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Patience, Turai’s land tussle: A study in despicable sycophancy, high level corruption and impunity – ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria on Thursday described the legal tussle between the incumbent First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and her predecessor Hajiya Turai Yar’a … Continue reading Patience, Turai’s land tussle: A study in despicable sycophancy, high level corruption and impunity – ACN


The Action Congress of Nigeria on Thursday described the legal tussle between the incumbent First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and her predecessor Hajiya Turai Yar’a dua over a juicy plot of land in the Federal Capital territory as a study in despicable sycophancy, insider abuse, arbitrariness and manifestation of the culture of impunity all of which have become the hallmarks of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said in more decent climes this scandal would have seen the immediate exit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed from the cabinet and severely affected the political fortunes of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The statement said: “While the party is not holding brief for Hajiya Turai Yar’adua, it is clear from the court records that the disputed land was first duly allocated to her non-governmental organization: Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation by the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory and a statutory right of occupancy duly issued under the hand of the same minister.

“From the same court records, the organization paid all levies and dues running into several hundreds of millions of naira. However shortly after, the minister for the Federal Capital Territory without reasons issued a notice of revocation of the said property ostensibly on grounds of overriding public interest only to swiftly re-allocate the same land to another non-governmental organization the African First Ladies Peace Centre believed to belong to the current First Lady Dame Jonathan.”

According to the party, “any close observer of the FCT Administration under the watch of Senator Bala Mohammed will know that this is vintage Bala Mohammed, a man who will do anything to remain in the good books of President Goodluck Jonathan. It will be recalled that a short while ago the Action Congress of Nigeria condemned in very strong terms the decision of the same minister to name an extension of the Maitama District after President Goodluck Jonathan even when no such honour was bestowed on former heads of states especially those whose contributions to the development of Abuja as the Federal Capital are glaring and undeniable.

“But even if Senator Bala Ahmed’s scandalous conduct can be excused on the grounds that his behaviour is consistent with the character of a man who will do anything to hang on to his job can anyone excuse the conduct of Dame Patience Jonathan who according to both court records and newspaper reports, her African Ladies Peace Centre in defiance of a subsisting court order restraining them from carrying out further activities at the site mobilized contraction to the site to commence construction work. Should Nigeria’s First lady be seen to be promoting a culture of impunity and disrespect for court orders. Obviously this Ceasar’s wife does not believe she should be above board.’

However according to the ACN, the entire saga has in addition “revealed the under belly of the gargantuan edifice of corruption of the PDP led Federal Government.

“Where for instance does the office of the First Lady source funds to buy land for over a quarter of a billion naira and award a contract for its construction for a further sum of N13, 000,000,000.00 (Thirteen billion naira only) the party queried.