June 2, 2010
{joomplu:2188}{joomplu:2189}{joomplu:2190}A full one and a half years after Saharareporters reported the double crime of a state governor giving an illicit and criminal gift to the boss of an anti-corruption agency, there seem to be high-placed efforts to wipe the fingerprints from the evidence. The exhibit is a $500,000 bulletproof Mercedes car that we alerted the nation in December 2008 that Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, had given to the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri.
{joomplu:2188}{joomplu:2189}{joomplu:2190}A full one and a half years after Saharareporters reported the double crime of a state governor giving an illicit and criminal gift to the boss of an anti-corruption agency, there seem to be high-placed efforts to wipe the fingerprints from the evidence. The exhibit is a $500,000 bulletproof Mercedes car that we alerted the nation in December 2008 that Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, had given to the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri.
With the signs of bad things happening to some bad people throughout the country, as evidenced by the fall of Attorney-General Michael Aondoakaa, INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu, and the disgraced former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, Mr. Akpabio seems to have determined to take his destiny in his own hands and manipulate it recklessly. On Tuesday, he invited selected journalists to his lair at Government House, Uyo, and sought to “prove” to them that the car we reported he gave as a bribe is still in the governor’s fleet.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr Usoro I. Usoro, glorified the effort as “a rare display of transparency,” but did not say why the display took the governor 18 months to put together. Usoro said “checks by the journalists confirmed that the (Chassis Number) actually belongs to one of the security vehicles used by the governor.”
Said Mr. Usoro, “Though it was considered against security protocols, the invitation of the journalists was actually meant to prove the open and transparent disposition of Akpabio’s government.”
Saharareporters, which is being asked for an apology, was not invited to the event even if by teleconference. We do not know if any of the selected journalists asked the following obvious question, which we—as ordinary Citizen Reporters—would have: “If Governor Akpabio is so concerned about transparency, why did he not display this car to the press in December 2008?”
We, as Citizen Reporters, would also have asked exactly what car Governor Akpabio is running from. In our original story, which is reproduced here, we clearly said—and Press Secretary Usoro confirmed in his statement—that the car with which the Governor bribed Mrs. Waziri has Chassis Number WDC 1648711A 390877.
However, the car that Governor Akpabio showed off to journalists of his choosing on June 1, by his own account, has Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877. The Governor displayed three pictures of that car with a Lagos registration number.
As much as we like to expose corruption stories, we have never accused anyone, including Governor Akpabio, of trying to bribe anyone with a Mercedes car with Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877. He may have, but we do not know such a story yet.
The government of Akwa Ibom has accused Saharareporters of a “set target to attempt dragging Gov Akpabio into a needless fray,” but our objective remains the same: to expose corruption in Nigeria wherever it may be trying to hide, as a contribution to the sanitization of the country.
Instead of trying to call us names, Governor Akpabio should:
• Explain to the people of Akwa Ibom and Uyo why his “transparent” government took all 18 months to display a common car to rebut a damaging story. If it can take so long just to place a car in front of Government House, how long does it take Governor Akpabio to sink a borehole, for instance, or build a school?
• Explain to the people of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria where he got the second car, with Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877, with which he is trying to explain away his corruption of a public official;
• Explain why his “transparent” government finds no irony in recklessly spending scarce resources buying half a million dollar cars.
What we believe has happened here is that Governor Akpabio spent the last 18 months trying to negotiate the return of the bribe car from Mrs. Waziri in order to cover his tracks. He probably got it back, but got stuck in the mud and muddle of his own lies.
It is also possible that the second car, Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877, was similarly recovered from someone else in a similar bribe scenario, and Governor Akpabio just got his assortment of returned bribes mixed up in a track-covering frenzy.
Our original story:
EFCC Chair Farida Waziri gets $500,000.00 "Mercedes Jeep" bribe from Akwa Ibom Governor.
Two months ago, at a retreat for EFCC officials in Lagos, Mrs. Farida Waziri stunned her listeners with the very last words they expected of her. She said, "Well, I know that you all work very hard, this is Nigeria and people will offer you gifts to say thank you for your work, please accept it but make sure you spread it round".
Some of the shell-shocked participants called SaharaReporters to report that statement. In turn, we immediately contacted the EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who denied that Mrs. Waziri had made the remark. He went on to issue a curious statement to the local media declaring that Mrs. Waziri had spoken the exact opposite of what the retreat attendees had reported.
That gathering was the first at which the EFCC began to unfold its new philosophy and alliances in public, even as the influence of Yar'adua's lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, began to ripple around the agency. Olanipekun, who was once interrogated by the EFCC for money laundering, was a keynote speaker at the retreat.
