‘Buhari’s officials will end in hell if we expose them for corruption’ – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government was highly corrupt.

Obasanjo disclosed that if Buhari administration was probed, most of its officials will not only go to jail but they will go to hell.

The former president made the claims while featuring on BBC Yoruba, where he was comparing his ex-Vice and 2019 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar with Buhari.

He stated that though Atiku was not a messiah, he would have done far better than President Buhari if given the opportunity.

Speaking in Yoruba, Obasanjo said: The person, Buhari, who signed the Not-too-Young-To-Run bill but ran at the age of 76, is he not too old to be contesting for an elective position?

“What I am saying is that where we are today, our present situation, if you look at those who are there today and our boss, I insist that Atiku will do better than them. Atiku is not an angel, he had offended people including me but he asked for forgiveness and I forgave him due to my religion.

“As a Christain, the God I serve said forgive those who offend you and I did just that. So when he came to me with a Christain and Muslim clergy, begging that i forgive. should I refuse when I’m not God?

“I did not say his past behaviour was not bad but none of us is a complete and whoever feels his complete should come out but what I’m saying is that where we are today Atiku will do better than them if he was given the chance.

“This is not a prophecy. Those in government today, if we expose them, all of them will enter hell; they will not only go to jail. They will go to hell. Whoever that God does not expose his sins to the public is the person whose secret is kept.

“I did not say he will behave like Jesus. I did not say he will behave like Prophet Muhammed, but he will do better, in fact twice better than what we have at present.”

- DAILY POST

Five things Tinubu said on Amotekun

Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, broke his silence on the controversial Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) established by governors of the south-west zone.

The governors established the joint security outfit code-named, Amotekun (Leopard), to tackle insecurity in the region.
But Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, declared the outfit illegal, saying matters of security are the preserve of the federal government.
Malami’s statement sparked off mixed reactions and a chain of controversy.
In his first public statement on the issue, Tinubu said he delayed speaking on the matter because he does not have “the luxury of hasty, ill-conceived utterances”.
Here are the highlights of Tinubu’s statement.

Amotekun not a threat to Nigeria’s unity

Some Amotekun operatives during the launch in Oyo state

Tinubu said the security outfit is a form of ‘neighbourhood watch’ which he himself established to tackle crime when he was the governor of Lagos.
He said the outfit does not pose any threat to Nigeria’s unity.
He said like Amotekun, neighbourhood watch was to complement the efforts of the police and fill in existing performance gap.

“As Governor of Lagos State, I confronted a burgeoning criminal menace. I could not sit idly in the face of the violence and property destruction that struck genuine fear in the hearts of the people. The police tried as best they could; but their coverage was thin. They simply did not have the personnel or material wherewithal to be everywhere at once. We formed Neighbourhood Watch to help fill the gap,” he said.
“Our aim was not to replace existing structures but to complement and augment them. Judging from the public statements of the governors, Amotekun is meant to be structured along similar lines. As I understand it, Amotekun is to be another set of eyes and ears to assist the police. As such, it is but the second generation of Neighbourhood Watch expanded to a regional scale. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with this. It does not appear to insult the constitution.

“Those claiming that this limited, inoffensive addition to security threatens the Republic have taken themselves upon a madcap excursion.
“The fabric of the Republic has not been put at stake by Amotekun. However, that fabric could be torn by the dangerous rhetoric of those who should know better.”

AGF’s declaration of Amotekun illegal hasty

Malami

Tinubu blamed the governors of the south-west region and the AGF for the controversy that has now surrounded the establishment of Amotekun.
According to him, the governors made a mistake by not involving the office of the AGF, while Malami on his part “erred” by “hastily and incorrectly” declaring the outfit illegal.

“The governors state that they consulted regularly with the police and security agencies. This was the right thing to do. However, their failure to include the office of the Attorney-General in these discussions is the fount of the current public uproar. This was an unfortunate omission the governors should regret and seek to remedy. However, the conceptual merits and positive functional aspects of Amotekun should not be tainted by this procedural defect,” he said.
“The Attorney-General acted hastily in rendering a public statement that was more inaccurate than it should have been. Amotekun was never proposed as a “defence” agency; the Attorney-General erred in using this description.

