This penchant to ascribe bad lifestyles to specific regions or tribes is utter balderdash. I may have made that mistake in the past and realising  it, have called myself to order. Every one in Nigeria has sinned and come short of the glory. Northerners are as bad as their southern counterparts and vice versa. The northerners are drug couriers, certificate forgers, corrupt leaders, rapists, etc etc, exactly like their southern counterparts. It is only a matter of degree, depending on which ''sin'' is in question.

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/aug/15/402.html

Drug suspect excretes 1.109kg of cocaine

By Mudiaga Affe

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday said that a suspected drug peddler, Babatunde Jamiu, who was arrested on Sunday, had excreted 100 wraps of cocaine.

Jamiu was arrested during the screening of passengers on a Virgin Nigeria’s flight from Lagos to London.

The Public Affairs Officer of the agency‘s airport command, Mr. Ofoyeju Mitchell, said the weight of the cocaine was about 1.109 kilogrammes.

Mitchell also said that the substance was excreted at four different times.

He added that the agency was still on the trail of a Lagos-based celebrity, Mrs. Toyin Igbirra, who has been fingered by Jamiu to be his sponsor. Igbirra was declared wanted on Monday by the NDLEA.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has said that it will intensify effort to assist the NDLEA to check drug trafficking at the nation‘s airports.

The Senior Special Adviser on Aviation to the President, Captain Shehu Usman Iyal, expressed the Presidency‘s concern on drug trafficking in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

Iyal said President Umaru Yar‘Adua was determined to address the problem of drug trafficking.

He called on the NDLEA, aviation agencies and other law enforcement agencies at the airports to come together and be more vigilant while screening passengers.

On why Nigeria has not joined other countries to acquire new scanners for screening at airports, he said, ”We will soon get these gadgets.”

ziddy:

lailai. who dash them? they're just yellow niggers, not even as good as us blacks- they're undernourished and they stink. badly

China may not be regarded as Oyibo, but many Nigerians, especially those from tribes (names withheld for anti-tribalism reasons) who are adept at house-boying/girling (another dictionary-less vocabulary from me) call their Chinese bosses Master, right there in God's own country, Nigeria. If you are in doubt, try Chinese companies. The Chinese have far less slave mentality than many of us

Etteh moves birthday party to US - She went to deliver lecture - Source
By Our Reporter - 15.08.2007

A good number of members of the National Assembly have been arriving in Maryland/Washington DC area of the United States to attend a birthday bash planned by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, Empowered Newswire has reported.


Etteh, who would be turning 54 on Friday, has invited almost all members of the National Assembly to attend the event expected to be held somewhere in Bowie, Maryland, where the Speaker is said to have a family home.


A member of the House of Representatives confirmed that almost half of the members of the National Assembly are expected at the bash, among other top Nigerian public officers like governors, ministers and commissioners.


A source confirmed that the Senate President, David Mark, is also being expected at the event which is now becoming the talk of the town among some groups of Nigerians in Maryland. Mark is expected to arrive in his residence in Fairfax, Virginia. The speaker herself was being awaited as at press time from Nigeria, where the National Assembly is already on recess.


Details of the exact location of the birthday bash are being kept under wraps, but informed sources disclosed that the birthday event is beginning to raise questions as several members of the House consider the invitation a must because the Speaker is believed to have personally asked many of them to attend in what is considered as a show of support.


Many National Assembly members are said to have abandoned their constituencies and other pressing engagements in Nigeria to make a showing at the event, while several others are said to have jumped at the invitation to visit the US.


Sources said the Speaker is already receiving various kinds of birthday presents from influential and powerful Nigerians and many more are expected to follow as the event draws nearer.


Etteh was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in June, but was first elected into the House in 1999 on the ticket of the Alliance for Democracy, before she crossed to the PDP on which ticket she was elected in 2003 representing the Ayedaade/Isokan/Irewole Federal Constituency. Etteh was previously the Minority Whip of the House of Representatives.


Born August 17, 1953, she is married with two children, both of whom are also expected at the birthday bash.


A beauty therapist by profession, Etteh has a Diploma in Law from the University of Abuja and her main legislative interests, according to her, is woman/child rights, equity and fair play, while she listed her legislative target achievement thus: "to develop the rural areas.”


Meanwhile, a source close to the Speaker debunked the report, saying that Etteh went to deliver a paper in America together with the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.


