44—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016
Jonathan denies self exile bid to Cote d'Ívoire By Emmanuel Aziken, Ben Agande, Dapo Akinrefon, Charles Kumolu and Gbenga Oke
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ORMER President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan insisted, yesterday, that he is not on self-exile in Côte d’Ivoire as alleged, even as friends and family asserted that he had no cause to permanently relocate from the country. A close political associate, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who spoke to Vanguard after speaking with Dr. Jonathan quoted the former president thus: “I am not in exile; it is quite unfortunate that anybody is insinuating that I am in exile. I am now a private citizen. Since I left office, this is my second visit to Côte d’Ivoire; I have gone to so many countries in recent times as part of my efforts to promote peace. What I am doing is a global tour since leaving office, and this is my second visit to Côte d’Ivoire. It is unfortunate that anybody should insinuate that I am in exile. I am not in exile. When I finish what I am doing here, I will continue my visit all over the world.” Engr Mike Ogiasa, a relative of the former president, also reacting to the report said: “it is not true that the former President is on the run. We, his kinsmen trust him. When it is appropriate for him to speak he will speak. Jonathan has not gone into exile. Everybody knows a man of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s calibre will not do that."
Political hue It also emerged that Dr. Jonathan’s long absence from the country also had a political hue as close associates opined, yesterday, that his absence from the country in the period leading to the recent congresses and convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was deliberate to remove him from the crisis. Several political associates of President Jonathan, who weighed in on the report by a national daily (not Vanguard), informed that they had been in communication with him, with all of them asserting that he did not give any indication of relocating away from the country. Vanguard learnt that Jonathan is visiting Cote d’Ivoire, from where he would go to another African country, promoting his soon-to-be-launched foundation. He is expected to go to the United States before going to London deliver a lecture at the London School of Economics on June 3. Engr Mike Ogiasa, added: “It is reasonable for anybody to realize that the former president will take some time out to write about Nigeria in a book form. If he is not seen for sometime, it
means he wants a quiet life. I should expect the former president to take some time out in a very quiet environment without any distraction to put his experience about Nigeria into writing in a book form.” No Iota of truth in it — Opara In his reaction, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Opara, said: “I wonder where some sections of the media are getting such rumours from. I can tell you confidently that our people in the South-South are solidly behind him. Why should he go into exile when his people are not against him. I can also say confidently that he was in contact with his political associates ahead of the last weekend’s convention in PortHarcourt. So there is no iota of truth in the news making rounds that he has gone into exile.” He has no reason to do that— Babatope A former Minister of Transport and member of the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Ebenezer Babatope said: “We are hearing that as a rumour but it is not confirmed. Former President Jonathan has no reason to go into exile. I want to assure you that if Jonathan goes on exile, then Buhari is in trouble." Similarly, a source who is close to the ex-President and also of the same Ijaw ethnic group with the former leader told Vanguard that the former President has not gone to exile but only stayed away from the PDP convention for obvious reasons. In an exclusive interview with Vanguard, another close associate, Senator Nimi BarighaAmange said: “I spoke with the former President on Friday. He told me that he was going to London to spend some times with his children. He did not indicate that he was under any stress and did not tell me that he was going on exile. "What he said was that he would have loved to be at the Peoples Democratic Party convention in Port Harcourt, but he couldn’t make it because he needed to be with his children. He told me that he was in touch with the leaders of the party across board and assured me that the crisis in the party would be resolved. It is not true that he is in exile” he said. Senator Amange said the former President had no reason to go on exile because he served his country creditably and should be commended and not condemned. “The president has no reason to go into exile. He has not committed any offense. Please ignore the report about his exile. He will certainly come back to the country when he is through with spending time with his children” he said.
From Left: Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, (NEITI), Mr Waziri Adio; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi; members, National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) on NEITI, Alhaji Lawan Hantewa and Mr Gbenga Onayiga, at the public presentation of 2013 Oil and Gas Industry Audit Reports in Abuja
Alleged N3.9bn fraud: How Badeh bought Fayose’s land from third party at N650m—Witness By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
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B U J A — A CONTRACTOR, Mr. Mustapha Yerima, yesterday, narrated before the Federal High Court in Abuja, how the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, paid his firm, Rytebuilders Technologies Limited, N1.2billion to construct a multipurpose shopping mall for him in Abuja. Badeh is facing trial over allegation that he diverted more than N3.9bn from accounts of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, within 2013. He is answering to a 10-count criminal charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. At the resumed hearing, yesterday, Yerima, who testified as the fourth prosecution witness, PW-4, told the court that Badeh paid N650million to acquire the land where the mall was constructed. He said that the land situate at plot 1386, Oda Crescent, Cadastral Zone, A07, close to Aminu Kano Crescent in Wuse II, Abuja, was originally registered in the name of one Ayodele Fayose. Though Yarima, who is the Managing Director of Rytebuilders Technologies Limited, did not clarify if the Fayose he made reference to is the current governor of Ekiti State, he, however, told the court that at the point negotiation was to commence on the land, it was discovered that the ownership had been transferred to one Mr. Tony who he said was the owner of Hytechs Furniture. The witness told the court that it was a former Director of Finance and Account at the
NAF, Air Commodore Abdullahi Yushau, retd, who had earlier testified as the PW1 in the matter, that helped Badeh to facilitate the purchase of the land. Narrating how the land was eventually bought, the witness said upon realizing that Fayose had transferred ownership to ‘Mr. Tony’ whose surname he could not remember, he said they immediately sought for his contact. He said they eventually got Mr. Tony, who also revealed that the land had been sold to a third party, one Casagro Investment Limited. “We got back to Yushua to inform him. Because there
were other agents involved, we got to find out where Casagro Investment is based. Yushua then directed us to go and negotiate with Casagro Investment Ltd. When we got to the firm, it named the price as N650m. After then we got back to Yushua and told him the price and he said he would get back to us. He later called us and gave us N650m in dollar equivalent because Casagro insisted on cash payment. “We took the money to his office; he confirmed and gave us all the original documents of the land. Again we called Yushau and asked him on whose name should the documents be registered, namely the Deed of Assignment and the Power of Attorney."
AAAN advocates professional communication framework By Princewill Ekwujuru
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HE Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN, has said that there was an urgent need for government to institute a professional framework to manage its communications. Group Managing Director of SO&U, Mr. Udeme Ufot, who rd disclosed this at 43 AAAN’s AGM in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said it had become imperative for the federal government to create a communications framework to communicate its policies effectively. “Government policies, initiatives and programmes are products. They must be thoughtfully packaged and strategically sold to the people for their acceptance, support
and participation. In the real business world, products are sold, not bought. Government business cannot be different,” he said. Ufot noted that people were one of the common denominators in nation building and development and should be carried along in the process. He added: “The human factor is the first and most important element in national development. The future shape of any development process, its pace, sustainability and ultimate direction will be determined by people - the level of their awareness, participation and skills. Until the citizens are mobilized and converted to become the driving force of their own development, no amount of investment in infrastructure or provision of technology will bring about any lasting improvement in their living standards.”