Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal tells PDP critics to go to hell

NO REGRETS!!

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has hit back at his critics within the Peoples Democratic Party who condemned him for showering encomium on Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his performance in Osun State.
Tambuwal, who spoke in Ilawe-Ekiti on Saturday after he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Bobagunwa by the Alawe of Ilawe, Oba Ajibade Alabi, said he was not the speaker for the PDP alone but for the whole country.
Tambuwal said, “I was criticised for commending Osun State governor’s performance but I will always speak the truth. If somebody is doing well we have to commend such person, whether they are in the PDP, Action Congress of Nigeria or in any party.
“I am not the speaker of a political party. I am the speaker for the whole Nigeria. Governor Kayode Fayemi has also done well and he should continue with the good work.”The speaker had in Osogbo during the launch of Opon Imo, an initiative of Osun State governor lauded Aregbesola, who is a member of the opposition ACN, for his achievements in the last three years.
The PDP Chairman in the state, Mr. Ganiyu Olaoluwa, had said Tambuwal’s comment was unbecoming of a national leader of the party.
Olaoluwa said the speaker’s comment raised posers as to whether he “is a member of the PDP or a supporter of Aregbesola.”
But the speaker, who said he was undeterred by the criticisms, also lauded Fayemi for his performance in Ekiti State since he assumed office and urged the governor to do more.
Tambuwal has been rumoured to be associating with the opposition raising speculation that he might be suspended by the PDP.
Fayemi, in his speech also described Tambuwal as a great leader who should be emulated by others, adding that his leadership style had stabilised the lower House.
The monarch also hailed Fayemi for his transformation of the state, saying the state had not witnessed such transformation before.
He, however, appealed to the governor to fast-track his plan to build a hospital in the town.
Alabi said, “We thank the state government for the plans to build a modern hospital and a housing estate in Ilawe-Ekiti. It is our hope that work will commence in earnest at the sites already given by the community for the projects.”
Source: Punch

US man Clifton Bernard kills 2 year Old Boy claiming he was disrespectful to him

A 26-year-old Maryland, USA   man killed his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son by smashing him head first through a wall, prosecutors said in newly released court documents.

Clifton Bernard, who weighs 180 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall, told police he attacked the toddler because he felt the child had disrespected him, sources with knowledge of the case said.

Mr. Bernard is scheduled to appear in Prince George’s County District Court on Friday on charges of murdering Jamir Shipe.

Court documents state that at about 8 a.m. on May 22 in an apartment in the 3800 block of Swan Road in Suitland, Mr. Bernard “became enraged” with Jamir, who had climbed onto a piece of furniture.

Mr. Bernard “violently grabbed [Jamir] by the upper torso and forced him to the floor,” court records state.

Mr. Bernard “admitted to grabbing [Jamir] by the face and forcing his head through the apartment wall.” Court records state that Mr. Bernard called 911 and told the operator that Jamir had choked on food and needed medical attention.

Jamir was hospitalized with multiple rib fractures and severe head injuries, including internal bleeding around his skull, blown pupils, scalp swelling, and multiple bruises. The boy died the next day.

Imo Contractor says Gov. Okorocha collected N24 million bribe from his company

0

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and the Managing Director of Nnutouch Global Ventures, Dr. Osita Okereke, are currently at loggerheads  over Governor Okorocha’s resolve to terminate the N1.3 billion project awarded to the firm.

The state government had awarded to Nnutouch Global Ventures the contract for the construction of an ultra-modern Judicial Commission Headquarters building in April 2012. However, a year after the contract was awarded to the firm, the governor who visited the building site recently was disappointed  to discover that the building, which was billed to be delivered in April 2013 was still at its foundation level even after the firm was allegedly mobilised for the job. He threatened to revoke the contract and re-allocate to another firm.

A twist to the tale however developed when the contractor alleged that the governor collected the sum of N24 million as gratification from the 15 percent payment made to his company. The Managing Director of the construction firm, Osita Okereke, while briefing journalists yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, dared Okorocha to revoke the contract.

He blamed the state government for the delay in the execution of the project, stating that the government had agreed to pay 40 percent upfront as stipulated in the contract agreement, but the governor did not comply with that, instead, he paid 15 percent totalling about N168 million.

“After payment, the company surveyed and cleared the site and the project is still at its foundation level since August 2012 because no dime has been paid by the state government even after we have given 40 percent APG to the government.

