Abridged Speech of Governor Olusegun Mimiko after the judgement of the Ondo Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld his election as Ondo State Governor

"The Labour Party government salutes the professional competence with which the Justice Andovar Kaaka’an Election Tribunal handled the petition within the legal time frame and applauds the decision that squares with the preponderating wish of the electorate during the said election.

"We, as government, are mindful of the onerous task of meeting the development challenges of our people; we know that the fostering of understanding between government and the people will engender a more conducive environment for the deepening of the dividends of good governance.

"We are urging those opposed to our politics to shed the adversarial toga and join hands with us in building an enviable and prosperous Ondo State.

"The Labour Party government wishes to use this opportunity to thank all the people of Ondo State for their loyalty during our first term in office; for their support during the gubernatorial election; and for their understanding of, and faithfulness to, the policy thrusts of our government.

"By the grace of God and by our collective resolve, we shall all live to see a transformed Ondo State whose fortunes shall have been irreversibly turned around for the better.

"Let us all join hands in making this a reality."

The Historical Significance Of May Day Celebrations

The Historical Significance Of May Day Celebrations

This day is a commemoration of the historic struggle of the workers throughout the world against capitalism, exploitation, and for safe working conditions and respect for the dignity of workers. It came into being as a result of the successful demand, claims and demonstrations that was carried out under the umbrella of the Federation of Organised Trades and Labour Unions when it passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a day's work from May 1,1884.

The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the demand of eight hours, since legislative methods had failed to address the demand. Workers then were forced by greedy and power hungry capitalists to work ten, twelve and fourteen hours a day under conditions so terrible that most workers succumbed on duty due to ill health and other physiological and psychological ailments.

By April 1886 about 280 000 workers were involved in the May Day movement which demanded an eight hour work day. Their slogans read as follows: "The only way to get an 8 hour day is by organising. If you want an 8 hour day, we must make it ourselves!" and another: "We require 8 hours for work, 8 hours for repose, and 8 hours to do what we want and for our own instruction!" The main machinery of the movement was based in Chicago and organised mainly by the Anarchist International Working People's Association. The capitalist bourgeoisie and their cohorts, the State, were terrified by the united front that swept across the entire United States. They increased the Police and the Army in size and supplied them with new and powerful weapons. The Chicago Commercial Club purchased a US$2000 -00 machinegun for the Illinois National Guard that was to be used against striking workers.

On May 3, 1886 the City of Chicago was paralysed by the general strike; stockyards, railroads, factories and other businesses where forced to close. The police fired into a crowd of fleeing strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing four and wounding many workers. The Anarchists called for a mass meeting the next day in Haymarket Square to protest the unnecessary brutality against unarmed workers. Angry workers began to call for armed retaliation. The mass meeting proceeded without any violent incident and when the last speaker was on the platform, the police numbering 180, arrived with a mandate from the State and the capitalist bourgeoisie to disperse the meeting. As the speaker was climbing from the platform, a bomb was thrown in the midst of the police platoon, exploding, and killing one officer and wounding about seventy.

The response by the police was typically that of brutality, firing randomly in the crowd of workers and injuring about 200 workers and killing many. With no clues as to the source of the bomb, the police arrested eight revolutionary leaders of the Union movement, seven of whom who had not even been present in Haymarket Square at the time of the explosion. They where charged with amongst others; conspiracy to murder in connection with the Haymarket Bomb blast, incitement and public disorder. They were all found guilty as charged despite the lack of evidence connecting them to the bomb. Only one was present at the meeting, and he was on the speaker's platform. They were all sentenced to death. Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fischer and George Engel were hanged on November 11 1887. Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison, and the remaining three were pardoned in 1893.