The source described the news as the handiwork of her detractors, who are working against her success in the House of Representatives. The source said “if her birthday coincides with the date slated for the lecture, must she ignore the assignment and come back home for a party. That is not reasonable,” describing the rumour as evil and incredible.
http://www.tribune.com.ng/15082007/news/news2.html

Roll or Role?

ono:

I have observed, with dismay, the unprovoked attacks on my person in some of the threads on this politics board.. But I remember doing all I can to calm frayed nerves on the Biafran thread. And I went to bed with the hope that all misunderstandings as regards that particular topic (Biafran War) has been resolved. But with this new thread, opened by no other person but the perennial illiterate called Xris74, I'm beginning to doubt if that's truly the case.

Well, if Ndigbos on Nairaland cannot tame a wayward son of theirs, in the person of Xris74, then may I suggest they send him to me for proper training in the art of addressing issues.

I hereby request, formally, the approval of Ndigbo Nairaland members to hand over Xris74 to me for formal training in an undisclosed location in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

The fact that I never included your name (because as far as I am concerned, you simply do not exist) and yet you responded with that utter gibberish you posted up there confirms the fact that you harbour a deep resentment against the Igbo. You also confirmed that you are a knave in the class of Laudate, Batu and Dimka. What more can I say?

FUTO, ABSU win engineering award

CHARLES ABAH


Winners of the 2006/2007 London-based Higher Education Engineering Challenge (HEEC) have emerged with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and the Abia State University clinching the first position. They received N200,000 for their hard work.

University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) came second and third respectively in the grand finale held at UNILAG. While the UNILAG representatives got N100,000, their UNN counterparts received N50,000.

The initiative organized by Engineering Forum of Nigerians in United Kingdom (EFN) is targeted at promoting the development of engineering skills and innovation among young Nigerians.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the HEEC committee chairman, Dr Remi Olatunbosun added that the contest would expose the participants to more innovative solutions to engineering problems.

This year’s theme entitled "provision of clean water supply", he said, was chosen to seek better ways of encouraging budding engineers to contribute to national development.

Dr Olatunbosun while throwing more light on the competition said it was open to all engineering and technology students in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

"Each year, an engineering challenge will be thrown to these budding engineers to provide innovative solutions to engineering problems under a theme which is considered of vital importance to national development," he added.

Dr Olatunbosun who implored undergraduates to continue to participate in the contest, said the EFN would help them to seek expert advice on production development, source capital as well as connection with prospective manufacturers.

How Chigbue, BPE boss, escaped sack
By Omoh Gabriel
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, August 14, 2007



LAGOS — INDICATIONS emerged last night that move to sack the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mrs. Irene Chigbue, was jettisoned at the last minute for two reasons.

One was that the man tipped as replacement for her failed to pass security clearance as his file filled with money laundering queries from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It was gathered that the need to sustain local and international communities’ interest in the privatisation exercise also played a key role in saving her job for now.

According to Presidency sources, many development partners which have been involved in the funding and training of BPE personnel would have lost confidence in the agency if government had gone ahead to drop Mrs. Chigbue.

It was said that though government had already asked to quit, she was retained against public expectation and predictions by the media at the last minute.
The Presidency, it was learnt, had wanted the BPE Director-General out following widespread condemnation of her handling of the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.

Presidency sources said “a former commissioner for finance” in one of the oil producing South- South States “was nominated to replace her. Everything was set for the announcement until it was discovered at the 11th hour that he was under investigation by the Metropolitan Police in London for money laundering.”

The former Finance Commissioner was allegedly fingered in the ongoing investigations of his former principal who is also being investigated by the EFCC.

Reacting to questions in a telephone discussion, Mr. Joe Anachebe, Deputy Director, Information at the BPE said the agency was not aware of any move by the Federal Government to sack Mrs Chigbue. He said the BPE read the speculation in the media and that there was no such move. He further said the BPE was an agency of government which has the prerogative to appoint who it pleases as the head of the agency.

Anachebe further said the Federal Government had at various times expressed satisfaction and confidence in the work Mrs Chigbue is doing at the BPE. According to him, whenever they feel that the confidence is no longer there, that is when they may decide to replace her but for now she enjoys the confidence of government and the international community.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/august07/14082007/f314082007.html

Igbos in Nairaland! What to do with Laudate, Dimka, Batu and other knaves of like mind?

