James Ibori: How A thief Nearly became President of Nigeria by Andrew Walker

The story of how James Ibori went from convicted thief in London in the 1990s, to become governor of a wealthy oil-producing Nigerian state and then to a British prison is a remarkable one.
It is the story of a wily political operator, backing the right political horses and shifting allegiances when expedient.
Given slightly different circumstances, according to one observer, it could have seen Ibori in the presidential villa rather than a British jail cell.
Ibori's defence in the face of allegations had always been that he had a successful business career and had made money independent of government.
But in 1991, he was working in a hardware store in the London suburb of Neasden. The prosecution in this trial told a judge he was earning around £15,000 ($24,000) a year.
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He was caught by his employer allowing his wife to walk through the till he was manning without paying for goods.
They both pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court and were fined.
In 1992, he was convicted for possession of a stolen credit card, which had £1,000 spent on it, and was again fined in a UK court.
'Murky business'
Ibori then returned to Nigeria intending to become a political operator. The country was about to be tipped into a tumultuous period.
Military leader Ibrahim Babangida had scheduled elections to return Nigeria to democracy in June 1993.
Ibori worked for the governorship campaign of a friend.
The experience gave him good connections with the parties that would eventually merge to form the People's Democratic Party, currently ruling Nigeria.
The 1993 elections were cancelled by Mr Babangida. Later that year, Gen Sani Abacha staged a coup, cementing the military's grip on power for another five years.
According to Anthony Goldman, who worked as a journalist in Nigeria for many years and has followed Ibori's career closely, this is when Ibori made his first shift of political master, offering his services to Abacha.
"He had an unspecified role in security," Mr Goldman said. "That could be anything, it was a very murky business."
Abacha was accused of murdering political opponents and ruthlessly crushing dissent and pro-democracy movements.
In the mid-1990s, Ibori was questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the US about how he came into the possession of millions of dollars that he transferred to accounts in the US.
The FBI suspected the money came from advance fee fraud, the infamous Nigerian 419
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scam, but he was able to prove the money came from his work with Abacha, Mr Goldman said.
Abacha died in 1998 and Ibori switched horses again, attaching himself to influential northern politician Atiku Abubakar, who went on to become vice-president.
Medically impossible
In 1999, Ibori took out a mortgage on a property in Abbey Road, London. To do that, he got a new passport with a false birth date to mask his previous convictions.
The birth date he chose was in fact medically impossible as it was only a month after his sister's birthday, the prosecution told the court.
Ibori was installed as the governor of the oil-rich Delta State in the 1999 elections.
In order to take office in Nigeria, he had to swear an affidavit that he had no convictions. To do this, he used the same birth date he had made up to acquire his mortgage.
It was this evidence that would, in a London court 14 years later, spell the end for Ibori. Soon after he became governor, Ibori paid off the Abbey Road mortgage in cash.
He went on to buy three other properties in the UK. He paid £2.2 million in cash for a house in the plush London suburb of Hampstead.
Bankrolled election
In 2005 the Metropolitan Police began to take an interest in Ibori after they came across a purchase order for a private jet, made through his solicitor in London.
It was just after this that Ibori shifted horses again, switching his allegiance from Mr Abubakar to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2006, President Obasanjo recruited Ibori to help him force through a change in the constitution to allow him to run for a third term as president.
When that plan failed, Ibori promised his allegiance to Mr Obasanjo's anointed successor, Umaru Yar'Adua.
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At the ruling party's pre-election convention in 2006, Ibori was on hand to lift up the northern governor's hands in a display of victory - hours before delegates from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) voted to select him as their candidate.
Ibori then bankrolled the 2007 Yar'Adua election campaign.
Mr Goldman says he understands Ibori was promised the vice-president's job, in return for his support.
But Mr Yar'Adua, who had been ill for many years, died in office. His Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him and remains Nigeria's president.
Despite being a fellow former governor of a neighbouring oil state, Ibori and Mr Jonathan were by now political enemies.
In 2010, President Jonathan set the country's anti-corruption police, the Economic and Financial Crimes commission on him, but their officers were ambushed when they came to arrest him.
Ibori left Nigeria shortly afterwards.
He went to Dubai, whose government arrested him and transferred him to the UK to face trial.
Mr Goldman says had Yar'Adua lived, and made Ibori his vice-president, he would have had a clear run to become president.
"Then Mr Ibori would have met Queen Elizabeth at the state house, instead of serving at her pleasure," Mr Goldman said.

