GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

WILLIAM JEFFERSON, NIGERIA ATIKU-LINKED USA CONGRESSMAN, OUSTED!

The United States of America Congress-man linked with a one time Nigeria's vice president Abubakar Atiku in a corruption scandal, is no more a congressman. Mr. William Jefferson was ousted today, December 6, 2008 from the United States 2nd congressional seat he hitherto occupied from the State of Louisiana. It was this congressman who gave impetus to the term cold-cash when a whopping ninety (90) thousand dollars USD was found stuffed among meat products in his deep freezer, frozen in time until the atmosphere is conducive for its use. However he had a congressional immunity and his prosecution was delayed. Nemesis finally caught up with him with the loss of his congressional seat, so, may be the long arm of the law will finally catch up with him equally with his prosecution and eventual imprisonment if found guilty; although he will find it tough explaining the source of the frozen ninety thousand dollars in his deep freezer.

Nigeria's Abubarkar Atiku, a former vice president under Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly had some business transactions with this congressman during which some gratifications changed hands. Who knows what will become of the investigation, now that both men have lost their immunity cover - Abubakar Atiku is no longer Nigeria's vice president and William Jefferson has been ousted from his congressional seat and by a little known quantum, a Vietnamese-American named, Anh Cao, a Republican. According to news report reaching Icheokudotcom, Democratic Party Representative William Jefferson has been defeated tonight by a little known Republican for re-election to the United States House of Representatives. Voters in Louisiana ousted the indicted Democratic Rep. William Jefferson on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 and instead elected the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress, Attorney Anh Cao, 41 years old (left)

It would have been William Jefferson's tenth term in congress representing Louisiana's 2nd district but Republicans' aggressive push to take the seat from the 61-year-old "corrupt" incumbent Jefferson paid off big time. They won it. The national GOP ran campaign advertisement citing Jefferson’s indictment for corruption and apparently they paid off.
Icheoku says that the once congressman William Jefferson will now have plenty of time to fight the corruption charges facing him when his trial eventually begins; although no trial date has been set, yet. It is a big embarrassment for the Democratic Party who should have kicked this corrupt congressman out of congress when this scandal first broke. Also for a Vietnamese-American to be elected in a congressional district with majority of black residents shows that America has changed for the better. Icheoku says congratulations to this another first, Anh Cao! First they elected President-elect Barack Obama, a black in a white-majority country and now an Asian in a black majority district. Although it was a black-eye for the Democrats losing a seat in a majority-black district to the Republicans, as this congressman could not even ride the co-tail of Barack Obama's political wave to victory! This shows that corruption is a serious matter in the United States of America and Icheoku prays that Nigeria takes note!

4 comments:

  1. Congressman Jefferson Probe Leads to Crisis in Nigerian Government
    November 03, 2006 12:56 PM

    Brian Ross and Joseph Rhee Report:

    Nigerian officials say the bribery investigation of Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) has uncovered a massive corruption scheme involving several members at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.

    Acting on information provided by the FBI, Nigerian fraud investigators have now indicted Vice President Atiku Abubakar on 14 counts of corruption, involving tens of millions of dollars allegedly diverted from government accounts.

    According to Nuhu Ribadu, head of a new anti-corruption squad created by Nigeria's president, $23 million of the diverted money is still missing. Ribadu said $6.7 million of the missing funds has been traced to a U.S. company tied to Congressman Jefferson's family.

    THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
    Video Nigerian VP Maintains Innocence in Jefferson Investigation
    The Inside Story of FBI's Historic Raid on Capitol Hill
    Undercover FBI Agent Drove Rep. Jefferson to Nigerian Vice President's House
    Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page
    Ribadu said, "He, as a congressman of the U.S.A., he used that position to initiate and transact business in Nigeria, and as a result of it, money was taken out from the government of Nigeria, and that money was lost."

    During the case, Nigerian investigators discovered that their vice president was living part of the year in a $2 million mansion outside Washington, D.C., purchased in the name of his fourth wife, an American. It was here in July of 2005, investigators say, that Jefferson met with Vice President Abubakar to allegedly discuss steering a Nigerian telecommunications contract to the U.S. firm. According to the FBI, at that meeting Abubakar demanded up to half of the future profits in the deal in exchange for his assistance.