“After all this, it will be callous and inhuman for the governor to visit the site and threaten to revoke the contract even when he’s aware that the state government has not paid the company what is due to them.

“This is not the first time Governor Okorocha is playing such pranks on my company. At the moment, the state government owes my company the sum of N742 million as balance for some other projects we are handling for the government such as the new governor’s lodge, street solar electrification of Owerri-Orlu, architectural design and surveying of Imo-European University.”

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Ebere Uzoukwa, described the allegation as laughable.

He said, “I won’t want to join issues with a man whose character is well known to the people. The governor has never collected a dime from any contractor and will never do. He has legitimate means of making money. His businesses are still running. So if Okereke has any contract with the state government, he should execute it and stop beating about the bush or else we will expose him.”

Jerry Rawlings denies allegded comments about Jonathan and corruption , condemns Premium Times .

President Jonathan is a man you do not want to criticize these days unless you are ready and armed for the rebuttal from his vicious media attack dogs captained by Dr Doyin Okupe and co pilot Dr Reuben Abati. Jonathan has apparently ascended to a high crescendo many never unexpected of the soft spoken Former University of Port harcourt Lecturer ?

We even saw him giving it back to CNN Christiane  Amanpour recently when she suggested that his government was corrupt Jonathan quickly threw it back at her that USA, UK , China, Germany and others shouting Nigeria is corrupt are the same people queuing up their vessels on the Atlantic ocean waiting for their turn to buy stolen CRUDE from Nigeria.

Since the last publication that was all over the media the office of Jerry Rawlings, the former Ghanaian president, has since released statements denying a report by Premium Times, in which the paper first published a news line claiming  that the former president had condemned the Nigerian government for allowing corrupt politicians escape justice.

In the case of Rawlings, he has written to the paper to retract the story or face legal action.

A statement from Reno Omokri, who is special adviser to Pres. Jonathan on new media, described the Premium Times report as “not only untrue, but it is one in a series of deliberately malicious and untrue stories emanating from Premium Times, an online news portal whose management is linked to a former Presidential candidate that was defeated by President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections and has now turned itself into a propaganda machine to serve certain interests while passing off itself as a balanced news site.

“It would be recalled that this same Premium Times recently ran another patently false story alleging that the World Bank had condemned the Jonathan administration when in fact the bank had commended the incumbent administration. As if to put a lie to their story, the United Nations, after the Premium Times story was published, named Nigeria as one of the nations that had reduced poverty and attained the Millennium  Development Goal of reducing hunger.

“In this current instance, the former Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings, who Premium Times claimed had condemned the Jonathan administration has denounced their story as a ‘scurrilous falsehood’”

Also, the former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings stated strongly in his reaction to the Premium Times report that the paper laced the story “with irresponsible falsehoods, fabricated quotations and wrong allusions that bring the image of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings into disrepute.”

According to Rawlings’ statement, signed by a director in his office, Afeku-Amenyo, “President Rawlings did deliver the keynote address on Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, at conference organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja on Monday, June 17, 2013.

“His address did not make reference to the government of Nigeria and he made no scathing attack on the Nigeria government as the Premium Times reported.

“President Rawlings also did not make reference to the Nigeria leadership’s failure to punish politicians who steal public funds.

“The first three paragraphs of the report are complete fabrications.

“Paragraph ten and twelve are distortions of what President Rawlings said. Because of the gross distortions and falsehoods the entire report does portray a totally different representation of the fact as took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on June 17.

“We have taken a very serious view of the publication because it is malicious, libellous and a very negative piece of journalism, which is calculated to bring the image of President Rawlings into disrepute and written to demand a retraction of the publication.

“We caution other media who have inadvertently republished the said article to note that they will be held equally liable should we decide to take legal action on the matter.”

Lebanese Terrorist suspects tells Court Jonathan met their Leader and the Guns imported are for HUNTING?

The suspects, including the co-owner of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland resort in Abuja, Fawaz, who were alleged to be members of Hezbollah terrorist organisation, further told the court that the large cache of arms recovered from them by the Military Joint Task Force, JTF, were mere hunting-riffles, insisting that the Nigerian government has no right to curtail their fundamental human rights on the allegation that they constitute threat to its national security.

