I have been on record as one of the most ardent advocates for women leadership in Nigeria. In fact, I believe that women are better custodians of the public trust than men could ever boast of, we need not go too far to fetch the evidence of men’s destructive leadership in Nigeria and around the world. In fact, so elated was I that when Mrs. Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson assumed the presidency in Liberia in 2005, I sent her a congratulatory message with the hope that her courage and feat would spur more women across the continent into public office. There is a good reason for this optimism for when women rule, often times, a society is more compassionate to the plight of its masses, and social policies are geared towards the alleviation of poverty and other social ills.

Given their nurturing nature, it has also been proven that women are less prone and indeed more immune (than men) to the corrupt tendencies that often consume their male counterparts. But recent events in Nigeria appear to be diminishing the mass of goodwill that has enveloped women leadership worldwide and any keen observer must not be surprised at these developments for as long as the Nigerian woman is born and bred in the same corrupt environment as the men, we should expect the worst. Nowhere is this more evident than in the senate where Dr. Iyabode Obasanjo-Bello, the first daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, is holding mighty sway. Of late, the news about Iyabo has been anything but encouraging and aware of the tree she fell from we must expect the worst for it is often said that a serpent cannot give birth to a goat. Iyabo’s intransigencies are countless as she has broken every rule there is without earning even a faint rebuke from the senate or the PDP leadership.

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello Wanted in the US for Child Kidnapping

We remember well her public acrimonious divorce from her former husband, Mr. Bello with whom she had a bitter child custody battle that has transformed her into a fugitive in the United States. Iyabo calls her failed marriage the worst decision in her life and hardly talks about it. The accusation levied against her in US court papers is that she kidnapped her son from his father in the US and has disobeyed court order to return the child and pay child support. Iyabo, it is alleged, owes thousands of dollars in child support even as the US authorities await her arrival to advise her of her rights. When all these are added to the accusations recently made by the Action Congress (AC) that she is an ex-convict in the United States having been convicted twice of serious traffic violations, one wonders about the character of this woman who once had an unfettered access to Aso Rock.

In the face of these unpalatable news that ought to have sobered this incorrigible politician and endeared her to migrate to the alter of mercy, we continue to hear more atrocious business deals credited to the former First Daughter of the land, all these occurring at a time her self righteous, I dey kampe father and the quintessential born-again Christian was preaching the EFCC gospel and prosecuting supposed corruption politicians in the name of fighting corruption. Iyabo’s transgressions include; from attempting to circumvent Senate rules that forbids first term senators from contesting for the senate presidency, to muscling her way to becoming the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee to engaging in unwholesome business practices.

70 Million Naira Contract – Iyabo Obasanjo & Sade Omotade

About two years ago, Iyabo, as a candidate for the senate, using her father’s arduous name and connections secured a 70 million naira contract with one Sade Omotade also from Ogun State as a business partner. While there is nothing egregious about such business, at least, at the face value, the avaricious bone in her body took command and propelled her to greedy heights. The net profit that accrued from this contract was 30 million naira and Iyabo rather than sharing this profit according to pre-agreed margins, gave Sade a very paltry sum. But Sade saw her opportunity to get even with Iyabo when another opportunity came, presented by a wealthy Yoruba businessman who wanted a property sold in Abuja. According to reports, that property was sold to a government agency and Sade this time decided to keep the huge commission at a time when Iyabo needed cash to oil her senate campaign. But Iyabo, encouraged by her father’s tenancy in Aso Rock, ran to Ribadu’s EFCC and reported her estranged business partner who rather than confessing, informed the EFCC of the dubious and unscrupulous nature of the former First Daughter.

$5 Billion Power Contract in Jakarta, Indonesia

And long before anyone knew, this epidemiology PhD graduate of Cornell University had been well involved in the many shady deals in the power and oil sectors that are now threatening her father’s freedom. In February 2006, Iyabo traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia, with one mission in mind, to sell 60 oil blocs in far-away Nigeria to the highest bidders who were there in the thousands waiting for the manna to fall from the Niger Delta. This was a deal that would earn her millions of dollars and possibly make her the richest woman in Nigeria and Iyabo had rehearsed well for this blessing that was coming her way. For good measure, while in Jakarta, Iyabo, who was not an official of the federal government at the time, but rather a mere state commissioner for health in Ogun State, contracted PT MEDCO Energy Company to build power stations and railways lines worth $5 billion in Nigeria, a sum well more than the collective budget of all ECOWAS states. This, in spite of the fact that PT MEDCO Energy’s total worth was less than $500 million, ten times less than the value of the deal. Nowhere in the civilized world would such a colossal contract be offered on an ad hoc, no-bid basis and to a company whose networth is far below the contract value. But with the power of the presidency, Iyabo felt she had the authority to singlehandedly oblige Nigeria in such a costly fashion.

