Nigeria is a forced union and such cannot stand the test of time. Very soon, we in the Niger Delta shall commence what we call Operation Occupy Niger Delta Resources; once that starts, we shall lead a protest to the President with a warning that no dime of our oil money should henceforth, be sent to the north which has all these years, criminally manipulated the Nigerian state to the extent of claiming more population than the south, a situation that has resulted in the parasitic accumulation of our resources to their desolate local government areas which are mere structural entities without human beings.
It is now time for both the UN and the AU to come to Nigeria and conduct a scientific population analysis of the country; I make bold to say that Kano state is not more populated than Bayelsa not to talk of Lagos state. This is the fraud they have used to criminally determine the sharing of resources. As it stands today, we are getting very close to the point that we shall inevitably be on a collision course with our brother, Jonathan because we shall not fold our hands and allow this provocation to continue beyond now. Let the north go its own way and the others should also determine their future. To say the least, the outburst of the northern governors is not only a lazy and parasitic one, it is highly provocative and we are close to the situation where each region will control its resources.”
Professor Itse Sagay, Constitutional Law expert:
“I have been following the debate like others; unfortunately, those who speak on behalf of the Niger Delta on the issue have failed to hit the nail on the head. They should be bold enough to ask their northern colleagues, where does the nation’s revenue come from- instead of caressing the issue rather cautiously.
The northern part of this country does not contribute anything to the national purse. If the area that produces the resources has just a token of 13 percent, the remaining 87 percent is free gift to the entire nation, particularly the North that has nothing to show for its existence. At the Political Reform Conference in 2005, we went to the Federal Ministry of Finance to get figures and facts about what each of the zones contributed to the commonwealth. What we saw was amazing; the North-West brings nothing, the same with the North-Central and North-East. The South-East and South-West brings minor but the South-South contributes 91 percent.
The posture of the northern governors is the height of ingratitude and insult on the people of the oil-producing areas because they would have been bankrupt if not for the revenue that has been accruing to them from the proceeds of oil and gas.
This is a wake-up call on the people of the oil-bearing region. For instance this is the time to come together and fight intellectually for the anomaly in the uneven allocation of oil blocs in the country. You will observe that because of the long stay of the north in power at the centre, they manipulated the process and cornered these blocs to the disadvantage of the south; today, you have all juicy oil blocs in the hands of the north. Now that Jonathan is there, I would not want to sound being immodest by calling for a revocation of the blocs allocated to the northern businessmen, but from the look of things, they have decided to take the entire South for a ride, so Jonathan should ensure that he corrects this imbalance by allocating more oil-blocs to people in the South to make up for the inequity in the sector.”
Professor Godini Darah, university don, resource control advocate:
“It is an outrageous provocation, an act of ingratitude; for over years, oil has been sustaining the development of the north, yet they are behaving like imperial masters.
Nigeria should be a federal republic with people controlling their resources. Now that they have [provoked us, we will insist on nothing less than 100 percent. In 2005, we advocated and demanded a compromise of 50 percent which was the position at independence before the so-called northern power mongers manipulated the political process and stole our resources and rights of ownership in an innocuous and disdainful Section 44(3) of the constitution that oil found anywhere in the country belongs to the federal government.
That particular section of the constitution should be abrogated and a new clause inserted so that there will be 100 per cent ownership of resources by the people. This is very equitable and just; the North will also benefit from such arrangement because it is rich in minerals. Nasarawa and Plateau have at least 21 of such minerals. Let oil and gas found in the continental shelf belong to the coastal states. We are only inspired by this arrogance of the north and we will not rest until we achieve the resource control goal”
Comrade Joseph Evah, Chairman, Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG):
“My opinion on this matter is very different; I am very happy at the way the northern governors have come out to call the entire south-south governors and politicians fools, that is what they have done and I am happy about it because the same set of politicians will go to them at night and beg them for one position or the other why won’t they think they own Nigeria? I f you look at the way even the governors of oil-producing states are responding, they are talking with only one lip of their mouth because they are afraid to say something.
Some of them are already thinking about their future election or what they intend to get from one northern leader. I won’t be surprised if the northern governors have their way because they have a way of getting their goals because of the gullibility of our political leaders from the south-south.
Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni, former Transport Minister, former Chief of Naval Staff:
“We are close what some of us have for a very long time, advocated. We need to sit down and discuss our terms of existence and co-operation as Nigerians; I am not talking about a Sovereign National Conference but a National Dialogue whose views form the basis for a better national direction”.
Festus Keyamo, Lagos Lawyer:
“I think their clamour for more funds lacks moral merits because they only need to look more inwards and get more revenue, possibly more than the south itself. To be candid, the over-dependence of the north on oil revenue is not good for them at all”.

Govt earmarks N84m for ultra modern hostel

EKIADOLOR- Edo State Government will make available the sum of N84 million to build an ultra modern Hostel for the students of College of Education , Ekiadolor, as part of the commitment of the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to reposition the institution.

This was disclosed yesterday by the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole during the 13th convocation ceremony of the College of Education, Ekiadolor.

Addressing the gathering, the governor who acknowledged the several challenges confronting the institution expressed the willingness of the government to provide solutions to the problems based on available resources.

He also disclosed that the government will also sink two industrial boreholes to address acute water shortage in the campus because according to him water is life.

The governor who maintained that “you cannot have an institution if you don’t have water, where students in the 24th century are competing for space with animals to get water from the stream, that is not the way it should be.”

“When I assumed office the monthly subvention to Ekiadolor was N40m but right now the monthly subvention is N57m. So, we have improved on our subvention to the institution by 35 percent,” the governor said, adding that “while the school fees was increased the government also increased the subvention”

According to him, a meeting will be held with the leadership of the students over their clamour for the reduction of fees payable by the students.

“Over and above the increase in subvention, the government will make N84m available to build hostels to our standard and our standards are high, they are not like previous governments,” he noted.

The governor explained that at N57m a month Edo State government is giving to Ekiadolor N 672 m a year , whereas the total fees payable by the students will amount to less than N300 m and he advised the students not to get the impression that they are paying full value for tuition because the tuition is still being subsidized.

While noting that the institution needs more resources, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said he is ready to get more resources to the college.

The provost, College of Education, Ekiadolor, Prof. Amen Victor Uhunmwangho who decorated the state governor as a visitor to the college commended him for efforts to reposition the college and drew his attention to some improvements and challenges in the college.

The president, student union government of the college, Comrade Orhiaki Augustine also presented award of the Best governor of the year 2012 to Comrade Oshiomhole.

