The reality TV show, “Idols West Africa, which held the attention of many Nigerians and other Africans for days last year may be heading for the rocks as its organizers are not living up to the mouth watering promise of bank-rolling in international recording contract for the 27 year-event winner Timi Dakolo, with Sony BMG.
The recording contract was reportedly promised as part of the prizes won by the singer. National Daily investigations revealed that four months to the expiration of the one year contract, Dakolo is yet to commence recording due to inaction from the event organizers whereas preparations are already in top gear for the second season of the TV show.
The show which ended on May 26 2007 had the optimistic undergraduate student of Mass Communication at the University of Port-Harcourt, scoring 63 per cent of total votes cast from viewers round the continent to become the first winner in the West African version of the show thereby joining the ranks of other Idols winners in the life changing experience which has been described as a dream-come-true-tale.
Unlike the other Idols winners that became instant stars, Timi Dakolo is yet to have the microphone to do what makes him the Idol; this time, not to fans from the stage but in the studio where he is expected to record his songs.
This rather unexpected twist in an already progressive start of his musical career is not only causing the West African Idol sleepless nights and embarrassment, it has made him start losing respect among the millions of people who voted him to emerge the winner last year. He is now thinking about returning to school to finish his education as he fears the one year recording deal he had with SONY BMG International which is the star prize in the competition, is becoming a mirage.
“The songs are ready, but the label I am signed on to; has not started recording, which is not a problem from me. My only fear is that the deal is taking forever to come”, a worried Timi revealed recently while celebrating his birthday at Legato Niteclub in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The contract will expire in May 2008.
When the management of MNET, a Satellite TV Channel, in Partnership with Pan Africa Entertainment Ltd, announced on December 1, 2006, that West Africa will experience the thrills and excitement associated with the Idols competition, it was heralded all over the continent as a welcome development that would give young aspiring artistes in the music circle a chance and platform to exhibit their talents.
No sooner had the gates of the venues for the audition which held in different locations in Nigeria and Ghana, were opened than thousands of hopeful youths from 16 West African countries of - Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, appeared to partake in the show which is unarguably one of the most popular and successful reality TV shows that have ever attracted millions of audience voter participation.
After a hectic and eventful selection which came with so much drama, thrills and disappointments, the trio of Ghanaian singer, Abrewa Nana, Fela Kuti’s protégé, Dede Mabiaku and American-born-Nigeria based radio presenter, Dan Foster, who constituted the panel of judges in the show, picked 80 contestants who did make an impression in their performances. The lucky ones were chosen from the audition venues in Lagos, Calabar, Abuja, and Accra.
The number was further reduced to 24 contestants who were given the opportunity to proceed to Planet One Entertainment Centre in Maryland, Lagos, venue of the Idols West Africa show to begin the very intensive part of the show which saw the systematic elimination phase of the contestants as they were voted out one after the other till the last man standing. Week after week, the smiling and at-times-sad face of Michael Adekunle a.k.a Mike Magic, announced the contestants who were shown the way out.
The elimination process reduced the number of contestants to 10 who contested and gradually got evicted from the show. At the end of the day, Timi Dakolo was announced the winner in the First West African Idols Competition with Omawunmi who scored 37 percent emerging first runner up while Temitayo George came third in the competition that lasted close to five months.
Being the winner in the sensational search for the Idol, Timi won an international recording contract with Sony/BMG International; a Kia Picanto car from Dana Group Nigeria; $10 000 from Ecobank while telecommunication company, Celtel, gave him an ultimate viewing prize comprising of a 26 inches flat screen television, I-Pod and cable television system.
But ironically, Timi is yet to fully benefit from his star prize of the international recording contract four months to the expiration of his contract and information exclusively gathered reveals that talks have reached an appreciable extent for the second edition of the show.
When the South African owned Multichoice Nig Ltd, came up with the idea of staging the Idols Show, many observers in the industry were skeptical about how realistic the show would be but the involvement of Pan Africa Entertainment who were the producers of the show, along with the information from Elvina Ibru on how the Idols concept came about, doused whatever doubt anybody had.
