Honoured By Jonathan At Home, “Kleptocrat” Abacha’s $458million Loot Is Seized In America

A week after President Goodluck Jonathan conferred an award for “Outstanding Promoter of Unity, Patriotism and National Development” on former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha, the American Department of Justice Wednesday froze more than $458 million in corruption proceeds hidden in bank accounts around the world by the late dictator and his conspirators.
AllAfrica.com, a pan African news platform, reported from Washington DC Wednesday that a civil forfeiture complaint unsealed in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia “seeks recovery of more than $550 million in connection with the largest kleptocracy forfeiture action brought in the department’s history.

PHOTOS FROM CENTENARY AWARDS CEREMONY

Former Presidents/Heads of State, business men, entertainers, sports men, and families of people who helped shape Nigeria in the last 100 years were all honoured at the Centenary Awards which held at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday February 28th.

President Jonathan decorated seven living former Heads of State and Presidents including; Yakubu Gowon, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar.

He also honored 6 late Nigerian Heads of State post-humously. See pics from the event after the cut.

Obasanjo Want Nigerians To Work Harder For The Unity Of The Country

Nigerian leaders on Friday called on Nigerians to work harder towards ensuring the country’s unity.
They made the call in separate interviews with State House correspondents shortly after they were honoured with the nation’s centenary awards at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The event was the second to the last in the series of programmes lined up to celebrate the 100 years of the nation’s amalgamation. The last event, which is a special thanksgiving service, holds on Sunday (today) at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

WHY WE HONUORED ABACHA -- NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT

The Nigerian government on Friday said although late General Sani Abacha’s regime was one of the most controversial in Nigeria’s history, the military dictator deserved to be honoured.


The government also explained why Mr. Abacha, Nigeria’s military dictator from 1993 to 1998, was among those who received the centenary award for 100 Nigerians.

The government stated this position in the awardees’ brochure where a brief citation was written for each recipient and reasons given why he or she deserved the award.

The citation and reasons were read during the Centenary honours Award night held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Professor Wole Shoyinka Explians Why He Rejected The Centenary Awards

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, said he rejected Nigeria’s centenary award bestowed on him because of the inclusion on the honours list of the late Nigerian tyrant, General Sani Abacha and other known killers and looters of Nigeria’s treasury.

In a rejection note headlined "The Canonisation of Terror", Soyinka observed that the inclusion of Abacha on the list does not only show a failure of a moral rigour but it calls into question "the entire ethical landscape into which this nation has been forced by insensate leadership".

Family Of Late MKO Abiola Rejects Nigeria's Centenery Awards

The family of the late M.K.O Abiola has rejected the posthumous Centenary award to the winner of the 1993 Nigeria’s presidential election.
Kola Abiola, the eldest son of the late politician and businessman, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the award was “not appropriate.”
“For us, what the government is doing is laudable. But our family will only accept what is appropriate. If what they are trying to give him is a gold award for the centenary, we don’t consider that to be appropriate,” Mr. Abiola said.

World Leaders Arrive Abuja For Nigeria's Centenary Celebrations

More than 12 heads of State have arrived Abuja ahead of the centenary celebration, arriving at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on wednesday for the ceremony billed for Thursday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports

The visiting Heads of State were received at the airport by some members of the Federal Executive Council.

Those that were received at the airport include Presidents Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibi; Paul Kagame of Rwanda; Yahya Jammeh of Gambia and Prosper Bazombaza of Burundi.

Centenary Pageant Winner, Queen Ubah, Says Her Principles And Values Brought Her Far In Life

 

Stunning model and video vixen Queen Ubah won the Centenary Pageant which held in Dec. 2013 in B ayelsa State. Queen will be a beauty queen for the rest of her life as her reign is for the next 100 years. She won a brand new car from the pageant organisers which they will change every 5 years for the rest of her life and she also got a scholarship to school anywhere in the world.

Talking about what has brought her far in life, Queen says it's her principles and values...