USA Africa Dialogue Series - Ibrahim Balogun, the 18 Seater Bus donation, the Diaspora and the IBB Campaign: Nigerians in Diaspora Donates to Babaginda Campaign

 

 

 

The Question:

 

"Who led the so called delegation under the umbrella of  'Nigeria in Diaspora (North America & Europe) to deliver  the bus to the former dictator - IBB - in Minna. Can we know the persons that were on this delegation and whose interests they represent. People should be real."-----Longinus Ugwulebo:

 

The Answer:

 

 

Chairman of the Nigerians in diaspora North America and Europe for IBB, Ibrahim Balogun later presented an 18-seater bus and T-shirts bearing IBB's campaign mantra to Babangida.

 Thompson M. Adiuku, Ph.D --quoting from an article in the Guardian

 

Follow up questions:

 

a) Is Ibrahim Balogun an official or member of either NIDO A or NIDO E

 

Answer: No

 

b) Do the officials and members of the Nigerians in Diaspora in North America and Europe for IBB

speak for either NIDO A and or NIDO E or all Diaspora Nigerians?

 

Answer: No.

 

c) Does the Ibrahim Balogun led Nigerians in Diaspora in North America and Europe for IBB have the right

to support and donate an 18 seater bus to the IBB campaign or any other political parties in Nigeria

or elsewhere in the world, even if the political parties are led by satan himself and all the candidates are his disciples?

 

Answer: Yes--as longer as they are spending their own money and are not claiming to speak for all Diaspora Nigerians.

 

Those who are attempting to link the activities of Ibrahim Balogun"s group to NIDO either doing so out of a desire mischief making

or out of ignorance.

 

Please read more below:

 

 

 

 

"

 

Chairman of the Nigerians in diaspora North America and Europe for IBB, Ibrahim Balogun later presented an 18-seater bus and T-shirts bearing IBB's campaign mantra to Babangida.

 Thompson M. Adiuku, Ph.D --quoting from an article in the Guardian

 

 

Dear All:

Does the above statement suggest any formal or informal link between Mr Ibrahim Balogun--Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora North America and Europe for IBB and his motley crew of

carpet beggars who were kept waiting by IBB for three days in Minna--to either NIDO Americas Inc, NIDOCanada or NIDO Europe? No!

 

The quoted statement is the last sentence in the same Guardian article which also wrote in an earlier paragraph that "Nigerians in Diaspora North America and Europe"

visited IBB in Minna. The journalist was reporting on the same visit.

 

Why do some of us get hung up on one phrase--"Nigerians in Diaspora in North America and Europe" and fail to connect it with the concluding sentence in the same article

which clearly identified those who waited for 3 days in Minna to see IBB as members of an IBB support group led by one Ibrahim Balogun, rather than any delegation

from NIDO?

 

Where are our comprehension skills when we fail to connect the important dots in a shoddy write up which reflects the poor quality of today's journalism in Nigeria?

 

There is no doubt that there are some Diaspora Nigerians who for their own personal reasons do not wish NIDO well. These are the Diaspora NIgerians who are

always looking to portray NIDO in the worse light possible. We must be careful not to fall into their traps by over reacting to an issue which has no connection

to NIDO as corporate entities or to the officials and members of the organizations.

 

There were allegations  before the July Diaspora conference in Minna that the meeting was moved to this Minna  in order to promote IBB's campaign.

This was proven to be false as IBB was not even in Minna for the  entire duration of the meeting.

 

Two weeks later a group of expatriate Nigerians seeking to benefit from a potential IBB presidency visited IBB in Minna--and the same group of rumor mongers

are now trying to suggest that the visit was from NIDO officials or members from North America and Europe, And the only evidence for that

is that a journalist wrote that "members of Diaspora from North America and Europe visited IBB in Minna". Even if we admit that it is possible that one might

initially think of NIDO after reading the statement, shouldn't the reader also take into consideration the concluding statement from the article which clearly

identified the visitors and heir mission?

 

Or were there two visits?

 

If there was only one visit then we know that it was Ibrahim Balogun and his fellow sycophants who visited IBB--not any members or officials from NIDO.

 

And some concerned NIDO members (for good reasons) are suggesting that NIDO sue the Guardian newspapers?

 

What would be the basis for such lawsuit?:

 

Does NIDO have a patent on the word Diaspora?

 

Did the Guardian journalist suggest that the visitors were from NIDO Americas Inc, NIDO Canada or NIDO Europe specifically?

 

Did the journalist identify or not identify the vistor's affiliation? The journalist clearly stated at the end of his article that

the visitors were IBB supporters from North America and  Europe led by

one Ibrahim Balogun a man who has no connection o NIDO in either Europe the USA or Canada and that these friends of

IBB also donated an 18 seater bus to the IBB campaign? Would any NIDO chapters ever do that?

Rather than donate to the IBB campaign or any other campaign organization are they not more likely to be donating an

 ambulance to a hospital or a school bus to serve the kids in a

village anywhere in Nigeria as per NIDO's mission?

 

Commuted NIDO members need to be viligilant about the integrity of our organization. We must protest vigorously any

attempt to misuse the corporate names of NIDO Americas Inc; NIDO Canada or NIDO Europe etc, However in doing so

we must also do our homework carefully..

 

This current case is a tempest in a teapot. The solution to the conundrum is right their in the text of the article--at the bottom of the page.

 

Thank you.

 

Bye,

 

Ola

NB: Apologies to my brother and fellow NIDO member George Onaifo for my earlier comments.

They were indeed harsh but were not meant to be taken personally.

It was a direct plea that we focus on the NIDO mission and that we should not allow the caterwaulers

to distract us.

-----Original Message-----
From: Thompson Adiuku <tompraise@yahoo.com>
To: NIDOCanada@YahooGroups.com; OlaKassimMD@aol.com; George Onaifo <georgeonaifo@yahoo.com>; NCA TORONTO <ncatoronto@yahoogroups.com>; Nido <NIDOEUROPE@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Sep 25, 2010 10:50 pm
Subject: Search IBB Shames Nigerians In Diaspora -http://www.modernghana.com/movie/8896/3/ibb-shames-nigerians-in-diaspora.html

http://www.modernghana.com/movie/8896/3/ibb-shames-nigerians-in-diaspora.html General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, a.k.a. IBB, kept Nigerians in diaspora who went to visit him in Minna, the Niger State capital, Nigeria, waiting for three days before seeing them. The Nigerians in diaspora were brought to Minna by his ardent lackey, Chief Alex Akinyele, to show their support for his dream of becoming Nigeria's president in 2011. They were, however, kept waiting for three days despite Akinyele's closeness to IBB. The Nigerians came from North Amerca and Europe to visit him. The supporters were further embarrassed yesterday when he warned them not to address him as 'His Execellency' but 'General'.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Longinus Obinna Ugwulebo <longinusugwulebo@aol.com>
To: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 1:10 pm
Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Re: Nigerians in Diaspora Donates to Babaginda Campign

 

Hi Folks,

Let those who are concerned stop this politics of deceit. Who led the so called delegation under the umbrella of  'Nigeria in Diaspora (North America & Europe) to deliver  the bus to the former dictator - IBB - in Minna. Can we know the persons that were on this delegation and whose interests they represent. People should be real.

Longinus Ugwulebo

-----Original Message-----
From: Chim Ahanotu <celebrateng@yahoo.com>
To: NaijaPolitics <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 10:14 am
Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: Nigerians in Diaspora Donates to Babaginda Campign

 

...It's idiotic to link me with it –IBB From AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna  Thursday, October 07, 2010 •IBB Photo: Sun News Publishing More Stories on This Section Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida yesterday reacted to the twin bomb blasts in Abuja, saying, "it is idiotic to associate me with something that will threaten the unity of Nigeria, especially on a symbolic day like that." Speaking at his Minna Uphill residence after receiving a bus donated to his campaign organisation by the Nigerians in Diaspora (Northern America and Europe), IBB said: "I fought a war. I know how I fought to make sure Nigeria is one. I am still carrying the shrapnel in my body up till today. "I cannot do anything to threaten the unity of Nigeria. Only idiots will associate me with such a terrible thing." Babangida further said that his campaign director, Raymond Dokpesi who was questioned by the security operatives in connection with the incident could not have had any hand in it. "You cannot associate Dokpesi with something like that. He cannot so something against Nigeria", he defended. The former leader posited that people cast their imaginative minds on Dokpesi because "Nigerians have fertile minds, his arrest is borne out of the imaginative and fertile minds of Nigerians. It is the price he is paying as a politician." Babangida blamed the nation's security agencies for not nipping the incident in the bud saying, "nobody has disputed that government was given notice by the bombers, government was informed. "You don't need more than 24 hours to remedy it if you are informed and serious. Two days is more than enough for reaction, which is vital to security. I am not blaming anybody but there is a lapse." Babangida said he was absent at the 50th independence anniversary in Abuja the day the bomb blast took place because he did not believe in the whole concept and the expenditure that accompanied it. "I don't believe in the whole concept lined up for the anniversary.The expenditure was too much. There are more imaginative and more effective ways of celebrating Nigeria at 50. The large expenditure should have gone into universities and other projects," he said. Babangida expressed his gratitude to the Nigerians in the Diaspora for the donation and assured them that he was determined to see the race to its logical conclusion.

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