Said she, “A friend informed me that a certain company wanted to meet her about their plans of becoming the number one music power in Nigeria. So she wanted me to come along. We went and found out they wanted to bring in international artistes. I advised them rather to make use of the artistes we have in the country because they would need a lot of catching up to do with respect to Nigeria Breweries and Guinness unless they were ready to bring Michael Jackson. I suggested they do a kind of talent competition and they bought the idea. In passing, I mentioned it to my brother, Peter, and he in turn told his friend in South Africa who happened to be working with Fremantle, owners of the Idols franchise in Africa. Coincidentally, MNET had been toying with the idea of staging Idols and somehow, we found ourselves; Pan – African Entertainment and MNET and that was it.”
But it did not take long for signs indicating the earlier fears that the participants and eventual winners of the show stand to be exploited were confirmed.
Prominent among the early signals was the period it took the organizers to announce the prizes for the winner of the show. It took close to three months into the show and so much pressure from the press for the prizes to be announced. Apart from the prizes for the eventual winner, the other contestants got N50, 000 courtesy of Ecobank and a Motorola phone each.
At the presentation ceremony of the Kia Picanto from Dana Motors to Timi, Elvina Ibru announced to the media that the 10 contestants who made the top 10 would proceed on a tour after which Timi will jet out to start recording his album possibly in South Africa. Today, Timi has not being contacted on when he will start recording contract he painstakingly won in the show nor has he stepped his foot in South Africa as was promised. The only time Timi was oppurtuned to travel out of Nigeria was when Celtel took him and Omanwumi to the United Kingdom for the Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO) and also to Ghana last year.
It became noticeable that all was not well with the outcome of the event when the second runner up, Temitayo George, was not part of the group when the tour was about to kick off. Investigations revealed that as a result of the stringent conditions attached to the contract, Temitayo, daughter of Rev. Dele George who runs the charitable Little Saints Orphanage, refused to put pen on paper.
A contract proposed by Twice As Nice, which had Elvina Ibru as its CEO, made Temitayo opt out of the tour. Though the contract was not compulsive, its terms and conditions were non negotiable.
“I felt I wanted my parents to be my management as they have always been my management. The contract wasn’t really clear to me so I had my lawyer take a look at it. He asked me to wait because the terms there would not really favour me.” Temitayo responded when she was asked by journalists on why she was not part of the tour.
After the road show which took the contestants to Abuja, Lagos and Calabar; they were told to wait for responses from Sony BMG for possible sign on. Apart from Timi, whose contract was automatic, the other contestants were told that they could be signed on provided they were contacted. Omawunmi, Uche, and Jodie were eventually among those selected for the contract.
Further enquiries showed that unlike Timi who was signed on to Sony BMG International automatically for being the winnwr, the rest had terms of their contract different as they would be assigned to indigenous recording labels which meant that Timi’s songs would be recorded in South Africa while those of Omawunmi, Uche and Jodie will be recorded in Nigeria. The expected dste of release for Timi and Omawunmi’s albums was slated for December 2007 while Uche and Jodie album were to be released during or before Easter this year’s celebration of 2008.
But as at the last week of January, Timi is yet to start recording and has not been informed of a likely date the recording session will start suggesting that he might have been dumped by SONY BMG. The delay is causing the Idol start thinking about returning to school.
“I want to go back to school, I will still continue with my music as I don’t want people to look at me and think that if the microphone is taken from me, I will not be able to do another thing,” Timi said recently during his birthday celebration.
When asked if he had been told why the whole project is still on hold, a very disappointed Timi replied, “I don’t know. If there is any problem, it is certainly not from me. I don’t just understand what is happening. I have asked questions and they will say today or tomorrow. This is very frustrating and embarrassing as people who meet me keep asking when my album is coming out,” he lamented.
Timi is not the only person in this dilemma; Omawunmi, Jodie and Uche are faced with similar predicaments. Uche, who became a beneficiary of the “juicy” deal with Sony BMG, was even luckier than the Idol himself.
Carl Raccah, the CEO of Orangootan Records, a record label in Nigeria, had interest in the talent of the young Uche and met with Peter Theunissen, who is the representative of Sony BMG in Africa on signing him. His request was turned down while a completely different deal was offered him; a chance to become a judge in the next edition of the West African Idols which was silently being hatched after one of the telecommunication giants which was involved in the sponsorship of the last edition indicted their willingness to bankroll the project.