I advise that we completely ignore these crappy fellows. They are insufferable human haters, some openly, others in more sly manner. They are a lost cause. We can never MEND their lost souls. Therefore, let us completely fool them by ignoring them. This might be difficult because we expect that they will bring (gate-crash) their rotten selves and morbid hatred into any thread that concerns the Igbo, in a bid to derail the thread or elicit a specific type of response that suits their whims and caprices. Since these fellows are absolutely inconsequential creatures, please ignore them, and fast. I will try my best possible to show an example in this regard.

When the oil finishes in the present 9 oil-producing states, Anambra and Enugu will take over. Then Ono and Dimka will be in deep economic shit since their lives depend on oil. 

Why are all of Laudate's ''enemies'' Igbo? Something must be wrong with him/her

Nigeria should diversify her economy. Now

Thanks Doyin,

We are kicking 

ABIA STATE

MINERAL RAW MATERIALS:

Glass Sand, Limestone, Salt, Shale, Ball Clay, Lead/Zinc, Granite, Marble, Laterite  Sand, Bentonitic Clay, Phosphate, Kaolin, Pyrite, Feldspar, Bentonite, Petroleum, Lignite, Gypsum, Clay.

AGRO RAW MATERIALS:

Cassava, Maize, Vegetable, Palm Produce, Livestock, Cashew, Rice, Okro, Rubber, Yam, Cocoyam, Cocoa, Citrus, Pineapple, Local Pear, Plantain, Banana, Bitter cola, Pawpaw, Timber, Mango, Melon, Gmelina Abora, Ginger, Bamboo, Raffia Palm,.

ANAMBRA STATE  

MINERAL RAW MATERIALS:
Natural gas, Petroleum, Kaolin, Pyrite, Lignite.

AGRO RAW MATERIALS:

Maize, Rice, Pigeon pea, Yam, Beans, Cassava, Melon, Palm produce, Poultry, Livestock, Sweet potato, Kolanut, Castor oil seed, Plantain, Banana, Mango, Citrus, Piggery, Potato, Fruits, Cocoyam, Rabbitery, Fishery.

EBONYI STATE
Mineral Raw Materials:
Lead/Zinc, Salt, Limestone, Ball Clay, Gypsum, Granite, Brine, Marble, Shale, Pyrite, Flourspar, Laterite, Bentonite, Quartz.

Agro Raw Materials:
Maize, Rice, Yam, Sweet Potato, Palm Produce, Banana, Mango, Cassava, Melon, Plantain, Citrus, Cocoyam, Fishery, Vegetables, Cocoa, Groundnut, Okro, Pepper, Pear, Tomato, Pigeon Pea, Kolanut, Timber, Piggery, Poultry, Cashew, Yam, Castor Seed, Cowpea.

ENUGU STATE

MINERAL RAW MATERIALS:
Lateritic clay, Crude oil, Kaolin, Ball clay, Iron- ore, Gypsum, Coal, Silica sand,  Pyrite. 


IMO STATE

MINERAL RAW MATERIALS:

Natural gas, Kaolin, Laterite, Sand, Limestone, Gypsum, Silica sand, [b]Petroleum, Lead/Zinc, Lignite, Bentonite.
AGRO RAW MATERIALS:

Cassava, Palm produce, Citrus, Groundnut, Yam, Rubber, Livestock, Vegetables, Fruits.

http://www.rmrdc.gov.ng/dist_of_rawmat.htm

Debosky,

Do you forget that Abia and Imo are oil-producing and oil significant reserves are present in Anambra and Enugu? When necessary, these states can develop their own oil and gas-based power plants with their own oil. Believe me, the Igbo are only now lazy technologically because other Nigerians are. Every one else depends on oil, so why not the Igbo?

Plans are afoot regarding cool exploitation. Pretty soon Mohadana/Dimka will see that Igbos have natural resources beyond oil.

