Grandiose Parlor

The investigation of the controversial contract of the Speaker and deputy speaker of House of Rep. continues, excerpts:

Members of the committee probing the contract awarded to renovate the official residences of Speaker Patricia Etteh and Deputy Speaker Babangida Nguroje, were on Tuesday shocked at the extent of damage to the property…The committee expressed surprise that all the air conditioners, the fittings, and other items were removed to ensure the installation of new ones.

They were shocked when told that the bill of quantities for the electrical work was not prepared by the . At the residence of the Deputy Speaker opposite the Senate President’s Mansion, members of the panel expressed surprise that several items, including electrical fittings, air conditioners, and suspended ceilings were not in place; even though the building was commissioned on March 3, 2007 by former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari.

The question now is who removed these items? Is this a case of vandalism? Which agency is responsible for the upkeep and safekeeping of official quarters?
Also mentioned in news report:

Speaker’s cluster of houses, which includes the main building, power house, guest house, boys’ quarters, garage, reception, Aide-de-Camp’s house, and the mosque now being restructured to accommodate a church.

Should official residences (aside from the presidential villa) have churches and mosques???

This is a call to all Nigerian bloggers worldwide to become a part of An anthology of the greatest works of Nigerian Bloggers- A book called Naija bloggers Vol 1.

Nigerian Bloggers around the globe are requested to send in their stories or recommend great posts for the publication of a physical anthology, the first of its kind by any group of bloggers on any continent.

Read more from the coordinator - Laspapi

Check the Nigerian mafia kingpin and his goons taking the people as fools:

• The president came out to admit flaws in state elections after proclaiming the elections were satisfactory.
• It took him five days to come to his senses!

• The Senate President speaks against his party, the PDP, saying the party rigged the elections. He has asked the Senate to reconvene to discuss matters affecting the nation in a special session next Tuesday.
• “The government responded saying his statement is a plot to set up an Interim National Government he aims to head!:

“It is indeed curious that a man [Senate President] of his designation will whimsically trivialise, rubbish and call for revalidation of such a terminal and important event as the general election as well as set in motion a diabolical process to precipitate the crisis in our country in order to satisfy his inordinate and megalomaniac ambition.” - Nigerian Information Minister responding to the Senate President.

• Some soldiers intercepted and seized a truck load of ballot materials in northern Nigeria.
• INEC boss denies saying materials for elections are not yet in the country: they are yet to arrive from the printers in South Africa. Note: The election was less than 24 hour way he made this statement!

• Ondo state PDP asks for the transfer of resident electoral commissioner saying “he worked against our interest and reported only 52% of our votes when we had 70%”.
• Yet the PDP chieftains in the state scampered for the safe confines of the governor’s residence when the people that supposedly voted for them protested the results. Clearly their mandate did not come from the 52%!

For how long will the kingpin and his goons continue to enforce their will over that of the Nigerian people?

We shall live to see what tomorrow brings…

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I’ve just finished reading (and commenting to) the Black Star Journal post on Nigeria and Ibrahim Babangida, a former military dictator head of state.

In the post titled: “A cancer to return to the heart of Nigeria?”, Brian, the author wonders if “the development of democracy in Nigeria so stunted that in a country of 130 million inhabitants, the only people qualified to seek the federal republic’s highest office are ex-military dictators who raped and plundered the country?”

This is a question for all Nigerians eligible to vote should ask themselves. And I think may have already concluded that IBB is a joker. This is also a question many of Nigerians in the Diaspora have already discussed. The conclusion is the same.

Now that IBB has commenced his presidential drive to Aso rock again, and has boldly stated, unapologetically, that he cancelled the best and fairest election in history, I’m wont to ask why the media continues giving him any attention. To cancel a keenly contested and fair election is an extremely undemocratic act that only a pyschotic mind is capable of.

So in the absence of any evidence to counter the obvious, it is safe to state that IBB has clealy gone nuts! He is grossly deluded and suffers from grandiose delusions. And he belongs where his likes are - a psychiatric institution under heavy parenteral mediations - not on the media pages!

Tags: Nigeria Governance IBB

“I will develop the areas that vote for me, but if you don’t vote for me, don’t expect anything.” - President Yahya Jammeh campaigning for presidential election 2006. voting starts today.

With campaign statements such as Jammeh’s, I’ll be surprised if he lost the election, why even bother with an election?

Related links: Q&A: Gambia vote:BBC.

Tag: Gambia

Last night I commented to “Political Deathmatch” a posting at the Ijebuman’s Dairy on the face-off between The Nigerian president and his deputy. I find strange the timing of the release of the ECFF’s investigation of Abubakar Atiku, and wondered why almost everyone investigated to date have some attachment to the anti-Obasanjo’s camp. I also mused why none of the presidential candidates haven’t made political statements of the crisis in the presidency. It is strange that none of the contenders have failed to capitalize on this excellent opportunity to offer some constructive insight or atleast put their spins on the issue.

A statement credited to Abubakar Umar, a former military governor, aligns with some of my thoughts, particularly the unethical ownership of Transcorp stocks by the President. Though the stock has been hurriedly sold off, it is widely known that Obasanjo used his presidential powers to create the conglomerate, it is also on record that major shareholders of the company are close associates of the president.

The addition Umar made was the possibility that the faceoff between the president and his deputy might be a smokescreen for the former to extend his tenure. Thought I do not share this view, but why would president Obasanjo want to extend his stay, again after the failed third term bid?

Here is an excerpt from Umar Abubakar statement (On Thisday Newspaper):

“Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure is marked by an all-time high government revenue earnings but a tenure, which coincides with an unprecedented destitution among the broad masses.

“The minimum action a successor government would take is to ask Chief Olusegun to proffer some explanation. So, presumably, it is likely that the President would rather die in office than face the disgrace of justice which his successor may have to dispense for his ineptitude and his many transgressions…

“In the six years while Chief Olusegun Obasanjo doubled both as president as well as Minister of Petroleum, he disallowed access to the books of the NNPC, not even to the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, RMFC. However, early this year, against sustained pressure, when the HART Group, the international firm of auditors, looked into those books, what they found was mind boggling.“

Umar’s statement gives an interesting and constructive insight into the presidential crisis that the national assembly and presidential aspirants are scared to address, and ordinary Nigerians have come to appreciate purely for its entertainment value.

Tags: Nigeria Governance Corruption