Congratulations, Nigeria

 

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By Chukwudi Nweje

Acting Features Editor

A new Nigeria has been born, and a jinx broken. It had been taken for granted in Nigeria that every sitting president would win re-election.  Former President Shehu Shagari won re-election in 1983 before the military truncated his second term. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also won re-election in 2007 after serving the first term from 1999 to 2003. For the first time in the history of electioneering in Nigeria, a sitting President has lost his re-election bid.  He has also gone ahead to congratulate his main challenger, something that has not happened before. The norm has been for the candidate that lost to reject the election result. But President Goodluck Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election, has accepted defeat and congratulated Major General Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Continue reading “Congratulations, Nigeria”

Group task Tinubu to come clean on ABC saga

on   /   in News 3:26 pm   /   Comments

Following the injunction obtained by leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu restrainning media houses from broadcasting a documentary titled Lion of Bourdilion that was aired by African Independent Television (AIT), the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has called on Sen. Tinubu to address Lagosians on the lingering issue of his relation with the consultancy firm.

The convener of the group, Comrade Debo Adeniran, further called on Lagosians not to vote any candidate that refuses to address the 15% deduction of Lagosians annual revenue, ‘we are equally flabbergasted at Sen. Bola Tinubu’s unwarranted silence on Alpha Beta issue.

We are also surprised that the APC leader went to court, to obtain an injunction, stopping the airing of the documentary about him on African Independent Television (AIT) and other media houses. He sought protection under the law that gives him respite that can sustain him for a very long time.’

He continued: ‘Beyond getting an injunction to stop the airing of his alleged misdemeanor, as an elder statesman, Sen. Tinubu is expected to come out in the open to defend the allegations if they are true or false’, CACOL stated.

The group further called on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to make public their findings on the allegations on the True Face of Lagos as contained in its petitions.

SOURCE: Vanguard

Akiolu’s unguided Utterances

By Chukwudi Nweje / Acting Features Editor

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu’s alleged threat to make life miserable for people of Igbo extraction if the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is not elected as the next governor of the state is condemnable and tactically calling for and endorsing post election violence should the outcome of the governorship polls not go the way of the APC. Oba Akiolu is reported to have summoned all the Eze-Ndigbo in Lagos State to his palace on Sunday April 5 where he literarily threatened to drown any Igbo that voted against Ambode in the lagoon.
He warned: “On Saturday (April 11 governorship election), if any one of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me. By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the dead and those coming in the future. On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos state, the person is going to die inside this water. Continue reading “Akiolu’s unguided Utterances”

CACOL commends Jonathan for conceding defeat

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has congratulated President-elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, and also commended President Goodluck Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for his spirit of sportsmanship. The group, in a statement by its chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran, commended President Jonathan for calling his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, on phone to congratulate him on his victory at the polls.

“This spirit of sportsmanship as displayed by the incumbent president is highly commendable and worthy of emulation.

“We also want to congratulate President Jonathan for successfully conducting, though a keenly contested, but free, fair and credible election in the annals of Nigerian history. “CACOL is hereby calling on whosoever may be planning to benefit from post-election crisis to sheath their sword and give peace a chance.”

SOURCE: New Telegraph

Presidential election: CACOL congratulates Jega, Nigerians

Posted by on March 31, 2015 at 6:43 pm

As Nigerians await the 8pm local time rescheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the winner of the 2015 presidential election, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has commended the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, on his effort so far in ensuring a free, fair, credible and violence-free election, and for putting all necessary materials in place for the success of the presidential election.

Jega

Debo Adeniran, CACOL Chairman, in a statement also commended Nigerians who came out in their numbers to vote and also ensure that the election was violence-free despite the threat of violence before the election.

The group however condemned the postponement of the announcement of the final result of the election.

“INEC Chairman had promised the Nigerian people that the election result would be ready 48hrs after the election would have been concluded. The suspension of the announcement of the election result by the INEC Chairman is arousing suspicion in some quarters that the ruling party may be up to something sinister.

“We want to warn that any attempt to manipulate or overturn the will of the mass of Nigerians will have great consequence that Nigeria as a country cannot afford at this time.

“We hereby urge Jega not to pander to the wish of some cabals that may want the status quo to remain against the wish of the Nigerian majority. He shouldn’t allow himself to be used as a tool in the hand of politicians in manipulating the result thereby rendering the efforts of Nigerians who went through pains to ensure a credible leader takes over power come 29th May, 2015.

SOURCE: Neweverge.

