OSHIOMOLE WAS A LABOUR DEALER AND NEVER A LEADER -YINKA ODUNMAKIN

Yinka Odunmakin is the Secretary of the splinter group of Pan- Yoruba socio-political association, Afenifere, Afenifere Renaissance and Save Nigeria Group, a civil society group that was at the forefront of the recent oil subsidy removal protest. The spokesperson of the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Mohammodu Buhari (Rtd) in this interview with Rotimi Sulyman and Adewale Ogunniran speaks on the 5-day tumultuous street protests among other sundry issues.

YINKA ODUNMAKIN

 The Save Nigeria Group came into being in the recent past, what led to the formation of the group?
Save Nigeria Group came up as an intervention group in the dying days of former President Yar’Adua, when a cabal did not allow the current president to assume office as the ruling president. At that time, there was what was generally being called power vacuum.  The fact was that power was hijacked and was exercised by people who in the first place had no business with the power of the president. That was why we met on the 7^th of January, 2010, and reasoned that there was an urgent need for concrete action. With people from the civil societies groups, we had our first protest march in Abuja, and the second in Lagos, and later returned to Abuja. This, among others, forced the Senate to pass the doctrine of necessity. All that period, we never met President Jonathan, and didn’t even care to meet him or know him, because what we were doing was not for him but based on the principles of democracy. It was after the doctrine of necessity was passed that we met President Jonathan as a group, and he thanked us profusely for what we did. But interestingly, just two years after, the same President who benefitted from our protest march has turned around, and is now the one sending troop to disperse peaceful protesters.
 It is obvious that relations between the presidency and the SNG are strained. Do you regret the supports you gave President Jonathan in the past?
Mind you, we never had any relationship before. Also, no bitterness or resentment or disappointment whatsoever, because we didn’t do what we did for President Jonathan but to preserve the constitution of Nigeria, and prevent anarchy. The night the late President Yar’Adua was brought back to the country, troops were deployed without his knowledge, which was heavily criticized. That he is now deploying troop against us, means nothing to us. It only shows that he was part of the forces we were fighting then, only that he was at the receiving end. He has shown us enough signs why we should not be surprised at what he is doing now. Don’t forget that shortly after he became acting president, he started showing his true colour, condoning impunity. In Bauchi State, the governor, Isa Yuguda was his campaign coordinator in Northwest, and when he joined PDP from ANPP, the deputy governor stayed back in ANPP, and his impeachment was arranged. The deputy governor went to court and the court ruled that the impeachment was wrong, and the man should be re-instated. But that was not to be, because Yuguda refused, and we confronted President Jonathan but he had nothing to say. When nine members of Ogun State Assembly sacked 15 members, ex-governor Gbenga Daniel was his campaign coordinator in Southwest, he couldn’t call him to order. All he could do was to seal up the assembly. He was just playing politics with critical issues because his friends were involved.
In your first meeting with the president, it is reported that the SNG were offered 50 thousand pounds by the president. It is believed in certain quarter that the group received the money, and that even before then, President Jonathan gave financial supports to the group. How true is this?
We challenge the president and his allies to come out and tell the Nigerian people if money ever exchanged hands between him, and the SNG. The only occasion they offered us money was through Godsday Orubebe who brought the 50 thousand pounds to us as we were going out of the villa gate, when we met the president for the first and last time. And we told Orubebe that we didn’t want the money. In fact it almost became an embarrassment. So, we were forced to go with it to our hotel room. And immediately we got there at Nicon Hilton, I think room 180, we called Uronto Douglas to tell him that we didn’t want the money, and returned it back to him in full sum. We were shocked to read on an online journal that we met President Jonathan, and he gave us 50 thousand pounds. So, we had no choice but to respond to the issue. Similarly Uronto called, to tell us that though we gave the money to him but he was going to deny it.
So, where does SNG source for money to fund its activities, and is it true that you get financial supports from some wealthy politicians, particularly, former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Well, I, Yinka Odunmakin do what I do because of my belief, and not for material gains. Again, we at SNG are not indigent people, we have people among us who are blessed. The Convener, Pastor Tunde Bakare has done quite a lot in terms of funding, likewise other members. This is not to say that one or two people have not made donations to us. I can tell you not Tinubu or any politician. Even money from these people paid into our account is still there in the bank. We have not even spent a dime from it, and anyway we are not planning to spend a penny from it. Our plan is that if we meet them today, we will hand over their money to them.
  It seems there is crisis in SNG with the recent pronouncement of a member of the group, where he condemned your activities and that of Pastor Bakare in the recent oil subsidy removal protest, and declared that the two of you are no longer members?
There is no crisis whatsoever. It is just that the media is not critical enough, and is giving its pages to any riff-raff. Who is this person? I don’t even want to mention his name. It was Femi Falana who invited him to Lagos for the oil subsidy removal protest meeting, and when he came, he was asking us for transport fare that would take him back to his base, which was quite strange. He is not even part of SNG because he has not joined us either as an individual or a group. So, somebody who had no transport fare is now being invited to Aso Rock and was given money to rubbish us.
SNG’s position was that the federal government should reverse back to the old pump price but labour later caved in. With this, is SNG disappointed in labour?       
Don’t let us say NLC or TUC entirely but with the controlling leadership. We know that there are people who are not happy with what they did. In fact there are some states chapters that defied the orders. It is the controlling body of labour, the Abdulwaheed Omar, the Peter Esele, and the rest of them who are Oshiomole’s protégés. Oshiomole over the years is a known labour dealer. In all those period of Obasanjo and the rest when they want to increase fuel price, the government would first meet with him to plan how labour should go about its strike action. After he has collected whatever he so wishes from government, he would call for strike, and before you know it, he has called it off. That was what they were going to do this time around too. Don’t forget that at the beginning of this protest, Reuben Abati came out to make a statement that labour should not forget their agreement with government. And so from the first day, we knew what labour would do. In fact our street protest was more impactful. We don’t call them labour leaders but labour dealers.
OrijoReporters

