NEWS

Obasanjo is the ‘most corrupt Nigerian on record.’ Full Details From Reps Accusation.

Published

8 years ago

November 25, 2016

Two-time Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been described by The House of Representatives on Thursday as the ‘most corrupt Nigerian on record’. Obasanjo had earlier on Wednesday mentioned at the the 1st Akintola Williams Annual Lecture saying the House ‘stinks of corruption’.

Olusegun Obasanjo

The House of Representatives speaking through the Chairman House Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas, reacted to Obasanjos statement in statement below:

Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a lecture he delivered recently, wherein, in his characteristic manner accused everybody but himself of corruption.

He ventured to accuse the National Assembly of Budget padding, accused the House of criminal activities of threatening the life of a “whistleblower”, lampooned constituency projects which he approved as President, ventured to discuss the budget of National Assembly which is highly underfunded?

The House of Representatives would ordinarily not join issues with the former President as he has held an office that deserves respect and reverence. However, because of the material misstatement of facts, outright lies and falsehoods, and mischievous innuendo introduced in his statement, we are left with no option but to correct him.

We have repeatedly maintained that there was no “padding” of the 2016 Appropriation Act, which is a legitimate document passed by the National Assembly, authenticated by the Clerk to the National Assembly as provided in the Acts Authentication Act and assented to by Mr. President. It is most unfortunate that a former President of Chief Obasanjo’s stature would allow himself to be hoodwinked and procured by a renegade member of the House, who embarked on massive propaganda and lies just because he was removed from office. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no crime that was committed by the National Assembly by exercising its constitutional function of appropriation. If Chief Obasanjo has an issue with the execution of the 2016 Budget or indeed other Appropriation Acts, he should direct his anger elsewhere.

He claimed that the National Assembly Budget is very high, when by all standards, the National Assembly is grossly underfunded and is hampered from effectively and legitimately carrying out its Constitutionally assigned functions. The National Assembly Budget funds a bureaucracy of about 5,000 civil servants. It has some other agencies under its preview such as the National Assembly Service Commission with its own staff of about 500, even the Public Complaints Commission is now a parastatal of the National Assembly. National Assembly Budget also funds the National Institute for Legislative Studies, which is a legislative think-tank and highly rated academic institution that serves both National and State Houses of Assembly and even international legislators. All these agencies also have their capital budget including development of their headquarters, procurement of office equipment, procurement of regular items for running their offices; the National Assembly maintain legislative aides of about 3,000 in number, that aid the work of the Assembly; it also conducts regular public hearings involving the media and stakeholders and oversight activities, involving huge sums of money. The cost implications of running the National Assembly is high because of the nature of our Presidential democracy. Then of course, there are 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, that require proper equipment to function effectively. They require adequate travel and transport support to carry out legislative functions. The National Assembly also has buildings and offices to build and maintain. National Assembly staff and members attend conferences, trainings, seminars to keep abreast of legislative developments worldwide. The activities are very encompassing and expensive.

It is also unbecoming of a former President to quote figures of sums of money that are factually incorrect. No member of the House of Representatives receives N10m every month. The salaries and allowances of members of the House are as determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Of course further sums of money are spent as running costs, that is, the cost of running the office of a member. If a Minister, Chief Executive or Director in a Ministry travels on official duties, for instance, do you include the cost of his ticket and accommodation as part of his salary or allowances? Does the cost of stationeries and maintenance of equipment like computers used in their offices, form part of their salaries and allowances? These are some of the costs that must be taken care of by the National Assembly and the media calls these costs “jumbo pay”. For goodness sake, the National Assembly is an arm of government, not just an ordinary agency of government.

The Budget of many agencies in the Executive Branch are indeed higher than the current Budget of the National Assembly that is an arm of government. Examples abound, CBN, NNPC, NCC etc. Allowances paid to even junior staff of some of these government agencies cannot be compared to what members of National Assembly enjoy.

Undoubtedly, the former President Obasanjo is understandably angry with the National Assembly as an institution having foiled his ambition for a third-term in office even after trying to corrupt the members with a bribe of at least N50m each. Lest we forget, the person who introduced corruption to the National Assembly is Chief Olesugn Obasanjo. He birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from day one; indeed the first day of the Republic. He bribed both PDP, ANPP and AD legislators on their inauguration in 1999 to vote against the majority candidate of PDP, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That was how Senator Evan Enwerem became Senate President.

Have we forgotten the sacks of money displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives being bribe money paid by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to some Honourable members to impeach Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali N’abba?

Have we forgotten that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo used his position as President to extort money from businessmen and contractors with his government to build his presidential library?

The list of his corrupt acts while in office is endless. Unquestionably, he is the greatest corrupt person ever to hold office in Nigeria. He remains the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and lacks the moral authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria as he remains the most corrupt Nigerian on record.

It is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of bringing down governments. He did it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he did it to Gen. Buhari, he did same to Gen. Babangida, he attempted to bring down Gen. Abacha before he imprisoned him for treason; he made frantic efforts to derail the government of President Ya’ardua when he couldn’t use him. He supported President Goodluck Jonathan but when he refused to take dictation, he turned against him. He supported President Buhari, but since he has sensed that Nigeria is having economic difficulties under him, he has pounced to derail his government.

The way Chief Obasanjo talks gives the impression that he is a lifetime opposition leader who has never held any office. What did he do about the issues he raised in his 8 years as President?

This is a man with unlimited access to President Buhari. Or is it because he has not appointed all his cronies as requested? We may never know. His stock in trade is blackmail, subversion and treachery.

We wish him well.

Related Topics:Former President House of Representatives Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo Corrupt

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NEWS

President Tinubu Took A Wicked Decision – Seun Kuti On Fuel Subsidy Removal

Published

14 hours ago

September 18, 2024

Reporter

Seun Kuti On Fuel Subsidy Removal | fab.ng

Seun Kuti, the acclaimed musician and prominent activist, has forcefully criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent policy change. Kuti specifically targeted Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy. He characterises it as a callous move that harms ordinary Nigerians. The singer, known for his outspoken nature, didn’t mince words when he called it a “wicked decision” during a recent live broadcast on his Instagram account.

Kuti argued passionately that the Nigerian administration has already demonstrated its ability to function without relying on citizens’ contributions.

He began, “Don’t let anybody tell you that there is something in Nigeria that the government cannot afford or that they need some private person to invest. If someone tells you that, tell the person to shut up!”

Seun Kuti forcefully contrasted the government’s lavish spending on personal luxuries with its neglect of crucial public sectors. He pointed out how officials eagerly purchase high-end items for their own use while education and infrastructure languish without adequate funding. To illustrate this stark disparity, Kuti zeroed in on a specific example.

He highlighted the eye-watering sum of $150 million that the government allocated for a presidential private jet. This extravagant expense, Kuti argued, throws the administration’s skewed priorities into sharp relief. He used this striking contrast to challenge the government’s claim that it lacks funds for essential public services and to question its commitment to the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.

He asked, “Who donated for the $150 million jet for Tinubu? Who did they ask for donations?”

“That $150 million do you know how many schools it will build? Or how long it will run a primary school? 10 good primary schools would be run on that money for at least 20 years. 10 good primary schools would be built and run, that will educate ten generations of African people,” he added.

Kuti intensified his critique by targeting the government’s approach to providing essential services. He lambasted the administration for its heavy reliance on public-private partnerships. The activist pointedly argued that the government only seems to favour these collaborative arrangements when they involve community investment.

Kuti insinuated this strategy unfairly shifts the burden onto citizens, requiring them to contribute financially to services they should rightfully expect from their government. He portrayed this approach as a convenient way for officials to abdicate their responsibilities, stepping in only when they can leverage community resources rather than fully funding vital services themselves.

