Anyim under investigation over 297-bed hotel
“Anyim (at the back, with handkerchief) looked weather-beaten and isolated at the Enugu rally,” a party official said
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, is under investigation over an Abuja hotel allegedly linked to him.
President Goodluck Jonathan has become “very uncomfortable” with Anyim over reports that he built a 297-bed hotel within two years of becoming SGF, TheCable was told. Anyim was appointed in 2011.
“Anyim’s relationship with the president is no longer what it used to be,” a top member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said.
An associate of Anyim has, however, said the allegation is baseless because “nothing has been traced” to the former senate president.
He said the hotel allegation has been flying around for a while.
“When I asked him, he laughed, saying he would be very happy if the hotel can be gifted to him,” he said.
“Nobody can say money is missing or that Anyim has stolen anything. The allegation of corruption was invented,” the associate said, alleging that some politicians eyeing the SGF position were behind the allegation. “Anyim will be here till May 2015. Tell them to wait for their time.”
But party sources said the allegations against Anyim were “weighty” and the crack in his relationship with the president was evident at the PDP rally in Enugu in April.
“Anyim was not allowed to speak. He looked weather-beaten and isolated. He was relegated to the background. It was obvious to everybody that he has fallen out of reckoning,” a party official said.
Anyim is the most senior south-easterner in Jonathan’s government.
His office supervises “A List” agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Authority (NIMASA).
Some members of his family are allegedly getting lucrative contracts from NDDC – one of the allegations levelled against Anyim.
TheCable has been informed that “there is a large body of evidence against him”.
Anyim’s relationship with Jonathan is also failing because “he has not served as a rallying point for the south-east behind the president”, the party official said.
“The president has had to rely on other politicians in the region to shore up his political base. Anyim has been divisive. There are complaints from prominent Igbo people that they do not have access to him. They also complain that the most important federal appointments co-ordinated by Anyim favour his home state, Ebonyi,” the official said.
TheCable sent a list of these allegations to Anyim’s spokesman, Mr Sam Nwaobasi, as requested by him but he did not respond to text messages and emails.
The Cable will quickly lose credibility, if it is involved in this genre of journalism. Everything in this article is shrouded in speculation and hearsay. This is not the quality of journalism that will endear a certain class of people to this online newspaper. Caveat Emptor. Buyer Beware
Well said.
please, please don’t allow this online newspaper to be turned into another “pull them down” media. let credibility be the watch word of this paper. I Pray God will continue to guide you. Amen
I am very glad that discerning Nigerians are seeing this story as what it truely is “a cheap blackmail and an idle gossip” If the cable that most respectable Nigerians are looking up to for some refreshing touch to journalism, given the name behind it, has elected to go the junk way, well, may its young soul rest in peace. (By Sam Nwaobasi, SA Media to Anyim)
I am glad that discerning Nigerians are seeing this story as the cheap blackmail and idle gossip that it really is. If the Cable with came out with some promise, raising the hope that it will add a refershing touch to online journalism in Nigeria has suddenly elected to go the junk way, well, may its young soul rest in peace.(By Sam Nwaobasi, SA Media to Anyim)
See how you expose yourself – posting under multiple identities. When someone says ‘paid commentator’ now you people will start crying.
How can reporting that somebody is under investigation be treated as a sin? These comments sound suspicions. I guess they are from the same hotel room in Wuse 2!
I totally agree with you @Pathfinder, these are mere allegations according to one of his associate, I don’t see any crime TheCable has commited in reporting that he’s under investigation. Last week, a former PM to Israel (Ehud Olmert) was sentenced to six years for bribery charges. Here in Nigeria, we quickly rush to defend our corrupt politicians just because we are benefiting from them in one way or the other. Keep it up TheCable with your knowledge driven journalism, just make sure all your reports are based on facts. Good luck…
Barcelona hotel Abuja….AFTER HOSTING WEF nothing more
Okay, I agree with all those who say here that the news report only says he is under investigation. But that is not even the main issue we should be discussing about this man. I just read a story online written 3 years ago titled “Anyim’s Appointment Not A Good Sign” by Musikilu Mojeed. I advise readers to just google the word “ANYIM” and “CORRUPTION” and see how many hits you come up with. This, sadly, is the character of the man that some paid agents are defending here. But I don’t even blame them; I blame Jonathan for appointing a man to such position, who has enough questions on his name to occupy anyone for a lifetime.