ETO IDIBO ATI OJUSE ARA ILU

ETO IDIBO ATI OJUSE ARA ILU
Eleyi ni iforoworo pelu olujafun eto owo eniyan totunje alaga Ajo kan tiwon pe ni Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Ogbeni Debo Adeniran, lori eto Ojuse tani.

Won ti gba awon eleto idibo nimoran lati mase jaya tabi beru fun bi awon osise eleto aabo yin se wa kakiri nitori eto idibo ti n bo.

Otukansi to ba daro ilu to tun je alaga fun egbe to n gbogun ti awon asaaju oniwa-ajebanu, Ogbeni Debo Adeniran lo nawo imoran yii nigba to n soro lori eto wa “Ojuse-Tani”

Ogbeni Adeniran so pe looto ni igbese n tako liana ofin ile yii sugbon won wa kaakiri lati mu eto alaafia ilu lowo ni lakoko ibo.

O toka si I pe, opolopo eto ilaniloye lo ti wa kaakiri latowo awon egbe atogba lati la awon oludibo loye, lori oju se won.

Ogbeni Adeniran kesi awon oludibo lati tade lo dibo tori ojuse won ni tori tie to idibo yii bale kese jari yoo leran eto iselu ijoba tiwantiwa lowo nile yii.

O wa ro awon toro eto idibo yii kan lati mase teti lori ojuse won leyi ti ko ni fa rogbodiyan lese rara lakoko ibo na.

‘Don’t manipulate election results’

 

A group, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, not to allow himself to be used by any cabal to manipulate the final outcome of the presidential election, which held on Saturday and Sunday.

Though CACOL commended Jega on his effort so far in ensuring a free, fair, credible and violence-free election, and for putting all necessary materials in place for the success of the presidential election, it condemned the postponement of the announcement of the election result.

In a statement issued on Monday by its Executive Director, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the group said, “We also commend the efforts of all Nigerians who equally came out in their numbers to vote and also ensure that the election was violence-free despite the threat of violence before the election.

“We however condemn the postponement of the announcement of the election result. INEC chairman had promised the Nigerian people that the election result would be ready 48hrs after the election would have been concluded.”

According to Adeniran, the suspension of the announcement of the election result by the INEC chairman has been arousing suspicion in some quarters that the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, may be up to something sinister.

He said, “We want to warn that any attempt to manipulate or overturn the will of the mass of Nigerians will have great consequence that Nigeria as a country cannot afford at this time. We hereby urge Jega not to pander to the wish of some cabals that may want the status quo to remain against the wish of the Nigerian majority.

“He should not allow himself to be used as a tool in the hand of politicians in manipulating the result, thereby rendering the efforts of Nigerians who went through pains to ensure that a credible leader takes over power comes May 29, 2015.”

SOURCE: The Punch.

Anti-Graft Group Queries Fashola On Lagos’ Finances, Threatens Protest

  Posted: 2015-03-25 12:09:21

With the general elections few days away the Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran, has threatened to raise a seven million-man march against Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola and the All Progressives Party (APC), if he refuses to give a detailed account of the state’s income and expenditure from 2007 to 2011, before the election day.

Adeniran said that the march would commence this week.

“CACOL will from this week raise seven million people from all walks of life to demonstrate against the financial recklessness and impropriety of Governor Fashola. He should give account of how he has been spending the state’s money to the people who elected him into power and failure to do this before next week, we shall take to the streets.”

Addressing the press in Lagos, Adeniran said concerned citizens, groups and organisations in the state had at various occasions called on the state government to do so, but the governor refused.

He said a petition had been sent by CACOL to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requesting it to investigate the Lagos State Government but regretted that the agency ignored it.

The CACOL boss, who said he was apolitical, called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to probe Fashola and his predecessor, Bola Tinubu, on the issues raised about Alpha Beta Consultancy.

SOURCE: The Guardian

Corruption Allegations: Coalition Demands Tinubu, Fashola Probe

Corruption Allegations: Coalition Demands Tinubu, Fashola Probe
tinubu

A Civil Society Group Marched Yesterday In Ikeja Lagos Demanding That Efcc Probes Corruption Allegations Against APC Leader, Bola Tinubu And Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola

Adjekpagbon Blessed Mudiaga

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), an aggregate of human rights, community based, and civil society organisations with anti-corruption agenda across Nigeria, headed by Mr. Debo Adeniran, organised a protest rally yesterday, demanding for answers to questions bordering on the greed and corrupt practices allegation levelled against former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by various sources. The rally was kick-started under the Oba Akran Avenue Roundabout Bridge, Ikeja Lagos, and moved onward to the Lagos State House of Assembly complex, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. During a chat with The UNION while the rally was going on, Adeniran said Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) is the statutory Lagos agency for the collection of taxes and rate, but this responsibility has been unconstitutionally given to Alpha Beta, a private consulting company purportedly owned by the former Governor of Lagos state, Tinubu. “We have been asking questions for clarification on this issue since 2010 but no response has been forthcoming.

