September 12, 2008
SaharaReporters, New York
Two very knowledgeable sources in Aso Rock have informed Saharareporters that Umar Yar’adua plans to nominate former Governor James Onanefe Ibori of Delta to head the newly created Ministry of the Niger Delta. “This appointment will be the biggest political shocker since Yar’adua came to office,” said one of our sources.
Another source disclosed that the new ministry is “an innovation and Ibori's brainchild.” He added: “It is Chief Ibori’s strategy to establish himself formally in Yar’adua’s government since he lost out in an earlier bid to become Minister of Energy Resources due to objections from the then Nuhu Ribadu-led EFCC.”
The coast seems clear for Ibori, who recently returned from a retreat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he owns a splurgy mansion on the pricey Dubai Palm estate. Our sources said Ibori met with numerous friends and political associates in Dubai in preparation for assumption of his ministerial mantle. He reportedly met with former Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) president, Adams Oshiomole and asked that Adams help him reach out to the civil society in Nigeria while promising him adequate representation before Yar'adua to have the Court of Appeal turn the Edo State elections tribunal verdict in his favor.
Ibori has also sent feelers to Henry Okah, the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) leader currently in detention that he (Ibori) is working to seek his release from jail as a way of gaining acceptance within MEND circles.
Our sources further said that Yar'adua had already sent diplomatic feelers to the British government to seek their understanding about Ibori’s impending appointment as minister of the Niger Delta ministry. Yar’adua told the Brits that Ibori is the only Nigerian politician who can bring the restless region under control as minister. One source said the British government seemed receptive to the idea, even as the London Police have reportedly expanded their probe of Ibori into the US.
The Yar’adua regime’s effort to re-brand Ibori was tested during the recently concluded Beijing Olympics Games where Ibori as well as former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State were visible on the list of Nigeria’s official delegation. Also included on the delegation was Ahmadu Ali, former chairman of the PDP.
A source in Aso Rock also told SaharaReporters that Ibori has been penciled in to fly on the same jet as Yar'adua to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Ibori is scheduled to be in New York as part of Yar'adua's delegation to the event starting next week. Last year, a United Nations pass and a letter of clearance written by Nigeria's attorney general, Mike Aondoakaa helped Ibori secure temporary relief from a London Magistrate Court, his assets were defrozen by the Southwark court until a High court ended it all by reinstating the freeze on his assets valued at over $40 million worldwide.
SaharaReporters has been told that Ibori's nomination as minister is the best-kept secret by the Yar'adua administration. But Ibori is not taking chances either. Two sources told our reporters that since the idea was mooted and accepted by Yar'adua a few months ago, Ibori had begun to “clean up his image through the media.” He has made sure to respond – sometimes personally – to negative media reports or comments on his person. He has also moved to revamp his media concern, the Daily Independent, by hiring a Phillips Consulting outfit to look into the paper’s accounts over the past four years.
Ibori had decided to remove Ted Iwere, the newspaper's managing editor, but that move has been stalled for unknown reasons. A source close to Mr. Ibori said the former governor had earlier given the green light for Phillips Consulting to take over the management of Daily Independent, but later reconsidered the decision to remove Mr. Iwere “who could prove dangerous to Ibori’s political schemes due to the sheer volume of information he has on Ibori's dirty deals.”
When SaharaReporters contacted a close aide of Yar’adua’s on the issue of Ibori’s appointment, he initially denied any knowledge of it. Then he said, “You know that once you guys (SaharaReporters) report this, then Ibori's appointment may not go ahead.” He added: “You can trust that Ibori will get the president to appoint his candidate to the ministry, if for any reason he doesn't make the list. His house here in Abuja is already the Mecca for those seeking ministerial appointment and those who want to retain their portfolios"
Two very knowledgeable sources in Aso Rock have informed Saharareporters that Umar Yar’adua plans to nominate former Governor James Onanefe Ibori of Delta to head the newly created Ministry of the Niger Delta. “This appointment will be the biggest political shocker since Yar’adua came to office,” said one of our sources.
Another source disclosed that the new ministry is “an innovation and Ibori's brainchild.” He added: “It is Chief Ibori’s strategy to establish himself formally in Yar’adua’s government since he lost out in an earlier bid to become Minister of Energy Resources due to objections from the then Nuhu Ribadu-led EFCC.”
The coast seems clear for Ibori, who recently returned from a retreat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he owns a splurgy mansion on the pricey Dubai Palm estate. Our sources said Ibori met with numerous friends and political associates in Dubai in preparation for assumption of his ministerial mantle. He reportedly met with former Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) president, Adams Oshiomole and asked that Adams help him reach out to the civil society in Nigeria while promising him adequate representation before Yar'adua to have the Court of Appeal turn the Edo State elections tribunal verdict in his favor.
Ibori has also sent feelers to Henry Okah, the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) leader currently in detention that he (Ibori) is working to seek his release from jail as a way of gaining acceptance within MEND circles.
Our sources further said that Yar'adua had already sent diplomatic feelers to the British government to seek their understanding about Ibori’s impending appointment as minister of the Niger Delta ministry. Yar’adua told the Brits that Ibori is the only Nigerian politician who can bring the restless region under control as minister. One source said the British government seemed receptive to the idea, even as the London Police have reportedly expanded their probe of Ibori into the US.
The Yar’adua regime’s effort to re-brand Ibori was tested during the recently concluded Beijing Olympics Games where Ibori as well as former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State were visible on the list of Nigeria’s official delegation. Also included on the delegation was Ahmadu Ali, former chairman of the PDP.
A source in Aso Rock also told SaharaReporters that Ibori has been penciled in to fly on the same jet as Yar'adua to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Ibori is scheduled to be in New York as part of Yar'adua's delegation to the event starting next week. Last year, a United Nations pass and a letter of clearance written by Nigeria's attorney general, Mike Aondoakaa helped Ibori secure temporary relief from a London Magistrate Court, his assets were defrozen by the Southwark court until a High court ended it all by reinstating the freeze on his assets valued at over $40 million worldwide.
SaharaReporters has been told that Ibori's nomination as minister is the best-kept secret by the Yar'adua administration. But Ibori is not taking chances either. Two sources told our reporters that since the idea was mooted and accepted by Yar'adua a few months ago, Ibori had begun to “clean up his image through the media.” He has made sure to respond – sometimes personally – to negative media reports or comments on his person. He has also moved to revamp his media concern, the Daily Independent, by hiring a Phillips Consulting outfit to look into the paper’s accounts over the past four years.
Ibori had decided to remove Ted Iwere, the newspaper's managing editor, but that move has been stalled for unknown reasons. A source close to Mr. Ibori said the former governor had earlier given the green light for Phillips Consulting to take over the management of Daily Independent, but later reconsidered the decision to remove Mr. Iwere “who could prove dangerous to Ibori’s political schemes due to the sheer volume of information he has on Ibori's dirty deals.”
When SaharaReporters contacted a close aide of Yar’adua’s on the issue of Ibori’s appointment, he initially denied any knowledge of it. Then he said, “You know that once you guys (SaharaReporters) report this, then Ibori's appointment may not go ahead.” He added: “You can trust that Ibori will get the president to appoint his candidate to the ministry, if for any reason he doesn't make the list. His house here in Abuja is already the Mecca for those seeking ministerial appointment and those who want to retain their portfolios"
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });