It appears that not even a recent two-week repose in the United States has spared Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the incessant onslaught initiated by his many detractors in the federal government. From all indications, these are not the best of times for the number two citizen of the land as the omnipresent (as in his case) long and bloody knives are once again waved dangerously by the tormenting hands in search of the fatal jab. For this Adamawa native, his troubles are many, assuming new and intriguing dimensions daily and seemingly intractable, not the least of which is the recent reported arrest of his business associate, Chief Otunba Mike Adenuga, Globacom chairman and the raiding of a commercial bank in Lagos in search of his accounts. As expected, the Atiku camp is interpreting these activities as an attempt by the presidency to frustrate his presidential bid.

While this is not far from the truth, there is something to be said about the timing of these forays into the VP's financial dealings coming on the heels of the recent publication of his autobiography "Atiku: The Story of Atiku Abubakar", on how he made his millions. The federal government is trying to prove a point that Atiku, like the rest of the praetorian lot, is unscrupulous in his financial dealings and therefore not fit to be commander-in-chief. Atiku has not helped his case and may have perhaps, administered the most potent blow so far with his unconvincing explanation of how he made his millions. The publication of the autobiography at this time may have been due to pressure for him to account for the source of his enormous wealth given his presidential aspirations. But on this score, as on many others, the second democratic vice president of Nigeria has failed wantonly to impress his readers.

The story that appeared on July 8, 2006, in the Daily Independent Online edition reported that Atiku attributed his enormous financial success to the reinvestment of rent collected from the tenants of his properties in Gongola (part of which is now Adamawa) and beyond. The article noted that Atiku took a Federal Staff Housing Loan of N31, 000, which was five times his annual salary and used it judiciously to buy a plot from the defunct Gongola State government, used the same funds to hire a foreman who built a bungalow in adherence to schedule which was rented out immediately to worthy tenants. The article further noted that he reinvested the rent money and bought another plot repeating the same feat with the same profitable results. In the meantime, curiosity continues to loom as to what collateral (if any) was put forward to secure the hefty loan for a custom officer whose annual salary then was only N6000.

With this sound business practice repeated in Kaduna and other parts of the country, Atiku was able to invest in other areas of business such as farming, education, energy, etc, culminating into the immeasurable wealth that has now come to define the vice president as one of the wealthiest men in the country. While he has demonstrated astute entrepreneurship worthy of flattering commendation that would even marvel the best professors at the premier Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania), it is a hard sell that the plowing of rent money into more real estate alone is responsible for his uncountable millions several years later.

Is there more to the story of Atiku Abubakar? We must ask; how much exactly was the rent? Even with the exchange rate of N1 to $3 back then, is it possible that rent collected from tenants living in a small bungalow blossomed into an estimated $1.4 million (USD) used to purchase a mansion in the 12^th richest neighborhood in the US, Potomac, Maryland? We must also ask; is it the same rent money that was used to build the multi-million dollar ABTI-American University in Yola and to purchase other properties and federal government agencies that were privatized, all worth millions of dollars?

In the interest of good ethics and the proper conduct of public officials, it stands to reason that the establishment of ABTI-American University raises an exigent issue, one that is often overlooked in the political calculation; the moral justification for a sitting vice president to establish a university worth millions of dollars. The award of a Nobel Prize is hardly necessary for one to know that this is quite reprobate and contradicts in no small measure every known ethos of rectitude and virtuousness. It brings to fore the acute dearth of mores amongst the ruling class as it demonstrates the insolence and superciliousness with which the leaders have been leading.

Such an act, as commendable as it is in normal circumstances, is indeed an aberration, one that can hardly stand the test of probity and political expediency in a sanitized and civil society. It holds forth that Atiku's explanation of the source of his wealth like his presidential agenda set out for the country is gravely (to put it mildly) devoid of persuasion and belies the mendacious deposition of Nigeria's politicians. Nothing could be more indicative of a maladroit stewardship, the same that has brought the country to its knees.