Reliable sources revealed that Dan Foster, one of the judges is very much involved in the talks suggesting that Dede Mabiaku may be the likely judge to be dropped
Having got a willing sponsor and with talks going on, a little problem was perceived; it would be embarrassing for the second edition of the West African Idols to begin without the substantive works of the earlier winners on ground.
In order to clear the tide and take care of the situation, Uche was immediately granted leave to start recording with Orangootan Records and it was reliably gathered that he has started recording sessions with Cobhams Asuquo.
According to a reliable source, “what they intend to do is to hastily release a single from any of the former Idols Contestants and put it on air so that it would not clash with the upcoming Idols second edition.”
And to make sure that is realized, Orangootan Records was given a deadline to finish up with Uche’s work by the middle of February and have a single released in that same February so that the album will be released in March this year. This rush had led to Uche’s intended 14-track album to be reduced to 10 tracks.
Interestingly, while all the plans about the next Idols Show were being plotted, Twice As Nice which played a major role in realizing Idols West Africa, is being kept on the dark on the new deal. Evidently, the South Africans have schemed Elvina Ibru and family out of the Idols show.
Many observers of the unfolding drama are not surprised as there were so many indications that the show after all, was not particularly held with the sincere objective of finding a singer they can help launch his career as is obtainable in Idols around the world, one motive that stands out in the whole arrangement is the quest to make money from SMS sent by viewers while voting.
Moreso, factual statistics stood some distance away as Alexander Forbes the firm that authenticated the votes came out with final results in each of the stages with only percentiles that had no grand total. Unlike the American Idols were more than 60 millions votes were announced cast, Africans were not informed the grand total of votes cast or the likely approximate.
Again, there were insinuations in some quarters that the idea of all the contestants performing together on the final day was actually not in the Idols schedule. A reality TV show company alleged that the idea was stolen from the proposal of a similar show which they had submitted with one of the main sponsors of the West African Idol show while they were looking for sponsorship.
While the West Africa Idol, Timi, is still waiting for a recording deal that might never come, MNET’s Director of Operation for Sub-Saharan Africa, Joseph Hundah, had announced another Idols auditions which will begin next month before it hits the screens in April 2008 from its new home in Nairobi and will be open to citizens of Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia and Swaziland.
Unlike other Idols like Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Will Young, Karin Kortjie, Heinz Winkler and Jordin Spark, who have been treated to the elegance and stardom normally associated with the show which has over 37 million viewers and grossed a global number of votes exceeded 36m, will the next editions of the West African Idols produce a real Idol? Maybe Timi Dakolo can give a better answer.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Between Ribadu, Ibori, Iyabo Obasanjo and FG: The script the want to act.
I just saw on Channels News now that the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, has been flown to the National Hospital in Abuja for treatment over undisclosed ailments. Also in the same news channel, I learnt that the former EFCC boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has come out to deny the allegations that he owns houses in Abuja and Dubai as was notoriously reported in the media.
Earlier in the day, the EFCC, without their former boss, had declared Chief Lucky Igbenedion, the former governor of Edo State, wanted over charges on corruption, mismanagement of funds and corrupt enrichment; the moustache bearing son of Chief Gabriel Igbenidion, the Esama of Benin, was abruptly absent from his father’s last birthday celebration which according to the Benin tradition is a taboo and great omen.
What am I trying to arrive at you may ask; all of what you are seeing happening in Nigeria is a grand plot by the powers that be to deceive the world, confuse Nigerians and institutionalize corruption as it were since the assumption of the PDP to run the affairs of this country.
When the brouhaha that was started by the memo forwarded to the presidency some couple of days ago suggesting that the president to okay the redeployment of the erstwhile EFCC boss to proceed on a course at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, I saw the well orchestrated strategy that had the strings of falsehood, pretence and a general objective of saving some of the embattled leaders that have taken this country into a much messier mess that it has been.
Now look at the script being acted by the so called leaders poised to tackle corruption.
Act One
Scene one: The Arrest
Scene: Abuja.
