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Tinubu’s certificate: Setting the records straight By Tunde Rahman
Published
10 months agoon
![Tinubu's certificate: Setting the records straight By Tunde Rahman](https://saharaweeklyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/17747375_f5mjvzhwmaa5oc_jpeg_jpeg87fb90e427fdfcb35ec3cd3d58e4c7c3.jpg)
Tinubu’s certificate: Setting the records straight
By Tunde Rahman
Former Vice President and roundly defeated presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was a pitiful sight to behold on Thursday at the Shehu Yar ‘Adua Centre, Abuja as he sat like a wreck after addressing what he called a world press conference. He had gone on a wild goose chase to the United States in search of President Bola Tinubu’s certificate.
The former vice president however returned empty-handed after spending a fortune. Atiku himself admitted his exploratory journey was at a hefty cost.
At the press conference, the Waziri Adamawa discovered no new thing; he found nothing incriminating or untoward against the President. He is only currently engaging in political sophistry. Apparently deluding himself that he came back from the US with a smoking gun, at his press briefing, he sermonized on the important issue of leadership and responsibility. Alhaji Atiku assaulted the memory of the late irrepressible lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, claiming Fawehinmi inspired his shameful, worthless, and self-seeking expedition.
Commending David Hundeyin, the rabble-rouser who styles himself as an independent journalist, whose work he also said inspired him, it became apparent that both Atiku and Hundeyin were actually working together to embarrass President Tinubu.
Overwhelmed by his inordinate ambition, the failed PDP presidential candidate also shamelessly called traditional, religious, community and political leaders in the country including Labour Party’s Peter Obi and NNPP’s Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso to rally round him in his political vendetta against President Tinubu.“This quest is not for or about Atiku Abubakar. It is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality and accountability in our public affairs,” he said. And you wonder, what morality Alhaji Atiku was preaching. This is the same man who was indicted in the 2009 conviction of his accomplice, former United States Congressman William Jefferson, over bribery charges. Same man whose principal, former President Obasanjo, wrote a damaging testimonial on and whose years in Customs were signposted by corruption allegations.
If you have not read it, this is what former President Obasanjo said about Wazirin Atiku in Volume 2 Pages 31-32 of his book “My Watch”: “What I did not know, which came out glaringly later, was his parental background which was somewhat shadowy, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time,a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts , his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety truth and national interest for self and selfish interest.”
It is pertinent at this juncture to clarify some of the issues that emerged from the deposition by President Tinubu’s former school, Chicago State University, in order to understand Atiku’s deliberate and malicious distortion.
Speaking on oath in the testimonies contained in a deposition made in the Office of Angela Liu, Atiku’s legal counsel, in Chicago, US, CSU Registrar, Caleb Westberg declared that President Bola Tinubu attended and graduated with honours from the institution in 1979. He in fact asserted that President Tinubu is the same person who attended the school from 1977 to 1979. “We believe Bola Tinubu who attended CSU is the same person who is the President of Nigeria today. Tinubu is an unusual name in the US. He matched the records in the file against the information provided by the student or on behalf of the student.”
On the insinuation by Atiku’s lawyers that the Bola Tinubu who attended the school was a female on account of a clerical error spotted against Tinubu’s name, Westberg disclosed that the admission letter issued to the Nigerian President evidently proved he was a male and attended the school between 1977 and 1979.
Probed further to confirm if the Tinubu that enrolled at the school was a male or female, the registrar insisted, “Tinubu applied to the university as a male and a letter of admission was issued to a male.
“There were materials in Mr. Tinubu’s records that show he was a male in the application to CSU. Mr. Tinubu identified himself as a male. His letter of admission identified him as a male. It says: ‘Dear Mr. Tinubu’”, he said.
It is relevant to point out that in the US, premium is not placed on certificates, otherwise called diplomas, as we do here. Certificates are merely ceremonial. The emphasis is on transcripts. Employers and schools offering admissions for higher education will only ask for previous transcripts.
In most cases, the certificates are also printed by third party vendors. Many certificates are left uncollected because what is important is the transcript. The CSU has diplomas that students didn’t pick up in its possession.