Port Harcourt: A Paradise Lost  


Contributed by Reuben Abati
   
It is so sad to witness once again the fall of a city that was once known as the Garden City. In Port Harcourt, we are witnessing a version of the fall of man and the fall of a city. Paradise is lost. The Garden has been defiled. It is desolate. Beauty has given way to ugliness. The fall began with the politicians who allowed the city to gone to seed; that failure is now being compounded by those whose inward state of mind has been overtaken by "high passions, anger, hate/mistrust, suspicion, discord, "
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/reuben-abati/port-harcourt-a-paradise-lost.html

Azazi, Okiro swing into action in PH
,  Soldiers, policemen beef up security




Soldiers and policemen have taken up strategic points in and around Port Harcourt city as the authorities intensify efforts to restore law and order to the troubled oil rich state afflicted by what some fear may lead to a total break down of law and order if utmost care is not taken.
Already, frightened residents have started calling for a state of emergency even as President Umaru Yar' Adua moves in to take charge of the situation.
At the weekend, President Yar' Adua despatched the Chief of Defence Staff, General Andrew Owoye Azazi and the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro to Port Harcourt with strict orders.
They are not to return to their bases in Abuja until they have quelled the uprising in Port Harcourt.
Correspondents of the Telegraph who went round the city report that security agents were on patrol in most parts of the state capital.
Commuters who venture unto the streets, according to what we have heard are being made to raise their hands above their head as if in surrender by stern-looking, but friendly operatives armed to the teeth.
Residents have been under siege since last week with more than ten persons gunned down in battles between rival gangs.
At least the police have confirmed the death of ten citizens in the gang-related violence, according to Saharareporters, and internet based news outfit.
Friday, a top security meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja in the evening.
The said meeting presided by Yar' Adua had in attendance Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
Also in attendance was the new Director-General of the State Security Service, Mr. Afakriya A. Gadzama.
Before the meeting, the presidency had received several representations from anxious Rivers people worried by the situation in their backyard.
Most had in actual fact called for the declaration of a state of emergency, saying only the Federal might could solve the problem that had forced residents to remain indoors.
We have also gathered that President Yar' Adua had similarly as the C-in-C received security briefs which urged immediate intervention in order to avert further deterioration of the situation in the oil-rich state.
It was obvious that the government on ground - the Rivers State government - had no possible solution to the problem.
Sources revealed that the President at the meeting described the situation in Port Harcourt as unacceptable, directing General Azazi and Mr Okiro to proceed to the city immediately.
Both security and defence chiefs have already arrived Port Harcourt, "to take charge of all security situation".
General Azazi and his police counterpart, Ag. Inspector General Mike Okiro entered into a closed door meeting with security chiefs in the State on arrival.
A military source explained afterwards the top brass had reviewed the security situation and put a workable plan on the table.
By Sunday, security operatives were every where, their watchful eyes trailing motorists and commuters alike.
Bike riders were made to come off their bikes and to drag them along as they passed security checks.
In the last one week, bikes have been freely used in the urban guerilla raids of the militants, with most residents hoping the authorities would completely ban the use of the bikes popularly known as 'Okada'.
In the meantime, Azazi and Okiro have taken over command here and a combined force comprising the army, navy, airforce and police have been put together.
There were fears last night the militants could probably plan another attack on the city.
Somehow, the presence of so many armed security operatives in the neighbourhood is raising hope among frightened residents shocked to the marrow by the calibre of guns paraded by militants.
How long Azazi and Okiro would remain in Port Harcourt would be determined by how effectively they bring an end to the street violence
The President had pointedly told them, from what we understand, to: "go to Port Harcourt and bring down the violence immediately and also resolve all the issues precipitating the violence."
The implication is that the two security chiefs charged with the task might equally set up a machinery to gather more facts about the Rivers cult problem. Port Harcourt is central to the operation of the oil and gas industry. As at the last count, so many foreigners working and doing business have relocated out of fear that they may be kidnapped.
In Europe and the United States, there are strong suspicions among their governments that desperate and well-placed politicians who would stop at nothing to secure unfair advantages over opponents and milk the governments of the Niger Delta might be the ones behind the new arms regime in the region. Western governments wonder why kidnappers have not faced arrest, and marvel as a result of the claims often made that the hostages takers did not collect ransom.
Many Rivers people hope Azazi and Okiro would get down to the root of the problem; hope they would be open and dispassionate about they do with information that they gather; and hope they would be able to quell the disturbances for and for all. But they curse the last eight years of violence and terror that have become and curse the inability of government to find a long lasting solution to the incessant killings and street battles that make Port Harcourt unsafe.

http://www.thephctelegraph.com/stories/010807/1308news_02.html

Fraud uncovered at Government House
, Who purchased used cars under the guise of new ones?