After enough hiding and criss-crossing from country to country, Chief James Ibori knew that the game was up because the long arm of the law was closing in on him. He had ridiculed the British Judiciary by deceiving one of its judges to de-freeze his assets in the UK valued at over 35 Million pounds. The order which was given by Right Honorable Lord Justice Thomas, sitting in Chambers on the 14th of October, 2007 in the Appeal Court accepted to vary its earlier order of October 8 2007, which restrained access to them.
While Nigerians and friends of Nigeria were asking if this really happened, the state government in Delta State, led by the governor Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, declared a thanksgiving service in the state. The vibrant Nigeria media made the world know that it took a letter from the Attorney-General of the federation, Mr. Michael Aondaokaa, to the British court to reach that regrettable decision. They thought they were smart but they just added a fresh plot that had had an aggrieved Metropolitan Police as the playwright. It took some few weeks for the Court of Appeal criminal division sitting in London to unanimously rule that the Southwark Crown Court erred by lifting the restraining order on his worldwide assets on October 1 2007.
That was the beginning of the end of the man popularly called Ogidiboribo; whatever that means. If Ibori thought that losing an attempt to sustain an ex-parte motion which he may have ‘paid’ for bearing in mind the manner ex-parte motions were being handed out in Nigeria like affidavits for sale near any court in the country was another scene not on the original plot of the grandmasters.
Still believing that he was really above the law, an assumption that was beginning to hold sway in Nigeria due to alleged reports of his financing the present administration with a handsome electioneering capital to the tune of N9b, Ibori got the shock of his life when his dear wife and suspected partner in life and crime who held the office of the first lady in Delta State for eight years, Mrs. Theresa Nkoyo Nakanda Ibori, was arrested by the London Metropolitan on November 1st 2007 on charges of money laundering extensive money laundering at Heathrow Airport in London on her way to sneak out to a safer Nigeria. The Delta State assumed godfather knew that there was fire on the mountain.
He kept eluding the law until December 12th when he was apprehended by the EFCC at the Kwara State Government Lodge in Asokoro area of Abuja and later arraigned with a 103-count of alleged corruption and abuse of office by a Kaduna High Court. He was denied bail and spent both the Christmas and New Year in jail; a place he had miraculously missed on three occasions. The powers that be began looking for a twist in the tale.
Scene Two
Scene: Abuja
The N3.5b can of worms and a slighted Baba.
While many people in the Niger-Delta region were still rejoicing at the fall of the giant, another hidden chapter to another event that were related in nature but conspicuously interested was opened and the actor in the center of the storm was no other than a serving senator of the federal republic, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello; the daughter of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Iyabo who is the senator representing Ogun senatorial district, was named in a controversy surrounding N3.5billion contracts in the power sector in a matter before the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France, where her business partner, M. Schneider, an Austrian company, petitioned the Presidency and the EFCC over what it called the “fraudulent, corrupt and criminal nature involving Senator (Mrs) Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello (alias Mrs Damilola Akinlawon), then serving as a Commissioner with the Ogun State Government”. Many started asking the question, who shall tell the president? It was time for Nuhu Ribadu to actually show the world that he was a upright man and was by no means biased as has been alleged on his fight against corruption. The EFCC came out to acknowledge the report and promised they were going to look into the matter. Ribadu may have shown that he was growing more wings than his creator and chief Oga wanted him to have; in other words, Baba was annoyed.
Act Two
Scene One
The Memo.
While Nuhu and his gang were busy trying to finalize plans on how to tackle Ibori when his case comes up at the court with fresh charges on him, some unforeseen forces were also deliberating on the best way to ease the young man from Yola out before he came too close. The looked around carefully as the mafia and found one water tight way to eliminate the EFCC boss; send him on a course. The ball fell on no other than the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
When the news broke out, all hell was let loose as so many people, human rights groups, and religious bodies called for a reverse of the order. But the establishment would not be cowed when there was no union leader like Adams Oshiomole who is famed for crippling the economy with mere words.
After a little more drama, Nuhu was sent to NIPSS by the presidency in a manner Baba may have heaved a sigh of relief by saying, “good riddance to bad nonsense.”
Act Three
Scene One
Give a dog a bad name to hang it.
