On September 13, 2008, Saturday SUN newspaper published a story in an obscure corner of page 10 that one Sarah Ngozi Nwosa, a woman claiming to be legal practitioner cum consultant had accused the former military president Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former Attorney General of the Federation, Bayo Ojo and the a service chief, Gen Azazi (rtd) for being the co-sponsors of the crisis in the crisis in the Niger Delta. Whoever has his sanity perfectly in place knows that there is nothing by way of a common interest that will bring these Nigerians together.
On September 13, 2008, Saturday SUN newspaper published a story in an obscure corner of page 10 that one Sarah Ngozi Nwosa, a woman claiming to be legal practitioner cum consultant had accused the former military president Gen Ibrahim Babangida, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former Attorney General of the Federation, Bayo Ojo and the a service chief, Gen Azazi (rtd) for being the co-sponsors of the crisis in the crisis in the Niger Delta. Whoever has his sanity perfectly in place knows that there is nothing by way of a common interest that will bring these Nigerians together. The same story was modified an heavily fortified with arrant nonsense and baseless lies by one Wale Odusote who claimed to be based in the United States of America. According to Odusote, “a high-powered group of Nigerians in the Diaspora has firmed up plans to gather in Washington DC this month of September to discuss Niger Delta and review the allegations and see whether they hold sufficient merit to warrant commencement of some international criminal actions against those implicated. Vast majorities have signed on to participate for any of the many reasons that every Nigerian must be troubled when a lawyer (an officer of the court) goes public with allegations implicating Nigeria’s past military president and former vice president as accomplices in a crisis that is fast threatening the economy of Nigeria and that of the United States (where most of us live) and which is the number one consumer of Nigeria’s light sweet crude. The monumental human tragedy is another factor.” Ordinarily, the publication by Wale Odusote would have been ignored by any serious-minded Nigerians especially those of us from the Niger Delta region but for the discernible intentions of the writer and his sponsors. It is grossly insensitive to the plight of the Niger Delta people for somebody who has managed to smuggle into America to use the issue of the wanton neglect of the oil –rich region to play partisan politics or rather divert attention from the established cases of electoral fraud, bribery unprecedented corruption that marred the 2007 general elections in the country. The deducible picture from the evil-intended story both in the Sun and the Odusote’s versions on the web is that political rulers from the northern part of the country were the sponsors of the agitation for justice and the resulting violence in the Niger Delta. This is a mere lie from the pit of hell. Hear him:“Day by day, the Niger Delta crisis continues to escalate and many of us in the Diaspora (including those familiar with counter-intelligence) have long suspected that the crisis persists for many more reasons than just sheer militancy, resource control or minority nationalism. The growing evidence that the Nigerian armed forces (and intelligence) have been ineffectual in tackling the militancy and kidnappings is pointer enough that some powerful forces may be behind the young guys actually perpetrating the violence. Add that to the cynicism which greeted the Federal government’s plans to hold a summit and even the recent bold step to create a special ministry for the Niger Delta.” From all indications, Wale Odusote spoke like a spook. The question now for the American authourities is to thoroughly investigate his activities in the US to ascertain who the Nigerian –born immigrant is spying for. Odusote’s declarations in the article clearly show that if he is not working for America, he is obviously working for Russia (KGB) or some Middle East countries with strong ties to Al-Qaeda. This follows his frequent references to intelligence and counter intelligence. There is no doubt that every detail insinuating the line-up of the planned actions by the federal government, Nigerians in the diaspora (US), and the US Government were mere figments of the writer’s imagination. It could best be described as poorly conceived and terribly packaged fiction. It was an outright mischief for anybody to insinuate that northern political leaders were sponsors of the ongoing violent militant activities. This is purely diversionary and would not work this time. I find it perticularly mischievous that anyone could associate leading figure of our nation,especially the former Vice President,Atiku Abubakar who,during his term did the most to fight oil bunkering even in the face of prevarication by his former boss,President Obasanjo.People could also say whatever they want of President Babangida but one thing Nigerians know,is that the man is above the petty criminality that oil bunkering. Having distinguished themselves in public service and now enjoying their semi-retirement,the question to ask Odusote is:what do these sons of Nigeria stand to gain by sponsoring violence and criminality in the Delta region? Wale Odusote who is a self-acclaimed prolific web-based writer is himself not as verastile as one would expect of anyone makind any such claims. Anyone who googles Wale Odusote will make the shocking discovery that this is a Nigerian writer whose commitment is to special interests any caims to being nationalistic is to be dismissed as opportunistic. Odusote resume' is dotted wich such hagiography that is insultive of the intelligence of Nigerians.This,for the record,is a writer who saw no wrong in the electoral heist slaped on the nation by the dou of Obasanjo and Iwu and if anyone is in doubt,let the read Odusote on "In Atlanta , Iwu Carried The Day With His Constituency Delimitation"; and "Atiku, IBB Bunkering and Violence in the Niger delta". He was also associated the article: "World Igbo Congress: Time to Stop the Jamboree". The question is: Who is Maurice Iwu and Who is Wale Odusote? Answer to this question would help unmask the masquarde behind the sudden prominence of Wale Odusote as a Nigerian US-based writer. He suddenly came into the limelight of the Nigerian unconventional media just at the time that Prof Iwu was trying to wriggle himself out of the plethora of accusation of massive and unprecedented electoral fraud, bribery and corruption including a certificate scandal. Could it be possible that Odusote may be one of Iwu’s hack writers? Though there is nothing wrong in working for the INEC boss especially by a Nigerian at home or in the diaspora, the problem starts when such a "press boy" starts cooking up provocative lies to maintain his job with his paymaster, then there may need for serious concern.
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