NigComSat-1R: A Technological Breakthrough for the Nigerian Broadcast Industry

Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company in April 2006. It is a company under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology.
NIGCOMSAT Limited is responsible for the operation and management of Nigerian Communications Satellites starting with NIGCOMSAT-1 which was launched in May 2007 and de-orbited after 18 months. A replacement satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R which has the same features but with a few modifications as NIGCOMSAT-1 is scheduled to be launched during the last quarter of 2011. Experts have predicted that if everything goes well for Nigeria, revenues from satellite communication may surpass that of oil with positive impacts on the Nigerian broadcasting media Yemi Olakitan writes.


The latest breakthrough in technological advancements for the Nigerian media is perhaps the announcement by the Nigerian communication Satellite Limited that it would launch NigCcomSat-1R into orbit on December 19th, 2011. This was made known at a pre-launch three-day stakeholders conference and exhibition held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. This disclosure is good news for the Nigerian broadcasting media as the sector prepares to move from analogue to digitization by 2012. According to experts the satellite when launched into orbits will revolutionize the broadcasting media in Nigeria and contribute immensely to the improvement of broadcasting in the country. The primary market target for Nigcomsat include; Government and private broadcast media Organizations. International broadcast organizations, through local representatives; Independent producers who hitherto, could not afford direct broadcasting channels although the distribution model for the multimedia home platform is the primary responsibility of participating broadcast companies. Stakeholders say, the benefits are innumerable. It includes, a highly competitive media industry, meeting up to international standards.
This was not the first effort by Nigeria in this regard. There was NigComSat-1, which was launched in May 13th, 2007 but was deorbited on November 10, 2008. NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array. NigcomSat -1R will replace NigconSat-1 which was deorbited after it was successfully launched in 2007. NigComSat-1R was therefore a replacement of the failed satellite. This was in line with the contract that was signed in 2004 by the Federal Government of Nigeria and China Great Wall Industry Corporation which provided all aspects of in-orbit delivery of a satellite to an international customer. This included satellite manufacture, launch services, ground station construction, project financing, insurance and training. This means that insurance companies and the Chinese Corporation are financing this new satellite project. On the 10th of November 2003, the Federal Government of Nigeria at its FEC meeting concluded that the NIGCOMSAT project is a national priority project and a critical ICT infrastructure for; alleviating poverty, bridging the digital divide; cost effective solution to the ICT requirements of the nation and affordable access to information and communication for Nigerians and the African continent. The federal. Government also hope to diversify the revenue base of the country from oil to knowledge and services. All these benefits would accrue to the Nigerian broadcasting media sector as well as other technological based sectors of the economy.
Chief executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Engr. Ahmed Rufai, while addressing stakeholders at the recently concluded prelaunch conference in Lagos said that the project is a very positive step in the right direction. He assured Nigerians that NigComSat- 1R has been fully integrated and every necessary performance test has been carried out on the satellite. He informed participants that the satellite had already been moved to its launch site in central China, from where it would be launched on December 19. The satellite television customers in the country and other parts of Africa are currently getting programming contents through direct To Home (DTH) providers, but explained that the communication satellite, when launched would support players in the Nigerian broadcast industry to aggregate hundreds of channels and deliver same directly to homes across the country. This is expected to create employment in the broadcast media, stimulate entrepreneurship and investments as well as create a robust broadcast media industry for Nigeria.
