An Open Letter to Nuhu Ribadu

By

Musa Ilallah

Sir,

I wish to kindly use your widely read medium to reach the EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu to bring to his attention his pledge to unearth any alleged corrupt practices by public and private Nigerians and even non Nigerians and organizations in his capacity as the country’s number one anti corruption czar.

 I therefore wish to, in case your public affairs office has not, drawn your attention to the Cover story of The News magazine dated June 4, 2007 captioned ‘1999-2007: The amazing wealth of OBJ’.  It is my view that this publication has said almost all of immediate President Olusegun Obasanjo’s deals while he presided over the affairs of the country in the last eight years.

To start with Nasir el Rufai, immediate former minister in charge of FCT had sometime ago told Nigerians that Obasanjo had only a balance of N20, 000 in his account when he came to power.  Way back in 1999, Nigerians were aware that Obasanjo had only the Ota Farm and the nondescript in Mambilla as his visible assets. Today, according to The News, Obasanjo is ‘sitting on a mint courtesy of some hugely controversial investments and land acquisitions’.

The truth of the matter is that today Obasanjo has several multi million Naira highly mechanized farms spread across all the six geographical zones of the country. From the Obasanjo palm oil farms in Calabar, his farm at Oke Ogun area of Oyo state, cattle ranch and hatchery at Igbo Ora, Oyo state which is the biggest in Africa; big fish farms in Lanlate, Ota, and a big poultry in Ibogun and oil palm and estate at Ehuuagie in Rivers state among others.

Nuhu Ribadu, it will not be out of place to tell you that Obasanjo’s hands as at today are into other business ventures like the multi million Temperance Hotel, Ota and the Bells secondary school and University awhich he singularly own. Others like Transcorp which bought NICON Hotel and NITEL; African Petroleum; NICON Insurance Company; Nigeria Airways; oil blocks; Port Harcourt Refinery, Kaduna refinery; Ajaokuta steel company, ALSCON in Ikot Abasi  which he allegedly bought at prices far below their actual values, are till today the talk of the town and UBA among several other government agencies.  Obasanjo used his position to corner to himself as the President of Nigeria. That may be his dividend of democracy. The moribund Obasanjo farm at Ota by May 29, 1999 is now worth more than N6billion. Can Obasanjo explain to Nigerians how he came about this transformation?

Even social critic, lawyer and human rights activist, Gani Fawenhinmi has said that Obasanjo is the most corrupt Nigerian. In the words of Gani, Obasanjo’s leadership is ‘8years of self centred wayo, of dictatorship, of so much wealth in the hands of a few among others. Obasanjo did not plan to fight corruption because he is corrupt too. He was forced by the international community to set up the EFCC ’.

I wish to at this point draw your attention to the priestly advice of the Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Reverend Jasper Akinola to Olusegun Obasanjo to ‘shed off his excess luggage.’ In other words, Akinola was advising Obasanjo to relinquish his unholy wealth that he had acquired in the last 8 years of his ruler ship of the country. It is every body's belief that Obasanjo has soiled his hands in some unholy deals in the sales of government enterprises. He has as Bayo Onanuga writes in the magazines edition, Obasanjo has degenerated from a giant to a dwarf. From an international statesman to an area father, a crude, lawless, bullying and vindictive leader. 

I therefore ask you, Nuhu Ribadu to in the name of Almighty Allah commence van immediate investigation into the fortunes, assets and worth of Obasanjo between 1999 and now. The News cover story will serve as a very important guide in this regard. This will make Nigerians believe that you are not selective in your fight against corruption in this country.

The questions begging fo answers are among others how has Obasanjo's fortune transformed from a mere N20, 000 in 1999 to billions of dollars in terms of property and cash? Did he connived with other unpatriotic Nigerians and non Nigerians to defraud us of our assets by selling them to himself at give away? Were the processes of acquiring them transparent?

Nigerians are watching with keen interest your fight against corruption and what comes out of it post Obasanjo tyrannical years.