    In August, $90 thousand of marked FBI cash was found in Jefferson's freezer, money that the FBI says was the first installment of a $500,000 bribe to the Nigerian vice president to help further the business deal.

    Jefferson has not yet been charged with a crime and is running for re-election. Maintaining that he is innocent, Jefferson said, "I never intended to dishonor my office...and I certainly did not sell my office."

    In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Abubakar denied any wrongdoing, saying, "The allegations against me have no substance because it cannot be proved." He said he neither asked for nor received a kickback or a bribe and said that Jefferson was using his name to defraud American investors. According to Abubakar, "He betrayed my trust, and he betrayed the trust of my country."

    Several other top Nigerian officials, including a state governor, have also been implicated in the scheme to divert government funds, triggering a political crisis in Parliament. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was forced to go on television to declare a state of emergency after the indicted governor apparently fled the country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. US probes Nigeria vice-president

    Abubakar used to be a close ally of President Obasanjo
    The US government says federal agents have raided the Maryland home of Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
    The search took place on 3 August, but officials refused to confirm reports that it was linked to raids on homes belonging to a Louisiana congressman.

    There has been no comment on the case from Mr Abubakar.

    The announcement coincides with remarks by Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo accusing his deputy, formerly his close ally, of doubtful loyalty.

    US congressman William Jefferson's properties were searched on the same day.

    I brought out a Bible and a Koran and I said... we should not have a house divided. He refused to swear

    President Obasanjo

    A Democrat who has served eight terms in the House of Representatives, Mr Jefferson has come under scrutiny as the FBI looks into an international telecommunications deal.

    Investigators are interested in Mr Jefferson's links with Mr Abubakar and the vice-president of Ghana, Aliu Mahama, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

    According to the newspaper, Mr Jefferson visited Ghana in mid-July.

    Low profile

    Although he is technically the second most powerful man in Nigeria, Mr Abubakar has kept a low profile in recent months, says the BBC's Grant Ferrett.

    Political manoeuvres within the governing party have undermined his ambitions to stand for the presidency in elections scheduled to take place in two years' time.

    On national television and radio, Mr Obasanjo said he had questioned Mr Abubakar's loyalty to his face.

    "I brought out a Bible and a Koran and I said... we should not have a house divided. He refused to swear because he obviously knew that the proven cases [of disloyalty] are proven."

    Mr Obasanjo denied swearing an oath to his deputy pledging that he would not stand for re-election in two years' time.

    He said he had publicly sworn to defend the Nigerian constitution, which prevents him standing for a third term in office, and so did not need to make such promises in private.

    These comments have prompted some observers to question whether the FBI investigations are linked to such disagreements.

    Mr Abubakar reportedly only uses his home in Potomac, Maryland for a few months each year.

    His wife, Jennifer, is a doctoral student in international relations at the American University in Washington.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congressman Jefferson Probe Leads to Crisis in Nigerian Government
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    November 03, 2006 12:56 PMBrian Ross and Joseph Rhee Report:-->
    Nigerian officials say the bribery investigation of Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) has uncovered a massive corruption scheme involving several members at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.
    Acting on information provided by the FBI, Nigerian fraud investigators have now indicted Vice President Atiku Abubakar on 14 counts of corruption, involving tens of millions of dollars allegedly diverted from government accounts.
    According to Nuhu Ribadu, head of a new anti-corruption squad created by Nigeria's president, $23 million of the diverted money is still missing. Ribadu said $6.7 million of the missing funds has been traced to a U.S. company tied to Congressman Jefferson's family.
    THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
    Video Nigerian VP Maintains Innocence in Jefferson Investigation
    The Inside Story of FBI's Historic Raid on Capitol Hill
    Undercover FBI Agent Drove Rep. Jefferson to Nigerian Vice President's House
    Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page
    Ribadu said, "He, as a congressman of the U.S.A., he used that position to initiate and transact business in Nigeria, and as a result of it, money was taken out from the government of Nigeria, and that money was lost."
    During the case, Nigerian investigators discovered that their vice president was living part of the year in a $2 million mansion outside Washington, D.C., purchased in the name of his fourth wife, an American. It was here in July of 2005, investigators say, that Jefferson met with Vice President Abubakar to allegedly discuss steering a Nigerian telecommunications contract to the U.S. firm. According to the FBI, at that meeting Abubakar demanded up to half of the future profits in the deal in exchange for his assistance.
    In August, $90 thousand of marked FBI cash was found in Jefferson's freezer, money that the FBI says was the first installment of a $500,000 bribe to the Nigerian vice president to help further the business deal.
    Jefferson has not yet been charged with a crime and is running for re-election. Maintaining that he is innocent, Jefferson said, "I never intended to dishonor my office...and I certainly did not sell my office."
    In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Abubakar denied any wrongdoing, saying, "The allegations against me have no substance because it cannot be proved." He said he neither asked for nor received a kickback or a bribe and said that Jefferson was using his name to defraud American investors. According to Abubakar, "He betrayed my trust, and he betrayed the trust of my country."
    Several other top Nigerian officials, including a state governor, have also been implicated in the scheme to divert government funds, triggering a political crisis in Parliament. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was forced to go on television to declare a state of emergency after the indicted governor apparently fled the country.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Corruption: Jefferson wants Atiku‘s wife to testify
    By Olayinka Oyebode with agency report
    Published: Wednesday, 7 Jan 2009
    Embattled United States Congressman, Mr. William Jefferson, is currently struggling to get one of the wives of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Jennifer, to testify in his defence in the bribery and corruption case against him by the US government.