The Cable will so go the way of Premium Times and Sahara Reporters. Well, it is only that type of journalism that makes money so I’m not surprised.
what is important is to ensure that truth is not sacrificed at the alter of expedience. Let each one of us by guided by our conscience.
Word of wisdom from patriotic & discerning nigerians! Orchestrated & malicious plan by a particular section of d nation 2 rubbish one of d brightest lights in jonathan’s govt. Thereby creating imaginary friction b/w d president & anyim where none exists. Am i surprised? not really, however, after featuring sowore of sahara reporters & writing glowingly abt his “imaginary” success in online reportage, i knew it was just a matter of wks b/4 the cable goes d destructive way of sahara. @aboki, sorry adoki, if expressing a sincere & contrary view from urs means bn paid; then i’m sure u re no different!
Quite unfair to set people up to the negative without concrete evidence. In this instance, photograph of the hotel, its location, c.t.c. of certificate of incorporation of the company linked with the hotel e.t.c. should be part of the story. This is a gruesome display of yellow journalism! The SGF I know will just laugh at them!
The Cable has done a good job. The report is not speculative in any way. It simply protect the source of the report, which is allowed journalism. We need more of this report that will expose publich officials… I know the Cable cannot publish this report without hard facts…
The Cable has done a good job. The report is not speculative in any way. It simply protect the source of the report, which is allowed journalism. We need more of this report that will expose public officials… I know the Cable cannot publish this report without hard facts…
IF NIGERIA MUST SURVIVE
Recent happenings in Nigeria have put a huge question mark on whether the country will survive or not. Will its people survive the very threat to their existence? Will the units and splinters that make up the entity survive in their tribal but proud small states? Will the entire entity, Nigeria, survive as one nation, one people? The commonest answer you can find out there is, ’Let us wait and see’. Even when not spoken, the ominous silence or self contradictory answers scream it loud. This attitude pervades the entire spectrum of confusion called Nigeria.
Right now, everyone anticipates the worst including my humble self. And in preparation for the worst, nobody is looking up to Nigeria, either as a government or a nation. Individual survival of the multiplicity of tribes, interest and nations are psychologically preparing for their own self preservation. This scenario does not lend credence to the possibility of a Nigeria that will survive. In other words, if nobody is committed to the survival of the entity called Nigeria, her chances is next to zero.
With a deep sense of history, not the history of Nigeria as a country, but the history of the numerous tribal nations, feudal, empires, oligarchies, monarchies etc. that make up the Nigeria of today, I have decided to make my submission about what I think must be done if Nigeria must survive on any of the three levels of survival mentioned earlier.
Nigeria is a country in denial of what she is. No one in Nigeria is a Nigerian deep down in his soul. Every one of us has one, two, or three layers of more important identities before the whole called Nigeria. That the British colonialist initiated the denial process, ignored these identities, formed alliances with some of the identities for their own selfish interest did nothing, I mean absolutely nothing to extinguish or even diminish this primordial sensibilities and loyalties to tribal identities. They know that attempting that would have taken them forever to accomplish. They only hoped and prayed their contraption will hold long enough to yield the expected returns.
The nation state having been put in place, the first and most important pre-occupation of government since then has been to perpetuate the denial, both for the interest of the ruling class and western interest. While these interests are being served, the country, if ever there was one, is bleeding to death. Serving these interests is never known to bring development to any country. So, externally we are one country, but internally we are several nations living in mutual suspicion, who cannot articulate, uphold and commit to any shared vision.
Nigeria has so far been held together by an overwhelming sense of the victor and the vanquished, the rulers and the ruled. But things have changed, and forever if I may add. The ruled have tasted rulership, the ‘slaves’ have tasted freedom. The resulting awakening of right-to-rule on equal terms and of economic ownership and power based on natural equity is known to be irreversible in human history. Any attempt to reverse this leads to nothing but anarchy. Let it be said, that I said, the present insurgency in the north east of Nigeria will pale to nothing compared to the conflagration that will follow any determined attempt to reverse the awakening.