How Ifeanyi Uba Bought Jet, Properties with Subsidy Money

After Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s courage and determination as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to rid Nigeria of fraudsters who have destroyed the country’s credibility in the international community, no one had thought that the country would again be purged of men of Chief Fred Ajudua, Mr. Emmanuel Nwude and Mr. Ikechukwu Anajemba’s ilk.

Ifeanyi Ubah

These were men who sat on stolen money as wealth; paraded themselves as successful entrepreneurs and acquired chieftaincy titles to create an appearance of nobility to cover their criminal paths.
The ongoing trial of fuel subsidy thieves has shown that the proceeds of crime will never bring forth good seeds; neither will the tracks of criminals be forever covered. More importantly, the courage of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration to prosecute some of the indicted individuals in spite of the enormous powers their ill-gotten funds has bestowed on them is a commendable feat and clear indication of the sincerity of the Nigerian government in the anti-graft campaign.
Chief Ifeanyi Uba’s trial and subsequent detention on the order of Magistrate Martins Owumi of the Lagos State Magistrate Court sitting at Tinubu attests to the Federal Government’s resolve to save Nigeria from the wicked grip of economic saboteurs and fraudsters who have kept the country on its kneels for a while.
Ifeanyi Uba, who has  endlessly struggled to ‘wash’ his ill-gotten wealth through purchase of traditional titles and excessive celebration to project an image of a wealthy man was  suspected to have allegedly committed offences of economic sabotage, obtaining money by false pretences, stealing, money laundering and forgery.
Capital Oil and Gas Company, Ifeanyi Uba’s company allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of Nigeria of the sum of N23bn by pretending to have imported and sold 538, 74 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) during the 2011 fiscal year through 26 transactions. This fraud of a great magnitude was discovered by the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment Auditors and consequently reported to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for  investigation; a decision which has gotten Ifeanyi Uba a convenient home in Police custody at the Ikoyi prison in the past couple of days.
It would not come as a surprise to many that Uba is involved in an act of economic sabotage that has resulted in huge loss of public revenue because there have been several questions about his pedigree as a ‘Businessman’ and available answers have suggested that he is a Scammer wanted in Congo DRC for fleecing the late President, Laurent-Désiré Kabila to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. This might appear unverifiable, but his modus operandi as a ‘Businessman’ since he suddenly surfaced on the Nigerian business landscape has made positive consideration of this submission reasonable.
Ifeanyi Uba acts with impunity; always thinking that he had bought the state apparatus with his ill-gotten funds. He thinks he is above the Law of the land. In not too distant past, he would hit the roads with escort-cars; blaring siren to shove citizens who legally and decently earn their living off the roads! Uba wants to be revered even though his lifestyle is questionable. He desires a sudden promotion into the elite class without any impressive track-record or discernible source of income.
Until September 3, 2011, no one knew Ifeanyi Uba even though he had secretly created a hole in our national purse to enrich himself with the resources of the entire nation.  This day was his 40^th birthday, when over 100 pages of adverts worth millions of Naira heralded the celebration
Attesting to this fact, a report in “Society Happenings” column in This Day Newspaper during the elaborate birthday stated that, “Ubah’s celebration had tongues wagging at the amount of publicity it generated”.  The report added that ‘it was one of the rare moments when a Nigerian, (and) not an event or a product, occupied the front pages of a few of Nigeria’s foremost newspapers in paid advertorials in celebration of his birthday”