As SaharaReporters found out, Mrs. Waziri is currently living by the creed she disclosed at that Lagos retreat. We have documented a series of corrupt activities engaged in by Mrs. Waziri, in concert with her fellow Benue-born brother-in-crime, federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, to collect bribes from-among others-the governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. Up till today, Mrs. Waziri has not tried to debunk any of those reports.
In an update, our investigators in Abuja have found that Mrs. Waziri is in receipt of another "big gift" from the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Obot Akpabio. Courtesy of the thieving governor of Akwa Ibom, Mrs. Waziri is now the proud owner of a Mercedes Benz GL 450 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
Known as "Mercedes Jeep" in Nigerian parlance, the car was delivered to her two days ago, December 3, 2008. The chassis number on the vehicle is WDC 1648711A 390877 (It carries a WDC because it was branded by US automaker DaimlerChrysler) . On its website, the automaker says of the car, "The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (code name X164) is a DaimlerChrysler full-size luxury crossover SUV built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz since the 2007 model year." The brand new car cost N68 million (estimated at $500,000) dollars, because it is fully armored (bullet proof.)
SaharaReporters has confirmed that the car was driven to a house in Gboko, Benue state by Mrs. Waziri's driver. The house is located in the GRA area in Gboko. A source described the location of the unregistered car as being a property next to Mr. Ambrose Feese, the former managing director of Nigeria Merchant Bank. The destination of the car may change quickly as this report becomes public. An aide to Mrs. Waziri told Saharareporters the EFCC chairwoman intends to claim it is a gift from her husband.
The latest revelation of Mrs. Waziri's corrupt lifestyle is nothing new. Saharareporters has reported her shopping spree in the UK, as corrupt former and serving governors recruited her to the EFCC job. She is also widely known to be a lover of expensive jewelry and other luxurious items.
The revelation of the car gift is coming on the heels of her continued collaboration with former Inspector generals of Police who now act as bailers and guarantors for EFCC victims under her watch. Three former inspector generals of police, namely Gambo Jimeta, Aliyu Attah and MD Yusuf have been identified as serving as "virtual board of directors" of the EFCC according to an insider in the agency. The three retired IGs all have the hatred of Nuhu Ribadu in common as he refused their intervention to save former IG Tafa Balogun, who was found to have looted the police treasury to the tune of N17 billion. Besides Aliyu Attah was noted for providing Fred Ajuduah with police outrider at the height of his "419" career and MD Yusuf never forgave Ribadu for interrogating him regarding the Haliburton bribe scandal.
SaharaReporters gathered that the three former IGs are working with Mrs. Waziri to sell Tafa Balogun's properties back to him under the pretext that the Ribadu-led EFCC did not follow due process in disposing of the properties. It has also been revealed that James Ibori might have had the $19 million bribe money he gave to Ribadu returned to him by the EFCC. The former governor was heard boasting that his Nigerian criminal trial was over because he got his money back.
Last week, Ibori suddenly traveled to Accra, Ghana, in what was interpreted as a full-blown plot to exterminate Ribadu. He reportedly made the tactical withdrawal in order to avoid being held responsible if anything happened to the diminutive former boss of the EFCC, but Ribadu was said to have gotten wind of the plan and gone underground. He is currently unreachable but sources close to him told Saharareporters that he is undergoing a "spiritual retreat" at the moment. They, however, refused to disclose his exact location. Contrary to some reports, our sources and searches of the arrival records into the US show that he is not in the US as being rumored.
Ribadu's predicament and the reports of his disappearance are being celebrated by some politicians, including the presidency. The governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, has personally called up several news editors prevailing on them to report that Ribadu has absconded to the US. Meanwhile, Ibori, fresh from the festooning of INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu in Okigwe last weekend, shortly after returning from Ghana, boasted to his aides that he has accomplished three out of four things he wanted to do to Ribadu, namely to replace him as EFCC chairman, demote him from AIG to DCP, get him publicly humiliated and jailed.
Another report says that Mr. Ibori is negotiating the purchase of Abuja-based newspaper, Daily Trust, to strengthen his hold on the media.
Follow Up Report Here>>>
Governor Akpabio's Press Release:
Akpabio refutes car gift story to EFCC boss.demands apology from Saharareporters
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has again debunked rumours that he donated a bullet proof Mercedes Jeep to the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri.
The governor had earlier, when the story first made the rounds, denied through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Usoro I. Usoro, ever donating any car whatsoever to Mrs Waziri.
