3 people arrested for diverting N40m USAID drugs

The police in Lagos State have arrested 3 suspected thieves, Emmanuel Onyike, 51; Alabi Daudu, 68; and Paul Aina, 58 for  allegedly diverting a container loaded with pharmaceutical drugs, valued at N40m, to the Igando area of the state.

It was gathered that the suspects were apprehended by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad attached to Zone 2, on Saturday, July 18.

According to the police, the container, which belonged to the United States Agency for International Development, was heading for a warehouse of the Society for Family Health in Sango Ota, Ogun State.

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It was, however, hijacked and diverted by the suspects to a secluded warehouse in Igando, where the suspects reportedly planned to sell the contents.

Our correspondent gathered that about 500 cartons of drugs, which the container was conveying, had been recovered by the police.

It was learnt that other members of the syndicate, identified only as Ikechukwu, Babawale, Shola and Alhaji, were still at large.

Daudu, a native of Abeokuta, Ogun State, said:

“Babawale was a friend, and he was the one who brought the deal. He told me he had some goods, and I should get him a truck to convey them. I knew it was stolen goods, but I did not know they were USAID drugs.

“We drove from the Tin Can Port to an area in Igando. Babawale deceived me that the truck contained household batteries. He did not let the three of us know the warehouse.

“This is the fourth operation I would be participating in. I was arrested by the SARS, Ikeja, on a case of diverting roofing sheets. I got N1.8m from the operation. I got N2m from the second. I cannot remember the third. But now, I am repentant. I have grandchildren.”

Also, Aina from Itapa, Ekiti State, and father of six children, said Daudu lured him into the act, adding that his own role was to get buyers for the goods.

He said,

“I knew Daudu when we were selling clothes in Isolo. He told me there was a business he wanted us to do together. I did not have money. It was poverty that forced me to agree to the deal. The plan was to take the products to a buyer. I was asked to provide some of the buyers. I made a mistake. I don’t want to go to jail.”

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Joseph Mbu, said investigations were ongoing to apprehend others who are still at large.”


Punch

Nigerian man writes bounced cheque to his client, then kills her in LA after she complains

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of a Hollywood production assistant and police say the killing had to do with a dispute over money.

Ezeoma Obioha, 31, was arrested on Friday night and remains in jail where he is being held on a $1million bail.

Obioha and Carrie Jean Melvin knew each other and had a financial dispute. 30 year old Melvin was walking with her boyfriend in Hollywood, California, earlier this month when a Obioha walked up behind them, aimed a shotgun at her head and pulled the trigger.

'We have been working hard around the clock on this and we didn't want to draw attention to the leads we developed,' Lt. John Radke of the Los Angeles Police Department said to reporters

'This was a terrible crime and it is one of those scenes you'll never forget.'

Obioha, with civic ties and an emerging clothing line, contracted Melvin's new online business to market his company, Radke said.

The dispute occurred when he wrote her a bad check that bounced and she threatened him with legal action, according to authorities. Melvin did not ever receive the money she was owed, police said.

After he shot her,he jumped into a black sedan and drove off. Melvin died at the scene.

Melvin’s father called his daughter’s death “incredibly senseless.” Bernie Melvin said she had studied film at UC Santa Cruz and moved to Hollywood about four years ago to break into the entertainment industry. Like many young Angelenos, he said, Carrie Melvin worked several jobs, waitressing, bartending, while pursuing that dream.

Her father, Bernie, said he knew about the incident involving his daughter and a client who wrote a check that bounced.

He said it put a strain on her financially causing her to add shifts waitressing and that she was not able to celebrate his birthday or travel to the family's home for Father's Day.

'I'm thankful that he was apprehended and arrested, but we can't celebrate,' her father, Bernie Melvin

“She was really kind of spreading her wings,” he said at the time. “It’s an extreme loss to us. She had a lot to give, and her life was cut short.”

For those that may be confused, Americans spell Cheque as Check.

See current suituation of Ariaria international market in Aba (photos)

Ariaria Int'l Market is a popular market in Aba. Abia state. And as you can clearly see, it's a mess right now. It's overly flooded, and there's constant stagnant water, forcing shop owners to abandon their shops. The people in the area say it's due to bad road and bad drainage system. They are begging their govt to look into it for them. More photos after the cut...

Buhari, a product of God and the US - by Garba Shehu

Article written by President Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity. Read below..

