Oh well, thank God for blogging.
How many of you have heard of the recent controversy trailing the DG of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr. Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke?
If you haven't, read the story below...
On Monday August 11, 2008, at the shell hall, Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos, the DG of Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr. Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke who heads the ‘Africans for Obama’, a Nigerian-based group mobilizing and canvassing for the election of US Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Senator Barrack Obama, held a very flamboyant dinner/concert that attracted society bigwigs, politician and businessmen.
Dubbed the most expensive dinner in recent times, with 56 buffet tables loaded with assorted drinks and food. Tickets alone were sold in the category of Platinum (corporate table for eight people for N2.5mil and individual N325, 000). For gold category, the ticket went for N2million for a corporate table of eight and N275, 000 for an individual.
Being well connected in the corporate world as well as in the corridors of power, it was easy for Dr. Onyiuke to raise N100 million.
However, the N100 million garnered at this event is already causing ripples as to where the money raised is going, since the person in whose honour the dinner/concert was staged cannot in anyway capacity receive foreign donations for his campaign.
The US Foreign Election Campaign Act (FECA) 1974, ‘prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, local election in the US either directly or indirectly’
Since organizing that dinner, Dr. Onyiuke has been battling with humiliation, criticisms and castigation over the dinner and the activities of the group. First, the campaign organization of the Democratic Party’s candidate out rightly dissociated itself from the activities of ‘Africans for Obama’. Staff counsel to the ‘Obama for America Inc’ had written that ‘we want to inform you that ‘Obama for America Inc’, which is the principal campaign for the president for the US and the National Democratic committee are in no way affiliated with the event or with this organization. We will not accept any fund raised at this event or through the fund raising activities of this group.'
As if that wasn’t enough, on Thursday Aug 14th 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission demanded an explanation from Okereke-Onyuike. She was also later quizzed by the EFCC, her passport seized and later released.
Further investigation is currently going on the matter.
So what do you guys think? Was her action in order? Was she wrong to stage this dinner?
Meanwhile, here are pictures from comedian Julius Agwu's Laff for Christ Sake which held last weekend...
Pics courtesy of purefoto.com
Enjoy...
Will be back...
13 comments:
d only thing am going 2 say abt d fund raising is dat even d most intelligent people f**k up @ times! wen i saw d advert, i tot it was s stupidest idea anyone had ever sold anyone. i mean WTF!!!!!
d pic 4rm d laff 4 christ is nice; i don't know anyone there save Julius Agwa though but daz no surprise 2 me.
den n reference 2 d comment at d previous post, i really try 2 understand y someone should be so critical of ur blog, esp after he's pointed out dat it's in fact personal! if he doesn't anything on it, he should go elsewhere. he's not 2 determine 4 u or anyone else wot is acceptable or not! much less b condemning.
i can see how much Nigerians get their priorities right. so with all d hunger and suffer head in nija what those nitwits did was to go and raise a cool 100 mill for Obama. did he beg d silly buggers?.
if those mugus had put that money in d niger-delta area to either build schools or provide clean water do they know d prayers they would be getting by now.
we need to get our priorities right.
The couple in the matching green outfits are so sute!!!!!!!
I think they should put her fat ass (excuse my french) in jail. People like her bring such bad name to Nigeria. Here in the states, Nigerian scams are aired every day on major news network. Every bank has signs warning people about Nigerians because of people like her. She knew what she was doing and she is a disgrace to women and the nation at large. AND YES I AM PISSED!!!
I was amazed when i saw that advert..raising money for a US Presidential Hopeful. that amount of money..how come she has never gathered Nigerians to come raise money for the proper relocation of the people of Bakassi, i'm sure a100 million would go a long way in solving some of thier problems...
and now the controversy...she should tel the truth about that event oh or gather all the money and give it to LINDA IKEJI to contest for PRESIDENT.LOL
With that money schools, schools and more schools could have been built or renovated in our various illiterate villages!
Misplaced priorities are only found in Nigeria!
This is from another annoying female politician,we are still waiting to hear the latest on the bill of indecent dressing by that female senator, and now this. Like i said before women now enter politics for selfish intrest, none of them is even trying to emulate Dora Akunyili or any of those credible women.
For the guests that attended the party, i think it serves them right. Didn't they try to be well informed on this before attending since it had to do with big money anyways,i guess the so called "big money" are peanuts to them. so why worry???
initially, tot it was a good idea, but seeing & reading d aftermath effect, she needs 2 go get her priority right. It will be an eye opener for her 2 mellow down a bit, she's bn partying a lot recently & does anybody know where her husband, children are 2 tell to her 2 behave her age. I agree with everybody, if she has raised ds money for the least privileged she wld hv bn given a life time achievement award or something like that, & wot about those dt bought the ticket nko, they all need flogging
I agree, they should throw her fat ass in jail for extortion. Are you telling me that a whole DG of the NSE did not know that Obama could never touch a kobo of that N 100million since it is against US law for any American presidential candidate to receive money from foreign nationals, period?
She pulled similar stunts when OBJ was president with all her underhanded deals to form corporations to invest in that Donald Duke thing in Calabar. Throw the fat ass in jail. Hell, throw her under the jail, seize all her assets, make sure that the N 100m goes to Bakassi or the Niger Delta. Idiot woman.
How did she get the Stock exchange job?I thought she was supposed to be intelligent. This is PISS TAKING!!Hasn't she got advisers? They go around sticking their noses wher it doesn't belong. Even the corporate bodies and every individual involved in the fund raising should all be arrested an forgotten in jail!! They didn't raise funds to save the security, health,electricity and education sector to start with. She should resign!!! This should go down in the Guiness Book of World Records as THE MOST STUPID FUND RAISING INITIATIVE OF ALL TIMES OR OF THE CENTURY
Okereke-Onyiuke did nothing extraordinary or strange.
This fund raising in the Naija context had the potential to draw her near to Obama (a potential president of the USA). That would have meant (to her!) endless contracts, connections,godfathers, mothers, godancestors even . It's all been done before...except that this ain't Naija politics. THIS IS AMERICA!
misplaced priorities.
Looking into someone elses backyard when urs has serious problems.
I believe the dinner that Mrs Ndidi Okereke (N100m Dinner for Obama) organised was done in good faith to show support for a man who was about to make and has made a worldwide and political impact. A historical achievement for that matter! I feel she felt Nigeria should do something to support a fellow black man but she wasnt well informed. She didnt seek enough counsel before taking that step. Even the Bible tells us there is safety in the multitude of counsel.
There are many worthy causes and individuals she could have raised money for in Nigeria and other African countries for that matter! If she had been raising such an amount for causes in Nigeria previously probably pple wont be so hard on her but she doenst have any history of doing such.
When a man who was as young as Obama and who could match Obama intellect for intellect and oration for oration volunteered himself in 2003 and 2007 respectively we didnt see her having such a dinner to raise money for his campaigne.
Nigerians dont seem to value what they have on their shores but they value whatever America packages just because America publicises their 'products' well.
Post a Comment