In a rare display of transparency, on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, Usoro invited some journalists to Government House, to confirm for themselves that the said car was still in the governor’s fleet.
The latest reaction, which saw Akpabio demanding an unreserved apology from the owners of the online publication, was based on the insistence of an online newspaper, Saharareporters, the initial publishers of the story that they stood by their tale.
In the earlier story, the online newspaper had claimed that Akpabio donated a bullet proof GL 450 SUV worth $500,000 with chassis number WDC 1648711A 390877 as gift to the EFCC chief.
However, checks by the journalists confirmed that the number actually belongs to one of the security vehicles used by the governor.
Though it was considered against security protocols, the invitation of the journalists was actually meant to prove the open and transparent disposition of Akpabio’s government.
Recently, there have been renewed attempt to resurrect the alleged car-gift story, in an apparent effort to discredit the person of Akpabio.
According to Usoro, Akpabio never had any cause to bribe the EFCC boss as alleged by the publication. He made a similar comment in his December 08, 2008 reaction, in which he also flayed what he described as “ intemperate and uncivilised language used in the report”.
He said: “The report failed to inform the public on why a governor who has no case with the anti-graft agency would want to "bribe" the EFCC chairman.
For the avoidance of any doubt, therefore, we state unequivocally, that Gov Akpabio has run one of the most transparent and accountable governments in recent times. His projects are well laid out in line with the contemporary current of due process, accountability and rule of law. His programmes are tangible, accessible and verifiable. Such a leader, who has nothing to hide about his government, therefore has no reason to either "bribe" or "induce" anybody, contrary to what the Saharareporters would want the world to believe.
Usoro said it is not clear why the said story deviated from its set target to attempt dragging Gov Akpabio into a needless fray. What is however very transparent, he added, is that there is no iota of truth in the report; specifically, as it concerns Gov Akpabio giving a car of any kind to the EFCC chairman.
“For emphasis, Gov Akpabio is not under any investigation by EFCC, hence, has no reason to offer bribe to anybody. He does not even believe or support bribery in any form as that would be contrary to his firm stand against the enter body of corruption. It should be noted that it is not every public office holder that is corrupt. Common sense and objectivity, the hallmark of good reporting, suggest that while it is okay to criticize a government when it does wrong, the same government should also be commended when it baffles its critics, like Gov Akpabio has clearly done. We therefore expect the Saharareporters to refocus from this attitude of tarring everybody in government black or seeing every governor in negative light. Every Nigerian, including the Saharareporters publishers should rather give kudos to Gov Akpabio for his people-focused leadership; instead of tarring him with manufactured stories for whatever end, he submitted.
With the signs of bad things happening to some bad people throughout the country, as evidenced by the fall of Attorney-General Michael Aondoakaa, INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu, and the disgraced former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, Mr. Akpabio seems to have determined to take his destiny in his own hands and manipulate it recklessly. On Tuesday, he invited selected journalists to his lair at Government House, Uyo, and sought to “prove” to them that the car we reported he gave as a bribe is still in the governor’s fleet.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr Usoro I. Usoro, glorified the effort as “a rare display of transparency,” but did not say why the display took the governor 18 months to put together. Usoro said “checks by the journalists confirmed that the (Chassis Number) actually belongs to one of the security vehicles used by the governor.”
Said Mr. Usoro, “Though it was considered against security protocols, the invitation of the journalists was actually meant to prove the open and transparent disposition of Akpabio’s government.”
Saharareporters, which is being asked for an apology, was not invited to the event even if by teleconference. We do not know if any of the selected journalists asked the following obvious question, which we—as ordinary Citizen Reporters—would have: “If Governor Akpabio is so concerned about transparency, why did he not display this car to the press in December 2008?”
We, as Citizen Reporters, would also have asked exactly what car Governor Akpabio is running from. In our original story, which is reproduced here, we clearly said—and Press Secretary Usoro confirmed in his statement—that the car with which the Governor bribed Mrs. Waziri has Chassis Number WDC 1648711A 390877.
However, the car that Governor Akpabio showed off to journalists of his choosing on June 1, by his own account, has Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877. The Governor displayed three pictures of that car with a Lagos registration number.
As much as we like to expose corruption stories, we have never accused anyone, including Governor Akpabio, of trying to bribe anyone with a Mercedes car with Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877. He may have, but we do not know such a story yet.
The government of Akwa Ibom has accused Saharareporters of a “set target to attempt dragging Gov Akpabio into a needless fray,” but our objective remains the same: to expose corruption in Nigeria wherever it may be trying to hide, as a contribution to the sanitization of the country.