Earlier, the governor inaugurated a twin 300 capacity lecture hall and staff offices at the college

July 14 Governorship Election: Oshiomhole gets royal endorsement

BENIN CITY - Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday in Benin City formally informed the Benin Monarch Oba Erediauwa, that he is the flagbearer of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the forth coming July 14, 2012 gubernatorial election.

Comrade Oshiomhole told the Oba that he was in the palace to obtain the royal monarch’s blessing to win the July 14 election.

He recalled how he obtained the royal blessing in 2006 when he contested the previous election, adding that with the support and advice from the monarch, he has been able to weather the storm and embarked on unprecedented developmental stride in Edo state.

The Governor emphasized that the Benin water storm project has attracted the sum of $100 million dollars from the World Bank that as another 250 million dollars has also been approved by the same financial institution for Edo State.

He pledged that given a second mandate he will improve on the foundation he has laid so far.
Oshiomhole told the Oba that he has completed a number of projects while some were still on-going.
He added that Iheya and 12 other adjourning streets have been gives a befitting facelift.

He disclosed that his network of road protects include the Urhonigbe-Uromehe-Ugo 56 kilometre road, Ugoneki Eguaholor Ehor road and road projects at Ovia North East and Ovia South West Government respectively. On the choice of Rt. Hon. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu as his running mate in the July 14 election, he said they are both different personalities that complement each others.

However, he was offered a special prayer by the Benin Monarch through the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Egbe .

Responding on behalf of the Oba, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief D. U. Edebiri (OON) expressed gratitude to Governor Oshiomhole for positively turning Benin Kingdom around with his developmental strides.

He said on that note, governor will get the support of the Benins in the forth-coming gubernatorial election, just as he said to whom much is given much is expected.

Those who accompanied the Governor to the palace included the deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Pius Egberamwen Odubu, Edo State Chairman of ACN, Rt. Hon. Thomas Okosun, South/South Vice Chairman of ACN, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, Chief Osaro Idah, Edo State Secretary of ACN, Edo State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Uyi Egbe and a host of other top government functionaries.

Also yesterday the newly appointed Chief Medical Director of Uselu Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. S. O. Olotu was in the palace to thank the Oba for his sustainable support in his guest to get the appointment as well as to solicit for royal blessings.

He appreciated the laudable fatherly role of the Oba in his guest to becoming the new boss of the psychiatric hospital, Uselu.

The Oba obliged him blessing and wished him well in his new appointment.

He was accompanied to the palace by top functionaries of the mental Health institution.

Kidnapping: Female banker, 10 others paraded

BENIN CITY- A female staff of a First Generation Bank and ten other suspected kidnappers were paraded yesterday by the State Security Service in Benin City

The eleven suspects who were paraded by the state Director of the SSS, Mr. Bello Bakori before newsmen and the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole are alleged to be members of a gang that killed a security operative when they attempted to rescue a kidnapped victim recently.

They were apprehended at different locations in the process of rescuing a pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) while in their custody.

Parading the suspects, amongst them four females, the SSS director said the arrest is a commitment of the service in collaboration with other security agencies to make Edo state uncomfortable for criminals.

“These are some of the gang that killed our man. It was in the process of rescuing a pastor who was in their custody that they were arrested,” he added.

The Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole commended the security operatives for being able to track down those responsible for the killing of their colleague.

According to him, “it is a question of when they will be arrested because you have the capacity.

The criminals are not as sophisticated as the security agents and as for women they should not find themselves in the company of people they do not know what they do for a living.”

Comrade Oshiomhole, who reiterated his appeal against the payment of ransom to kidnappers, said the state government will reward the security operatives who took part in the operation that led to their arrest with a handsome reward.

According to the banker, Chinwe Melohe, 29, she got married to her husband now at large four months ago after he gave her a ride in his Nissan Jeep.

“My husband, Aimiuwu is writing his GCE while I am a BSC holder, I am not aware he is a kidnapper, but he told me he is into purchasing of diesel,” she lamented.

We are ready to break up from Nigeria - Nothern leaders

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THIS MY GREAT PEOPLE?

Northern leaders took a swipe on their southern counterparts on Wednesday,saying they are not gaining anything from the present arrangement of the country and can therefore stand on their own if the country eventually breaks up. The Northern leaders, who met under the auspices of the Arewa Elders Forum, said that even though they can afford to survive in a divided Nigeria, they have resolved not to be the causeof the breakup of the country. One of the leaders of the new group and former Special Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Food Security, Prof .Ango Abdullahi, told theHausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation monitored in Kaduna that thenorth has always been on itsown and will continue to survive without the oil resources from the south. Abdullahi, who was reacting to calls from southern leaders for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, said that some people are hiding under the agitation to show to the world that they were tired ofstaying in a united Nigeria. We know this is an old call because it has been on for over 20 years. They have been saying this corporate existence of the country andthe Federal system is faulty. They are keen on sitting down to discuss what kind ofarrangement would be conducive for Nigerians. This is an old call and it is not a new thing… some people are hiding under the guise of this agitation to show that they are tired of staying in a united Nigeria. Therefore, we have resolved that we are not going to be the cause of Nigeria breaking up; but if others decided that the country should be divided, and they insisted that Nigeria should break up, we won’t say no because we realized there is nothing we are getting from the current arrangement that other sections of the country are not getting. “If they insisted, why don’t we sit down and talk? If at the end, everybody agree that Nigeria should be divided and if at the long run, everybody is satisfied that the country should break up, let it be”. Speaking further on whetherthe north can stand on its own if the country breaks up, the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said that the North has always been on its own because the poor in the North has always been on his own. “He (the poor) feeds himself from what he cultivates in the farms and feeds Nigeria up till tomorrow. It is possible if all Northerners would return to what their forefathers did through agriculture with which proceeds they built theNorth and Nigeria as a whole,” Abdullahi said. Source: The Nation Newspaper

Oshiomhole and his lofty mansion.

The Edo state governor Adams Oshiomhole has shown that the revered position of a caretaker of the commonwealth of the Edo people and guardian of the hope and future of this great land is not one that should be kept in his custody any longer.
We all wait with eager anticipation for how he will explain away the "paradise" heis building for himself directly behind his house, in his compound, not far from Iyamoh primary school, in Iyamoh, off Auchi Okene road, near Auchi. We might think that the word paradise is a stretch of one's imagination until you take a tour of the mansion and its facilities.

His estate, which is the size of a Texas style ranch, with swimming pools, water fountains and a big occasion hall, amphitheatre, indoor cinema hall, to mention a few is heavily guarded by what can only be described as a battalion of armed vigilantes in 10 Hilux pick-ups and a detachment of fierce looking mobile policemen.
These vigilantes and armed policemen can clearly be seen, when driving along the Auchi-Okene road, on your right hand side.
Many questions arise. Why is Edo state in debt of almost 100 Billion Naira? One would have hoped that it was to provide the suffering people of Edo state with the much needed infrastructure that would have been the catalyst for an economic turn-around.
However with a paradise home that is rumored to be valued at over 10 billion Naira, your guess is as good as mine.