Of late, the federal government appears to have taken a keen interest in Atiku's questionable role in the privatization scheme of many public agencies and bureaus and the recent investigation by the US FBI into allegations of bribery involving US Congressman Jefferson of Louisiana and other pies that have Atiku's imprint. In truth, the VP is in a tottery position no one should envy for his burden is two-edged amply compounded by his bellicosity with his boss. While on one hand he is a victim of Obasanjo's retributive politics, on the other, he is censurable for his own adverse actions inimical to the prosecution of good governance. As is the case in a corrupt society such as Nigeria where loyalty, not merit, is the ticket to political office, Atiku would have been assured of his place in Aso Rock as the anointed successor to the president were he walking the walk and speaking platitudes. But this is far from the truth as Adamawa is from the ends of the earth and this singular fact seems to capture aptly all that has gone wrong with the Obasanjo-Atiku relationship.

In the Guardian editorial of Friday, July 14, 2006, Dr. Reuben Abati titled his piece "How Far Can Atiku Go?" He noted, "What is going on is a deadly game of power in which the Obasanjo group continues to throw mud at the Vice President."  And there is plenty of mud to be thrown at the vice president who is fighting a battle he cannot win, and this has nothing to do with democracy or the Nigerian people, it is what it is; a personal battle. In recent times, hardly anyone has won a personal battle against the president; not Alamieyeseigha, not Tafa Balogun, not Evans Enwerem, not the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, not the various PDP chairmen, etc, all of whom descended from their high stools like a badly decked pack of cards. Obasanjo with the levers of power at his whim is capable of frustrating the vice president to no ends. And indeed, that is exactly the case as it appears that there is more in store for the number two citizen.

Atiku ought to be very careful as he seeks the highest office in the land. At the same time he should be honest and forthcoming with the Nigerian people if he wants to be considered a serious contender. It is not plausible that the simple "plowing of the rent" is responsible for his wealth today. He must be honest with Nigerians about the true source of his wealth. We know that he is not a saint; we also know that the title, "Saint" is not one of those that can be ascribed to Obasanjo; we know further that no Nigerian leader is a saint; all Nigerians want is truth and honesty from their leaders.

But in fairness and in the interest of equity, the same searchlight ought be beamed on the president for his own corrupt practices, the substantial withdrawal from the foreign reserves to bribe lawmakers to support his failed third term bid, the atrocities in Odi, Benue and many parts of the country that have suffered the wrath of his menacing soldiers. Atiku should not be made an example in the jaundiced war against corruption. What about the thugs, Chris Uba in Anambra and Lamidi Adedibu in Oyo who are growing fat on the peoples' money? What about Babangida? What about Theo Danjuma? What about Jerry Useni, an Abacha crony? What about Joseph Wayas, former senate president? What about one of Wayas' successors, Adolphus Wabara, who reportedly owns a mansion in New York City? What about money-laundering Dariye? In a democracy, the pendulum of justice cannot be tilted in one direction. The drive for equity and justice has to be fair and across the board.

But fairness is not one of the calculations in the federal government's equation as it is looking into Atiku's international financial transactions with unprecedented zest and hawkish precision. It may be more damning for his candidacy if corrupt deals are uncovered in these investigations and that may very well be his waterloo. It is thus, safe to conclude that with all these to contend with, his hopes of governing Nigeria may have dissipated with the northward obfuscated Adamawa wind orchestrated by the same vices that trumpeted him to power. In 1999 and in 2003, the PDP rigged elections brought and maintained him in power. Now, as was in the case of the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo who benefited from the 1979 and 1983 rigged elections and cried foul in 2003 when he was at the losing end, Atiku might have the displeasure of tasting his own medicine as the tide that swept him to power may very well sweep him into political oblivion with another rigged election in his disfavor in 2007.

As the candidates shape up for 2007, it ought to be a curious point that the embattled vice president, who as claimed by his camp, is the frontrunner, is not prosecuting his presidential campaign on his achievements as VP in the last seven years, but on achievements to come in an anticipated presidency. Nowhere on his agenda for the country is there a reference to his achievement(s) while in office. Are there no achievements to speak of? If so, I am afraid, it is nothing but a damning indictment of the failure of leadership, a final statement of insolvency and ungainly stewardship in seven long years at the apex of power.