These comrades where arrested, tried and sentenced to death because of their political beliefs and because they fought for the rights of the worker. News of the trial electrified labour movements in the US and Europe. Protests against the trial were held around the world. The Socialist International declared May 1 as a day of demonstrations and since 1890 these have been held annually by labour movements and workers forcing official recognition of May Day as a paid public holiday.
But some of however argued that in an attempt to destroy the significance of May Day, the United States government declared the May 1 'Loyalty Day'. Thankfully the significance of May Day is yet to be defeated, I hail all the workers of the world. Forward ever Backward never!!!!


WISHING YOU ALL HAPPY MAY DAY AND HAPPY NEW MONTH. ENJOY YOU HOLIDAY.

COUNTRIES WHO BANNED SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social Networking is gaining a lot of importance these days. It includes Facebook, Orkut, YouTube that are, on one side very useful while beaching privacy on the other. Mainly because of the ‘privacy issues’ and ‘objectionable content’ most social websites are banned in China and middle-east Asian countries. Following is the list of countries where the different social networking sites (social media) are banned,

Facebook- It is banned in countries like China, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and UAE.

YouTube- It is banned in many countries primarily including Turkey, Thailand, Pakistan, China, Indonesia.

Twitter is banned in UAE, China.

Blogger- The famous blogging platform is banned in Ethiopia, Pakistan and China.

Wikipedia- This famous open source encyclopedia is also banned. The countries are China, Iran, and Pakistan.

China blocks almost of the top websites including Google (often), Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Orkut, Technorati, Vimeo and many others. China filter-out such sites to allow its own cyber industry to flourish and challenge the western giants, which is no bad idea.

According to a report, Pakistan and many Islamic middle-east Asian countries have banned these websites beacause of ‘anti-Islamic’ content placed on them. The unrest in the middle-east Asia is also a big reason why these social networking sites are banned there. During such unrest, banning of social media prevents people from communicating rest of the world, and that’s what dictators of most countries want.

Source: http://yourravi.com/countries-who-banned-social-networking-websites/

Full Inaugural Speech of Governor Olusegun Rahman Mimiko

Full Inaugural Speech of Governor Olusegun Rahman Mimiko's On his 2nd Term Inauguration
as GOVERNOR OF ONDO STATE
Sunday, February 24th 2013
At the Democracy Park Akure, Ondo State



PROTOCOL

Appreciations and Exhortation

My good people of Ondo State, exactly four years ago, on the 24th of February, 2009, the Almighty God, to whom all praises and adoration are due, using you as agents of a much-desired change, made it possible for me to stand in front of you as the fifth elected governor of our Sunshine State.
Four years after, I feel most humbled by the honour and gratified by the fortune of history to stand before you to be sworn in as Governor for a 2nd term in office, having been elected in the globally-adjudged free, fair and peaceful election of 20th October, 2012.
Today would not have been possible if God had not willed it. The scripture says; “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.” Yes, we laboured, but not in vain because the Lord is on our side. So, to God, the Almighty, the owner of time and season, we owe our debt of gratitude for a day like this.

Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to you, my good people of Ondo State, for the impressive attendance and outpouring of emotions at our campaign rallies in every community visited during the last electioneering. I have profound appreciation for the action-packed support of the artisans, the massive support of the market women, the firmness of the farmers, the principled stand of public servants, the loyalty of labour leaders, the ruggedness of road transport workers, including the ‘okada’ riders, the resolve of our royal fathers, the reassurances of our religious leaders, the resilience of our retirees, the commitment of our captains of industry and of course the staunchness and untiring energy of our students and our youths in general. We also salute our numerous friends on the social media. To all, we say, the story of today will be written in years to come and your doggedness, tenacity, consistency and overall incorruptibility will be recorded for the attention of generations to come. We must show appreciation to Mr. President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, for guaranteeing the ambiance for a free, fair and peaceful election through the timely and most responsible deployment of security operatives. We pray for more grace and strength for Mr President to take our nation unto greater heights. The leadership and members of the Labour Party at all levels were not only vigilant but demonstrated commitment to the sustenance of democracy, not just in Ondo State, but in our nation.

