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Laolu Akande on Harry Akande business interests
Dear Laolu Akande, I wish to inform you that majority of Nigerians in America, Nigeria and all over the world appreciates the quality of your news contents and your news gathering ability. Your work as a reporter based on what some of us who follow you; is of the highest quality and at least you have stayed away from the negative, praising singing, sensational and trivial news reporting Nigerian press is known for. You represent one of the best Newspaper in Nigeria and the Guardian Newspaper has set the pace for maturity, objectiveness and making Nigerians proud that at least one of our newspapers is aiming for the best standard. Your story on Mr. Harry Akande is trivial, praise singing and is no news to ordinary Nigerians or we in Diaspora. That this man is having problems, or contract dispute with the Federal government of Nigeria over his personal business, has nothing to do with how we feel, and is of no benefit to Nigeria or beneficial to us here. This is an exercise in personal aggrandizement by Mr. Harry Akande and you know that the press in Nigeria is used to singing praises just like that for material gains. Do we need such praise singing in this present dispensation and in America? All these Military apologist billionaires we have in Nigeria should know by now that we are in a new system and playing by the rules, there will be no easy money like obtained under the Military system. This so call contracts being stalled by the present Federal Government was awarded by the corrupt Military Government before this administration. I am not a supporter of this administration when it does wrong, but there must be genuine reason for the present Government to stall a contract awarded by Abacha and his group. The Military apologists we have in our midst who want to belong with (AGIP) any government in power - are always the first to cry foul when Nigerian people are being protected from their shady deals, which has for years milked us dry, and all we hear is how great they are and all these great venture for Nigeria which does us no good but keeps them fat and happy. This particular story is just praise singing and I still do not believe you did this reporting, because I could not differentiate between Akande the victim and Akande the praise singer and I think we your audience deserves better. Below is a section of your article/headline that I focus my points on. It is no news for ordinary Nigerians and for us in Diaspora. You wrote on NigeriaWorld on 03/13/2001. Quote "Chicago-based Billionaire and chairman of the APP board of Trustees, Chief Harry Akande has alleged political persecution by the Obasanjo administration against his business interests. He specified three projects that his company, AIC had been handling before the current civilian administration, which are now being stalled and frustrated in spite of existing court orders protecting the contracts. Akande listed the projects thus: *The $100 million Lagos International Airport Hilton Hotel project. **The multi-billion Naira Ibadan-Ilorin dualisation project **The Rehabilitation project for the National Arts Theater in Iganmu Lagos. Akande in a recent interview with this reporter said, "because of my experience with this administration, it is starting to look as a gang-up against AIC of which I was chairman before, and I can buttress this." The former presidential candidate wondered "could it be that this is because Harry is chairman of APP board of Trustees and not in PDP? That is a big question. In fact, regarding the $100 million Hilton Hotel project, the Chief Executive of the Hilton Group International based in England David M.C. Michels wrote to President Olusegun Obasanjo last September. He urged a rethink of stalling of the project after the previous government had entered into an agreement with the AIC and the Hilton Group and a groundbreaking ceremony had taken place. Michels expressed concern over how the sudden stalling of the Hilton project could affect the FG's oft repeated quest to lure foreign investors to Nigeria." Unquote This is an honest opinion of mine and I think we deserve better. Thanks Washington, DC
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