But don't take our word for it, visit Google earth,(CLICK HERE to see what the property was in 2009 before he became govenor) and see things for yourself.

10 Nigerian Politicians That Allegedly Stole Just As Much As Ibori:

Several Politicians have been investigated and charged with Financial crimes by Nigerian law enforcement agencies only to be set free by an oftentimes compromised Nigerian Judicial System. Unlike Ibori whose new address is Her Majesty’s Prisons, these sacred cows are presently occupying top government positions or eying them.
Most of them were governors who ended their tenure in 2007 after looting the treasury of their respective states.
DSP ALAMEISEIGHYA
Most prominent is the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha who was arrested on January 15, 2005 on money laundering charges by the London Metropolitan Police but fled the country, reportedly disguised as a woman. He was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly and his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan became governor. Alameiseighya did not have a single home anywhere in highbrow Lagos until he became governor. He bought a Maybach (the ultra-luxury vehicle seized from Ibori), choice houses in Lagos, Abuja, London and Beverly Hills (for his daughter) with the commonwealth of the people of Bayelsa.
The Nigerian Judicial system let him off the hook and he is careful not to set foot in the UK.
He is now an esteemed statesman who advises President Goodluck Jonathan.
JOLLY NYAME
Also, the erstwhile Governor of Taraba state, Jolly Nyame was also accused by the EFCC of defrauding his state of over N1.7billion.
Nyame was a three-term governor of the state, having first ruled between 1991 and 1993, before securing another two terms from 1999 to 2007.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and his counsel moved an application for his bail on the grounds that the offenses were bailable in law. He was ordered remanded in prison custody by the court.
The judge said that considering all the evidence before the court, there is a prima facie case against the
former governor, adding that the offence relating to corruption attracts 14 years jail term and can therefore pass for a case that is serious in law.
Now, Nyame is an ACN leader in Taraba after defecting from PDP to the party. He contested for the senatorial seat under the ACN platform with PDP candidate, Aisha Alhassan, a woman who eventually won the poll.
IGBINEDION LUCKY
Another governor on the trial list was the former governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, is the only former governor, who paid back money into state coffers through a plea bargain. He faced a 191-count charge of embezzling N4.3 billion.
A Federal High Court, Enugu had found him guilty and he immediately refunded the N 3 million, a crumb compared to the loaves he embezzled.
The case was determined on January 23, 2008. The EFCC, last February appealed the judgment, urging for stiffer sanctions.
This time, Igbinedion will face a N25 billion fraud trials at the Federal High Court in Benin, in what some observers said was motivated to curtail his political activities.
The EFCC in April 2011 sealed off two choice mansions of the former governor. The two properties are those on No. 7 Justice Fatai Williams Street, Asokoro Abuja and No. 5 Danube Crescent, Maitama Abuja. The exercise was carried out on the heels of a forfeiture order granted the EFCC on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris, authorised EFCC to seize 11 choice properties spread over Benin, Lagos, Abuja and London, traced to the former governor
Now, Igbinedion calls South Africa home, where he has a palatial mansion and it is rumored his son drives a purple Rolls Royce Phantom.
SAMINU TURAKI
In July 2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud before a Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud charge.
Samimu Turaki, the former governor of Jigawa state who had dumped the ANPP for the PDP before the expiration of his tenure and later dumped the PDP for the ACN when he sought a return ticket to the Senate which he lost.
Some of the charges included N12 billion withdrawn from the state government treasury for financing former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term mission.
After reading the 32-count charge, Turaki, who appeared in the court in person, pleaded not
guilty to all the charges. His lawyer, Mr. Mahmud Abubakar Magaji, prayed the court to grant bail to his client.
After several arguments by his lawyer and EFCC counsel, the judge, Justice Shehu Yahaya, granted the accused bail based on the conditions granted by the previous judges.
In July 2011, the EFCC re-arraigned Saminu Ibrahim Turaki over a N36 billion fraud before a Federal High Court in Dutse on a 32-count fraud charge.
ORJI KALU
The former Governor of Abia, Uzor Kalu and the founder of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), who in April 2011 lost his bid to represent Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate, is accused by the EFCC of embezzling a N59
billion.
The EFCC is worried that since 2007 when Kalu was arrested and arraigned, the case had been
experiencing long adjournments at the instance of the trial court.
The former governor is standing trial over alleged stealing of N59 billion (equivalent of US$460.9 million), and as a result was arraigned on 107-count charge by the anti-graft agency.
His trial was stalled due to several appeals in which he wanted the court to quash the charges. His appeals all failed both at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and since then he was returned to the trial court to face criminal charges before Justice Adamu Bello of an Abuja Federal high Court.
The case came up on October 11, 2011 after a long adjournment from May 2011, but because judges
were holding their annual conference at Sokoto, the matter was adjourned to March 8, 2012
Kalu left PDP when he shown is interest to contest for the Presidential seat and form PPA where
he produced the present governor Theodore Orji who happened to be his Chief of Staff.
Theodore Orji played a fast game on his political godfather by decamping to PDP without properly informing his political benefactor.
Thus he ensured that Kalu lost the senatorial seat under PPA. Kalu is relaxing in a big mansion in Maryland, USA.
AYODELE FAYOSE
Ayodele Fayose, the former Governor of Ekiti State was also apprehended by the EFCC on December 17, 2007. Fayose was impeached by the Ekiti House of Assembly in 2006 over an alleged financial mismanagement.
His House in Ibadan was sealed by the anti-graft commission on September 30 2010. He accused the former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni of using his office and as a member of PDP to instruct the EFCC to seal his house.
He left PDP in 2010 and joined the Labour Party [LP] where he contested for the senatorial seat in the last April general election. Fayose after losing the poll is now back in PDP again where indication emerged that he may likely contest for the governorship ticket under PDP.
OLABODE GEORGE
Though, he was never been a civilian governor, but he ruled some states during the military regime.
The PDP Chieftain threatened court action over a newspaper allegation that an N85 billion scam was uncovered in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) while he was chairman of the NPA board. He described the allegation as senseless, baseless and thoughtless.
He was indicted by the EFCC when it was headed by Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at the NPA. However, he was widely rumoured to have been shielded from prosecution by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In August 2008, the EFCC under its new head Farida Waziri arrested Olabode George in Lagos and arraigned him and four others on a 163 count-charge of conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA. After the trial had started, the EFCC reduced the charge to 63 counts. In October 2009, Bode George was found guilty and sentenced to jail for 30 months.
Back from the prison, the PDP chieftain in Lagos state activeness in politics has remain doubting. Some supporters of the PDP and opposition parties believed that George is no more relevant in Nigeria politics.
HASSAN LAWAL
A former Minister for works, Hassan Lawal is still under trial over alleged N50billion fraud by the EFCC.
Lawal who was minister under late President regime, Umaru Yar’adua decamped from PDP after he was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan after the death of Yar’adua and pitched his tent with the Congress of Progressive Change [CPC].
Already, the EFCC has charged the suspect to court.
ALAO-AKALA
Coming from the South West region is the former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala. He was arraigned by the EFCC on 11 count charge for awarding contracts without budget provision by defrauding the state N11billion.
He has been granted bailed and whilst Nigerians are waiting for the next action to be taken by the EFCC on
Alao-Akala, his family seems to think all is well. His son Ola recently purchased a house in Lekki Phase 1 where he parks a BMW X6 and a Range Rover.
GBENGA DANIEL
Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun State, has been re-arraigned this week by the EFCC over the alleged N58billion he looted after being set free by the Federal High Court in Abeokuta.
Daniel was alleged to have converted the state fund to his own pocket by using the state treasury to by properties.
IBRAHIM BABANGIDA
Reportedly, Babangida is in a league of his own when it comes to looting. The $12 billion oil windfall he alleged pilfered could have brought the people of the North out of poverty and illiteracy. In fact we may not be talking of Boko Haram if the former military leader hadn’t been the father of modern corruption in Nigeria.

