NIGERIA MEDIA MONITOR

Monday, November 24, 2003

STELLA OBASANJO SUES THE NEWS, ALLEGED LIBEL, CLAIMS N1Billion
TRIBUTES GALORE FOR LATE PUNCH EDITOR
WE'LL FIND OKIGBO REPORT, OBASANJO ASSURES PUNCH

STELLA OBASANJO SUES THE NEWS ALLEGED LIBEL, CLAIMS N1B
The Guardian, November 21, 2003
The wife of the President, Stella Obasanjo, has dragged the Independent
Communication Network Limited, publishers of The News magazine, to an Abuja
High Court, claiming N1 billion damages for alleged libel published by the
news magazine.

In her statement of claim through her lawyer, Dr. B.O. Babalakin, SAN, Mrs.
Obasanjo said the publication in the magazine issue of October 27, alleging
that she got a contract from Comite des Jeux Africains (COJA) officials for
the furnishing of the Games Village was "based entirely on speculation,
unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations."

She said she was "shocked, scandalized and horrified" by the publication,
adding that all her life and particularly since the swearing-in of her
husband as he President of Nigerian on May 29, 1999, she had lived an
exemplary life based on the principles of "moral uprightness, integrity,
abhorrence of corruption and corrupt people."

She therefore sought that the defendants pay her the sum of N1 billion being
general and exemplary damages for libel, and a perpetual injunction
restraining the defendants from further republishing or cause to be
published the said publication or any similar ones deemed defamatory by her.

Others joined alongside The News holding company include its Editor-in-Chief
Bayo Onanuga, Ademola Adegbamigbe (Editor) and Bamidele Johnson (alleged
writer of the publication).

The trial Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice L.H.
Gumi, granted Mrs. Obasanjo leave to serve the writ of summons and statement
of claims.

The matter was adjoined to December 17 for mention.

TRIBUTES GALORE FOR LATE PUNCH EDITOR
The Punch, November 21, 2003
Former Editor, The Punch, Mr. Nurudeen Alade Tolani Balogun (a.k.a. NAT),
was on Thursday described as an achiever with a difference.

Associates, friends and families of the deceased paid tributes to him during
the eight-day Fidau, the final rite, for the late Balogun in Lagos.

Balogun, 58, was editor of The PUNCH from October 1, 1984 to January 23,
1986.

He has since been buried according to Islamic rites. According to the first
son of the deceased, Tunde, his father was a pleasant fellow and a down to
earth humanist.

WE'LL FIND OKIGBO REPORT, OBASANJO ASSURES PUNCH
The Punch, November 20, 2003
President Olusegun Obasanjo has assured Punch of the determination of his
administration to find the Pius Okigbo Panel report which probed how the
General Ibrahim Babangida's regime spent the N12.4 billion extra income
Nigeria earned from crude oil sales during the Gulf War in 1991.

In a reply to PUNCH, Obasanjo, said efforts would be made to locate the
report and make it available to "all interested parties."

The President's letter, signed by his Senior Special Assistant (Media and
Publicity), Mrs. Remi Oyo, and addressed to the Editor, THE PUNCH, Mr.
Azubuike Ishiekwene, read: "President Olusegun Obasanjo has directed to
acknowledge your letter of November 5, 2003.

"He welcomes the PUNCH's interest in contributing to the crusade for more
transparency and accountability in national affairs.

"You will appreciate, however, that the work of the Pius Okigbo Panel on the
Gulf War Oil earnings was undertaken before the advent of the present
administration.

"The President notes that you have already sent a request for the report to
the Secretary to the Government of the Federation whose office normally has
custody of all such documents.

"He wishes to assure you that every possible effort will be made by (the)
Secretary to the Government of the Federation to locate the Okigbo Report
and make it available to all who have a legitimate interest in its
contents."

PUNCH, had on November 5, written Obasanjo, as a last resort, to ask for a
copy of the Okigbo Panel report.

In a letter dated November 5, 2003, the newspaper urged the President to
facilitate the release of the report for publication.

The letter, signed by Ishiekwene, was copied to the President of the Senate,
Chief Adolphus Wabara; Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Muhammadu
Uwais; the Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Masari; the
Attorney-General of Federation, Mr. Akin Olujinmi; and the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette, who was a member of the
Okigbo panel.

The letter read in part; "In making this request, we are motivated by two
crucial factors: one, the understandably deep public interest in the work of
the panel; and two, the unrelenting commitment of your administration to
transparency and accountability.

"PUNCH believes that bringing the document to the public domain, where it
rightly belongs, is not only consistent with the cardinal principles of your
administration already mentioned, but that such a step will strengthen
public confidence in the outcome, efficacy and utility of official
enquiries, now and in the future.

"On August 14, 2003, we wrote a letter to the SGF's office ( a copy of the
letter is attached for Your Excellency's reference), requesting for a copy
of the report but received no reply. We wrote two reminders on September 3
and 17 (also attached herewith) to the SGF and, yet again, received neither
acknowledgement nor a reply.

"We then took our search to the National Archives through a letter date
October 26 (attached also for Your Excellency's reference). In a reply to
our letter, Mr. A.O. Adepetun, who signed on behalf of the Director,
regretted that the Okigbo report was not in the Archives.

"Apart from the Archives, we understand that copies of such reports are
usually kept at The Presidency.

"We have, therefore, been constrained to approach Your Excellency's office
as a last resort , being the veritable refuge of public trust and
confidence.

"We have no doubt that given the huge public interest and resources involved
in the matter in hand, Your Excellency will intervene fruitfully to unearth
the report."

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