Between Buhari and Atiku: The Nigerian reality*

By: A. Adaba

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There is a battle for the soul of Nigeria. Whoever wins this great battle will determine whether Nigeria breaks away from the past and becomes a truly prosperous and value-oriented country or we continue with our philosophy of survival of the fittest, pretending to be a giant economy based on weak economic fundamentals.

I will like to begin this article in a rather controversial way by submitting that Nigeria has no economic problem. What many “experts” and social commentators have glossed over is the fact that our economy has for many decades been driven and inflated by the proceeds of corruption.

A report, titled “Collective Action on Corruption in Nigeria, a Social Norms Approach to Connecting Societies and Institutions,” revealed that close to $400 billion was stolen from Nigeria’s public accounts from 1960 to 1999. The report further added that between 2005 and 2014 when PDP was in power, over $182 billion was lost through illicit financial flows from the country. We may therefore be talking about an economy that has been driven by about $1trillion of illicit money over 5 decades, if we add the private sector corruption.

The Nigerian economy is simply now contracting to a level devoid of the heavy inflows from corruption and unethical business practices, which over 80% of the population have grown used to as the norm. We failed to lay a solid foundation for a sustainable economic growth and even destroyed the economic foundation laid by our heroes’ past. Most of our industrial estates have been converted to religious estates, our comparative advantage in agriculture has diminished. Our huge youthful human capital we were proud of has consistently deteriorated in quality.

If truth must be told, what we urgently need in Nigeria is national reorientation that will be hinged on Lifestyle Adjustment Program (LAP), especially by the so-called “elites” and “middle class” in the society. We have developed a weak middle class from a very faulty and weak economic structure, primarily driven by massive supply of money from the proceeds of corruption and with high velocity which made almost every single person in Nigeria a beneficiary of the culture of corruption. We have created multi-millionaires and billionaires from the proceeds of corruption and a good example is Alhaji Abubakar Atiku who is now vying to be the President of Nigeria. At the base of the wealth of a significant number of the middle class or elite class in Nigeria there is proceed of corruption or unethical business practices. The impact of these on the economy is beginning to reduce because of the necessary adjustments being made by the current administration and it is causing the personal wealth of these classes of multi-millionaires to reduce and the same impact is felt across all spheres of our national life. Corruption is no longer at the scale that it used to be, and we are all feeling it and throwing tantrums.

Over the decades Nigerians have been used to unmerited and unjustifiable income. You do a supply contract and make 500% profit. You import substandard products and make 200% profit. You don’t import any petroleum product, but you collect government petroleum subsidy. You win government contract, collect mobilization fee and simply abscond with it. In all of these, the “elites” also evade tax and levies in every aspect of their economic activity. Government has been used to unaccountable free money from the sale of crude oil without thinking, without adding any value or without being a good negotiator. Doing business with government offered the greatest return. The proceeds of corruption trickles down, the multiplier effect is amazing, and the citizens benefited from it one way or the other while we destroy the future because we fail to create a real middle which class which is the backbone of any economy. We all felt cool with the situation and hoped that our own “breakthrough” would come someday.

This situation made many Nigerians to live far above their means. We build houses we don’t need, we live in neighborhoods our real income cannot afford, we send children to schools we cannot afford. We throw needless lavish parties, we buy cars we can ill afford under normal circumstances just to impress. We spend lavishly on imported goods. We create a large population of “runs” girls by throwing ridiculous money at sexual and social pleasure. Everybody in Nigeria wants to “belong”, at any cost and with speed.

Rather than pay tax, Nigerians pay huge amounts as tithes and offerings from proceeds of corruption, hoping to bribe God. In reaction to the huge revenues recorded by religious centers, religious leaders build huge structures that require a huge amount of money to maintain. We produce more churches and pastors than we produce SMEs. The religious leaders pray for the congregation to have “extraordinary breakthroughs” in an economy that is not extraordinary. Pastors buy private jets and live luxury lifestyle from the proceeds of the tithes and offerings from “breakthroughs” which is often corruption. This is being threatened. Little wonder some of these religious leaders are now in camp with certified corrupt and immoral persons to bring back corruption.

Even the high rate of crime in the country is part of the consequences of decades of corruption. It has created a huge inequality in the society that it has become survival of the fittest. This was the country PDP left behind and the foundation upon which they built our economy. Unfortunately, shame is making most of the so called “elites” and “middle class” Nigerians not to accept the reality of their current positions and are therefore unwilling to adjust their lifestyles.

What has come to fore now is that the government of President Mohammadu Buhari has significantly reduced the flow of funds from corruption which is the foundation upon which all our economic and social activities were built. That is what PDP and the nay-sayers define as “incompetence”. Buhari is simply not “competent” to allow the country to be run as usual, he is not “competent” because he has refused that money should be shared and not invested in critical infrastructure. If we genuinely love this country, we would support the continuation of this administration so that we can all come down from our high horses and do a lifestyle adjustment program (LAP) which would make us live within our means as decent citizens while we push hard to grow our economy with solid fundamentals.

Undoubtedly this process of breaking from the past hurts just like every healing. We only need to endure and think of what is in our collective long-term interest. Our current socio-economic orientation is not how quality nations are built and this is what makes PDP’s rule for 16 years a calamity of unequal dimension in the history of this country. If we go back to that era, in a few years this country would be unsafe for all of us. Our future as a nation will be in danger.

The choice in 2019 is a choice between President Buhari’s deliberate strategy of correcting the faulty economic foundation which over the decades was significantly driven by proceeds of corruption or electing Atiku and returning to the era of massive corruption-based economy with all its risks and consequences which includes lack of proper justice, unsustainable socio-economic lifestyle, survival of the fittest, a society largely divided along the line of oppressors and the oppressed.

Buhari’s strategy requires reorientation, requires the moderation of lifestyle by many elites who have become oppressors of the masses. Buhari’s strategy is for the long term good of all, especially the oppressed, the weakest and the most vulnerable in the society who should not continue to survive on the crumbs that fall into their hands from the huge amounts being stolen but enjoy decent infrastructure. The huge inequality which we witnessed in the era of unfettered corruption breeds no good.

It is difficult to trust Atiku and his associates who have invested substantial amount of money obtained through proceeds of corruption on his obsession for power since 2002. Our foreign reserve is growing. We cannot afford to leave that in the hands of desperate, self-centered and vicious capitalists. Corruption will be more sophisticated if Atiku becomes president. He is a business man whose first objective will be to recoup his investment and stabilize his businesses and that of his associates. They will be more focused on themselves and a few that are fortunate to be close to them. Yes, the crumbs will trickle down and everybody will be happy in the short term, but that is not the way to build a nation.

Atiku’s restructuring claim is deceptive. It is simply a ploy that can only be swallowed by the uninformed. The Executive arm of government can do very little on restructuring based on the nature of our constitution. It is the legislature that can make it happen. Painting himself as Alhaji Restructuring is a sign of dishonesty and desperation. We simply need a National Assembly of people that understand the issues in Nigeria, people that are willing to make sacrifices and are committed to taking this country to a higher level. Atiku was hand in glove with Bukola Saraki to make this 8th Assembly a clog in the wheel of implementation of the programs of the ruling party APC. The executive can only recommend to the legislature it cannot on its own cause restructuring to happen through executive orders. Nigerians can only trust Atiku at their peril. He will throw everything at this election just to get access to our treasury and our commonwealth and recoup his investment. He’s in it for the money.

The calamity visited on Nigeria by PDP for 16 years can never be transformed in 4 years. The progress made by President Buhari may be slow but it’s better slow than reckless. I’m indeed genuinely very worried about Atiku presidency. He’s a business man who sees politics as business. Nothing in Atiku’s history suggests that it is his love for Nigeria that is driving him and his associates to invest so much of illicit money in this obsession. It’s simply a business decision for him.

We need to start rebuilding our economic foundation for the future by first reducing the influence of corruption on our GDP, which became significant during the military regimes and continued to grow under PDP. This is the only way we can know the real value of our economy and begin to lay a solid foundation that would ensure sustainable growth and prepare a great country for the coming generation. President Buhari has done very well on that. We must understand that it is impossible to eliminate corruption, we can only gradually reduce it. The big achievement is to continue to reduce the volume over a period, reduce the scale and get it to a level that it becomes less attractive.

The second step is massive investment in infrastructure. I am particularly excited about some of the projects of this administration. The Lagos/Ibadan rail project, for instance, which is planned to link up to the north via Kaduna is impressive. Such projects lay a solid foundation for general prosperity. If this had been done 10 years ago the multiplier effect of not doing it will not be haunting us today. With that rail line comes new investment opportunities, real job creation and increase in disposable income.

Indeed, turnaround management is not an easy task. It requires patience. President Buhari, being the chief driver of Nigeria’s turnaround also need to make leadership adjustment and quickly too. There is the need to be more decisive in the areas of security and national orientation. The negative publicity of the President and his administration emanates from what he has done or failed to do in these two areas. The President needs to rejig his executive team. The National Orientation Agency needs to be revived, redirected and well-funded. You cannot succeed and sustain this type of turnaround management without a virile national reorientation campaign. That is the biggest error of this administration and I hope and pray it will not come to haunt it.

In all, a President Buhari is a better fit for our current challenges which are more socio-political than economic. Atiku is too desperate. He cannot lead the change from our past culture he is a major beneficiary of. We would simply be the laughing stock of the world if we make a certified and well documented corrupt person the President. Atiku carefully chose his running mate, another capitalist that would gladly look the other way in matters of corruption. In 2017, Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano alleged that his predecessor, this same Mr Peter Obi demanded the sum of N7.5billion from him for sponsoring his election in 2013. Is this the type of combination we want to entrust our future in their hands? The good news is that nobody in the PDP camp has accused President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo of corruption now or in their past. Would we rather throw this value away and opt for people with questionable character and wealth?

Let’s shake off the curse on this country once and for all. We should not be carried away by what Atiku is saying. His former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo has documented his appraisal of Atiku in black and white and the whole world has read it. Nobody knows Atiku better than Obasanjo, notwithstanding his unconvincing “forgiveness” of Atiku. Obasanjo’s well documented objective appraisal of Atiku is simply that he not fit for public service. Nigerians beware!

Adaba writes from Osogbo, State of Osun.

*//Source:*

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ON THE CANDIDATURE OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI.

"Supporters of Buhari believe that his candidature would guarantee vast support for APC in the North-west, North-east and other parts of the country because most people in the North, specially the masses, see him as the defender of the downtrodden.
 An ardent supporter of Buhari, Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi, maintained that the former Head of State was one of the few sincere Nigerians with integrity and the only one that has the capacity to defeat PDP in the presidential election.

 Abdullahi said, “The masses of this country and those who want positive change in this country want Buhari as president in 2015. He is the only person that can tackle corruption and poverty and fix this country. He is a man with impeccable track record and he is the best candidate for the APC.”
This Day Newspaper.

PRESS RELEASE RE: SECURITY BEEF UP AT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

1. The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to unfounded and unsubstantiated news trending on some online media about the presence of Army personnel at the National Assembly. The report alleged that soldiers were trying to take over the National Assembly. This report is not only false but also misleading.

2. The Nigerian Army wishes to state categorically that troops of Guards Brigade  are routinely deployed within Abuja and its environs on receipt of any intelligence report of mischievous elements that may want to cause mayhem. Therefore, as part of the routine responsibilities of the Brigade, troops were deployed at the Three Arms Zone of the Federal Capital Territory based on  intelligence report of a planned invasion by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (aka Shiite). Hence, troops were deployed to forestall any breach of peace and security.

3. The Nigerian Army wishes to state that media platforms should verify their stories before publication to avoid misleading the general public.

4.  The Nigerian Army is a professional and responsible organisation that conducts its operations in line with the international best practices.

5. The public is hereby advised to disregard the information and go about their legitimate businesses.

6. In view of the above, you are please requested to disseminate this important information to the general public.

7. Thank you for your kind cooperation.


TEXAS CHUKWU
Brigadier  General
Director Army Public Relations

THE 'OSHIOMOLE MUST GO' COALITION : REUBEN ABATI

Chief John Odigie Oyegun, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) must be having a good laugh wherever he is. If he is just finishing a meal, he can afford to pick his teeth and belch from the deepest part of his biological system, and even turn up his nose as he asks for a glass of water. He can also look around and thank Karma for being kind to him, as he gulps down the water and reflects on the circumstances of the APC since he was shunted aside and Adams Oshiomhole, former Governor of Edo State and former labour leader, supplanted him.

Oyegun’s waterloo was the election in Ondo State and the emergence of Rotimi Akeredolu as Governor, and before then, his power-tussle with some key stakeholders in the South West wing of the ruling party. Oyegun was accused of being disdainful of reconciliation within the party, and not willing to work with some prominent stakeholders. He was seen as an obstacle to party cohesion. He was sacrificed. His place was taken by Adams Oshiomhole. Oyegun took his humiliation with absolute equanimity and has not since then uttered any fighting words nor has he openly worn his hurt on his sleeves. If he is aggrieved, it would be difficult to find enough evidence, in this season of extreme emotionalism, to prove that such is the case. But if he has been so studiously silent, why we do we think he should laugh and pick his teeth?


Our answer is as follows. His successor, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, in less than one year of supplanting him has blown nearly all the bridges of goodwill and conspiracy that brought him to power as Chairman of the ruling party. In October 2017, 17 APC governors plotted to remove John Odigie-Oyegun as Chairman of the ruling APC. He was accused of being too close to only 7 out of the 24 APC governors in the country then and that he was using his position to the advantage of the purportedly famous 7. These seven Governors were named as Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), and Samuel Ortom (Benue). They were called Oyegun’s “anointed Governors” with whom he was ruling the party. The loyalists of John Odigie-Oyegun at the time insisted that Adams Oshiomhole who had left the Governorship of Edo State and was looking for a job – so they alleged – was the man behind the anti-Oyegun plot. The detractors took their case to President Muhammadu Buhari. Oyegun soon lost his job. Oshiomhole replaced him.

But right now, in what looks like poetic justice, Oshiomhole is at the point where Oyegun was in 2017, and I dare say, he is in a worse position. We are told that 15 out of the 21 Governors of the APC, are now collecting signatures to force the National Executive Committee of the APC to unseat Adams Oshiomhole. In 2017, 17 APC Governors out of 24 wanted Oyegun out. Today, it is not just even 15 Governors that are against Adams Oshiomhole, there is a coalition of APC Presidential aspirants and you can add to that, other aspirants at every level in the recently concluded APC primaries, who are calling for Adams Oshiomhole’s head.

They accuse him of extortion and fraud. They say he has become “a cancer to APC”. Since his assumption of office, Adams Oshiomhole began to carry on like a “little Hitler”- that is what his own party members say behind him – and don’t ask anyone to come forward to say so publicly. Oshiomhole having won the crown of Chairmanship began to pound the floor like a conqueror. He issued threats to Ministers and threatened to sanction them if they did not listen to the party. He in fact began to sound as if he was President of the country. At more illumined moments, he even tried to do the job of the Minister of Information, party spokesperson and presidential spokespersons. He projected himself as a bundle of exaggerated enthusiasm and ambition.


The recent party primaries exposed the limits of Chairman Oshiomhole’s over-reaching politics. The Governors that were against Oyegun were 17. The ones that were for him were 7 as reported. In less than one year of taking over, Oshiomhole is far less popular. Under his watch, all the alleged pro-Oyegun Governors are biting their fingers. They have been battered, crippled, harassed and humiliated. Nasir el-Rufai almost had a heart-ache trying to prove his relevance in Kaduna politics.

The same with Rochas Okorocha of Imo. In Plateau, Simon Lalong began to sound openly like a member of the opposition. Samuel Ortom of Benue chose the option of defection back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Yahaya Bello (Kogi) is neither here nor there. He follows wherever the Buhari tide flows. But the real issue is that even the Governors that used to be anti-Oyegun and pro-Oshiomhole have turned against Oshiomhole. They don’t want him anymore. In the same manner in which a majority rose against Oyegun in 2017, they have risen against him. This time, the problem is not coming from just Governors, but members of the National Assembly, and all the way down to the grassroots.

Evidentially, the APC, with Chairman Oshiomhole’s NWC in charge, conducted problematic primaries in states like Edo, Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Imo, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo… with negative results. Oshiomhole deployed the powers of the National Working Committee and his influence as Chairman, but he alienated the party’s power base. For this reason, the state Governors and other critical stakeholders are up in arms.

In Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun does not understand why some Godfathers in Lagos and Oyo state will be allowed to have their way and he would not be allowed to have a say in the choice of his own successor. In Zamfara, the Governor even threatened to take the law into his hands if his importance was ignored. In Kaduna, Governor el-Rufai’s arch-rival, Senator Shehu Sani is on his way out of the APC, into another party, and that has split the party in Kaduna state. In Lagos State, the party’s incumbent Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has been left in limbo, dangling between survival, a lost bid for a second term, and the threat of impeachment around his neck.

On October 21, Oshiomhole, through his aide, issued a statement saying that the reason there is a rebellion against him is because he has been a champion of party supremacy and internal democracy within the APC. Nobody believes that wordy, rambling statement. What is clear is that the party primaries conducted by the APC under Oshiomhole’s watch have been far from transparent. They have been divisive and disruptive. The state of the APC right now, as I have argued elsewhere, is where the PDP was in 2015. Too many APC aspirants feel that they have been marginalized and excluded because Oshiomhole working with other actors, has hijacked the party.


His argument that he is being persecuted because he is insisting on party supremacy is unimpressive. The APC party primaries were riddled with double standards and a descent into fascism by a man once known as a comrade. Oshiomhole may have committed the error of too much identification with the master. He talks about party supremacy. Those who use that phrase should be diplomatically reminded to double-check the source and quality of their knowledge.

They like to quote the United Kingdom, but not even in the UK is the party absolutely supreme – people hold on to their right to differ and be independent. Nobody votes in the House of Commons or the House of Lords like a robot. That is why Prime Minister Theresa May doesn’t have the absolute support of either her cabinet or the parliament on the question of Brexit. In the United Sates, the jurisdiction that we model our democracy after, nobody is a zombie under the banner of party supremacy. That explains the prolonged debate over the suitability of Brett Kavanaugh as a nominee for the US Supreme Court bench, despite the 51-49 majority in favour of Republicans. In Nigeria, the party Chairman expects party members at all levels to be zombies who take directives from the party. Adams Oshiomhole has not been defending party supremacy. He has been defending the supremacy of Adams Oshiomhole, and that is why he may lose his position as Chairman of the party.

Two things: we must remind ourselves that Governors are very powerful members of either ruling or opposition parties in Nigeria. They control the grassroots for the party and when their party is in power, they wield even greater influence. In either the PDP or the ruling APC, they insist on the control of the party through indirect primaries. In the last APC party primaries, the National Working Committee of the APC marginalized the Governors by voting for direct primaries, despite an earlier agreement that some latitude will be allowed based on the peculiar circumstances in each state. In handling the petitions from the various states, Oshiomhole ignored what had been previously agreed. The tragedy for the APC is that President Buhari is reportedly on the side of the party and Adams Oshiomhole.

President Buhari may support Oshiomhole but can he afford to go into the 2019 elections with a broken, damaged party? I may have predicted the implosion of the APC somewhat too early, but it seems to me that with Oshiomhole now asking the “Red Cross” to save him from drowning, the ruling APC in Nigeria, may have finally arrived at the crossroads. In 2015, the PDP talked about changing the game. The APC said they were bringing change. Now, the pre-election circumstances of the ruling APC may well be the game changer for the 2019 Nigerian Presidential and general elections. My simple view is that while changing Oshiomhole on the eve of the game may be the inevitable outcome of his own self-inflicted nemesis, perhaps the APC needs to beware of the lessons of history. If he is removed, there will be no orchids for him. If he survives as Chairman, the APC will still pay a price. The APC faces a Hobson’s choice.
THISDAY BACKPAGE

Worst Days Over for Nigeria’s Economy, Says Elumelu. - Obinna Chima The founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Tony Elumelu, yesterday said Nigeria’s economy is headed in the right direction, describing 2016 as a terrible year for the economy. Elumelu, who said this in an interview monitored on CNN yesterday, also disclosed that his Group would in the next few weeks, close a $2.5 billion oil asset acquisition deal in the country. According to him, “things are changing in Nigeria and it appears our economic managers have finally gotten a strong grip on the economy.” The Chairman of the United Bank for Africa Plc, however, pointed out that there was still room for improvement, stressing that as an investor in several sectors in the Nigerian economy, “I see improvement and I am optimistic about the future.” “Oil prices going up is good and encouraging. Our group is in the process of closing a $2.5 billion oil asset acquisition in the country. We are doing this as a demonstration of confidence in the economy. If the economy was not good or improving, we would not be contemplating that. “The truth is that in 2016, we had a bit of challenge with capital control, but in 2018, we don’t have such any more. Access to dollar is now easy. I speak as someone who invests significantly in Nigeria. “Raising $2.5 billion for investment would not come through if the foreign investors were scared about capital control,” he explained. Related Post CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN THE NDIC IN ACTION According to Elumelu who is also the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, a lot of investors outside the country don’t have enough information about Nigeria. He stressed the need for policymakers to continue to take steps towards improving Ease of Doing business in the country so as to attract more capital inflow. “I am a long-term investor, i was born in Africa and I made my money in Africa and i am happy to invest in Nigeria and other African countries. “Today we have investments in 23 African countries. Ultimately, we keep making investments because it helps in creating wealth,” he added. When asked about the sectors he is excited about, Elumelu said: “I am excited about oil and gas and I am excited in banking, most importantly, power. Power is important for me because Nigeria and Africa needs power to develop. “Our group is the largest generator of electricity in Nigeria. But we can do more. We just need the debt we are owed in that sector. So, If I was to complain, I would complain about the debts owed us as power operator. “In other sectors, I think things are improving. I think the CBN particularly has gotten the grip on the economy and a lot of windows and markets have been created for investors who want to bring in money into Nigeria and those who want to take out money from the country. We should keep encouraging investors because we need massive investments in Nigeria to develop, to help create employment for our young ones and to help us alleviate poverty,” he added.

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THE NHIS: THE UNTOLD STORY

BY Adeyanju Demi

"I never thought a day will come when I will have to agree with any decision Buhari has taken. On the
NHIS thing, I regretfully have to admit that he was right.

We had all condemned the reinstatement of the NHIS Boss who was accused of corruption.
NHIS started functioning in 2005. It's 13yrs old this year.

NHIS covers 3 million Nigerians. It’s about Health Care but, because of corruption, the agency has not
performed well. Politicians turned NHIS into an ATM.

Let Me Explain:
HMOs -Health Maintenance ORG’s, all private companies owned by politicians, are the real problem of NHIS. They are middle men between
NHIS and the hospitals. They have enthroned corruption to another level in the place.

The HMOs receive money from NHIS on behalf of the people to pay hospitals so that Nigerians on the
NHIS scheme can enjoy medical services, but they refuse to pay the hospitals and corner the money.
NHIS gives the HMOs 3 months in advance to pay hospitals but they were not paying.

What They Do With The NHIS Money:

A. They fix it in banks to accrue interest.

B. They buy forex And do trading with it.

C. They take loans using it as collateral.

When banks know you are getting massive funds from NHIS, they give you 10 times the amount in your account.

So instead of the HMOs to pay the hospitals as agreed on time, they are heavily indebted to all
hospitals nationwide, thereby  crippling healthcare services nationwide. They owe National Hospital alone N400million.

It’s A Major Cartel:

There are 57 HMOs. They are the cartel at NHIS. They work hand in hand with every Minister of
Health, Board Members, the Executive Secretary(EX)
& politicians in government to run the place to the ground.

Evidently, this new EX refused to play ball & they declared war on him.
Someone early this year contacted me from NHIS that the EX is destroying the agency, etc and that
they were appealing to my organization to come to
their rescue. I told him I needed to do my due diligence but I never did. We all joined later to
crucify the man.

So just last week I coincidently ran into a friend that
works at NHIS and he started briefing me of all the dirty things going on there. It’s really depressing.
The things I heard made me wonder if this country can ever be great.
I will explain all that is going on there.

So this EX appointed by Buhari came and found out that there was massive corruption going on at NHIS
& he wanted to stop it but the cartel “HMOs” declared war on him. The HMOs said he can’t stop
the norm & teamed up with politicians in Buhari’s
government to start fighting him.
The HMOs got the support of the Board Chairman of NHIS and other members of the Board who are
all politicians. Got the support of the Minister of Health & other politicians. What was the crime of
this EX guy? He wanted to block where politicians are eating.

The issue they had with the EX guys were:

They were not paying hospitals.
Many of their licenses had expired since 2013 & he was asking them to renew before they get
disbursements of money, etc.
One of the conditions the EX guy gave was that every HMOS must go to the hospitals to get a letter
of non indebtedness signed by the CMD before they will get funds from the agency.

The hospitals were happy with the new development but HMOs were unhappy. The NHIS is  strategically important to Nigerians. In a working country, every citizen should be
captured in the scheme. NHIS pays Federal, State & even private hospitals through HMOs. Nigerians on the scheme are the main beneficiaries.

Many workers are on the scheme. NHIS also pay Military & Police hospitals nationwide. The police
alone have over 800k officers and their dependents on the scheme.

The Ministry of Health and politicians are the
number 1 problem of NHIS in Nigeria. They use
NHIS as an ATM. Because the EX guy stopped them, he was suspended on allegations of
corruption which many of us believed because of
media trial. EFCC then investigated him.The reason he was reinstated was because EFCC did not find him wanting according to my friend that
works there. He said after his reinstatement, the EX
guy became tougher on the HMOs and the Board & the Minister began to plot his removal again.

The EX guy was just suspended again on the eve of delisting many unqualified HMOS. A Pre-emptive
move by the NHIS Board & the Minister. The union is also on the payroll of the HMOs.

The HMOs are the real cartel at NHIS. HMOs were angry that the EX instituted a forensic
audit of NHIS finances. Audit discovered that N46billion of NHIS money were stashed away  in different banks. These are people’s money. The HMOs
say the EX is using EFCC, CBN, AG, Accountant General & Asset Recovery to fight them.

Our national & State hospitals are under funded and many of them survive on the NHIS money. For
instance, FMC Asaba got only about N18million from the budget last year & they require over N10million to power the hospital with diesel. So
how will they survive without NHIS funding?

So if the HMOs take money from NHIS and refuse to give the hospitals, they are destroying our health sector. The Union, the Board and the Ministry of Health should stop the rubbish they are doing to
cripple our health sector.

We @ConcernedNIG will come into this matter fully.

Corrupt Activities of Atiku Abubakar.

Information detailing the corrupt activities of the Vice President – Mr. Atiku Abubakar, as gathered by Saharareporters, reveals the extent of Mr. Abubakar’s corruption was more wide reaching as original perceived by Nigerians. In a document obtained by Saharareporters, it was  learnt that Atiku whose financial status was modest prior to his ascension to the office of the Vice President has exponentially increased in his financial wealth to the extent he  now owns 146 homes in Yola, Adamawa State  in addition a slew of transaction that run into the high millions. It is believed President Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku are equally messed in corruption.   

Mr. Abubakar had served the Nigerian Customs and Excise Service for 20 years and retired in 1989 at the rank of Deputy Director. After his years in Customs, Mr. Abubakar engaged in a quilt of business involvements straddling the world of business in oil services, real estate, agriculture, education, the print media, and lately the corridors of partisan politics.

The Vice President with a modest portfolio of one house in Kaduna, Yola and Lagos, eight years in the vice-presidency has immeasurably transformed Mr. Abubakar’s holdings.  His high profile $25 million University (ABTI American University) in Yola, plus the $8 million he paid to the American University in Washington DC for a direct license to use the franchise of the university (known as partnership and management consultancy by AU officials) is a critical reference to the investment profile of a public officer who did not seek bank loans to execute these gargantuan investments.  When contacted about the nature of the deal with ABTI- American University, Washington DC-based AU’s Vice president for International Affairs Mr. Robert Pastor  said that the $8 million figure claimed as the cost of doing business with ABTI-American University was “inaccurate” but refused to reveal the exact cost of the partnership and management consultancy with Atiku’s high profile college which he bragged was the best in Africa after 11/2 years of operation, he said that the exact cost of the partnership was confidential.

 In the course of his eight years stewardship, Mr. Abukakar has managed to corner controlling shares in Bank PHB, controlling shares in Intel, an oil services company with operates in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe; controlling shares in AP Petroleum, which he was forced to divest recently in a hail of controversy regarding the ethics of his management of the country’s privatization program.  Added to all these assets must be included the control of huge assets in real estate in Yola where today he has 146 houses; the largest print press in Northern Nigeria; and the control of the Faro private water business. 

The vulnerability of the vice president, who in his two-term tenure has recorded N60 Billion worth of bank transactions, has always made it easy to point at elite corruption to illustrate the subversion of Nigeria’s national efforts at constructing a fair, accountable and transparent polity this much was raised by the BBC interviewer earlier today.  The vice-president was cited for diverting $125m from a public trust fund into his personal businesses. The $125m was diverted from the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF).

 An excerpted part of a recent presentation by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Nigerian Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Probe of the PTDF renders the issues in a graphic brief:  “Atiku Abukakar is the Vice President of Nigeria and he was the one overseeing the activities of the PTDF.  He inaugurated the Interim Management Committee of the Fund in September 2000.He played prominent roles in the approvals for release of PTDF funds and their placement in two banks.  The VP had an outstanding interest in the placement of the PTDF funds in these two banks.  For one, even the $125 million for the implantation of some specific projects was not utilized for that purpose, rather because of their diversion to their placements in the two banks (TIB & ETB).  Prior to the placements of the PTDF funds, the Vice President held several meetings with either the ES (Executive Secretary of the PTDF) alone and sometime the ES and Mike Adenuga to discuss modalities regarding the placement of the funds either in TIB or ETB.  The placements were done at the detriment of the Fund as they were made at interest rates below the average CBN Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) even when he was strongly advised against that.”

“The request for the release of the $20 million, was predicated on the issue of the ongoing projects being executed by the Fund, whereas it was not so.  The funds were released again by the VP and were sent straight to the same placement in TIB.  This second release according to reports was done without the knowledge and approval of the President and the FEC, even though the President’s own pattern of management of the Petroleum Resources ministry pointed to the fact that both the VP and the President might have shared.  As these funds were hitting the two preferred banks, “loans” were packaged by TIB, even without adequate collateral, for his long time friend and business associate, Otunba Oluwole Johnson Haliru Fasawe through NDTV and Mofas.  In Mofas, one of the directors is Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, a son of the VP.  Through the VP’s name was not stated as a director of Marine Float, evidence abounds that the account is controlled by him.  First, the VP admitted he paid N30million for the property from that account; secondly, most of the beneficiaries from the account are his friends, associates.

“Similarly, as the funds were hitting ETB, Otunba Mike Adenuga made $20million deposit for Globacom license, the second national carrier.  A little scrutiny of the equity ownership structure of the company revealed that Otunba Mike Adenuga lied about the ownership of the company.  When the transfer of the $50million by PTDF from its account in UBA Plc New York was made in ETB, Mike Adenuga gave the Vice President the sum of N322million (i.e. N300m on 27/11/02 & N22 on 06/03/03) through his Marine Float account domiciled in Bank PHB Plc through his aides- Akinyera and Ajibade.  N21 million was paid to the VP through a draft raised in the name of Umar Pariya, his Personal Assistant.  
The Vice President held several meeting with the US Congressman Williams J. Jefferson both in Nigeria and abroad in relation to business ventures, which included NDTV and Rosecom.net, an ISP.  When the business relationship between NDTV and iGate collapsed, his assistance was sought to extinguish the outstanding approximately $2million already paid by NDTV.  Even though he denied assistance on extinguishing the amount, he accepted, conveying a letter from US Congressman Jefferson to the Honorable Minister of Communication Chief Cornelius Adebayo in relation with iGate and Rosecom.net business venture.

“The VP’s business interest in NDTV was confirmed when he made an initial deposit of N30million in January 1, 2003 from his Marine Float account in Bank PHB Plc for the purchase of the N200million property being used as NDTV Head Office.  His interest also influenced the placement of PTDF funds in TIB from where Otunba Fasawe obtained “loan” and completed the payment of N170million for the property at the Wuse.  The VP’s interest in NDTV is further buttressed by the fact that he even acted as a referee to Otumba Fasawe for the sourcing of the licensing of NDTV in Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).  Investigation also revealed that the Vice President severally met contractors of NDTV at Jada, his hometown on his interest in the company.”

The burden of proof on Mr. Abubakar today therefore will rest on how he hopes to construct a coherent argument that his two decades of public service in the customs department is enough to make him the multi-millionaire and one of the nation’s richest business men; and how he wants to lead a nation struggling to crawl out of the quagmire created by a reputation of grand corruption when he could supervise such brazen deal making at PTDF and seek to legitimize it as normal and appropriate state policy. As for us at Saharareporters, we are still awaiting the promise made to us by the VP to publicly declare his assets and ship over to us the Ghana-Must-Ghana bag containing all the oil contracts awarded by President Obasanjo in the last 7-years!