Hezbollah Members on the Streets of Lebanon

The three suspected Lebanese terrorists, Mustapha Roda Darwish Fawaz, Talal Roda, and Abdulla Tahini, alleged to have imported arms into the country  yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that a prominent member of their group identified as, Hussein Hajj once met and shook hands with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The suspects, including the co-owner of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland resort in Abuja, Fawaz, who were alleged to be members of Hezbollah terrorist organisation, further told the court that the large cache of arms recovered from them by the Military Joint Task Force, JTF, were mere hunting-riffles, insisting that the Nigerian government has no right to curtail their fundamental human rights on the allegation that they constitute threat to its national security.

What is wrong with this Cheerios Advert American People?

Tuface Idibia hooks up with Evander Holyfield in Atlanta, USA

Wonder where Evander Holyfied is Living now ? He couldnt pay the mortgage and the Bank took back  the House .

Holyfield, now 50, has had money troubles ranging from his child support nonpayment issues for his 11 children to making the IRS deadbeat list for delinquent taxes to divorce to bad money management moves and even owing exorbitant amounts for services like a 2008 landscaping bill, where he was hit with a $500,000 lawsuit.

The man who was just sued last month by one of his baby mommas for $300,000 in back child support and who has earned in excess of $200 million in his boxing career now has a reported net worth of about 1 million dollars, if that.

The  House  has 109 rooms, 17 baths, 3 kitchens, a bowling alley, a movie theater, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and sits on 235 acres.

61 YEAR OLD DELTA STATE NOTORIOUS ARMED ROBBER KILLED TODAY IN DELTA STATE (PHOTOS)

NOTORIOUS ARMED ROBBER, AGED 61 KILLED TODAY IN DELTA STATE (PHOTOS)

A 61-year-old man who happens to be a member of a notorious armed robbery gang was killed this morning in Oghara, Delta State.
Reports say that the gang-which the now deceased robber was a member-had been terrorizing the people of Ethiope west local government council lately. An eye witness recounts:
“They had robbed in Ikwemefa in Oghara before they moved to Scort road to continue their operation. It was then that the people alerted the police and they responded in due time to the distress call and that’s how this 61yr old man was killed while others escaped.”
I’m really lost as to what a 61 year old man doing with a robbery gang.

Osita Iheme PAW -PAW cruising at the Moment !

Biggest Boy!!!

Celeberity Rita Dominic Exposes Her Sagging B00bs In Public (PHOTO)

Is it that she now enjoy showing her sagging "oranges" to the public? What do you think?

Is it that she now enjoy showing her sagging "oranges" to the public? What do you think? - See more at:http://www.gistplanet.com/2013/06/rita-dominic-exposed-her-sagging-b00bs.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gistplanet+%28GISTPLANET%29#sthash.4LzCdlBG.dpuf

Lagos Prostitutes Celebrate Matron at 70years Of Age

As the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison, they found it necessary to celebrate Madam Juliet 70th birthday and 49years on the job... and according to reports, it was a fun-filled event.

The Lagos Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Prostitutes over the weekend, celebrated one of their own, a septuagenarian simply known as Madam Juliet and otherwise called ‘Matron’ as she clocked 70. Juliet who recanted her sojourn as a commercial sex worker to The Daily Post, said she came into the business at the age of 21, and had been a sex worker ever since. The well-attended event which took place in Ejigbo, Lagos State, attracted retired and active members of the association.

North West is the name Kim Kardashian and Kanye West gave their New Born Daughter

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's little daughter has been  named...

North West but will be called Nori for short 

A source close to the couple confirms  that the girl's name is North West, with no middle name.

According to a source, "They will call her Nori for short!"

"She has black straight hair! Lots of it! Looks like a good mix of both of them [Kanye and Kim] but more like Kim," says the source. "She's adorable!"

"Kanye is so in love with her. He won't leave her side."

It's been an action-packed week for the new family, with the baby arriving 5 weeks early on Saturday June 15, 2013, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

Congrats to Nori and her proud parents! of North West 

B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G! Federation Account for the month of May, 2013: Geopolitical Zones Analysis.

1] South-South - N285 Billion. {13% oil allocation added to Producing states}

2] North-West - N157 Billion.

3] South-West - N127 Billion.

4] North-East - N109 Billion.

5] North-Central - N105 Billion.

