Right of Reply
That Dele Momodu is perhaps, the country’s leading authority on
rich celebrity businessmen especially if these flamboyant persons happen
to hail from the South West is not news. At one time, you would recall,
Momodu claimed to know more about the late Chief MKO Abiola-- even far
more than the man’s sons and daughters.
The latest task the famous celebrity watcher has set for himself
is that of throwing up Akande as a righteous paramour, who surprisingly,
has been hurt and victimized by his own country, Nigeria and his own
people. Momodu, dripping with pity, describes this as “man’s inhumanity
to man.”
Something was however, not quite right. It appears rather curious
that, after Momodu has laboured hard to establish Akande’s reputation
as a very rich and powerful businessman with far-reaching connections
and influence across the globe, he then, tells us that the same Chief
Akande who has dined and continues to dine with the high and mighty
across the globe, would then, suddenly, become so powerless that he can
easily be victimized by some people in his own country, Nigeria. Very
curious, indeed!
Of course, this make-belief by Momodu is so far from the truth.
Rather, on the contrary, it is Akande, the flamboyant and powerful
Nigerian-born international businessman and former presidential aspirant
of the ANPP(All Progressive Peoples Party) that has failed to deliver
on his sweet talk.
Using his powerful connections, he got the concessions to build
and operate these facilities at the MMIA before year 2000, but soon
after, could not muster the investment required to keep his side of the
bargain. If the flamboyant businessman and politician has spent most of
his personal resources on fruitless political campaigns, with the aim of
becoming President of Nigeria, who is to blame for that? The current
administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and the current Aviation
minister are more interested in moving the industry forward as quickly
as possible and are not interested in stopping anyone from investing in
the sector, especially someone of Akande’s business stature.
If the Aviation minister can go on roadshows to promote
investment in the country’s Aviation sector then, it would be absurd to
say that she would deliberately oppose Chief Akande’s investment in the
sector if he genuinely wants to invest in the sector! The truth is that
shortly after the fun fare of the foundation laying at the site at MMIA,
Akande and his company, AIC abandoned work at the site. And since
government and Nigerians cannot continue to wait for anyone no matter
how highly placed at the expense of the country, government revoked the
concession agreement. With two change of governments since then—from the
Obasanjo administration to the Umaru Yar’ Adua administration to the
current Goodluck Jonathan administration, Chief Akande has had ample
chances to represent his grievances to government. And at worst, he may
have re-negotiated his agreement with succeeding administrations who
would have been willing to listen to the prominent businessman and
politician. Obviously, he has not explored these options.
The law courts which he has been making the rounds of, have ruled against him twice in recent times.
But rather than obey court judgment, Akande resorted to self-help
by hiring thugs to fight and throw out legitimate law enforcement
agents of government. Today, the land in question, 11.7 hectares of
prime land-- which is designed in the airports Master Plan for the
further development of the terminal, by government remained fallow until
recently when the project for the new international terminal for MMA
came up. In fact, this site as contained in the Master Plan was
designated for the construction of the A, B and C wings of the
international terminal.
What most members of the public do not know is that the dispute
between FAAN and AIC does not have anything to do with ownership of the
land where the proposed AIC hotel was to be built because there is no
doubt about who owns the land! The dispute revolves around the award of
over 48 million dollars granted AIC Ltd by the arbitral tribunal in 2010
which FAAN contested and won through a judgement of the Federal High
Court in Lagos, in June, 2013. FAAN has even gone out of its way to
offer AIC other sites for the construction of the said hotel within the
airport premises but this has been turned down by AIC, which has
continued to insist on the present site, with all its security
implications for the airport. With the present security challenges, it
is ridiculous for anyone to dream of building a hotel in a land that
stretches into an airport tarmac!
While not holding brief for the administration of ex-President
Olusegun Obasanjo, it seems almost inconceivable that that
administration would simply wake up one day and revoke the concession
agreement granted Akande’s AIC to build his hotel at the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport, MMIA 1, in Lagos for no good reason.
Unsurprisingly, Momodu describes Akande in superlative terms:
“The media was awash with stories that this new King Midas (who) was
poised to turn the misfortune of that jinxed airport into prosperity.”
Unfortunately, as it turned out, there was no“ new King Midas,” as
Akande failed to live up to his billing as a serious investor.
Momodu, the praise singer of the rich and flamboyant goes
further:” “Everything looked set for this miracle to happen. But it
seemed Chief Akande failed to take the Nigerian principalities into
consideration. He would have known that nothing was absolutely certain
in a country where pettiness and incurable jealousy reigned supreme.”
How trite!
Then, Momodu delivers his coup de grace:” I’m not willing to go
into who is wrong and who is right. I just believe, and wish to ensure,
that a man of Chief Akande’s status would be better treated with all the
respect he deserves.” What Momodu appears to be saying in essence is
that, we must all bow down to Chief Akande –a man of uncommon
accomplishments and we must all allow him to have his way –with us—at
all times. How nice. It does not matter if Akande is right or wrong.
Really, I daresay, no one has disrespected Chief Akande. It is only that
the nation must move forward by re-developing a 40 year old airport
that remains the country’s premier gateway to the world and Akande
appears to have made himself into a stumbling block. More over, if
indeed, Momodu is unwilling to go into the contending issues in the
AIC/MMIA matter, why bring it up?
Then,Momodu plays the proverbial ostrich who buried its head in
the earth to avoid an unpleasant situation while its heavy body remained
within sight, when he said that “Before our very eyes, the airport has
gone from bad to worse..”That means that Momodu has not seen the
unprecedented physical transformation of the MMIA terminal undertaken by
the Ministry of Aviation and FAAN. Or perhaps, he prefers not to see
this. Because this would distort his preconceived notions and views
about the airport and his subject of fancy, Akande!
•Dati is the Co-ordinating General Manager, Aviation Parastatals.
My Dear Yakubu
I have chosen to respond to your diatribe as a matter of long-standing
policy. I believe no serious writer should allow media advisers get away
with serial murder. In your own case, and as a big man in your Aviation
Ministry, I expected a more informed response from you. But since
you’ve chosen, like others before you, to abuse the messenger instead of
attacking the message, I will try to educate you on how not to be a
spin doctor.
You betrayed a lack of judgment and decorum by starting your rejoinder
with an attack on Ovation as a magazine for “flamboyant persons” from
the South West. You are probably too busy cooking the latest lies in
your Aviation kitchen that you find it hard to read a simple lifestyle
magazine. You would have known that Ovation is not a parochial magazine
but a pan-African one reporting the lifestyles of African newsmakers in
Africa and the Diaspora for over 17 years. We therefore do not dwell
only on the lifestyle of Nigerians not to mention dwelling on a
sub-region of the country. No magazine would have survived that long if
it indulged in the petty discrimination or censorship you wish to tag
the magazine with. We tell stories with beautiful pictures and leave our
readers to judge. Today we publish 364 pages monthly, in English and
French. How mean can you be to reduce such gallant efforts of your
fellow-citizens to a community journal?
Regarding my relationship with the late Chief MKO Abiola, you said I
claimed to know the man more than his children. Please, quote the source
of your hyperbole. Of course, I knew Chief Abiola well, and it is a
public knowledge that he openly declared me his adopted son.
Incidentally, I will be joining a crew from Los Angeles this afternoon
to speak about Abiola in a forthcoming documentary. Abiola’s Crown
Prince, Kola Abiola, personally invited me.
You wasted your introduction on jejune extrapolations that bore no
relevance to the meat of your message. The examples you gave were
blatantly false and only revealed desperation to justify your
high-faluting title and remuneration as Co-ordinating General Manager,
Aviation Parastatals. No wonder the whole place is littered with
parasites.
I will leave you to stew in your own juices of lies but point out the
salient contradictions in your illogical reaction. If what you tried to
write was a satire, you failed to deliver. Media Advisers stick to the
facts but you chose to mix a cocktail of false, cheap, tawdry
ingredients. I’m not surprised that it gave you verbal diarrhoea. There
was nowhere I said Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah took Chief
Harry Akande’s land. It was revoked by the Obasanjo government. You’ve
now told us that Chief Akande’s inability to deliver on his promise was
the reason for the revocation. Now listen to your own statement:
“What most members of the public do not know is that the dispute
between FAAN and AIC does not have anything to do with ownership of land
where the proposed AIC hotel was to be built…” Mercifully, you told us
it had to do with the award of 48 million dollars awarded by the
arbitral tribunal in 2010 which FAAN contested and won in the Federal
High Court. However, you failed to say what the Court ruled as regards
Akande’s right to use the land or the reason AIC is being offered
alternative parcels of land.
The same Akande that you said could not honour his promise, according
to you, was offered another piece of land: “FAAN has even gone out of
its way to offer AIC other sites for the construction of the said hotel
within the airport premises but this has been turned down by AIC…” How
generous of FAAN.
Equally important, you failed to tell us the progress of the case in the Nigerian appellate courts.
Something is not very right about the deals going on and you’ve raised
more suspicions than ever. It’s the same way the media aide to your
Minister rushed to Press and said the controversial bullet-proof cars
were bought for the protection of Her Majesty. Would it not have been
better to keep quiet or offer apologies to Nigerians instead rubbing
pepper on fresh wounds? Must you guys defend every insane act?
I had said nothing about the bullet-proof car saga or the drowning
cacophony about unprecedented physical transformation at your magical
paradise called MMIA. The reason was simple. I didn’t want to give you
guys the pleasure of adorning me with your tribal rags. Little did I
know that a simple plea, asking government to have pity on Akande, would
still drag me down your clannish alley! You guys know nothing better
than to play the ethnic card.
What a shame!
Dele Momodu
ThisDay
