Charlez Blog

Professor Ukandi G. Damachi, a confidante of former Nigeria dictator and military president, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) has detailed events leading to the ultimate death of Nigeria’s President, Musa Yaradua. In an expose made by the US cable wire, published in the whistle-

blowing website, wikileaks, he stated that Yaradua was killed by food poisoning, but refused to say those behind the act.

“There are lots of problem in Nigeria. His food was poisoned”, he alleged. In the expose, he traced it to Yaradua inheriting the kitchen staff of his predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo; though he later fired them. Shedding more light on how the food poisoning came about, he noted that Yaradua went to various functions on Saturdays and Sundays; and ate in those events. “What President eats at a function?” he asked rhetorically.

The IBB right hand man squealed that Yaradua was so sick that he was able to sign only one budget, while he was unable to sign the approval which made the Lamorde the current Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). Yaradua’s illness he noted gave so much concern to the Northern power blocs as they feared that he may not be able to finish his tenure, thus giving way to his then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan the presidency. 

Yar’adua’s minister of defence was approached at Christmas time and offered N500 million by a group of general, but the minister refused and went to tell Yaradua about it; how they were using money budgeted for military matters for personal and political use, Ukandi alleged again. For the first time probably in the nation history, it was revealed by the Prof why the election that brought in Yaradua was not voided by the Supreme Court. According to him, “If the Supreme Court invalidate the tribunal’s decision and orders a new election, Senate President, David Mark will assume the presidency until the election takes place within 90 days. The North distrusts Mark who is a ‘coup plotter’: as a former military signals officer, he’s trained to “tell the troops what to do”; the North doesn’t want Mark in power for even a short time.”

While Yaradua’s sickness raged on with its surrounding controversy, Ukandi stated that IBB met with the soldiers in Niger State to discuss the situation; where they agreed to “act in June”, when the Supreme Court would have finished its ruling on Yaradua and Buhari; but the court ruled in favor of Yaradua, thus stopping the IBB boys from acting.

Below is the full wikileak’s report on one of the most tension-filled period in Nigeria’s peace time history:

Viewing cable 08LAGOS153, NIGERIA: IBB CONFIDANT SAYS YAR'ADUA HAS FOOD 

08LAGOS1532008-04-24 17:38CONFIDENTIALConsulate Lagos

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000153   

SUBJECT: NIGERIA: IBB CONFIDANT SAYS YAR'ADUA HAS FOOD POISONING  

Classified By: Consul General Donna Blair for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)  

¶1.  (C) Summary: Professor Ukandi G. Damachi (strictly protect throughout), confidant of former military head of state Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) told Pol-Econ Chief that President Yar'Adua is ill with food poisoning.

The remainder of the conversation followed a line of argument we have heard from other southern interlocutors: Northern elites fear the Presidency will revert to the South, the military is restive, vague allusions to some sort of action that will involve retired generals or former military heads of state. 

Damachi offered no more proof of his assertions than have others.  However, in light of his close relationship with IBB, we repeat the conversation here for what it is worth. 

Regarding the President's illness, we note that in Abuja circles we have not heard the food poisoning scenario, although we have heard the allergic reaction scenario. 

National Security Advisor reported to the Ambassador April 21 that the President was due back in-country around April 28-29.  End Summary. 

¶2.  (C) Pol-Econ Chief met on April 23 with Professor Ukandi 

¶G. Damachi, a confidant of former President Ibrahim Badamasi 

Babangida (IBB) and longstanding contact of the Consulate. 

(Note:  Damachi became a U.S. citizen earlier this year. End 

Note)  Damachi opened the conversation by saying "There are 

lots of problems in Nigeria."  The first problem, he said, is 

the President's illness; "his food was poisoned", Damachi 

alleged.  Asked whether he meant "food poisoning" or that 

someone had deliberately poisoned the President's food, 

Damachi shrugged, replying "The President inherited 

Obasanjo's kitchen staff"; Yar'Adua has now fired them all, 

and the kitchen has been cleaned out following the incident, 

Damachi said.  At the same time, Damachi went on, the 

President did attend functions on both the Saturday and 

Sunday preceding his illness and ate some food at both of 

them.  "What President eats at a function?", Damachi asked 

rhetorically.  The President was so sick that the day he 

signed the budget, he was unable to sign a second piece of 

legislation awaiting his approval, the appointment of the 

current Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes 

Commission (EFCC) as the new Chairman. (Note:  We have not 

heard from other circles recently that Lamorde will move up 

to the position and actually officially take on the title of 

his old boss and mentor Nuhu Ribadu.  End Note)  The 

government is keeping it all very quiet, but the incident 

"reflects very bad security," Damachi stated. 