Shortly after the August 1983 military coup that brought a 40-year-old Muhammadu Buhari to power, he received a phone call from top personnel in the United States Army. General Smith was the Commandant of the U.S. War College from which General Buhari graduated in 1980. The school's 1979 set had graduated its first Nigerian, General Wushishi, who was the Chief of Defence in the just ousted Shehu government.

"Please, be kind to him," General Smith said over the phone.

The essence of the phone call was not just to congratulate Nigeria's new Head of State, but to ensure that the first Nigerian to graduate from the U.S. War College would not suffer any indignity under the government of the second Nigerian to graduate from the same school.
On Wednesday, July 22, members of the U.S. War College Class of 1980 gathered at the Blair House in Washington, DC, to welcome the man they had selected as their football team referee 36 years ago.
"Being referee all those years ago taught me to be fair and just," President Buhari said during the meeting.

Among the former classmates gathered were Lt. General Granrud (Commander of the U.S. forces in Japan Rtd), Brigadier General Jack Pellica, General Ronald Griffith (Former Vice Chairman of the U.S. army central command), Colonel Lany Gordon and Colonel Paul Summerville.
General Smith has since passed on, as have all the directing staff and a larger percentage of the old students from the set. "This just shows that all of us are on the queue," President Buhari said, "waiting for our turn."

The Nigerian Commander-in-Chief said he hoped that the U.S. would continue its tradition of training Nigerians in the war college. At the time he attended the school, he was the only African in his class. The only other foreigners were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, France and Japan. The Japanese student went on to become the head of his country's army.
President Buhari then went on to update his classmates on his life since he last saw them: his different appointments, his accomplishments and his family. "I have just received my 13th grandchild," he said.

He added that the wife they knew him with at the time had since died, and that he had also lost a son and a daughter from his new wife.

"Of all my eight children," he said, "only one is a boy." Some of his former classmates were curious to know if President Buhari would place his only son, Yusuf, in the army. "I stopped him from joining the army," President Buhari replied.

He explained that the military he joined was very different from what it is today, adding that he was the second Nigerian to be sent to the U.S. War College based on his records alone, without connections.

"Things took a wrong turn in Nigeria," he said. "Your records no longer matter."

Some of the former classmates present at the meeting stated that at the time they met President Buhari back in 1980, they knew little about Nigeria or Africa. They credited the Nigerian leader with giving them their initial enlightenment about the continent. Others recalled how he always overworked himself.

However, President Buhari described his war college experience as being responsible for his subsequent life of hard work, endurance and perseverance. "I contested for president three times and failed," he said. "Then I did it the fourth time and won."

A roar of laughter followed the president's apt illustration.

He then rendered his narrative of the collapse of the Soviet Union, breaking into 18 republics and how that influenced his decision to join politics.

"The collapse of the Soviet empire in 1980 without a single shot being fired convinced that the multi-party democratic system was the best for all countries."

President Buhari then expressed appreciation to President Barack Obama and to the U.S. for the role the country played in Nigeria's successful elections, recalling Secretary of State, John Kerry's visit to him and to former President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as to Attahiru Jega, the electoral commissioner at the time.

"Kerry read the riot act to all of us," he said, "saying the conduct of the election must be free, fair and in line with the Constitution."
He added that, without US intervention, the electoral malpractices of the past twelve years would likely have happened again.

"God made me but America made me," he said. The Class of 1980 gave President Buhari the full assurances of their support, stating that they were willing to use their experience to assist him in any way they can, particularly with tackling terrorism in northeast Nigeria.
They promised to put together and forward to him a compendium of their thoughts on the security situation in Nigeria.

In September, President Buhari will be meeting once again with his former classmates, at another event scheduled to take place at the United Nations.

-Garba is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Police: Investigation into forgery of Senate rules is inconclusive

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has said it has not concluded its investigations into the alleged forgery of the Senate’s Standing Order, adding that no copy of its report had been handed to President Muhammadu Buhari as reported in some sections of the media.

 The Force Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Ojukwu described as false the news report that the investigation into the alleged forgery had been concluded and a report submitted to the president by the police.

A news story over the weekend claimed that the president had received a copy of the police report last week, confirming that the Standing Rules used to inaugurate the Eighth Assembly were forged.

In the story, the police were said to have recommended the prosecution of those found culpable of forging the rules, which were used in the election of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu on June 9, 2015.

 The report was said to have indicted the management of the National Assembly, especially the clerk, Salisu Maikasuwa, among others, and recommended the prosecution of the suspects.

