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Mbasekei Martin Obono's Blog
Mbasekei Martin Obono's Blog
Youth Position On Etteh Saga
Related to country: Nigeria

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YOUTH AGAINST CYBER CRIMES AND FRAUD PRESENTS

YOUTH VOICES ON CORRUPTION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE.

AGENDA: Press Conference on Youth Position on Etteh Saga and related Issue.

BY: Mbasekei Martin Obono (PRESIDENT)

Venue: Trade Union Congress National Secretariat.

Date:On 29th October, 2007

Contact: 017402451

Email: martobono@yahoo.com

Good afternoon fellow Nigerian Youth, Gentlemen and Women of the press present. I welcome you all as we honor this epoch - making occasion, it is an epoch assembly because we determine our fate in the Nigeria of today - the fate of the Nigerian Youth, it is indeed a day were we have to strike a balance between the imbalances of self – government of the wicked and corrupt politicians whose clandestine and impious agenda is to use their position against the popular will of the majority majority. The Nigerian Youth has been silent for too long, the implication of this hush is seen as weakness by the people who govern us, that is why they treat us the way they do. Now we have woken up, today is ours and the future belongs to us. We would not take a seat while we watch the likes of Patricia Olubunmi Etteh and a host of others ridicule our fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Corruption and fraud are worst adversaries of development and good governance. Nigeria is not supposed to be plaque with this massive unemployment, epileptic power supply, poorly equipped hospitals, if not for corruption and mismanagement of public funds. 30 years ago, Nigeria undertook massive investment in public enterprises worth over $100 billion, but at the end of 1996 our net returns on investments was less than $0.5 per annum? Until recently, NEPA served 12% of Nigerians with an average of 6hrs daily, yet it attracted N 20 billion subsidies yearly, or haven’t you heard that the government of General Babangida has not been able to properly account for $12 billion gulf war oil money? Most developmental activities have been thwarted by corrupt public office holders and we must put an end to it now that the government of President Yaradua is still new, before it eats deep in our system like a cankerworm.

We have watched the unfolding events in the lower chamber of the national assembly; we have also noticed the leadership’s height of incompetence since its inauguration. According to a commentator, the house has adjourned in the past 3 months more than any other house since 1960. The sit – tight attitude of the dishonorable speaker of the lower house is the altitude of insensitivity and callousness to the people she portrays to represent.

Madam speaker, when you were made head of the House of Representatives, we were very happy, I can vividly remember my comment on takingitglobal website after your election as a speaker. Little did we know you were going to betray our trust so soon? I still cannot imagine how you would want to renovate your house with N238, N 570, or

N628 million whatever the true figure is, in this rising phase of poverty, in a country were her ex – service men who fought for the sovereignty of Nigeria live under the bridges of Abuja.

Whatever the true figure you wanted to use to renovate the house with is, you have tried to defraud our nation twice. First, you wanted the approval of a body massage chair worth N 98 million, when you know quite well that you would end up buying it for a few hundreds of thousands at most. When you were denied, you went ahead to approve

N628 million for you and your deputy’s house renovation, furnishing and official cars. Knowing fully well that it wasn’t part of the 2007 annual budget, you boycott due process, yet you talk about due process. After perpetrating this act of fraud. We are not asking you to step aside this time around to allow the speaker pro tempore preside on the Idoko report. You are too fraudulent to be in the helm of affairs, you and your accomplices should be impeached, recalled by the people you claim to represent, arrested, tried and jailed for attempting to defraud Nigeria. You do not have any moral justification to be within the confines of the lawmaking arm of the government.

It is a pity that Dr. Fredrick Fasheun of OPC who most of us respect so much would want to interpret the campaign for Etteh’s removal as a plot against the Yoruba race, we all know that when Madam speaker leaves the exalted position, another Yoruba person would be made speaker of the house, I strongly campaign that another woman be used to replace her, Baba, we plead with you not to remind us of the sensitivity of our ethnic differences. We expect that you would teach us the younger generation to defend the unity of Nigeria and not its disunity.