N3.5 Billion and Identity Concealment

Only a few months ago, in December 2007, yet again, Iyabo’s corrupt nature consumed the front pages as she appeared unable to keep her hands clean. This time, the divorced mother was accused of impersonating one Mrs. Damilola Akinlawon with the intention of benefiting from a N3.5 billion power project contract, a project that has been reckoned to be part of the grand fraud of $16 billion that was alleged to have been spent on the power sector, a sum capable of generating lasting electricity even in hell, but not able to solve the country’s nagging power supply. Indeed, this was reminiscent of ex-governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s cross-dressing to flee justice in London and as usual, the average Nigerian citizen, the one who usually bears the brunt of fleecing of the country, has come to expect such disgraceful treaties from the nation’s politicians.

Iyabo enticed by the staggering windfall and posing as Mrs. Akinlawon to conceal her true identity, travelled to Austria to put pen to paper on the N3.5 billion contract involving Austrian company M. Schneider GMHB and Co and in the process collect her lion’s share. But the company, uncovering the fraud took the matter to the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France and also petitioned President Yar’Adua and the EFCC on what it called “the fraudulent, corrupt and criminal nature involving Senator (Mrs.) Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello (alias Mrs. Damilola Akinlawon).” Until date, Iyabo is yet to clear her name from such sordid accusations and still shamelessly gallivants the corners of the earth as a senator of the federal republic.

N300 Million Health Ministry Scandal and Iyabo’s Share

Iyabo’s trip of contumacy continued on a rapacious pace and unabated, I might add, with the recent confession of how N10 million part of the Ministry of Health N300million excess budget was spent to bribe members of the health committee of which she is the Chair. It was stated that Iyabo and her colleagues collected N500, 000 each and an all expenses paid seminar in Accra, Ghana which Iyabo and all members of the committee attended with the exception of Senator George Akume (Benue) and Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani ( Enugu), both of whom did not show interest in the trip. The trip sponsored by the disgraced former health minister, Prof. Adenike Grange’s and her ministry, saw Iyabo and her committee members lodging in the exquisite La Palm Royal Hotel in Accra where they enjoyed all the perks a five-star hotel had to offer.

Even as the former health ministers stand trial over the grand sum of N300 million excess budget which was recklessly spent, Iyabo, in the face of palpable commission of fraud remains defiant. Sensing trouble, Obasanjo recently offered his daughter the services of his lawyer and ensured that the leadership of the Senate gives her a clean bill of health which it recently did. With such a dubious character, it is unbelievable that the EFCC continues to treat this woman with kid gloves. The other day, it said the senator was at-large whereas she was up and about everywhere in Abuja. Why is it that the EFCC could not arrest this woman when it could arrest governors from their hiding places and other highly placed citizens of the land?  If there is evidence against Iyabo, she ought to be tried and if found guilty punished to the full extend of the law regardless of her family name. In a most laughable yet ignorant statement, the EFCC stated that as long as Iyabo was physically in the premises of the National Assembly, the law forbids them from arresting her – but does she sleep in her office in the National Assembly? Does she not have a home she returns to at the end of the day and if so, why not arrest her there?

The good citizens of Ogun are hardly convinced of Iyabo’s innocence as she has been anything but exemplary in her political forays having done much to denigrate the good work and public image created by conscientious women such as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Dora Akunyili and Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, to mention but a few. Even members of her constituency are now talking about recalling her from the senate having only succeeded in developing her bank accounts rather than improving the peoples’ lot. A lawyer recently gave her a 7-day ultimatum to resign or be recalled. The salient issues that are hardly explored in these types of discussions are the fact that Iyabo, a highly educated veterinarian doctor from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from Ivy League institution like Cornell University, (not to mention a masters from Univ. of California – Davies) has ignored all ethos of good leadership, probity and accountability and instead dabbled into the ignoble path of greed and avarice just like the Patricia Ettehs and the Adenike Granges of her time. In the final analysis, however, it would serve us all well to remember that after all, Iyabo is an Obasanjo - corrupt in office, reckless in personal life and defiant all the way, the Obasanjo way.

