$50,000 is a lot of dough - and I don't like all of this talk one bit!Someone either offered money or did not offer money. Someone either took money or did not take money. Someone either returned money or did not return money. Someone either took the returned money or did not take the returned money.You cannot be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time.---Bolaji Aluko
Bolaji et al:
Pregnancy is not an appropriate analogy in this matter,
With or without sworn dispositions, there remains one unimpeachable truth
which is that only half of the human population are capable of being pregnant
and this half can not self impregnate without help from the other half.:)
This is not true about corruption in Nigeria where there is probably a scammer
and a scammee in every family possibly sometimes residing within the same individual.
Why if money was offered on behalf of the President (by Urubebe) was it received by any
one on behalf of the SNG group? Could some in the Presidency have assumed that some
or all members of the visiting SNG delegation are corruptible (and by the current analogy
capable of being made pregnant?) Did the SNG fall into a well laid trap in this matter?
If the bribe money was offered (and it was not received), it would not have been necessary to return the illicit (bribe)
money in this case. Once corruption touches you and you abide with it, you can hardly claim to be completely clean.
No one involved in this matter--the Presidency or the SNG is smelling like roses. They are now both irrecoverably
besmirched with the stench emanating from this illicit transaction.
At a time when there are just as many billionaire NIgerian pastors than are amongst thieving politicians, it boggles the mind that the Presidency
must have perceived the Pastor Bakare/Odumakin led SNG delegation as just another cheap and corruptible outfit
which hopefully (for the sake of the vast majority of Nigerians) it is not. Someone must have decided even before the SNG delegation arrived at Aso Rock that throwing some
bones at the barking dogs would keep them quiet for a while if not for ever. The truth is that members of the SNG led delegation remained quiet
until someone in their group broke the news to Sahara Reporters.
Why $50,000.00 and not $100,000.00 or $500,000.00? Are we only privileged to hear about this meeting because the SNG group is incorruptible or simply because the 'hot money" was not enough?
At what stage during or after the meeting was the bribe money offered ad received on behalf of the SNG?
How long did it take to return the money--immediately, within hours or several days after the meeting?
Why did the SNG not call an immediate Press Conference after leaving the gates of Aso Rock to display to display
the stained money?
Why did they leak the story though Sahara Reporters.
What was the stated purpose of the money offered? Could it have been Bus money?
I would rather have Yinka Odumakin provide detailed answers to the above questions than rely on any
contradictory sworn affidavits by the players in this tragi-comic drama which unfortunately reflects the
Nigerian state of mind.
Bye,
Ola
" Decrying the times without doing anything to make it better is a cheap show of wisdom.
These are your times, righting what is wrong in them is part of your struggle"-- Ola Kassim MD.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mobolaji ALUKO <alukome@gmail.com>
To: USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; NaijaPolitics e-Group <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; OmoOdua <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; ekiti ekitigroups <ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com>; Naija Elections <naijaelections@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Nov 28, 2010 11:29 pm
Subject: [OmoOdua] Re: President Jonathan Offered Us $50,000 Bribe, But We Returned It - Pastor Tunde Bakare Confirms
--
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From: Mobolaji ALUKO <alukome@gmail.com>
To: USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; NaijaPolitics e-Group <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; OmoOdua <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; ekiti ekitigroups <ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com>; Naija Elections <naijaelections@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Nov 28, 2010 11:29 pm
Subject: [OmoOdua] Re: President Jonathan Offered Us $50,000 Bribe, But We Returned It - Pastor Tunde Bakare Confirms
Dear All:
$50,000 is a lot of dough - and I don't like all of this talk one bit!
Someone either offered money or did not offer money. Someone either took money or did not take money. Someone either returned money or did not return money. Someone either took the returned money or did not take the returned money.
You cannot be pregnant and not pregnant at the same time.
Since you and I were not there at this (in)auspicious meeting, how did anybody know what or whether money was offered or not? Who knew what, and when did they know it? Who wants to rubbish who? The SNG, President Jonathan or Team Jonathan - who are the rubbished and/or the rubbishers?