We must commend the leadership of organised labour at the national and State levels. Their decision to openly support good governance is a welcome development that will open a new prospect in the political development of our nation. Mention must also be made of the fact that we enjoyed cross-party endorsement from several politicians. We also acknowledge the support of the Afenifere patriarchs, Yoruba Unity Forum, media practitioners, Oodua youth groups, and indeed friends and supporters home and abroad, who in one way or the other helped in the process of making today a reality. I must at this juncture, thank my wife, children and indeed all my family members for their steadfast love and support at all times and in all seasons.

The Past Four Years

In the past four years, we have sought to re-engineer the education sector to be able to produce truly competitive and socio-economically relevant products who will be equipped to climb the social ladder; to continually create a vibrant middle class that will continue to innovate and drive our development. Education must serve the present generation, like those before it, as a tool of social mobility; to do otherwise is to wittingly or unwittingly recycle generational poverty and close the hope of generations for better lives.
We can only do these at our peril because we shall be multiplying the tribe of hooligans, armed robbers, kidnappers and suicide bombers.
That is why, in the past four years, we have invested massively in education; that is why we created the Quality Education Assurance Agency as a tool of effective monitoring, measurement and evaluation.

That is why we are continuously incentivising our teachers.
That is why we are building Mega Schools; schools that are truly 21st century compliant to turn out 21st century products with requisite ICT and entrepreneurial skills.
In the past four years, the health sector has witnessed a new fillip. Our home grown initiatives, geared at removing all impediments to quality health care for our pregnant women and infants have received and continue to receive both national and international accolades. We have declared that “pregnancy will no longer be death sentence in our State.”
Our health institutions have become generally more patient-friendly. We are also about to complete an integrated Emergency Medical Service Scheme which will drastically reduce the toll of trauma especially Road Traffic Accident on our people.

In the past four years, we have leveraged on our relative advantage in agriculture to drive development through increased access and input support for our farmers. We have also created modern Agricultural villages (Agro Business Cities) to attract our young ones and demonstrate that agriculture can truly be a business engagement worth their while.
We have constructed neighbourhood markets all over the State not only to replace the hitherto shanty and non-descript stalls that littered the streets and made our towns unsightly, but also to serve as fulcrum for inclusive, life-enhancing urban renewal initiative, one of many such programmes that caught the attention and special recognition of the UN-Habitat last year. Everywhere, we are building futuristic structures that will attract business and leisure seekers to our State.

With more than 644 community-nominated projects across the State, we have through the 3Is initiatives rebuilt confidence in government and re-awakened the spirit of community participation and have at the same time re-established the bond between the government and the governed.
Our functional public private partnership (PPP) office has in the past four years midwived the establishment of several impactful projects like the Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre, the Oba Ile Sunshine Gardens, the ongoing Ore Sunshine City project, the completion of the Alpha 3D factory in Ikare Akoko and the ongoing revamp of the Arigidi Tomato factory.
With the continued cooperation of the Federal Government, other major partners and stakeholders, we are also in the process of facilitating investment in bitumen exploration and further investment in the Olokola Free Trade Zone (OKFTZ) including the establishment of a Deep Sea Port.

We have recreated a culture of leisure and recreation. The international mountain climbing competition and cultural fiesta, ‘MARE,’ commenced four years ago is fast becoming a global brand. We have mainstreamed sports, such that our teams come top at almost all events. Our football team, the Sunshine Stars, which was salvaged from the brink of relegation when we came into office four years ago, is now a proud participant at the semi-finals of the Confederation of African Football Champions League at its last outing. At least one of the AFCON-winning Super Eagles, Godfrey Oboabona, is from Sunshine Stars.
Through the channelization of some major rivers and streams, we have saved our State the agony of erosion and flooding.