However, Ojukwu said that the investigation was still ongoing, adding that no report was submitted to the president.

He said:

“I want to state categorically that the investigation into the allegation of forgery at the Senate is still ongoing. We have not concluded it yet, so where did the media get the information that not only has it been concluded but handed over to President Mohammed Buhari. 

“The investigation is still ongoing and whenever it is ready, we will make it available to the public. The media report that we have concluded the investigation into the case is false and should be disregarded,” he said.

Acting on a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the police had on July 6 quizzed Maikasuwa over the alleged forgery of the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber.
The petition alleged that some parts of the 2015 rules were different from the one ratified by the Sixth Senate in 2010 and was used by the Seventh Senate in 2011.

The police, on the strength of the petition, had subsequently quizzed the leadership of the Seventh Senate, including former Senate President David Mark; his deputy (now Saraki’s deputy), Ekweremadu; former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba; and the former Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang.

Maikasuwa, who is the custodian of the standing rules, was also invited for questioning by the police.
But as the crisis from last month’s leadership election in the National Assembly festers, Buhari will meet the APC caucus in the House of Representatives.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the meeting to State House correspondents.


This Day

Buhari, a product of God and the US - by Garba Shehu

Article written by President Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity. Read below..

Shortly after the August 1983 military coup that brought a 40-year-old Muhammadu Buhari to power, he received a phone call from top personnel in the United States Army. General Smith was the Commandant of the U.S. War College from which General Buhari graduated in 1980. The school's 1979 set had graduated its first Nigerian, General Wushishi, who was the Chief of Defence in the just ousted Shehu government.

"Please, be kind to him," General Smith said over the phone.

The essence of the phone call was not just to congratulate Nigeria's new Head of State, but to ensure that the first Nigerian to graduate from the U.S. War College would not suffer any indignity under the government of the second Nigerian to graduate from the same school.
On Wednesday, July 22, members of the U.S. War College Class of 1980 gathered at the Blair House in Washington, DC, to welcome the man they had selected as their football team referee 36 years ago.
"Being referee all those years ago taught me to be fair and just," President Buhari said during the meeting.

Among the former classmates gathered were Lt. General Granrud (Commander of the U.S. forces in Japan Rtd), Brigadier General Jack Pellica, General Ronald Griffith (Former Vice Chairman of the U.S. army central command), Colonel Lany Gordon and Colonel Paul Summerville.
General Smith has since passed on, as have all the directing staff and a larger percentage of the old students from the set. "This just shows that all of us are on the queue," President Buhari said, "waiting for our turn."

The Nigerian Commander-in-Chief said he hoped that the U.S. would continue its tradition of training Nigerians in the war college. At the time he attended the school, he was the only African in his class. The only other foreigners were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, France and Japan. The Japanese student went on to become the head of his country's army.
President Buhari then went on to update his classmates on his life since he last saw them: his different appointments, his accomplishments and his family. "I have just received my 13th grandchild," he said.

He added that the wife they knew him with at the time had since died, and that he had also lost a son and a daughter from his new wife.

"Of all my eight children," he said, "only one is a boy." Some of his former classmates were curious to know if President Buhari would place his only son, Yusuf, in the army. "I stopped him from joining the army," President Buhari replied.

He explained that the military he joined was very different from what it is today, adding that he was the second Nigerian to be sent to the U.S. War College based on his records alone, without connections.

"Things took a wrong turn in Nigeria," he said. "Your records no longer matter."

Some of the former classmates present at the meeting stated that at the time they met President Buhari back in 1980, they knew little about Nigeria or Africa. They credited the Nigerian leader with giving them their initial enlightenment about the continent. Others recalled how he always overworked himself.

However, President Buhari described his war college experience as being responsible for his subsequent life of hard work, endurance and perseverance. "I contested for president three times and failed," he said. "Then I did it the fourth time and won."

A roar of laughter followed the president's apt illustration.

He then rendered his narrative of the collapse of the Soviet Union, breaking into 18 republics and how that influenced his decision to join politics.

"The collapse of the Soviet empire in 1980 without a single shot being fired convinced that the multi-party democratic system was the best for all countries."

President Buhari then expressed appreciation to President Barack Obama and to the U.S. for the role the country played in Nigeria's successful elections, recalling Secretary of State, John Kerry's visit to him and to former President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as to Attahiru Jega, the electoral commissioner at the time.

