The Week In Review Sunday, December 23, 2007

The arrest and detention of James Onanefe Ibori made headlines all across Nigeria. He had become a celebrity within the spheres of the nation's criminal justice system when operatives of the Economic and Finanacial Crimes Commission whisked him away for what the media thought was intended for questioning. The trailing of Ibori by federal agents came to a halt when he was arrested in Abuja on December 13, 2007 when EFCC nabbed him at his Abuja guest house. According to Ibori's spokesman, Tony Elumenor , he said Ibori was not moved by the events that landed him in EFCC net. Of course, he shouldn't be moved when some of his loots are still somewhere without trace and while his supporters are out there backing him is what beats me.

While we are at it, former minister in the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida, Professor Osamor collapsed and died while visting Ibori in jail. Ibori's troubles has just begun as his former personal secretary, Bimpe Pogoson and his sister Christie Ibie will be appearing "before the City of Westminister Magistrate's Court in London" on January 8, 2008, "for aiding Ibori in his alleged money laundering activities. It's about time the rule of law takes its course putting into perspective a sound democratic fabric.

The legal system seemingly is becoming independent and all pumped up. We are beginning to see trasparency and accountability unfold in the polity. After an intense "manhunt" by the EFFCC on former governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige, coupled with legal tussles and loopholes which made the former governor evade federal agents, the erstwhile governor turned himself in to EFCC for interrogation. He was not arrested after questioning.

Now they wouldn't let Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter go. The authourities are all over his case. First, it was the monster Obasanjo created that is after Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello on many complicated reasons ranging from impersonation to fabricated documents. What OBJ helped built may take him down with his daughter.Olusola Fabiyi and Musikilu Mojeed reports from Abuja in a statement by the EFCC on its ongoing investigation;

“The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to several media
reports on allegations of a contract misadventure said to involve Senator Iyabo
Obasanjo-Bello. “The dispute was first reported to the EFCC in July 2006 via a
petition from Rickey Tarfa & Co., acting on behalf of M. Scheneider (Nig.) Ltd.,
among whose directors was Prince Albert Awofisayo. “In the course of investigation, the parties to the dispute were invited and they made statements to the Commission. At the time, there was not a single mention of Senator Obasanjo-Bello by anyone.” The EFCC said it then concluded that the case was a case of contractual disagreement between businessmen and no crime was disclosed or unearthed. The commission, the statement added, consequently advised the disputants as to the nature of the matter and that it being civil in nature, they should settle it among themselves. The EFCC said it had the impression that the parties had heeded the commission’s advice and
sought local and international arbitration. “However, virtually the same complaint, but with a new information alleging impersonation by Senator Obasanjo-Bello has just been forwarded to the EFCC. Following the submission of the new petition to the commission, the EFCC is looking into the matter with a view to determining whether a crime that falls within its purview has been committed, in which case, the commission would take prompt action."

Well, Obasanjo created the bad cop image EFCC giving the commission too much power and now his own daughter is beginning to get the taste of her father's medicine. Ironically while Obasanjo-Bello is being drilled, her father is now under the eye of National Assembly's microscope. Ah haa!

The militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) is not giving in. It is a do or die situation. These gang of hoodlums are pissed the government has used Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chief of Defense Staff, General Andrew Azazi as rubber stamps. Shola O'Neil reports from Warri:

The face-off between Ijaw militants in the Niger Delta and the Federal Government degenerated at the weekend as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) threatened to deal with Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Andrew Azazi, for allegedly being used against their kinsmen.
Although MEND said it was awaiting the return of the top government functionaries to their various homes, it did not disclose how it planned to deal with them.

"We want to vow that as Gen Andrew Azazi and Dr Goodluck Jonathan have choosen to kill and destroy their people for the Federal Government, we want to also remind them that we are closely watching their actions as we know that they will surely come back home one day!" the group said in an email statement.

Quoting from a leaked security brief prepared by the Joint Task Force (JTF) MEND accused the Federal Government of using the appointment of their kinsmen to buy time in an allegedly planned military agenda.

MEND said the document entitled "Brief for Chief of Defence Staff on Strategies to stem out militant activities Within The Joint Task Force Operation Restore Hope area of responsibility", was prepared by JTF’s Major General Lawrence Ngubane a few months ago...

With the neo-democratic fabric, Nigera appears to be fracturing along its educational programme as the Federal Government is about to "opt out" of the one laptop per child programme at the expence of the government. That one beats me and I wonder what the Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu will be thinking right now. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) founded by MIT Professor Emeritus, Nicholas Negroponte with the desired mission to make laptops to children all over the world is about to be history in Nigeria.