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And yet we keep heading out in droves, and wish to head out in droves.

There is a perpetual perplexity to it all, that seems uncrackable.

Why do we Nigerians
almost without exception love our country so very much and yet so very
much want to head away from her if the slightest chance avails itself?

From the least to
the mightiest, opportunities to be away from home either short term or
more often than not, long term are sought with unnerving ferocities or
ingeniously inventive schemes. And yet, chance a contact with any
Nigerian in the diaspora and the distinct love for home and a palpable
sense of homesickness exudes from him with the pounding force of a gush.

It is clear that
the best place to be for a Nigerian is Nigeria and only the
unfavourable net dynamics of push- pull forces lead to emigration or
desire for emigration.

At 50, how can we
get to resolve the push-pull dynamics to the benefit of our country ?
What constitute the push forces from home that trump the pull from her
resulting in net centrifugality of movement?.

There probably
will be as many answers to this seeming connundrum as the number of
Nigerians (and even non Nigerians) who care to answer it. And such will
be understandable given that different things may come to produce a
push for some just as for very different reasons an individual may get
pulled.

Today,
unemployment, underemployment, poor health facilities, poor
infrastructural facilities, particularly stemming from inefficient
energy generation will rank as dominant push factors for more than many
but perhaps for most, it is insecurity; a situation in which both the
average and the not so average live like endangered species unsure
whether the day that started with them will see them through to the
evening , still alive and healthy. At the aetiologic heart of
insecurity is either poverty or greed ; the former induces its victim
to seek amelioration through terrorisation of his neighbour while the
latter, through obsession with plenty, has come to be morbidly desirous
of plentier and must bag its quarry no matter the means to it.

As to pull factors,
it probably is safe to suggest that for most, predominant, is love of
country (subsumed into love of one’s loved ones ) and esteem for self,
and for a few, love of lawlessness , in which, though the books teem
with rules and regulations (and therefore de facto not really lawless)
they are so ignored they have become obscure and through obscurity,
atrophied or become merely toothless. Or sometimes what laws that
remain simply labour in vain unmatched with justice. Today, the country
counts her years for the fiftieth time with some of us left to wonder
whether her glass is half full, dripping down to empty, or empty,
filling up to half full. That at fifty, none sees a glass full or soon
to be full is undeniable.

Today, presents a
unique juncture for us all Nigerians to hold that big glass in our
hands, toast to the health of our country and as we do so, reflect on
what we can do to contribute to that which is in the glass and not
merely sip from it till it is empty and then jettisoned.

For too long, each
of us seemed to have merely looked for how we can come to get a hold on
the wine glass, drink ourselves to an inebriated fullness and the glass
to a sober and derelict emptiness and then wonder why the nation
continues to rock rather than roll. Today, we should look at the giant
cake in front of us not gluttonously,but rather proverbially,and for
every bit we pull away from it , we bring back twice as much; so the
cake grows and continue to do so by our collective efforts.

The dillema of the
Nigerian is how, irrespective of his location, he can get to match that
unmistakable and nationalistic love for his “giant in the sun” of a
country with practical, positive and reasoned contributions that can
aggregate from all to the upliftment of the giant. Only by personal
determination to want to do good for and by ourselves but also for
beyond selves can we resolve the dillema. Through this upliftment, we
can begin to roll back those very forces that push people away from the
motherland even as we strengthen those that pull back and retain.
Through these same contributions, we can begin to pull the rug from
under the feet of the unrepentant unreformed looters. Be they those
that loot their neighbours with their guns or their white collar allies
who do the looting with their pens.

We welcome the
minister and Head of chancery and the team who have found it fit to
travel all the way to this island to join in our celebrations. Your
representation as high table Nigerians to this celebration and the good
will from home you bring to us in the Diaspora in these parts will
remain a continuing source of inspiration to continue to do what little
we can to contribute not to the rocking of our country but her
unstoppable forward roll.

My proud and profuse congratulations to us all, both here and abroad on this fiftieth anniversary of independence .

Jide Basil Fadipe is consultant surgeon, Justin Fadipe Hospital, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies.