Robot  Villager

# 1 It appears that not even a recent two-week repose in the Unit...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 22.07.2006 15:22

gwobezentashi  Villager

# 2 What we have witnessed is the shameless hoisting of ego over national agenda, the blatant refusal to set aside puerile egoistic squabbles to lead the country properly. Atiku, as a co-pilot in this troubled flight of opprobrium and ignominy with failure as its prime destination, must accept (along with his boss) full and complete responsibility for the collapse of leadership as he would if it were otherwise. It is not possible for him to disassociate himself from the palpable failures of this administration using as a pretext the cloak of incongruity with the president. In the final analysis, the season for accountability is now and Nigerians must hold both the president and the vice accountable for the unceremonious standing of their country on the precipice of self-obliteration. Atiku is not a co-pilot to the extent that he can only do what is asked of him by the Pilot. The constitutional role of a VP is as a "spare tyre" and even when the President is lost for whatever reason (perhaps from excessive congo shining:wink: ) the VP still needs to be sworn in at the direction of the NASS, whereas a co-pilot can automatically take command without further recourse to any other authority. However to the extent that Atiku was a part of the group that conspired in bringing Obasanjo from jail to the villa, he stands accused of extremely poor judgement. That he has now had to contend with the vindictiveness and humiliation at the hand of the Balogun is the law of karma. We are still awaiting his apology as Awoniyi did for bringing us this man. As per the N31,000 loan which is alleged to be how he has explained the source of his wealth, it is not impossible for him to have become a zillionaire in Nigeria provided he is not suggesting that his zillions came as a natural progression from that first loan. Afterall we know there is no strategic connection between property development and the oil services business which is the most likely source of any serious dough he may have. We know though that it is possible in Nigeria to make millions from government contracts (even today in our due process climate, if in doubt ask RUSAL who stand to make a killing from ALSCON without investing a penny or Transcorp investors or Pentascope:wink: ) if you have access to the people in power like Abiola and Yar Adua among so many others did. How else do we have Mike Adenuga's zillions, Femi Otedola's millions, Orji Kalu's millions, Aliko's zillions and all the rest of dem dem Corporate Nigeria, even the great Pat Utomi was a beneficiary of government forex policy in which people converted their parlours into one branch banks during IBB and Falae's time, does anyone know that Keem was allegedly paid off over $100m to leave UBA when he should have gone to jail etc etc? What I don't buy is this "nudge nudge wink wink" mentality among his detractors that somehow he has stolen money without showing us where the money went missing from. While there is so much derison about Atiku's attempts at explaining his business origins, his boss who is a public officer has not explained the origins of his wealth either and we can see before our very eyes the transformation of his once bankrupt business (the origins of which there has not been any credible explanation either) during a period when the constitution expressly says he is not allowed to engage in business. What may be said for his business(OFN), is that perhaps whomever has been managing it since 1999, should be managing Nigeria so we can see an equally stunning transformation.:wink: How in any case are we supposed to assess anything when we do not know how much these people are worth "kpa kpa"? Now we hear that the American congressman says he did not give Atiku money. Government is busy raiding banks looking for dirt 3 years into this war against him which suggests they are still fishing. Ribadu is ranting like a craze man but is neither arresting and charging enough politicians to court to warrant his decibels. To be fair to Obj, he only accused Atiku of disloyalty if we are to go by his public utterances. It is Atiku's faceless detractors in the diaspora especially on blogs such as this (whom cite sources we cannot verify) that have been calling him corrupt without evidence. They say he sold all the government companies to himself. Well, the man who actually did the selling(Rufai) was promoted for doing such a wonderful job (including Pentascope) and most of the companies were allegedly sold to the President's sympathisers rather than Atiku's anyway and it is the President's signature on everything (allegedly). What all this makes clear anyway is either that the man is clean, his traducers incompetent or that they all chopped together. Which is it? Well, Dariye has already given us a clue and it is amazing how Alamco continues to remain silent when he should be telling the Bayelsa people how much of their money he donated to the PDP and the Obasanjo/Atiku campaign of 2003. As the biblical injunction behoves, let him who has no sin cast the first stone. Aluta! Gwobezentashi Posted by gwobezentashi| 22.07.2006 17:00