In the past four years, we have improved the lot of civil servants through upward review of their remunerations, surpassed the recommended minimum wage and enhanced their capacities through quality training and re-training programmes. To cap it all, we are building a world class Public Service Training Institute (PSTI) complex to provide an environment conducive to training and re-training of officials of the State’s bureaucracy. In all these, we never took our eyes off the radar of security and have partnered the security agencies through provision of logistics and needed funds. We are doing all these on the basis of our avowals of the ideals of progressivism encapsulated in the ideas and programmes of our revered Chief Obafemi Awolowo. We are convinced that the totality of the concept of progressivism which he represented is about using the instrumentality of government to make choices on behalf of the majority of our people. To us, being progressive means democratisation of access to fundamentals of good living. We were not prisoners of the fiction that our problems are insurmountable, yet we live under no illusion that there is a fix-all remedy by anyone at one and the same time. What we hold dear is that our generation, like Frantz Fanon said long ago, must discover its mission, fulfil or betray it. We can in all modesty say we have walked our talk and have demonstrated that governance is about sincerity of purpose; about keeping faith with the populace; and about an all-inclusive and demand-driven development. We have shown that government can be credible, trustworthy, reliable and depended upon to turn around the fortunes of the people for the better.  We now have a State, of which all its citizens can be proud. Ondo State, to all intents and purposes, is now our place of pride.

The Journey from Now

Far from relenting, we shall in the next four years take governance closer to the people by posting greater achievements on all fronts. We’ll ensure the completion of all outstanding projects.  We will also, over the next four years, unveil a new stream of programmes directed at enhancing the quality of life of our people.
Our major focus shall be on an aggressive drive at job creation for our teeming youths through innovative and durable programmes that will engender sustainable livelihood. To this end, government is undertaking a 30MW Independent Power Project in Ore to provide independent power that will attract several industries to Ondo State. When completed, Ore’s status not only as a major national commercial centre but as well an industrial hub will be a reality.
The on-going International Events Centre, The Dome, will by God’s grace, be delivered this year and this will open a new vista of turning Ondo State into a destination for international events.
The State’s residency card, ‘Kaadi Igbe Ayo’ will be launched, by the Grace of God, next month. This will go a long way to strengthen government-people interface and as well be a veritable tool for planning and service delivery.

Prepared to Re-Launch
Fellow citizens, we need you now more than ever before in the quest to take good governance a notch higher. You must continue to exercise ownership of government facilities provided for the common good. Every inch of the road, every square meter of the school compound and indeed every tablet in the pharmacy of public hospitals belong to all of us. We cannot afford to let government revert to the inglorious era of ‘they’ and ‘us’. We are together in this moving train and there is nowhere else to go but forward.

As good citizens, we must be ready to fulfil our parts of the social contract; of obeying laws, paying taxes, generally discharging our duties and responsibilities and also fighting for our legitimate rights. We must renew our commitments to peace and security.
We, members of the political class, must cease from looking at government and service as a goldmine. We must acknowledge that the good of all translates into the good of the individual and not necessarily vice versa. In this context, the central purpose of our involvement in politics and governance has been and will continue to be what government policies and institutions can make available to the collective and not what each individual politician or government official can corner for himself or herself.

We are a proud people with a proud heritage; we are Akikanju and must not bow to gods of corruption, sleaze and indolence.
We assure our sister states of our commitment to cooperation such that our region can benefit from the individual strength of each State and possibilities of our aggregated potentials. We remain steadfast in our call for a restructuring of the country to achieve true federalism. We demand more equity in the revenue sharing formula and the devolution of more powers to the federating units. In the course of finding lasting solutions to the challenges facing us as a nation, we assure that we shall not waste any opportunity for functional, patriotic collaboration across party lines for the overall development of our great nation.
Dear compatriots and friends, ours in the past four years has been a story of a shared vision, collective execution and fulfillment.