After weeks of competition, Kelsey Martinovich achieved her dream of becoming Australia’s Next Top Model.

All smiles, 19-year-old Kelsey thanked host of the
Foxtel TV series, Sarah Murdoch, who had named her winner, and her
fellow contestants for “keeping me on my toes” before concluding her
acceptance speech with the words “Oh, this is crazy”.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have added that bit because
shortly after, it did turn crazy. And it wasn’t because Kanye West
jumped onto the stage, grabbed the mic and said, “No disrespect, but
Beyonce should have won.”

To the shock of thousands watching the live
finale, Sarah Murdoch stopped the proceedings, apologised profusely,
and named 1st Runner Up, Amanda Ware the true winner.

“I don’t know what to say right now. I’m feeling a bit sick about this,” Murdoch told a 2,000-strong live audience.

“I’m so sorry. Oh my God, I don’t know what to
say. This is what happens when you have live TV folks, this is insane,
insane, insane.”

Foxtel blamed the gaffe on miscommunication, and
in some kind of damage control, Kelsey was compensated for the briefest
of reigns. She will receive about $20,000 cash prize and a trip to New
York as consolation, almost matching Miss Ware’s spoils.

While such compensation may suffice in a competition for models, one
doubts if it will work for politicians. Imagine if the Independent
National Electoral Commission’s chairman, Attahiru Jega, were to make
such a mistake in announcing the winner of next year’s presidential
election! Now, that won’t be funny.

October 1, 1960 – Nigeria gains
independence from Britain, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the Prime
Minister leading a coalition government of parliamentary system.

October 1, 1963 – Nigeria becomes a republic, breaking away from the British monarchy.

January 15, 1966 – Fall of the First
Republic, as Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa is killed in unsuccessful
coup led by some Majors.

January 16, 1966 – Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi takes over as the nation’s Head of State.

July 29, 1966 – Aguiyi Ironsi killed in
a counter-coup by a group of northern army officers who revolted
against the government, and he is replaced by Yakubu Gowon.

January 5, 1967 – Military leaders and
senior police officials of each region (East, North and South) sign an
accord in Aburi, Ghana and agree on a loose confederation of regions.

May 30, 1967 – Chukwuemeka Odumegwu
Ojukwu, the Eastern Region’s military governor, announces the
break-away of the eastern states as the Republic of Biafra, sparking
bloody civil war that led to the deaths over a million people.

January 12, 1970 – Biafran leaders
surrender, as the officer administering the government, Phillip Effiong
calls for a cease-fire. The region was reintegrated into Nigeria.

July 25, 1975 – Yakubu Gowon overthrown in a coup led by Murtala Ramat Mohammed, while attending the OAU summit in Uganda

February 13, 1976 – Murtala Mohammed assassinated in a failed coup attempt. His deputy, Olusegun Obasanjo, takes over

September 21, 1978 – A new
constitution, styled on American presidential system, published, and
the ban on political activity lifted.

1979 – Nation heads to the polls for a general election which saw the election of Shehu Shagari as the democratic president.

January 1983 – Government expels more
than one million foreigners, mostly Ghanaians, saying they had
overstayed their visas and taking jobs from Nigerians.

August, September 1983 – Shehu Shagari re-elected as the president, amid accusations of irregularities and corruption.

December 31, 1983 – Muhammad Buhari
heads military officers who seize power in bloodless coup, to be become
Commander in Command and Head of State.

August 27, 1985 – Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in bloodless coup, curtails political activity.

1986 – Babangida launches controversial Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) which shook up the nation’s economy

October 19, 1986 – Foremost journalist, Dele Giwa, assassinated by a parcel bomb which is often blamed on the Babaginda regime

April 22, 1990 – Gideon Orka leads coup to topple Babaginda, but the coup is unsuccessful.

December 12, 1991 – Nigeria’s capital city moved from Lagos to Abuja

June 12, 1993 – Babangida annuls the presidential elections adjudged to have been won by businessman, Moshood Abiola.

August 27 1993 – Babangida transfers
power to Interim National Government led by Ernest Shonekan, following
massive protest against his administration

November 17, 1993 – Sani Abacha seizes power from the Interim National Government and suppresses opposition.

1994 – Acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, MKO Abiola, arrested after proclaiming himself president.

November 10, 1995 – Ken Saro-Wiwa,
writer and campaigner against the oil industry damage to his Ogoni
homeland, executed following a hasty trial. In protest, the US and
European Union impose sanctions on Nigeria

June 8, 1998 – Abacha passes away under controversial circumstances and succeeded by Abdulsalami Abubakar.

July 7, 1998 – Abiola dies in custody days after meeting a US delegation

1999 – Parliamentary and presidential elections lead to the election of Olusegun Obasanjo as the nation’s president.

2000 – Adoption of Sharia law by several northern states in the face of opposition from Christians

2001 – Tribal war in Benue State,
displacing thousands of people, as soldiers sent to quash the fighting
kill more than 200 unarmed civilians, apparently in retaliation for the
abduction and murder of 19 soldiers.

November 2002 – Many lives lost in four
days of protest stoked by fury from Northern Nigeria over the planned
Miss World beauty pageant in Abuja

July 10, 2003 – Governor of Anambra
State, Chris Ngige, abducted by a team of police officials and forced
to sign his resignation letter, which was upheld by the State’s House
of Assembly but over-turned by the Supreme Court.

September 27, 2003 – Nigeria’s first satellite, NigeriaSat-1 launched via Russian rocket into the space.

May 18, 2004 – State of emergency
declared in Plateau State, after more than 200 people are killed in
Yelwa in what would result in tit-for-tat killings by Muslims and
Christians in the state

January 2005 – Inspector General of
Police, Tafa Balogun, forced to resign from office on corruption
charges and subsequently tried and jailed by a court of law.

July 2005 – Paris Club of rich lenders agrees to write off two-thirds of Nigeria’s $30 billion debt.

January 9, 2006 – Militants in the
Niger Delta commence major attack on pipelines and other oil
facilities, and kidnap foreign oil workers for ransom, as they demand
more control over the region’s oil wealth.

April 2006 – With record oil prices, Nigeria becomes first African nation to pay off its debt to the Paris Club of rich lenders.

May 17, 2006 – Senate rejects proposed
changes to the constitution which would have allowed the President to
stand for a third term in 2007.

August 6, 2006 – Nigeria cedes
sovereignty over the disputed Bakassi peninsula to neighbouring
Cameroon under the terms of a 2002 International Court of Justice
ruling.

October29, 2006 – Sultan of Sokoto and
tens of others die in a plane crash, the country’s third major civilian
air disaster in the year.

August 14, 2008 – Nigeria finally hands over the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, ending a long-standing dispute.

May 2009 – Niger Delta militant group,
MEND, rejects government offer of amnesty and declares offensive
against Nigerian military.

August 2009 – Two-month offer of a
government amnesty for Niger Delta militants comes into force, as
thousands of militants drop their arms.

November 23, 2009 – President Yar’Adua
travels to Saudi Arabia to be treated for a heart condition. His
extended absence triggers a constitutional crisis and leads to calls
for him to step down.

February 10, 2010 – National Assembly
votes to transfer power to the Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, until
Mr Yar’Adua is able to resume presidency. Mr Yar’Adua returns to
Nigeria but does not return to work.

May 6, 2010 – Umaru Yar’Adua dies after
a long illness. His vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan, already acting
in Yar’Adua’s stead, succeeds him.

It was a cold
clear Ontario morning. That special kind of Canadian morning I look
forward to because I can go jogging and breathe in the crisp and
oh-so-fresh air while drinking in the vivid colours of the trees in
late autumn. Although it was October 1st and I was born Nigerian,
independence day was the furthest thing on my mind in the tranquillity
of suburban Canada.

Then the phone
rang at about 7.30am, and a Nigerian phone number flashed on the
display. “Trouble” I thought, but decided to pick it up anyway, bracing
myself for the usual garbage from 419 fraudsters in search of “someone
to cooperate with for the transfer and sharing of millions of dollars”.
This time I was wrong.

I heard a voice
say “hold on please!” and then my mother’s voice, shaky and exhausted
from weeping, informing me that my father had died that morning. It was
a strange conversation, because she kept on saying she was sorry, and I
kept on saying it was OK and everything would be fine, not really
knowing what else to say to someone who had just lost her lifetime
partner. It would be many months after, following lots of activities
around his burial in Nigeria, that it would finally hit me that I had
also lost my father and dear friend that cold October morning.

When I think of my
father, the images that flash past are a kaleidoscope of Nigeria’s rich
history since independence from the British Empire in 1960. Our
affluent life in the early 1960s in Port Harcourt where I was born; the
rude shock of the civil war through which we lived in the East as
Biafrans in the villages and in the bush; the family’s return to “One
Nigeria“ in the slums of Lawanson in Lagos; the brash promise of the
oil boom years when I was at Kings College; the flip flop between
civilian and military rule; the several successive military coups, and
finally pseudo-democracy in the form of civilian rule. He always
commented on these times, reflecting on the role his generation had
played in the evolution of Nigeria as an independent state.

Before illness
robbed him of the ability to speak, we had many conversations on the
subject of Nigeria, with me asking tough and sometimes unfair questions
of him and his generation. Why did you let the civil war happen so soon
after fighting for independence together? What was your generation’s
intellect expended on while the military coups were happening in quick
succession? How could your generation not detribalise Nigeria, given
that neither of your two closest friends (or mine for that matter) is
from the Igbo tribe?

In the end, he
conceded that his generation had indeed failed the nation through
passivity and that Nigeria’s future generations would pay a heavy price
for that failure. I eventually responded to this prediction by moving
to live in Canada as it steadily transformed from prophecy to reality.

Oh Canada! Sane,
serene, civilized Canada, a country much more in line with my education
and upbringing! My father, who was responsible for most of my education
and upbringing, however completely disapproved of my move. He came
around eventually as he saw his grandchildren grow healthy in mind and
spirit, reflecting the goodness of the society in which they were being
raised. Then as his illness progressed he withdrew from the world into
a long silence and eventually succumbed to death. I have felt that his
death was a release for him, not just from the battle with terminal
illness but also from the shackles of the guilt of feeling powerless to
stop his beloved country from sliding into moral, spiritual and
physical decay. Irrationally, I think it is significant that he “broke
free” on Nigeria’s Independence Day.

Generations of
Nigerians are still paying a price today in different forms, and I will
confess to inheriting my father’s guilt as my own generation also
stands by, seemingly powerless to step away from the past and change
Nigeria’s future.

I hope that such guilt will not be the inheritance I pass on to my children.

So Nigeria’s
Independence Day has much more sombre meaning for me. No joyous
celebrations please. Like the proximity of cold death, it is a shrill
wake up call, to jerk me out of my physical and intellectual comfort
zone and remind me of Nigeria’s reality- a deeply troubled nation,
often times appearing to be on the brink of sudden violent death.

For my sake and
hopefully the sake of my children, I am in the process of seriously
re-engaging with Nigeria, going back to the battlefront much wiser
after beating a tactical retreat, as all good fighters must be able to
do in battle.

While I have not
and will not surrender, more tactical retreats are possible in future.
I do not subscribe to the “NO RETREAT! “ doctrine, especially if
faced with formidable odds.

Somehow I think if he were alive today my father would smile at that.

Aba, the economic
nerve centre of Abia State, is almost a ghost of itself with schools
and banks closed, as the siege on the city and its adjoining local
governments by kidnappers, continue. There is growing uncertainty over
the early release of the 15 school children abducted on Monday on their
way to school.

The Abia state
Commissioner of Police, Jonathan Johnson, however, said the closure of
banks was a panic measure that did not reflect the real security
situation in the city, adding that there were enough security personnel
posted to each of the banks in the city.

Throughout the
metropolis, as well as the Ogbor hill and Umungasi areas of Aba, there
is a near absence of school buses that usually run through the streets
to pick school children, and the few that were seen were without
pupils, as their parents were afraid of sending them to school.
Virtually every private school in the city has voluntarily closed.

There were also no
march past rehearsals in the schools that were open as was the case in
most of the schools last week, in preparation for our nations golden
jubilee celebration.

One of the
proprietors of the schools visited, who closed her school yesterday,
said it was sad that the government has shown no commensurate interest
in the safety of the kids the same way they did when the four
journalists were kidnapped. She expressed wonder that the government
could not buy tracking equipment for the police since they know that
kidnapping in Aba has become endemic and sophisticated, rather than
engaging in an amnesty that will not work, as the kidnappers are mere
criminals who might not embrace the programme.

“This amnesty thing
will not work. These are armed robbers who are into kidnapping because
it is an easier way of picking their millions without sweat,” she said.

Fighting talk

Meanwhile, the
heavy presence of soldiers was noticed in Aba on Thursday, especially
along the Port Harcourt Express Road, an indication that the government
might possibly go on the offensive against the hoodlums.

In a broadcast to
the state, the governor, Theodore Orji, assured the parents of the
kidnapped children that his administration, in conjunction with the
federal government, was doing everything in their power to ensure that
the young victims are released quickly and safely to rejoin their
parents, teachers and friends.

He emphasised that
his government is determined to stop this trend of kidnapping in Abia
State. “Despite attempts to build a theory of intentions around the
incidents of kidnapping in Abia State, our view now is that these
kidnappers are not reacting to any realistic issues that are of utmost
importance to their societies or to the state,” he said.

“These kidnappers
are mere gold diggers, whose resolution and trade ambition is to make
easy money and to secure the betterment of themselves alone, and so the
government will not allow a few disgruntled elements in criminal garb
to hold the entire state hostage. Government has been challenged, and
we have decided to take the utmost measure available to implement the
might and weight of government’s forces.”

Meanwhile, the police have raided the camps of some suspected
kidnappers in Ukwa West area of the state. However, the kidnappers had
escaped before the arrival of the police.

The Mayor of the
City of Cleveland, Frank G. Jackson, has declared October 1, 2010, as
the Nigerian-American Day in the city. The Mayor made the proclamation
to mark the celebration of the golden jubilee anniversary of Nigeria’s
independence.

In a statement
announcing the declaration, Mr. Jackson remarked that the proclamation
is also a recognition of the contributions of Nigerians ( about 10, 000
Nigerian-Americans) living in the Greater Cleveland, most of whom are
professionals in the field of medicine, science, engineering, academia,
and business men and women.

“On behalf of the
citizens of the City of Cleveland, I am honoured to offer the
proclamation designating October 1, 2010, as Nigerian-American Day in
the City of Cleveland,” he declared.

In another
development, the Congress woman, representing 11th District Ohio,
Marcia Fudge, will be the keynote speaker at the event scheduled by the
Nigerian community in Greater Cleveland to celebrate the anniversary.

Part of this year’s independence celebration includes the extension
of scholarship awards to Nigerians and Americans in Greater Cleveland,
display of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and artefacts such as Nigerian
dances and masquerades, which will include the Eyo festival masquerade,
Ekwe dance, and Abang dance groups.

Following an
alleged intelligence report that there are planned attacks in Abuja by
the popular militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND), during the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Nigerian
government allegedly prompted the South African Police to invade the
Johannesburg home of Henry Okah, the leader of MEND, in the early hours
of yesterday.

Sources who spoke
in confidence with NEXT revealed that over 30 South African police
officers smashed down Mr Okah’s doors and gained entry into his home at
about 3am South African time, with sophisticated weapons in full
display as well as about six sniffing dogs, at the instance of the
federal government of Nigeria.

“We have been told
that the Nigerian government informed the South African police that it
is imperative that Mr Okah’s home is searched yesterday because they
would find arms and explosives. The federal government has been sending
spurious petitions to the South African government about Mr Okah,
alleging all kinds of things.

“They said he is
exporting arms and explosives from South Africa into Nigeria. But when
the South African police invaded his home, they found nothing. Even
with their sniffing dogs, they did not find anything,” a source said to
NEXT yesterday in Abuja.

