IBB started religious crises in Nigeria – Confab delegate By JOSEPH ERUNKE

DR Maryam Abdullahi, a delegate representing Civil Society Organisation, CSO, at the on-going National Conference, Tuesday, accused former military President, Ibrahim Babangida of starting religious crises in Nigeria. Dr Abdullahi said the former military ruler pushed Nigeria into membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC, without the consent of the people he was ruling, a development, she said started religious crises in the country. She insisted that the relationship between Christians and Muslims deteriorated when Nigeria was admitted as a full member of Organisation of the Islamic Conference. Abdullahi, specifically said Babangida, who pushed for Nigeria’s full membership of OIC, did that to manipulate religion in order to perpetuate himself in the office, insisting that this was the beginning of mistrust between adherents of the two faith because of mutual suspicion of possible Islamization of Nigeria. Abdullahi spoke while making her contribution to the debate on the report of the conference Committee on Religion, during plenary. The delegate who spoke to the applause of her colleagues, said: “The relationship between Christians and Muslims deteriorated when Nigeria was admitted as full member of Organisation of the Islamic Conference. “This made Christians to start resisting any move that would portray Nigeria as an Islamic state. “Consequent to this, there is the prevailing mistrust and disharmony between the adherents of the two religions in the country. “Mr. Chairman, the then Head of State, that pushed for the admission of Nigeria into OIC did not do that in consultation with the Muslims. He did that in order to manipulate religion as a political tool to perpetuate himself in office and now Nigeria is the worst for it,” she said. She, however, cautioned against viewing every political policy from religious perspective, explaining that OIC an economic forum not only for Islamic states but also for countries that have Muslims minority. Dr Abdullahi appealed to the conference to allay the fears of Nigerians that nobody would Islamize or Christianize Nigeria and urged political class to stop manipulating religion and ethnicity in order to achieve a political goal. She called for strengthening of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in order to promote inter-religious peace and stability, while also calling for inter-religious dialogue in Nigeria. But the recommendations by the Committee on Religion that governments at all levels shall not utilize public funds to sponsor any religious pilgrimages for any category of citizens and government functionaries generated heated arguments among delegates. Similarly, the recommendation for establishment of a National Religious Equity Commission to be jointly chaired by a Muslim and a Christian, generated heated debate among the delegates. While some delegates applauded the report, others condemned the two recommendations, describing them as unnecessary. The immediate past Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, in her contribution, commended the work of the committee and supported the recommendation that government should stop sponsorship of delegations on any pilgrimages. But she disapproved the recommendation for establishment of a National Religious Equity Commission, arguing that Nigeria already had too many commissions and that there were bodies on ground, especially the National Human Rights Commission to deal with such issues as stipulated in the committee’s recommendation. Also contributing, another delegate, Mr. Atedo Peterside, said he endorsed over 90 percent of the report in view of the excellent work done by the committee but disagreed on the recommendation for establishment of a National Religious Equity Commission. He argued that establishing the commission was like what he described as “using a single evidence to arrive at different results.” Mr Peterside drew the attention of the delegates to the situation in France where he said religious organisations came together to address some of the problems they faced instead of bringing the government into it. “I have strong reservations in this. We should not allow government to get into religion under any guise. Countries that don’t take religion so seriously make far progress than those, who embrace religion. “As beautiful as this report is, we should be careful. This is the kind of item for which it is very clear that fundamental rights are the issues. Those rights should be handled by religious NGOs and we should not elevate religion above fundamental human rights,”he added

Why I Made Nigeria Member Of Islamic Organisation – IBB By Ukpe Philip

Nigeria’s former Head of State, Ibrahim Badamusi Babangida (IBB), has denied having plan to Islamise Nigeria when he enrolled the country as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The former military leader who recently clocked 80, made the clarification during an interview on Channels TV. The OIC consists of about 50 countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Nigeria became its member in 1986 under IBB. The OIC models the collective voice of Muslims as well as protects the interest of the Muslim world. IBB’s registration of Nigeria as a member of the OIC had at different times sparked criticisms from individuals and groups who argued that the move contravened provisions of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution. But the retired army general said, ” No government has ever said so (that Nigeria is an Islamic state), including my own government.” He explained that, “We never said Islam is the official religion of Nigeria. But our constitution allows us to enter any organisation for the benefit of the country or for the benefit of the people of the country.” Nigeria’s membership of the Islamic organisation had since resulted in several criticisms from religious groups and Civil Society Organisations. Some groups have accused the former Head of State of engineering a religious crisis in the country by that singular act. “The relationship between Christians and Muslims deteriorated when Nigeria was admitted as a full member of Organisation of the Islamic Conference,” said DR Maryam Abdullahi, a delegate representing Civil Society Organisation, at the 2014 National Conference. Most recently (May 26), the IOC called on Nigeria to join other Islamic countries to punish Israel for launching rockets into Gaza, Palestine, in retaliation to rockets fired into the country by the Islamic Resistance Movement popularly called Hamas. But the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which is the apex body of Christians in the country criticised the call and warned President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration against taking sides with the IOC. CAN had said: “We are worried that Nigeria which was wrongly labelled an Islamic State because of her unlawful membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has been taking side with the Palestinians since the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari. Hence why the Turkish President asked Nigeria to identify with the Palestinians.”

Our father was a victim of evil politics, not an Armed Robber—Dr. Babafunmilayo Oredein

In this exclusive interview with Asabeafrika, scion of the famous Oredein family of Ogere land in Ogun State (South West Nigeria) Dr. Babafunmilayo Oredeinreacted to the vicious rivulet of views that his late father, Chief Samuel Taiwo Oredein was a grand master of the underworld in his life time. In the last two weeks, a history blogger, Onigegewura had gone to town with the bad story of how the late Co-Founder of Action Group and one of the influential politician of the first republic, Chief Oredein was given a life jail in 1971 after he was convicted for a robbery case which involved Backlays Bank and Bacita Sugar Company. The Ogere born Chief was railed into a life imprisonment jail after some arrested criminals who broke into the Ilorin—Kwara State branch of the bank accused him (implicated him?) of being their chief sponsor. Irony of the case was the fact that, Oredein’s boss and party leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the De-facto Vice President and Minister of Finance to Nigeria’s Head of State, General YakubuGowon at the time. He was seen to have looked the other way as Oredein faced his cruel fate alone, even as many of his fans including his children believed their father was a victim of a vicious political hate scheme. He was released ten years later courtesy President Shehu Shagari and his Vice, Chief Alex Ekweme. Eminent Nigerians like Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Richard Akinjidewere said to have played a role in his release. But 31 years down the line, the ugly story came visiting the social media two weeks ago. Your Africa’s Number 1 Celebrity Encounter Blog, Asabeafrika visited the home of the scion of the Oredein dynasty, a 78 years old German trained medical doctor, Dr. Babafunmilayo Oredein. We met the septuagenarian in company of his younger siblings and he told us the full story of how his father became a victim of a high wire political vicious scheme which sole aim was to tame his rising influence and profile in the South West. Dr. Oredein who was angry and dejected at the impression created of his father as a criminal, debunked all allegations against his dad, promising to write his own version of the sad history. He answered all our questions verbatim. Enjoy the excerpts. How did you feel with allegations that your dad, Chief Samuel Taiwo Oredein was a robbery kingpin in his life time? Honestly, it is quite unfortunate. I find it ridiculous but we are not here to join issues with anybody. We grew to know our father as a man of integrity and hard work. I was conceived and partly raised in Epe—here in Lagos before we moved to Ibadan, my father was the Secretary to the District Officer in Epe at the time and that was how he started his life as a young man. So for someone to now say he is an armed robber, the person must have his head examined. This was a hardworking man, God loving man who wanted goodness for himself and his family. So I won’t say much today. But you need to react because we were so shocked to read those scandalous stories about your dad You see, I was abroad when this thing happened (in 1971). I was already a doctor in 1971, I graduated in 1967 December 7, won o ti bi gbogbo yin (None of you were born by then). I had my degree from University of Colon, Western Germany, e mi ti mo jo ko yi—me seated with you here. So when we heard about the incidence in 1971, I said how can somebody call my father an armed robber? But we all knew it was a political thing. So you agree that your father’s problem was a political set-up? It is not a matter of agree, we all knew it was a political thing, because what is known as Action Group today, you can see that picture (brought down a picture of Chief Obafemi Awolowo & 7 others, including his father who established Action Group). That party was established and formed in our sitting room. Before Awolowo went to England in 1944, we were living in the same house. Se e mo ile won loke B’ola—do you know Awolowo’s house in Oke B’ola? You mean in Ibadan Yes, it was a bungalow of six rooms; we were living in 3 rooms, Awolowo and his family in the other three rooms. He went to England in 1944 and handed over HID (Hannah Idowu Dideolu) to my father—Pe ST ma’a t’oju Mama Segun fun mi (ST, kindly take care of Segun’s mother for me) you see, these are things we are going to write. Iyen ni mo se s’ope eni ko l’ojo oro—that’s why I said today is not a day for narratives. We are now going to write our own part of the story and tell the entire world. But how did you feel when that blogger published the story? It was a shock to us; look I don’t want to do any interview today. But you have to talk because perception is already running about the role your father played in the history of this country? I just want to tell you that as far as I am concerned, as far as the family is concerned, our father cannot be an armed robber. He was never an armed robber, you get my point? All these boys they mentioned, awon Odunpade, awon Mustapha, we all know them when we were young. We know them… (Cuts in) They also raised the issue of Aberenla Family, that your father’s men killed their son because he was working for Ladoke Akintola’s party? Exactly, you see we are going to talk later on all these, we are going to write it out and give it to you… (Cuts in again) They equally said your father harbored thugs in his life time? Look, look, I am a medical doctor, I am not a politician and Biola (Mrs. Olatunji) can tell you, our father told us ‘don’t go into politics’ abi beeko? (He asked his younger siblings which they answered in the affirmative). Our father told us, don’t go into politics. You mean your father warned you about going into politics? He said ‘e ma lo si politics’ (Don’t go into politics); let me tell you something, he said to us ‘if you go into politics, if you start at point A, and you grow, grow and grow, you will come back to point A’. You mean if one plays politics? Yes, for example, he said where did Awolowo go back to? Ikene!. Where did AlhajiJakande go back to? Ilupeju! Is that not so? Where did Zik go back to? Onitsha! And so many of them, nobody in politics—t’oo ba bere ni A, waa p’ada si A. (If you start from A, you end up at A—it is such a vicious circle). In Nigeria if you are not messed up along the way, you are lucky and that is why Dad said ‘e ma lo si politics’. We are not going into politics, I am just telling you a bit of the story. We know our father is not an armed robber and we are ready to say it to the whole world. You see the person who wrote that story should have called some of us and say ‘what is your own side of the story?’ because I have a brother who is a journalist—Femi Oredein. You would have heard his name before… Yeah, yeah, sounds famous He was Editor of Sunday Sketch. Why didn’t they call some of us and say ‘Bawo Loro se ri?’ (What is the true story?) ‘Iyen ni nkan to bi awa ninu’ (That is the only thing that got us angry). You write things because you want to make money, fine, but don’t malign people you don’t know anything about. You don’t know anything about ST Oredein. So, who was the man, ST Oredein?. Can we know much of him for the sake of people of this generation? But look at that picture I showed you (He showed this blogger some old family pictures before the commencement of the interview); that time, my father was working with BATC (British-American Tobacco Company) but he used to hawk tiles, hats, shoes all over Ibadan—after ton ba kuro n’ibise, won a gbe bicycle, won a ma’a hawk kiri (After he leaves the office, he will pick his bicycle and start to hawk around town). Then, this picture was taken at (couldn’t recall the name of the place again) there is a photographer there, we went to take this picture that day, you can see he had a shirt, knickers, shoes, he was even sweating that day. This is my brother, we were taking the picture together (Dr. Oredein stand at the right hand of his father) and because my brother was crying, my dad had to pacify him by putting him on his lap. The man was sweating, coming from selling things all over Ibadan. And the photographer was (late) Justice Abimbola You mean the same Justice Abimbola from Ijebu-Ode? Yes, I bought his first car for him, an Opel in Germany. Justice Abimbola, he is late now, he was the photographer who took this picture on that day. You mean the Justice was a photographer at the time? Yes, he took the picture. You get my point? Yeah, the picture is indeed historic So this is the man they are calling armed robber, he was sweating, he sat down, took my brother on his lap and took the picture. Then he went on with his bicycle, still hawking his things all over the place before he went home—hardworking, children loving and even a fellowship loving man. I mean he became a very popular person all over the world—look, let me tell you something, that is my wife there (pointed in her direction), we went to Honk Kong (sometimes in the 80s) because she was working with British Airways at the time. So, I and she went to Honk Kong. Normally, whenever we travel, we register at the Embassy that ‘we are in town o, in case something happens’. Then, the Ambassador, Alhaji Lapai, he is late now. You know Lapai in Niger State? Yes, Lapai is a town in Niger State He was from that place, he called his secretary Zakari, he said ‘go and bring thedoctor’. That was me and my wife. The man was reading a newspaper and put his legs on the table. When I entered his office, he said ‘Oredein’. I said ‘yes, sir’. He said ‘Are you the boy in Germany?’, ma gbo o (listen o) I said ‘which boy sir?’