It is the story of school children who used to trek 4 kilometres a day now riding in the cosy comforts of our free shuttle buses, it is the story of those who shared school compounds with armed robbers and miscreants who now learn in ultra modern mega primary schools; it is the story of an Adekunle Ajasin University once derided as a glorified secondary school but now on track as a 21st century university, so properly called. It is the story of market women who used to trade under inclement weather on the roads and in muddy dingy stalls now trading in cosy stalls in Isikan, NEPA and other neighbourhoods markets across the State; it is the story of Rhoda, the woman who came into our Mother and Child Hospital distressed and went through three surgeries, took 5 pints of blood, all at zero cost to herself and family.
It is also the story of the unemployed graduate who has become a veritable agro business practitioner or a skilful solar power entrepreneur.

My good people, exactly four year ago, I promised to work for you. With all sense of humility, you are witnesses to the fact that I have worked for you. I have worked with you. Together, we have posted great accomplishments. But, the work remains unfinished.
To be sure, our job is not finished until every child has access to quality education in a 21st Century environment that is deliberately-structured to bridge the global digital divide and take our children to the cyberspace where information and knowledge now truly reside.
It is not finished until we are able to establish unfettered access to affordable quality health care services especially for the vulnerable group – pregnant women, infants and the aged.
It is not finished until there is food security in every home and every child has guaranteed access to nutritious food for maximum development of their inherent cerebral power.
It is not finished until every youth is usefully engaged and able to generate wealth for self-fulfilment and the collective good of our society.

It is not finished until we are able to leverage our God-given resources to create industries and add value to them, converting them to useful local and globally demanded end-products.
It is not finished until we complete the ongoing reform to facilitate aggressive capitalisation of our land resource. It is not finished until our cities, suburban communities and villages are well organised, clean and functional, making them conducive to optimal work and play. It is not finished until our sandy shores become true tourist havens.
It is not finished until the attitudinal renaissance, which commenced in the past few years, comes full circle so that each and every one of us will live true to the biblical definition of neighbour – loving your neighbour as yourself and therefore willing at all times to lend a helping hand.
It is not finished until we all imbibe the time-honoured work ethos of Ise loogun Ise. After all, the bible in the second letter of Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, Chapter 3,verse 10, also tells us that “He who does not work does not deserve to eat” and Surah 53 of the Quran affirms that “there shall be nothing due to man except what he works for.”
It is not finished until Nigeria, our dear country, becomes a secure and developed member of the global community along the principles and practice of true federalism.

My good people of Ondo State, the job is not finished. The work surely continues.
Long live Labour party
Long Live Ondo State
Long Live Nigeria!
Ipinle Ondo, Ise loogun Ise
Ipinle Ondo, Ise l’a fi ndeni giga
Ise takun takun, ibukun repete.
God bless you all.

NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO THE NATION FROM PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR

NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO THE NATION FROM  PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR

Fellow Nigerians,

1.    I greet and rejoice with you all as we celebrate the advent of a new year.

2.   I join you all in giving thanks to God Almighty for bringing us and our beloved nation safely through the past year to the beginning of 2013 which, by His Grace, will be a much better year for us and our country.

3.   In keeping with tradition, it is usual for individuals, institutions and organizations to make resolutions and set agenda as a new year begins, to guide their actions in the coming months.

4.   I have already given a clear indication of the Federal Government’s agenda for 2013 in recent pronouncements. Our objective for the year is to ensure by all possible means that more of the programmes and projects envisioned by this administration, and which are already being embarked upon are further brought on stream within the next 12 months to meet the yearnings of our people, and raise the quality of life.

5.    We have in the last year achieved a lot in terms of the positive transformation of vital sectors of our national life such as public infrastructure, power supply, oil and gas, transportation, education, health and agricultural development. We will continue to work diligently in

2013 to ensure that our efforts in these areas are carried forward to full fruition in fulfillment of our promise of better public services and improved living conditions for all Nigerians.

6.   We will give priority attention in the coming year to flood and erosion control, the rehabilitation and expansion of existing federal roads, improved power supply, as well as the continued rehabilitation, upgrading and reactivation of the national rail network.