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Author can be reached at alalibo@gmail.com - Article also published @ www.newnigerianpolitics.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 The Many Dirty Deals of Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello By Dr. Phil Tam-Al ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 15.04.2008 18:33

Ednut  Villager

# 2 The good citizens of Ogun are hardly convinced of Iyabo’s innocence as she has been anything but exemplary in her political forays having done much to denigrate the good work and public image created by conscientious women such as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Dora Akunyili and Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, to mention but a few. Even members of her constituency are now talking about recalling her from the senate having only succeeded in developing her bank accounts rather than improving the peoples’ lot. A lawyer recently gave her a 7-day ultimatum to resign or be recalled. The salient issues that are hardly explored in these types of discussions are the fact that Iyabo, a highly educated veterinarian doctor from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from Ivy League institution like Cornell University, (not to mention a masters from Univ. of California – Davies) has ignored all ethos of good leadership, probity and accountability and instead dabbled into the ignoble path of greed and avarice just like the Patricia Ettehs and the Adenike Granges of her time. In the final analysis, however, it would serve us all well to remember that after all, Iyabo is an Obasanjo - corrupt in office, reckless in personal life and defiant all the way, the Obasanjo way. Dr Phil, you care comparing apples and oranges- Igbo women and Yoruba women. Posted by Ednut| 15.04.2008 21:39

Ednut  Villager

# 3 EFCC raids Iyabo Obasanjo’s home By Tobi Soniyi and Oluwole Josiah with agency report Published: Wednesday, 16 Apr 2008 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday raided the Abuja residence of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. A counsel to the senator, Mr. Adebayo Olanipekun, informed an Abuja High Court that the EFCC operatives stormed the senator’s residence in the early hours of Tuesday attempting to force their way in. The senator’s brush with EFCC is as a result of her role in the N300m unspent budget scam in the Federal Ministry of Health which, two weeks ago, led to the resignation of Prof. Adenike Grange and Mr Gabriel Aduku as Minister and Minister of State respectively. Grange, Aduku and nine others are already standing trial over their role in the scam. Until Tuesday when Justice Salisu Garba admitted the accused to bail, they had been in EFCC custody. At the resumed trial of the suspects, Obasanjo-Bello’s lawyer told the court that EFCC’s men collected the mobile phones of her client’s house assistants. He told the court that the anti-graft operatives tried to force their way into the senator’s residence, and in the process harassed her personal staff. He therefore sought the court’s intervention for his client’s protection. Justice Garba declined the court’s intervention but Adenipekun to explore alternative resolutions with EFCC. Counsel to the commission, Mr. James Binang, however sought the court’s leave to amend the charges against Obasanjo-Bello to compel her appearance in court. But the senator has challenged the competence of the commission to arraign her. Her application has been fixed for hearing on April 28. The judge also said that granting Grange and others bail was informed by his conviction that they would not jump bail. Grange and Aduku were granted bail in the sum of N10 million each. Also granted bail in like sum were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Simon Ogandi; the Director of Finance and Administration, H.P Oyedepo; Mr. Hanafi Mohammed, Donald Ekanem, Donatus Iyang, Olomo J.A, Obanla Emmnuel Olatubonsun, Henry Onyeagwalam and Edem Augustine. Justice Garba said, “The application for bail is governed by Section 341<1> of the Criminal Procedure Code which prescribes that the accused persons should not tamper with the investigation and I expect that they would not jump bail. “I also expect that they would not commit any other offence if granted bail, the accused persons have also pledged to do that. “I hereby grant them bail in the sum of N10 million each, with one surety each who must be a very prominent citizen of this country.” He however directed the accused to submit their travelling documents to EFCC and report to the commission’s Director of Operations on the first Monday of every month. Aduku has challenged the competence of the court to try him for commiting ‘no offence known to law’. As at press time, the lawyers were making frantic efforts to meet the bail conditions. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, which is probing activities of the FCT ministry under former President Olusegun Obasanjo may invite the ex-President for questioning over his alleged approval of N6.4bn for the development of satellite towns in the territory. The Senator Abubakar Sodangi-led committee was told on Tuesday how Obasanjo approved the execution of projects whose contracts were allegedly awarded to 10 unregistered companies. The General Manager of the Satellite Development Agency, Mr. Abdullahi Diko, told the committee that the projects were approved by the former President on direct labour basis. The committee observed that a project to be done through direct labour could not have been given out to external bodies costing the government billions of naira. A member of the committee, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, drew the attention of the committee to the fact that the impression given by the direct labour approval suggested that the SDA would use its in-house expertise to execute the job. Diko said the various contracts were at different stages of completion, even though some had collected a greater percentage of their contract fees. A contradiction was also observed in his presentation when he said some of the jobs were at some stages of completion against a document he presented showing that nothing was recorded against their completion status. On how he got approvals for the contracts, Diko said he was acting on an approval conveyed in an earlier memo by former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai to Obasanjo seeking his approval for the projects. el-Rufai’s memo listed the various jobs to be done through direct labour for the development of the satellite towns, with a warning from Obasanjo that el-Rufai should get trusted personnel to monitor the projects. But Diko could not confirm, if besides the approval for the execution of the projects, the funding of the projects went through the due process. He also could not ascertain the genuineness of the various companies that got the contracts. At the request of the committee, the Corporate Affairs Commission wrote to the committee noting that out of the 34 companies working for the SDA, 10 were not registered. CAC’s response, signed by Mrs. E.E. Agwara for the Registrar, read in part, “In line with your request, I am directed to forward to you certified true copies of CTC of forms CO2 and CO7 of 34 companies on your list. “I am also directed to inform you that there is no evidence in our system to show registration of the under-listed companies: “Abuja Investment Company Limited, Comdic Limited, Sky Technical and Construction Company, Sky Technical Engineering Company, Yak International Limited, Nedeco Works and Projects Limited, Kard Associates, Landing Nigeria Limited, Steam Ventures and Icon Resources.” Diko revealed that Sky Technical Engineering Company, which was listed as unregistered by CAC, received a contract of N215million and had collected all the sums with doubts over the completion of its contract. Another company, Sky Technical and Construction Company, got a job of N155 million, but had been paid N148 million of the total. Making his defence in awarding contracts to non-existent companies, Diko said he was not aware that the companies were not registered. He however admitted that his agency ought to have conducted due diligence on the companies. Chairman of the committee, Abubakar Sodangi, noted that the committee would probe further the status of Obasanjo’s approval for the contracts. Meanwhile, the EFCC said on Tuesday that Obasanjo-Bello’s immunity in the Senate has prevented the commission from arresting her over the mismanagement of the unspent funds. A News Agency of Nigeria report quoted EFCC Assistant Detective Commander, Mr. James Binang, as saying that the senator was still hiding under the protection of the immunity conferred on her by her membership of the senate. Binang said, “It is like a game of catch me, if you can. While she is in the hallowed chamber, she enjoys immunity and it is statutorily impossible for us to effect her arrest.” Shameless disfuntional criminal family from top to bottom. What a culture that these people came out of - from father to children-. Posted by Ednut| 15.04.2008 21:49