6] South-East - N85 Billion.***Last***

Nigerian Graduate Flees to Finland…….Sends Touching Message to President Jonathan

What are you thinking?

Fraudsters Device New Way Of Detecting Credit Card PIN Code

Millions of debit and credit card holders are at risk of having their personal data mined by thieves exploiting a loophole in the latest ‘contactless’ payment technology.

Card numbers and personal details can be read almost instantly by a remote device such as a mobile phone, according to cyber-crime experts. 

Contactless cards have been in use for five years and are becomingly increasingly popular as they save time for retailers and customers by speeding up transactions.

Customers use them to pay for less costly items (£20 or under) without having to key in a PIN number or scrabble around for cash. Instead, they simply scan their plastic over an electronic reader at the till.

But the new technology is vulnerable to thieves and conmen. Any stranger who found or stole one of the cards could go on a small-scale spending spree of up to £100, as the reader requires a PIN only after five transactions in one day.

And this week The Mail on Sunday witnessed how details from the cards can be wirelessly copied by a touch screen phone modified with parts bought on the internet for as little as £30. 

The phone which was adjusted by security expert Martin Emms and his team of researchers at Newcastle University’s Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security also accessed the last ten transactions made on the account.

By simply holding the phone near a wallet, our reporter was able to download the details within two seconds, fuelling fears that the technology could be exploited by thieves in a crowd or by brushing past someone.

The unsuspecting victim would be unaware their data had been stolen until they received their bank statement, but the stolen information could be used to make purchases online from retailers such as Amazon, who do not require a security code or further checks for most purchases. 

Mr Emms, who has published a report into contactless card flaws, said: ‘We have produced a phone which speaks the same language as the cards and used this to obtain data from them.

‘With it, we have been able to strip contactless cards of the account-holder’s name, 16-digit number, and expiry date. In some cases, we have even been able to obtain the last ten purchases, which is one of the security questions asked by banks.

‘With this information alone we have been able to make purchases on Amazon. It is alarming because the information provides the basis that, with a little more research, could see thieves strip a bank account.’

Mr Emms added it was ‘reasonable to expect’ that around 30 million bank cards could be at risk of  having their data read by modified mobile phones.
In April 2012, Barclays began to issue new cards they claimed were more secure after fears were expressed about the flaws. However, they replace older cards only when they expire or a replacement is needed. 

Mr Emms added: ‘Our research has exposed a number of flaws in contactless bank-card technology and we are desperate for the banks to do more before the loopholes are exploited by thieves.’

The flaws have provoked warnings from security analysts that the contactless technology could be “wide open to exploitation” by thieves.

Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, also fears the contactless system could prove a boon for thieves. He said: “The problem with contactless cards is they have been rolled out in a haphazard way without careful thought into the consequences.

“With a modified phone, which can be put together easily, a bank account can have its details stripped from a contactless card in seconds. With the list of someone’s last ten transactions, a thief can use that to answer a bank’s security question. 

“That’s not all they need to know, but a determined thief will be able to get the other information fairly easily and have access to your bank account.”

Nweke Nwobodo,caught with ingested 126 wraps of heroin at Murtala Muhammed Airport

Nweke Nwobodo said he did it because he was duped 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, has arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Nweke Nwobodo, for allegedly ingesting 126 wraps of heroin.

According to a statement by the agency, the drug, which weighed 2.225kg, is the highest single ingestion since January 2013.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, said narcotic officials placed the suspect on observation when he tested positive to drug ingestion during the inward screening of Qatar Airline passengers on his way from Pakistan.

The Ebonyi State indigene however said he joined the illegitimate business because he was duped of his money and needed to recover it.

The 33-year-old father of two said, “I sell electronics in Lagos but I lost $11,200 (N1.78m) to fraudsters. This affected my business and in the process of trying to get money to revamp my business I was introduced into drugs.

“If I had succeeded, I would have been paid N1.8m. I spent only one week in Pakistan. My only regret is my pregnant wife who is due to give birth soon.”

The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, expressed concern on the risk of drug ingestion.

 “The ingestion of drugs by traffickers is very disturbing because many have died in the process. Just a wrap is deadly and here we have one person ingesting 126 wraps of what could take his life in a few minutes. Members of the public should shun drug trafficking and report any suspected trafficker to the agency,” he said.

The NDLEA boss said the agency would continue to frustrate any move to raise capital from drug trafficking.