7.    Employment generation and wealth creation will also remain a primary objective of our socio-economic agenda for 2013. Creating more employment opportunities for our youth and graduates of our universities is an imperative that will continue to underpin our drive for massive economic growth, the rapid expansion of our manufacturing and industrial base, and the productive diversification of our national economy. In this regard, we will continue to provide the necessary enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

8.   As peace and security remain pre-requisite conditions for the full realization of our objectives, we will also do more in 2013 to further empower our security agencies who are working in collaborative partnerships with our friends in the international community to stem the scourge of terrorism in our country and enhance the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria.

9.   I also want to assure Nigerians that we will refuse to be discouraged by those who have taken it upon themselves to pick on every initiative and effort of this administration. We remain resolutely committed to the rule of law, due process and fair play in all circumstances. Our democracy continues to grow, and the scope for human freedom continues to expand. It is an achievement that we will continue to build upon.

10. I say it again, we are determined to continue to push forward. We will do more, not less. We will remain focused.

11.For your part, dear compatriots, I urge that you all include in your new year resolutions a commitment to do more this year to support the implementation of the Federal Government’s Agenda for National Transformation in every possible way. That is all I ask for.

12. The task of making our dear nation a much better place for present and future generations cannot be left to government alone. Leaders and followers alike have critical roles to play in our march towards the fulfillment of our great national potentials.

13. Let us all therefore resolve as we celebrate the new year to place the higher interests of national unity, peace, stability and progress above all other considerations and work harder in our particular fields of human endeavour to contribute more significantly to the attainment of our collective aspirations.

14. I wish you all a happy and rewarding 2013.

15.  God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR

President

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Quest for a proactive & non reactive govt

The outbreak of swine influenza virus (SIV) has gained so much attention and publicity recently by different health organisations, governments of many nations, as well as safety experts around the world with the aim to avert the spread of the disease among pigs and ultimately to avoid human to human infection. The symptoms of the SIV includes headache, tiredness, chills, aching muscles, limb or joint pain, diarrhea or stomach upset, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, and loss of appetite. The presence of the flu has however been reported in Mexico, Canada, Mid-western United States, South America, Europe, Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, parts of eastern Asia, to mention a few . But so far there are no reported cases of swine flu (H1N1) in Nigeria to date.

The history of swine flu was scientifically traced to 1918, when swine influenza was first
proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, when pigs became sick at the same time as humans. The first identification of an influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs occurred about ten years later, in 1930. For the following 60 years, swine influenza strains were almost exclusively H1N1. Then, between 1997 and 2002, new strains of three different subtypes and five different genotypes emerged as causes of influenza among pigs in North America. In 1997-1998, H3N2 strains emerged. These strains, which include genes derived by reassortment from human, swine and avian viruses, have become a major cause of swine influenza in North America. Reassortment between H1N1 and H3N2 produced H1N1. In 1999 in Canada, a strain of H4N6 crossed the species barrier from birds to pigs, but was contained on a single farm.

The H1N1 form of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic. As well as persisting in pigs, the descendants of the 1918 virus have also circulated in humans through the 20th century, contributing to the normal seasonal epidemics of influenza. However, direct transmission from pigs to humans is rare, with only 12 cases in the U.S. since 2005. Although World Health Organization in its recent statistics said there are 1,893 reported cases in 23 countries. Nevertheless, the retention of influenza strains in pigs after these strains have disappeared from the human population might make pigs a reservoir where influenza viruses could persist, later emerging to reinfect humans once human immunity to these strains has waned.

Meanwhile some Nigerian stakeholders in the agriculture sector have however reacted to this serious issue, one of them is the former deputy governor of Ogun State Mr. Gbenga Kaka, who has now found solace in farming. He declined the campaigns made by the Federal Government of Nigeria regarding the Swine Flu virus, avian influenza virus and other major diseases during the interview he granted a local TV station LTV8 (6th of May 2009).

