Atiku is finished

By

Phil Tam-Al Alalibo

Atiku Abubakar, in his autobiography had told the nation that he made his money by investing rent payments made by his tenants into more real estate and eventually branching out to other spheres of business. With such juicy windfall, we were told, the vice president was able to build a world-class university, own several multi-million dollar business companies across Africa and buy a $1.8 million mansion in the 12^th richest neighborhood in the United States , Potomac , Maryland .  While this is a hardly convincing thesis for a former custom officer whose official salary never exceeded $10,000 per annum, it appears that Nigerians are beginning to have a better understanding of the man they call their vice president.

The recent indictment of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has now corroborated what the EFCC has been saying all along that Atiku is as corrupt as they come and indeed guilty of financial crimes and embezzlement. No one believed the EFCC then; they called it a political investigation and dismissed it as irelevant exalting the vice president as above board. His camp has been saying that this is part of the president’s witch-hunt to stop their man from contesting the presidential elections. They have pointed to Obasanjo’s corruption and fraudulent enrichment and diversion of public funds to buy equipments for his farm. But the sad news for Atiku is that he cannot chuck this up to politics, this is indeed based on evidence that was not concocted by his political enemies.

The findings of the committee are very clear and spelt out in language that even Atiku and his men would understand;

"That his Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of the Federal R epublic of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, abused his office by aiding and abetting the diversion of public funds in the sums of $125 million and$20 million respectively approved for specific projects to deposits in banks, some of which were fraudulently converted as loans to NDTV, Mofas Shipping Company Limited and Transvari Services Limited and should be sanctioned for any offences disclosed."

In essence, Atiku is being accused of aiding and abetting the diversion of public funds to the tune of $145 million that were approved for special projects to be deposited in banks. But instead, what the Victor Ndoma-Egba led committee found was that the second citizen of the land diverted the said funds in the form of low-interest loans to his cronies and business partners such as Mike Adenuga all of who have been leeching on the Nigerian state. The report stated that Atiku converted the funds as loans to NDTV, Mofas Shipping Company Limited and Transvari Limited, all either own by Atiku (by proxy) or owned by his friends.

This is a hard blow to the vice president who all along had stated his innocence. Indeed, he was gaining public sympathy and credibility as a cleaner politician before this revelation. It's was not that we thought he was pristine, but rather more guarded in his rapacity. But I am afraid, Atiku, with this august revelation is a finished man for all intensive purposes. Even if he is able to wiggle his way out of this, which is very doubtful, he would be tainted for life; it is a political blow he would never recover from. How would he defend himself against such damaging allegation? How would he find his way out of this quagmire? Would he tell us that those loans were made out of the never ending rent payments made by his tenants?  In fact, based on this he can be impeached and once impeached, he would be arrested and tried for corruption.

It is unfortunate that Nigerians are only now beginning to discover what many have known about for years– that Atiku and Obasanjo are sewn from the same cloth; birds of the same feather that until recently flocked happily together. If Atiku has been accused of corruption, it means that Obasanjo is more corrupt. It also means that Obasanjo’s role in this should also be investigated thoroughly with a view of prosecuting him once he leaves office. Indeed, with such revelation, the committee should dig deeper into Atiku’s financial dealings and his role in the privatization of public agencies. For we know that most of the companies sold were bought by the vice president at a fraction of their actual value. Those not bought by him were offered to his business partners for very cheap.

It appears that it’s all coming back to hunt the vice president; this indictment confirms the fact that Atiku would not be any different from Obasanjo should he become the president of Nigeria . He would simply mismanage and siphon funds as witnessed in the committee’s findings. If we may ask, what vision does Atiku have for Nigeria ? He says he would create a ministry for the Niger Delta – this is indeed laughable and belies his dearth of experience and understanding of the problems and issues of the people of the Niger Delta. Someone should tell Atiku that the problem of the Niger Delta has since surpassed the building of roads and hospitals; it is a philosophical one, a struggle that certainly cannot be solved by a minister sitting in Abuja trying to remotely rectify the injustices melted out to these people in the last fifty years.

I submit that by this finding, Atiku has become a finished man; he should forget the presidency of Nigeria and just retire to his village in Adamawa. What does he want in Aso Rock, the diversion of more oil funds? Even before now, the odds were stacked heavily against him not so much for his run-ins with his boss, but for his palpable lack of leadership. Atiku cannot lead Nigeria with what we know of him. He is part of the problem and not the solution. He cannot now begin to separate himself from the failures of this administration when he was and remains one of the chief architects of such failure. The man simply does not have the temerity and certainly not the moral grounds to become the president of Nigeria .