New Trend: More Nigerian Girls Pose Nude To Trend On Twitter....PHOTOS

Nude pictures are beginning to dominate the Nigerian Twitter space as the act is fast becoming fashionable among young ladies....

Nude pictures are beginning to dominate the Nigerian Twitter space as the act is fast becoming fashionable among young ladies.

 One of the objectives ladies who engage in this act seek to achieve is to break into trending topics on the social service and ultimately build a huge Twitter following and gain cheap popularity.

Ladies who have made this act a hobby employ hashtags to string together these obscene pictures to get them easily noticeable by other Twitter users. For instance, some of them use hashtags such as #boobsmonday, #boobsfriday and post their nude photographs.

Other girls equally interested are lured into posting their own nude pictures on the social site by employing the use of the hashtags for the day — such as #boobstuesday on a Tuesday, which make their nude pictures travel fast and go viral.

One of the typical Twitter female users of the social network who engage in this act is one with the name, Pretty Osaro. Osaro posted three nude pictures of herself on May 15, each showing her in different positions.  On her handle she says, ‘’I wanna be famous, doesn’t matter how many guys…’’

She went on to lament that her previous Twitter account was suspended and lashed out at those who reported her via the Twitter Help Center for posting offensive contents. ‘’My previous account was suspended, if you don’t like what I do kindly unfollow or f..k out of my timeline,’’ she says.

In the usual manner in which desperate girls seeking fame on social media do, Osaro has at one time or the other reached out to celebrities who make use of Twitter to retweet her to the hundreds of thousands of their fans.

The day Osaro posted her nude pictures on the social service, she tweeted the same picture to Nigerian music artistes  — Wizkid and Davido with — a view to getting them retweet the pictures.

She has also sought the help of American socialite and TV personality, Kim Kardashian who has over 17 million Twitter followers. Tweeting at Kardashian, she says, “Am I not hotter than @Kimkardashian? @KimKardashian, I love you so much please retweet me.’’

Other Twitter users with the names Bayelsa Queen and Ha Royal Sexcellency regularly trend on Twitter, posting their nude pictures. Besides, there is a nude picture being credited to one Adefope Temilola,  which has been circulating on Twitter for over two months.

A new media enthusiast, Tunji Lardner, describes the development as a “really bad behaviour’’, adding that typical youthful aspirations are now being amplified globally by social media. He adds that with the current level of under-development in the country, Nigerian youths — both male and female, should redirect their youthful vigour to hold political leaders accountable for their misdeeds with the new media technologies.

He says, “These are invariably young and immature people grappling with the need for popularity and acclaim from their peers. This is just another manifestation of the ongoing breakdown of our social order and the loss of parental control and oversight of our digital children with analog parents.’’

Lardner who is the Executive Director, West Africa NGO Network, warns that those engaged in the act risk the negative consequences and urges them to move towards changing the content and quality of their online discourse.

He says, “Everything lives forever on the Internet. Those pictures posted will be archived and someday retrieved, and can most certainly come back to haunt you, perhaps when you are looking for a job or even when you want to get married.’’

“Those involved can start by changing the quality and contents of their online discourse. Use these powerful technologies to interrogate the political system, ask the tough questions, find the tough answers and hold their leaders accountable for their misdeeds.’’

Speaking on the ways of stemming the tide in the country, he observes that it is difficult to legislate morality on a global and virtual platform like the Internet. According to him, the responsibility for the moral tone and content of youth participation in social media still rests with society at large.

“Their engagement on these platforms and the quality of their discourse is a direct reflection of the society’s prevailing norms. But there should be an understood code of conduct that is widely disseminated, spelling out the pitfalls of the dark side of social media.

“Perhaps the traditional media can help evolve this standard, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. There is a considerable body of work that deal with youth and the use of social media,’’ he adds.

PDP CRISIS: OLISA METUH RESIGNS , OTHER NWC MEMBERS TO FOLLOW SUIT

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of NEC of the Peoples Democratic Party, two-third of the members of partys National Working Committee, whose election did not meet due process are expected to relinquish their position.

Against this backdrop, Olisa Metuh, National Publicity of the party, Wednesday, tendered his resignation from the position. However, his resignation will take effect from Thursday 20th June 2013, after the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting.

