---

...Read the full article.

---

---

As at today, Fashola has returned the “award”, which he called a “Greek gift”. Greek gift or not, none of the governors in the 36 states of Nigeria today deserves any award! It is crimininal to award someone who scored 40 percent, because s/he scored the highest marks in a class of disgraceful failures. Normal societies or communities would rather ask questions and seek reasons for the poor performance, than celebrate and “award” failure and mediocrity!

---

How long was the award with his excellence before it suddenly became a greek gift? ............
......... and your complain about mediocrity/criminality in the award; is to some extent over zealous in your writing. The score of the recipient was clearly stated for analysis, he only got that award because he scored the highest mark(which was indeed very low), what where you expecting the event people to do with the award? award themselves for pointing out the highest score was too low?

I think we should keep our fingers crossed for more information to come out before we start slaying people, organisations. As you know in Nigeria, most dispute do not stem out of present/surface differences, the onus of the latest row between Thisday and Lagos state government(both past and present) is yet to be really known; this might just be the tip of one major iceberg

---

---

=bjay;4295073982>How long was the award with his excellence before it suddenly became a greek gift? ............
......... and your complain about mediocrity/criminality in the award; is to some extent over zealous in your writing. The score of the recipient was clearly stated for analysis, he only got that award because he scored the highest mark(which was indeed very low)...
I think we should keep our fingers crossed for more information to come out before we start slaying people, organisations. As you know in Nigeria, most dispute do not stem out of present/surface differences, the onus of the latest row between Thisday and Lagos state government(both past and present) is yet to be really known; this might just be the tip of one major iceberg

---

Sorry Bjay. It was an illustration...I should have preceded with "for instance".
Thisday discloses no scores...

I have clearly stated thecrux of my article...which is the hypocrisy of Thisday. I did not pretend to know the cause of the present clash...Read the questions I posted very well again.

I have also concluded by praying that the unfolding tussle would expose more of the hypocrisy of a 'national' newspaper.

---

Is it not this same this day that scored Danjuma Goje, Bukola Saraki and even Sule Lamido ahead of my governor? I doubt if any of there so-called journalists even came to Enugu to access the state of affairs in the state before getting to that conclusion. They are all bunch of hypocrites!

---

Not just ThisDay, all the Media organisations in Nigeria are fruits of malignant corruption. Otherwise, there is no civilised country of this world where people would serve few years in government-including the millitary, police and other paramillitary institutions, retire unbridled into unimaginable opulence, if the media as WATCHDOG is not busy gnawing at some very FAT BONE!

Imagine for a moment what Nigeria would have looked like without the existence of Internet/Mobile telephony! That is, without the likes of Saharareporters, which translates to, the only means of information on corruption etc is the Nigerian media! The country would have moved from a functional junk-yard to a relic junk-yard.

Tinubu no doubt is also a very corrupt Nigerian. But, if a President Obasanjo that we all know, relocates to Lagos with all Federal might, personally shows fetish interest in capturing Lagos State at all cost, employing formidable foot soldiers like Bode George, Obanikoro, Adedibus etc, I may be persuaded to accept plea bargain with Tinubu for succeeding in keeping away this bulldozer of a President from his China-shop, Lagos State!

I am sure Segun Osoba and other ex-governors of S/West, who are today democracy/anti-corruption crusaders would, if given the chance to replay their political scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours gameplay with Obj, be compelled to do worst than Tinubu inorder to keep their offices.

---

Fashola returns THISDAY award

By Rafiu Ajakaye, Snr Reporter, Lagos

The rift between Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, and THISDAY boiled over on Monday as he returned an award it conferred on him in February, with the man insisting on the need to avoid personal glory standing in the way of public interest.


THISDAY had adjudged him Governor of the Year, based on performance. It said he had, within his short time in office, significantly turned around infrastructure in the state.


But Fashola returned the award in a letter, ostensibly because of a story published in the newspaper which he interpreted to mean a ploy to force the government to violate its physical planning laws to serve the interest of an individual.


"Little did I know, on receipt of the award, that it was a Greek gift meant to tie my hands and prevent me from upholding my oath of office, to do right to all manner of people according to law without fear or favour, affection or ill-will," Fashola said in the letter, which he personally signed.


"Let me emphasise that on no condition will I depart from my binding commitment to protect the best interest of Lagos State at all times."


Fashola's Media Assistant, Hakeem Bello, explained that his boss returned the award on principle, especially when THISDAY appears to be infringing on the rights of Lagosians.


The government had alleged on Sunday that the newspaper is deliberating blackmailing it for not granting requests that would see Fashola run foul of his campaign pledges as well as disobey laws.


Information and Strategy Commissioner, Opeyemi Bamidele, noted in a statement that THISDAY publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, had last year written to Fashola seeking permission to erect a temporary tent in Lekki to host a musical show.