"Kerry read the riot act to all of us," he said, "saying the conduct of the election must be free, fair and in line with the Constitution."
He added that, without US intervention, the electoral malpractices of the past twelve years would likely have happened again.

"God made me but America made me," he said. The Class of 1980 gave President Buhari the full assurances of their support, stating that they were willing to use their experience to assist him in any way they can, particularly with tackling terrorism in northeast Nigeria.
They promised to put together and forward to him a compendium of their thoughts on the security situation in Nigeria.

In September, President Buhari will be meeting once again with his former classmates, at another event scheduled to take place at the United Nations.

-Garba is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Airtel announces Hit a Million Winners Batch 2

Here are the list of more winners in the ongoing Hit a Million promo by Airtel Nigeria. Use an airtel line? Check to see if your name or anyone you know is on the list. Batch 1 was announced here

Photos of Kanye West meeting Caitlyn Jenner for the first time...

Caitlyn Jenner's 'I Am Cait' premiered yesterday and Kanye West made a special appearance in the first episode where Kim took him to meet Caitlyn for the first time. Kanye seemed happy to meet Caitlyn. He hugged her and praised her 'courage' for transitioning. See more photos and watch the video after the cut...

Kwara state PDP says they are behind Toyin Saraki’s EFCC probe

PDP Kwara state chapter says its behind the invitation of the state’s ex first lady and wife of senate president Toyin Saraki by the EFCC. In a statement released today July 26th, the state chapter said it had earlier petitioned the antigraft agency over Mrs Saraki’s alleged involvement in corrupt activities with some government officials during her husband’s administration as governor of Kwara state. The party in the statement said Mrs Saraki’s arrest and detention is long overdue

“It has become imperative to inform the members of the public that we have every reasons to believe that a petition recently submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara state chapter, is largely responsible for the invitation and eventual criminal prosecution of the former Kwara First Lady and wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki.

 It will be recalled that our party had sometime early this year discreetly submitted a petition to the EFCC detailing how certain individuals in high places under the past administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki milked the state dry and left the people more impoverished than they met them.

In the said petition, we carefully chronicled how state officials, including former First Lady, Toyin Saraki; former Special Adviser to the Governor on MDGs, Mr. Ope Saraki; Personal Assistant (PA) to ex-Governor Bukola Saraki, one Mr. Abdul Adama from Kogi state; a former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tunji Morounfoye, all working in a ring, got enmeshed in a cesspool of corruption unprecedented in the history of Kwara state or any other state of the federal for that matter!

Although, we believe that the arrest and prosecution of Mrs. Toyin Saraki is long overdue, we nevertheless take solace under the fact that the long arm of the law seems to have finally caught up with her and her cronies.

We are particularly delighted that our painstaking efforts at chronicling the monumental heist that defined the eight years, almost uneventful rule of former Governor Bukola Saraki in Kwara, has not gone unnoticed. We therefore commend the EFCC for its resourcefulness and painstakingness. We pledge our cooperation with the EFCC and all other relevant anti-graft agencies to ensure that all those who knowingly looted our collective patrimony, but now walking the streets of Kwara free with their ill-gotten wealth, do not go unpunished.

“We urge the anti-graft agency not to buckle in to pressure or blackmail that is already being mounted by political jobbers over Mrs. Saraki’s invitation by the EFCC. Instead of sponsoring paid activist-for-hire to stampede the EFCC out of the prosecution, one would have thought that the most moral thing for Toyin Saraki and her handlers to do now is to allow the law to take its cause. Since the duo of Ope Saraki and Tunji Morounfoye are already standing trial for their crimes, one would expect Mrs. Saraki too to seize the moment and clear her name, instead of playing to the gallery.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the offences Mrs. Saraki is being accused of are criminal in nature and such offences are not known to be statute-barred. Therefore, the fact that it took over five years after Mrs. Saraki left office as Kwara First Lady before she is eventually brought before the law does not matter.

“What matters is that justice is ultimately served, especially for the sake of the hard-working Kwara civil servants, poor Kwara farmers and the promising children of Kwara who were and are still being subjected to all manners of deprivations as a result of the rapaciousness of a privileged few who could not contain the temptations to stare clear the cookie jar.”