chuey

# 3 gwobezentashi are you trying to say that Atiku should be left alone to asend to his rightful position, please come out and say it. And if that is what you are saying then you don't have the interest of your fellow Nigerians at heart. Personally I think there is a politician sitting in office right now that is clean, they all have something to hide from us, and you are right there is no poor politician in Nigeria they all have Millions, "if they didn't when they went in they did when they left" and because a lot of them don't have it going in they need a god farther to help them get there,. Look Nigeria does not need any of the old political candidates playing musical chairs while we watch from the sidelines they all should step aside and allow a completlly new breed to emerge but the pay scale in those offices should be made attractive and a good job discription so they will be kept busy while in session. I think that all new presidential candidates should not be more than 50 years old and a cap should put on the amount of money he or she is allowed to spend through out the campaign. You should not be upset that some people have seen it fit to discredit Atiku, they may have seen some Abacha atributes where he thinks it is his turn to asume the office and since they know him and how he got there the rest of us need to be told and made aware. Alot of us know where and how OBJ made it and if you think back to the last to terms and as far as his firit time he was imposed on us, but I am glad that his cronnies have mad up their minds to expose him and others it will help the voters if they ever let our votes to count. Take heart and let the cards fall where it may. Answer this question "Knowing what you know about these candidates , If given the chance to b in their position how would you behave ? would you become a man or woman who owns millions of dollars when the job only pays a fraction of it ?. Posted by chuey| 22.07.2006 19:27

gwobezentashi  Villager

# 4 @ Chuey gwobezentashi are you trying to say that Atiku should be left alone to asend to his rightful position, please come out and say it. And if that is what you are saying then you don't have the interest of your fellow Nigerians He cannot ascend anywhere unless Nigerians want him to. Leave him alone if you cannot pin anything on him. He has fundamental rights too. There has to be probable cause. You cannot just wake up one morning and start investigating someone unless something is missing and there is reason to believe that he did it. Whom amongst them including the Chief Antagonist can withstand the kind of torchlight in every orifice scrutiny that they are conducting? Are they trying to discredit anyone capable of winning? We have not asked them to choose for us. The law is quite clear on who can run for political office. This war of attrition can not produce the result they are after. This is politics and they are clearly not good at it. E be like na so so gra gra dem de do. Haba! Personally I think there is a politician sitting in office right now that is clean, they all have something to hide from us, and you are right there is no poor politician in Nigeria they all have Millions, "if they didn't when they went in they did when they left" and because a lot of them don't have it going in they need a god farther to help them get there,. Perhaps you mean "Personally I DON'T think there is a politician sitting in office right now that is clean" and you may well be right but someone has to govern us and you can only choose from those who come forward and according to the rules. You cannot conscript a leader nor can you force anyone to vote for anyone. At least that is the law. This is why all these talk of a contrivance of an ING or of excluding people outside the provisions of the constitution is so unbelievable and alien to our constitution but so are the sundry derivatives of the federation account. Look Nigeria does not need any of the old political candidates playing musical chairs while we watch from the sidelines they all should step aside and allow a completlly new breed to emerge but the pay scale in those offices should be made attractive and a good job discription so they will be kept busy while in session. I think that all new presidential candidates should not be more than 50 years old and a cap should put on the amount of money he or she is allowed to spend through out the campaign. Well, you are entitled to your opinion but I will refer you to my comment above. You will have to change the rules to achieve what you desire and that is not feasible in the present circumstances. You should not be upset that some people have seen it fit to discredit Atiku, they may have seen some Abacha atributes where he thinks it is his turn to asume the office and since they know him and how he got there the rest of us need to be told and made aware. That is all propaganda and that is not the role of government agencies to discredit people without evidence or to conduct what looks like a vendetta against a leading member of government at that. Law enforcement is about the rule of law and they must be seen to be acting in its accord. Law enforcement agencies such as EFCC or even the President cannot usurp the power of the people. If the man has committed a crime, there are clearly laid down procedures for investigation and prosecution. Megaphone diplomacy or conviction by unsubstantiated smears is not one of them. Tell us facts, we are not stupid! Have you heard any? 3 years on, they are still digging for dirt? Come on! Alot of us know where and how OBJ made it and if you think back to the last to terms and as far as his firit time he was imposed on us, but I am glad that his cronnies have mad up their minds to expose him and others it will help the voters if they ever let our votes to count. Take heart and let the cards fall where it may. Bully for you. The rest of us do not have uncontroverted facts and that is what counts. We hope one day soon, we will have accountability for what has obtained under this government. Answer this question "Knowing what you know about these candidates , If given the chance to b in their position how would you behave ? would you become a man or woman who owns millions of dollars when the job only pays a fraction of it ?. Thankfully, I already have more than enough. Bottom line is that if you have a decent business or profession, your time in office guarantees that you are set up for good afterwards provided you do not end in disgrace. Look at Okonjo, she can never want for a high flying job again(unless something remarkably out of character happens) or Rufai. She could become the World Bank presido one day if the Americans will concede it to Africans. That is how it should be. In answer to your specific enquiry, I will act true to my conscience and my mandate but am not running for office. So it can only be an academic answer. I hope I have enlightened you. Aluta! Gwobezentashi Posted by gwobezentashi| 23.07.2006 02:20