He recalled that "since the letter was signed personally by (Obaigbena) the state government granted him temporary permit for the event as requested. Unknown to the government, the tent had already been erected even before the permit was granted and it was a massive structure that could not have been intended to be a temporary edifice.


"When the show was held, the Governor and Commissioner for Physical Planning were inundated with phone calls and text messages by residents of Lekki who were held up for 24 hours and could not access their homes. Indeed, several residents of Epe had to sleep right on the highway or go back to Lagos.


"To demonstrate his good faith, (Fashola) had to deploy staff of Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA), the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and the ambulance services to bring relief to residents of the area during the show.


"Immediately after that show, (Obaigbena) again wrote to seek approval to host another event at the Lekki site - a request which led to an avalanche of petitions by residents of the area. After a thorough deliberation on this request, the Ministry of Physical Planning notified (Obaigbena) in writing that it must be the last event to be held on the premises since it was supposed to be temporary.


"The government shortly after, however, received another request from (him) to hold the THISDAY Annual Award at the Lekki venue, a request which (Fashola) bluntly refused because it was not right and would cause pain to citizens. In demonstration of support for business, however, representatives of Lagos State met with THISDAY to find a middle ground. At that meeting, (Obaigbena) claimed he had found suitable land for the show on Kingsway, Ikoyi, Lagos.


"Indeed, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice was directed to issue a seven-day licence to this effect, and all government agencies, including LASTMA and RRS, were fully mobilised to ensure the success of the THISDAY event.


"It is instructive that (Obaigbena) did not honour the agreement to quit the Kingsway site for several weeks after the event. It was excuses galore on his failure to comply.


"Meanwhile, the ownership of the land he claimed at Lekki is still a matter to be resolved with the government. The land of the Lekki site that has caused acrimony and blackmail is partly a green area and partly an educational reserved area on the master plan."


Bamidele recounted that Obaigbena wrote about a month ago again seeking permission to convert the tent to an educational institution and the proposal was sent to the Ministry of Physical Planning.


"While the application was being processed, he appealed to Fashola to let him use the place for another musical show, a request (Fashola) turned down since (Obaigbena) had failed to honour his commitment twice.


"(Fashola) firmly believes there can be no two laws for Lagos, one for the poor and the other for the rich; one for the low and another for the mighty."


Bamidele said the attention of the government was also drawn to an interview in the New York Times of July 10 in which (Obaigbena) claimed to earn $100 million annually and that the Lagos Internal Revenue Service has been pursuing him both for the remittance of the tax on his companies and his personal income tax, enquiries about which he (Obaigbena) has failed to respond.


Bamidele said the interview amounts to blackmail, because it was granted in anticipation that he will sooner or later face the tax authorities for non-compliance.


"All responsible individuals and corporate citizens must pay their taxes if the government is to meet its obligation in education, health, job creation, security, housing, the environment and poverty alleviation, among others.


"We want to assure the general public that the Lagos State Government will continue to pursue the best interest of the public and will never succumb to blackmail or intimidation. The interest of one individual, whether corporate or otherwise, cannot override that of a whole community in Lekki or indeed any other part of the state."


Bamidele insisted that the government always follows due process in awarding contracts, and that THISDAY casting aspersion on its character is purely out of "malice, mischief and parochial self-interest."

---

The half -wits at "This Day" and the collective scourge of imbeciles also known as "Journalists" have contributed a great deal to our woes as a nation.

They have been consistent in only mis informing, mis communicating, to
the populace. Most of them are carpet baggers, sensationalists, and for a want of a better word,"Bandits" being economical with the truth, and always willing to do the bidding of the highest bidder. They are never short of patronage, no thanks to the People Decieving People (PDP) mantra !

If the EFCC is busy chasing the corrupt public office holders, we need an equivalent in the Print Media domain to sanction these persistently erring scum who are meant to enlighten our society...
I simply cannot see the value our "Jaundiced" journalists bring to our society .. How could we have fallen so low ??

---

See Also http://www.mundanemuses.blo...

---

What is being said about ThisDay applies to the other big three newspaper in Nigeria especially Guardian, Punch and SUN.

It is very dissappointing that institutions like Guardian, ThisDay and Punch have become government related newspapers that does little or no investigative work. How many times over the last years have any of this papers come out with an exclusively investigated report. The only newspaper in Nigeria trying to do that is National Daily. Though young and without much resources, this paper have been exposing some of the deeds of the corrupt government officials in the country. Visit their website @ www.nationaldailyngr.com and follow their stories. That is what some of the known papers ought to be doing in order to bring the much needed sanity to Nigeria. ThisDay calling for the probe of Tinubu now is belated and totally cowardly.

---

Please federal inland revenue take note, the man said he is worth $100 million but he doesn't pay tax. where is efcc? nigeria police force? nigeria army? this is daylight robbery!

fashola please tell your staff to start confiscation order against this retard.

He like foriegn artist like usher, rihanna, jay Z!!

He should go and ask will smith or wesley snipes what happened to them because of tax evasion!!