¶3.  (C) The President's health exacerbates the other 

problems, Damachi went on.  The northern leadership does not 

believe that Yar'Adua's health will allow him to serve out 

his four year term; that would mean that the presidency would 

pass to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and to the south, 

which is anathema to the North, Damachi said. In fact, the 

underlying reason the tribunal ruled against Bayelsa Governor 

Timipre Silva was to undercut Jonathan's power base, he 

claimed.  It is not yet a question of who will replace 

Yar'Adua, he said; the more important question at the present 

time is how to replace him.  Yar'Adua has been in office for 

a whole year, and "nothing is happening. It may look as 

though things are happening, but it is all theater, before 

the television cameras."  The ongoing probes, such as of the 

electric power generation debacle, suit the North because 

they expose the corruption of the last administration, 

Damachi said. 

¶4.  (C) What happened at the Health Ministry (Note: Former 

President Obasanjo's daughter, Senator Obasanjo-Bello, 

Nigeria's Health Minister, Minister of State and several 

civil servants are under indictment following accusations 

that they received naira 300 million (USD 2.5 million) of 

Ministry funds for personal use. End Note) has happened 

elsewhere, Damachi said, but with different outcomes.  For 

example, the Minister of Defense was approached at Christmas 

time by a group of generals who brought him a gift of naira 

500 million (USD 4.3 million).  The Defense Minister was 

smart, Damachi noted, and went immediately to the President 

to tell him what had happened.  The Defense Minister also 

told the President that the young officers are very critical 

of the generals, who they say are corrupt and use monies 

LAGOS 00000153  002 OF 002 

budgeted for military matters for personal and political use. 

 It was for that reason that earlier this year the President 

ordered long overdue back pay and pensions be paid and 

military salaries raised, Damachi said. 

¶5.  (C)  The decision of the Supreme Court on appeals by All 

Nigeria People's Party candidate Muhammedu Buhari and Action 

Congress candidate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from 

the tribunal's validation of Yar'Adua's election is going to 

be issued on or about May 29, Damachi said.  If the Supreme 

Court invalidates the tribunal's decision and orders a new 

election, Senate President David Mark will assume the 

Presidency until the election takes place within 90 days. The 

North distrusts Mark, who is a "coup plotter"; as a former 

military signals officer, he is trained to "tell the troops 

what to do", Damachi said.  The North doesn't want Mark in 

power for even a short time, Damachi said. (Note: Senate 

President David Mark also has his problems as his election 

seat was recently overturned in February. End Note) 

¶6.  (C) IBB met recently in Minna, Niger State with "the 

boys" to discuss the situation, Damachi said.  They "planned 

to act in June", Damachi said, but are now taking into 

account the dates of the Supreme Court decision.  Asked to 

elaborate, Damachi said he had queried IBB, who did not 

respond. "I'm glad I will be in China," Damachi chuckled. 

One of his next books will be entitled "Why Democracy is Bad 

for Africa", Damachi volunteered.  He favors benevolent 

dictatorships, along the lines of those in Singapore or 

Malaysia, to bring countries along until they are developed 

sufficiently to make democracy work. 

¶7.  (C) Comment:  We have heard this same general story line: 

Northern elites fearful the Presidency will revert to the 

South, military restive, vague allusions to some sort of 

action that will involve retired generals or former military 

heads of state, from other southern interlocutors.  Damachi 

offered no more proof of his assertions than have others. 

Nonetheless, in light of his close relationship with IBB, we 

repeat the conversation here for what it is worth.  End 

Comment.