The celebration was adjudged to have “broken all tenets of modesty and brought superfluity to walk on all four”. Interestingly, this happened when Ifeanyi Ubah’s indebtedness to Nigerian Banks has grown to about N70bn, and his name has featured prominently on the list of major loan defaulters who almost crumbled the Nigerian financial services sector. He continuously reneges on his debt obligation to Banks and has perfected his act of fleecing people of their goods and products whenever they have the misfortune of having business dealings with him. Brittania-U Nigeria Ltd and NNPC would not forget in a hurry how Ifeanyi Uba has refused to pay for the PMS supplied him after selling the product.  This matter is still a subject of litigation because Uba could only issue a N4billion dud cheque; a clear indication that Capital Oil and Gas has embraced bankruptcy!  Surprisingly, his trail of destruction and practice of neither respecting tribe nor age, as a fellow Igbo, Mr. Cosmas Maduka has lost a whooping some of $130million to his antics. Ifeanyi Uba reportedly went to the Coscharis Motors boss, dazzling him with a fake business deal in the oil industry. Cosmas Maduka fell for the deal, approached a bank for $130million loan and gave it to Uba. Cosmas is biting his fingers now as Uba has blow all the money. We learnt that Cosmas has also taken his case to the police Special Fraud Unit.
Given to vagaries of life, Ifeanyi Uba acquired for himself a Private Jet (Embracer Legacy 650) valued at about N4.8b when his debts to the Banks are still outstanding. To many, this did not make any economic sense, but for Uba’s intent of eliciting societal acceptance and validation, projecting pseudo-wealthy could be positively rationalised. However, he missed the point because the Nigerian value system has changed drastically. Nigeria and Nigerians no longer celebrate individuals of questionable characters. The Federal Government is bent on restoring the reputation of the country and entrenching sanity in our national consciousness. The fuel subsidy probe is just one of the numerous actions in the pipeline to check fraudulent and criminal activities perpetrated by charlatans like Ifeanyi Uba.
Uba is a victim of over-bloated ego rooted in ignorance but his case can be excused because he never had the privilege of a formal education. Ordinarily, he should have accurately read and interpreted the signs that Nigeria is no longer conducive for fraudulent practices and manipulations that characterised the age of his predecessors in Advanced Free Fraud (419), Ajudua, Anajemba and Nwude.   For the conmen of yesteryears, things were a little easier and their operations were carried out with a considerable degree of intelligence; an aspect attributable to the level of their education.  But this era has zero tolerance for any form of behavioural or attitudinal un-cleanliness that could cast a slur on the image of our country and retard its economic growth and support from the international community.
The Federal Government actually moved faster than some of these crooks parading themselves as wealthy and successful Nigerians; or else they would have concealed their acts through involvement in politics and other ventures that could have suggested them as philanthropists to ordinary citizens of this country.
Ifeanyi Uba is mooting the idea of vying for the office of Governor in Anambra State. He is purported to have set aside the sum of N20billion to prosecute his campaign. He has also floated a foundation and embarked on some philanthropic initiatives to appear good and appealing to the people of the state. Now, the people know who he is; and the fact that his flamboyance and philanthropy are funded by fraud, borrowings from Banks and forgery.  God will save Nigeria from criminals like Ifeanyi Uba and allow the nation attain its economic potentials.
Even though Ifeanyi Uba has openly boasted that he has the Judiciary in his pocket as his prosecution for subsidy scam commenced and requested that he should be taken to a particular court in Lagos, Nigerians are optimistic that the Judiciary will not fail this test of credibility.
OrijoReporters

OIL THIEF, ADA UGO-UNGADI’S DIRTY PAST, WHY SHE WAS SACKED BY UNITY BANK

By Rotimi Sulyman

The Managing Director of Onatori Oil and Gas, one of the seven oil marketing firms that are currently being arraigned for fraudulently obtaining billions of naira from Petroleum Supports Fund by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Ada Ugo-Ungadi has the guile to achieve her goals.