Announcing his decision to quit, Mr.Metuh, said, “I want to inform you that I am resigning as the National Publicity Secretary with effect from Thursday 20th June 2013.”

“This resignation is in the overall interest of the party and is being done to put a final stop to the controversies generated by the INEC report on the mode of my election as National Publicity Secretary.”

“I have served this party as a member of National Executive Committee for over 10 years and therefore my interest is to ensure that this party stabilizes and progress. I have written and submitted my letter; I am resigning with effect from Thursday 20th June 2013.”

Continuing, Metuh said: “The National Chairman is not going to resign; he is not only in office but in power.”

“There is no controversy about his election, he is not in court. The INEC report did not say his election was flawed. He complied with the Constitution of the party and the guideline of the 2012 convention.”

“I have noted that the PDP is the only party that can safeguard democracy in Nigeria, in whatever capacity I may find myself, I will always vote and support the PDP.”

Other members of the National Working Committee, who are expected to resign from their position includes, the Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja, National Organising Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha, his deputy Okechukwu Nnadozie, National Publicity Secretary(deputy) Binta Goje, National Youth Leader, Garba Chiza, his deputy, Dennis Alonge Niyi, Deputy National Auditor, Umar Ibrahim,National Women Leader, Kema Chikwe, her deputy, Hannatu Ulam, Deputy National Treasurer, Claudus Inengas and the National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon

NIGERIAN EVENTS AWARDS UK 2013 HOLDS ON JUNE 29TH ***CLICK HERE

The Nigerian Events Awards holds at the Hilton London Docklands on Saturday 29 June 2013.

The event which seeks to celebrate practitioners serving the Nigerian Events industry in the United Kingdom is organised by LvLv Events, Splendour Events Design and Divine Inspirations.

Tickets are available at neauk2013.eventbrite.com

Nigeria is sinking Ship and a big threat of Civil War Looms--RIBADU

Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial 
Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, says Nigeria’s sovereignty is like an unstable ship that is at the verge of sinking.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa radio, Ribadu warned about civil 
war, saying that the challenges of insecurity, corruption and injustice 
bedeviling the country have become very alarming.

His words: “Nigeria has never experienced the current high level of 
bloodshed in some parts of the country that resulted to State of 
Emergency with other parts facing unrest, the high level of human right 
abuse and corruption.

“I can safely say that this country is facing many crucial challenges of development.”

In the interview broadcast late Monday, Ribadu, the presidential 
candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 general 
elections, also berated Nigeria’s leaders for their inability to provide the basic needs of the citizens.

Lamenting the high rate of corruption and misplacement of priorities 
in the country, he said: “Go to the airport now, between here in Abuja 
and Lagos, you will discover that over 400 redundant planes are owned by few people. Each plane costs between 10-40 million dollars. One plane 
can build a university; a plane can build a very big hospital. Nigerian 
leaders have converted to travelling on private jets while majority of 
the citizens wallow in poverty.”

Ribadu said government must take stringent measures to save the country from the threat of civil war.

Ribadu also added that the presidential pardon granted former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and others showed that Jonathan was insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian masses.

According to him, it was worrisome for a government that knew nothing about the case to pardon the former governor who was convicted for looting public funds. He argued that the action was a big setback for the fight against corruption in the country.

He said, “The pardon granted Alamieyeseigha and Shettima Bulama by the President is a tragic development. A very unfair action against Nigerians because corruption is our biggest problem and any step taken against the direction of reversing it is a negative development in our own country.

“Our leaders are very insensitive to the ordinary people and very unfair to Nigeria. If you take selfish interest before the interest of the people, personally, as a person who did the work of fighting corruption, they were my own cases and they were extremely very important to me.

“They were the first set of convictions that we recorded and they were significant because they were the first set of cases of convictions in Nigeria since independence. We have never had a governor or a Chief Executive Officer of a bank being convicted for a crime.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of Northern civil society groups, led by Mallam Shehu Sani, also faulted the pardon granted Alamieyeseigha, saying it had made nonsense of the anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government.

The coalition argued that the pardon granted the late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua, former Chief of General Staff , Gen. Oladipo Diya and the late Gen.Abdulkareem Adisa was just to give credibility to the exercise.

It said, “What we know very well is that pardon for Alamieyeseigha is unpopular, and President Jonathan has demonstrated over the years to be rewarding corruption and aiding and abetting it.”