One of the role of NigComSat-1R, is to foster the growth of broadcasting industry, as it would allow broadcasting media stations concentrate on the provision of quality content in order to realize maximum revenue. The satellite would also act as open door to attract foreign direct investments into Nigeria. The replacement satellite, according to Rufai, is Hybrid satellite, since it would not only offer communications services, but would also provide navigational services for the aviation and maritime industries.
This can only mean that the Nigerian broadcast media would be entering into the league of technologically advanced broadcast media. This development holds many benefits for the Nigerian media. The implications, according to experts are all beneficial to the media industry, although commercial satellite usage is not limited to the broadcast media alone. It is evident, however, that the Nigerian media would enjoy many benefits from the launch of NigComSat-1R by December.
Vice President of China Great Wall industry corporation (CGWIC) builders of NigComSat-1R, Mr. He Xing, also confirmed the readiness of NigComSat-1R for the December 19 launch, and explained that the replacement satellite would be launched on the DH-4 platform of CGWTC. Nigerian engineers that have undergone intensive training in China in recent times would carry out the ground control of the satellite in Nigeria. He said that CGWIC has provided training for over 60 Nigerians Engineers sent by the management of NiGcomSat-1R and they are capable of controlling the satellite from the ground station in Nigeria and providing services to Nigerians and Africa. With over 50 years in the practice of space technology and with the successful launch of several satellite from China by CGWIC, a successful launch of NigComSat-1R on December 19 is expected.
Director General of Nigeria Broadcasting Commission, Mr, Yomi Bolarinwa, was emphatic in his submission that Nigcomsat-1R will boost broadcasting in Nigeria.
According to hum, The Nigcomsat dth is designed to offer Viewers one hundred channels of SD television programming on a pay as you go and free to air service delivery model. This system can easily be upgraded to accommodate hd channels if any broadcast organization is interested in the transmission of hd channels.
In chat with independent Television Producer, Akeem Bayowa, he was of the opinion that the development would change the face of Nigerian broadcasting. He said, such a project would improve the quality of broadcasting media in Nigeria and ensure high level competition amongst operators which would further lead to an increase in the quality of service delivery which he said would be healthy for the Nigerian broadcast environment. Bayowa however said that government owned television media such as NTA and LTV should brazen up to the demands of modern broadcasting, so that they would not be left behind. He said that local standards would soon become a thing of the past and international broadcasting practice would take pre-eminence as result of advanced technology.
Experts say, the system for direct to home distribution will also be used as a platform to deliver backhaul services for terrestrial dtt transmissions after the 2012 analogue to digital migration. In addition, these infrastructures shall also enable participating broadcasters to have uplink satellite capacity on demand without huge investments in reserved satellite capacity. The signal flow for the system includes acquisition of broadcaster content, compression of received signals, multiplexing of all signals and the modulation of the signals before re-transmission to home users.. The content providers or aggregators are required to install appropriate uplink infrastructure from remote uplink sites. NigComSat-1R, General Manager, Technical for NIGCOMSAT, Abdulraheem Adajah said NigComSat-1R comes with a minimum lifespan of 15 years and a maximum lifespan of 15 years plus. It has payloads of 7 antennae and 26 transponders to address redundancy and it operates under four different bands: C, Ku, KA and the I bands.