With the acceptance of the former EFCC boss to proceed to NIPSS, a situation which made a number of police officers attached to the EFCC to ignore a call by their IG, the establishment were still scared that this small shit wey dey spoil yansh may have documents that may pull them down; after all, he got Tafa with just one stone like the story of David and Goliath; who would forget in a hurry the revelations Major Mustapha made at the Oputa panel. The resolve was to make him look bad before the people and thus, the Dubai and Abuja houses allegations.
Scene Two
EFCC makes some noise, create a smokescreen that would cover Ibori and Stella, Odili inclusive.
With Nuhu trying to fight the restoration of his dignity and reputation, one godfather, over a glass of champagne , suggested, “ if we don’t do something that will make the EFCC look active, Nigerians will start crying wolf and call for the return of this boy o, it has already started with the police refusing to heed their oga.”
So, the EFCC were given the nod to cry out in their loudest voice that Lucky Igbenedion is a wanted man. They did that yesterday in a style that has no signature of the way the agency operates under Ribadu. While people were rejoicing over the noise that was made, Ibori suddenly falls sick and was flown not to ABUTH or any other hospital around Kaduna but to the National Hospital Abuja where he would be close to his friends at Aso Rock.
They may even share some bottles of champagne over how they dealt with that boy. The smokescreen has just been released and ask yourself; since this Ribadu, NIPSS saga began, how many times have you heard about Iyabo Obasanjo and her involvement in the N3.5b scandal with the Austrian firm? Whether you like it or not, Ibori, Odili, Kalu, Iyabo Obasanjo and Obasanjo himself will all be free people in Nigeria; who can touch them?
Earlier in the day, the EFCC, without their former boss, had declared Chief Lucky Igbenedion, the former governor of Edo State, wanted over charges on corruption, mismanagement of funds and corrupt enrichment; the moustache bearing son of Chief Gabriel Igbenidion, the Esama of Benin, was abruptly absent from his father’s last birthday celebration which according to the Benin tradition is a taboo and great omen.
What am I trying to arrive at you may ask; all of what you are seeing happening in Nigeria is a grand plot by the powers that be to deceive the world, confuse Nigerians and institutionalize corruption as it were since the assumption of the PDP to run the affairs of this country.
When the brouhaha that was started by the memo forwarded to the presidency some couple of days ago suggesting that the president to okay the redeployment of the erstwhile EFCC boss to proceed on a course at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, I saw the well orchestrated strategy that had the strings of falsehood, pretence and a general objective of saving some of the embattled leaders that have taken this country into a much messier mess that it has been.
Now look at the script being acted by the so called leaders poised to tackle corruption.
Act One
Scene one: The Arrest
Scene: Abuja.
After enough hiding and criss-crossing from country to country, Chief James Ibori knew that the game was up because the long arm of the law was closing in on him. He had ridiculed the British Judiciary by deceiving one of its judges to de-freeze his assets in the UK valued at over 35 Million pounds. The order which was given by Right Honorable Lord Justice Thomas, sitting in Chambers on the 14th of October, 2007 in the Appeal Court accepted to vary its earlier order of October 8 2007, which restrained access to them.
While Nigerians and friends of Nigeria were asking if this really happened, the state government in Delta State, led by the governor Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, declared a thanksgiving service in the state. The vibrant Nigeria media made the world know that it took a letter from the Attorney-General of the federation, Mr. Michael Aondaokaa, to the British court to reach that regrettable decision. They thought they were smart but they just added a fresh plot that had had an aggrieved Metropolitan Police as the playwright. It took some few weeks for the Court of Appeal criminal division sitting in London to unanimously rule that the Southwark Crown Court erred by lifting the restraining order on his worldwide assets on October 1 2007.
That was the beginning of the end of the man popularly called Ogidiboribo; whatever that means. If Ibori thought that losing an attempt to sustain an ex-parte motion which he may have ‘paid’ for bearing in mind the manner ex-parte motions were being handed out in Nigeria like affidavits for sale near any court in the country was another scene not on the original plot of the grandmasters.
