By
Otunba Gbenga Daniel
Executive Governor of Ogun State
April 24, 2006
On my way for a thanksgiving service on my 50th birthday, I was given a copy of the insider magazine, where I was accused along with my wife of money laundering and looting. The magazine also claimed that my wife was arrested in London. My picture adorned the cover page.
My feeling and that of my family can better be imagined, as I have not faced this kind of blackmail in my entire life.
Since the commencement of our administration in Ogun state, we have faced all kind of challenges of evil men who find our business unusual, an anathema, which must be stopped at all costs. In the process, all kinds of evil have been concocted and plotted. Assassinations and violet actions have been planned with various methods, all kind of fictions have been advertised. Some of our enlightened friends have advice that we should keep mum and concentrate on our work. On the few occasions that we have responded to set the records straight, we have been blackmailed and accused of intolerance. So in recent times, we decided to ignore the antics of opposition and say nothing. But rather than abate, they became emboldened and completely went gaga in formulating all kinds of lies and deliberately posted same to various websites all aid of their determination to destroy. The most recent of these fictions are as follows:
Fiction 1 The Elendureports, written by a certain Jonathan Elendu on 1st April 2006 posted on the internet where my wife was reported to have forfeited 55,000 pounds sterling at Heathrow Airport, London and I was also purportedly accosted by custom agents in Korea in 2005,and with the money found on me, I was forced to buy vehicles from South Korea which were parked at a remote corner at the Ogun State government House. Fact is that I have not been in South Korea in the last 8years!!!!
Fictions 2. Leadership Newspaper on Sunday in its edition on 2nd april 2006.written by a certain sam asowata also wrote that my wife, Chief Mrs. Olufunke Daniel 55,000 pounds stering to customs officials and that in 2005, I was almost arrested by custom agents in china and once again I quickly purchased vehicles with the money found on me from china.
Fictions 3. This can be described as the mother of all fiction written by a certain David Igbinadolor, subject of the cover of the current edition of insider magazine, No 12 of April 17 2006. Armageddon has finally come to Ogun State.
For the information of all member of my family, especially my children who have become distraught those of them that had previously expressed strong opposition to my participation in politics, the entire people of Ogun State at home and in Diaspora, friends and well wishers and Nigerians in general and my numerous international associates and partners who have been fed with this well crafted make believe stories, I categorically declare that all of the above without exception are deliberate falsehood and lies in all ramification. I have contacted the legal firm of Gani Fawehinmi & co, which will commence the necessary legal proceeding in order to restore my name and integrity for which I live. I have also declared that I will voluntarily resign my position as the Governor of Ogun if I am found guilty of any of these allegation. I am also voluntarily waving whatever immunity associated with this position in the course of these legal proceedings.
However, while that is going on I wish to inform the general public of the following facts.
Fact 1 Otunba Gbenga Daniel, declare that I have never been accosted nor questioned in my 50 years of life by any law enforcement agent any where in the world, for any criminal intent not to talk of custom agent confiscating any dime from me. l also declare that since l married my wife about 20years ago, she has never been accosted not to talk of arrest by any enforcement agent anywhere in the world. I challenge anyone anywhere in the world who has such information to publicly volunteer such.
Facts 2 Insider stated authoritatively that I was accosted, questioned or arrested in 1996,1999 and 2004 where all kinds of monies were found on me, (Great Britain Pounds sterling) GBP100, 000, and that l am one of most frequently arrested governors. It also reported that my wife was found with GBP65, 000 which was confiscated and another $20,000 that she was allowed to keep. Intelligent people know that international security operatives don’t operate this way. Everything, every single letter, I repeat all the figures are white lies and fabricated falsehood. I repeat that I offer to resign if any of these is found to be true.
Fact 3 What can only be forged document was reproduced to make the whole insider story look credible, the document titled investigation and purportedly issued by the fraud department unit at Heathrow stated that my wife, Mrs. Olufunke Daniel was arrested on 26th January 2006 via virgin Atlantic flight to London. Fact is that my wife was not on that flight as she was with me in Abeokuta preparing for the presidential visit on that day. Her passport and manifest confirmation from virgin Atlantic will be tendered at the courts.
It was also insinuated that the presidency had always been approached to bail us out in times of trouble. Fact is that, everyone knows that this presidency does not operate that way. We are aware that everyday all sorts of forged document and forged petitions purportedly emanating from all kinds of fake transparency groups existing only in the minds of the evil doers are flying all over. We accosted one last week purportedly written by a faceless group called Transparency concerns with some fake belief Abuja and Kaduna address with fake telephone numbers, but sent from a business center in Abeokuta. We have not bothered because we believe that sooner than later they will all be exposed. We have asked the presidency to kindly investigate all of these allegations with international dimensions, which we know to be untrue and we are sure that the result of these investigations will be available legal tender. The tragedy of our nation is that all public officers are assumed corrupt, but we must not lose hope because when good men continue to shun the political process, charlatans and never do wells take over and then rule unintelligently over intelligent people. By the grace of god, it will not happen.
The question to all discering minds is; who are does behind these evil deeds? I confess that we know them; desperate politician and their collaborators who are cowards and still in hiding, and who do not know any other .road to power than by foul means, pretenders who are not men and man enough, telling lies and falsehood against my person. Their tactics is the elevation of deliberately crafted rumour to the next level, and of course violence. I confess that we do not have capacity to match their evil propaganda because we have very different backgrounds. I assure our people that they will soon unveil themselves because falsehood triumph over the truth.
The good Lord will not let it happen.
Permit me to recall a few instances of their shenanigans;
In September 2004,the opposition fabricated and circulated a most uncharitable lie against my person,falsely country with a large sum of money and that I had used the said money to purchase buses for state mass transit programme.we debunked this lie and provided the name of the company which supplied the buses as Authobras Nigeria Limited, agent of Comil Buses of Brazil in Nigeria. The company even supplied the Buses on credit against instalmental payments spread over a period of 12 months because of the limited resources of Ogun state. The shameless, heartless and callous liars behind the falsehood are yet to apologise to the public for their misdeeds.
In August 2005, the opposition concocted and propagated yet another debilitating rumour against my person falsely alleging that I have a hand in the disappearance of my own friend and political associate who is also my board member, Alhaji Age Animashaun of Sagamu. It is preposterous that I, an apostle of politics without bitterness, fair play, justice, equity and a gentleman could be accused of such ungodly act in the name of politics. We debunked this lie and the police investigation is in progress.
It is important to state here that a certain former governor of the state had to be questioned for his suspected role in the violent attack of this same woman, Mrs Daniel at Ilaro while on a life saving child immunization programme in October 2004 .
They have tried to frustrate all our efforts to turn around Ogun state from day one. They tried to disrupt the presidential visit but failed. They tried to destroy the Gateway Games and they already failing. We will meet in the law courts and on the field.
I want to seize this opportunity to thank the people of Ogun state and all our friends and well wishers and to request all our people to please remain calm in the face of all these unwarranted provocation.
{signed}
Otunba Gbenga Daniel
Governor, Ogun state