. He said ‘Are you not the one?’ I said ‘yes’. He said ‘your father said he has a son studying in Germany’. I said ‘yes, that’s me’, he just stood up with his Agbada and hugged me. You mean the same Lapai? Yes, the same Lapai. He said ‘where are you staying?’ You know Hong-Kong is an island, there is the mainland, and there is the island. So, we said we are staying in Karoon that is the Island; he said ‘No, no, no, go and bring their loads from thehotel and bring it to the embassy’. So they went and brought our luggage to the embassy. He said ‘you are going to stay with me’. Why, because of your dad? Wait! In 1959 before independence, when they went to campaign in the north—ti e ba ranti n’igba ton ni Awolowo yo ninu Osupa’ (When the myth broke that Awolowo appeared in the moon). My father recruited them as field secretaries (including Lapai) and gave them cars, gave them drivers and even learnt Hausabecause of them and was paying their salaries regularly. So, Lapai said ‘Oh, your father, he was a good man o’ we stayed with Lapai for ten days. That was the first day I slept on a water bed in the Nigerian embassy (in Honk Kong). I mean to see somebody my father did good for in 1959 to wa n ranti mi in the 80s, pe so iwol’omo man yi? (For a person my dad blessed in 1959 to now be returning the favor to me in the 80s shows the kind of person my father was) So your dad had such a reputation? Even up to Honk Kong; my siblings and the grand children can tell you stories, once they hear ‘Oredein’ doors open. When I came back from Europe and I set up my own hospital, you know what we call ‘retainer doctor’—retainer-ship; once I get someone, they will say ‘eh, omo tani e? omo ST, Baba e o j’ebe’. What do you want? I got ten retainer-ships trough my father in companies like Vaswani, Kenkel, name it; and that is the person you are calling an armed robber? I hope you are getting what I am saying? I am getting it of course So we are not interested in defending anything, we are just telling you what has happened. You see, it is just politics. You see, we need to get your side of the story so that we can have a balanced perception? The person who wrote that story should have gotten to the sources to say ‘ki lo tee s’ele?’ (What really happened?) Did he come to us? Did he get the court papers? I have a daughter who is a lawyer; my own daughter is a lawyer. So, if you are doing that, then go to the court, ask the court, ‘what happened?’ Give me the court account, you know anybody can apply for it; you pay some money and get it. We got it when we were trying to fight for my father to come out. We went to the court and we got the court proceedings—we paid for it and it solved the problem. Why can’t the journalists go there, let me see the court proceedings o—investigative journalism. I have a brother who is a journalist; I have a son who is a journalist in Germany. I myself, I think you heard about Deuche-velle before? Deuche-velle? Yes, Deuche-velle—German waves, it is a German Radio Station, when I was a student, I used to write for them; my father was a journalist too, in those days with Daily Service (Newspaper) You mean this same ST Oredein? Yes, with Bisi Onabanjo. So you people (journalists) have to sit down and listen to what has happened actually. You journalists don’t know anything. I can see your pain, sir Bisi Onabanjo was the Editor of Daily Service in those days You mean the same Bisi Onabanjo, the former Governor of Ogun State? He was my father’s assisstant; Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige, Ambrose Ali, Jakande, they used to sit down in the sitting room in my father’s house, being lectured in politics. People like J.S. Olawoyin Yeah, that is another historically famous name in the Yoruba South West? Yes, but you people don’t know them but we know them and they were all there at my father’s funeral. Even Awolowo came. ‘So, iyen lo sen bi wa ninu pe kilode ti won o te se wa ba wa?’ (Why didn’t they come to seek our opinion on the issues raised). You are just writing something in the social media…look, as of today, my father has 150 grand children. You mean 150 grand kids? That’s great Yes, 36 children and over 150 grand children that we know And to show Godliness in his life, I believe all you 36 are alive? I think like 3 of us are dead, but it was after his demise. He did not burry any single child in his life time. Your dad was a Christian? Ah, ah, my grad father was the Baba Ijo of Anglican Church (Ogere) What’s his name? Chief Daniel Adekomaya Oredein, that’s my father’s father. You see, these are things people should know before going to write rubbish. Do you mind telling us more about the Oredein lineage? We are too small to be discussed…. (Cuts in) I think that will help to tell more of who your father is and what guided his philosophy My grandfather, Chief Daniel, you see, you can’t bear Daniel unless you are a christian, abi? Adekomaya Oredein, Baba Ijo ni church wa l’ogere (He is the Baba Ijo of our church in Ogere). My own grandmother, she used to go and wash the church on Sundays—won a ma’a fi imi malu, won a ma fii ma clean church onSundays. So we are christians, God loving family and hardworking (Calls the attention of his younger sibling, Mrs. Biola Olatunji) Biola, ee ranti, 6am, the man will ring the bell, I have the bell, that is the bell there—b’ami gbe ago yen. You mean your father’s prayer bell? Emi ni mo inherit e—I inherited the bell. (This blogger rang the bell severally) he will ring the bell at 6am. So, when you people are still sleeping, enjoying the sleep, he will ring it? Yes, ha, o ma gba e n’ipa ni—(he will kick you to wake up for prayers). My dad will give you one month to learn a particular Psalm off head—he made us to learn Psalm 91 by force. We had to learn it off head. So dad was so religious to this extent? He even has an organ (Piano), and he equally bought an organ for the AnglicanChurch. If we want to pray in the morning, Baba will play organ. You see, these are things people should know before they start to write rubbish. So,how did his relationship with Awolowo started actually? That was what I told you initially, we were living together in Oke Gbola in Awolowo’shouse when we came from Epe to Ibadan. We rented a house a house—six rooms. Awolowo and his family were living in 3 rooms; we were living in the other 3 rooms.Segun, Tola, Wole, have you heard those names before? Year, I think Mrs. Tola Oyediran is the mother of the wife of the Acting President of Nigeria? Myself, Biodun and Segun—three of us, when Chief (Awolowo) was going to Englandin 1944, he handed over HID tom my father and said ‘ST, ma’a toju Mama Segun fun mi’. So that was how confident he was with your dad? That was how we knew Awolowo; it is not a one day affair. We used to go to Railway Shed n’ibadan—tomatoe, alubosa, awo ti Mama Segun import lati north (Tomatoe, onion and guinea fowl egg imported from the north by Awolowo’s wife—Mama Segun) we used to carry it on our head, Mama used to sell it and send the money to Awolowo abroad. My uncle Baba Kola was a railway fire man, he used to help Mama Segun (Awolowo’s wife) to bring the goods from Kano, Kaduna for Mama Segun to sell and she will send the money to Awolowo. But when Awolowo came back and wanted to use his house as a chamber, then, we had to move out. Egbe Omo Oduduwa was already on in London tie ba ranti? (If you recall) Yeah, it actually started in shool between Awo and few others Now, you know Zik (Nnamdi Azikwe) was very popular in the south west with his NCNC. The Yorubas said ‘how can an Ibo man come and be rulling us in our land?’ that’s another story. That was how they came together to form ‘Action Group’—Egbe Afenifere in our sitting room in 1951. You mean Oredein’s sitting room in Ibadan? Yes, in fact on Oredein Street and inside Oredein’s house in Oke-Ado—ibe lon bigbogbo won si—that is where they were born (referring to his younger siblings). So, you mean the soul of Afenifere which is Action Group started inside your father’s house? In the sitting room, it was a secret thing. You see, the story is so simple. Let me tell you the story. Kindly tell me, please In those days in the colonial office, to form a party you needed £200. I think you understand me. Then, Awolowo said ‘Ok, how do we get £200?’ He now told my father ‘look, let us get 8 people to donate £25 each’ that the first 8 will become the founders of Action Group and this is the picture there, today (gave the picture to this blogger) So, these are the Great 8 who paid to establish Action Group? Awon to san £25 Pounds niyen to di £200 Pounds—those are the ones who paid the initial £25 Pounds that eventually became £200. And they became the founders of Action Group. The date is there now, you can see the date (showed us the date of the establishment of Action Group written below the picture) That is 26 of March 1950 Yes, so the first 8 became the founders of Action Group. How do you feel being the first son of your father? How do I feel? Yes I am proudly Oredein. I won’t say more than that. I am proudly Oredein, you know the meaning of that? Yes It is not even Ore-deyin, it is Oore-deyin (dragged the pronounciation of the O-r-e!) So what is the meaning of Oore-deyin? We didn’t know, our father didn’t tell us the meaning of that. What have been the advantages of having the name Oredein as your surname? That was what I initially told you now, I went to Honk Kong with my wife, we met the ambassador and he said ‘your father employed me in 1959’ and he told us to go and move from my hotel suite and to come and stay in his embassy. Se Baba wa j’ale, ambassador a de ni ki awa gbe ile oun?—will my father be an armed robber and an ambassador will ask me to leave my hotel and come and stay with him in the embassy? (His wife interjected and added another experience in New York with late Alhaji Maitama Sule) That’s my wife, that’s my wife; I think she has something to say So you think your father was a victim of a ferocious political scheme? Look, look, if you are in politics, there is no way you won’t make enemies. And in those days, the politics of Nigeria was not like this season, you know now, there is a lot of money. That time, there wasn’t a lot of money. You see, our father was so popular, ask her, she can tell you more. He was so popular in this country. When I was going to marry her (pointed to his wife), the uncle in Okiti-Pupa (Ondo State), when he heard my name, he said ‘heen, Oredein! Baba e ko le’ST?’ ‘Mo ni bee ni’. He told me to take her away that I should not pay dowry. You mean your wife? Yes, that was how famous my father was. He was a man of unlimited goodwill. What late Maitama Sule told us about Chief Oredein—Mrs. Modupe Oredein (Nee Lebi interjected) He said anytime Baba came to Ondo State, he will lodge in his house. Baba was even instrumental to his becoming a parliamentarian. His name is Dr. Nathaniel Lebi Your father My grand father You mean he was instrumental to… (Cuts in) No, Baba Oredein was instrumental to his being a parliamentarian That’s your own grandfather? Yes, sir! From which state Ondo state; and anytime Baba went to Ondo state that time, Baba will lodge in our house, I mean Chief Oredein, he will lodge in our house, he was so close to my family, very kind to them; they said anytime he came to Ondo state, they were always happy because he was a good man. He will give them whatever they wanted. Around that time, we went to New York, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative in New Yorkwelcomed us into his house because he heard the name Oredein. He said Oredeinhelped him while he was growing up. I mean the man that died recently—Maitama Sule. You mean the Dan Samanin Kano? Yes So, what happened in Honk Kong automatically re-enacted in New York Exactly; so Baba’s problem was born out of envy and jealousy because he was so famous and influential in the entire country and he was respected. My father told me that anytime Awolowo was going to appear in a town or a state, Baba (Chief ST Oredein) will be the first to go ahead to prepare the ground in expectation of Awolowo. He will go before him and on the D-day, he will officially present him. That was him for you. Her husband, Dr. Oredein interjected…. Let me demonstrate it to you (held the hand of this blogger and raised it) my father will say ‘Awolowo ti mo so fun yin nipa e naa re oo’ (This is the Awolowo I told you about) and that was how he served Awowolo and worked for the progress of the party. Do you know there was a party called Ibadan People’s Party (IPP) No, sir That was Akinjide, Akinloye, Adelabu, Adedibu…do you know how that name Afenifere came about? No, sir It was Akinloye who called it ‘Afenifere’. He was the one who mentioned the name ‘Afenifere’. Because then, the Yoruba politicians didn’t want to put their eggs in one basket, so they said ‘let us create another party’ and that was how Akinjide & Akinloye came to this side; and they said what name in Yoruba should we give Action Group? then Akinloye said ‘e je a pe ni Egbe Afenifere’-Let us call it Afenifere group’ because the logo was ‘Freedom for all, Life more abundant’. Then Akinloye said ‘E je a pe ni Egbe Afenifere’. His wife interjected again with more testimonies…. There was a time, sir; I went to Abuja when Abuja became the Federal Capital. I wanted to see the Acountant General of the Federation in Abuja. He was holding a meeting with all the chief accountants from all the states; then, he said ‘look at my sister she is the first born of my paramount king’—that is my father who is the paramount king of my town now—Okitipupa and he said ‘she is a wife to Oredein’ all of them said ‘ah, Action Group, Oredein—Awolowo, Oredein!. That is how popular this man was. Even in Hausa land, they recognize the name. I don’t know why people should go out and just write anything without finding out. My father’s goodwill aided my Medical practice—Dr. Oredein Tell us how you became a Medical Doctor? When Mandillas came to Nigeria, I am sure you know Mandillas Sure, sir When Mandillas came to Nigeria, they brought Volkswagen car—this Ijapa. It was the Action Group that was buying those cars from them. So at Oke Ado, they had a clinic where they treat the German Engineers who came with Mandillas. Mandillaswas a Greek, Mandillas and Caraberries, go and ask. So they had a doctor who had a clinic; you know where Odion Cinema is now in Ibadan, Mandillas was near there. So they had a clinic up and the German doctor used to put on white coat, white shirt, white trouser white shoes and I used to admire it. So I told the German doctor ‘can I come and study in your country?’ he said ‘Yes, no problem. Once you finish your HSC let me know’. That was how I got to Germany in 1961. Is there where you found your wife? Not she, my first wife was a German. That is another story. At what point did you meet your present wife? When I came back—1975 So the white man in Ibadan made you to study medicine? Yes, because of his neatness, he was so neat—white coat, white shirt, white trouser, white socks and white shoes. And I was so impressed, ‘ah, can I come to your country to study?’ he said ‘yes’. So, he helped me to get into the language school. From the language school into the university, because I did HSC, we were exempted from first MB. We went straight into the second MB class in Germany because first MB subjects are the same thing like HSC, it was equivalent. You talk about neatness that shows that your family even cherished neatness? Ask them; ask them, those are the small girls. Ask them

Oredein – The Other Side of the Story by Kemi Oredein

Following the publication yesterday of the story of Chief S. T. Oredein, I have received countless calls and messages. I thank you all. Onigegewura is about documenting our history for posterity. And as we all know, history is about perspective. It is therefore always A history and not THE history. I thank Ms. Kemi Oredein, a daughter of Chief S. T. Oredein for finding time to respond to the story. Unlike some other messages I received, Ms. Oredein’s response was a mature attempt at setting the records straight. I thank you, Madam. I pointed out in the story that Chief ST Oredein was a man of means. His involvement in the case therefore remains a conundrum up till today. I hope Ms. Oredein and the family will come out with a definitive biography of their illustrious patriarch in the nearest future. A gbo ejo enikan da, agba osika ni. He who decides a case without listening to the other side is the prime minister of wickedness. I think it is fair that Onigegewura should give this platform today to Ms. Kemi Oredein for her view of the coin. Once again, I thank Ms. Oredein for the mature response. -Onigegewura MY FATHER’S ACCUSERS APOLOGISED TO HIM - KEMI OREDEIN I've read it thoroughly and All I can say this. "One day, Taiwo's story would be rewritten. A man was jailed for life, yet his business flourished and while in prison, he educated 36 children and even died a rich man leaving vast Estate. How many Nigerian politicians encountered such problems and still died rich? Well, there's much people don't understand and would never understand. There was never a time my father begged for leniency. He told that court back then that if he had a hand in the robbery, he would die in prison and if not, he would return and HE DID RETURN. He went into politics a wealthy man and of course he was a very intelligent and brilliant man nobody could beat. A political strategist that is yet to be equalled in Nigeria. In his words "I thought it was a big joke. While in detention, the opposition party promised me freedom if I denounced Awolowo and I told them over my dead body. I had a bargain with them which of course they suspected I would not keep to cos they knew I was principled. I was shocked when I was jailed but I knew it was not over". A cabal wanted him out of the way at all cost. That's a story for another day. Once I watched a TV programme where one Olaifa a veteran journalist was interviewed and he was asked if he ever encountered any ordeal in the course of discharging his duty and his answer was "During Oredein's Robbery case, I was a young journalist and I was very keen on getting to the root of the case. I was privileged to know that the prosecuting attorney was visiting Oredein and I wondered why. Of course when I was found out, the authority was after me and I had to go into hiding for a while. Of course we, all knew what happened to Oredein". I do not have anything against the writer, he only rewrote the history he has access to but the people who jailed my father knew he was innocent and GOD vindicated him. One thing people don’t know however is that the sugar company that was robbed belonged to him. He was a major shareholder and Partner. More than 40 Tate and Lyle Bicycles were parked in my compound when I was a child and we had the riders deliver proceeds of the day's sales. How would a man rob himself? Laughable isn't it? My father was an accomplished businessman and he abhorred crime. He built most of the buildings in The University of Ife with his foreign partner, Gougard, a German. These are facts that can be crosschecked. He was stupendously rich, he was well read, and he was powerful and was a power broker. He single handedly registered AG and others refunded his money later. Samuel Taiwo Oredein was getting too powerful for them. His words were fire and when he moved, people moved. (According to Odemo of Isara) If only he had betrayed Awolowo, may be his story would be different. Out of all the founders of Action Group, Only Oredein has a surviving "First child". A, son, who is going to be 80 yrs old next year. He refused to swear to an oath of allegiance and he never joined any cult. He was a High Chief of Ogere Land and the costume he wore back then "saki" was just honorary. He was a Christian to the core and his success was beyond them all. He was a man after God's heart and he came out of it all stronger. He was in prison for 10 yrs and he was still being wooed and was funding politics from there. Were people robbing for him while in prison? May GOD open our eyes of understanding. Once, Pa Jakande, said "Oredein was too open minded...that was what ruined him”. Baba Alayande had this to say "Your father had the Midas touch; he was a mirror they wanted to break at all cost”. Pa Alayande was a clergy. He stood with my father throughout his ordeal and had lunch with him every Sunday after his release till he died. Taiwo was just a big threat. He was too big a bone for their dogs. One day, some day, his story would be rewritten. A man who refused to swear with the life of his son, would swear with common robbers? The robbers even denied knowing him but of course when the state wants you the state gets you. I am very proud of my father and He remains my Hero. He looked at me once and said: "Never ever go into politics and don't ever be in the company of politicians!” While he was in prison, we went to the best of schools and had the best of life. He may be their kingpin. He is my Hero, my father, my everything. The man who sacrificed it all for his children. My prayer however is that anyone who judges my father would by GOD'S GRACE find himself in his shoes. They will be wrongly accused and feel the taste of his swear. His accusers apologised and even offered him political posts on his return from prison. They were scared. In their minds, they were like... jagunlabi tun ti de... Awon asiwere. The man declined all offers and still lived and died in affluence. He bore his cross gallantly. I will walk with my shoulder and head high up and be proud to be an OREDEIN. A man who was predefined but demonized! More ink to your pen, Onigegewura! Proudly OREDEIN

Grace to Grass: The Untold Story of ST Oredein, a Political Godfather Who Became a Robbery Kingpin.

There was no one in Western Nigeria who did not know S. T. Oredein. If there was such a person, he must have just arrived from Planet Jupiter. Chief Samuel Taiwo Oredein was not just a politician. He was politics personified. He was a kingmaker. He was a godfather. In fact, he was the Big Boss. Oredein belonged to the exclusive club of the seven people who partnered with Chief Obafemi Awolowo to establish the Action Group which became the party that produced the first premier of the region. You don’t know the other founders? I will tell you. They are: Abiodun Akerele, Ade Akinsanya, J. O. Adigun, S. O. Shonibare, Ayo Akinsanya, and Olatunji Dosunmu. ST did not hold a cabinet position. He was however more powerful than some Ministers of government. He was the Principal Organising Secretary of the Action Group in the First Republic. It is on record that ST had legal authority to issue query to Ministers and chairmen of government’s statutory corporations. It was Chief Oredein that broke the news of Segun's death to Chief Awolowo. As an acclaimed authority on political moblisation, he also wrote a book. He was the author of A Manual on Action Group Party Organisation. It was published in 1955. When the news broke in 1971 of his involvement in a case of armed robbery, it was greeted with shock and unbelief. It must have been a mistake, people thought. Or could it have been a political frame-up? Today, Onigegewura brings you the story of a political godfather who became a robbery kingpin. On April 13, 1971, Nigerians woke up to hear the news of an armed robbery attack on Bacita Road. Bacita is a small town in Kwara State. It used to be a very popular town in the past. It is the location of Nigerian Sugar Company. When the company was established in 1964, it was the first integrated sugar factory in Nigeria. The town even has an airstrip. The armed robbery attack was as daring as it was audacious. It was carried out with military precision. Two officers of Barclays Bank and two policemen who were in the vehicles that were attacked by the armed robbers were seriously wounded. One of the wounded persons later died of his injuries at the hospital. (And in case you are wondering what happened to the then Barclays Bank, it is the bank that became our present day Union Bank of Nigeria Plc.) At the end of the ‘operation’, the armed robbers went away with a box containing thirteen thousand pounds. That was a lot of money in 1971. Chief Awolowo was then the Finance Minister and with his prudent management of Nigerian economy, our pound was almost at par with the British pound. Mr. Kam Salem was the Inspector General of Police at the time. The Kam Salem House on Moloney Street, Obalende, Lagos is named after him. He directed all police formations across the country to fish out those behind the attack. The police spread its dragnet and within days of the robbery, Felix Dumeh, the leader of the gang was arrested. Nigerians jubilated when they heard the news. Felix did not make any attempt to deny being the ringleader. He promised to cooperate with the police. He told his interrogators that although he was the leader of the gang, he was not the real brain behind the daring raid. Felix must have at some point in his life aspired to be a musician. He began to sing like a canary. He started to mention names. The investigators listened in shock as Felix began to mention one name after another. He was not mentioning names of common criminals that the police officers were familiar with. The names of people he mentioned as his backers, protectors and shareholders were names of people you only read about in newspapers. The first person he mentioned was a Chief Superintendent of Police at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ibadan, Patrick Njovens. The interrogators opened their mouth in wonder. Felix threw another bomb when he mentioned Mr. Yesufu Bello, an Assistant Superintendent of Police also of CID, Ibadan. The third person he listed as his backer was Amusa Abidogun, a Chief Inspector of Police stationed in Ibadan. The investigators thought they had heard everything. They didn’t know that egun nla ni o n kehin igbale. It is the biggest masquerade that is the last to come out of the grove. Then Felix spoke again. The name came out in a whisper. It was the name they were all familiar with. I have already told you that there was no one in the Western Region that did not know High Chief Oredein. Iya Agba, my grandmother, used to tell me that when a child’s net catches a tilapia, the child eats it alone. But when the net catches a shark, the child must run to his father. The investigators knew immediately that this was not a tilapia. The fish they were looking at was nothing but a shark. They went to brief their superior. The Kwara State Commissioner of Police was Mr. Sunday Adewusi. He was later to serve as the Inspector General of Police between 1981 and 1983. Ha! You remember him? He was the IGP when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the President. Mr. Adewusi sent his officers to Ibadan Command to investigate the matter. On getting to Ibadan, Adewusi’s officers were arrested by the three senior police officers they were sent to arrest! You are saying “Haba!” The hunters became the hunted. The Ilorin officers were later thrown out of the station! They were warned never to come to Ibadan again. The three senior officers however didn’t reckon with Adewusi’s tenacity. He came back and got the three of them arrested. He took them to Ilorin. He also invited Chief Oredein for a 'chat'. Chief Oredein arrived at the Police Command in a grand style. He came to Ilorin in his Mercedes car with its unique plate number: WR 6666. He expected it to be a brief meeting. He had engagements later that day in Ibadan and he had promised to be back at his base before nightfall. Unknown to ST, the police had done their homework thoroughly. They had painstakingly investigated the case and gathered relevant evidence and related materials before inviting the political godfather. One of the people that the police met in the course of their investigation was Mustapha Adigun who was popularly called Balewa. He got the nickname from the abbreviation of his first name, Tafa! But he was never a Prime Minister. He was also called Tafa Igiripa by some people. Adigun claimed that Oredein was his boss during the days of politics when he (Adigun) was the head of ST’s political boys. He informed the police that in the evening of the day of the armed robbery attack, he went with his boss to the house of Felix Dumeh. In addition to his boss, the three police officers mentioned by Felix were also present. I am not sure they were wearing police uniforms for that special assignment. Felix was said to have brought out a bottle of schnapps and some pieces of alligator pepper. He opened the bottle and poured a little quantity on the floor and also threw some alligator pepper on the floor. Like a Chief Priest, Felix then raised the bottle of the alcoholic drink and said: “this thing wey tin we dey do, God make it no let it prove.” They all chorused amen to the solemn prayers. Felix then drank out of the bottle and chewed one alligator pepper. The four of them also drank out of the bottle and chewed alligator pepper. Oath taking and prayers completed, Felix went to bring a brown paper bag. It was the size of a carton. He gave it to Oredein. ST was about to open the carton when Amusa Abidogun, the Chief Inspector of Police snatched it from him. Abidogun passed the carton to his superior officer Njovens, with a smart police salute. You know seniority is important in the Force. It was the Chief Superintendent of Police who finally opened the paper bag. It was full of currency. Njovens looked suspiciously at the carton, his eyes made a mental calculation of the total sum. “How much?” He asked. Felix raised his spread left palm before saying “Five.” The senior police officer shook his head. “Is that the arrangement? Before, the arrangement was seven” Felix began to fidget. “The boys are too many on it.” Well, half a loaf of bread was still bread. Five or Seven, Njovens was not one to reject money. Akosapo la n ko owo. The proper way to reject money is to put it in your pocket, as Iya Agba used to say. Oredein was stunned when he arrived at the police headquarters to meet both Adigun and Felix. Commissioner Adewusi asked them to repeat what they told the police. They did. In the presence of Oredein, Felix confirmed Adigun’s statement that it was Oredein that first received the carton of money from him before Abidogun snatched it from him. The former Principal Organising Secretary of the Action Group looked blankly at Felix. With a straight face and a deadpan expression, he denied knowing Felix or ever visiting his house. Njovens, Bello and Abidogun also made feeble attempts to deny knowing Felix. Later they started to beg the future IGP to assist them because it was the devil that actually used them to collect the money. “Ise asetani ni. Mo fi Anabi ati Jesu Krisiti beyin!” That was from Alhaji Amusa Abidogun, the Chief Inspector. He offered to return part of his own share. Chief Oredein, the master strategist, realized that the cards were stacked against him. He checked his sleeve to see whether he had an ace he could use. He found none. It was then he reluctantly admitted that all that Adigun who was also known as Tafa Igiripa said was correct. However, the Chief denied that the money was in one-pound denomination as stated by Adigun. Adigun maintained his stand. Finally, ST nodded his head that the money was actually in one-pound denomination. It was over the radio that people heard the news. Chief Oredein had been arrested and would be arraigned in Court for armed robbery! Armed robbery! It must have been a case of mistaken identity. It could not have been the Chief S. T. Oredein that they knew. Armed robbery! Ki lo pa alaso funfun ati alaro po? What could have been the connection with the owner of a white cloth and a dyer? In truth, Chief Oredein was not a poor man by any standard. Everybody knew he was a man of means. Ohun ti a ko mo ni a ko mo, eni ti o ba ti ri oyun oyinbo ti mo pe omo pupa ni o ma fi bi. It is a well-known fact that the product of a white woman's pregnancy would always be fair in complexion. Between 1942 and 1962, Chief Oredein had erected six buildings. And mind you, we are not talking of four-bedroom ‘boys quarters’ in a village o! We are talking of real buildings in strategic locations. Four of the houses were at Ibadan. He built one at Oshodi. The sixth building was in a prime area in Ikeja. What of automobiles? ST had a total of nine vehicles, including cars and lorries for both his business and personal use. He was not only sagacious on the political field. He was also productive in the other room. He was blessed with more than 30 children. Finally the day of the trial arrived. People had travelled all the way from Lagos, Ibadan and Ogere to Ilorin to confirm whether it was truly the Chief Oredein that was arrested. To the surprise of many of his supporters and friends, it was the author of the book on political organisation himself that was brought to court. ST was arraigned alongside the three senior police officers. They were charged with abetting the commission of a robbery and of receiving stolen property as well as offence of harbouring known offenders. In other words, they were charged with receiving 5,000 pounds from the armed robbers in order to screen them from legal punishment for the offence. It was a criminal trial like no other. It was a battle of giants. Chief Oredein and Patrick Njovens briefed Chief Rotimi Williams to appear for them. Bello and Abidogun retained the services of Mr. Richard Akinjide. The prosecution was led by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Kwara State, Mr. Anthony Ekundayo. The three senior lawyers proved their mettle. The trial judge was a relatively young judge, having been appointed to the Bench only two years before the trial. However, what My Lord Justice Moradeyo Adesiyun lacked in age, His Lordship made up with uncommon brilliance and exemplary courage. At the trial, Chief Oredein testified that on the day of the robbery he was at his hometown, Ogere having left Ibadan around 6.30pm on that day and only came back to Ibadan the following day. He admitted that it was true that Adewusi confronted him on May 26 with Felix Dumeh but he stated that he denied there and then the allegations of Dumeh. His principal witness was his solicitor who claimed that he was with Chief on April 13 from about 3pm to 11pm. Chief also called an Imam and a farmer as his witnesses. They all testified that he was at Ogere on the evening of April 13. The trial was not only being conducted in the courtroom. From Ilorin to Ibadan, From Lagos to Enugu, From Port Harcourt to Ile-Ife, people were also busy conducting their own versions of the trial. Would the young judge be able to convict ST if he was found guilty? Would AG leaders allow their former colleague to go to prison for robbery? When His Lordship adjourned the matter to December 28, 1971 for judgment, speculations began afresh. It was said that it was to enable the judge to release the accused before the end of the year. Some said that thanksgiving services had been planned to coincide with the New Year. All Nigerians waited with bated breath for the judgment day. Finally, the day arrived. It was a Tuesday. It was three days after Christmas and three days before the New Year. The four accused persons were brought to the Court in a Black Maria. If ST felt any apprehension, it was not apparent. As he was led to the court, Oredein gave the sign of victory to the crowd of spectators who had come from far and near to hear the verdict. It was a good sign. It was a sign of victory. His people became happy. Hon. Justice Moradeyo Adesiyun began by reviewing the charges against the four of them. His Lordship extensively analysed and appraised the evidence. When His Lordship noted the fact that the accused were not at the scene of the crime, Oredein turned to smile at the people in the courtroom. He would soon be on his way home. Then came the moment. His Lordship found that though the accused persons were not physically present at the scene of the armed robbery, they had prior knowledge of the robbery before it took place and that the three of them who were police officers did nothing to prevent the robbery. His Lordship also found that they all received proceeds of the robbery. Justice Adesiyun therefore came to the conclusion that the accused persons were guilty of the charges against them. Chief Oredein could not believe his ears. Guilty as charged? He was not going to be free? His native cap which he had been holding, in deference to the authority of the court, clattered to the floor with a thud. The High Chief from Ogere Remo stood still as if he was Opa Oranmiyan in Ile-Ife. It was Yesufu Bello who was standing beside him that nudged him back to reality. “Chief, 'they' are asking if you have anything to say.” Oredein had not prepared any allocutus. He had not expected to be convicted. Ko si eni ti o gbe oju fifo le adiye ori aba. Who could have imagined that a mother hen would fly off from her hatchery? You don't know allocutus? It is another Latin word they taught us in Law School. It is a statement made by a defendant who has been found guilty before he is sentenced. It is like 'A beg, tamper justice with mercy' that a Lagos bus driver would tell you after breaking the side mirror of your Range Rover. Allocutus or no allocutus, something must be said. The court had only convicted, His Lordship had not yet pronounced their sentences. Perhaps something could still be done. His eyes scanned the crowded courtroom. It appeared he was looking for someone or something. Whatever he was looking for was not in the court. He turned back to His Lordship. Oredein pleaded for leniency. In a very moving voice, he informed the court of his past travails: “First it was the treasonable felony and conspiracy trial, but I was acquitted at the Supreme Court. Second, the Aberenla murder trial came, and I was in custody for 11 months before I was freed at Ijebu-Ode High Court. I humbly plead for Your Lordship’s forgiveness.” Of course you know the treasonable felony trial the Chief referred to. The Aberenla trial he mentioned was the case over the murder of Ogunkoya Aberenla who was the Leader of Ogere Remo's branch of Nigerian National Democratic Party of Chief Ladoke Akintola (Not to be confused with the party of the same name established by Herbert Macaulay in 1922). Aberenla's body was never found. Onigegewura will write about his mysterious disappearance soon. Justice Adesiyun looked at the accused persons. “If you had any conscience, you should drop your heads in shame.” His Lordship observed that they were lucky not to have been caught by the amendment to the Robbery and Firearms Decree which provided death by public execution for convicted armed robbers and those found to have aided and abetted armed robbery. His Lordship therefore sentenced each of them to life imprisonment. There was no Federal Court of Appeal in those days. It was only Western State that had a Court of Appeal and Kwara was not part of Western State. The four of them ran all the way to the Supreme Court. On May 3, 1973, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment. My Lord Justice Coker who delivered the judgment of the apex court dismissed the appeal of all the convicted persons and affirmed the life sentences imposed on them by the trial court. Chief Rotimi Williams later became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Mr. Richard Akinjide became a Chief, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Attorney General of the Federation. Mr. Anthony Ekundayo, the DPP, was elevated to the Bench as a Justice of the High Court of Kwara State. The trial Judge, My Lord Adesiyun was also elevated. His Lordship served as the Chief Judge of Benue State from 1976 until his retirement in 1985. History Does Not Forget! Historian is not a judge, History is. Olanrewaju Onigegewura©️

Problem in North perpetrated by elite who hate Nigeria -Mailafia by Segun Adewole

A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, says that the problems in northern Nigeria are perpetrated by those who hate Nigeria. He said that there is a peculiar ‘disease’ in northern Nigeria perpetrated by the elites who hate the country. He stated that, despite the widely-held belief about western education, Islam is not opposed to it. He added that the elites are the problem of Nigeria and that their activities prove it. Speaking in a Zoom conference monitored by The PUNCH on Sunday, Mailafia stated that the elites want nothing but the worst for the country. This is even as he decried the campaign against Western education being championed by Boko Haram terrorist group. According to him, “Those who say Western education is Haram don’t know the history of Islam.” He mentioned citadels of learning which existed in the Middle East in the past. “They were the Oxford, Cambridge and Yale of the medieval world and were far ahead in academics than Europe. “Algebra was invented by a Muslim scholar. Even when the Muslims settled in Spain, they brought back the knowledge of philosophy to the Europeans who were in the dark ages. “So, how can you say Western education is Haram? Do you even know what you are talking about? The Quran says ‘Go far beyond China to seek knowledge.’ “If it is true that Western education is bad, how come the UAE is trying to go to the moon? They are moving on,” Mailafia enthused. Lamenting the killings in the north, he said, “We have a peculiar disease in northern Nigeria perpetrated by elites who hate Nigeria and want nothing but the worst for our country. “That is what I’m beginning to see with all these killings.”

How former MD PPMC, Haruna Momoh ‘imprisoned’ ex petroleum minister, Deziani Madueke for five years and stole over $3b

It is the prayer of everybody to have loyal subordinates while controlling the affairs of ones country. The major problem of the people in power is their kitchen cabinets. I mean, the aides and family. Most of these aides are from low-class background and their thinking is that stealing or monopolizing the resources of the leaders they are serving will make them rich, even richer than their friends. This is quite contrary to their erroneous beliefs. One can only be rich and powerful through the help one renders while in office. The story, of Haruna Momoh, the former MD of Petroleum Product Marketing Company, PPMC is pathetic. He single-handedly destroyed the reputation of Mrs Deziani Madueke. How he met Deziani Haruna Mommoh was a manager in one of the subsidiaries of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in Porthacourt while Mrs Deziani Madueke was working with Shell Petroleum in Port Harcourt. When Deziani became the minister of petroleum, She invited Momoh to join her. Unknown to her, Momoh is well known among his colleague as an arrogant empty barrel. He was once accused at his office in Port Harcourt of being a kleptomania. Immediately Deziani appointed him as a managing director in NNPC, the Auchi born Momoh went back home and consulted his marabout on how to take total control of Madueke. Not too long after, Madueke fell for Momoh’s antics. The composition of things changed such that nobody, not even the staff of NNPC could see Madueke without first seeing Momoh. Infact, one of the insiders privy to the whole situation quoted Madueke as always complaining to one of her family members about feeling jittery and uncomposed each time Momoh comes to her office. It became so bad that Deziani’s children had to pass through Momoh if they needed anything from their mother. The N25 per liter bribe on Project Finance International allocation to marketers were being collected by Momoh’s girl friend without Deziani’s knowledge. It got to a stage that Momoh began thinking of contesting the gubernatorial election in Edo State where he comes from. What money can not do, more money will do it. That was Momoh’s slogan. Recently, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFFC began fresh moves to seize nine Dubai properties worth about $1.6b, traced to Momoh. Already, the EFCC has obtained an interim forfeiture order from a Federal High Court in Lagos to seize the properties. According to our source who prefers to remain anonymous, Momoh’s high taste and greed for worldly things made him acquire many properties in many countries. Among his listed properties in Dubai are as follows: Unit 1402 PS 14th Floor, located at Metro Central, Tecom, near Internet City Metro Station, Dubai, UAE; Unit 712 ES, 7th Floor, located at First Central, off Sheikh Zayed, Tecom, Al Barsha 3 Dubai, UAE; and Unit 512, 5th Floor, located at First Group, Marina Hotels, Al Seba Street, Plot 394-426 Dubai AE-AJ, UAE. Other properties traced to Momoh include Unit 503 1 Bedroom Heritage, 5th Floor, located at First Central, Dubai Media City, Tecom, off Sheikh Zayed Tecom, Al Barsha 3, Dubai, UAE; Unit 1910 ES Heritage, 19th Floor, located at First Central, Dubai Media City, Tecom, off Sheikh Zayed Tecom; Unit 2507 Dubai Sports City; Unit 314 Dubai Sports City; and Unit 1002, Tecom Barsha 125616. The EFCC has also accused Momoh and others at large of conspiring to launder about 9 billion naira. The money has since been forfeited permanently to the Federal Government. The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed to The Street Journal correspondent yesterday that Momoh was under investigation but has remained evasive. How Haruna Momoh used wife to launder $700m – ICPC If you think that the above properties in Dubai is a big deal, another heart breaking sleeze perpetuated by Momoh and exposed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC will make you think otherwise. Jane Asuquo, an ICPC witness told a Federal High Court, in Abuja, that Momoh used his wife, Ochuko, to launder $700million between 2012 and 2015 when he was the MD at PPMC. Ochuko Momoh , was on March 9, arraigned before Justice Taiwo by the ICPC. She was arraigned alongside Blessing Azuka-Ngozi, Stanbic-IBTC Bank Plc, Energopol Nigeria Limited, Blaid Construction Limited and Blaid Farms Limited on a 22-count charge which was later reduced to 13 counts. The 1st defendant in the new charge, Momoh, is currently at large. During examination by the ICPC Lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, Asuquo said, “Sometime in 2015, ICPC received a petition against Haruna Momoh freezing PPMC about 700 million dollars. The petition was initially assigned to another team at that time which had Paul Bassey, James Udoh etc, as members.” Asuquo, an Assistant Chief Investigative Officer with the commission, said the case was reassigned to her team on July 19, 2018. “We went through the file to see what our colleagues had done,” she recalled, adding that the team discovered that Ochuko had a number of companies which she used in conniving with her husband to defraud the PPMC. “After we went through the file, we sent letters of invitation to 1st and 2nd defendants and requested documents from financial institutions used, the Bureau de Change (BDC) operators, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), FCTA and other companies registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, etc. We received responses to letters sent out such as statements of account, account opening documents and other relevant documents,” she said. She said letters were written to Stanbic-IBTC Bank, Union Bank, UBA, Access Diamond Bank Heritage Bank and Citibank. Asuquo, however, said three letters were written to Ochuko, inviting her to the office but she failed to honour them. The witness narrated how money was moved out of PPMC in tranches in the name of award of contracts. Asuquo said investigations by the commission revealed that Ochuko and her children had over 50 accounts domiciled in different banks. “There were lots of cash flows in these accounts running into billions in naira and in dollars. The investigation also revealed that the accounts were opened between 2012 and 2015 when Momoh was head of PPMC. We had a course to invite some banks like Stanbic-IBTC because when we went through the bank statements of Stanbic-IBTC, we discovered lots of abnormal inflows; a situation of somebody making a deposit of about N10 million in one day. We drew the attention of the bank to these and invited them if such transactions were normal and if they report this to NFIU and CBN,” she remarked. Asuquo said that the bank, in a response letter, admitted that such an act was “abnormal.” She said in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Energopol Nigeria Limited had no office in Port Harcourt as claimed in their documents. “The company address only exists on paper,” she stated, noting that further investigation showed that the bank statements of Blaid Construction Limited, though duly registered with CAC, did not indicate how salaries of the staff were paid contrary to the claim that they have over 10 employees working in the company. “We requested for contract documents from PPMC and they obliged us. We discovered that in 2013, when Momoh was still the MD, he awarded a contract of N250 million to Blaid Construction Company, owned by his wife. We sought to invite the former PPMC MD but they responded that he could not be traced through his last address”. Meanwhile, the federal government has secured an interim forfeiture order from the Federal High Court in Abuja to seize 2.4 billion naira and properties allegedly linked to Momoh. In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, on Monday, the ICPC alleged Momoh illegally acquired the said monies and properties. The ICPC said the properties to be forfeited are Plot 199, Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Utako, Nos. 21, 22, 23 and 26 Olympia Estate, Kaura District, Plot 1824, Cadastral Zone, BO7, Katampe, plot 1827, Cadastral Zone, BO7, Katampe and No. 6 Casamance street, Wuse Zone 3, all in Federal Capital, Abuja. The question on the lips of many people in Nigeria is why NNPC is so porous that an individual can steal so much within a short period of time. Stanley Madora of Mandora oil and gas said that there was no auditing firm checking the account of the NNPC until recently. And most of the money stolen is the proceed of bribery and corruption. “They don’t steal directly from the NNPC but rob marketers and prospective customers. Imagine, they were collecting $4 on every litre of crude oil exported by this country,” Madora said.