Picture Talk

Animal Farm: The Tragedy of the Ruled

By Yemi Olakitan

The plots in Animal Farm, an iconic novel written by British author, George Orwell in 1945 were re-enacted to fit the Nigerian context by Austrian trained, Nigerian Actor and Director, Nick Monu who gives a new touch to the novel and created a theatrical performance out of it. The play, written by Monu was produced by Terra Kulture, Nigeria Cultural center as part of their monthly weekly productions for the advancement of theatre arts in Nigeria. Adapted for the theatre to fit the Nigerian socio-political milieu, Anima Farm is originally an allegorical novel that largely made fun of the British ruling class at the time. It discusses corruption in high places and exposes the fruitlessness of regime change without individual rejuvenation in the face of greed and personal aggrandizement.
Monu’s version takes the plots of the original novel and wove it around the challenges of leadership in Africa, particularly Nigeria. It addresses the corruption of leadership in governance and portrays corrupt leadership as the major reason for societal backwardness. The story makes the audience realize that political change can only be beneficial to the majority if the leadership is upright and sincere. By changing the setting to Nigeria and reflecting his home country in the play; Monu is able to show his directorial artistry and the fact that the problems of leadership are largely universal. The playwright also made use of Pidgin English in his use of language and ensure that the audience and the actors were able to get an emotional connection to the issues discussed, ensuring that they see themselves in the scenes and the entire acting.
In the Original story, Old Major, the Old Pig on the Manor Farm, calls the animals for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and enemies. He teaches the animals a revolutionary song, 'Beasts of England, in the adaptation, Nick changes the song to Beasts of Nigeria, Beast of Africa. When Old Major suddenly dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command of the farm and turn his dream into a philosophy, called Animalism. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones who becomes Mr. Obanjo in Monu’s adaptation. They also rename the farm "Animal Farm". Farmer Obanjo is the owner of the farm and he is cruel to the animals, which brings about the revolution that ousts him from his farm.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal’’. This maxim did not last as eventually the story shows that some animals are more equal than the other since the pigs consider themselves cleverer than the other animals and are therefore born to rule. They begin to change the commandments to favour their corruption. The pigs steal from the farm while some of the animals complain that even in the days of Farmer Obanjo, things were better.
Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm could have continued to run smoothly. However, the pigs continue to elevate themselves to high positions of leadership and set aside special food items, ostensibly for their personal conform. They sleep in beds and drink milk set aside in the farm. Napoleon even brought in a human being named Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Lagos to act as the intermediary between the animal farm and the outside world. Mr. Whymper visits the farm regularly and received instructions from Napoleon. This is clearly against the philosophy of Animalism as laid down by Old Major.
Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership in the play, which shows the mad ambition that often exits in political rivalry. It shows sow politicians sometimes antagonize one another to the detriment of the larger society. Snowball and Napoleon struggle for political power as modern day politicians do, often trying to outdo each other and to bring the other down.
Obanjo Farms, owned and managed by Farmer Obanjo whose name sounds like Obasanjo, except for the letter S that got missing, is a prototype of dictatorship and oppression. Obanjo owns and runs his farm the way he feels like, he is always cruel to the animals. It tells the story of the suppression the animals suffers and shows the effects of bad leadership. The animals decided quite wrongly that the only enemy they had in life was Man which led to a revolution on the advice of Old Major, the pig that motivated the animals before his passing. They however did not know that humans are not the problem, bad leadership was the problem of the animals, even with the change in leadership, bad leadership continues and the animals continue to suffer even more.
The production was a hilarious and thought provoking performance and a satire on the Nigerian society. It shows that even with the change from military dictatorship to democratic governance, there still remains the problem of greed, corruption, and man inhumanity to man, which keeps the governed in perpetual servitude. It was also a satire on Africa as a whole since Monu introduced Beasts of Africa to the animal anthem and the issues discussed are not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It concerns the entire continent. This fable calls for responsible leadership in a developing nation such as Nigeria and indeed Africa.
Nick Monu who acted farmer Obanjo is a brilliant actor who displayed his vast acting and directorial experience in the production. The set and costume Designs was done by Simone Monu while the commercial counselor of the Austrian embassy, Nella Hengsler, supported the production. The performance parades a handful of highly talented Nigerian actors and actresses such as Bayode abiflarin, Toritseju Ejoh, Titlayo Akinmoye, and Mawuyon Ogun, Nnamudi Ugbagu. It is a joint production of Terra Kulture and Monu and Monu Productions under the patronage of the Commercial Counselor of the Austrian Embassy, Ms. Nella Hengstler. Power Horse and Four Points by Sheraton sponsor it. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc provides stage elements. Supreme Lace Limited provided costume materials.
Born in 1965 in Lagos, Nicholas Monu has a career that spans the full range of his profession. He had a British education in the famous mill field and St. Andrews boarding schools; Nicholas studied Performing Arts in the United States. He studied at Webber Douglas academy of Dramatic art in London. Nicholas has been since then one of Britain’s most demanded young actors, playing in most of the islands major theatres including the royal Shakespeare company, the national theatre, and the royal court, the Moscow arts theatre and at the National Theatre of Nigeria