Hence, we organised this rally from Ikeja Under-bridge onward to the Lagos State House of Assembly, to demand for clarification and other corruption allegations levelled against Tinubu,” Adeniran declared. When asked what the allegations are, he said “Alpha Beta is a consultancy firm rumoured to be owned by Bola Tinubu, and has been deducting 15 per cent from the internally generated revenue by the Lagos state government”. “Government and political leaders are accountable to the people. We agitated for participatory governance, and what we have noticed since a very long time in Lagos State is that, what has been happening is not participatory. “The accountability they claim they do, maybe, every 100 days, quarterly, so to say, is a gimmick with which they bamboozle the people.

There have been several allegations flying around that the former Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu has almost half of all the property that we have in Lagos. We are not saying that he is guilty as charged, but we are saying that he should respond to all those allegations. “It is good, fashionable and civil to get court injunctions, but court injunctions only under-mine the right of the people to know. And what we are saying is that, instead of getting court injunction, he should just explain his own side of the story, so that people will know whether or not to take him and his candidates serious as they have taken him before now. And that is why we are now insisting to tell the Lagos House of Assembly that they should compel the gentleman that they so much love, to respond to all the allegations.

“The incumbent governor of Lagos State, Raji Fashola, should also state his own side of the case, and tell us what his relationship with Alpha Beta Consulting is. At the end, he should also tell us how much is being paid, so that Lagosians would have some information/knowledge about how their money is being spent. “It is a simple questions and answer thing, but because they didn’t answer when we asked them directly, we now want to ask them through institutions. These institutions will have the power to compel them to offer explanation on all these nagging issues”, he said. Apart from the issues commented on by the CACOL head, the rally organizers also distributed a leaflet with a heading “Greed Leads To Corruption- Tinubu The Greedy.” The contents of the leaflet stated that: Tinubu is stupendously wealthy, among his list of investments include TV and Radio Continental stations, First Nations Airlines, The Nation Newspapers, Oriental Hotel, to mention a few. The leaflet also informs that Lagos collects taxes and Tinubu’s company, aforementioned, collects it on behalf of Lagos state and receives commission. Lagos awards contracts and his company bids and wins such contracts. Tinubu, who is usually called ‘Jagaban or Asiwaju’ by his stooges runs a political empire and replicates the same mechanism in the states his party (APC) wins. The leaflet raised a fundamental question such as, “don’t you find it amusing that despite the perceived highhandedness of Asiwaju, and these governors remain loyal and are even submissive to the point of being errand boys?

SOURCE: The Union.

 

CACOL Challenges Tinubu To Defend Allegations

CACOL Challenges Tinubu To Defend Allegations
debo adeniran

Peterclaver Egbochue

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), has challenged the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to publicly defend the allegations contained in the documentary to prove his innocence.

The president of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran, at a press briefing on Tuesday in Lagos called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to initiate a probe of Fashola/ Tinubu deals especially on the issues raised by the ‘True Face of Lagos’ in their petitions and the ones he raised on Alpha-Beta Consultancy and come up with satisfactory report.

Adeniran called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to make public their findings on the allegations of the ‘True Face of Lagos’ as contained in CACOL’s petitions.

His words, “Beyond getting an injunction to stop the airing of his alleged misdemeanour, as a statesman that Senator Tinubu is expected to be, he should please come out to the open to defend the allegations against him. After all, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

“We also demand that former Governor Bola Tinubu should make public statement on Alpha-Beta Consulting and his other properties in Lagos. We insist that every governorship candidate should make public commitment on how they will do things differently especially on Alpha Beta Consultancy and be more transparent and accountable as well as allow participatory governance.

“As a Coalition of several pressure groups, I must reiterate as contained in our advertorial that we shall mobilize our affiliates, network with other allied groups to blacklist and mobilise votes against any Governorship Candidate that ignores this demand. In the case of the incumbent governor, we shall mobilise over Seven Million Lagosians across all walks of life to occupy strategic areas of the state.”

The CACOL boss disclosed that the briefing was essentially aimed at presenting before the public, a chronicled account of series of efforts made by the Coalition since 2010 at making the Lagos State Government provide answers to various questions raised by concerned persons, organisations and groups, over the detailed budgetary reports of income and expenditure for the period of 2007 to 2011 which the state government was yet to accede to.