Photos: President Obama arrives Ethiopia

US President Barack Obama left Kenya today and proceeded to Ethiopia for the last lap of his visit to Africa. He was received at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Like Kenya, President Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country. More photos after

What Your Woman Would Always Want From You In Bed + How To Make Her Beg For It

S-3-x is one of the most satisfying experiences, especially when you know how to plea-su-rize your partner with different kind of skills and strategies. I really love it when my boyfriend starts touching places I can't imagine that always put me in the mood to give him special servicing.

Want to know the ultimate ways to turn your girlfriends on and stay in a happy relationship? Follow this steps..

Make noise;

There’s something liberating and sweet about hearing your partner letting out moans, growls, pants, and even screams during s-3-x. It feels ani-mal-istic and raw, which makes makes us feel like a s-3-x goddess, and super awesome that we can give you plea-sure like that.

Build the excitement and anticipation;

Once we’re hot and heavy, allow the excitement and anticipation to grow. A great way to do this is to trace our bodies, concentrating on each part, as you slowly move from our collar bone, to our b-o-o-b-s, to our panty line, and then finally below the belt. Getting every inch of us excited will put our sensation into overdrive, and get us begging for more.

Don’t forget about our bodies;

There’s many more places to touch than our middle spot in between our legs, our back-sides and b-o-o-b-s. Romance our curves, kiss our collarbone or neck, or play with our hair. It makes us feel like our entire body is being enjoyed, rather than just what’s going on below the belt.

Finally guys;

Let her be in charge and more importantly, make her feel as though she's in charge. Be responsive too, let her know that what she's doing is really working for you, dig your fingers into her back let her have her way with you. Quick tip: Once she's had a fair amount of time taking the reigns, switch it up to dominate her without warning. The sudden transition will leave her hot and heavy for you.

(Must Read)The Phones No Longer Ring by Reuben Abati

Dr.Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser on Media to immediate past Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has penned down a mind blowing article on life after Aso Rock..Read below

As spokesman to President Goodluck Jonathan, my phones rang endlessly and became more than personal navigators within the social space. They defined my entire life; dusk to dawn, all year-round. The phones buzzed non-stop, my email was permanently active; my twitter account received tons of messages per second. The worst moments were those days when there was a Boko Haram attack virtually every Sunday.

The intrusion into my private life was total as my wife complained about her sleep being disrupted by phones that never seemed to stop ringing. Besides, whenever I was not checking or responding to the phones, I was busy online trying to find out if the APC had said something contrarian or some other fellow was up to any mischief. 

A media manager in the 21st century is a slave of the Breaking News, a slave particularly of the 24-hour news cycle, and a potential nervous breakdown case. Debo Adesina, my colleague at The Guardian once said I was running a “one week, one trouble schedule”. There were actually moments when trouble knocked on the door every hour, and duty required my team and I to respond to as many issues that came up.

Top of the task list was the management of phone calls related to the principal. In my first week on the job, for example, one of my phones ran out of battery and I had taken the liberty to charge it. While it was still in the off mode, the “Control Room”: the all-powerful communications centre at the State House tried to reach me. They had only just that phone number, so I couldn’t be reached. When eventually they did, the fellow at the other end was livid.

“SA Media, where are you? We have been trying to reach you. Mr President wants to speak with you”

“Sorry, I was charging my phone. The phone was off.”

“Sir, you can’t switch off your phone now. Mr President must be able to reach you at any time. You must always be available.” I was like: “really? Which kin job be dis?”

The Control Room eventually collected all my phone numbers. If I did not pick up a call on time, they called my wife. Sometimes the calls came directly from the Residence, as we referred to the President’s official quarters.

“Abati, Oga dey call you!”

If I still could not be reached, every phone that was ever connected to me would ring non-stop. Busy bodies who had just picked up the information that Abati was needed also often took it upon themselves to track me down. My wife soon got used to her being asked to produce me, or a car showing up to take me straight to the Residence. I eventually got used to it, and learnt to remain on duty round-the-clock. In due course, President Jonathan himself would call directly.

 My wife used to joke that each time there was a call from him, even if I was sleeping, I would spring to my feet and without listening to what he had to say, I would start with a barrage of “Yes sirs”! Other calls that could not be joked with were calls from my own office. Something could come up that would require coverage, or there could be a breaking story, or it could be something as harmless as office gossip, except that in the corridors of power, nothing is ever harmless. Looking back now, I still can’t figure out how I survived that onslaught of the terror of the telephone.