Nigerians Mourn Whitney Houston

As American celebrities and members of the black community in the US converged at New Hope Baptist Church , venue of the funeral to pay their tributes to the American star singer and six-time Grammy Award winner , Whitney Houston, Nigerians are also mourning the late singer.
Whitney was widely popular in Nigeria in the 80s and 90s. Most of her great hits were equally loved by Nigerians as they are loved in America. In a chat with Fadeke Adeniran, a university of Lagos post graduate student, Whitney was one of the most loved superstar among young Nigerians. "Her melodious voice would be forever remembered." She said. Another student, Paul Obe, said that Whitney had the greatest voice in the world, followed by Michael Jackson. He said that her high soprano voice cannot be rivaled by anyone. Emeka Ike, a businessman said, the world would forever miss Michael Jackson but Whitney would be missed more.

Reports say, Houston, 48, died Feb. 11 in a Beverly Hills hotel. The cause of death is still under investigation, but, over the past several years, her history of substance abuse and erratic behaviour overshadowed a stellar entertainment career as a recording artist, actress and producer.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bobby Brown , former husband of Whitney , Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, Bill Cosby, and Stevie Wonder were among the early arrivals at the New Hope

event.

There was New Hope's rousing gospel choir, which performed several religious songs ahead of a series of speeches and performances planned for the service, which lasted several hours.

Speaker after speaker paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston .

New Hope Pastor Joe Carter said, "We're here today, hearts broken, yet with God's strength, we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston.

Jesse Jackson , a leading black American activist and politician, said , "The memories are so powerful, the music will be with us forever. We have a lot to rejoice about.

Gospel singer Kim Burrell, a long-time friend, said, "As popular and powerful as she was, she was so brilliantly liberal and was generous with others.