“When it comes to their enjoyment and building houses of billions of naira, they don’t say that they need the public to donate money. But when it is time to build for the people, that’s when they need a public-private partnership. Nonsense talk!” he said, outraged.

Kuti slammed the government, saying, “The president cannot tell us that this petrol matter is not in his control. He is the president and minister of petrol. They say they take tough decisions but there is no tough decision taken here. President Tinubu took a wicked decision, this whole subsidy and floating the dollar there is nothing tough about it.”

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A post shared by Seun Kuti (@bigbirdkuti)

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MUSIC

Has Seyi Vibez Parted Ways With Record Label Boss Dapper? Here Is What We Know

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

Reporter

Seyi Vibez and Dapper: Have they parted ways? | fab.ng

Nigerian star Seyi Vibez recently sparked reactions on social media by declaring himself an “Individual artist” and also unfollowing his label boss, Dapper. This bold move led many fans to speculate that the two-year partnership between the artist and Dapper Music & Entertainment may have come to a contentious end.

Both Seyi Vibez and Dapperdamm unfollowed each other on their social media accounts. Further, this fueled rumours of a split. Additionally, Seyi Vibez wiped his Instagram of all posts related to his music under the label.

The timing of this development coincided with a controversy that had already placed Seyi Vibez under public scrutiny. Just days before the social media drama unfolded, the artist faced massive backlash. This was from Nigerians in Toronto, Canada, for abruptly cancelling a scheduled show without prior notice. The incident drew widespread criticism, adding to the mounting tension surrounding the artist.

As of now, neither Seyi Vibez nor Dapperdamm has officially addressed the alleged separation. Indeed this has left fans in suspense about the future of their partnership. However, a source from Dapper Music disclosed to PM News that the label is awaiting Seyi Vibez’s return to Nigeria to resolve the ongoing issues. The source added that the next steps would be determined following his arrival.

Seyi Vibez signed with Dapper Music in 2022 and has since risen to fame. This is largely due to the success of his breakout single, “Chance (Na Ham),” from his second studio album, “Billion Dollar Baby”. His time with the label has been marked by collaborations with several notable artists.

Check out more music updates here.

ENTERTAINMENT

“I Was Trading My Scripts For Film Roles” – Omoni Oboli

Published

5 days ago

September 13, 2024

Reporter

Omoni Oboli used to trade her scripts for film roles | fab.ng

Nollywood filmmaker Omoni Oboli disclosed that she exchanged her scripts for acting roles early in her career, which motivated her to pursue directing.

In an interview with Radionow 95.3 FM, Oboli recounted the challenges she faced at the start of her filmmaking journey, including giving away her screenplays for free and trying to direct her own films.

“I was trading my scripts, I’d say you know what, just take it, don’t pay me. Just give me a role in the film. So, I started to do that. But then I’ll watch the film and I realised, Okay it’s not quite what I had in my head when I was writing cos I see what I’m writing, I write in pictures. I see what I’m writing, so when I’m watching the movie it’s so different. Not to say that it wasn’t good because no two directors will direct the same script in the same way. So I said to myself, if my stories are going to have my DNA, then I’m going to have to direct them myself,” she said.

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A post shared by Radio Now 95.3 FM Lagos | News (@radionow953fm)

Omoni Oboli emphasized that she felt hesitant at the beginning of her directing journey. She lacked confidence but mustered up the courage to pursue her dreams.

“And it was a scary thought, really who do you think you are to come and direct a film? Like who are you again? You know it was so scary, but then I said to myself, Warri no dey carry lass na. Wwetin dem get wey I no get? I was like, I’ll do this thing. So I started understudying directors, like I’m acting on set but I’m watching the director closely. And I said you know what? Maybe I need some formal education on this. So I went to the New York Film Academy for a short course,” she added.

Omoni Oboli has directed several films, including “Moms at War,” “Last Year Single” (currently streaming on Netflix), and “The Uprising: Wives on Strike 3,” the third installment of the “Wives on Strike” franchise, which is set to premiere in cinemas this October.

Get more updates here.