Dragon

# 5 Phil wrote: _____________________________________________________________________ But in fairness and in the interest of equity, the same searchlight ought be beamed on the president for his own corrupt practices, the substantial withdrawal from the foreign reserves to bribe lawmakers to support his failed third term bid, the atrocities in Odi, Benue and many parts of the country that have suffered the wrath of his menacing soldiers. ____________________________________________________________________ and Gwobenzetashi wrote _____________________________________________________________________ While there is so much derision about Atiku's attempts at explaining his business origins, his boss who is a public officer has not explained the origins of his wealth either and we can see before our very eyes the transformation of his once bankrupt business (the origins of which there has not been any credible explanation either) during a period when the constitution expressly says he is not allowed to engage in business. What may be said for his business (OFN), is that perhaps whomever has been managing it since 1999, should be managing Nigeria so we can see an equally stunning transformation….. ….now we hear that the American congressman says he did not give Atiku money. Government is busy raiding banks looking for dirt 3 years into this war against him which suggests they are still fishing. Ribadu is ranting like a craze man but is neither arresting and charging enough politicians to court to warrant his decibels. To be fair to Obj, he only accused Atiku of disloyalty if we are to go by his public utterances. It is Atiku's faceless detractors in the diaspora especially on blogs such as this (whom cite sources we cannot verify) that have been calling him corrupt without evidence. They say he sold all the government companies to himself. Well, the man who actually did the selling(Rufai) was promoted for doing such a wonderful job (including Pentascope) and most of the companies were allegedly sold to the President's sympathizers rather than Atiku's anyway and it is the President's signature on everything (allegedly). _____________________________________________________________________ Valid observations. What is good for the geese is good for the gander. My take on this war is, with the dexterity and 'lucozade boost energy' dissipated by Mr President to finish off his VP, he will end up either succeeding in turning Atiku to a political vegetable or making the Atiku a hero he does not want to be in the end. With the latest pronouncement from Jefferson’s senior attorney, one cannot be far from the truth. That a high ranking Nigerian government official had a clandestine opportunity to make illegal money from that transaction and walked away from it, gives Atiku a smear of dignity and heroism. As for Ribadu, he has gradually transformed himself into a beer palour talkative drunken with power. His recent utterances on previous detention of Gani Fawehinmi and Olusegun Obasanjo as good enough justification to detain just any ‘Nigerian’ smacks of “area boy mentality”. I have been waiting for Gani himself to respond to this ‘lawyer turned cop’ and I believe he is taking his time to do so. Ribadu failed to delve into history and educate us if any detention of Gani and the President were constitutionally legal or the tinderbox of power drunk agencies and mechanisms of previous governments. With each public statement he makes nowadays, he appears to be losing public respect. He is like the snake dancing to the charmer’s tune. I just read what his boys are doing in Adamawa clinically investigating Boni Haruna’s link to the success of the recent ACD political rally and I am mortified. Belligerent shame indeed! I think it’s about time Mr President learned to focus on transiting peacefully to a next ‘civilian’ president rather than looking for enemies to fight. You cannot preach reconciliation and at the same time fuelling a war. One unfortunate legacy Mr President has given this country after 8 years in the saddle is the institutionalization of dirty politics; one that is bedridden with blackmail, gross human rights abuses, defiance of rule of law and court orders in civilian governance. These traits were only seen during the days of the military. Unfortunately, at his age, old men don’t learn again on earth. They only learn in the hereafter where it will be too late to say “I am sorry”. Posted by Dragon| 23.07.2006 05:26

