12 Biggest Scandals of 2013

In no particular order, NigerianEYE's 12 Biggest Scandals of 2013

1. ASUU’s 6-month strike

Worried parents and members of the public expressed relief as the six-month-old nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over non-implementation of 2009 agreement between the union and the Federal Government was called off on Monday, December 16.

While the strike lasted, there were counter-accusations from both parties, alleging insincerity of purpose on the issue of the strike.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said the union decided to call off the strike after diligent and careful appraisal of various reports, especially the resolutions signed last Wednesday by ASUU and the Federal Government.
A major casualty was recorded when the former National President of the union, Professor Festus Iyayi, died in an auto crash on his way to Kano to attend the National Executive Committee meeting of ASUU, where it was speculated that the union might have taken the decision to call off the strike. After Iyayi’s death, the lecturers postponed their decision on the strike indefinitely.

Frustrated, federal government through the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had threatened to sack all the striking lecturers should they fail to resume classes within seven days, after accusing them of shifting introducing new demands.

Undaunted, ASUU insisted it would not call off its strike except government agreed on demands raised when it met with President Jonathan.

2. Return of ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai
On Sunday August 25, Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai returned to Nigeria after spending almost a year abroad on treatment, following October 25, 2012 plane crash in Adamawa State.
After his return, he wrote the State House of Assembly, notifying them of his intention to resume work. The House, apparently not satisfied with the plan, asked the ailing governor to appear before them.
Suntai did not appear before the lawmakers. But the lawmakers were allowed to meet him after an alleged move to impeach him.

The lawmakers, after meeting him, were unsatisfied with his health status and asked the acting Governor Garba Umar to continue in office pending Suntai’s full recovery.

3. Purchase of N255m bullet-proof vehicles for Oduah
Stella Oduah, the Aviation minister’s outrageous car purchase scandal stirred outrage from many Nigerians as the N255 million ($1.6 million) bulletproof BMW Li HSS cars with chasis numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044 reportedly delivered to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on August 13, 2013, for her use became public knowledge.
The committee said the current price of the vehicles shouldn’t have ordinarily exceeded N50 million each. However, nothing has yet been heard from the panel set up by the presidency to investigate the scandal.

4. Rivers Assembly Speaker
Attempt to impeach Rivers State House of Assembly speaker, Otelemaba Amachree, by five lawmakers loyal to President Goodluck Jonathan on July 9, 2013, failed, following the intervention of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
The failed plot to impose Evans Bipi by five out 32 lawmakers as speaker would have provided the much needed ingredient to impeach Governor Amaechi, who is seen as a stumbling block for President Jonathan 2015 presidential bid.

Amaechi had to intervene after realising that the security forces which ought to have brought the illegal plan under control were appearing to have been compromised.

Since then, the relationship between the governor and the State Commissioner of Police Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu has not been cordial.

The fracas that trailed the failed impeachment bid left some lawmakers injured.

5. Sanusi alarm over ‘unaccounted’ $49.8bn oil money
The whole nation was thrown into confusion last week when the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Malam Lamido Sanusi, through a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, raised an alarm over non-remittance to the Federation Account of $49.8bn being part of the proceeds of crude exported by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), between January 2012 to July 2013.

However, the Apex bank governor last week retracted his claim, telling the Senate on Wednesday that the reconciliation of accounts that was carried out by CBN, Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Ministry of Finance had shown that only about $10.8bn had not been accounted for.

6. Arrest of Governor Sule Lamido’s sons
The recent arrest of Governor Sule Lamido’s two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in November, over money laundering allegations was seen by many as a political persecution.
Governor Lamido, who is believed to be jostling with President Goodluck Jonathan over the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a member of the G-7 governors group that has been calling on President Jonathan not to run in 2015 as well as for reforms in the PDP.


7. Anambra election
The poor handling of the Anambra State governorship election held on November 16, 2013, by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) had generated controversies and reactions from the political arena and different interest groups in the country.


8. Governor Chime’s ‘wife arrest’ uproar

The wife of Governor Sullivian Chime of Enugu State, Clara Chime shocked the country when she wrote a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NCHR), claiming that her husband had kept her under house arrest for the last three years.
The matter became embarrassing for the governor as Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police, on Clara’s behalf, urging him to get her released. Wanting to put an end to the scandal, the governor asked his security details to move the estranged wife to her mother’s home.

9. Ombatse killings saga
On February 7, over 74 policemen and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) were killed, and their corpses gathered and burned after about 14 truckloads of armed security agents stormed Alakyo village in the Eggon area of Nasarawa State. The security men were deployed to arrest the Alaky chief priest, popularly known as Babalakyo, over allegations of forceful initiation of Muslims and Christians into the cult. Fourteen policemen of Eggon origin and three civilians, were arrested over suspected leakage of the operation.

The State Security Service (SSS) Director General, Ita Ekpenyong shocked many Nigerians when he said the security agency had forgiven the Ombatse cult members that killed 10 of its personnel.

10. Nigeria Governors’ Forum election controversy
Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was on Friday, May 24, 2013 re-elected the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) for a second term.

Amaechi defeated the Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, after the decision of Katsina and Bauchi States governors, Ibrahim Shema and Isa Yuguda, who were seen as President Jonathan’s candidates, to withdraw from the race. Amaechi got 19 votes, while Jang polled 16.


11. Apo 8 killing
A shabbily-executed operation by the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Army on Friday, September 20, 2013 left eight innocent persons dead and 11 others wounded at an uncompleted building located near Apo Legislative Quarters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The building was inhabited by homeless artisans and petty traders. The security operatives claimed that they were killed and injured in a shootout with Boko Haram insurgents, a claim which was denied by the victims.
Marilyn Ogar, the SSS spokesperson, said in a statement released after the incident that its officials acted based on information obtained from two Boko Haram suspects, Kamal Abdullahi and Mohammed Adamu.


12. The Obasanjo letters
To round off the scandals in the year are the Obasanjo letters – as two letters, one from former president, Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan, and a purported response from an unlikely quarter, the former president’s daughter, Iyabo, are now labelled.

There remains uncertainty over who actually authored the Iyabo letter, as the former senator, who now resides in the United States, has remained mum over the contents of the letter which thoroughly took her father to the cleaners. Editors at the Vanguard newspapers, which first published the Iyabo letter, maintained they stand by their story.

Obasanjo had written a letter to President Jonathan accusing him of numerous acts of bad governance, violating the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party and training snipers to eliminate certain Nigerians.