While the committee should be commended for its objective work, it should not end with the revelation of Atiku’s skeletons. It should finish the job by probing further and revealing the shady deals and corruption of the president. It is not fair to accuse the vice president of corruption when Obasanjo is guiltier of the same and has squandered far more than Atiku is being accused of squandering. But on Atiku's part, if he has any shred of decorum and decency left, if he has any honor, any self-respect, this is the time to claim it by taking the high road and offering his resignation. But before he does so, he must and should account for every penny he is accused of misdirecting. He should then be tried before a competent court of law and if found guilty, be sentenced to the fullest extent allowable under Nigerian law. As our elders say, when the wind blows everyone would have an opportunity to see the bottom of the fowl. The wind has blown in Atiku’s direction and we have seen what manner of man he truly is. But a bigger question is; when will the wind blow in Obasanjo's direction? We are waiting.   

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Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 01.03.2007 23:14

EyesWideOpen  Villager

# 2 This is a hard blow to the vice president who all along had stated his innocence. Indeed, he was gaining public sympathy and credibility as a cleaner politician before this revelation Dear Phil....feel free to correct me if i am wrong. Atiku has NEVER claimed innocence as you state. He has only ever stated that : 1. OBJ stole as well 2. He didnt feel anyone had the right according to law (immunity et al) to challenge or accuse him 3. The so called PTDF money has been returned. He has never said he did not steal, rather by his actions and responses he has ALWAYS indicated that while he stole, he felt it was unfair for OBJ's own offences to be ignored and for OBJ to be accusing him..... a stand many nigerians seem to approve of ie instead of catching one thief lets leave all of them free to keep stealing since we cant catch them all!. Personally, i have never been able to understand this logic. You only break a house down by chipping at it in bits, in the absence of a big enough instrument that will destroy the entire house at one go. I am neither pro OBJ nor Atiku but my question still remains to the NVS...can someone tell me what it is atiku promises to do for nigeria if we vote him in? I cannot understand why its so hard for us to focus on important issues and actually listen..It makes me wonder if we will ever get out of this mess. Someone offered in another thread that Yaradua has nothing to offer either. Now i regard that response as silly because i am not asking for anyones perception of what has been said . I may not beleive what yaradua says , but thats my opinion, at least he is saying something and i can judge him based on what he is saying and if i beleive it. I am asking a simple question about atiku. What has Atiku been saying?. Has he ever said he didnt steal, and has he bothered to tell us why we should vote for him. Please answer me someone. Ever listening, Reading and watching Posted by EyesWideOpen| 02.03.2007 02:51

EyesWideOpen  Villager

# 3 This is a hard blow to the vice president who all along had stated his innocence. Indeed, he was gaining public sympathy and credibility as a cleaner politician before this revelation Dear Phil....feel free to correct me if i am wrong. Atiku has NEVER claimed innocence as you state. He has only ever stated that : 1. OBJ stole as well 2. He didnt feel anyone had the right according to law (immunity et al) to challenge or accuse him 3. The so called PTDF money has been returned. He has never said he did not steal, rather by his actions and responses he has ALWAYS indicated that while he stole, he felt it was unfair for OBJ's own offences to be ignored and for OBJ to be accusing him..... a stand many nigerians seem to approve of ie instead of catching one thief lets leave all of them free to keep stealing since we cant catch them all!. Personally, i have never been able to understand this logic. You only break a house down by chipping at it in bits, in the absence of a big enough instrument that will destroy the entire house at one go. I am neither pro OBJ nor Atiku but my question still remains to the NVS...can someone tell me what it is atiku promises to do for nigeria if we vote him in? I cannot understand why its so hard for us to focus on important issues and actually listen..It makes me wonder if we will ever get out of this mess. Someone offered in another thread that Yaradua has nothing to offer either. Now i regard that response as silly because i am not asking for anyones perception of what has been said . I may not beleive what yaradua says , but thats my opinion, at least he is saying something and i can judge him based on what he is saying and if i beleive it. I am asking a simple question about atiku. What has Atiku been saying?. Has he ever said he didnt steal, and has he bothered to tell us why we should vote for him. Please answer me someone. Ever listening, Reading and watching Posted by EyesWideOpen| 02.03.2007 02:53

Kabikala  Villager

# 4 Mr. Phil, I am fascinated by your amazing discovery that Atiku is afterall a fradulent person based on the findings of the Senate PTDF Committee. I think you are an intellectual and Nigeria is fortunate to have people like you. However, I don't know why I have this feeling that you have already made up your mind about him even before the committee brought out a report. According to you, Atiku is a criminal, he will loot whatever remains of this country if he is allowed to rule. He is finished. Everyone knows he is unintelligent and has no capacity to generate the kind of ideas that will move this country forward. And so on, and so forth You are very much entitled to hold all the views you canvassed. Except that, even with all these, Atiku should be allowed to contest. If anyone thinks he is not eligible, let him "approach the bench" and let the courts pronounce his guilt or otherwise. Who are you to decide for everyone else whether they will still want this criminal to be their President? Has a criminal never ruled Nigeria? You cannot decide for 140 million people. Let the votes count! I still can't understand why anyone will be afraid that Atiku may win the election when his arch-enemy has the INEC, Police and all the money in this country at his disposal. Unless they are afraid of him winning a free and fair election and they don't want to take any chances. Posted by Kabikala| 02.03.2007 03:03

Correct Bobo  Villager

# 5 =Kabikala;158487>Mr. Phil, I am fascinated by your amazing discovery that Atiku is afterall a fradulent person based on the findings of the Senate PTDF Committee. I think you are an intellectual and Nigeria is fortunate to have people like you. However, I don't know why I have this feeling that you have already made up your mind about him even before the committee brought out a report. According to you, Atiku is a criminal, he will loot whatever remains of this country if he is allowed to rule. He is finished. Everyone knows he is unintelligent and has no capacity to generate the kind of ideas that will move this country forward. And so on, and so forth You are very much entitled to hold all the views you canvassed. Except that, even with all these, Atiku should be allowed to contest. If anyone thinks he is not eligible, let him "approach the bench" and let the courts pronounce his guilt or otherwise. Who are you to decide for everyone else whether they will still want this criminal to be their President? Has a criminal never ruled Nigeria? You cannot decide for 140 million people. Let the votes count! I still can't understand why anyone will be afraid that Atiku may win the election when his arch-enemy has the INEC, Police and all the money in this country at his disposal. Unless they are afraid of him winning a free and fair election and they don't want to take any chances. Nice one. I am with you on this. Posted by Correct Bobo| 02.03.2007 03:43

ladynanfah  JJC

# 6 Phil, I appreciate the fact that you really want Atiku to be booked for corruption. However, I think that you should find time to reflect on these : - If all the allegations against VP are true, then give room for the courts to find him guilty; - The best "court" for now that has no appeal is the over 140 million citizens who have the right to choose to be led by a "corrupt man" they very well know instead of an "angel" imposed on them; - Could VP be as currupt as the allegations claim and OBJ stays unaware? See you. Posted by ladynanfah| 02.03.2007 06:27

ELAWALO  Villager

# 7 Dear all In view of the unfolding election drama back home. I conclude that "ATIKU" is a political liability. Another emerging fact begetting a question is How will he contest an election when his picture will not be on the ballot paper? I would like to know how he will scale all the legal hurdles ahead.....?? Posted by ELAWALO| 02.03.2007 06:36

ikechukwu  Villager

# 8 It is because obj is not interested in a free and fair election that is the reason all these altercations are going on. He knows his rigger in chief for 2003 election (Atiku) can mess him up so he is not leaving anything to chance by making sure that Atiku never contest election in the first place. Now the issue is this, if we all believe and know the election will be fair, both obj and Atiku must be packing there loads by now, but the point is nobody believes so. The election is not going to be fair, so touts like obj and Atiku have taken the central stage because our election or politics here is turning to a criminal game. Imagine the situation in Nigeria, in fact Im confused, where there are intelligent people(or so i thought), people who can think from left to right have now been turned ,helplessly into either taken obj's candidate or Atiku's presidency. This is alarming! Factories,mostly, have all but closed down in the last eight years sending respectable people who , are otherwise factory workers, into grinding and despicable poverty, yet people who caused this are still assuring themselves that they must come back. Despite all the much talked about reforms the power situation in the country has totally collapsed and nobody is bothered. Instead,people who caused this are still insisting that they must install there fellow criminals to replace them, and what do we read, we read fellow nigerians writing glowingly about them. THis is a strange country I must confess. Since 1999, Nigeria has enjoyed un quantifiable blessings from God in terms of the crude oil price, sometimes selling above 70 dollar per barrel, yet what do you see of the state of federal and state infracstructures,DEATH.To even add insult upon injury the man who can not account for the huge money he has made is now touting anti-corruption and nobody is asking questions. Just walk along the major streets, you can cut through poverty, but all the money that was made can not be accounted for. Yet this same man is still saying he must install a puppet of his, and I say for what, TO CONTINUE THE REFORMS? I have come to one realization in this country if that election goes on as being rigged as it has been planned, then it is either Nigeria is a forgotten country or Nigerians have gone heplessly mad. This is a strange country Posted by ikechukwu| 02.03.2007 07:23

planet1899  Villager

# 9 Atiku has been finished for a long time. Nigerians are just now realizing this. The man was finsihed when he threw stones at his boss....a no no in African politics whether right or wrong. Posted by planet1899| 02.03.2007 09:33

bakoso2000  Villager

# 10 Atiku lost whatever is left of any claim to integrity when he continued to cling to his office instead of giving satisfactory explanations on the source of his stupendious riches. He shoud have resigned honorably and proceed to prove his innocence. Just as his riches and how he came about them defy logic, his "Obasanjo stole too" explanation, insults our intelligence and gave him off as an arrogant simpleton. Posted by bakoso2000| 02.03.2007 13:20

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