January 28, 2010
As a diverse group of former heads of government agencies and parastatals has joined the pressure on Yar’Adua to hand power over, members of Yar’Adua’s beleaguered kitchen cabinet members have concluded a brazen new plan to fly the ailing Nigerian leader to Abuja for a few days to sign oil block leases and several oil deals for which the cabal is picking up stupendous kickbacks.
As a diverse group of former heads of government agencies and parastatals has joined the pressure on Yar’Adua to hand power over, members of Yar’Adua’s beleaguered kitchen cabinet members have concluded a brazen new plan to fly the ailing Nigerian leader to Abuja for a few days to sign oil block leases and several oil deals for which the cabal is picking up stupendous kickbacks.
Saharareporters has gathered from reliable sources that the group, led by Yar’Adua’s wife, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua is worried that with the growing international and national pressure, power might from their grasp.
Following the crisis over their taking the 2009 Appropriation Bill to Saudi Arabia for their principal to “sign,” our sources said the group became concerned about arranging another fiasco of a trip to take the documents to Jeddah. In addition, they are concerned because Goodluck Jonathan has said he would like to accompany the group on any future trips to see his boss.
Medical sources in Jeddah told Saharareporters that it remains to be seen how Yar’Adua can be flown home in his present condition because contrary to the situation being touted Aminchi, the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yar’Adua has not improved significantly. Aminchi, like several other politicians, are still not being allowed to see Yar’Adua, who remains bed-ridden. However, the ambassador is periodically pushed to issue press releases claiming that Yar’Adua is doing better.
If the new plan sails through, Yar’Adua would be confronted upon arrival with signing oil lease documents and pending oil-related business deals in which members of his close-knit circle have a direct interest. At the heart of the deal are the oil leases to China, and the Gas deal with Gazprom in Russia, which would see Russia control a huge chunk of natural Gas sources (to be) exported to Europe through Algeria.
Our sources said some of the leases, including a sweet deal for the current oil minister’s Afren Petroleum, have been approved by members of the kitchen cabinet, but the Chinese are insisting that a Presidential seal would be needed for them to be confident that the deals with the Nigerian government is legitimate.
Several of Yar’Adua’s cronies have been secretly allocated oil marginal fields retrieved from some oil majors. Some of them have also been given the huge privilege of owning local content partnerships with multinational companies allocated oil blocks. All of these are pending Yar’Adua’s signature and causing anxiety for his wife and his Chief Economic Adviser, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, the man at the center of the resistance against handover of power to the Number Two man.
Meanwhile, Saharareporters has confirmed that Goodluck Jonathan’s speech claiming that Yar’adua would return soon is nothing but hot air. Our sources insist there is nothing communicated to the VP concerning Yar’Adua’s return that made him to tell some ambassadors submitting letters of credence to him that his boss is on his way. Also today, former president Shehu Shagari, Ernest Shonekan, Alex Ekwueme and Mohammed Uwais joined clamour for Yar’Adua to hand-over power, a call coming about 24 hours after the Senate passed a resolution urging Yar’Adua to respect the provisions of the Constitution.
Shagari was leading a group known as Eminent Elders Group, which also visited the National Assembly and met separately with the President of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
Other members of the delegation included the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Legbo Kutigi, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. TY Danjuma, and Professor Jerry Gana.
The group said it took the decision after a meeting of some former Presidents, Heads of State, former Chief Justices of Nigeria and elder Statesmen, which was held at the ECOWAS Parliament building in Abuja.
According to Shagari, the group was deeply concerned about the prolonged absence of Yar’Adua. Part of the resolution reached after the meeting read, “It is important to resolve this issue by inviting the President to formally issue the necessary communication that will enable the Vice President to be Acting President in accordance with section 145 of the 1999 constitution as soon as possible.”
Shagari told Mark, “We were worried about the situation in the country. We were happy to know that you were discussing the same thing that we were discussing yesterday. Everything depends on you. Everything depends on your decision.’’