Chief Olabode George also, made a blunder and ridicule of the intellectual capability of Nigerians who fought for democracy, when he agreed that Paticia Etteh did not follow due process in the award of the contract but that does not mean that she should be impeached. Chief George, must we wait for her to keep on attempting fraudulent practices in Nigeria? Must we wait for her to empty our national treasury before something is done? The answer is a capital no and she must go to jail now.

Today, we are campaigning against our youth involvement in cyber crimes, how do we justify our campaign, when the older ones – our leaders are busy with fraudulent practices, who do we use ask them to emulate? How do we tell the unemployed graduate not to be fraudulent when all he reads on the pages of newspapers is embezzlement of public funds, inflation of contracts and other financial misconduct?

Whilst we appreciate the Farouk Lawan lead Integrity Group for exposing the gullibility, surreptitious and irreverent plan of Patricia Etteh, her deputy and the rest, we place a vote of no confidence in your so called Integrity Group campaign, based on the allegations that you championed the cause because of denied juicy committees, implore the ICPC to investigate your activities and if found guilty, you should face the music. We have had enough in the last government, and we are no longer going to watch you all treat us with impunity. We want credibility and accountability in the law making arm of our government this dispensation.

Mr. President Yaradua, some of us saw credibility, integrity and accountability in you among other candidates in the April polls that was why we voted for you. Although, your party and her devilish leadership rigged for you and you watched, many have appealed that with these most essential elements you poses, you should intervene in the crises rocking the lower house of the assembly, as a party leader, not as a president because of your respect for the rule of law and the principle of separation of powers, but you have refused – we are watching. Please Mr. President, we are not too happy about the way the Attorney General of the Federation is going about the anticorruption war, especially with the investigations of James Ibori and Orji Uzor Kalu, I wonder if as an AGF he is supposed to be a defense counsel to those who looted public funds or a prosecutor? Mr. President, beware of his likes, whose agenda is to derision our war against corruption in Nigeria, under the pretence of rule of law and due process. I strongly posit we don’t need such a man occupy a powerful position as the AGF. Since his ministry is constitutionally recognized, he can undo any process on the war against corruption war. His credibility is being questioned by commentators daily, and this does not tell well for your leadership which claims to have a zero tolerance for corruption. Mr. President, my advice is that, if you must curb corruption, you need not surround yourself with the list of questionable characters of Ambassadors, who have not even represented your Party well enough to talk less of the entire nation Nigeria, or Michael Aondakaa and a host of others.

My Fellow Nigerian Youth, this is a struggle we must fight to finish, it is a strenuous life we must hope to endure with joy, if we must have a better Nigeria. The fight against fraud and corruption is not for the feeble mind, it is for the strong and courageous. My fellow youth and compatriots, each one of you carries on your shoulders not a burden of doing well for the sake of self, but for the sake of the entire citizenry - the sake of humanity. At every stage, and under all circumstances, the essence of the struggle is to equalize opportunity, destroy stolen privileges of massive employment, adequate power supply, good roads, right to good education and health. But to achieve all these, we must have the right kind of character – the character that breeds success. The character that makes a boy first a good son to the home and community, a brilliant student in the classroom and a good citizen to the nation.

To Yahoo boys engaged in cyber crimes, it is because of Nigeria we are Nigerians, it is because of our future we fight corruption. We don’t have any other home like this and we would never have. I therefore appeal to you all to drop your fraudulent acts, let us serve our fatherland, let us embrace hardwork, let us be honest. Cyber Crimes and fraud would lead us nowhere; it rather destroys our creative ability, global trust and may in the long run cause us isolation among the comity of nations. We are the future Nigeria, now is our time to prepare ourselves for leadership and we cannot be preparing for leadership while we are deeply engrossed in fraudulent acts. Let us work to make Nigeria great again. Let us not let the labor of our heroes past and present be in vain. I encourage you to face your studies and shun all manner of financial misdemeanors, there is nothing like good education and legitimate success. As for those who don’t have a job just hold on, it may be tough today, but that doesn’t mean you should trade your conscience for peanuts. Just keep holding on things would always change for the better, if you don’t give up, that’s were tenacity cuts it.

God Bless You all. Long Live Nigeria.

January 11, 2008 | 7:59 AM Comments  0 comments

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