Reports have it
that the search at Mr Okah’s home, which lasted for about 10 hours,
from 3am till about 1pm, yielded neither explosives nor arms.

Ima Niboro, the
spokesman for the federal government neither responded to the phone
calls nor the text messages sent to him to make enquiries about the
role of the presidency in the role.

Federal government’s gripe

Although the Umaru
Yar’Adua led government released Mr Okah from a 13-month long detention
and granted him amnesty in 2009, unconfirmed reports state that Mr
Okah’s name has been placed on the INTERPOL red alert in Nigeria, in
connection with arms and drug trafficking.

Emmanuel Ojukwu,
the spokesman of the Nigerian Police, has denied any knowledge of the
raid. Mr Ojukwu, who told NEXT in Abuja that he is also the spokesman
for the INTERPOL in Nigeria, said that he was unaware that Mr Okah’s
name had been placed on red alert by the INTERPOL.

“I have no
information. I am not aware of that. I speak for the Nigerian police
and the INTERPOL and I am not aware of either the invasion or any red
alert,” Mr Ojukwu said in a telephone interview.

Mr Okah, in
response, said that he was unshaken but that he was upset that his
children were frightened by the police officers who tore down their
bedroom doors and barged into their rooms with rifles.

“I am not surprised by the federal government’s actions. What I am
surprised at is that the South African government would allow
themselves to be used by Nigerians. I am, however, not moved by
whatever means the government is trying to use to intimidate me. I am
constantly fighting against the oppression of my people in the Niger
Delta,” Mr Okah said in a statement obtained by NEXT.

The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign
Organisation has berated former vice president Atiku Abubakar for
allegedly continuing with his campaign of calumny against Goodluck
Jonathan, despite the president’s clarification on the controversial
zoning arrangement adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The organisation stated this in
reaction to a statement credited to Mr Abubakar that the president
could not be “trusted with the PDP mandate in 2011” because of his
interpretation of the party’s position on zoning.

A settled matter

Mr Jonathan had
last Monday declared that the ruling party never zoned the presidency
to any part of the country. He spoke at the PDP headquarters after
submitting his nomination forms to the leadership of the party.

“The Goodluck/Sambo
Campaign Organisation has noted that in spite of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s clear articulation of the issue of zoning and the decision
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the matter, former Vice
President Abubakar has continued his campaign of calumny aimed at
impugning the character and integrity of the president,” a statement by
the director of media and publicity, Sully Abu said.

It said that Mr
Abubakar’s comment on the president’s personality was rather curious
given his own antecedents and the fact that he was only recently
admitted into the PDP after long running battles with his local Adamawa
State chapter of the party.

The organization
said the PDP zoning issue has been resolved by the party, just as it
enjoined all its loyal members to respect that position and stop using
it as a diversion from tackling the real issues that affect the
Nigerian people.

The organisation’s
spokesperson said that the decision was a product of a meeting held in
Abuja yesterday by the zonal coordinators of the Jonathan/Sambo for
President Campaign.

Those at the
meeting presided over by Dalhatu Tafida, the organization’s director
general were: state governors: Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Isa Yuguda
of Bauchi; Gbenga Danile of Ogun; and Gabriel Suswam of Benue.

A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, was also in attendance.

One of the
daughters of the Emir of Lafia has been found less than 48 hours after
she was abducted from the grounds of her father’s palace. Hadiza
Mustapha Isa Agwai was found in the early hours of Thursday,
disorientated but unharmed.

According to a
source, the 22-year-old was abducted on Tuesday after being coerced by
a group of men masquerading as commercial motorcyclists. The details of
the kidnapping are still unclear but it is believed that Miss Agwai was
just returning from work when she was taken.

The Secretary to
the Lafia Emirate, Hudu Aliyu Mailafiya, revealed in a telephone
interview with NEXT that the Emir’s daughter was found at exactly 5am
on Thursday in a confused and bewildered state. He added that although
that she was not speaking lucidly, she managed to reveal that her
assailants took her to a bush somewhere near Nasarawa Eggon, about 30
minutes away from Lafia.