He said government should go beyond mere propaganda and ensures that all research institutes in Nigeria are well funded and equipped with cutting edge facilities so as to curtail this deadly diseases ravaging the birds and livestock. He expressed dissatisfaction over the propaganda pointing that it has created anxiety in people making them to eschew the consumption of pork, chickens and eggs and according to him that has largely discouraged people from investing in poultry farming. He berated the government of the day who canvasses for self employment but has failed to create an enabling environment for what it is advocating.

Without mincing of words a number of investors in the agricultural sector who took bank loans have ran into serious financial crises as a result of the propaganda and lack of information management on the part of Nigerian government.
It is no news that without farming there won’t be food for the sustenance of growth and the general wellbeing of the people both young and old. Nigerian government should show more commitment and seriousness rather than working on speculations, or relying on the efforts of other country’s research/reports on health related issues.

Nigerian health ministry is giving so much lips service about the swine flu pandemic, but it is embarrassing to know that there are several other diseases which is claiming lives or leading to deformities in both children and adults. Meningitis, malaria, hepatitis, polio etc are still diseases screaming for medical attention in Nigeria.

The efforts of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria should be deeply commended (FAAN) through its consultant in respect of their preparedness plan to contain this and other communicable diseases in Murtala Muhammed airport both local and international wing, but I urge them to get all the necessary apparatus/devices to aid this initiative as soon as possible; the seaports are equally expected to act accordingly. President Umaru Yar’Adua has tried meritoriously in his own beat and the ministry of health should not use its own laxity to discredit the image of his administration.

Halliburton bribery scandal: Who are the bribe takers?

By Emmanuel Ajibulu

The Halliburton bribery tale has been a worrisome issue since it broke in 2003, following an investigation of KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, over payments to a range of high profile Nigerian officials in the executive, NNPC and the NLNG. The sum of $180 million was involved over a contract estimated to worth about $6 billion. Kellog, Brown and Root (KBR), the Halliburton subsidiary that got the job, was part of a four-company joint venture on the project. The company has already pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of $520 million.

In the information available in the public domain, court documents in the USA, KBR admitted that at the crucial junctures before the award of the contracts, KBR’s former CEO, Albert Jack Stanley and others met with three successive former holders of a top-level office in the executive branch of the Nigerian government to ask the office holders to designate a representative with whom the joint-venture should negotiate bribes to Nigerian officials. Two representatives were accordingly hired - a consulting company, Tri-Star, based in Gribraltar and a trading company based in Tokyo. Tri-Star was paid $132 million, while the Tokyo Company got $50 million. All the money was to be passed to Nigerian officials, according to documents on the website of the US Justice Department.

The EFCC, which once probed the $180m bribe scandal, interrogated Edmund Daokuru, former minister of state and Funso Kupolokun, the managing director of the NNPC. The scandal broke out after a French court investigated KBR on an allegation that it paid $180m to FG officials to win contracts for the construction of the NLNG plant (an awesome project aimed at building first Africa’s liquefied natural gas plant in Bony, Rivers State, Nigeria). The House of Representatives also carried out a separate investigation. But Halliburton officials failed to cooperate in unveiling the Nigerian officials who shared the $180 million bribe money, on the excuse that investigation on the same match were afoot in the US and Europe. The bribe paid to Nigerian officials was done at different times, starting from the General Sani Abacha years, in 1995.

In 1995, unconfirmed report revealed that Halliburton’s subsidiary, TSKJ, hired Spanish-based Tri-Star Company, owned by indicted London lawyer, Jeffrey Tessler, to pay $60 million in bribes to Nigerians. In 1999, $37.5 million was paid. It was not clear if the money was paid before Abdulsalami handed over to General Obasanjo in May, 1999. But under Obasanjo, Halliburton twice paid kickbacks– in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, $51 million was paid and in 2002, $37.5 million was paid. Two Nigerians whose names had featured in the bribe saga were Alhaji M.D. Yusuf and former oil minister, Dan Etete, during Abacha’s time. Yusuf admitted collecting money from Tessler, but said it was a loan. Etete, on his part, said the NLNG contract was awarded without his input. The contract was valued at more than $6 billion and awarded between 1995 and 2004.