“I have the diploma that was made available to Mr. Enahoro-Ebah in our possession because Mr. Tinubu did not pick it up. I do not have the diploma that was submitted to INEC in our possession because he had picked it, ” Westberg clarified while responding to another question.
Other matters also came up during the over five-hour interrogation session that I do not want to bore you with in this piece. However, it is surprising that Atiku and co would claim President Tinubu forged his certificate simply because the CSU Registrar said it could not authenticate the certificate presented to him by Atiku’s lawyer as the document Tinubu presented to INEC for the 2023 Presidential Election. He said he cannot confirm because only Tinubu has the certificate which he ordered and which had been picked up for him and that the school does not keep students’certificates. Nowhere in the interrogation did Westberg use the word fake or forged as Atiku’s lawyer tried to make him say so. Fact is there is no scintilla of doubt that President Tinubu attended and graduated from CSU. As my colleague, Temitope Ajayi, pointed out in his widely-publicised tweet, “You can only forge a certificate you never earned.” President Tinubu honourably earned his degree and he had no reason to forge the certificate of a degree he had in his kitty. He graduated Summa Cum Laude, with distinction. He was on the Vice Chancellor’s Honour List for all his years in the school. Insinuation by anyone that he forged a certificate he worked for is sad and misleading.
Indeed, attempts by some to liken the situation with those of the disgraced former House of Representatives Speaker, Salisu Buhari and former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun are disingenuous.
Former Speaker Buhari forged the certificate of Toronto University he never attended. He was removed from office for the forgery. Former President Obasanjo later pardoned him. As for former Minister Adeosun, those who brought her to limelight and sponsored her for the ministerial appointment arranged a fake NYSC exemption certificate for her to scale Senate screening. The same people did her in when disagreements broke out between them, giving her away as a certificate forger over which she eventually resigned. The cases are markedly different: President Tinubu earned his stripes.
In the final analysis, it is yet unclear how Atiku plans to benefit from whatever he claims to have brought back from the US. Certificate forgery was not pleaded in his election petition now at the Supreme Court. Without being a lawyer, this is a civil case and I understand you can’t make new pleas or present new evidence in a case that has passed the court of first instance and is at present on appeal at the Supreme Court.
What the Waziri Adamawa has demonstrated in all of his Shenanigans is that he is a sore loser. Will he gain what he failed to get at the ballot through his present indecent and unpatriotic overseas search and unfounded and hollow discovery, making a mountain where there is even no molehill, uneccesarily heating up the polity and denigrating the Justices of the Supreme Court? I don’t think so!
-Rahman, former Editor of Thisday on Sunday Newspaper, is a Presidential Aide.
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Sahara weekly online is published by First Sahara weekly international. contact [email protected]
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celebrity radar - gossips
RE NATIONWIDE HARDSHIP PROTEST: A TIMELY WARNING
Published
15 hours agoon
July 26, 2024![THE ISRAEL OF SHAITAN](https://saharaweeklyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/femi-fani-kayode.jpg)
RE NATIONWIDE HARDSHIP PROTEST: A TIMELY WARNING.
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Billionaire kidnapper: Untold story of Henry Odenigbo’s exploits as Nollywood actor, producer
Published
17 hours agoon
July 26, 2024![Billionaire kidnapper: Untold story of Henry Odenigbo’s exploits as Nollywood actor, producer](https://saharaweeklyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Henry-Odenigbo-.webp)
Billionaire kidnapper: Untold story of Henry Odenigbo’s exploits as Nollywood actor, producer
Being a kidnapper was something that never crossed our minds – Rivers AGN Chairman
•Odenigbo featured only in his own movies, never harassed or owned actors
•I’m scared, says Kelvin Ikeduba who acted in one of his movies ‘Born in the Ghetto’
Fear, shock, and disbelief are the words to describe the reactions of many filmmakers and movie stars in Rivers State where the slain billionaire kidnapper, Henry Odenigbo, held sway as an actor and film producer before he met his Waterloo on July 4 in Lagos.
Ode, as he was popularly called, was the ring leader of a gang of nine kidnappers who targeted wealthy individuals in Lagos. They were killed after a shootout with the police at Ladipo, Mushin area of Lagos.
While he was alive, the late kidnapper who was seen as one of the biggest financiers of movie productions in Rivers, was the owner of Port-Harcourt-based Aso-Rich Production.
