Thursday, 28 July 2016

Secret Companies Of Pro-Saraki Senator Umaru David Who Laundered Billions For Abacha Uncovered In Tax Havens




by Joshua Olufemi and Nicholas Ibekwe



In his native Niger State, David Umaru, the All Progressives Congress senator representing Niger East Senatorial District is something of a folk hero.

He was a thorn under the skin of the immediate past administration of Governor Mu’azu BabangidaAliyu. He was an unwavering critic and soon gained the reputation of a whistleblower after be published series of advertorials in national newspapers exposing alleged corrupt practices by the Mr. Mu’azu’s administration.
But one aspect of his life Mr. Umaru would hesitate to see on the pages of newspapers is his dealings in notorious offshore tax havens and his role in laundering money for the country’s most notorious dictator ever, Sani Abacha.
Documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES from the leaked database of now infamous Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, revealed that Mr. Umaru incorporated two shell companies in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a notorious offshore tax haven, and in tiny South Pacific Ocean country, Niue Island.
The first company, Yorkshire Investment Limited was incorporated on April 27, 1998, with a registered address at No2 Commercial Centre Square, Alofi, the capital of the Niue Island.
The company was incorporated by International Trust Company (ITC), a Niue-based registering agent. In other to conceal the true ownership of the shell company, ITC provided two nominee directors for the company – Melvin Scales (Chairman) and Ramses Owens.
But Mr. Umaru was clearly named the true and lawful attorney of the company.
The appointment of nominee directors for shell companies is a common practice in tax havens. The practice involved the appointment of directors only by title. They have no real authority over the company which they supposedly represent and can only act according to the directives of the owners of the firm or that of the person with a power of attorney.
“Know all men by these presents that on this 27th day of April, 1998, we, YORKSHIRE INVESTMENT LTD, whose registered office is situated at 2 Commercial Centre Square, Alofi, Niue (hereinafter referred to as “the Company “) have made, constituted and appointed, and by these presents do hereby make, constitute and appoint Mr. David UMARU (hereinafter referred to as “the Attorney”) as our true and lawful Attorney—in—fact for us and in our name, place and stead, to do, execute and perform all and every act or acts in law needful and necessary to be done in and about and in relation, but not limited to, the following matters:
“To negotiate, conclude, sign, execute and deliver on behalf of the Company such conveyances, transfers, assignments, deeds, documents, licenses, authorities or agreements as said Attorney shall consider necessary or proper to enable it to dispose of or acquire any assets in any part of the world (hereinafter referred to as “the assets”) on such terms as the Attorney shall consider proper or desirable in his absolute discretion,” the company’s article of incorporation read.
Not satisfied by the incorporation of his first shell company, five months later, exactly on September 15, 1998, Mr. Umaru again went shopping for his second shell company – Darweng Holding.
This time, he decided to incorporate it in the British Virgin Islands. Just like he did with Yorkshire Investment Ltd, Mr Umaru appointed Benerly Hunt and Darlene Bayne as the company’s nominee directors while he retained a full power of attorney, which gave him absolute power to “negotiate, conclude, sign, execute and deliver on behalf of the Company such conveyances, transfers, assignments, deeds, documents, licenses, authorities or agreements as said Attorney shall consider necessary or proper to enable it to dispose of or acquire any assets in any part of the world (hereinafter referred to as ‘the assets’).”
There is no evidence that Mr. Umaru was no longer involved with the shell companies before he was elected a senator.
While not all owners or operators of such offshore entities are criminals, owning or maintaining interest in private companies while serving as public officials is against Nigerian laws.
Section 6(b) of the Code of Conduct Act says a public office holder shall not, “except where he is not employed on a full‐time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade.”
This revelation makes Mr. Umaru the fourth serving Nigerian senator, after Senate President Bukola Saraki, his predecessor, David Mark, and Senator Andy Uba, who have been shown to own shell companies in offshore tax havens in clear violation of the country’s law.
Abacha’s bagman
It is unclear what businesses Mr. Umaru transacted with his offshore companies.
But shortly before he ran the companies, Mr. Umaru, who is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Human Rights and Legal Matters, helped the Abacha family to move huge funds around.
An affidavit filed on November 18, 2013, by the US Department of Justice in a suit seeking the forfeiture of assets worth over $500 million stolen by Mr. Abacha and hidden in various in bank accounts in various offshore jurisdiction, revealed how Mr. Umaru acted as the official extortionist and money launderer of the Abachas.
As part of a ploy to extort money from foreign companies, the Abacha regime stopped paying foreign companies for contracts executed. One of the offshore companies was a French Civil Engineering firm, Dumez Group. The Abacha regime owed the company $469 million it refused to pay. In fact, even after the company nationalized and became Dumez Nigeria Limited, the junta still would not release the funds.
Enter Mr. Umaru. The senator, who was then a personal lawyer for the Abachas, approached the owners of Dumez and told them payment could be restarted if they agreed to a 25 percent kickback of whatever they were paid to the Abacha family. The company agreed.
Mr. Umaru then incorporated Allied Network Ltd for the sole purpose of collecting the kickbacks on behalf of the Abacha family. Listed as directors of the company were “Mohammed Sani” and “Abba Sani”, which were aliases of Sani Abacha and his brother, Abba Abacha.
In December 1996, Mr. Umaru opened an account on behalf of Allied Network Ltd at the Union Bancaire Privee (UBP) in Geneva, Switzerland, which was used to receive the payment of the kickbacks from Dumez and another account at the same bank which was used to receive the payment from the Nigerian government.
According to court papers, between August 16, 1996, and May 22, 1998, the Central Bank of Nigeria transferred $389,737,400 to Dumez account at UBP, Geneva. Of that amount $97,375,543 or 25 percent of the original payment was transferred by Dumez to Allied Network Ltd account in the same bank.
In late 1997, Mohammed Abacha, the son of the late dictator, authorised the transfer of $11,114,983, being part of the kickback received from Dumez to an account held by “Mohammed Sani” (Mohammed Sani is the preferred alias of the younger Mr. Abacha). He used the alias repeatedly in most of the money laundering transactions involving his family, including the infamous Malabu Oil deal) at Midland Bank London (Now HSBC Bank Plc) with account number 38175076.
The money was later distributed into two accounts also held by Mohammed Sani in the US via a network of financial institutions.
Mr. Umaru did not answer repeated calls to his mobile number by this newspaper. He also did not reply text message sent to his phone for comment.

Full List: FG Declares War On These Governors


Full List: FG Declares War On These Governors

Following the Attorney General of The Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami’s letter to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) requesting the remission of case files and reopening of cases of corruption against former governors, a list of 31 former governors to be probed in connection with corrupt practices has been released.
The list of the 31 former Governors whose cases are to be re-opened include names of political office holders and party chieftains from the two major opposition political party in the country.
Names on the list include; Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki(former Governor of Kwara State); Senator Godswill Akpabio (former Governor of Akwa Ibom State), Ali Modu-Sheriff (former Governor of Borno State).
Other former governors named are; Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Martin Elechi (Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo); Obong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Achike Udenwa (Imo); Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Jolly Nyame (Taraba); Boni Haruna (Adamawa); George Akume (Benue); Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo); Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Adebayo Alao-Akala, Usman Dakingari (Kebbi); Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi); Peter Odili (Rivers), and Lucky Igbinedion (Edo).

Budget Padding Scandal: Ex-Appropriation committee chair, Jibrin, raises 20 questions for Speaker Dogara

Hon.-Abdulmumin-Jibrin-600x416
Embattled former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation on Wednesday raised 20 questions for Speaker Yakubu Dogara bordering on the unfolding budget padding scandal.
Mr. Jibrin said Mr. Dogara must respond to the questions individually.
The House was thrown into chaos following a decision the leadership took to remove Mr. Jibrin as Appropriation Committee chairman last week Wednesday.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara said Mr. Jibrin was removed because he allegedly betrayed the House and lacked competence in steering the committee.
Mr. Jibrin, however, said he stepped down willingly and denied the charges that he committed treachery and lacked competence.

The 20 questions are as follows:

1. Why did you take the decision to fraudulently shortchange the House by taken away 40 billion naira out of the 100 billion naira allocated for constituency projects and distributing same to yourself and others without the approval of the House?
2. Why did you approach the former house appropriation chairman with written personal requests and list of about 30 billion naira to be inserted into the 2016 budget and his inability to get that done caused a major rift between you all and him?
3. Why did you insert wasteful projects for your various constituencies worth about 20billion naira despite the former appropriation chairman professional advice against such?
4. Why did you ignore his complaint to you that just about 10 standing committees of the House inserted over 2000 projects worth 284 billion naira?
5. Why did you take away the appropriation committee secretariat on two occasions where several insertions were made into the budget which created avoidable tension during the budget process?
6. Why did you direct the former appropriation chair which he rejected to create a strange line item in the service wide vote to allow for a 20 billion naira insertion into the budget under the name of NASS using a former PDP Senator and top politician?
7. Why are you trying to scam members with a fraudulent arrangement to deduct monthly from money meant for members office running cost to fund a so called mortgage arrangement?
8. Why did you abuse your office in a conflict of interest directed an agency to grant loans and a construction company to work on your Asokoro plot and arrange frequent private meetings with heads of MDA’s?
9. Why did you allocate to yourselves the entire 20% inputs reserved for the House after the harmonization exercise?
10. How much did you collect for rent of house and guests houses and how much did Hon Herma Hembe steal from the money that caused the outburst of Lasun?
11. why are you trying to drag the entire House and illegally using the official spokesman of the House into allegations that were made on you and the 3 others ONLY?
12. Why did you consistently block the former chairman appropriation from briefing Hon members and denied him his right to be heard by his colleagues on this matter?
13. Why did you scuttle his effort and Sen Goje’s to assist Mr. President after working so hard consulting ministers on the budget out of envy and vindictiveness that Mr. President granted them audience without you?
14. Why did you insist and ensured that the immunity clause for the House principal officers is inserted into our agenda despite huge resistance from members and the general public?
15. Why did you connive with 5 other members of the House to use some elements of the Nigerian police and thugs in an attempt to blackmail, kidnap, intimidate and silence him and his family?
16. Why are you desperately going round media houses offering money to silent the statements of the former appropriation chairman?
17. Why has it taken you this long to put together such a lame storyt of why you “sacked” the former appropriation chairman after admitting on national TV that he resigned?
18. Is it true that you left a huge mess and allegations of money laundering against you as chairman House services both in the 6th and 7th House?
19. Why have you refused to open up the financial dealings and details of internal budget of the House to your colleagues, Hon members?
20. Why do you have problems with reconvening the House immediately to allow for an independent investigation on the allegations?

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

OGIEMWONYI : THE EXONERATION THAT PAVED WAY FOR CONTINUITY


It is widely believed that Credibility is the value of a leader’s currency that must always be priced at the currency market of public opinion. It is no longer news in the ears of the  Edo electorates that the vast majority of our politicians desperately desires to be enthroned not necessarily on the candid platform of credibility but by taking an ugly and disheartening path of assassinating the characters of their perceived opponents. They are most times successful due to the gullibility of the majority of the electorates.

Engr .(Dr) Chris Ogiemwonyi will forever remain clean and green on the lips of edolites not because he was a saint but because in the means of stiff political terrain in the state, he stood firm and achieved a height at a time many thought he couldn’t. Going down history lane, it became evident as the young Ogiemwonyi grew in the public service that indeed he was destined to lead. In most of his talks ,he has mentioned and vividly expressed his childhood experiences, which depicted princely characteristics that embedded an unshaken courage to challenge, correct and transform any malfunctioning institution. It was the recognition of his exploits as a vibrant, dynamic youth that earned him the traditional Royal  Coral  beads by the Benin Monarch, Omo N' Oba N' Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa,CFR found  Engr. Ogiemwonyi worthy to be recognised of his contributions to the development of Benin Kingdom, Edo state and Nigeria.

It has been said that the true test of a man is ascertained in moments of trials and tribulations. Engr. Ogiemwonyi was heavily struck by a calculated and circulated strategy geared towards striping the faithful Edo electorates of what they would have enjoyed in his better Edo agenda. The do or die, power hungry politicians created a stigma between him and his beloved Edolites by promoting the falsehood of "arrogant". Even the most dictatorial and erratic class of leaders have always accorded respect to the anointed, and isn’t it funny enough to believe that a man of the prestigious caliber of the religious knighthood would not respect his governor ? May God help us to play politics of conscience. Being a man of unquestionable integrity, his better Edo agenda was punctured on the grounds of falsehood yet he relaxed, searched his conscience and stepped to challenge the falsehood to prove that his integrity remains unscathed. Indeed this is a true mark of greatness, a symbol of a lion and the strength of a stallion.

This false "disloyal " episode undoubtedly caused a stoppage to his divine continuity mandate  to Dennis Osadebey Avenue ,but God has never failed in vindicating the innocent.


Someone  would  ask me, why did  Engr . Ogiemwonyi not  win at the APC primaries ; the fact remains he never lost that election but it was hinged on technicalities and highly institutionalized grand conspiracies orchestrated by the powers that be simply because of his support for President Buhari's integrity. They see him as another  Buhari in making  who will  not  play the dirty ball of politics with  them when he gets to Government  house. He never wanted to forment trouble but he chose to step aside and asked his supporters to support the APC governorship candidate for the  September, 10 election.   

Engr . Ogiemwonyi's  political castle/structure did not collapse neither did he lose the election. What happened was a high conspiracy perpetrated by highly placed individuals and authorities; hence, as a man of peace that he is; left that to its fate in order not to endanger the peaceful state of Edo .

That he lost, or not fail, should be left for debates and academic exercises to determine. But all the factual appraisals and re-appraiasals of Engr . Ogiemwony'si person have shown that he did not fail. He was misconstrued!

Is  Engr. Ogiemwonyi  arrogant....? HABA !
And do I hear you used 'arrogant' to allude to the person of  Engr  Ogiemwonyi ? My brother/sister, you 're mistaken courage and outspokeness for arrogance. One of the greatest assets and qualities of Engr Ogiemwonyi  during  his time at the civil service was that he spoke out when the lily-livered and gutless cowards opted to be silent; unlike the present Emperor who would mesmerize the members of the public with lies and half-truths and would leave the people in confusion and totally unenlightened about his policies- Ogiemwonyi never left any one in doubt through words and deeds where he stood on any and every issue at all.

To cynics, his outspokeness spells arrogance.
Ogiemwonyi makes his position known at every point in time; that is why any one could take his words and policy statements to the bank knowing fully well that Ogiemwonyi  is not given in to anything like fudging and mudging things. He believes that we need courage, conviction and hardwork to move the state forward!

Was Ogiemwonyi  lazy..?
Ogiemwonyi  was not a lazy leader, though he had his shortcomings as a human being. He is a man who believes in his visions, he believes in following them religiously even when the larger people do not understand the immediate gains of such vision propelled programmes or projects.

Well, plausibly, he was 'too obsessed' with his visions because he thought the best for  Edo state and was eager to deliver on that noble venture. He was not deluded with his visions rather, the people misunderstood and misconstrued his policies and visions, like every reformer all over the world are misconstrued and misunderstood. But at the end, they laugh last.

Ogiemwonyi  was not interested in his immediate applause and praises from the people, he's rather only interested in bequeathing those legacies believing that at the end of the day, the people and history will judge him not just by what his unrepetant cynics and political opponents would want them believe but by his own deeds.

- Jeffery  Igbinigie

  A public affairs commentator
  wrote  from  Benin

APC govs meet Buhari, resolve to seek Ekweremadu’s removal


Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu
Olalekan Adetayo, and Leke Baiyewu, Abuja
State governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have resolved to do all within their powers to ensure that Senator Ike Ekweremadu is removed as the Deputy President of the Senate, The PUNCH has learnt.
Our correspondent learnt that this was the fallout of the two-hour meeting the governors had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.
The Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, had initially told State House correspondents at the end of the meeting that the governors had decided to intervene in the crisis in the National Assembly, without giving details of their intervention.
But a source at the meeting told one of our correspondents that the consensus at the meeting was that it was an aberration for Ekweremadu, who is a Senator from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, to continue in office as Deputy President of the Senate.
The source stated, “The governors sympathised with the President (Buhari) for working with a National Assembly that is largely seen as unfriendly.
“Particularly, they observed that in the absence of the President of the Senate, the next person is his deputy. They therefore agreed that it was an anomalous situation for a PDP person to continue as the Deputy President of the Senate.
“They sought and got the President’s permission to intervene in the matter in their own way.
“They argued that the truth of the matter is that rarely is there any Senator that emerged without the backing of their governors, hence the governors have some levels of influence on the federal lawmakers.”
Okorocha had, on Monday, said Ekweremadu should get ready to vacate his seat as the Deputy Senate President.
Okorocha had added that a candidate of the APC, Benjamin Uwajumogu, who contested in the last Saturday’s rerun senatorial election in Imo State, would displace Ekweremadu as soon as he joined the Senate.
The governor had said, “The position of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President is at the moment under heavy threat because in no distant time, the APC senator-in-waiting from Imo State, Benjamin Uwajumogu, will take over the seat on the grounds that it is an aberration that a PDP senator from the South-East is deputy to an APC Senate President because, before now, APC could not produce a Senator from the South-East zone.”
Our correspondent further learnt that Buhari at the meeting approved the release of N2bn each to all APC states.
Another source, who attended the meeting, said the decision was based on what happened during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The source claimed that Jonathan had, before leaving office, released N2bn each to the PDP states at the time from the Ecological Fund.
He was alleged to have exempted APC states and PDP states, whose governors were at loggerheads with him, from the gesture.
“That issue was brought to the President’s attention and he has ordered the release of N2bn each to the APC states that did not benefit during Jonathan’s administration,” the source said.
To further cushion the effects of the downturn in economy on the states, Buhari was also said to have, during the meeting, approved that 50 per cent of money spent by states on federal roads be released to them.
Okorocha had, while briefing State House correspondents after the governors’ meeting with Buhari, said the state governors from the ruling party were concerned about the incessant happenings in the National Assembly and had resolved to look into the matter.
The two chambers of the National Assembly have continued to witness crisis since inception following the emergence of leaders, who were not the preferred candidates of the ruling party, the APC.
Crisis is currently brewing in the House of Representatives following an allegation by a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, who accused the leadership of the House of padding the 2016 budget to the tune of N40bn.
Okorocha added, “We have come to reassure Mr. President that the APC governors are solidly behind him in his fight against corruption; his fight against insurgents and all his laudable projects.
“We are concerned about the incessant happenings in the National Assembly and we have taken it upon ourselves to look into the matter; that is the crisis in the National Assembly.
“We are going to look into the matter because we need a strong and vibrant National Assembly to make things move fast in the country.”
Okorocha defended the recent decision of the Nigeria Governors Forum for six state governors to travel to Germany for what they called “vocational training.”
“There is nothing like jamboree trip. We are going to Germany because we cannot do everything here without exchanging ideas. Everything you do in your home and your business, you share ideas.
“So, we want to see how they have done what they have done to succeed. It is the aspiration of Nigeria to be like other countries of the world,” he said.
When asked if the trip would be funded by states, some of who owed workers’ salaries, Okorocha responded, “So, who will fund it, you!?”
Despite the continued hardship in the states, the governor stated that a lot of improvement had been recorded in some states.
He noted that what the states were getting from the Federation Account was close to what they were collecting when crude oil was selling above $100 per barrel.
Other governors, who attended the meeting, included those of Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara, Benue, Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, Niger, Ogun, Borno, Osun, Edo, Kogi, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Kebbi.
The meeting was also attended by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, among others.
Ekeweremadu, however, declined to speak on the plans being hatched by the APC governors to remove him as the Deputy Senate President.
One of his aides, who was contacted by one of our correspondents on Tuesday night, said he had no comments until he was well informed on the matter.
Copyright PUNCH.       

Edo Guber Watch: Refund billions of Naira Jonathan, Igbinedion gave you, Ize-Iyamu tells Oshiomhole



Osho
From Tony Osauzo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has asked Governor Adams Oshiomhole to refund the billions of naira he collected from former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Governor Lucky Igbinedion.
In a statement by his media unit, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said he should do that immediately since he is now talking about refunding the N700 million Jonathan gave to Edo PDP during the 2015 presidential election.
He stated this during the presentation of a book entitled, “Breach Of Trust: An eyewitness account of political events in Edo State before and under Adams Oshiomhole’s watch, ’’ written by Oshiomhole’s former Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Orobosa Omo-Ojo.
While defending the money Edo State PDP received from former President Jonathan — during the 2015 election, Ize-Iyamu said he had explained to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he never benefited from the N700 million given to the state chapter of the party, saying the record of how the fund was disbursed is already with the EFCC.
He described Oshiomhole’s action as hypocritical, adding that he was also a beneficiary of such fund in the past.
According to the PDP governorship candidate, “Now that Oshiomhole is talking about refunding the money former President Goodluck Jonathan gave to Edo State PDP — during the presidential election, he should also refund the billions of naira he collected from Jonathan in 2012 during the presidential election. Oshiomhole collected the money from Jonathan and worked against his then party, Action Congress of Nigeria in that election. He betrayed his party.
“He should also refund over a billion naira the former governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion gave to him during the 2007 governorship election in Edo State. It a well-known fact that it was Chief Igbinedion who brought him into ACN and gave him money he used for the election.’’
Ize-Iyamu added that Oshiomhole and his ‘puppet governorship candidate’ in the September 10 election, Godwin Obasekei, could no longer be trusted by Edo people again because they had betrayed everybody who helped them into offices in the past.
“Look around Oshiomhole, everybody who worked for him in the past has deserted him, because he betrayed them. He has betrayed teachers, judiciary workers, Okada riders, market women, political associates and Edo people in general. He can never be trusted again’’, he added.
On his part, the author of the book, Mr. Orobosa Omo-Ojo, while welcoming invited guests to the presentation of the book, which took place at the University of Benin, Edo State, said, damaging relationship is a little price to pay when Oshiomhole is faced with a life-and-death political threat.
The immediate past commissioner of Transport in Edo added, ‘’Sun Tzu’s approach to warfare, where deception is vital, plays a significant role in Oshiomhole’s administration — to him all is fair and as a result, Dennis Osadebey Avenue has become a killing field for truth and a breeding ground for deception.’’

Obaseki’s victory shall be overwhelming —Okonoboh, Edo Speaker
By Ojieva Ehiosun
As the battle for the governorship seat gathers momentum, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Dr. Justin Okonoboh, has said that the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki over his PDP opponent will be overwhelming.
He stated this while addressing a team of party supporters in his constituency, saying that the victory will not only retire some political heavy weights of the opposition, but will send the entire party to extinction.
According to him: “With the successful reconciliation of all the purported aggrieved members of the party after the primaries, the opposition party is in for a big trouble  We are currently working day and night to ensure that we have resounding victory over the PDP at the September election.”
“From the massive support we are getting from Edo people, I’m very convinced that Godwin Obaseki will have an easy ride over Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the PDP.
“For Godwin Obaseki, I believe in him, I know he has the required qualities needed to govern this state. He is a man that will do things consciously that would better the lot of the majority”.

…Family disowns him, urges support for Godwin
Meanwhile,  the Obaseki family of Benin Kingdom, headed by the retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Otutu Obaseki, yesterday distanced itself from the activities of Pedro Obaseki, and pit its tent with the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Godwin Obaseki, who the family resolved to back.
In a statement signed by Mr William Obaseki, the family described the action of Pedro as embarrassing, adding that the family will soon meet to decide their next line of action.
Apparently miffed by Pedro Obaseki’s defection to the PDP and his declaration of support for the governorship candidate of the PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the family said: “we wish to inform the general public that the family dis-associate themselves from the mischievous actions of Pedro Obaseki.
“We hereby reaffirm Godwin Enogheghase Obaseki as the only recognized candidate who has the blessings of the head of Obaseki Ogbeideoyoo family, Chief Justice Andrew Otutu Obaseki, Justice of the Supreme Court (rtd) and the Obaseki of Benin Kingdom for the September 10, 2016 governorship election.
“And we urged all Edo sons and daughters to support him so that he can take Edo State to the next level. Nobody should be distracted with the activities of Pedro, our blessings remain with Godwin and God willing he will win”, the statement said.

Ize-Iyamu receives Pedro Obaseki to PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has commended a former All Progressives Congress((APC)  gubernatorial aspirant, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, for joining forces with him to wrest power from his former party.  In a statement by the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation yesterday, the PDP candidate made the remark while formally receiving Pedro Obaseki into the party.
The former gubernatorial aspirant who is a relative of  the APC gubernatorial candidate, Mr Godwin Obaseki had joined the PDP last week.
According to the statement, Pedro Obaseki who joined the PDP alongside his supporters said he endorsed Ize-Iyamu because he realised that the PDP governorship candidate is the ‘best candidate’ for the election. He noted that his programmes for Edo State tallied with that of Ize-Iyamu.
“I will rather support my brother, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu than go with Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s puppet candidate who is still going about with pampers. “I will rather support Pastor Ize-Iyamu who represents the collective aspiration of Edo People than support Godwin Obaseki who is being promoted by external political and economic investors,” Pedro Obaseki was quoted to have said.

Edo market women endorse Obaseki
The governorship aspiration of Mr. Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got a boost yesterday, as market women across the three senatorial districts of Edo State, endorsed him for the September 10 election.
They said they were convinced that he will continue the developmental strides of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Responding to the endorsement which took place at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Obaseki, who was filled with joy, assured women in the state to expect economic and human transformation in one year of his administration.
He promised to empower and create more industries where the women will serve as major marketers of their products, just as he also promised to provide soft loans for market women across the state to enhance their businesses and improve their standard of living.
The APC governorship hopeful thanked the women for making Oshiomhole a life member of their association, assuring them of his plan to reconstruct markets with health centres across the state.
The President General of the Market women, Mrs Blacky Omoregie had earlier urged Mr Obaseki to continue with the developmental projects of governor Oshiomhole, saying that the reconstruction of markets across the state would ensure the growth of businesses.
In his speech, Governor Oshiomhole thanked the women for the support given him so far, saying that “Obaseki will not disappoint you because he knows the problems of our state. We cannot go back to Egypt, PDP has no future for the youths and the women. You gave them opportunity for ten years but rather than creating wealth, they pocketed our money for their families”.
 SUN

Why Kebbi denies Dangote land –Bagudu


Aliko Dangote
Adeniyi Olugbemi, Sokoto
Business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s plan to establish a sugar plantation and a factory in Kebbi State may have hit the rock, as indigenous land owners, who are mostly farmers, have refused to release their farm land.
Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said this at an interactive session with intellectuals of Kebbi State origin working at Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The session was held at the university’s auditorium. Also in attendance were members of the Kebbi State Students’ Union, UDUS chapter.
 Governor Bagudu said that even at the offer of compensation, the farmers tenaciously held on to their land, saying that Dangote’s investment will not serve their interest.
He said, “Dangote Industries’ application for 54,000 hectares of land to establish a sugar factory pre-dated my administration, but they could only identify about 24,000 hectares suitable for sugar cane cultivation.
“When we came on board, there was pressure on us because all of those 24,000 hectares belong to farmers. And the proposal we met on ground was that those farmers would be paid compensation of about a hundred thousand naira per hectare.”
He said further, “As a government, the whole cabinet looked at the proposal. Our concern is, you are going to pay a farmer hectare of land where he produces his crops. You will be making an income of 700,000 a year where he has been making 100,000 and make him a labourer forever. How as a social policy can you justify this opportunity cost?
“What is the net contribution in output that this investment is going to bring, for instance, if you are replacing your current production of rice by the production of sugar cane?
“Let there be no mistakes about it, we welcome investors and we thank Dangote Industries for identifying Kebbi as one of those states he wants to invest in. But above all, the most important thing is the need to ensure that investments serve and benefit our people.
“We hope to convince Dangote that there are other ways this can be done to have better security for his investment, like agreeing that our farmers become his out-growers and he buys from them for production in his factory.”
On adding value to rice and wheat production, which the state is noted for, Governor Bagudu explained that his administration built two models whereby a farmer, given sufficient inputs without subsidy, would inevitably achieve better outcome than a farmer receiving subsidy but insufficient inputs.
“When we tested this by interacting with farmers, we were surprised by their acceptance of adequate inputs without subsidy versus subsidy without adequate inputs,” he said.
He identified lack of human resources, inadequate infrastructure and apathy to developmental values on the part of youths as problems of education in the state.
Bagudu also used the occasion to outline remarkable achievements his administration had recorded since assumption of office.
The event with over 40 Kebbi State indigenously ranked professors and others in attendance was chaired by Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, Vice-Chancellor, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, also an indigene of Kebbi State.
Copyright PUNCH.