Meanwhile Former President Olusegun Obasanjo an elder statesman was invited to BBC famous programme Hardtalk (sometime in march 2009), anchored by Steven Suckur. In the middle of the interview Steven said Obasanjo’s name was mentioned by Tesler to have been involved in the drama but Obasanjo distanced himself from any wrong doing. Meanwhile, the American investigators made it known that three former Nigerian leaders were indicted in this shoddy deal, and names like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdusalami Abubakar and late General Sani Abacha are not spared. Also enmeshed in the vast and formalized bribery scheme is a long line of ministers, bureaucrats, top politicians, state and local officials. The question now is who actually collected this bribe? Nigerians are desperate to know. Or could it be a hoax?
However, in April 2009 some sign of relief came when the Federal Government through the Attorney-General/Minister of Justice, Chief Mike Aondoaka disclosed that $150 million out of the $180 million Halliburton bribe is trapped in Zurich, Switzerland. The minister must indeed be commended for this bold step.

His words: “We have discovered that $150million of the bribe money is in Zurich. That is the first shocking discovery. The entire money is $180 million. $150 million is already in Zurich trapped.”

The Attorney-General while addressing press conference said government was trying to find out in whose account the money was lodged. When asked how he got to know that the money was in Zurich, he replied, “Am I not the chief law officer of this country? I went to US and we had useful information. For me even if you are talking to me, sharing ideas with me I must have all the information authenticated by the government and the US government has been very friendly to us.”

On how the government would treat those indicted, he said, “when crime is committed we prosecute and we would not deny prosecution to anybody.” Aondoaka said he was not happy with the way the Halliburton story was being reported as if the government was hiding the names of those involved.
According to him, “the judgment is under seal and you (press) are talking as if we sealed the names in the court so you can’t get the names. “All these names you get, let me make it clear to you, government does not prosecute out of the newspaper stories.
“If somebody said I voted $40 million for you and if the money does not reach you, can I come and prosecute you because in his book he wrote $40 million?
“There must be evidence that must be tendered to show that that money was handed over to you. Is it through wire transfer? Is it through somebody? So these are some of the things we want to establish. The main fact that somebody wrote in his book that I have voted $40 million that he wants to bribe you does not mean that you have taken bribe... For instance, we have discovered that $150 million of the bribe money is in Zurich. That is the first shocking discovery.”

Consequently, Nigerians are happy with the high powered committee set up specifically to thoroughly investigate this matter, and Nigerians have strong conviction that this committee which involves the EFCC boss Hajia Farida Waziri, the Inspector General of Police Mr. Mike Okiro, Attorney-General Chief Mike Aondoaka, others are representatives of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Director General, States Security Services (SSS). President Umaru Yar'Adua has given assurance that his administration will not shield any Nigerian, no matter his/her status. The President also called for patience from Nigerians on the issue, saying his administration is waiting for the “authentic” facts, as currently sealed by a US Court, so those involved in the scandal would not turn around to accuse the government of political persecution.

Meanwhile all stakeholders concerned in this investigative task should note that there is something crucial here that should not be undermined, and that is the image of Nigeria. Nigerians have read different reports, so many publication online reports from different websites nationally and internationally therefore the committee should ambidextrously expedite its efforts to ensure that no stone is left unturned; Nigerians have considered this committee as the last symbol of hope on this alleged corrupt act. The success of this task can conveniently be considered as a key milestone which can be instrumental to the redemption of Nigeria’s battered image over this over publicised bribery scandal, and this can score us the point of being good people great nation.