Alex Ibru and the Nigerian Media

By Yemi Olakitan

When it was announced that the late Alex Uruemu Ibru, founder of the Guardian Newspaper has passed away, numerous observers were quick to recollect his celebrated escape from the hands of hired assassins who were sent to end his life under the administration of the late military dictator, General Sanni Ababcha under who Alex ironically served as a Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995. Alex was a symbol of Nigerian journalism and freedom of expression although; he was never an active reporter. Many have observed with curious enthusiasm the hidden intention of the late dictator when he appointed Ibru as a Minister. It was clear that the junta wanted Alex to use the highly respected newspaper to promote Abacha’s political agenda in Nigeria. Abacha failed to remember that the motto of the Guardian Newspaper was Conscience nurtured by Truth, a motto that the newspaper had stuck with to this day. This has earned it immense respect in Nigerian journalism and placed it in a position of honour since it stood by its avowed codes of conduct. Ibru believed that journalists who loves the profession and are willing to use the media as a tool for societal emancipation should run the Guardian. Trouble started when the Guardian, contrary to Abacha’s expectations remained critical of the military junta. Ibru could have used his position as the chairman of the Guardian Newspaper to influence editorial content in favour of Abacha but he did not do this even at the risk of his own life. Alex succeeded in making the Guardian newspaper a force to be reckoned with in Nigerian journalism. He believed in the truth and he did not accept that truth should be purchased with money or even position. He therefore allowed his editors to practice journalism without any parochial interest and express what they sincerely believe, in accordance with the dictates of their conscience. This stance has earned the newspaper, the title: flagship of Nigerian journalism.
Anyone who is a journalist or has anything to do with the media at one time or the other has something to do with the Guardian. This is the high pride of place that Ibru’s integrity has placed the Guardian Newspaper. He allowed the Newspaper to serve as a tool for mass communication and professional journalism practice with a sense for national responsibility. The success of the Guardian Newspaper was an inspiration to other Nigerian newspaper and news magazines such as News-watch magazine, Tell, Tempo, The week and many others who were responsible for the emergence of guerilla journalism in Nigeria. It led to the rise of a Nigerian media that was determined to oppose anti democratic forces despite persecutions from the government.
An example of this scenario was the Nigerian press during the years of military rule. The Buhari and Babangida regimes utilized draconian legal instruments such as Decree 2 and Decree 4 to disturb the media. The notable collisions of press freedom and military dictatorship resulted in the incarcerations of many reporters under those regimes. Under the Babangida era, the suppression of the press was fired up with the parcel-bomb killing of Dele Giwa and the proscription of Newswatch magazine. The Abacha junta also declared war against the press. Reporters were tried as conspirators in coup-plots and jailed without appropriate trials. The regimes murdered journalists such as Bagauda Kaltho. Security operatives’ harassed even newsvendors while The Guardian were shut down on 14 August 1994. The assassination attempt on Ibru On February 2 1996 left him with one eye. His car was sprayed with machine gun fire from men who had trailed him in a deep-blue Peugeot. Both Ibru and the editor-in-chief Femi Kusa were flown to England for treatment of their injuries After Abacha's death in 1998, his Chief Security OfficeR, aL Mustapha and others were charged with the assassination attempt on his life/
Abacha’s demise in 1998 and the return to democracy in 1999 were seen as a much-deserved victory for the Nigerian press.
In addition, Alex ibru was able to simultaneously craft the Guardian Newspaper into a successful business operation without compromising those high values. It is clear that the media entrepreneur must focus on two goals: truth and profit. Truth is the correct information to give to a society and a society that must move forward require knowing the truth and nothing but the truth.
A newspaper is also a business and requires profit to validate its existence. Ibru was able to achieve this and this is what all media entrepreneurs should take from him; the ability to stand firm for the truth and to sustain the media enterprise as a profitable business.
A publication devoted to truth should yield profit. This ideal situation is also the rarest. Media entrepreneurs all over the world also find it necessary to balance the two objectives and it can be a delicate situation. The goal of truth is subordinated to the bottom line. It is in this tragic situation that the Nigerian press sometimes finds itself.
Ibru was also able to detach himself from the newspaper. He refused to influence the newspapers editorial content while holding to his post as a businessman. He gave the journalists freedom to do their job. According to Debo Adesina, the present editor of the Guardian, the newspaper will outlive Ibru and continue the good work.
Ibru was born on 1 March 1945 in Agbhara-Otor, in today’s Delta State. He attended the Yaba Methodist Primary School (1951-1957), Ibadan Grammar School (1958-1960), Igbobi College, Lagos (1960-1963) and the Trent Polytechnich in the United Kingdom (1967-1970), where he studied Business Economics
Alex Ibru was appointed chairman of Rutam Motors. In 1983 he met with newspapermen Stanley Mecebuh of the Daily times and Dele Cole also formerly of that paper and Segun Osoba, formerly of the Nigerian Herald. With 55% funding from the Ibrus, they launched the Guardian newspaper in 1983, with Alex Ibru became the chairman. Ibru also provided funding to the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established during the military regime of Buhari's successor, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Alex Ibru died on 20 November 2011, aged 66

Broadcasting is a national service-Amin Moussalli

MD/CEO of Wazobia fm, Cool fm and Nigeria Info

Amin Moussalli is the CEO of three leading radio brands in Nigeria. He founded, the popular Pidgin oriented Wazobia fm, coolfm and more recently, Nigeria Info. Moussalli came to Nigeria in 1975 and founded AIM consultants, a company that is focused on architectural Engineering designs. His success in that field lured him into other ventures such as radio broadcasting which he considers a passion and a national service. He has since founded several stations in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Hacout, and Kano. In this interview, he speaks with Yemi Olakitan on his latest effort Nigeria Info, and many other plans for the future. Excerpts:

· How it all began
The story of AIM Group began in 1886 when the grandfather of my wife, Mr. Michael Elias immigrated to Nigeria. He was actually on his way to see to his grandparents in Brazil, but in those days the ships sailed through the West Coast from one port to the other, and from Lagos to Brazil. Mr. Elias was made to spend his money on gambling on board the ship and was therefore dropped off in Lagos. In 1975 my wife and I came on a visit to see my late in-laws. My late father-in-law, Mr. Fouad Elias asked my wife to see the late Gen Murtala Mohammed, who then had plans to build a new capital. We were so excited because we had studied about the planning of the Brazilia, built in 1957, and now a new Capital would be built! Since then we have made this place our home, because to us a home is where you spend most of your precious time, a place you have your friends, a land where you re-invest. As you can see my two daughters are now with us, and my two grandchildren are also here.
· Let us talk about your latest project Nigeria Info
Nigeria info is a total talk radio station that was created by my daughter, Tatiana. We wanted to start a completely new format that would compete with our existing stations. In order to start a new radio station, you need to do research. My elder daughter who started the whole project decided to rely on the research services provided by a Nigerian company, called Media Planning Services, MPS. They conducted a research and she found out that 40% of Nigerians want to talk when they are on the radio and 30% wants to listen to news and the other 30% wants to listen to sports. It means that radio broadcasting have changed from what we have in the 90s. It is no longer more music. Music is not really the number one attraction on radio. People want to listen to interesting talk and they want to participate. This prompted us to create Nigeria Info, which is a total talk station and less music. The station would be focusing on sports, news, national issues that affect every Nigerian. I think that people would be enjoying more sports on the radio now. It is more interactive than what they have been listening to before now and it is a big brand because Nigeria is big and it is about Nigeria. Anything, you want to know about Nigeria, you would get on Nigeria info. When you get on Nigerian info, you will listen to news and you get a very good opportunity to express yourself. Everybody has a chance to talk and be heard. You get to talk about issues that affect the nation, the family and the government and it is toll-free.
We wanted a station that would compete with Wazobia Fm and our other our stations. The problem we have and it is a problem is that Wazobia has gone on top of the roof and it has gone as far as it can go. When that happens if you don’t take action, the next place to go is down and we do not want that to happen. We would like to maintain equilibrium. In order to do that, you need a competitor and the next competitor to Wazobia is all the way down. We decided to create another competitor so that these guys in Wazobia would not feel relaxed. They can see what is happening now and we can put them on their toes. The facebook for Nigerian info is very active and we have Nigerians between the ages of 17-50 listening to Nigeria info. The research has been very revealing. What new thing are we doing with Nigeria info? We ensue that our listeners talk. Our broadcasters are moderators. What do the conventional radio broadcasters do? He plays music, he talks. The situation is different on Nigeria info, he introduces a topic, and he let the people talk. In every show, we have two people and it is like a cross frire.it is just like the CNN show in 1990 called the Cross Fire. The station is also toll free. We have about six lines that people can call free of charge. It is expensive but we allow everyone to talk. The situation is actually a national service because it is very expensive to run it as designed. We allow a man sitting down at the Bar Beach to express his mind although we put in some checks. When people become rude we have to correct them. NBC cannot monitor every thing, individual stations must take responsibility. If you want to talk about the President, you have to say, His Excellency or Mr. President. When a person becomes the president, he becom3es the number one person in the country, the leader of the nation. You have to show respect, there must be decorum, and there must be protocols.
We are the only radio station with scriptwriters in Nigeria. Scriptwriters are usually for the television but we have scriptwriters in our station now. This is all in an effort to ensure quality broadcasting.
· You brought in an American broadcaster called Bill Torch. Why and what is so special about Bill Torch?
Bill Torch is a veteran broadcaster in America, although he is retired now. We brought him in to train our people here. He started broadcasting in the United States when cable was free to air and nobody was on it. He used to come up in the morning and he brings a donkey with him to the studio and he reads the news. The next day, he brings a dog and he broke the norms. He makes the news interesting because he puts a lot of drama to it and everybody loves it. He was able to draw Americans attention. He would be coming back to Nigeria by January. I never knew in my life that we were going to work with Bill because we love him so much. When we first contacted him, he said, I have never been to Africa. When he came, he fell in love with Nigeria. He loves the country so much. He has been training our people. We have the sole license on him because we do not want other people to hijack him once he gets here. Don’t forget that he is a retired man, and he loves our girls. (Laughter)
· Who designed the Logo? It is an interesting one.