Ukpana Okpoko Gbulu  Villager

# 4 =Ednut;4295005810>Dr Phil, you care comparing apples and oranges- Igbo women and Yoruba women. Please Ednut let us keep tribe and tongue out of this. No tribe or race in Nigeria is immune from tendencies to corruption. Corruption is endemic in Nigeria and like the Amerians fought the Mafia system after many years of intimidation of their governments so must the Nigerian government one day wake up to fight corrpution with every thing it has to subdue or minimise it to tolerable levels. I pray someone does not turn the searchlight on Akunyilli for example, you may be surprised and shocked! Secondly, why has she suddenly gone cold on Adedibu and his criminals in Ibadan who have been busy killing innocent Nigerian children with their fake drugs? What was her role in the April 2007 elections? My friend there are things many people do not know about our 'Saints' that are yet hidden but will come to light one day. For today, I submit with the writer Phil that Iyabo has to answer to her crimes and that will be welcome as some relief to the suffering peoples of Nigeria. Posted by Ukpana Okpoko Gbulu| 16.04.2008 02:36

Olamide  Villager

# 5 Iyabo, without the bulldozing power of her father as the President could not have been a Senator in Ogun State. She is a disgrace to her education judging by her antics during the campaigns that was marred by thuggery, intimidation and attempted assasination of her opponents. She never got the mandate of the people and the impregnated mosquito nets tha her 'Iyaniwura foundation' allegedly distributed to the people had the coat of ams of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on them, showing that they were bought by the government and stolen by Iyabo to oil her campaigns. That is the type of person she is, totally without principle or scruples. As was rightly noted, "A child sired by the lion must of course resemble the lion'. If Iyabo was different, we might have started wondering how and why. Posted by Olamide| 16.04.2008 04:45

i-go-better  Villager

# 6 Please ignore this NUTTER EDUNUT, he/she is certainly not Igbo. He/she is definitely one of those the criminals in Nigeria have planted in the NVS to divert topical issues such as addressed by this article into ethnocentricity. The true picture of do-or-die Obj advocated has eventually emerged. 1. Yaradua-President 2. D. Mark- Senate President 3. P. Ette- House Speaker With these characters in-charge, Committee Chairmanship positions for Oil/Gas, Power/Steel, Health and Works would easily go to carefully planted members of the clique who do not even pretend to possess any form of conscionableness. And with this evil scheme which is a product of do-or-die doctrine, all these fraudulent deals being exposed every passing day, would have remained in the back-burner for ever. Iyabo Akinlowan Obasanjo Bello is one of this clique and succeeded because D. Mark is in-cahrge, Ette by divine intervention failed and the result is the new improved House of Assembly. D. Mark will fail soon, very soon. Posted by i-go-better| 16.04.2008 04:48