“Seeking to fulfil their mandates by helping protect their people, the governors of the Southwest collectively established a program to buttress existing security mechanisms. Seeking to protect the constitution as best he could, the Attorney-General offered his opinion on what he believed the governors have sought to do. No one can blame either party for seeking to fulfil what they genuinely see as their public duty.”

Amotekun needs correction

While establishing his support for Amotekun, Tinubu said the outfit needed some adjustments before it becomes fully operational.
He said the regional approach to its establishment will undermine its efficiency.

“However, my position regarding Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there are several organisational and functional aspects of the proposal that could cause some problems if left unresolved,” he said.

“Amotekun should have focused on grassroots local organisation at the state level without a regional command hierarchy. The regional approach may undermine efficiency. There is no compelling logic why the same personnel providing security & informational assistance. Some things need to be corrected before Amotekun becomes operational. If not, it will not live up to expectations. Thus, the current formulation of Amotekun is in need of repair before it takes to the road only to quickly slip into a ditch.”

Evolution of Nigeria’s federalism

Some south west governors during the inauguration of Amotekun in Oyo

He also said he sees no malign interest between the federal government and the south-west governors, and that Amotekun is an evolution of Nigeria’s federalism and an opportunity to better define it.
“In this matter, I do not see malign intent in the differences of opinion between the SW Governors as authors of Amotekun and the Attorney-General as the primary law enforcement officer of the Federal Government. Shorn of the overly dramatic language, what lies before us is but a step in the evolution of our federalism. This is an opportunity to more clearly define that federalism; but one cannot attain this better, more functional definition through overblown, emotional language,” he said.

“Objectivity and calmness are required. To a significant degree, the enduring quality of our republic will be established by the sagacity with which we handle disagreements regarding the division of power between federal and state governments. Such disagreements are inevitable. This is not the first. Nor will it be the last. We must devote our energies more toward solving problems rather than amplifying them.”

Dialogue as the way forward

After stating his argument, Tinubu did not delve out of the issue without rendering possible solutions to it.

According to him, a sit-down between the governors and the AGF is the best way to resolve the issue.
He added that as his own way of seeing to the resolution of the dispute, he has initiated a conversation with Rotimi Akerodolu, governor of Ondo who doubles as chairman of the south-west governors’ forum, to “to explore amicable solutions to the avoidable controversy”.

“The best way to resolve this is still for the two sides to enter private discussions. Either the governors should seek an official but private meeting with the Attorney-General, or the Attorney-General can initiate the contact. Since Amotekun is their initiative, the governors bear the greater onus in seeking the meeting,” he said.
“The meeting will initiate further discussion on how to resolve what appears to be a misunderstanding caused by an unfortunate lack of communication. Remedy the gap in communication and the misunderstanding will begin to disappear.

“In trying to help resolve this matter, I have initiated communication with the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, with a view to meeting the South West governors to explore amicable solutions to the avoidable controversy. I am sure that, at the end of it all, peace, security, and progress shall reign in our nation.”

- THECABLE

Transfer: Chelsea goalkeeper leaves as midfielder returns to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have confirmed that their goalkeeper, Jamal Blackman has left the club to join Bristol Rovers on loan until the end of the season.

The Blues also disclosed that midfielder, Lewis Baker, who was a team-mate of Blackman’s last year at Leeds, has returned from his loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Chelsea made this known in a statement on their official website on Wednesday.

The statement read: “Goalkeeper Jamal Blackman will spend the remainder of this season on loan at Bristol Rovers having returned from his loan at Vitesse Arnhem.

“The 26-year-old spent the first half of the season with the Dutch club but his time there was affected by injury.

“He began last season on loan in the Championship at Leeds United but having made two Carabao Cup appearances, he suffered a fractured bone in his leg and returned to Cobham before his summer switch to Vitesse.

“Blackman, who joined Chelsea as an Under-13 and won the FA Youth Cup and the Under-21 league title while in our Academy, has enjoyed success during his time out on loan, including being named Wycombe’s Young Player of the Year and helping Sheffield United to the verge of the Championship play-offs. He also spent time in Sweden.