A massive scam to extort millions of naira from the coffers of the State Government has been uncovered at Government House, Port Harcourt
According to information reaching the Telegraph, the scam was discovered after most of the cars acquired by the government believed to be new were found to be old cars that were re-branded by those who handled the purchase.
http://www.thephctelegraph.com/stories/010807/1308news_01.html

dimka:

Imo and Abia the poorest state (sic) in nigeria.Abia and Imo is not part of niger delta.NIGER DELTA IS SOUTH-SOUTH.

Buhahah. Ignorance is a big disease. Go check out Central Bank of Nigeria's data for poverty levels in Nigeria in 2006. You will receive the shock of your life.

When will this idiot write correctly. Common application of is and are in sentences are beyond him. What an excellent  representative of the Ijaw tribe.

So Edo state (number 6 in the above map) is also landlocked? I never knew this. State creation has made and marred many things. What an upset.

No mind me jare. I talk as if being landlocked is a ticket to poverty and merely been coastal a ticket to bliss.

Denex,

I see you do not pay attention to my posts with respect to oil. FYI, I do not believe in Nigerian oil. I have not benefitted from it, despite coming from a place that produces oil. I do not care about it. What I do here (this thread) is to merely carry out an academic exercise with no practical implications for me. In case you do not know, Imo River has nothing to do with the present Imo state. Imo River is in Abia state. This is different from Urashi river. Now look in the map and tell me if the current Edo state (not old Bendel), for instance, is more qualfied to be classified as ND than Imo state

Thanks Ono.

Do you equate Niger Delta with Coastal states or oil-producing states? My question was more from a political perspective than from Geography. In that case, based on Obasanjo's clasification (politics), Abia is a ND state. Now, geographically speaking, where does the delta of River Niger start from? Are you familiar with Oguta and the Orashi River (I am but want to hear from you)? If so,  is the Orashi river extending from Oguta (Imo) to the Orashi region (Ogba-Egbeme, Ndoni) of Rivers state an off-shoot (delta) of the river Niger? 

By virtue of location to the Niger Delta (please look in a map of Nigeria), between Imo and Abia on one hand, and Ondo, Edo, Cross River and Akwa Ibom on the other, which does the name Niger Delta state befit more?

Granted that some states (Ondo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and probably Abia) may not be in the ND, geographically speaking, IMO state is, based on the deltaic description of River Orashi.

Thirty-five fully armoured vehicles valued at $2.6-million (N332.8-million) are due to be delivered to top politicians, bankers and businessmen in Lagos, the nation’s capital territory, Abuja and Port Harcourt, in the next 120 days.

The prices of the 35 vehicles, according to Ronald Kimball, chief executive officer of Texas Armoring Corporation, a United States-based company, range between $70,000 (N8.96 million) and $75,000 (N9.6 million) each.

Kimball said the company was "doing amazingly well having armoured and shipped more than 150 bullet-proof cars to clients in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt in the past two years."

Though he refused to name top Nigerians who had ordered the 35 new armoured vehicles, he, however, disclosed that the company’s clients in Nigeria included the top echelon of society.

"I think you must know by now that I cannot divulge the names of our clients. However, I can tell you that the managing director of one of the largest banks in Lagos is one of our major clients as well as the managing director of one of the largest engineering firms in Port Harcourt and the managing director of one of the major construction firms in Port Harcourt."

He noted that "many of the vehicles have been for political candidates in Abuja , bankers and major oil companies in Lagos , and as mentioned above major engineering firms and construction companies in Port Harcourt.

Kimball named his first client in Nigeria a native of Imo State, adding that "since that date in 1984 many others with similar needs have purchased armoured vehicles for their protection from assaults, kidnapping and assassination attempts."
http://www.businessdayonline.com/?c=45&a=15408

@ Last contributor,

Why are you grunting? Some kind of guilty conscience, seeing that you appear to be one of them?

If only Laudate will be man or woman enough to state his/her ethnic group so that discussions like this can be put in perspective. But I guess he/she will not, because there certainly will be something popping up sooner. Talk about tying up loose ends.

Ono,

Can someone from an oil-producing community in Abia state be said to belong to the Niger Delta too? I ask just to be sure I am making an ono-compliant claim that I am also a Niger Deltan.

More troubles for Dangote
By Our Reporter - 12.08.2007

There seems to be no respite for Alhaji Aliko Dangote, after losing out in the multi-million naira refinery sale deal.

Feelers from the Presidency recently showed that the multi-millionaire is heading for more trouble as the Federal Government is now beaming its searchlight on his activities in the business sector.


