A SNITCH, A FRAUD TRADES BLACKMAIL

Also, the noble profession of journalism is in danger of peril and the lovers of the trade --- journalist who love to adopt pen names for reasons of protection -- even stand the risk of being stamped into the great beyond by those who are paid to blow their cover. The moles within are not only pretending to be “master writers” and “super news reporters,” having delivered their own very soul for the leviathan, but they go around the world to provide proofs to their paymasters, that they are capable of what no mortal man can do: destroy fellow human beings.

You would be concerned as to what or who the thrust of this long preamble might be. I shall land momentarily. It is about a certain individual that I was glad to rebuff for trying to recruit me to join a criminal gang for the purpose of blackmailing the Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Professor Anthony Ademola Adefuye, a few days ago. And for refraining to join him in spreading the plague of subterfuge and court falsehood in order to make huge financial rewards through advertisements, he is going everywhere calling me names and mischaracterizing me.

This whole mater started when our news organization researched and reported that the accounts of the Nigerian embassy in Washington D.C. were under investigations and had been frozen, resulting in the non-payment of the salaries of Nigerian diplomats in the United States. The major objective of our report was to spotlight the problems and, ultimately, ensure that wages were accordingly paid.

We stayed on the various developing aspects of the story. And in the middle of our investigations, President Goodluck Jonathan said during the last media chat in Nigeria that the accounts of the embassy would be probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions, EFCC. We still went ahead to give the update to our readers concerning the matter. Those who wanted us to commit professional suicide called to tutor us their own version of journalism; that we should not have reported the pronouncements of the president. Even when the Embassy did what was plausible in the circumstance, to make the case that the little misunderstanding about its finances was not for the reason of money laundering activities, this same individual took possession of the valuable materials (by the way of hijack) that were sent containing facts that would assist every media house to do a more objective analysis and justice to the matter. The man to whom the documents were entrusted for onward distribution would later roll out what he called an exclusive report.

This same individual that has never demonstrated decency, morality or lawful caution in borrowing our original materials on the embassy’s financial matters would desperately come out with a copy in which he described our reports which he got Leadership Newspapers in Nigeria to re-produce as “false and malicious.” And he was so audacious about this crafty endeavor that he dared to call us and pleaded we should publish the same as an exclusive report and later as a rejoinder. We refused, pointing out the mischief in the said copy.

Devastating as his conduct was, unlike him, we did not lose our staying ability on the reports. We are not President Jonathan and so cannot pretend to posses the power and authority to stop the EFCC from carrying out a presidential order.

We are journalists and our brief is to educate, entertain, inform, analyze and sometimes offer constructive criticisms and suggestions. We do not arrogate to ourselves the responsibility of getting people into trouble or delivering them from evil. Our brief is simply to report. And that is what we did. And through our reports, we were able to put out the information that Ambassador Adefuye may not be guilty as alleged. And the ambassador never asked us to extricate him. He only provided us the facts that we sought so that we would not draw wrong conclusions.

But our friend, who initially wanted the world to believe that he was a peace broker between the Embassy and sharpedgenews.com, even when there was no animosity between that august institution and our humble enterprise, also went creating the impression that our story was at the instance of Maryland-based Lawyer Emeka Ugwonye and Mr. Carlisle Umunnnah of RepublicReports.com. We do not know those gentlemen, our paths have never crossed and we may never have any cause to join business with them. But apparently acting on his own, he was lying to everyone to say that he was acting on our behalf.

Our story has been well delivered and the purpose has now been achieved. The embassy said it had no account in the US. We were able to establish that its account at M&T existed. The reason for its closure is open to debate based on the US Patriot Act that prompted the kind of advice that ensued from M&T management. Our detractor himself provided the proof to the entire world by publishing the evidence. Also the salaries of our diplomat compatriots have now been paid. End of story.

But our boastful brother (I don’t know this kind of brother) has now gone to town to link the name Oladimeji Abitogun with that of Roy Connie, who rubbished him as a fraud. Even if Roy Connie is the same person as Oladimeji Abitogun, it is criminal for Emeke Asiwe to have e-mailed the protected information to any unauthorized individual. Roy e-mailed his story to whomever he had to. We were e-mailed the same way Roy e-mailed Emeke Asiwe. But there is a certain ego that no one else should get the type of ‘celestial’ e-mail or leaks that Mr. Asiwe gets, so he got mad and “exposed” us as some person that goes by the name Roy Connie. And in his zeal to deliver us to the jury, Asiwe did the unthinkable and unveiled himself as envious and irresponsible. He also offered us an advice to “add value” to our news website in order to attract advertisements.

Truth be told, any expert comparing between our copies and that of Mr. Asiwe would be able say that our man should have reserved his misguided and ill-advised advice for himself. We are humbled by our present efforts, the untiring team whose hard work Mr. Fast Buck Asiwe seeks to diminish as he lacks respect for dignity of labor.

As a certified backbiter cum saboteur of visions, we cannot but lecture him to mind his business. Those with whom he relishes in vainglory also appreciate the fact that we try to improve ourselves without stealing others people’s efforts or blackmailing anyone in order to get adverts. Crooks often appear to do better than those who deploy real hard work, yet a Waterloo often lurks around for them.

Those who work in self-delusion go to town to say that there is a link between our reports and their self-serving ethnic jingoism. There is no such thing.

Yes, my wife is Igbo, but she does not subscribe to the evil of ganging-up against those who do not speak same language like her or contrive with people for not looking the way she does. We simply do not believe that the Ambassador or his subordinates are out to destroy Igbos. We strongly believe that the man, Emeka Ugwoye, should drop the money he stole from the people and the government of Nigeria. Case closed. Anybody from any ethnic group can be a thief. It is not a tribal thing. It is a possibility with any human being. That is why we do not share that criminal thought that Ambassador Adefuye should capitulate to the demands of those who want him to assist them to make fast buck through undeserved adverts.

Somebody wants us to soft-walk so that they can stop their blackmail against Adefuye. We do not fish in the same pool with this crowd. And now that we have refused in joining the wrong crowd, our piper has gone to town to say that Oladimeji Abitogun demanded $400 from Adefuye. Insane. They say that they have stuff on us. Now we are challenging them to bring out the dirty secret. We have never made any demands on the ambassador. And you know that they are sons of their father, the devil, because he is the father of all liars.

What drives them? Greed. Deceit. And an incurable penchant to manipulate unsuspecting readers and other internet users. When we have genuine reports, whether favorable or unfavorable to the ambassador, we would run them. What we would not do is connive with a devilish multitude to mob him, the leadership and the people of Nigeria. Coming after a name dropper, a snitch who can even betray his own mother, is not same thing as fighting the ambassador. We believe he entered into a deal with the publishers of Elombah Perspectives and Republic Reports after he was reduced in his garrulous and pretentious stature.

For as long as Emeke Asiwe wants to burn the bridges that took him to his emergency wealth and fame, he would have someone willing and eager to show him his own reflection in the mirror. And I am sure that a long line of journalists he betrayed with the EFCC, the State Security Service and so on is waiting to have their own pound of flesh. So much for a megalomaniac that has called every associate around the world for fruitless gossip. Real men fight face to face, not by back-knifing. So long.

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Oladimeji Abitogun