chuey

# 6 Gwobezentashi I was taken back with your rapid response to my post this shows that some people are paying attention thanks for the correction I mean to say "there is no candidate in office now that is clean"., this is the first time in twelve years that I have decided to post a comment on any site, but I have been following what has been unfolding in Nigeria. I come from one of the Nigerian Political families that was there in the 79-83' era although I was a teenager I understood everything that happened and we were heavily investigated and some were held in prison for a while but we ended up being one of the few families that was completely cleard, and we have maintained that discipline we did not even try to get involved during the military rule but. Now that the whole world is paying attention to Nigeria and Africa not just as a place to exploit but as a place to have some long term investment we are looking to come back in to help keep it going, but like I said before the political offices need to have a better pay scale where honest people can go in and not need to steal to ensure their living at the standard of living that fits that position. Having said that there is a topic I would like to discuss and that is my sinerio of what is about to happen in 2007. But first I have find out which web site to have that posted let me know which site will get th most response ?. Posted by chuey| 23.07.2006 13:03

Abraxas  Villager

# 7 Hi, folks! In my very humble opinion, a conservative estimate of the probability that a (serving or retired) Nigerian customs officer, police officer, soldier, prison warden, traffic warden, immigration officer, or fireman is abysmally corrupt is very high (i.e. greater than 89%). In other words, my dear fellow Villagers and distinguished visitors to the Square, it is very likely that both His Imperial Majesty General (Messiah) Olusegun Okikiolakan Aremu Mathew Obasanjo (GCFR), and His Excellency Customs Officer (Alhaji) Atiku Abubakar (GCON) were neck-deep in mind-blowing executive corruption even prior to, and beyond when they rigged their way into Aso Rock Villa, Asokoro, Abuja, in 1999. That definitively explains why, despite all his baseless gra-gra, and despite all the shakara (of the OBJ variety), Baba Gbenga has neither got the balls, nor even able to summon the guts to deal decisively with Turakin Adamawa. Muchas gracias. Posted by Abraxas| 23.07.2006 15:30

kane	# 8 Don Juan, I like reading your comments but the way you keep changing fonts drives me crazy and makes you dificult to read. Posted by kane| 24.07.2006 09:11