A graduate of Abia State University, Uturu where she read Banking and Finance, the plump woman who is in her early forties also holds Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Lagos State University (LASU) where she was the best graduating student in her year.
Sources told orijoreporters that Ada’s award as Best Graduating Student was entirely without merit. It is said that it was merely an end-result of plenty of money she spent on her lecturers to curry favour.
Always bending the rules to gain advantage, she perpetrated several frauds during her banking career, which she started in 1995 in First Bank before moving to Access Bank two years after, and later Unity Bank.
Her crime at Unity Bank where she was the branch manager of the bank’s branch at Adetokunbo Ademola in Victoria Island in Lagos in 2005 was that, she formed the habit of diverting cash she collects from customers as deposits to oil and gas business, which she started back then. Most of the customers she was doing that to, her those she was very close to, and was even their account officer, and always knew when they needed their money, and would pay into their accounts either from her oil business proceeds, or from other means when such need arose.
It was said that Ada was also pressurizing account officers in the branch who were in possession of customers’ cash to borrow her money for her oil and gas business. The shenanigans went on for sometime in the branch, and when the management got to know about it they were very mad, particularly, one of the management staff, Kunle Oyinloye, who took it personal, because he had all along suspected that Ada was a fraudulent person.
Oyinloye was more infuriated because she didn’t have the courtesy to tell the management that she was sorry about her actions. Instead she was planning to join Afribank that was about to employ her.
Having contravened a section of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, BOFIA, the bank management set up a Disciplinary Committee, which recommended her sack.
And so Ada was sacked, and a letter was written to the CBN about her unprofessional conducts. The letter, which ruled her out of her planned move to Afribank, made it illegal for any bank in Nigeria to employ her. But how she later got employed by Access Bank where she was before moving to Unity Bank remains a mystery.
OrijoReporters

DAVIDO’S FATHER, DEJI ADELEKE’S SECRET PAINS EXPOSED!

By Abiola Osundiya

In March this year, billionaire Deji Adeleke turned 55 years old, and threw a birthday bash where his musician son, Davido serenaded the guests that included captains of industry.

Davido and his father

Sources close to the Adelekes told orijoreporters that the happy occasion masked some of the torment that have blighted the founder and Pro chancellor of Adeleke University, Ede and the CEO, Pacific Energy’s life.
One of the constant sources of worries to the mogul was two of his children from his first wife, Nicky and Koko. The problem with Nicky who is his first child was his alleged battle with hard drug, and the fact that his wife who lives in United States has found it hard to conceive some years after their wedding.
Koko’s situation was just that dishonest suitors have been preying on her, and most of them had enjoyed a string of dates with her before they ditched her. Some even ran away with her money.
Early last year, her father thought a page would turn in big fat Koko’s life story in December. But he was in dreamland.
It happened that the family had fixed a date for her wedding but the bridegroom broke up with Koko few months to the D-Day. It was also said that Adeleke had a problem with his third wife who lives at VGC, and divorced her about six months ago.
OrijoReporters

Wasiu Alabi Pasuma in N250 Thousand Fraud Scandal

Fuji Music star Wasiu Alabi Pasuma late last year moved to his newly built swanky home at Isheri, an Ogun State suburb. Bawasi as the popular musician is fondly called also owns number of swanky cars.

Pasuma

However, and going by what recently happened between him and Islam song singer, Ismail Al-Mubarak popularly known as Al-Shakiru tio Common, Alabi Pasuma is fast turning himself into a rich kid in daddy’s car doing anything for kicks.
Sources told orijoreporters that the two of them performed at an Islamic event, Maoulud in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State sometime this year. And the guest speaker, a wealthy Muslim Cleric, Shehu Farooq Onikijipa who was impressed by Ismail’s good delivery and stage craft decided to play Father Christmas.
It is said that he gave N250 thousand to Pasuma, asking him to add more money to it, and use it to send Ismail Al-Mubarak to this year hajj. But Pasuma had his own plan. It is alleged that the Fuji artiste diverted the money to fund his own lifestyle.
However, Al-Shakiru tio Common still found his way to Mecca to perform this last Hajj. “He got financial supports from Shehu Onikun Kewu, and went through Benin Republic so as to cut costs” sources said.
OrijoReporters