i-go-better  Villager

# 7 =Ukpana Okpoko Gbulu;4295005827>Please Ednut let us keep tribe and tongue out of this. No tribe or race in Nigeria is immune from tendencies to corruption. Corruption is endemic in Nigeria and like the Amerians fought the Mafia system after many years of intimidation of their governments so must the Nigerian government one day wake up to fight corrpution with every thing it has to subdue or minimise it to tolerable levels. I pray someone does not turn the searchlight on Akunyilli for example, you may be surprised and shocked! Secondly, why has she suddenly gone cold on Adedibu and his criminals in Ibadan who have been busy killing innocent Nigerian children with their fake drugs? What was her role in the April 2007 elections? My friend there are things many people do not know about our 'Saints' that are yet hidden but will come to light one day. For today, I submit with the writer Phil that Iyabo has to answer to her crimes and that will be welcome as some relief to the suffering peoples of Nigeria. Ignore this nutter Ednut, he is planted to divert our focus from fighting this evil that has changed the nationality of many skilled, knowledgeable Nigerians into Diasporeans. He/she is certainly not Igbo. Posted by i-go-better| 16.04.2008 05:03

Ofunwa Villager  Villager

# 8 Those who call Okonjo Iweala, Dora and Ezekwesili saints may be walking in the darkest of darkness. Please prove wrong if you can, infact if you are a Nigeria politician reading this, You have served the nation as a minister, senator, rep, governor/deputy, permanent sec etc and you feel you 've shown the highest standard of tranparency and honsety. Which means that no kobo of stolen public fund can be traced to any of your accounts, foreign or local. Please feel free to step forward for this TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS of my honestly and hard earned money. But this money can only be yours after a thorough inquiry by the EFCC and other relevant agencies. Please contact the ADMIN for further arrangement regarding this offer which will last for only one week. If at the end none of you rises up to clear this widely held view that the totality of the Nigerian leadership is corrupt, then wild dogs and vultures will make a juicy meal out of the sum total of your corpses. Iweala, Dora, Ezekwesili, you may have been successful in office but the only thing that differentiate you from the rest of the Obasanjo pack is that the wind has not blown in your direction. Prove me wrong, invite the EFCC to look into your closets. It is only after this that we can refer to any of you as saints. Was Iweala not the finanace minister in what is arguably the most corrupt regime in the history of Nigeria? Does she not know that ministries keep their yearly budgets to be shared among a few at the end of the budget year? Can she swear before OGUN that she never for once took part in this official robbery? Saints my foot. Posted by Ofunwa Villager| 16.04.2008 06:08

docokwy  Villager

# 9 The good citizens of Ogun are hardly convinced of Iyabo’s innocence as she has been anything but exemplary in her political forays having done much to denigrate the good work and public image created by conscientious women such as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Dora Akunyili and Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, to mention but a few. Even members of her constituency are now talking about recalling her from the senate having only succeeded in developing her bank accounts rather than improving the peoples’ lot. A lawyer recently gave her a 7-day ultimatum to resign or be recalled. The salient issues that are hardly explored in these types of discussions are the fact that Iyabo, a highly educated veterinarian doctor from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from Ivy League institution like Cornell University, (not to mention a masters from Univ. of California – Davies) has ignored all ethos of good leadership, probity and accountability and instead dabbled into the ignoble path of greed and avarice just like the Patricia Ettehs and the Adenike Granges of her time. In the final analysis, however, it would serve us all well to remember that after all, Iyabo is an Obasanjo - corrupt in office, reckless in personal life and defiant all the way, the Obasanjo way. Is this (highlighted in the above quote) a natural behavioural selection or what? No matter how well-educated, Yoruba women are simply thieves. I have said it over and over. Posted by docokwy| 16.04.2008 07:29

denker  Villager

# 10 =docokwy;4295005937>Is this (highlighted in the above quote) a natural behavioural selection or what? No matter how well-educated, Yoruba women are simply thieves. I have said it over and over. docokwy...docokwy...are you for real...just dey wonder..:confused1 me think say you must be a madman..i no go lie at all..! Posted by denker| 16.04.2008 07:42

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