Rogues for Votes: Bode George Goes Home Free

[The NVS StandPoint]

Wrist-Slapping Rogues for Votes:
Bode George Goes Home Free


February 28, 2011 Convicted rogue, Bode George is out of prison and there was so much pomp and pageantry you would think another Nelson Mandela had been freed from Robben Island. Bode George's release from prison was recorded live on television, he was resplendent in rich robes, and men, women, and children came out in aso ebi regalia to welcome home a convict. There was singing, dancing and nonstop jubilation. There was even a church thanksgiving service. We understand that former president Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan made themselves available to receive and presumably congratulate him on his illustrious graduation from prison. A nation’s leadership doesn’t sink lower than this.

For those who may have forgotten, Mr. Bode George, a revered chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was convicted in October 2009 on 47 counts of illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment without an option of fine - the latest in a pattern selective wrist-slapping for the corrupt elite such as Tafa Balogun, Lucky Igbinedion and Cecilia Ibru. Bode George is said to have lived the life of a prince in "jail" and he may have forgotten how and why he was in jail in the first place.

The PDP owes the Nigerian people an explanation and an apology for their odious and disgraceful behavior. In one fell swoop, they have exceeded the excesses of the First Republic a thousand times. Soon, Nigeria may well be the first nation on earth where honesty and hard work are illegal and criminal. Already, those noble traits earn anyone foolish enough to practice them the opprobrium and ridicule of fellow Nigerians. Our so-called leaders practice all of the evil traits that we tell children to disavow: Corruption, stealing, state-sanctioned murder, nepotism, laziness, and criminal neglect of institutions that were set up to take care of our people and our nation. This is just not right; it is inexcusable. Things are getting to a head and we are, to say the least, appalled.

What is even more frightening is an emerging trend of early release of rogues to garner votes. Recently, Senator Teslim Folarin was similarly sprung from prison in order to help our rulers garner votes in the PDP primaries. Now Bode George is being welcomed with pomp in order to help get votes in April elections. We shudder to think what would happen if the government of the day manages to "extradite" Mr. James Ibori from justice abroad. That celebration would be something.

What just happened is a travesty and President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP ought to be ashamed of what they have turned our nation into.

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[Yorubaman]

Its kind of Funny that nobody from the village has had anything to say about this show of shame , is the revolution coming ? I very much dought it

[emj]

Make una siddon dia dey blow paki grammar
Only those who can steal clean mouth will make it as politicians in naija....all other grammar blowing pips had better move over...the gravy train aint stopping to pick ya

Okay, okay b4 una vex lynch me, i was only trying to help reduce the effect of the slap on ur cheeks.
This will keep happening over and over again...so long as rogues gets feasted and there's do or die politics......it's not likely that we get the leaders we deserve.

The April elections aint gonna be free and fair.

http://nigeriavillagesquare.com/foru...tml#post527084

And the above thread/link is for the memory upgrade of the alan-poser up dia.

[Vimo]

@ Yorubaman people's outrage led to a blackberry messenger campaign yesterday. Personally I think our revolution is on the way and just as it was in the middle east, one event will be the tipping point...

[Dapxin]

~^

The future is grim.

[Agidimolaja]

Only in Nigeria can such show of shame be openly displayed, only in our unfortunate nation called Ngeria.

We saw similar abomination in Yenagoa when their former rogue Governor made his home-coming after thatquasi jail term.I prayed that may we never see such absurdity again in this land when acertified banditwhom his peopleshouldhang high and leave him there hanging would be given such a welcome by the same people from whom he stole so much money.

It has happened again and by far worst than what we witnessed before. Worst on the ground thatFormer President Obj, the manin whose regime EFCC was inagurated and who always boast of zero tolerance for corruption was there physically to welcome and tocelebrate the home-coming ofconvictedbandit Bode George.Habba Obj!

EFCC project cost Ribadu his career and almost cost him his life before he took flight, but today,shameless and heartless Obj is celebrating the return of a disgraceful individual that was investigated by EFCC and was duely charged and was later found guilty as charged byCourt of justice.

What then can we say? ThatObj was all alongdecieving the whole World about his campaign againstcorruptions? It sure appear so today, that Obj lied to us.Poor Obj!

[Mike Onwukwe]

A convicted criminal has been let loose and society will be worse for it because he will avenge his incarceration. Instead of going to the markets to buy intestine, pomo and edo to prepare food for their husbands, these hired market women and other villagers thronged the airport to receive their Lion. Apart from the pomp and pageantry that followed his release, what baffles me is the number of years he was given to serve when compared to N84b that is stolen. The message here is steal N84b and go to jail for 4 years. Bode George will ever remain an ex-convict and nothing could remove this tar. Can he or his children walk tall on the streets and beat their chests? They must always be referred to children, wives and brothers of Bode George, the ex convict. Truly our society is sick

[Prof Penkelemess]

I think that for once NVS is dead-wrong:

the nation CAN sink lower...

