Idowu:
My point is that honest people can have substantial differences in opinion. That should not make us call one or the other a hypocrite.
We are all agreed on certain facts:
1. GEJ invited SNG. [What GEJ hoped to achieve is a matter of conjecture between us here.]
2. SNG (represented by Bakare, Odumakin and co) accepted and visited. [Whether they should have accepted or not is a matter of opinion of those of us discussing here.]
3. Upon leaving the meeting, SNG was offered $50,000. [The real reason behind the offer is a matter of conjecture between us here.]
4. SNG took the money away from the Villa. [Why or whether the SNG officials should have taken the money away - despite their explanations - is a matter of opinion here.]
5. Within hours, the money was returned - and has stayed returned with complete proof of the return. [The real reason why the money was returned - despite their explanations - is a matter of opinion or conjecture here.]
Once we are all agreed on these facts, honest people can disagree on the opinions and conjectures, Idowu, depending on how they perceive GEJ, perceive SNG, perceive Bakare and Odumakin, perceive Nigeria as a whole. That is NOT rocket science.
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
Prof:Aduba wants SNG to be the police officer to arrest the president or keep the gift as evidence to prosecute the president. If you think Aduba is sincere with this assertion, then you did not read or missed Aduba's first response to the whole saga.Aduba main purpose is to put the blames of courtesy and not pre-judging the president's intention of the president by SNG as a deficiency by SNG.Pastor Bakare is a man of God and the main purpose of any real man of God is not condemnation, but restoration. Why Aduba would be thinking of evil intent, Pastor Bakare was thinking of what the Bibles says regarding money you did not work for.Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Prof, Aduba did not come to the table with clean hands, so in my dictionary, that is a hypocrites.
This is Aduba eralier write up belowSubject: [NIgerianWorldForum] [NaijaPolitics] Re: ||NaijaObserver||
$50k Bribery Latest; We Did Not Bribe SNG - Orubebe
From: "BENJAMINA" <baduba54@...>
Date: Tue, November 30, 2010 9:23 am
To: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com
GEJ'S $50,000 BRIBEI have been reluctant to enter into the president's $50K bribe to SNG because it does not pass the "smell" test. SNG at least in its public posture is an organization with integrity. It is an advocacy organization and has a loud mega microphone. The president despite his many gaffes would not be dumb enough to bribe them. Not when there is more than one person with him. I think he would be smarter than that.Another reason why the "transaction" failed the "smell test" is the amount of money involved. If one is to bribe SNG, one should have the sense that the amount is too low to even bribe just one member of the group. They are rich men each standing alone and would look down on any person handing over $50K to them.There is a third reason why the "scandal" failed the "smell test." SNG did in fact take the bribe. It was later that they returned the bribe money. From the time they took the money and walked away SNG is guilty of receiving bribe and if they admit it in court would be guilty as charged.Pronto!!!
Idowu
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." --Thomas Jefferson
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." -- Elie Wiesel
To: naijaintellects@googlegroups.com
Cc: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com; OurWorldView@yahoogroups.com; "nigerianid@yahoogroups.com" <nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Fri, December 3, 2010 1:03:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Naijaintellects] Re: [NaijaPolitics] Re: GEJ AND $50000 BRIBE SCANDAL III
UNQUOTE
Matthew 4 (New International Version, ©2010)
Matthew 4
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'[b]"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
"'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[c]"7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'[d]"
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'[e]"
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
UNQUOTE
Idowu:
Lord have mercy! Even Pastor Bakare will tell you that the Bible passage you quoted does the SNG good on one hand (exemplifying them as Jesus Christ) and absolutely no good in the details of how they reacted - neither will GEJ like his being identified with the tempting devil.
We are way PAST why the SNG accepted GEJ's invitation - or why Jesus accepted the devil's invitation, which was to show us believers how best to deal with temptations: just use words of the Bible, and you will be left alone by the devil! It was what was done IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Aso Villa incident that I believe Obi Aduba is concerned with - and my focus was on Aduba's statement "For Nigeria to be saved, we need to create a scene", which I believe to be very true.
Recall that Jesus did not FOR A SECOND accept ANY thing from the devil AFTER he arrived at the top of the mountain - He quoted the Bible right back at the devil. Jesus did not turn one stone into bread, and then turn it back; He did not start to fly down the tower, and then bring Himself back up; He did not start to bow down, and then straighten up. Aduba's PREFERENCE - and my preference - was for the SNG to have NOT accepted ANYTHING on the site, and tell them RIGHT there that we won't accept the money because we don't like the implication - and create a scene right there and then at Aso Rock if the GEJ operatives continued to insisted.
But that is 20/20 hindsight. Pastor Bakare and Yinka Odumakin and others clearly are not Jesus Christ! However, by commendably returning the money eventually, a SCENE of a different kind has also been created, which is what we have been discussing for the past many days now.
That is what you should remind Aduba of, not call him a hypocrite as you have done below.
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
On Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 1:37 PM, idowu <idowubobo@yahoo.com> wrote:
Benjamin:I have decided not to join any discussion with this issue, but your write up here, the summation and the conclusion fly in the face of logic and sensibility.I am surprised at your reasoning here. Let us even assumed that SNG knew, it was bribe took it and return it, how many people in the world would take something such as you described it and return it.Your name is Benjamin and a Christian I assume. So I am posting this Bible passage to let you know that you are putting a burden that is beyond any human comprehension and anyone that does that is a Pharisee and SadduceePronto!!!
Idowu
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." --Thomas Jefferson
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." -- Elie Wiesel
To: OurWorldView@yahoogroups.comSent: Fri, December 3, 2010 12:09:26 PM
Cc: NaijaPolitics e-Group <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; "nigerianid@yahoogroups.com" <nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; ekiti ekitigroups <ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: GEJ AND $50000 BRIBE SCANDAL III
OBA Aduba:
You asked:
QUOTE
How can Nigeria be saved without creating a scene?
UNQUOTE
That is a devastating question - and a devastatingly-searing and thought-provoking piece below.
Kudos!
Bolaji AlukoOn Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 5:30 PM, BENJAMINA <baduba54@aol.com> wrote:
GEJ AND $50000 BRIBE SCANDAL III
The $50,000 scandal is getting more sordid everyday. The more web experts write, the more intriguing the story gets. Let us start by accepting Sahara Reports story as the gospel truth (even though I had said that the story did not pass the smell test).Let us also accept Yinka Odumakin's follow up interview. And finally let us also accept the Reverend Tunde Bakare's admission that money did indeed change hands whether he calls it a gift or bribe. If we accept these statements as facts, then what we are left with is that the President of Nigeria offered Save Nigeria Group a bribe and that SNG accepted the bribe.
It is not in doubt that SNG knew a bribe has been offered once we accept Mr. Odumakin's account of events. He reported that they would have driven off before the "gift" was offered except that their drivers were not allowed to stay in their cars. And that when the offer was made they rejected it but because they did not want to create a scene took it. There should not be any more doubt that SNG knew that a bribe has been offered after this point.
It is at this point that SNG failed Nigeria. WOEFULLY. BETRAYED NIGERIA. JOINED THE REST OF NIGERIA MISLEADERS. And worse lost the meaning of their name and their objectives and lost me.
The rest of the story is just mea culpa.
They had the tiger by the tale in their left hand and a sharp sword on their right hand and failed to kill it. The tiger would now go on and devour Nigeria. How can they still bear the name SAVE NIGERIA GROUP? How?
If they were true believers in their mission to save Nigeria and while in Aso Rock a crime was committed, before their eyes and they failed to challenge it "because they did not want to create a scene" pray how can they save Nigeria? How can Nigeria be saved without creating a scene? Let us further accept as fact that if they "misbehaved" they could be arrested for "disturbing the peace" and jailed. Gracious Lord where is Fella Ransom Kuti, where is Gani Fawehinmi, where is Wole Soyinka? These patriots saw evil, exposed them were arrested and jailed. The blood of patriots cleanses the society.
Our spineless Saviors of Nigeria betrayed the peoples trust. I was with them during the Umaru Yar' Adua's saga but not any more.
One may still forgive SNG if on arriving at their hotel in one piece they immediately called a press conference to denounce what had happened at Aso Rock. Instead they placed a quiet phone call to one of the perpetrators of the crime to give him back the envelope they had accepted, an act which completely destroyed the evidence for the prosecution. They thus became accomplices after the criminal act.
It is impossible to argue that SNG did not know what was in the envelope because they rejected it and when they got back to the hotel they counted the money and held a meeting during which they resolved to return the gift, bribe, support money or as in the old Chicago mayoral machine walking around money. Why did SNG not at that conference call in the police to report that an attempt had been made to bribe them? Are they too young, inexperienced to know or naïve? I need help here. If they were afraid of their skins at Aso Rock what reason do they have at their hotel for not bringing in the police? Would they save Nigeria only if it cost them nothing? If they rejected the money and did not want to embarrass the president why did one of them leak it to Sahara Reports? Why is Mr. Odumakin now confessing? Why is Reverend Bakare now calling it a gift?
Is he really a man of God or is he just wearing the collar?
Could it be that SNG did not know how to reject a "gift'? All that was required was for them to ask GEJ's Assistant what is that? And follow with a clenched teeth admonishment: "we do not take bribes and please do not try this with us again" and walked out. There would not be any scene created except that bribe giver would walk back sheepishly and pray that nothing else comes from this. If they wanted to rob it in one of them could have added: "I am disappointed in you."
There are other questions that arise from this criminal transaction. What was the conversation during their meeting? What did they say that made it possible for one to think that they were for sale? What signals did they give that prompted the bribing? If no such signals were given why was the rejection not that direct? Why did they need to be persuaded?
My friend Ola Kassim has acquitted SNG and I usually agree with him. But not this time. SNG has taken Nigeria for a ride, have not displayed the type of backbone Fella would have displayed, betrayed Gani and Wole, brave men, who risked their freedom so that Nigeria would have it. They saw the king naked and did not tell him.
With a name like this Nigeria will never be saved.
Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba
Boston, Massachusetts
December 1, 2010
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