Her account also revealed that her abductors had other people in their custody, one of whom was killed in her presence.

Miss Agwai was
unavailable for further comment, as investigations showed that she had
been immediately taken to the State Security Service head office in
Lafia for a debrief. Mr Mailafiya explained that she was taken in for
questioning to enable the security agents get some more leads on her
captors.

When NEXT visited the office of the SSS in Lafia, we were denied access to the Emir’s daughter who was still in their custody.

Mr Mailafiya however assured that as soon as she was released from
questioning, he would make sure that a press briefing is arranged so
that Miss Agwai can give full details of the abduction.

Julius Berger Ltd
was handed a reprieve yesterday after the Federal Government withdrew
all charges against the construction giant in the ongoing Halliburton
bribery scandal.

The Attorney
General and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke who confirmed this
yesterday said a secret agreement had been reached with the
construction firm.

This adds another
twist to the ongoing saga and comes less than a month after a Federal
High Court judge, David Okorowo, disqualified himself from hearing the
$180 million Halliburton scam.

Mr. Adoke told
journalists yesterday in Abuja that following media reports, the
federal government has had to effect amendments to the charges brought
against certain persons in connection with the matter.

“After a further
review of the investigation reports as well as the totality of evidence
available, I have approved the request of the prosecution team that the
charges against the Julius Berger parties be withdrawn,” he said.

“Consequently, the Julius Berger parties have entered into an agreement with the FGN.”

Secret deal

Mr. Adoke said
whilst the agreement is subject to confidentiality, “the Julius Berger
parties entered into the agreement on the basis of no admission of
liability, culpability or guilt.” He added that Julius Berger Nigeria
Ltd will institute a scheme of corporate compliance monitoring to
improve and strengthen its internal controls and mechanisms for a
period of two years.

Furthermore, the
minister said the company will publicly affirm and restate its
commitment to the dictates of good corporate citizenship through
advertorial messages in electronic and print media outlets with
national coverage. “Julius Berger Nig Ltd will make an ex-gratia
payment to the Federal Government.” He also said he was confident that
the terms of settlement and release agreement are prudent and practical
taking into account the available evidence and the potential hurdle of
the evidentiary burden of proof.

“As a corollary,
let me add that the FGN intends to file a civil action against
Halliburton Corporation in the United States to seek compensation and
restitution within the next 14 days.” However, Mr. Adoke refused to
take further questions from journalists and dashed to his office
immediately after the briefing.

At the last hearing
of the case, the government’s counsel, Olu Fatunde, informed the court
that he had yet to serve the suspects with court processes.

Mr. Okorowo said
the matter could not be mentioned if the suspects were not in court and
had not been served yet, and sent the case file to the chief judge for
re-assignment to another judge and adjourned the suit, pending when it
is assigned.

“I have no jurisdiction to entertain this matter,” declared Mr. Okorowo.

History

Several foreign
companies, most notably the U.S. oil and gas giant, Halliburton, are
accused of paying bribes worth millions of dollars to high-ranking
government officials during the process to award the contract for
Africa’s first liquefied natural gas plant in 2002 and 2003.

The suspects
include some of the nation’s most powerful people, but Mr. Adoke
assured Nigerians that the trial would be conducted without bias, as it
would boost President Goodluck Jonathan’s anti-corruption credentials
as the 2011 elections approached.

Suspects expected
to be arraigned are George Mark, the former personal assistant to
ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo ; Ibrahim Aliyu, a former federal
permanent secretary; Hans George Christ; Heinrich J. Stockhausen;
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc; Bilfinger Berger GMBH; AVM Abdullahi Dominic
Bello; Mohammed Gidado Bakare; Urban Shelter Limited; Intercellular
Nigeria Limited; Sheerwood Petroleum Limited; Tri-Star Investment
Limited; Maizube Holdings Limited; TSKJ Nigeria Limited – (a) Technip
S.A.; (b)Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V.; (c) Kellog Brown and Root Inc.;
(d) Japan Gasoline Corporation of Japan.