Therefore, we must take (further sworn?) depositions from:
1. Pastor Tunde Bakare http://www.hs.facebook.com/pages/PASTOR-TUNDE-BAKARE/44637769085#!/pages/PASTOR-TUNDE-BAKARE/44637769085?v=wall
2. Mr. Yinka Odumakin http://www.facebook.com/yinka.odumakin1
3. Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Godsday-Orubebe/136513426376915
4. Mr. Tony Ipriye Uranta http://www.facebook.com/tiuranta#!/tiuranta?v=wall
5. Mr. Oronto Douglas http://www.facebook.com/orontolaw
6. President Goodluck Jonathan himself http://www.facebook.com/jonathangoodluck
7. Sahara Reporters (Omoyele Sowore) himself http://www.hs.facebook.com/pages/PASTOR-TUNDE-BAKARE/44637769085#!/pages/Sahara-Reporters/96184337702
to get to the bottom of it all.
And there you have it. I don't like all of this one bit, hence my hesitancy when I first heard the news of the SNG visit to Aso Villa.
Bolaji Aluko
Shaking his head
And suspending judgment
__________________________________________________________________________________________
President Jonathan Offered Us $50,000 Bribe, But We Returned It - Pastor Tunde Bakare Confirms
Fiery Lagos-based pastor, Tunde Bakare, has confirmed to Saharareporters that President Goodluck Jonathan provided a $50,000 cash bribe to a delegation of the Save Nigeria Group that visited him last Monday, but that the group sent back the money.
Pastor Bakare's confirmation came in the midst of a tepid denial of our earlier report by Tony Uranta, one of Mr. Jonathan's political operatives. Uranta had claimed on his Facebook page yesterday that Saharareporters misrepresented the crux of the meeting between the president and the Pastor Bakare-led delegation.
Specifically, Uranta denied that Jonathan discussed his ambition to run for office with the SNG delegation. He also stated that no money was offered to the SNG team and claimed that, contrary to our earlier report, the Bakare group had not asked him to return the bribe money to Jonathan.
But in a telephone interview with Saharareporters on Sunday evening, Pastor Bakare confirmed that the details of our earlier exclusive report were factual and unimpeachable.
Bakare, who has a reputation for speaking out fearlessly on current political issues, affirmed that the Minister of the Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, had offered the SNG delegation the sum of $50,000 on behalf of President Jonathan. The SNG had met with Jonathan to review his performance in office.
In the phone interview, Pastor Bakare stated categorically that his team was indeed offered money after it submitted a position paper on why it was opposed to the president's ambition to be re-elected. He confirmed that the cash was immediately returned to sender through Uranta, shortly after it was presented to the SNG delegation.
The SNG convener told Saharareporters that his team felt terribly embarrassed and offended by the orchestrated attempt by Jonathan and his team to buy the SNG's support through illicit means.
An obviously angry Bakare said, "You can quote me. I don't do deals and I don't lie. Tony [Uranta] could be saving his own face. Tony lied that he didn't collect the money from us. There are living witnesses. Orubebe has confirmed to me that the money was returned. Mr. President is aware through Oronto Douglas that we returned his money through Tony."
Bakare said he, Yinka Odumakin and other SNG officials went to the meeting with Jonathan with a written document that explained why the SNG would not support his candidacy.
"We submitted a document regarding the culture of impunity in which he (Jonathan) continues to swim," he said.
As Saharareporters had exclusively reported, Jonathan sought a meeting with the Save Nigeria Group to discuss his ambition to run for office after it dawned on him that former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, the consensus candidate chosen by the so-called Northern Political Elders Forum, was going to present a stiff political challenge.
A close aide to Mr. Jonathan told Saharareporters that, whilst Atiku is steeped in corruption, the president was also aware that the Atiku group had a dossier on corrupt deals by both Jonathan, his wife and his close associates and advisors, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
After Bakare made his presentation and accused Jonathan of having abused the goodwill offered him by Nigerians, the president tried to buy the group's loyalty by giving its officials $50,000 through Orubebe.
An Abuja-based democratic activist told Saharareporters that, by attempting to buy the SNG's support, Mr. Jonathan had "exposed himself to charges of hypocrisy and doing the opposite of what he preaches."
In a speech on Saturday, Mr. Jonathan had urged Nigerians to ignore politicians who seek to win elections by offering money to groups and individuals.