Prof of Penkelesinkology

[LA2]

Olabode George returns to Kirikiri
Source: Bode George returns to Kirikiri

[Choice Ekpekurede]

The most outrageous of this is the number of unthinking Nigerians who still continue to cheer for GEJ.

[Dapxin]

See Page 22 here
http://www.vanguardngr.com/epaper/20.../pageflip.html

...Even though he was jailed for criminal offence of corruption, we fervently believe that our great leader is a man of honour, probity and integrity. In any case, who in Nigeria has the moral authority to accuse any other person of corruption? Are we not all corrupt? We are amazed that so much fuss was made over the peanuts our mentor allegedly embezzled at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in a country where people routinely steal billions of Naira.

Boy!!!!!!!!!!!

[Naijax]

Do not worry. E go better.
If people want change, then they must demand for change by force. Change does not come on a platter of gold.

[emj]

...Even though he was jailed for criminal offence of corruption, we fervently believe that our great leader is a man of honour, probity and integrity. In any case, who in Nigeria has the moral authority to accuse any other person of corruption? Are we not all corrupt? We are amazed that so much fuss was made over the peanuts our mentor allegedly embezzled at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in a country where people routinely steal billions of Naira

.

Gulps, brb, Dapxin...did i read that right? Peanuts? Dat person must be pea-brain

[Choice Ekpekurede]

A friend of mine has pointed out that GEJ was not physically present at the occasion. Then, that would be some reprieve and something for which GEJ should not be criticized. I have not checked, but it would be wrong for the NVS to make an accusation against GEJ that is not founded in fact. Having said that, GEJ is still in the hook here.

As a candidate who has pledged to fight corruption, GEJ is the only candidate, among the three top runners, who did not see anything wrong in that calebration. He did not even deem it necessary to distance himself from it, talk less of condemning it like Buhari, Ribadu, NLC, and the rest of our civil society did. This is made even worse by the fact that it was his party, the PDP, that committed this ignominy.

Many of GEJ's cabinet members were in attendance, giving the overt impression that the celebration enjoyed GEJ's endorsement.

[10Kobo]

If anyone does not see the pivotal role of OBJ (our dear leaders! :d) in all this mess, then we are done for.
Lets backtrack for a second: OBJ fought corruption to a "stand-still (or is it "still-standing?), his instrument of battle was Nuhu Ribadu. Same Ribadu investigated all these criminals with an unparalleled vigor. He almost lost his life doing it. Among the criminals he would have paid with dear-life for, were people like Bode George, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, e.t.c.
Now, the same OBJ goes about welcoming the same rogue he used Ribadu to fight, the same Ribadu is now in bed with the same Asiwaju (of looters) Bola Tinubu!
Can anyone see how we have gone FULL CIRCLE?
Dont blame Bode George, dont blame OBJ nor GEJ or even Ribadu; these guys are doing fine

Its either we have a Revolution (a cleansing-bloody one at that) or we implode. THE CHOICE IS OURS, not theirs.

[Prof Penkelemess]

All,

a mere 84 billion?

divide that by 200 Naira to the dollar, and what you get is peanuts compared to what Ben Ali, Hosni Mr. and - soon-to-go - Muammar G. stashed away - I KNOW: in collaborating, criminal Northern banks etc. !!!

Sill, even the latters amassed only peanuts comapred to the Nigerian lootocracy, which between 1973 and now is said to have made away with anything between

600 and 900 billion.

And as the 'nation-building evangelist' Bobby U. says:

'what Nigeria needs is democracy not revolution'.

So the battle-cry must be:

Bode George for president.

His anointment will take place in that cathedral in Otta:

HALLELUJAH.

Addendum:

that jet-owning pastor is going to fly me in, CHIKAH!


Prof of Penkelelujah

[Mikky jaga]

But Bode George was not convicted of theft! He was convicted for misappropriation of funds. Those are two different things, you know!!

[Akalutu]

What a shame? OBJ and all those folks have no class. These are thugs parading themselves as leaders.

[Akalutu]

It seems to me that the outrage over happenings in Nigeria is lar gely a Southern thing. A universally binding narrative needs to be articulated for a revolution to work. The core North want Sharia, the other Norths want to take a hold of their destinies, the West and South South want SNC, the South East can use the SNC but will take an out.