In fact, Presidency sources said that Alhaji Dangote’s business transactions, especially the series of waivers granted him by the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which was said to have run into several billions of dollars, has attracted the attention of government.


The Yar’Adua govern-ment, the sources said, was determined to go to the root of why these waivers were granted and what Nigeria benefited from the concessions given.


Another problem which Dangote is now facing with the Federal Government was the withdrawal of his uncle’s jetty by the Presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.


The jetty was allegedly said to have been forcefully collected by the then Federal Government from Usman Dantata and given to Alhaji Dangote and that the Presidency has now decided to right the wrong.


Alhaji Dangote was invited to Aso Rock last week where he allegedly faced presidency officials and was asked to prepare his defence for these transactions.


According to the sources, Alhaji Dangote reportedly rushed to Ota Farm where he met a brick wall in former President Olusegun Obasanjo who was said to have advised his now former friend to go and explain his position to the government.


Afraid that his business empire was being threatened, Sunday Tribune learnt that from Ota Farm, Alhaji Dangote flew in his private jet to Minna to solicit the support of former Military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.


Dangote was said to have arrived Minna Airport at about 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday and had a private audience with General Babangida which lasted close to three hours before leaving the Niger State Capital.


Sunday Tribune sources which were privy to the discussions said, though General Babangida appre-ciated the problem his guest was into, the former President tactically refused to intercede between the business mogul and President Yar’adua because of an existing agreement that the new Nigerian leader be given a free hand to run the country.


However, Minna Uphill sources said that what actually annoyed General Babangida and made him to resolve not to mediate in the unfolding face-off was because of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s failure to call on IBB either personally or by proxy throughout the eight years of Obasanjo’s rule.


Why is it that it is now that he is in trouble that he knows the road to Minna, an uphill source reportedly quoted General Babangida as telling a close friend.


Efforts by Sunday Tribune to get Alhaji Dangote’s comment either in Lagos or Abuja proved abortive.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/12082007/news/news4.html

dangote in fresh trouble

What a grammatical construction. This Zero articulation should go to the Guiness Book of Records. I feel sleepy

Paw-Paw:

@Xris74
You are the biggest shit carrier in america and its obvious. There's no topic where you don't denigrate Nigeria. What is your problem with Nigeria? I will send you money to return home and give you employment when you get here. Olodo mumu boy.

How can a mere clerk with the Central Bank possibly employ a PhD holder in Biotechnology? You should only qualify as my tea boy after a rigorous interview with my dog.

As for our country, we (like minds) will continue to criticise until things are done properly. If ever you are oppportune to travel out of Oshodi (your niche since birth) to other parts of the world where things are run as they should, then you will appreciate the need to criticise when necesary.

In recent times, Nigerians have been fed with the ugly events in the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR), a department in the Petroleum Ministry where oil blocks have been sold behind closed doors against the established rules and procedures. A case in point is the Addax/Starcrest deal which has caused a lot of ripples in the Petroleum Ministry. However, the Addax/Starcrest transaction is only a small part of the corruption that riddled the oil industry under the stewardship of President Obasanjo who was in charge of the ministry during the better part of his administration.

Investigations by The Times of Nigeria show that money was siphoned from the country by President Obasanjo and his cronies directly from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).




The sum of $1 billion dollars was through NNPC-NAPIMS and the Central Bank of Nigeria for payment of non existent cash call. Also, over $130 million dollars of interest generated from $650 million dollars was illegally transferred out of NNPC joint venture account with J.P. Morgan Chase account in New York. Furthermore, another diversion of over $4.5 billion revenue by Ministry of Petroleum Resources through production of crude oil in excess of approved OPEC quota between 1999 and 2002.


The Federal Government of Nigeria maintains a dedicated account for defraying the cost of producing crude oil in the country. This account is called Joint Venture Cash Call Account and is maintained specifically to pay the Joint Venture Companies (JVCs) for the cost incurred in respect of the equity crude due to the federation. Based on budgets agreed between Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the JVC, the National Assembly appropriates funds annually to suit the requirement of the industry. Between 1999 and 2002, the Joint Venture Cash Call Account (JVCCA) was maintained with Chase Manhattan Bank which later changed its name to J.P. Morgan

http://www.thetimesofnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2458&PHPSESSID=f35850022d532ef30af58c809cd16fd8

Some beggars do have a choice.