Our logo was designed by my daughter and it is a sign for talk. What the logo is saying is that it is time for talk. Come, let us talk about Nigeria.




· Can you share some of the challenges you are facing with us.
One of the biggest challenges that we face is electricity. It is a big challenge indeed. We set up a radio station in Kano; Coolfm and the experience is hell because of electricity problems and we have two transformers there and yet we still have issues with electricity. We have lights here and we still complain because it is always going and coming. We have to run on generators but Kano’s electricity supply is very bad. The electricity situation here does not help the generators because the lights keep tripping off. It’s a challenge. Our adverts rate is low compared to other countries. We have one of the lowest in the world. In Benin Republic, the rates are 30percent higher and they have stable electricity.
On air, the challenge we have is that we to beg people to turn off there radio sets. Everyone wants to hear himself speak. I am enjoying the process though with all the stress. It is like playing Tennis. I know that Nigerians are going to love it as much as I do.
· Let us Talk about the Broadcasters
I have engineering background and I have since left Broadcasting. I left it to other people to run it. I have to come back because my daughters said that if I have to maintain quality, I have to be more involved and this has basically increased my workload. You have to sleep by 3am and wake up by 6am. Sunday is a good day because you can rest. Well, about the broadcaster, we have Tolu, who used to be on the Midday Oasis on Coolfm in the nearly days and now she is back on Nigeria Info. She is on the morning show. She went to do some television broadcasting and she was on Channel 24 but when she listens to the station she likes it and now she is back. She is such a confident person and you need to listen to her in the morning. Katherine is also a very good broadcaster and her story is very interesting. She listens to the station and she got hooked and she wanted to be on it. She had not been with us before and now she is with us. You see, one thing about broadcasting is getting the right person. You can get a lot of people but to get the right persons is not very easy. The right person in the right place is the challenging part. Matse is another interesting person. You know, she said that I want to be on Nigerian Info. I need a change in my life. We say why? She was doing well on Wazobia Fm. Matse is a very intelligent lady and she made it a point of duty to do international courses online and I credit her for that. You know, she is the first Nigerian to break facebook record for the highest number of friends on face book. You can have about 40, 000 friends and she was the first Nigerian to break that record because of her show on Wazobia Fm. She is very hardworking.
· What is your relationship with your former staff members such as Dan Foster and many others that are no longer in your employ?
I am a very friendly person. You know people come and when they want to go, you cannot force them to stay. We always maintain a cordial relationship with all. Some have spent 30 years with us. Some have an ambition and they go out to make it work. Some time, it can be a success and sometimes it is not. You have to make sure that your ambition is a concrete one.
When I look at Nigeria. The first problem is see is unemployment among the youths. We have a huge population of youth who are out of school. When we create a new business. We are trying to help out by solving some of our national problems. We are not alone in these. We have other people such as Aliko Dangote, who is doing incredible things all over the country.

· About His National Honors
I have a MON and a very great Nigerian recently nominated me for another MON but I have to beg them to remove my name from the list because I already have an MON. To get an upgrade, you need to wait for five years. If they give me another MON, I have to wait for another five years to get an upgrade. I asked them to drop it.

· What plans for the future?
We know that the future belong to Internet radio and so we are working on that and getting prepared. We have Cool ink. We are working on that so that internet service can become so cheap that cybercafés can be built all over the country. We can work with the local governments in different communities so that Nigerians can have cheap access to the Internet. We have signed agreements with a certain company for the purpose of satellite services so that Internet access can be provided to all through cool link. Internet is going to become very cheap and we are going to ensure that every one have access to it all over the country. Next year, we are putting the issue of television into God’s hands and looking at what he would bring.