Alleged Multi-Billion Naira Mansion: Govt debunks PDP’s claim ... Says ’ll not be distracted

BENIN CITY - Edo State Government has reaffirmed its resolve to remain focused on the welfare of the people and will not be diverted by a misguided campaign sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP against the Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The Special Adviser on media affairs, Tony Iyare, yesterday in a statement condemned the PDP fairy tale about a purported multi-billion naira mansion being built by Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in his native Iyamho, concocted by an online publication, The Will, and parroted by Nigerian Compass of Monday, April 16, 2012.

‘Unable to match the Comrade Governor in the area of ideas to grow Edo and improve the human condition, these political desperadoes are resorting to their stock-in-trade: lies and character-assassination.

‘We are aware that the promoters of this laughable falsehood had gone round many media houses in Lagos with sack-loads of blood money to induce its publication, but were turned down outright on the basis of the amateurish job done, until the cheap bait finally caught these unconscionable hacks in the periphery of yellow journalism,’ he noted.

According to him, given the timing, it is obvious the intent of the sponsored writers is a smear campaign to cause mischief, disaffection and throw mud at the hard-earned reputation of Governor Oshiomhole, particularly coming when more and more Edo people are clamouring for his return for a second term in appreciation of the unprecedented growth and development witnessed by Edo State in less than forty-two months of his exemplary stewardship.

‘We would have simply ignored this base falsehood and the ingenious simulation of pictures on the said mansion deliberately concocted to divert the attention of the Edo people from the fundamental issues thrown up by the forthcoming governorship campaign, but are compelled by the need to always engage our people particularly on the issue of management of public finances in our tradition of openness and accountability,’ he added.

The Special Adviser disclosed that, ‘Governor Oshiomhole built his country-home at Iyamho more than 20 years ago.

Every-one knows the road to the house in question. In fact, all his houses, including the one located in Kaduna and Abuja, were built many years before he ever contemplated contesting the governorship seat in Edo State.

The house in Iyamho is currently undergoing some renovation which is aimed at providing for some walkways and an outdoor bar on the existing empty space.’

According to him, the so-called N10b mansion is only a phantom existing in the warped imagination of the sponsors of this publication.

‘Since its advent a little over three years ago, the Oshiomhole administration has been guided by the principles of fiscal discipline, transparency, efficient management of resources and a dogged attempt to ensure that the people of Edo State feel the impact of governance.

The result can be seen in massive infrastructural development across the length and breadth of the state in the past forty-two months,’ he added.

He further noted that against the old tradition of fiscal recklessness and mindless rapacity, the Oshiomhole administration has unleashed a regime of reforms to ensure probity and accountability in the use of public funds and the most recent of these reforms is the Edo Public Procurement Act.

‘Before the arrival of the Oshiomhole government, 80 percent was devoted to recurrent expenditure. Now, it is 60 percent capital and 40 percent recurrent.

The reversal of this lopsided budget which had gone on for close to 20 years and the halting of the pillage by the godfathers resulted in the freeing of resources to take care of the welfare needs of the people.

‘At the risk of sounding immodest, this sterling show of prudence with public resources is what we believe led multi-national institutions to partner with the Oshiomhole administration. Only last week, the World Bank granted the state a credit support of $225 million which is envisaged to spread over a three year period,’ he added.

Apart from putting development vigorously on the table, the government has built more than 500 kilometres of roads covering more than 400 communities. The government has also embarked on the rebuilding of many primary and secondary schools across the three senatorial zones of the state.

He maintained that in addition to building a five star complex at Central Hospital, Benin City, a massive intervention never witnessed in the history of the 109-year-old hospital founded by the colonial government, many hospitals across the state have been renovated adding that the Women and Children Hospital have also been built in Ewohimi, Edo Central and Otuo, Edo North to complement the one in Benin City.

‘Rather than those who think governance is to service the lust of the godfathers and their hirelings, the philosophy of the Oshiomhole administration is to ensure the provision of the “greatest good to the greatest number”.

Celebrating Fraud In Edo State

The feedback from Mr. Tony Iyare, the special adviser (media) to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, concerning my recent write-up entitled “The Binis And Dirty Propaganda” was expected. I stated in that write-up that my friends who work with the comrade governor as spin doctors would play dirty after reading the piece. And they did just that in an article entitled “Edo: Dirty Tale Of An Ethnic Jingoist”, with a pseudo by-line Samson Ehiakhame

But the real author of that rejoinder is my very good friend and former comrade with extreme view on issues that bother on corruption, Mr. Tony Iyare, who left the real issues that I raised in my earlier piece and chose to attack my person. He claimed I acted on behalf of “my paymaster”, the Edo State PDP gubernatorial candidate, General Charles Airhiabvere. But, as a journalist of nearly two decades of experience with reputable media houses, I am used to such allegation.
For sure, Iyare’s strategy can be located in the Latin term ad hominem, which means “against the man”. He chooses to assail my person rather than the issue. His assumption in such a fallacy and erroneous belief is that if I prove to be unacceptable in some way, my statement or argument must also be judged unacceptable. For those much schooled in elements of argument like my friend, Iyare, attacking the author of the statement is an effective strategy of diversion that prevents the reader from giving attention to the issue under discussion.
Beyond Iyare’s folly, I thought he should have known me better. We have been friends for over 20 years; as journalists and pro-media rights activists, we have worked closely in the last 18 years. The very ideological Iyare and I have voluntarily worked closely in many non-governmental organisations: the Civil Liberties Organisation (I was the Lagos State chairman of the organisation for three years), the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists and, Journalists for Democratic Rights, which we jointly founded along with some respected journalists at the peak of the military dictatorship of the late General Sani Abacha, and other various organisations. And I am sure Iyare cannot actually face me and repeat the accusation he levelled against me in his rejoinder to my article.
Anyway, I sympathise with him; I am sure he was under suffocating pressure from his boss whom I know too well does not entertain any kind of criticism.
But, let us face the real issue in Edo State today: It is about lack of equitable distribution of our common wealth, transparency, accountability and all other elements of good governance, which Iyare and his collaborators do not want to hear. I share the current popular belief in Edo State with grave concern that nowhere in the last two budgets was the ongoing “reckless, prodigal and on-the-spur-of-the-moment spending” by Oshiomhole captured, even though some of his supporters have said the money came from security vote. But if these colossal sums of money being illegally wasted on securing political support came from his huge security vote, which the governor had claimed till date, then, we can understand why he admitted recently that the security challenges facing the state were very tasking.
Apart from that, as an acclaimed ambassador of the labour and pro-democracy groups in government, Governor Oshiomhole ought to know that the issue concerning his current “ridiculous, meaningless and reckless spending” that is rubbishing good governance, accountability and probity in Edo State will crop up after his tenure. And, when the time comes, I doubt if his present praise-singers and some dubious local traditional rulers, who are being induced to endorse his second-term bid will defend him.
Some naive members of the public who hugely rely on media bliss and grimy propaganda in assessing Oshiomhole might not agree, but the truth is that many of those people currently praising the comrade governor cannot really boast of or identify completed and commissioned projects in their domain in the three and a half years of Oshiomhole as governor. I was at home during the last Easter holiday and I moved round virtually all the local government areas in Edo South, but I did not see any project which the governor’s spin doctors are celebrating on the pages of newspapers and television stations. Save Oredo and Etsako West LGAs in the state, which have small pockets of completed and commissioned road projects with questionable and open-to-discussion cost, none of the other 16 LGAs has any completed and commissioned road project.
 In fact, going by Governor Oshiomhole administration’s claim in its report of stewardship during third anniversary celebration, Oredo LGAs with the largest road network - of over 1,000 roads begging for attention has only 8.2-kilometre rehabilitated roads in the past three and a half years at a total cost of  N6 billion. Mind you, the key word here is “rehabilitated”, not “constructed” roads. These include: Sapele Road, Oba Market Road, 2nd West Circular Road, Costain/Isonorho, Abehe, Ebo, Ekpenede, Iwebo Roads, Liberty Avenue and Stadium roads, all in Benin City. Oba Market Road and Sapele Road that are mere 0.75km and 2.10km respectively, according to Oshiomhole, were rehabilitated for N2 billion and N1.5 billion respectively. Imagine rehabilitating a less than 3-kilometre road by local contractors with N3.5 billion! How much does Julius Berger charge per kilometre of road construction? According to Julius Berger specification, a kilometre of dual road in a difficult terrain like Bayelsa State goes for about N120 million. But in Oshiomhole’s case, a kilometre of road is “rehabilitated” for about N750 million.
In Etsako West, which is Governor Oshiomhole’s LGAs of origin, only three narrow road projects totalling 15.3k, the highest in the state, have been completed in three and a half years at a total cost of N5.909 billion. These roads are Jattu-Ayua Road (4.40km), at a cost of N2.812 billion; Jattu-Ibie Road (4.4km), at a cost of N2.380 billion; and Iyamho-Iyora Road (5.5km) at a cost of N3.717 billion.  From his report card, during his third anniversary, Governor Oshiomhole in the past three years only succeeded in completing and commissioning 23.5km-road projects in the entire state at a total questionable cost of about N12.909 billion. The governor had also stated that all the 35 awarded road projects (completed and ongoing) in the state in the last three years, totally 489.2kilometres, are estimated to cost the state over N100 billion. This amount excludes costs for the Oba Market Road, Airport Road and Sokpoba Road walkway projects, which are still shrouded in secrecy.
From the contract agreement paper signed by the Edo State government and the contractors handling the contracts, 80% of the 35 awarded road contracts are less than 10km in length. The huge amount for the controversial contracts was taken from over N275 billion which the state had received from the federation account as statutory allocation coupled with billions of naira internally generated revenue in the past three years. I am told the governor had borrowed over N30 billion in the last three years; and, just a few days ago, Mr. Iyare issued a press statement celebrating another borrowing of $75 million from the World Bank.
These are my concerns and that of many Edolites who are very familiar with the huge mismanagement of their common wealth by the present state government. And I challenge my friend, Mr. Iyare, to address these issues. I do not have a personal problem with Oshiomhole; but I am concerned and worried about the future of my state and the aspiration of other pro-democracy activists who might want to go into partisan politics in the future. The electorate may not be able to distinguish us from the known traditional politicians.
Beyond the deceitful political manipulation going on currently in the state, the July governorship election will not be about the PDP and the ACN; it will be about the character and credentials of the candidates; it will be about those who can be entrusted with our common wealth. Like I have repeatedly said in this column, democracy is not about construction and beautification of roads. After all, the best and lasting roads in the old Bendel State (now Delta and Edo states) were constructed under the General Samuel Ogbemudia-led military government. Democracy is about accountability, transparency, probity, rule of law, due process, judicious use of state funds and other elements of good governance. On this, the comrade governor has not done well.

UK Court Jails Ibori For 13 Years

Chief James Ibori, former Governor of Delta State and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was standing trial for corruption and multiple frauds has been jailed for 13 years by a United Kingdom Court sitting in Southwark, London.
In his ruling, Judge Anthony Pitt of London Southwark Court said that Ibori’s sentencing was not the end of matter, stressing that his property will still be confiscated through another legal process and consequences may arise if there is problem with that.
He said: “If he had fought the case, he would be looking at 24 years but will get a discount for pleading guilty,” Pitts said.
He therefore sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
Shortly after the procedure started, Ibori's counsel, Nicholas Purnell blamed Ibori's ex-lawyer Gohil & former Governor Victor Attah for the V-Mobile fraud, saying they were architects of the scam.
Citing a letter from British Airways thanking former Governor Ibori for restoring direct flight from Nigeria to the UK, Lawyer Purnell said the former governor had played a part in supporting United Kingdom industry even before he was elected.
In a bid to secure lenient sentence for the ex-governor, the lawyer credited him with great achievements in Nigeria, saying that his client should be considered based on every development he brought to Nigeria, from banking reforms, to peace in the Niger delta.
He however begged the trial Judge to also consider Chief James Ibori’s children as both of their parents were in the United Kingdom prison custody.
In his spirited efforts, Ibori’s lawyer called on Fashanu, an ex-footballer and close pal to the accused person,  as witness for Ibori, to talk about the influence of the Oghara stadium on the youth of Delta, and in his testimony, John Fashanu claimed Ibori built the first shooting range in Nigeria.
Fashanu noted that the former governor achieved a lot in sports, and was instrumental to the end of militancy in the state.
Earlier on Monday, Ibori’s Counsel grasped at straws and floundered so much, even the judge was left exasperated.
The lawyer told the judge he intended to pass on details of Ibori's accomplishments in Delta State in full, including a short video documenting the former governor’s “accomplishments.”
Purnell praised Ibori as a man who had reformed the public procurement system in Delta State, as well as promoted accountability and transparency, but lamented that the former governor fell prey to the corruption that plagues the state.
He said Ibori had made two promises to the people who elected him: to get more of a fair distribution of Nigeria's oil wealth to the states that produce it—which he said Ibori accomplished—and to spend more on infrastructure.
"There is no debate that in his controversial career, it has been publicly recognised that he revolutionised the infrastructure of Delta State," Purnell said.
He described Ibori as a "pioneer in democracy,” but stated, "Everything that he has done is jeopardised by this (guilty) plea.”
The lawyer also credited Mr Ibori with having been instrumental in ending the violence that came out of the Ijaw-Itsekiri “war” of the late 1990s, pointing out that Mr Ibori had been credited by the US as the "only one with a credible plan for peace."
Hitting another stride, Mr. Purnell began to spread the blame for Ibori’s crimes, his principal target being another lawyer of the former governor, Bhadresh Gohil. "There is an extent to which Ibori’s weaknesses and failings were supported by others and tutored by others, professional people in this jurisdiction set out a plan to people in foreign jurisdictions to steal money... at question is that if this is a James Ibori plan."
He then blamed the government for Ibori’s false passport issued to him in the mid-1990s, saying the false date of birth was a mistake and a common occurrence as there was no reliable system of birth certification in place at the time.
Ibori, he said, never intended to use the passport for fraud, but had continued with the wrong date of birth in his passport because he had a visa to travel to the UK in that passport. Soon after, he had married Theresa Ibori and their marriage certificate bore that date of birth. He said that Mr Ibori has admitted that his offence was to refuse to declare the two offences of theft and fraud committed in the UK at the point he was sworn in as governor.
And Ibori, Mr Purnell said, never planned to become governor dishonestly and use that position to enrich himself, as the prosecution had alleged. "There was no question in 1996 that he would be able to be a governor, Sani Abacha was in charge," and there was no indication that [Abacha] would give up power. It was only after Mr Abacha died suddenly in 1998 that democracy could be returned.
Mr. Purnell then blamed anyone looking at Ibori’s corrupt trail for having bad eyes.  During the trial, Ibori had admitted that he defrauded the state in respect of inflating contracts, particularly with reference to a running track the prosecution said he had inflated in order to split the difference with his mistress.
Also in his closing remarks on Monday, UK Prosecutor, QC Sasha weils indicted Ibori, stressing that he systematically and deliberately defrauded his people during his tenure as governor of Delta State of Nigeria.
Mr. Weils who said that Mr. Ibori who was jailed in 1991 and 1992 in London committed too many frauds totaling £50 million to maintain his lavish lifestyle also noted that the accused person had violated the Nigerian constitution Section 182 and Section 181(1) when he contested the governorship election less than 10years after he was jailed in the United Kingdom.
It would be recalled that Ibori’s wife, Theresa; his sister, Christine; his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo; and his London solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil; had been convicted in London for involvement in money-laundering.
But efforts by  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to try Ibori for the same charge of money laundering in Nigeria has not been successful.

The EFCC had first arraigned the ex-governor alongside some other accused persons before Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Kaduna on a 103-count charge in December 2007.

UNIBEN Medical Student murdered

BENIN CITY - A final year medical student at the university of Benin (UNIBEN) has been murdered by unknown assailants.

The victim identified simply as Abubakar, 25; sources disclosed, was stabbed in the neck as he was about entering his apartment at the Senior Staff quarters of the institution.

The incident occurred at about 9.36p.m last Saturday, as the victim who struggled to get the attention of his neigbours, allegedly died before he could be rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City.

Confirming the murder, the commissioner of police, Edo State, Mr. Olayinka Balogun stated that “you know it happened inside the campus and police have limited access to the campus so we are trying to nose around.”

Mr. Olayinka further stated that the police have begun investigation to unmask the killers of the medical student.

Contacted, the spokesmen of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Mr. Osareren Harrison could neither confirmed or debunk the report , but simply said that the institution’s position on the case would be communicated to the media in due course.

2nd Term: ACN, USA Chapter Endorses Oshiomhole

BENIN CITY - The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) New England Chapter, United States of America has resolved to support the candidature of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for a second term in office as governor of Edo State.

The decision of the group, conveyed to The NIGERIAN OBSERVER yesterday via email, is hinged on the governor’s unprecedented performance in the past 42 months in office as Governor of Edo State.

According to the statement endorsed by the Group’s Chairperson, (ACN-NEC) USA Hon. Presley Obasohan, “we are committed to making sure that the July 14, 2012 election is free and fair and to ensure the successful re-election of the comrade governor, come July 14, 2012”.

He emphasised that “as a first step toward our resolve that “Power remains”, we are urging all Edo State citizens to shun any and all attempts by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), or any other political party to confuse, buy their conscience with money or material gifts”.

The ACN, New England Chapter domiciled in the USA advised all Edos to stand for economic and infrastructural developments as evidenced in the administration of the comrade governor, rather than infrastructure decay and poverty under the PDP-led administration.

The statement pointed out that there was clear difference between the administrations of preceding PDP and the present ACN-led administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole which has started repositioning Edo State to regain its lost glory and heritage. It, therefore, stressed that the only way to sustain the developmental stride was for all Edos to come out in their numbers to vote for the ACN and its governorship flagbearer, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on July 14, 2012.

While expressing its appreciation to Comrade Oshiomhole, who recently marked 59th birthday for his great leadership and true understanding of the sufferings of the people of Edo State, the group prayed God for his protection, and advised all undecided voters to toe the right path, the right party and the right Governor in person of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as they go to the poll on July 14, 2012.