The former President also said a copy of their resolution had been forwarded to President Umaru Yar’Adua, Vice President Jonathan, and House Speaker, Bankole. Saharareporters learnt that the intervention of the so-called elders was due to increased worry that Yar’Adua’s long absence might lead to a bloody military putsch that could wipe out all the former heads of government.
Saharareporters has gathered from reliable sources that the group, led by Yar’Adua’s wife, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua is worried that with the growing international and national pressure, power might from their grasp.
Following the crisis over their taking the 2009 Appropriation Bill to Saudi Arabia for their principal to “sign,” our sources said the group became concerned about arranging another fiasco of a trip to take the documents to Jeddah. In addition, they are concerned because Goodluck Jonathan has said he would like to accompany the group on any future trips to see his boss.
Medical sources in Jeddah told Saharareporters that it remains to be seen how Yar’Adua can be flown home in his present condition because contrary to the situation being touted Aminchi, the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yar’Adua has not improved significantly. Aminchi, like several other politicians, are still not being allowed to see Yar’Adua, who remains bed-ridden. However, the ambassador is periodically pushed to issue press releases claiming that Yar’Adua is doing better.
If the new plan sails through, Yar’Adua would be confronted upon arrival with signing oil lease documents and pending oil-related business deals in which members of his close-knit circle have a direct interest. At the heart of the deal are the oil leases to China, and the Gas deal with Gazprom in Russia, which would see Russia control a huge chunk of natural Gas sources (to be) exported to Europe through Algeria.
Our sources said some of the leases, including a sweet deal for the current oil minister’s Afren Petroleum, have been approved by members of the kitchen cabinet, but the Chinese are insisting that a Presidential seal would be needed for them to be confident that the deals with the Nigerian government is legitimate.
Several of Yar’Adua’s cronies have been secretly allocated oil marginal fields retrieved from some oil majors. Some of them have also been given the huge privilege of owning local content partnerships with multinational companies allocated oil blocks. All of these are pending Yar’Adua’s signature and causing anxiety for his wife and his Chief Economic Adviser, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, the man at the center of the resistance against handover of power to the Number Two man.
Meanwhile, Saharareporters has confirmed that Goodluck Jonathan’s speech claiming that Yar’adua would return soon is nothing but hot air. Our sources insist there is nothing communicated to the VP concerning Yar’Adua’s return that made him to tell some ambassadors submitting letters of credence to him that his boss is on his way. Also today, former president Shehu Shagari, Ernest Shonekan, Alex Ekwueme and Mohammed Uwais joined clamour for Yar’Adua to hand-over power, a call coming about 24 hours after the Senate passed a resolution urging Yar’Adua to respect the provisions of the Constitution.
Shagari was leading a group known as Eminent Elders Group, which also visited the National Assembly and met separately with the President of the Senate, David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
Other members of the delegation included the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Legbo Kutigi, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. TY Danjuma, and Professor Jerry Gana.
The group said it took the decision after a meeting of some former Presidents, Heads of State, former Chief Justices of Nigeria and elder Statesmen, which was held at the ECOWAS Parliament building in Abuja.
According to Shagari, the group was deeply concerned about the prolonged absence of Yar’Adua. Part of the resolution reached after the meeting read, “It is important to resolve this issue by inviting the President to formally issue the necessary communication that will enable the Vice President to be Acting President in accordance with section 145 of the 1999 constitution as soon as possible.”
Shagari told Mark, “We were worried about the situation in the country. We were happy to know that you were discussing the same thing that we were discussing yesterday. Everything depends on you. Everything depends on your decision.’’
The former President also said a copy of their resolution had been forwarded to President Umaru Yar’Adua, Vice President Jonathan, and House Speaker, Bankole. Saharareporters learnt that the intervention of the so-called elders was due to increased worry that Yar’Adua’s long absence might lead to a bloody military putsch that could wipe out all the former heads of government.
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