    Jennifer’s American lawyer, Mr. Edward Weinden, however said that her client was not on the run, adding that she would willing to give her testimony at mutually agreed neutral ground, outside the US.

    Jefferson is being tried based on his complicity in an alleged bribery case involving him and the former vice-president in August 2005.

    The bribe was part of a scheme involving him to promote Nigeria‘s adoption of internet technology from iGate Inc; an American firm.

    According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson allegedly told an informant that he would need to give Atiku $500,000 to help secure the contracts. There was no evidence that the former Number Two citizen received or asked for the bribe.

    Jefferson had alleged collected $100,000 from a business partner to give Atiku, but $90,000 of the marked money was later found in his house wrapped in a foil and neatly tucked away in a freezer.

    According to a US-based Nigerian news agency reports, the Congressman‘s attorneys, said they found it difficult getting Jenifer, in any of her addresses in Nigeria and the US, thereby making serving her court-authorised subpoena impossible.

    They added that the former VP‘s lawyers in the US had also refused to help locate her new address on the excuse that they had no such authorisation from the Abubakars.

    In papers filed last week in a US district court in Virginia, lawyers to the Congressman said ”the defence unsuccessfully attempted to serve a trial subpoena on Mrs. Abubakar at the home she owned in Potomac, Maryland. The Defence then requested that Mrs Abubakar‘s American counsel accept service of a trial subpoena on her behalf, but was told that they were not authorised to do so.”

    The Congressman‘s lawyers have stated that the US lawyers of the former VP advised them that ”Mrs. Abubakar now lives outside of the US, but that they were not authorised to provide the defence with her current residential address.”

    The US Congressman who has been accused of conspiring to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Acts, FCPA, through the alleged payment of a bribe to the former vice-president, filed a new motion last week at a US district court in Virginia seeking the court‘s approval of alternative means to serve her a trial subpoena.

    After the US court had authorised the issuance of a trial subpoena on Jennifer in July last year, the defence lawyers said they sought to serve the subpoena abortively.

    According to the new court papers: ”The defence then sought to personally serve Mrs. Abubakar in Nigeria. Nigerian attorney, David Ogebe, obtained addresses for a Nigerian residence of the Abubakars and for the Gede Foundation, a foundation for the promotion of health in Nigeria that was founded and is run by Mrs. Abubakar.”

    However, the effort failed, according to the defence lawyers.

    The defence team said, ”Mr Ogebe attempted to serve Mrs Abubakar at each of those locations, but was unsuccessful. Ogebe was advised by the executive Director of the Gede Foundation, Boglosa, that Mrs. Abubakar was not in Nigeria and that her current addressed could not be released to him, ” according to Jefferson‘s new motion.

    Previous attempts by Jefferson and his lawyers to secure the testimony of Mrs Abubakar failed when a US court rejected a plan to take her deposition outside the US.

    Weinden, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday, said that the US laws allowed her to give her testimony outside the US.

    Weinden said, “If the court agrees to take her testimony today, she will make the arrangement. She is not accused of anything, so she has no reason to be on the run.”

    ReplyDelete