Governorship Election Campaign Kick-Off: Tell Edos why you were detained, Oshiomhole fires the first salvo at Arhiavbere

BENIN CITY - As the campaign for the July 14 election kicked off in Edo State yesterday, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has fired the first salvo at his Peoples Democratic Party opponent, Charles Arhiavbere, asking him to tell the Edo People and indeed Nigerians why he was detained for three months by the Army Authorities while still in service.

The Governor threw the challenge in Benin City at the decamping of the South South
Youth Leader of the PDP, Mr. Ralph Usuomon and 25 other leaders of the party from
Edo South Senatorial district and over 5,000 of their supporters to the Action Congress of
Nigeria.

According to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, “we are here mobilizing for one man, one vote while the expired godfather is in a dark room preparing police and military uniforms and he brought one retired cashier who calls himself a General but does not know how to fire a Dane gun, he said he will probe Oshiomhole.

“He claims to be a Catholic in the day, but at night he goes to collect white chalk at a shrine at Uromi. He said he had deep pockets, now we know why military y pensioners have not got their pensions, why dead soldiers are still receiving pensions..

“When we go for campaigns and they ask who are you, I will say I am Adams Oshiomhole, I worked for the Nigerian people, fought for the Nigerian masses and I have been detained many times in the course of working for the people.

I confronted real and seasoned generals, I confronted Obasanjo. But I will also ask him what he did that he was detained. How many months was he detained for. He must tell the people of Edo state why he was detained because if he doesn’t, we will help him.

“Right now, he is going about preaching ethnic politics, he said it’s all about Benin agenda, we ask, with his deep pockets, how many clinics did he build in Benin, which market did he build. Even his Agbodo community has disowned him.

When I was in Labour and they formed the Labour Transit, only four garages were to be built, one in Abuja, one in Lagos, one in Port Harcourt but I insisted that the last one must be in the capital of my state, Benin City. So the moment of truth is here. What has he done for the, people?

“When they did their primaries, he lost in four Local Governments and all of them were Local Governments in Benin, that means the Benin people have rejected him, yet the godfather imposed him.”

He told the people to vote right due to what they see and not what they hear, noting that they should insist on the report card of the candidates which speaks volume of a good administrator.

While declaring the campaign as moment of truth he urged the people of Oredo to be ready to defend their votes.

A ward chairman of the PDP, Osaro Obaze said that they have watched from afar how the governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has used the resources of the state for the benefit of the people.

“We have come to support the governor for what he is doing in the state and he called on people to imbibe the one man one vote legacy of the governor,” he noted.

A PDP chieftain in Oredo, Elder Asoross who said they have come with over two hundred members of the PDP to decamp to the Action Congress of Nigeria said that he felt humbled to be accepted into the Action Congress of Nigeria

Edo To Receive $75 million Support Credit from World Bank‎

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$75 million concessional credit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria for Growth and Employment Support Programme in Edo State .
The approved credit will be in the form of budget support similar to that which was extended to the State of Lagos in 2011.
A statement from the World Bank said: “The credit has been provided in recognition of critical policy and institutional reforms that the Edo State Government has undertaken to improve management of public resources in the implementation of an infrastructure-oriented development strategy and creation of a better environment for growth and employment generation through a more conducive investment climate and higher quality of education.”
“Following the Board’s approval of a similar credit for Lagos State last year, this marks yet another milestone in Nigeria’s path to improving public service delivery through improved governance at state level and therefore contributing to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals,” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria.
She congratulated the state government for its commitment towards reforms and urged the authorities to stay the course.
Among the reforms on improving the management of public resources include the enactment of a public procurement law, sanitizing the payroll through use of biometrics technology for identification, use of an integrated financial management information system for budget management, improving transparency in procurement through the publication of contracts awarded, and strengthening external oversight by clearing the backlog of audited financial statements. These policy reforms will ensure value for money in the utilization of public resources.
Critical reforms for improving the investment climate focus on establishing a platform for a modern land information system that will be central to the process of streamlining procedures for acquiring property rights. An improved business climate is critical to attracting investors to Edo, and hence, to generating growth and creating employment opportunities.
In education, the state government has been working on improving the quality of education so that the education system meets the demands and needs of the employment market. One key reform undertaken aims at improving governance at institutional level through the establishment of school-based management committees (SBMCs) in technical and vocational education institutions. SBMCs will ensure that communities are involved in school decision-making, that will lead to improved student achievement and other outcomes as the local people demand closer monitoring of school personnel, better student evaluations, a closer match between the school’s needs and its policies, and a more efficient use of resources.
Besides, the state is also piloting an education management information system to ensure that there is adequate, accurate, and up to date information for planning, monitoring, and implementation of policies and programs for improving the quality of education.
“Apart from helping bridge a financing gap for us to implement the critical infrastructure projects that Edo State needs to stimulate growth and create employment opportunities, the reforms we have been undertaking and which have been recognized by the World Bank will ensure that the state obtains value for money in the utilization of the funds,” said Adams Oshiomhole, the Executive Governor of Edo State.
The Nation

Edo 2012: Between Numerical Strength And Political Strategy

HOW TRUE IS THIS MY PEOPLE?