Instead of trying to call us names, Governor Akpabio should:
• Explain to the people of Akwa Ibom and Uyo why his “transparent” government took all 18 months to display a common car to rebut a damaging story. If it can take so long just to place a car in front of Government House, how long does it take Governor Akpabio to sink a borehole, for instance, or build a school?
• Explain to the people of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria where he got the second car, with Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877, with which he is trying to explain away his corruption of a public official;
• Explain why his “transparent” government finds no irony in recklessly spending scarce resources buying half a million dollar cars.
What we believe has happened here is that Governor Akpabio spent the last 18 months trying to negotiate the return of the bribe car from Mrs. Waziri in order to cover his tracks. He probably got it back, but got stuck in the mud and muddle of his own lies.
It is also possible that the second car, Chassis Number WDC 1648722A390877, was similarly recovered from someone else in a similar bribe scenario, and Governor Akpabio just got his assortment of returned bribes mixed up in a track-covering frenzy.
Our original story:
EFCC Chair Farida Waziri gets $500,000.00 "Mercedes Jeep" bribe from Akwa Ibom Governor.
Two months ago, at a retreat for EFCC officials in Lagos, Mrs. Farida Waziri stunned her listeners with the very last words they expected of her. She said, "Well, I know that you all work very hard, this is Nigeria and people will offer you gifts to say thank you for your work, please accept it but make sure you spread it round".
Some of the shell-shocked participants called SaharaReporters to report that statement. In turn, we immediately contacted the EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who denied that Mrs. Waziri had made the remark. He went on to issue a curious statement to the local media declaring that Mrs. Waziri had spoken the exact opposite of what the retreat attendees had reported.
That gathering was the first at which the EFCC began to unfold its new philosophy and alliances in public, even as the influence of Yar'adua's lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, began to ripple around the agency. Olanipekun, who was once interrogated by the EFCC for money laundering, was a keynote speaker at the retreat.
As SaharaReporters found out, Mrs. Waziri is currently living by the creed she disclosed at that Lagos retreat. We have documented a series of corrupt activities engaged in by Mrs. Waziri, in concert with her fellow Benue-born brother-in-crime, federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, to collect bribes from-among others-the governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. Up till today, Mrs. Waziri has not tried to debunk any of those reports.
In an update, our investigators in Abuja have found that Mrs. Waziri is in receipt of another "big gift" from the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Obot Akpabio. Courtesy of the thieving governor of Akwa Ibom, Mrs. Waziri is now the proud owner of a Mercedes Benz GL 450 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
Known as "Mercedes Jeep" in Nigerian parlance, the car was delivered to her two days ago, December 3, 2008. The chassis number on the vehicle is WDC 1648711A 390877 (It carries a WDC because it was branded by US automaker DaimlerChrysler) . On its website, the automaker says of the car, "The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (code name X164) is a DaimlerChrysler full-size luxury crossover SUV built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz since the 2007 model year." The brand new car cost N68 million (estimated at $500,000) dollars, because it is fully armored (bullet proof.)
SaharaReporters has confirmed that the car was driven to a house in Gboko, Benue state by Mrs. Waziri's driver. The house is located in the GRA area in Gboko. A source described the location of the unregistered car as being a property next to Mr. Ambrose Feese, the former managing director of Nigeria Merchant Bank. The destination of the car may change quickly as this report becomes public. An aide to Mrs. Waziri told Saharareporters the EFCC chairwoman intends to claim it is a gift from her husband.
The latest revelation of Mrs. Waziri's corrupt lifestyle is nothing new. Saharareporters has reported her shopping spree in the UK, as corrupt former and serving governors recruited her to the EFCC job. She is also widely known to be a lover of expensive jewelry and other luxurious items.
The revelation of the car gift is coming on the heels of her continued collaboration with former Inspector generals of Police who now act as bailers and guarantors for EFCC victims under her watch. Three former inspector generals of police, namely Gambo Jimeta, Aliyu Attah and MD Yusuf have been identified as serving as "virtual board of directors" of the EFCC according to an insider in the agency. The three retired IGs all have the hatred of Nuhu Ribadu in common as he refused their intervention to save former IG Tafa Balogun, who was found to have looted the police treasury to the tune of N17 billion. Besides Aliyu Attah was noted for providing Fred Ajuduah with police outrider at the height of his "419" career and MD Yusuf never forgave Ribadu for interrogating him regarding the Haliburton bribe scandal.
