New York, July 20, 2007—Six Nigerian immediate past governors may be among the batch of politicians arrested by the country’s anti-corruption agency - the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for various corrupt practices committed during past 8 years while in office.

Nigerian ‘Servant-Leader’, President Umaru Yar’Adua President and Commander-In-Chief has given the law enforcement full support to fight the war against corruption.

The lists of former governors that may have been arrested and charged include Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (Jigawa State), Chief ‘Dr.’ Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia State), Joshua Dariye (Plateau State), Rev. Jolly Tanko Nyame (Taraba State), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu State) and Boni Haruna (Adamawa State).

The EFCC had prepared the following charges against some of the arrested former governors for stealing from the public funds:

All the arrested politicians may have been charged to court and remanded in prison custody.

EFCC Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu leads Nigeria’s war against corruption

The EFCC had said that out of 36 state governors in Nigeria, about 20 immediate former governors will soon be arrested for corrupt practices including fraudulent enrichment and other crimes.

The governors assumed offices in May 29, 1999 in their respective states after the general election considered to be clearly fraudulent. Retired army general, Matthews Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo assumed the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the oil-rich African nation. Most of the governors and President Obasanjo were ‘re-elected in 2003 general election considered by local and international election monitoring experts to be a sham. They stayed in office till May 29, 2007 due to term-limit and new administration came into power in another sham exercise considered to be the worst so far in any part of the world.

Offering himself to Nigeria as their ‘servant-leader’ during his inaugural address on May 29, 2007, current Nigerian President and Commander-In-Chief Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua vowed to fight corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

The President and Commander-In-Chief, Umaru Yar’Adua, shocked the watching world when he publicly declared his total assets of $5 million dollars thereby challenging anyone who disagrees to come forward.  Having set the example, every other public office holder in Nigeria is expected to follow the country’s number citizen.

Former Nigeria leaders never declare their assets as required by law, therefore making Yar’Adua the first to do so publicly. That was one of the first major signs that the current President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua may have parted ways with his outrageously corrupt colleagues.

President and Commander-In-Chief Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua also promised to abide by the rule of law and to allow all agencies of government, including the judiciary and the law enforcement to do their work unhindered.

Africans In America News Watch investigation reveals that the emergence of President Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua may mark the beginning of new way of doing government business in Nigeria.

Prior to the emergence of Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua as the President and Commander-In-Chief, Transparency International and other agencies monitoring corruption worldwide had consistently rated Nigeria as one of the most corrupt nation on earth.

Former President Matthews Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo most times openly quarreled with Transparency International scratching ratings of Nigeria despite the fact that he was a co-founder of the institution. President Obasanjo was generally known for looking the other way, especially when his royal aides and associates were accused of corruption.

Though Nigeria generates a lot of revenue from its huge oil deposits and is considered one of the richest nations on earth, standard of living in the country is one of the lowest and poorest on earth due to massive and unbridled corruption of its leaders.

The current President and Commander-In-Chief Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua vows to change that equation and sufferings in the country, however, Nigerians and the rest of the world are keenly watching.

Ex-Gov. Chief ‘Dr.’ Orji Uzor Kalu led by EFCC disciplined professional operatives in Abuja, Nigeria. He currently faces 107 charges for stealing N2.7 billion. Photo by Femi Ipaye.

Stressing that he would not shield his colleagues currently facing prosecution for corruption from the consequences of their alleged crimes, President Yar’Adua issues a release through his spokesman, Mr. Segun Adeniyi that he “would do nothing to interfere with the work of the EFCC as it concerns the ex-governors or anyone else for that matter. President Yar’Adua had made it clear to the chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu that he has a job to do and has a free hand to do the job, within the limitations of the constitution and the dictates of the rule of law. He insisted that there would be nothing like esprit de corps in the matter. President would only become concerned if there is a breach of the law on the part of the EFCC.”

Surprisingly, Africans In America News Watch investigation reveals that some arrested corrupt politicians and their surrogates have been claiming they have support from the highest level of United States and British governments. The reason the arrested politicians facing massive corruption charges and their surrogates would openly associate themselves with the American and British governments are unknown at the moment.

Nigerian irony

Actually, Nigeria got it’s first-ever ‘servant-leader’ Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua through the most corrupt election ever held in the country and reportedly the worst-ever in any part of the world and that election was conducted by Obasanjo government in May 2007.

It looks as if God The Father has taken over Nigeria from the political pros, political and social engineers and designers; and most notably from the political ‘godfathers’.

Out of President Obasanjo’s poisonous ‘tree’ comes sweet ‘Servant-leader’ President Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua prompting many to ask; “Where has this guy been all these days and why nobody knew about him”?