PASTOR MATHEW ASHIMOLOWO DRAGS TO COURT FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING 65 ACRES OF LAND

Pastor Ashimolowo

Founder and the General overseer of Kingsway International Christian Centre, KICC, Senior Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo is embroiled in a new conflict, orijoreporters can reveal.
At one time, the stylish Pastor whose church’s headquarter is in United Kingdom had trouble with the British authority over alleged fraudulent activities including using the church credit card to buy a vacation home in Florida in United States, and also got 120,000 pounds to celebrate his birthday.
At another time, KICC was investigated by the Charity Commission for fraud, which discovered tsunami of financial irregularities in the church. Guilty as charged, Pastor Mathew was ordered to pay 200,000 pounds back to the church’s coffer.
This time around, Pastor Mathew is in deep trouble again. He has been dragged before Justice Akinyemi of Abeokuta High Court back home, for allegedly stealing 65 acres of land belonging to Taiwo Ijaosan and Olosunde families. It happened that Pastor Mathew’s church bought 35 acres of land from the two families in Ofada town in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State in 1987 for N80 thousand per acre.
But it came as a bit of a shock to the landowners when the Pastor allegedly went behind them with his surveyor, and property agent, one Mr. Olokodana who is now late to cede 65 other acres to the church, and made it a hundred acres.
Initially there was nothing to worry about as the highly revered man-of-God promised the landowners that he was going to pay the difference. And they waited with bated breath for that moment when Pastor Mathew would pay for the 65 acres his church acquired through the back door. But that moment never came. Instead, he was just playing pranks.
And after several years of waiting, the landowners who were angry with Pastor Mathew recently decided to drag him and his church, KICC before the law court. The case, which is yet to come up for hearing is before Justice Akinyemi in Court 5 at Abeokuta High Court.
OrijoReporters

Chris Ihidero: My Headies conundrum

How many Nigerian award shows have lasted seven years? How many of them have succeeded in continuing a tradition that has captured the imagination of a generation so thoroughly that the artistic expressions and recognition are as intertwined as contemporary Nigerian music and The Headies? How often is an awards show a representative of a people’s reality as The Headies have become in today’s Nigeria? How many shows can boast of their invitations/tickets becoming bargaining chips between those who have and those who desire to have them? How many CEOs have the tenacity of Ayo Animashaun, who has kept the dream alive in the face of unmitigated challenges? Isn’t it rather confusing, therefore, that an awards show which has succeeded in doing the big things continues to fail in the small matters?
The 2012 edition of The Headies held at the expo hall of the Eko Hotel on Saturday October 20, 2012. At about 3pm that day, I took a stroll around the venue and saw many people working hard towards the event; artistes were rehearsing, set/lighting crew members could be seen hard at work; it pretty much looked as if all hands were on deck to ensure that guests at this year’s show will have a great time. I even saw a minute by minute breakdown of the whole show, which is the international standard for events of this importance. Why then did the show, billed to start at 9pm, not kick off until around midnight? If the show had been planned to the micro second, where then were there gaping holes throughout the show?
In my review of the Headies last year, I asserted that the transitions from one presentation or performance to another were so bad that one could have rushed home, cooked a pot of Nsala soup, make some Eba, have a sumptuous dinner and returned to the venue to discover that the show had not moved on from the point one left it. If the transitions were bad last year, they were worse this year. This year, after the Nsala and Eba, you could have taken your time to finish a medium-sized gourd of palmwine before contemplating your return to the show. Prolonged moments of silence, with the audience unaware of what was happening next were plentiful. The problem with this is that it makes nonsense of whatever high points have been achieved and ensures that the audience can’t even enjoy the next great moment fully, as their minds will already expect more silence afterwards. Constant interruptions hinder mind-blowing orgasms.
So what was great about the Headies this year? M.I and Omawumi were great. M.I delivered as was expected, and Omawumi was comfortable in her skin and it all looked effortless. This is a major improvement from last year. The performances were generally good, but the vocalists made my day. Bezand Praiz (who is developing into an awesome vocalist and confident performer) were wonderful. Timi Dakolo showed why he is reputed as one of the nations’ top vocalist in what was my performance of the night. Burna Boy deserves a big pat on the back for being a true performer. After that mighty fall – which we have now learnt was initiated by Tonto Dikeh’s god as punishment for daring to criticise her song – many artistes would have found a reason not to continue. He picked himself up and gave a good performance. The set designer also deserves some praise. The set worked without being intrusive and the screens were properly placed for maximum audience viewing. A lot more could have been done concerning ticketing and swapping for wristbands…some of the queues were so long that one may be forgiven for thinking the people on them were queuing to climb Mount Arafat.
The Headies is put together yearly by some of the brightest minds in the Nigerian entertainment sector. While a lot has been achieved thus far, it is perhaps safe to say that the sum of the parts that are behind the Headies is not a fair reflection of their brilliance. There is a disconnect between the people working on the project and the final product that is delivered. This in itself is worrisome, for if these great minds cannot deliver a mind-blowing show year after year, who can?
That the Headies continue to hold in spite of mounting obstacles is the biggest victory for the producers. Now that that victory has been won, it is time to really conquer the small things and give Nigerians an awards show that reflects the brilliance of the minds behind it and finally satisfies a continuous desire for true excellence.
DailyPost