The president gave the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do sermon at the 2010 graduation ceremony of the Senior Executive Course 32 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State. Vice President Namadi Sambo represented the president at the event and read the speech on Jonathan's behalf.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
On Sun, Nov 28, 2010 at 10:43 PM, Adebayo Adejuwon <adeadejuwon@yahoo.com> wrote:
Chief Ogonna:I get your point.But you are putting me in a difficult position. Honestly you are. I am not too sure Pastor Bakare and SNG have anything to gain by embarrassing the president. I sincerey do not think so. And please dont even allow the idea of SNG extracting a pound of flesh from GEJ cross your mind. Oh no, this will be an unchristian like disposion and I can assure you that nobody in SNG will do that.But, Ogonna, let us look at it this way. If the president men- I mean Orubebe, Oronoto and Tony decides to leak the "gift" to the press, who will believe Pastor Bakare and SNG? Think about it. Maybe such a meeting ought not have attracted any "funding" from the presidency at all.From the report I have read so far, GEJ called the meeting and the agenda was to review GEJs performance so far. What does this tell you? My take is that GEJ reckons with SNG and perhaps, may wish to be given a fair an unbiased assessment of his performance, which, I have reasons to believe, happened.We may not agree on what the larger implication of sending such "gifts" means to the integrity of the two parties. My take is that, some lessons have been learnt and both GEJ and SNG can still collaborate now that the standard is now known.The Orubebe's of this world may just be doing their jobs. And this may just be the way others before them did it. Nothing to worry about. I am sure when next the president host any group, especially, a group whose position on "gifts|" is public knowledge, the conduct of Aso Rock officials will be different.So, Ogonna, it is not about plotting to bring GEJ down. I do not see it as such.
Cc: "NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com" <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>; talkniga <talknigeria@yahoogroups.com>; "IgboWorldForum@yahoogroups.com" <IgboWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, November 28, 2010 7:24:04 PM
Subject: Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] Re: ||NaijaObserver|| President Jonathan Offered Us $50,000 Bribe, But We Returned It - Pastor Tunde Bakare Confirms
Mazi Adejuwon,
My argument is that Bakare is now wallowing in 'petiness' with the current brouhaha reported by Sahara which shouldn't have made the headlines of any respectable 'news organization' EXCEPT for the purpose of polarizing the people for the benefit of those puppetering this 'sick joke'.
Maybe Bakare is now so 'Rich' off of collecting Tithe money and gift bags from his well and connected friends that he forgets that he ridicules the President, good for him. What is the use of 'harping' around like a Pharisee who must shout when delivering his offering so the people can hear?
So are you trying to say that those currently 'dictating' the SNG were are behind Sahara reporters because one became public before the other?? Again your ziggmatics fails my intellect-- so you helped save the humble president, now you wish to humilate him to extract your pound of flesh? How christian-like!
O.M.O.
Sent from my iPhoneThe last time I checked Omoyele Sowore has been running Sharareporters before SNG was born early this year. And if I remember very well, the first national assignment SNG gave itself was to help this chicken hearted man called Jonathan who had been humbled by Turai.What is the logic behind your argument.
From: O.M.O. <ogonna@yahoo.com>
To: "NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com" <NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: nigerianworldforum <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>; talkniga <talknigeria@yahoogroups.com>; "IgboWorldForum@yahoogroups.com" <IgboWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, November 28, 2010 6:50:49 PM
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] Re: ||NaijaObserver|| President Jonathan Offered Us $50,000 Bribe, But We Returned It - Pastor Tunde Bakare Confirms
Gen Vin,
Bakare is letting himself to be disabused via SaharaMalReporters ... But of course we know the same 'progressive hypocrites' behind SNG are also financing sahara-- so it makes sense they would use their media front to launder their rotten magic.
O.M.O.
Sent from my iPhone
This story looks crooked coming from sahara.
They met with Jonathan..No money given
They met with Orubebe..money was given
When did orubebe become Jonathan.??
these are two different people Rev bakare.
I know the seal to prove purity and lack of sin in you..being too ambitious.
Take it easy Bakare...You took the monies all the way home..photographed them...then return them to Jonathan or Orubebe ?.
vin......///
yesterdays thoughts are today's news
will keep blowing while relaxed.....they are listening
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