SaharaReporters gathered that the three former IGs are working with Mrs. Waziri to sell Tafa Balogun's properties back to him under the pretext that the Ribadu-led EFCC did not follow due process in disposing of the properties. It has also been revealed that James Ibori might have had the $19 million bribe money he gave to Ribadu returned to him by the EFCC. The former governor was heard boasting that his Nigerian criminal trial was over because he got his money back.
Last week, Ibori suddenly traveled to Accra, Ghana, in what was interpreted as a full-blown plot to exterminate Ribadu. He reportedly made the tactical withdrawal in order to avoid being held responsible if anything happened to the diminutive former boss of the EFCC, but Ribadu was said to have gotten wind of the plan and gone underground. He is currently unreachable but sources close to him told Saharareporters that he is undergoing a "spiritual retreat" at the moment. They, however, refused to disclose his exact location. Contrary to some reports, our sources and searches of the arrival records into the US show that he is not in the US as being rumored.
Ribadu's predicament and the reports of his disappearance are being celebrated by some politicians, including the presidency. The governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, has personally called up several news editors prevailing on them to report that Ribadu has absconded to the US. Meanwhile, Ibori, fresh from the festooning of INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu in Okigwe last weekend, shortly after returning from Ghana, boasted to his aides that he has accomplished three out of four things he wanted to do to Ribadu, namely to replace him as EFCC chairman, demote him from AIG to DCP, get him publicly humiliated and jailed.
Another report says that Mr. Ibori is negotiating the purchase of Abuja-based newspaper, Daily Trust, to strengthen his hold on the media.
Follow Up Report Here>>>
Governor Akpabio's Press Release:
Akpabio refutes car gift story to EFCC boss.demands apology from Saharareporters
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has again debunked rumours that he donated a bullet proof Mercedes Jeep to the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri.
The governor had earlier, when the story first made the rounds, denied through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Usoro I. Usoro, ever donating any car whatsoever to Mrs Waziri.
In a rare display of transparency, on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, Usoro invited some journalists to Government House, to confirm for themselves that the said car was still in the governor’s fleet.
The latest reaction, which saw Akpabio demanding an unreserved apology from the owners of the online publication, was based on the insistence of an online newspaper, Saharareporters, the initial publishers of the story that they stood by their tale.
In the earlier story, the online newspaper had claimed that Akpabio donated a bullet proof GL 450 SUV worth $500,000 with chassis number WDC 1648711A 390877 as gift to the EFCC chief.
However, checks by the journalists confirmed that the number actually belongs to one of the security vehicles used by the governor.
Though it was considered against security protocols, the invitation of the journalists was actually meant to prove the open and transparent disposition of Akpabio’s government.
Recently, there have been renewed attempt to resurrect the alleged car-gift story, in an apparent effort to discredit the person of Akpabio.
According to Usoro, Akpabio never had any cause to bribe the EFCC boss as alleged by the publication. He made a similar comment in his December 08, 2008 reaction, in which he also flayed what he described as “ intemperate and uncivilised language used in the report”.
He said: “The report failed to inform the public on why a governor who has no case with the anti-graft agency would want to "bribe" the EFCC chairman.
For the avoidance of any doubt, therefore, we state unequivocally, that Gov Akpabio has run one of the most transparent and accountable governments in recent times. His projects are well laid out in line with the contemporary current of due process, accountability and rule of law. His programmes are tangible, accessible and verifiable. Such a leader, who has nothing to hide about his government, therefore has no reason to either "bribe" or "induce" anybody, contrary to what the Saharareporters would want the world to believe.
Usoro said it is not clear why the said story deviated from its set target to attempt dragging Gov Akpabio into a needless fray. What is however very transparent, he added, is that there is no iota of truth in the report; specifically, as it concerns Gov Akpabio giving a car of any kind to the EFCC chairman.
“For emphasis, Gov Akpabio is not under any investigation by EFCC, hence, has no reason to offer bribe to anybody. He does not even believe or support bribery in any form as that would be contrary to his firm stand against the enter body of corruption. It should be noted that it is not every public office holder that is corrupt. Common sense and objectivity, the hallmark of good reporting, suggest that while it is okay to criticize a government when it does wrong, the same government should also be commended when it baffles its critics, like Gov Akpabio has clearly done. We therefore expect the Saharareporters to refocus from this attitude of tarring everybody in government black or seeing every governor in negative light. Every Nigerian, including the Saharareporters publishers should rather give kudos to Gov Akpabio for his people-focused leadership; instead of tarring him with manufactured stories for whatever end, he submitted.
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