But unknown to movie makers in the state, Ode was a kidnap kingpin who was using the production outfit as a camouflage to carry out his nefarious activities.
Fortunately, actors were not his main target.
Narrating how the late billionaire kidnapper, who hailed from Imo State came to be known as an actor and film producer, the Chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria,AGN, Rivers State chapter, Dr. Ken Osunwa, in a chat with Vanguard, said the late Ode was never close to anybody in the industry, adding that he only featured in his own-sponsored movies.
According to him, the late kidnapper was never a member of AGN, Rivers State, nor a member of Association of Movie Producers, AMP, Rivers State chapter.
Speaking further, Osunwa, who noted that Odenigbo never attended any of their meetings or events, said: “He hailed from Imo State and came to set up a movie production outfit in PH. I’ve already done a disclaimer when the news got to me and people were talking about him as an actor.
“Yes, he was acting in his own-sponsored movies and not practising in Nollywood, Rivers State, in the sense that he never featured in other people’s productions.
“To the best of my knowledge, Ode never had an issue with other practitioners in the state. I was never called to settle issues with him and others.’’
He, however, acknowledged the fact that the late billionaire kidnapper never owed any actor, director or producers who worked for him.
“He was bringing different actors, producers and directors to work for him and at the end of it, he paid off everyone.
“He invested in the Nollywood industry like any other investor. Nobody knew his source of wealth and when I received the news of his killing by the police in Lagos, I was very surprised. I thank God that all our actors who were working with him are safe and fine. Nobody was missing and from the report from his production, he was not owing anybody.”
Besides producing movies, the late Henry Odenigbo also had a Film Academy, called Ason Rich Movie Academy, where he trained cameramen, scriptwriters, actors, producers and directors, sound mixers, make-up artists, and production managers, among others.
Before his death, Ode was promoting a one-month intensive training opportunity for youths on his Instagram page, which was supposed to kick off on Monday, August 5, and run till August 31, in Rivers. But that dream is gone with his exit.
Recounting how Ode recently completed his last production before his exit, Osunwa said he (Henry Odenigbo) as a kidnapper, was something that never crossed their minds in Rivers State, adding ‘’This is because he was nice to the people that worked for him.”
Meanwhile, as a way of stopping a recurrence of the ugly incident in future, Osunwa said his group had started profiling every production house in Rivers State to know their identities as well and get acquainted with them, to monitor closely whatever they were doing.
“We have also started sensitizing our members on how to identify fake production houses in the state. Like in every sector of our society, there are different kinds of human beings operating with a different mindset. We must fight them to avoid ruining our sector,” Osunwa added.
One of the popular actors, Kelvin Ikeduba, who featured in one of the late kidnapper’s movies, “Born in the Ghetto” which was released early last month, said he was scared when he heard the news of Odenigbo’s death.
He was thankful that nothing happened to him while on the set of the deceased’s movie.
The actor said: “I only featured in one of his movies, ‘Born in the Ghetto.’ They would have killed them before now. I was scared. I went to work in PH, what if there was no job and they came up with a plan? Who knows!
‘’I am very happy with the news of their death. For me, it’s a big testimony. Do you know what it means when someone comes every day to pick you up in the hotel without you knowing what they are doing for a living?’’
He added that the director, Ifeanyi Akanaga, invited him to be part of the production.
However, disassociating Nollywood from the slain kidnapper, the President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, DGN, Dr Victor Okhai, said what happened was a call for ‘a united Nollywood’, where they would be privileged to know who is who in the industry.
He argued that while bad eggs were also found in other sectors, the slain kidnapper was never a member of any guild in Nollywood.
Similarly, the President of the Association of Movie Practitioners, AMPRAC, Ifeanyi Azodo, said checks on AMPRAC’s database showed that the late kidnapper was never a member of the association, adding that people of questionable character were never admitted into the association
In a disclaimer, Osunwa dissociated the AGN from the filmmaker, Odenigbo alongside three other persons who claimed to be film practitioners.
The guild, in a statement, said the three persons who died in the shootout with the police at Ladipo were not their members.