For Nigeria to Survive, many bitter pills must be swallowed:
We must go back over one hundred years and pretend that the entity called Nigeria has never been created. Be patient. Do not say that cannot be yet. How, you may ask. Something existed before the northern and southern protectorates were concocted; which eventually merged to be called Nigeria. What existed were tribal nations; proud small and large entities with a clear sense of their history and their identities. They were bonded by very elaborate cultures and distinguishable languages. They were occupying unique geographical areas and engaged in economic activities that are in sync with their peculiar environment. Each had an ecosystem within which they thrived. For Nigeria to survive, we must first establish a formal process for recognizing these tribal nations of the 16th to 20th centuries that are in the present day Nigeria, no matter how big or small they may be. Size is completely of no consequence in this process.
The formal recognition of these tribal nations will not only be celebrated but accorded all the autonomy and powers of self determination. Having achieved this sense of psychological freedom and identity, the issue of the formation of modern nation state can then be considered.
The decision to form or not to form a nation state will be 100% at the discretion of these tribal nations. Some may simply convert their tribal empire etc. into nation states. Some may decide to form alliances with their neighbors to gain size and or economic benefits in the resultant nation state. This simply implies the dismantling of the current political structures. It will be left to the tribal nations to elect, select or appoint their own leaders or representatives. On conclusion of this most crucial stage, we move on to the next.
The next question will be, are some or all of the nation state interested in forming a federation? The emerging nation states can then decide through their own internal democracy, oligarchy, monarchy or whatever system of governance they practice, whether to be part of any federation or go on alone. This process must be completely devoid of coercion or intimidation of any kind. It must be by consent of the entire nation state.
The final process will be that of taking stock to know who is within federations, how many federations, how many independent states etc. The federations and independent states will automatically become sovereign states. One would expect at this juncture that the people will be too preoccupied with internal considerations for cohesion and external considerations for alliances to be concerned with the whole presently called Nigeria. Standard international diplomatic relations will be encouraged between units of now sovereign states.
The big question in the mind of most people at this point is: who will midwife this process. In answer; it cannot be managed by the government of the day. The legislator cannot do it. Past administrators or so called elder statesmen cannot do it. The military cannot do it. It can only be set in motion through a referendum conducted by the United Nations. Once the parameters and processes have been agreed and started, the UN can only stand aside and watch. They may also call to order any section that crosses the set boundaries
The primary purpose of all these elaborate processes is simply to maintain relative peace and avoid bloodshed, while the people jostle with one another on whether to remain together or part ways as different independent nations. And any part or section of the present contraption called Nigeria that thinks it can intimidate or subdue another part will necessarily live through a nightmare for a long time. By the time they wake up, they would have lost both their nation and their identity.
Let Nigeria and Nigerians stop living in denial, pick up courage and do now what must eventually be done. Our preemptive action will give us the opportunity to do it deliberately and peacefully.
Written by,
Victor Olewunne.
A Social/Political Commentator and CEO of Vista Advertising Limited and Vista Press and Distribution Logistics Limited.
Guy go and write a book
Victor, you have written this dissertation in other to give us a template to break up the country? I must tell you that I disagree totally with you! I have been around and I say however the nice jingles you hear about the more prosperous and seemingly peaceful countries there is no perfect country! They all have their own share of headaches! I was in Aberdeen for a while and I was taken aback to see how much the Scotts detest the English, yet they exist in the UK together and are proud to be UK citizens!
See, we’ve got huge problems in Nigeria, but breaking up is like the ostrich that hides its head in d sand on seeing danger! Nigeria is not a big country as people like to believe. By landmass, we are very tiny; we are the 15th largest in Africa and the 35th largest in the world! Countries like Niger, Tanzania, Angola, South Africa, Congo, Algeria, etc are larger than us for Christ’s sake! What would be the fate of the tiny nations in world affairs? I would not want to be a citizen of a tiny joke like Liberia, Equatorial Guinea or Jordan! These tiny enclaves are parodies of nations that are just humored in the global polity! It is better we got our groove back and get doing as a country! The proponents of breakup are lazy and unimaginative!
Long Live Nigeria!!!
Mr. President needs to constantly monitor the super-heavy weight politicians serving in the Cabinet. If an appointee is building a 2-ninety-something storey edifice barely three years of his reign as Government Scribe, I think so many things are wrong about this country. I hope the source of this story is credible? That is the only thing that guarantees the medium-existence of this e-tabloid.