Maybe true Federalism or SNC that will ultimately usher in a true Federal and smaller central government, can be the rallying cry.

Just thinking out loud....

[Enyi]

Folks, you aint seen nothing yet. The nation will probably sink lower than this. Wait until all these rogues are granted pardon and national honor. Are we suffering from amnesia? Did ex-convicts not occupy governor's lodge for 8 years? BTW, does anybody know if Bode ever wore prison uniform? The only way we can avoid further deterioration is to drive away all the rogues who masquerade as politicians. Let nobody be deceived. PDP may have a lion share of this characters, but they exist in all the political parties.
I wonder why Bode even went for thanksgiving. I reproduce below excerpt of the sermon delivered during the service:
Delivering a sermon entitled, ‘A minister and a witness,’ Ven. Tayo Aduloju said, “If you are involved in any shady deal; if you are found anywhere elections are rigged; and partake in any form of manipulation, it means you have not learnt anything from your experience. Real power belongs to God. It does not belong to PDP. It does not belong to any president.
“As from today, you are expected to represent Christ. You are an ambassador of Christ. Never again will the name of God be soiled through you.”
Can we at least say kudos to Ven. Tayo Aduloju?

[Efeturi Ojakaminor]

We have created a gulf betweem morality and politcs and the result is what we have before our eyes: our politicians do not know the meaning of shame. How else can one explain Bode George coming out of prison and the first thing he is talking about is tsunami in Lagos in favour of his thieving PDP. And for as long as we will celebrate felons only because they have money Nigeria will never gain respectability from the international community.

[10Kobo]

Since countries like U.S and the E.U are "so quick" to Freeze the assets of Ghadafi, since they feel so pained by what is going on in Libya, Why are they so unconcerned (as to pay only lip service and no concrete action) about what happens in Ivory Coast where at least 100s get slaughtered weekly?

Why is "Assets" like that of Bode Goerge, IBB, OBJ and many more of Nigerian treasury looters so "immune to American morals values"?
Abi "something else" dey this Libya uproar???
Hmmmm....... l dey come

[papadonkee]

Yels o! Devil's Advocate reporting for duty.

Let's go!

People keep on insisting, erroneously, that morality drives politics. It doesn't. The quest for power always has, and always will be the raison d'être for man's participation in the political process.

GEJ did not attend Bode's coming-out party. He sent a rep because even though we (PDP) don't approve or condone what Bode did, he has served his time, and he still carries a bunch of south-western votes in his back pocket.

I recall Obama's initial decision to embrace his border-line racist pastor in the run-up to his elections because according to Obama: "as imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me...I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community”. I think it was simply a hard-nosed contemplation of the fact that at that point, disowning Pastor Wright would lose Obama more votes than it would win him. Like Wright, like Bode; like Obama, like PDP : he's family, and when a family member that was lost returns, you don't keep him outside in the rain because his shoes are muddy (I swear I just made that parable up!).

That is the world a politician lives in, one in which he must constantly try to hang on to his principles without losing his grip on power.

I won't even ask what the ACN would do on the day of his release from jail, if (for example ) Tinubu is convicted of fraud.

Ask GEJ what he thinks of Bode after the elections in April, which I predict we'll sweep like a tsunami. And before y'all say Pastor Wright isn't an ex-convict, I've taken the liberty of posting an interestingly similar story from across the pond.

Suddenly, Disgraced Politicians Are Cool Again.

Peace.

PDP!!!

Quick question: Is Dele Momodu still in the Race?

Quick comment: Why the hell does ANYONE think GEJ would agree to a presidential debate when most polls give him a double-digit lead over the other candidates? It's telling that the cries for this "defining, issues-based debate" are coming from the opposition parties and aspirants. Dream on, beyatches.

Donkee...out!

[ozoodoo]

See me see trouble oooooh!!!

What is all these hullabaloo about?

That my people were celebrating the return from the cage of a convicted crook?

Come on!

You guys are jealous. Na bad belle dey worry una. If na una be the chairman of NPA una no go chop?

Our people are busy "making it" and you guys are wasting your time writing grammer upon grammer.

Let me tell you something. It is only in Nigeria that you can "make it". How much is Obama earning as the president of America? It is a little percentage of what a small boy in the house of representathieves hammer every year. Did you read about the amount Akingbola and Cecilia Ibru hammered?. And you know, they are not even among the "big boys".

You better come back home quick quick, unless you dont want to "make it" in life.

[renike]

I love Nigeria,I no go lie na inside am I go live and die ............, we obviously have not seen anything yet. Excuse me I need to puke!