The statement read: “The Rivers State chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria at this moment, disclaims any affiliation with the individuals who tragically lost their lives in a recent kidnap incident in Lagos. Specifically, Prince Henry Asonna (Executive Producer of Aso Rich), Angel Emanuzo (Associate Producer), Chris Ahaneku (Logistics Manager-Aso Rich), and Jerry Eze (Camera Assistant) were not members of our guild. They were not part of our organization.
“They have never been associated with our guild events and are not on our register. They were not affiliated with us, to the best of my knowledge, and we condemn any false associations and news making the rounds that AGN members from Rivers State were involved in the kidnapping.”
Veteran actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, also cautioned the public on his Instagram page against referring to the slain kidnapper as a movie producer.
In the same vein, AGN’s Financial Secretary, Emeka Duru, frowned on associating the slain kidnappers with Nollywood, saying “Because they made a movie is not doing justice to the industry.”
Meanwhile, in 2024 alone, Odenigbo’s outfit, Ason-Rich Movie Production, produced over ten films, including ‘Born in the Ghetto’, ‘Love At The Pool’, ‘My Half’, ‘Little Top Up’, ‘Regards for Love’, “Wild Love”, ‘Clue Girl’, ‘Blind Blood’, ‘To Forgive’, “Sharon’s Fate”, which featured Yul Edochie, and ‘Bethlehem.’
In 2022, he produced such movies as “Royal Ties” among others.
The late kidnapper worked with famous actors, such as Yul Edochie, Kelvin Ikeduba, and Eve Esin. But checks also revealed that he mostly worked with fast-rising actors or relatively unknown faces in the industry.
As an actor who was always posting all his movie jackets on Instagram, the late kidnapper portrayed bad-boy roles and wielded guns in movies, as seen in one of his most recent roles in “Blind Blood” as posted on his Instagram page on April 26. He was also honoured on March 16, 2024, when organizers of Nollywood Indigenous Filmmakers of Nigeria, NIFMON, awarded him the ‘Best Filmmaker in Port Harcourt’.
Weeks later, on March 31, E-flex named him Nolly TV’s Best Grassroot Filmmaker for 2024/2025.
By By Benjamin Njoku
@VANGUARD
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Tinubu Issues Stern Warning Against Protest With Destructive Tendencies
Published
17 hours agoon
July 26, 2024![RE NATIONWIDE HARDSHIP PROTEST: A TIMELY WARNING.](https://saharaweeklyng.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/18606005_tinubu1024x575_webp83946faa8933377acdb7f88ed2005751.webp)
Tinubu Issues Stern Warning Against Protest With Destructive Tendencies
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja emphasized the importance of sustaining democracy, its norms and institutions, noting that protests are an integral part of democracy but that no government will condone demonstrations that lead to the destruction of lives and property.
The President spoke at the Presidential Villa when he received a Letter of Credence from the newly appointed United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Richard Mills Jr.
”Our relationship with America is rich. We believe in democracy and freedom. Some of your predecessors worked hard during our transition to democracy, and we remember the likes of Ambassador Howard Jeter.
”We look forward to Nigeria and the United States continuously working to expand cooperation on shared goals and democratic values.
”During the military era, we made our voices heard against dictatorship, and I was part of the group that engaged in peaceful protests without resorting to the destruction of property.
”We have worked hard to ensure 25 years of unbroken democracy and I will continue to maintain this democracy.
”In as much as we believe that demonstrations are part of democracy, we will never encourage any protests that lead to the destruction of lives and property,” the President stated.
Welcoming the U.S. State Department’s acknowledgement of Nigeria’s strategic role on the continent as Africa’s largest democracy, President Tinubu called on the U.S. government to pay more attention to Africa.
”Nigeria is ready to play its role as the largest democracy in Africa that is worthy of emulation to other African countries, but we need more U.S. partnership on the continent that is beneficial to both sides.
”We believe in freedom, and we are providing the leadership to make Nigeria’s economy grow,” the President said.
Ambassador Mills affirmed U.S. support for Nigeria’s democracy and pledged support for bigger roles for Nigeria in the international arena.
”Nigeria is crucial to the United States because we share democratic values, and we are ready to give you all the support.
”I am here to make sure that the relationship blossoms both on democracy and the economic side,” Ambassador Mills said.
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