As the Edo governorship election draws nearer, EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE reports on the quintessence of an emerging attitude to the highly anticipated election slated for July 14, 2012 which indicates that most Binis are insisting that their numerical advantage must be exploited to produce one of their own as the next governor of the state.
If democracy is truely a game of numbers, it follows that in a free and fair election, any candidate who has more supporters than his fellow competitors should win the election. So if rallying ones ethnic base will give him the edge over others, it doesn’t make it myopic or narrow to rely on such strength in order to emerge victorious. This could be a potent strategy deployed worldwide to win elections.
In the build up towards the July 14, governorship election in Edo state, the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN) fields incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole who will lock horns with Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Major General (Rtd) Charles Airhiavbere. In the face of this gathering storm is a curious angle steadily seeping into the equation which is the brewing ethnic sentiment that is taking centre stage in the contest.
The Binis, a clear majority among ethnicities that make up Edo state, are now saying that the governorship seat must return to its fold after being on the sidelines in the last four years, with the exit of Lucky Igbinedion. In addition to not having the governorship, the Binis do not have any political office holder at the national level. Therefore, they see the governorship election, this time around, as their only prize -- at least this is the sentiment currently being echoed in many quarters. And they have found a rallying point in the PDP candidate for the realization of their desire.
The case of Edo state remains a curious one. Even when it has an ethnic group in clear majority, it has still given room for people from minority ethnic groups to assume leadership, either through military fiat (George Agabazika Innih in 1976/1977) or through election (Ambrose Folorunso Alli in 1979-1983; Oserheimen Osunbor, 2007-2008; and Adams Oshiomhole, 2008 to date.
This is in sharp contrast to states like Benue and Kogi, where the Tivs and Igalas respectively hold sway, no matter what.
In Kogi where the Ebiras contest, the Igalas majority claims, the latter has still continued to win at the ballots the governorship seat. The same applies with the Idomas and Tivs in Benue -- the Tivs will continue to occupy the governorship seat as long as ethnic numerical strength comes in to play.
What it indicts, is that the Binis are quite large-hearted. The case of Edo state punctures all political analysis. But it is obvious that there is a strong demand for power shift in Edo state, to compensate for the tendency to sideline the Binis when it comes to federal political appointments.
“The Binis need to go back to the drawing board and re-examine their political interest and their strategies and locate where their interest lies,” says Iyobosa Uwugiaren, writing in his widely reviewed column in LEADERSHIP, under the caption ‘The Binis and Dirty propaganda’. He notes: “The coming election provides a huge opportunity for them. The social problems that are pronounced today in the state, especially in Edo south, have been linked to lack of economic and political empowerment at the state and federal level.”
It has not always been like that for the Binis in Edo state. In 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic governance after a long rule by the military, the governorship of Edo state fell on Lucky Igbinedion, a Bini man.
Analysts have severally deflated views bandied by some supporters of the ACN that Igbinedion’s tenure as governor were a wasteful term as a basis for insisting that another Bini person has no moral right to aspire to the seat in the coming election. They describe such views as a mere propaganda.
The Binis further argues that, apart from the issue of their current marginalization from political power at state and national level, they have other reasons to re-examine their position, one of such reasons is that despite their support for Oshiomhole, they have not forgotten the bitter pills they swallowed from Etsako people. The late General Agbazika Innih, Military Governor of the old Bendel state under the General Murtala Mohammed regime, was particularly anti-Bini, to the extent that he tried to rope General Samuel Ogbemudia into the 1976 abortive military coup led by the later executed Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka. Ogbemudia was only lucky to escape execution. In fact, the present Oba Erediauwa, then Prince Solomon Akenzua, quit the Innih cabinet in protest against the attempt to smear Binis over the coup.
Roland Owie, Senator for Edo South in 1999-2003, painted a very graphic picture of Innih’s anti-Bini actions, including the assault on other prominent Binis during his tenure, in Sunday Vanguard of April 8. According to the former lawmaker, going forward, the Binis have two things riding for them – the monarch and its population.
At the time of Innih’s anti-Bini actions, there was no evidence that the Etsako intelligentsia called him to order.
“Bini people are smart enough to see through Oshiomhole’s strategy of overzealously courting the Benin monarch,” notes a politician. “The decision of the Otaru of Auchi to mobilise Edo north traditional rulers behind Oshiomhole is also bound to backfire. As history has shown, it is dangerous for traditional rulers to dabble into politics so brazenly. Traditional rulers in Edo central and Edo south are bound to frown at the development and then take their own position.”
There is also the fear that, once he secures re-election, it is not beyond Oshiomhole to turn against those who provide the ladder for his rise, including the Palace. “Did he not turn against the labour movement in Edo State?” poses George Daudu, a community leader. “What is the relationship between him and the Labour Party today? Did he not flirt with Chief Anenih? Did he not go back to Ogbemudia after initially humiliating the revered ex-Governor only because he saw immense potential in using him to destabilize PDP?”
To buttress his use-and-dump propensity, his critics are insinuating that the Igbinedions and Oshiomhole have since parted ways, with the Governor whispering to those around him: “Have I not settled them?” when the family makes demands as per the terms of their funding of his election.
Opponents have also pointed at another pastime of Oshiomhole -- using his propaganda machinery to destroy prominent Binis. In particular former Minister of State for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi, who is very close to the Oba was purported to have been “banned” from the Palace for non-performance!
In the same vein, while Oshiomhole’s achievements are visible, there is popular belief among critics that they are carefully arranged to catch the eye. “They are mostly urban based,” insists Godfrey Imaghodor, a transporter. “So, rural people are not as fanatical about these achievements as city dwellers. Also, the projects are lop-sided in favour of Etsako, his Local Government Area (LGA) and Benin City, the capital.”
Indeed, Oshiomhole has tacitly admitted to the charge of favouritism in the location of projects. “Development has eluded my people (Edo north) and when I came, I decided from day one that I would take development to my people,” he told newsmen on a project inspection tour. While he has delivered on his promise in spectacular fashion, critics are questioning the rationale for concentrating 70 per cent of Edo state infrastructural projects – roads, electricity, water – on Edo north (less than 15 per cent voter’s power), mostly in Etsako.
Having made great efforts to please the Oba of Benin, he deludes himself into believing that the Oba will support him against any opposition. “But that is a dangerous assumption,” says Smart Aigbeghian, a political scientist of Bini extraction. “As a rule, the Oba supports anybody who seeks his blessing. When the time comes to cast his lot with anyone, it is inconceivable that he will prefer Oshiomhole over a true son of his soil (Airhiavbere of the PDP whose father was a Palace chief). Indeed, it is the Bini people who will make the choice for him.”
On the frequently orchestrated endorsement of Oshiomhole by Ogbemudia, Aigbeghian says this serves the needs of propaganda, but notes that “it is very unlikely to translate into Bini votes,” wondering “How can Ogbemudia fail to support Airhiavbere, a fellow ex-military officer and kinsman?”
By the same token, the so-called support by prominent Bini chiefs for Oshiomhole has come to serious scrutiny. For example, it is now known that Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin, who is touted as one of his staunchest supporters, is not doing anything gratis – three of his sons are known to hold key positions in Oshiomhole’s administration! Already, Binis are feeling short-changed, because many of them are unable to secure even the most menial of jobs for their children.
Away from ethnic sentiments, common people are interrogating the Oshiomhole approach in terms of priorities and scoring him low on rural development.
“The Bini part of Edo State remains the most impoverished,” says Aigbeghina, who recalls that a few years ago, a survey showed that, outside those domiciled in Benin City, and majority children from the old Orhionmwon LGA (present Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode LGAs) were unable to pass entrance examinations into high school.
Edokpolor, a teacher, asks rhetorically: “What has been done to combat the factors leading to such weak educational indices? How does dualization of Airport Road affect the life of a peasant farmer at Egbokor?”
Of course, Oshiomhole’s ability to reach out to and oftentimes exploit certain groups and eminent persons within the state has helped largely to ensure his reasonable influence on happenings in the state. Indeed, comes July, Oshiomhole has many questions to answer. But what is clear is that there is now a huge current of sentiments among the Binis that they must use what they have to get one of their own into Osadebey Drive.