Kashamu Buruji, Ekiti People Hate Blood Money
The stillborn dream and desperation of the factionalized Peoples' Democratic (PDP) to take over Ekiti State reached a new low on Saturday with its United States-wanted chameleonic alleged drug baron, Kashamu Buruji, whose real name some have given as Esho Jinadu, boasting to want to spend N1 billion of his drug money on the 2014 governorsip election in the state.
For those who may not know Kashamu, the PDP financier in Ogun State, he was named as the kingpin of a drug cartel by one Kary Hayes who was arrested in 1994 for being in possession of approximately 14.16 pounds of heroin at the O'Hare International Airport on a flight from Zurich, Switzerland.
This same Kashamu, who wants to spend his ill-gotten N1 billion on Ekiti election, according to Hayes "arranged: (a) the pick up of the heroin by the couriers in Europe and Indonesia; (b) the transfer of the heroin to others once the heroin entered the United States; (c) the payment of the couriers and the people who supervised them; and (d) the carrying by couriers of large sums of cash during the couriers' outbound trips from the United States for delivery to him in Europe and elsewhere." Up until now, there is still a pending criminal action against Buruji before the United States Distict Court, Northern District of Illinois involving fifteen other co-conspirators who have jailed. The case number is 1:94-cr-00172. The United States considers him a fugitive. Amongst other things, he was also accused of using fraudulent means to obtain a German Visa in 2009 under the name "Buruji Kashamu Shodipe".
One would think Buruji would busy himself more with clearing his name which has been added to the international encyclopedia of drug trafficking or the PDP cat and dog politics in Ogun State, which one is not even sure is his home state as he has accused of laying claim to Benin Republic at some point. Rather he is inserting his universally damaged reputaion into the politics of Ekiti State. In an interview in Saturday Punch on 31 August 2013, he boasted about his contributions to several PDP candidates, especially Bayelsa's Timipre Sylva and Oyo State's Alao Akala: "I'm ready to spend even N1bn to ensure the success of the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State during the forthcoming election. It would be a shame on my part if I fail to do that. I'm ready to do the same thing in Osun and Oyo States. I did not just start doing all of that today. A reference point was when Alao-Akala wanted to contest for the governorship in Oyo, because of the passion I have for the PDP, I spent over N200m to support him and he won. I also supported Timipre Sylva in Bayelsa State. I gave him over 17 jeeps, three trailer-loads of Ankara clothing materials with his picture and that of his deputy embossed on them and also gave him a lot of cash because President Jonathan was campaigning for him and he asked all of us to join hands in ensuring his victory at the poll. After Sylva won, he gave me the IGR in Bayelsa which I managed for about two years and during which I raised the revenue from N200m to over N1bn monthly before I left the state."
How soothing it is to see what Buruji's candidates turned Oyo and Bayelsa States into! While Sylva is still battling with EFCC, Governor Abiola Ajimobi is having sleepless nights cleaning up the mess of Akala. Heaven knows how many curses must be going in the direction of Buruji Kashamu from the people of Oyo State for helping in foisting Akala on them. This is the same evil the 'money-miss-road' wants to unleash on Ekiti with his questionable money. His only explanation of how he made money is that he is a successful businessman. Well, I think Nigerians know the kind of business he refers to.
Following the vacation of the injunction against his extradition to the United States by the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, I advise Buruji Kashamu to pack his bag as he may be US-bound any moment from now to face the wrath of the law.
Chameleonic characters like this have found solace in the Peoples' Democratic Party which is also noted to harbor ex-convicts. What alleged international criminals like Buruji fail to know is that the people of Ekiti are cerebral and are not hungry. He should confer with his fellow PDP brother whose real name was also a source of controversy how he was collectively kicked out of Ekiti Government House and had to escape with his tails between his legs under the cloak of darkness.
Evidently, with its implosion and the nationwide rejection of the clueless government of President Goodluck Jonathan, the days of the PDP are numbered in Nigeria and bearing testimony to that is the Offa Council poll in Kwara State in which the people decisively rejected the PDP. This is just a dress rehearsal of what will happen in 2014 in Ekiti and the 2015 presidential election. Ekiti people have tasted good governance after the harrowing seven and a half locust years of the PDP at the helm of affairs. Buruji Kashamu and his co-comedians who are battering themselves to pick the governorship ticket of the torn-umbrella party in Ekiti should go ahead and spend his N1 billion as I believe it would go a long way in quenching their hunger. However, they should not let it degenerate to what happened when they were sharing the Olubolade largesse and had to batter themselves.
Drug money is blood money. Ekiti people do not want blood money.
'Dimeji Daniels writes from Ado-Ekiti
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN