Editorial Comment

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NigerianNews


NigerianNews
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An open season of trivialization
NigerianNews Editorial

The Guardian story of September 11, 2005 on Muyiwa was first reported by Daily Sun in a very timid way on September 09, 2005. We say timid because the most important caption was left for the inside story and an obscure caption for the cover page. So, we decided to use the Sun's inside caption of:  It’s Stella’s son who bought New York house, not me in the first article of our TOP NEWS of that day. This was the first time we ever carried Daily Sun in spite of entreaties from those who wrote us to carry it in our TOP NEWS column. Our desire is to sweep Nigerians of hypocrisy, and so we had hoped for the objective evaluation of the story. Frankly we had hoped someone who knows about this story either in Brooklyn or in Nigeria would send the true story to us secretly if they do not want their identity revealed.

In asking for people to send us news, we also realize the potential for Nigerians to fabricate stories in other to get even. However, responsible journalism requires vetting a story before publishing. Our intention is also not to set about to hurt any official or any member of the family. However, we must leave a clean and better Nigeria to the next generation

There-in lies our lack of desire for writing editorial on the above story in the absence of any new story to build on. But since then, this story has taken a life of its own. First the Daily Independent wrote in what we think, for now, tally with the information we have. Now, the above story by the Guardian. Without becoming an apologist or persecutor of Nigerian politicians, we believe the above story is worth pursuing, and that is why we made the Sun story a TOP NEWS in our publication of September 09, 2005. We had hoped responsible journalism will kick in and we will get to know how a high sounding naira figure ($537,126.28 or about N78million according to the Sun) converts to the currency we are all willing to die for - the dollar and the pound sterling. Looking at the Guardian publication above, it appears the amount involved is now £250,000. which is $459,102.69. Since American currency uses a $ symbol and not £, our belief is that this is a print error.

Frankly, it seems to us that the case of graft in Nigeria is on its way to being trivialized. If Obasanjo is corrupt as advanced by Gov. Kalu, we would hope this is not how we are going to find out this important allegation. The home involved is an apartment in Brooklyn and not even a Single family home either in Brooklyn,  Long Island or Princeton. When we first put the news on our TOP NEWS, we had thought something is about to break. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, as usual was in, on it with his usual outrage. The fact is, until something else is known about this house other than what we know now, it is possible we may be making a son to pay for the sin of his father when there is no reason for it. You can imagine the emotional outburst of Olugbenga as he points fingers to his half brother, Olumuyiwa. We must always assume that grown up children of a prominent father can have a separate life apart from their parents. The same goes for the Abacha's siblings assuming all we were able to find out about them were within their earning potentials

We at the NigerianNews are very much familiar with owning a house in the United States. Our fear is that our eagerness to catch the father could prematurely result in damaging the son who is eminently qualified to own the type of apartment in the news  anywhere in the US. If you do not believe us or you think we are covering up for the big guy in Aso Rock, ask your next door neighbor whose child lives in the US, he or she will tell you, though he or she  lives in a shed in Nigeria, his child lives in something far better than that of Olumuyiwa's apartment. House ownership in the USA is ability to pay, and the son of the president who is also a lawyer in the US  can surely afford a Brooklyn apartment. The fact is, all you need is a down payment and a job that guarantees your ability to pay.

Our worry is that because we want to corroborate Gov. Kalu on his allegation about this president, and the suspicion of some that he may also have some dirty linings in his closet, we could trivialize the whole matter to the point where when we get the true story, no one believes us.

Unless someone out there knows more than we currently know about this "apartment" brouhaha, we can only say an open season of trivialization has just begun, and you will never find the NigerianNews a party to it.

We still appeal to any one who may know more about this story than we currently know at the NigerianNews to pass us the information, and we will not disappoint you.

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"Frankly, it seems to us that the case of graft in Nigeria is on its way to being trivialized. If Obasanjo is corrupt as advanced by Gov. Kalu, we would hope this is not how we are going to find out this important allegation. The home involved is an apartment in Brooklyn and not even a Single family home either in Brooklyn,  Long Island or Princeton."