“His latest club, Bristol Rovers, are 13th in League One, five points below the play-off places.

“Meanwhile, midfielder Lewis Baker, who was team-mate of Blackman’s last year at Leeds, has returned from his loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf.

“The 24-year-old made nine appearances for the Bundesliga club.”

- DAILY POST

Applicant remanded for rape of 9-year old girl

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State has ordered that a 21-year-old applicant, Amos Victor, who allegedly defiled a nine-year-old girl, be remanded in prison pending legal advice.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Magistrate F. A. Azeez, who did not take the plea of the defendant, ordered the police to duplicate the case file and send it to the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

Azeez adjourned the case until March 19, for mention.

The prosecutor, Insp. John Iberedem, was reported to have earlier told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Jan. 17, at about 8:20am at No. 8b, Olubuse St., Igbogbo in Ikorodu.

He said that the defendant unlawfully had canal knowledge of the girl.

According to Iberedem, the offence contravened provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

- PM NEWS

Nigeria drops lower in corruption index, despite Buhari’s campaign

Nigeria continues to wallow in corruption, according to the annual corruption perception index released by Transparency International in Berlin today.

After more than four years of anti-corruption campaign by the Buhari administration, Nigeria was ranked 146th out of the 180 countries surveyed by the group, one of the worst ranking in the last few years. Nigeria was 144th in 2018.

Nigeria’s score of 26 out of 100 points is below the global average of 43. In Africa, countries such as Botswana(61), Cape Verde(60), Rwanda(53), Namibia(52), Senegal(45), South Africa(44( and Tunisia(43) met the average. Benin(41) Ghana(41), Morocco(41), Burkina Faso(40), Lesotho(40), Ethiopia(37), Tanzania(37), Algeria and Egypt(35), Zambia(34), Sierra Leone(33), Niger(32), Malawi(31), Djibouti(30) and Guinea(29) are ranked higher than Nigeria.

Nigeria is ranked higher than Cameroon(25), CAR(25), Comoros(25), Zimbabwe(24), Madagascar(24), Eritrae(23), Chad(20), Equatorial Guinea(16), Guinea Bissau(18) and Somalia, the worst country in the world, with a score of 8 and ranking at 180th.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

How Nigeria fared in Corruption Perception Index

More than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of only 43. Since 2012, only 22 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Estonia, Greece and Guyana. Twenty-one have significantly declined, including Australia, Canada and Nicaragua.

Analysis shows that countries that perform well on the CPI also have stronger enforcement of campaign finance regulations and broader range of political consultation.

Countries where campaign finance regulations are comprehensive and systematically enforced have an average score of 70 on the CPI, whereas countries where such regulations either don’t exist or are poorly enforced score an average of just 34 and 35 respectively.

Sixty per cent of the countries that significantly improved their CPI scores since 2012 also strengthened regulations around campaign donations.

“The lack of real progress against corruption in most countries is disappointing and has profound negative effects on citizens around the world,” said Patricia Moreira, Managing Director of Transparency International. 

“To have any chance of ending corruption and improving peoples’ lives, we must tackle the relationship between politics and big money. All citizens must be represented in decision making.”

Countries with broader and more open consultation processes score an average of 61 on the CPI. By contrast, where there is little to no consultation, the average score is just 32.

A vast majority of countries that significantly decreased their CPI scores since 2012 do not engage the most relevant political, social and business actors in political decision-making.

To reduce corruption and restore trust in politics, Transparency International recommends that governments:

 * Reinforce checks and balances and promote separation of powers.

 *Tackle preferential treatment to ensure budgets and public services aren’t driven by personal

 connections or biased towards special interests;

 * Control political financing to prevent excessive money and influence in politics;

 * Manage conflicts of interest and address “revolving doors”;

 * Regulate lobbying activities by promoting open and meaningful access to decision-making;

 * Strengthen electoral integrity and prevent and sanction misinformation campaigns;

 * Empower citizens and protect activists, whistleblowers and journalists