[Century]

@Mike Onwukwe
"A convicted criminal has been let loose and society will be worse for it because he will avenge his incarceration."

Yeah, very true of Obasanjo!

[Iyke]

@ Penkelems

Mr U, know quite well that revolutionaries who can self-imolate dont fly with CHIKA!, who should have taken advantage of the total availability and combustion rate of gasoline (dixit maine freudine) to jump-start da revolusion, but prefers petty or chicken sadism.

On a serious note, me thinks Standpointers does protest too much and post facto too. Since Aso ebi can equal democracy why not allow the man to exercise his right of celebration. He might be celebrating his conversion ala OBJ or his not dying ala Musa Yaradua. The last time i Checked there is no obligation to believe anything. If his supporters believes anything is upto them. Saying Bode was wrist-slaped to get vote is just gibberish. was he granted a presidential pardon? or did he finish his sentence? this protest should have taken place earlier.

[Johny has been]

Blame Nigeria's rigged political structure which dictates that the best presidential candidate cannot win elections in the country. A candidate must dance to the tunes of any existing cabal of king makers to take the crown.
President GEJ is said to be on the verge of losing the polls in the “almighty” northwest, so Lagos boy, Bode, has to be handy to help 'deliver' the southwest .

In 1999, OBJ had to accept some nasty conditions from the cabal of that period in order to be made president; the more qualified Alex Ekwueme and Olu Falae had to take a long walk home.

PDP owing Nigerians an apology as to why it did what it did regarding Bode George? Why it will not apologise: in the country there is no true level playing field for political players, again, lawlessness reigns in the land,
A few governors in the party have consistently demonstrated that DEMOCRACY is not in their political lexicon.
In Niger state, the CPC is said to be denied venues for political rally; since last year, Governor Ohakim of Imo state, has consistently denied the ACN and other opposition parties rally venues in the state capital. Use of raw violence against the opposition reigns.

Given the dictatorial stance of some PDP governors, we may have a situation during the elections proper where they stroll into their states' INEC offices, compile the election results and coerce the INEC commissioner to sign them.

[Prof Penkelemess]

Iyke,

I cannot but 'gree wid you,

BUT:

since when 'total availability' ???

your FREUND (like in FREUNDIN, meine - for female...,

you can read my German lesson to your kunrtryman in

da book wey dey reach you - no be so!)

gerd - full name known

[Observer]

@Prof Penkelesincriminologist..........Nigeria WILL sink lower!!!

[Prof Penkelemess]

Observer,

I have a Nigerian friend,

who trained as a marine biologist in ... Germany.

we shall go and consult him about life in those watery depths.

gerd

[Prof Penkelemess]

Observer,

I have a Nigerian friend,

who trained as a marine biologist in ... Germany.

we shall go and consult him about life in those watery depths.

gerd

[Iyke]

@ Penk, I need to pick up my German from the dumpster. It really occured to me that German doesnt undertand pidgin. lots of languages to jumble.

[Observer]

Prof Penkele, I was in the navy and had the opportunity to sail in a U-boat. I can tell you that sinking is uncomfortable even when you know you can come back to the surface.

But for Nigeria, I doubt if she will ever recover intact. Just my thought.

[ozoodoo]

I think those of us living abroad are disconnected from the reality of the situation in Nigeria.

I do not see any ray of hope anywhere.

[Nkutikut]

@Mikky jaga: The man was convicted of a crime, he couldn't have been convicted for handing out warm soup to needy, homeless people. What he was convicted of is of no importance. He's an ex-convict, sentenced by a competent court for the commission of a crime, and that's what matters.

[Nkutikut]

@Mikky jaga: The man was convicted of a crime, he couldn't have been convicted for handing out warm soup to needy, homeless people. What he was convicted of is of no importance. He's an ex-convict, sentenced by a competent court for the commission of a crime, and that's what matters.

[akulaboy]

I doubt know Bode George and I am almost convinced that he is not a saint. I was a schoolboy when he was Governor of Old Ondo State in the 80s but EFCC as usual run a shambolic prosecution i.e their usual sytle of prosecution on the pages of newspaper to paint accused people in bad light and thereby jeopardise any chance that the case will be adjudicate right either in favour or otherwise of the accused.

Bottomline is that there will be no justice for Nigeria or for Bode George until the current EFCC charade is stopped and a proper justice system where accused are innocent until proven guilty is in place. Moreover, our law system must ban the media from reporting a case until it is adjudicated like it is done in the civilised world.

Again, we dont know the truth of the case and may never know: Poor Nigeria , poor bode George