He maintained that CACOL had, in reaction to an advertorial placed on Pages 44 and 45 of The PUNCH edition of Thursday, January 28, 2010 under the title: ‘The True Face of Lagos’ – the publication which contained several allegations bordering on financial recklessness and misappropriation against the state government, petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), vide its letter dated 3rd February, 2010, requesting its thorough investigation and necessary actions, to which the EFCC adopt.

According to him, when EFCC was not forthcoming, CACOL followed with another petition dated 20th February, 2011, addressed to the Lagos State House of Assembly, demanding that ‘the House investigate itself and perform its oversight functions’ on the allegations of financial impropriety levelled against the state Governor.

The House however replied vide its letter dated 24th February 2011 stating its inability to accede to CACOL’s demand, citing an earlier court injunction, which stopped further deliberation on the matter until the case was disposed of.

Not satisfied with the response, CACOL on the 29th August, 2012, relying on the constitutional strength of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), forwarded a letter dated 29th August, 2012 in which it applied for the Lagos State Budgetary Reports Detailing Income and Expenditure for the period of 2009 till 2011, directly to the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, (SAN).

He further disclosed that similar applications were also made on the 3rd June, 2013 and 17th July, 2013, to Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye, the State Commissioner for Justice and the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget respectively.

According to him, whilst the Office of the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice replied on July 2, 2013 stating the inapplicability of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), to the State Government as, according to him, citing relevant provisions of the law, the said law was not binding on the state government, its counterpart in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget simply directed the coalition to obtain a series of publications from the ministry for the needed information.

Recently, acting on facts at its disposal, CACOL placed a set of newspaper advertorials titled, “Alpha Beta Consulting (ABC) Deductions: Take A Stand Now”. The adverts which appeared on Page 7 of the NIGERIAN TRIBUNE edition of Wednesday, 11th March, 2015 and page 56 of the DAILY SUN edition of same date as well as the Yoruba version of it on page 7 of the ALAROYE’s edition of same date, had unveiled the facts surrounding the process of tax collection, remittance and deductions to the aforementioned consulting firm which allegedly belongs to a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu.

His words, “We must emphasize for the records that we have no personal grouse against Senator Bola Tinubu as he is presumed innocent until various anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies find enough reasons to apprehend him (since he is not known to be hiding) and prosecute him (since he has no immunity) and he’s found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. However, his unwarranted silence on the Alpha Beta issue is worrisome.

“Besides, we believe Bola Tinubu, being Gov. Fashola’s immediate predecessor, has not done enough to guide the incumbent on how to productively implement budgets in Lagos State or come out in public to disown him if he is recalcitrant. His silence only shows that Bola Tinubu is either complicit, approved or tolerate the budgetary malfeasance. We are equally flabbergasted that Tinubu went to court to obtain an injunction to stop the airing of the documentary about him on Africa Independent Television (AIT).

“That he sought protection under the law that gives him respite that can be sustained for a very long time, is escapist and smacks of cowardice. It is our belief that this should give any well-meaning person utter concern since he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

“Facts have it that the ABC is contracted to deduct from source a regular 15 per cent of all monies collected as taxes in the state at any given time or period. As a matter of verifiable fact, a total sum of N27,743,310,520.93 was paid to ABC between 25thJanuary, 2012 and 26th October, 2014 through Skye Bank PLC account.

“The open letter, which was addressed to the incumbent Governor and the 2015 governorship candidates, had demanded from each of them to come out with a categorical stance on this development.”

Adeniran recalled that a forum tagged, “Lagos Open Parliament,” organised by CACOL in partnership with People’s Action Democracy (PAD), was held on Saturday, 18th December, 2010, at the Federal Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos attended by all the twenty local governments in the state, civil society organisations and other concerned Lagosians, during which many questions on the state of the state’s budgets and implementations were raised.

He added that it was against this backdrop that CACOL and other concerned parties had been demanding from the state government, detailed facts on the state’s budget since 2007; a demand that was yet to be responded to, many years after.

“We, in CACOL, see it as a responsibility bestowed on us as patriots and watchdogs over the activities of those placed in the saddle of governance, with the main objective of ensuring transparency, accountability and above all, to play the whistle-blower against any act of corruption in any form or shape,” he stated.

The CACOL boss stressed that the group was committed to naming, nailing, shaming and shunning corrupt leaders anywhere, everywhere, regardless of whose ox was gored, urging all compatriots to join voices in prevailing on the Lagos State Government to come out and present the true position of the state of finances in the state to the tax payers of the state.

SOURCE: The Union.