Still believing that he was really above the law, an assumption that was beginning to hold sway in Nigeria due to alleged reports of his financing the present administration with a handsome electioneering capital to the tune of N9b, Ibori got the shock of his life when his dear wife and suspected partner in life and crime who held the office of the first lady in Delta State for eight years, Mrs. Theresa Nkoyo Nakanda Ibori, was arrested by the London Metropolitan on November 1st 2007 on charges of money laundering extensive money laundering at Heathrow Airport in London on her way to sneak out to a safer Nigeria. The Delta State assumed godfather knew that there was fire on the mountain.
He kept eluding the law until December 12th when he was apprehended by the EFCC at the Kwara State Government Lodge in Asokoro area of Abuja and later arraigned with a 103-count of alleged corruption and abuse of office by a Kaduna High Court. He was denied bail and spent both the Christmas and New Year in jail; a place he had miraculously missed on three occasions. The powers that be began looking for a twist in the tale.
Scene Two
Scene: Abuja
The N3.5b can of worms and a slighted Baba.
While many people in the Niger-Delta region were still rejoicing at the fall of the giant, another hidden chapter to another event that were related in nature but conspicuously interested was opened and the actor in the center of the storm was no other than a serving senator of the federal republic, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello; the daughter of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Iyabo who is the senator representing Ogun senatorial district, was named in a controversy surrounding N3.5billion contracts in the power sector in a matter before the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France, where her business partner, M. Schneider, an Austrian company, petitioned the Presidency and the EFCC over what it called the “fraudulent, corrupt and criminal nature involving Senator (Mrs) Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello (alias Mrs Damilola Akinlawon), then serving as a Commissioner with the Ogun State Government”. Many started asking the question, who shall tell the president? It was time for Nuhu Ribadu to actually show the world that he was a upright man and was by no means biased as has been alleged on his fight against corruption. The EFCC came out to acknowledge the report and promised they were going to look into the matter. Ribadu may have shown that he was growing more wings than his creator and chief Oga wanted him to have; in other words, Baba was annoyed.
Act Two
Scene One
The Memo.
While Nuhu and his gang were busy trying to finalize plans on how to tackle Ibori when his case comes up at the court with fresh charges on him, some unforeseen forces were also deliberating on the best way to ease the young man from Yola out before he came too close. The looked around carefully as the mafia and found one water tight way to eliminate the EFCC boss; send him on a course. The ball fell on no other than the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
When the news broke out, all hell was let loose as so many people, human rights groups, and religious bodies called for a reverse of the order. But the establishment would not be cowed when there was no union leader like Adams Oshiomole who is famed for crippling the economy with mere words.
After a little more drama, Nuhu was sent to NIPSS by the presidency in a manner Baba may have heaved a sigh of relief by saying, “good riddance to bad nonsense.”
Act Three
Scene One
Give a dog a bad name to hang it.
With the acceptance of the former EFCC boss to proceed to NIPSS, a situation which made a number of police officers attached to the EFCC to ignore a call by their IG, the establishment were still scared that this small shit wey dey spoil yansh may have documents that may pull them down; after all, he got Tafa with just one stone like the story of David and Goliath; who would forget in a hurry the revelations Major Mustapha made at the Oputa panel. The resolve was to make him look bad before the people and thus, the Dubai and Abuja houses allegations.
Scene Two
EFCC makes some noise, create a smokescreen that would cover Ibori and Stella, Odili inclusive.
With Nuhu trying to fight the restoration of his dignity and reputation, one godfather, over a glass of champagne , suggested, “ if we don’t do something that will make the EFCC look active, Nigerians will start crying wolf and call for the return of this boy o, it has already started with the police refusing to heed their oga.”
So, the EFCC were given the nod to cry out in their loudest voice that Lucky Igbenedion is a wanted man. They did that yesterday in a style that has no signature of the way the agency operates under Ribadu. While people were rejoicing over the noise that was made, Ibori suddenly falls sick and was flown not to ABUTH or any other hospital around Kaduna but to the National Hospital Abuja where he would be close to his friends at Aso Rock.
They may even share some bottles of champagne over how they dealt with that boy. The smokescreen has just been released and ask yourself; since this Ribadu, NIPSS saga began, how many times have you heard about Iyabo Obasanjo and her involvement in the N3.5b scandal with the Austrian firm? Whether you like it or not, Ibori, Odili, Kalu, Iyabo Obasanjo and Obasanjo himself will all be free people in Nigeria; who can touch them?
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