Of equal significance were the calls from journalists who wanted clarifications on issues of the moment, or the President’s opinion on every issue. I don’t need to remind anyone who lived in Nigeria during the period, that we had a particularly interesting time. The Jonathan government had to deal from the very first day with a desperate and hyper-negative opposition, which gained help from a crowd of naysayers who bought into their narrative. I was required to respond to issues.

 Bad news sells newspapers and attracts listeners/viewers. Everything had to be managed. You knew something had happened as the phones rang, and the text messages, emails, twitter comments poured in. The media could not be ignored. Interfacing with every kind of journalist was my main task. I learnt many lessons, a subject for another day. And the busy bodies didn’t make things easy.

If in 1980, the media manager had to deal with print and broadcast journalists, today, the big task is the dilemma of the over-democratization of media practice in the age of information. The question used to be asked in Nigerian media circles: who is a journalist? Attempts were subsequently made to produce a register of professionals but that is now clearly an illusion. The media of the 21st Century is the strongest evidence we have for the triumph of democracy. Everybody is a journalist now, once you can purchase a phone or a laptop, or an ipad and you can take pictures, set up a blog, or go on instagram, linked-in, viber etc.

All kinds of persons have earned great reputation as editors and opinion influencers on social media where you don’t have to make sense to attract followers. The new stars and celebrities are not necessarily the most educated or knowledgeable, but those who with 140 words or less, or with a picture or a borrowed quote, can produce fast-food type public intellectualism, or can excite with a little display of the exotic -Kadarshian, Nicki Minaj style. But I was obligated to attend to all calls. The ones who didn’t receive an answer complained about Abati not picking their calls.

My defence was that most editors in Nigeria have correspondents in the State House. Every correspondent had access to me. There was no way I could be accused of not picking calls, and in any case, there were other channels: instagram, twitter direct message, email, and media assistants who could interface with me. But this was the main challenge: while in public office, people treat you as if you are at their mercy, they threaten to sabotage you and get you sacked, every phone call was a request with a price attached, you get clobbered; you are treated like you had committed a crime to serve your nation. Relatives and privileged kinsmen struggled with you to do the job - media management is that one assignment in which everyone is an expert even if their only claim to relevance is that they once had an uncle who was a newspaper vendor!

The thinking that anyone who opts to serve is there to make money in that famous arena for primitive accumulation partly accounts for this. And that takes me to those phone calls from persons who solicited for financial help as if there was a tree at the Villa that produced money. Such people would never believe that government officials don’t necessarily have access to money.

They wanted to be assisted: to pay school fees, to settle medical bills, to build a house, purchase a car, complete an uncompleted building, or link them up with the President. Everybody wanted a part of the national cake and they thought a phone call was all they needed. If you offered any explanation, they reminded you that you’d be better off on the lecture circuit. Businessmen also hovered around the system like bees around nectar. 

But what to do? “Volenti non fit injuria,” the principle says. There were also calls from the unkind lot. “I have called you repeatedly, you did not pick my calls. I hope you know that you will leave government one day!”. Or those who told you point blank that they were calling because you were in the position as their representative and that you owed them a living. Or that other crowd who said, “it is our brother that has given you that opportunity, you must give us our share.”

The Presidential election went as it did, and everything changed. Days after, State House became Ghost House. The Residence, which used to receive visitors as early as 6 am, (regular early morning devotion attendees) became quiet. The throng of visitors stopped. The number of phone calls began to drop. By May 29, my phones had stopped ringing as they used to. They more or less became museum pieces; their silence reminding me of the four years of my life that proved so momentous. On one occasion, after a whole day of silence, I had to check if the phones were damaged! As it were, a cynical public relates to you not as a person, but as the office you occupy; the moment you leave office, the people move on; erasing every memory, they throw you into yesterday’s dustbin. Opportunism is the driver of the public’s relationship with public officials.

Today, the phones remain loudly silent, with the exception of calls from those friends who are not gloating, who have been offering words of commendation and support. They include childhood friends, former colleagues, elderly associates, fans, and family members. And those who want interviews with President Jonathan, both local and international - they want his reaction on every development, so many of them from every part of the planet. But he is resting and he has asked me to say he is not ready yet to say anything.

 It is truly, a different moment, and indeed, “no condition is permanent.” The ones who won’t give up with the stream of phone calls and text messages are those who keep pestering me with requests for financial assistance. I am made to understand that there is something called “special handshake” and that everyone who goes into government is supposed to exit with carton loads of cash. I am in no position to assist such people, because no explanation will make sense to them. Here I am, at the crossroads; I am glad to be here.