Newuser  JJC

# 9 =gwobezentashi>Atiku is not a co-pilot to the extent that he can only do what is asked of him by the Pilot. The constitutional role of a VP is as a "spare tyre" and even when the President is lost for whatever reason (perhaps from excessive congo shining:wink: ) the VP still needs to be sworn in at the direction of the NASS, whereas a co-pilot can automatically take command without further recourse to any other authority. However to the extent that Atiku was a part of the group that conspired in bringing Obasanjo from jail to the villa, he stands accused of extremely poor judgement. That he has now had to contend with the vindictiveness and humiliation at the hand of the Balogun is the law of karma. We are still awaiting his apology as Awoniyi did for bringing us this man. As per the N31,000 loan which is alleged to be how he has explained the source of his wealth, it is not impossible for him to have become a zillionaire in Nigeria provided he is not suggesting that his zillions came as a natural progression from that first loan. Afterall we know there is no strategic connection between property development and the oil services business which is the most likely source of any serious dough he may have. We know though that it is possible in Nigeria to make millions from government contracts (even today in our due process climate, if in doubt ask RUSAL who stand to make a killing from ALSCON without investing a penny or Transcorp investors or Pentascope:wink: ) if you have access to the people in power like Abiola and Yar Adua among so many others did. How else do we have Mike Adenuga's zillions, Femi Otedola's millions, Orji Kalu's millions, Aliko's zillions and all the rest of dem dem Corporate Nigeria, even the great Pat Utomi was a beneficiary of government forex policy in which people converted their parlours into one branch banks during IBB and Falae's time, does anyone know that Keem was allegedly paid off over $100m to leave UBA when he should have gone to jail etc etc? What I don't buy is this "nudge nudge wink wink" mentality among his detractors that somehow he has stolen money without showing us where the money went missing from. While there is so much derison about Atiku's attempts at explaining his business origins, his boss who is a public officer has not explained the origins of his wealth either and we can see before our very eyes the transformation of his once bankrupt business (the origins of which there has not been any credible explanation either) during a period when the constitution expressly says he is not allowed to engage in business. What may be said for his business(OFN), is that perhaps whomever has been managing it since 1999, should be managing Nigeria so we can see an equally stunning transformation.:wink: How in any case are we supposed to assess anything when we do not know how much these people are worth "kpa kpa"? Now we hear that the American congressman says he did not give Atiku money. Government is busy raiding banks looking for dirt 3 years into this war against him which suggests they are still fishing. Ribadu is ranting like a craze man but is neither arresting and charging enough politicians to court to warrant his decibels. To be fair to Obj, he only accused Atiku of disloyalty if we are to go by his public utterances. It is Atiku's faceless detractors in the diaspora especially on blogs such as this (whom cite sources we cannot verify) that have been calling him corrupt without evidence. They say he sold all the government companies to himself. Well, the man who actually did the selling(Rufai) was promoted for doing such a wonderful job (including Pentascope) and most of the companies were allegedly sold to the President's sympathisers rather than Atiku's anyway and it is the President's signature on everything (allegedly). What all this makes clear anyway is either that the man is clean, his traducers incompetent or that they all chopped together. Which is it? Well, Dariye has already given us a clue and it is amazing how Alamco continues to remain silent when he should be telling the Bayelsa people how much of their money he donated to the PDP and the Obasanjo/Atiku campaign of 2003. As the biblical injunction behoves, let him who has no sin cast the first stone. Aluta! Gwobezentashi You have spoken so well there is no more to add. Posted by Newuser| 24.07.2006 10:49

gwobezentashi  Villager

# 10 @ Chuey There is no shortage of men, women, teenagers etc of goodwill wanting to join hands (or otherwise doing various positive things) to salvage our country. So welcome aboard. Having said that there is a topic I would like to discuss and that is my sinerio of what is about to happen in 2007. But first I have find out which web site to have that posted let me know which site will get th most response ?. Take your time. NVS is an excellent platform if you were after a recommendation. Some of us do not bother with any others. @ Dragon, I think it’s about time Mr President learned to focus on transiting peacefully to a next ‘civilian’ president rather than looking for enemies to fight. You cannot preach reconciliation and at the same time fuelling a war. One unfortunate legacy Mr President has given this country after 8 years in the saddle is the institutionalization of dirty politics; one that is bedridden with blackmail, gross human rights abuses, defiance of rule of law and court orders in civilian governance. These traits were only seen during the days of the military. Unfortunately, at his age, old men don’t learn again on earth. They only learn in the hereafter where it will be too late to say “I am sorry”. How so very true. This is why we have to prevent the circumstances that would warrant "them" even having to say those “I am sorry” words. Prevention is better than cure! @ New User Thank you. Aluta! Gwobezentashi Posted by gwobezentashi| 24.07.2006 14:11

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