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Investigative journalist reveals how he was offered N800k by and int’l NGO to smear Dangote refinery
In a lengthy post on his X account on Saturday, August 10, 2024, Hundeyin detailed how the NGO reached out to him sometime last week with a brief that required him to write a negative review about the Dangote Refinery using climate change and environmental concerns as justifications.
According to the controversial roundsman, Dialogue Earth, formerly known as China Dialogue Trust, is based in London, United Kingdom and headed by an Oxford professor Sam Geall.
He alleged that several American intelligence fronts such as Ford Foundation and ClimateWorks – which is blacklisted in India for funding organisations working against India’s national interest – are financiers of the NGO.
He wrote;
“I debated long and hard whether to do this publicly, but I think a message needs to be sent to a group of external interests working in tandem with the internal interests described in the quoted tweet to counteract the interests of half a billion West Africans. A message that at whatever level we exist, we take our destiny seriously and we are not to be trifled with.
“Last week, I received an N800,000 offer from an international NGO called Dialogue Earth (formerly known as China Dialogue Trust) to write an article essentially saying that Dangote Refinery is terrible for the environment because something something “Environmental Concerns,” something something “Climate Change,” something something “Energy Transition Policy,” something something “COP 28.”
“The (unstated but clearly implied) thrust of the brief was for a prominent local voice to put their name on an article that is an argument or a premise for the the Nigerian government to kill the refinery based on its “energy transition commitments” and “environmental policy.” This conclusion wasn’t immediately apparent when they reached out to me, but I suspected where it was heading, and I quickly accepted the offer so that I could see the brief and obtain hard evidence. I’ve attached screenshots from the brief below.
“Basically, this London-based NGO is headed by Sam Geall, an Oxford professor and is funded by several American intelligence fronts such as Ford Foundation and ClimateWorks (which is blacklisted in India for funding organisations working against India’s national interest). For whatever reason, it is now quietly mobilising a resistance campaign against what it describes as “Nigeria’s first refinery.” Apparently, the status quo of Africa’s largest oil producer having no functioning oil refinery to beneficiate its own oil was not a problem for Dialogue Earth and the American CIA fronts who fund it.
“The human poverty caused by exporting this raw material and importing refined fuel was not bad for the environment. Also, the fact of European refiners regularly blending West African fuel cargoes with toxic waste and sulphur content 200 times the European legal limit (leading to asthma, bronchitis and eye infections in West Africa) was also not bad for the environment. But Nigeria having a refinery that will wean West Africa off import dependency on those European refiners (and allow West Africa control the sulphur content of its own fuels) is where Dialogue Earth and its funders draw the line. That one is bad for the environment, and David Hundeyin should write an article calling for the refinery to be shut down or limited.
“I’m putting this out there publicly so that nobody will henceforth use the term “conspiracy theory” when it is pointed out for the umpteenth time, that there are American and European state and private interests that are heavily invested in keeping Africa exactly as poor as it is, and that they regularly push levers most of us do not even know exist, to make sure that this status quo is protected. These people believe that Africans should not exist or have nice things in this world. Apparently, the sole purpose of our existence is to enhance their experience of the planet and all that it has to offer.
“It is because of them that I have to make a public spectacle out of this, even though I know that doing this is probably going to cost someone their job. The message needs to be passed that as poor as we are, you cannot convince us to campaign for the elongation of our own poverty by commissioning $500 hack jobs in the hope that we will be greedy enough to only see the money and ignore the bigger picture of what we can clearly see you trying to do.
“I will reiterate something I have said multiple times – I am not a believer in the religious faith called Climate Change/Saving The Environment. I care exactly as much about the environment as do the rich white men who destroyed it to begin with. I firmly believe that if what it takes for Africa to industrialise is for it to burn so much fossil fuel that snow stops falling in Wisconsin and it starts raining concentrated sulphuric acid in Doncaster, it is not too big a price for Europe and North America to pay – it is certainly not bigger than the price Africa had to pay for Europe and North America to develop.
“It is and will continue to be 100% OUR prerogative to determine what to do with our hydrocarbons. It is not the rich white men hiding behind these “Climate Advocacy NGOs” who will tell us what to do with our energy reserves, and by what means we are allowed to escape the poverty that they engineered for us.
“I might not be a fan of Aliko Dangote or his monopolistic business practices – as is well known – but I’m also smart enough to know when rich white men in DC, Houston, Rotterdam and London and trying to use me as a marionette in their 400 year-old coloniser games. If you are reading this and you are one of the rich white men whose economic interests are threatened by Nigeria refining its own oil, you should come out and fight Aliko Dangote by yourself.
“Or at least go find a much stupider African to do your dirty job – there’s plenty of those.
“It will never be me.”
News
IGP orders arrest and investigation of officer caught on tape making unauthorized political comments about Edo guber election
The Nigeria Police Force says it is aware of a recent video evidencing political comment by an individual dressed in a Spy Police uniform regarding the upcoming Edo State gubernatorial elections, which has been circulating on social media platforms.
In a statement released, the spokesperson of the police force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the NPF strongly condemned this act and clarified that the individual is not a regular officer of the Nigeria Police Force, but a Supernumerary (Spy) Police Officer employed by a private company.
“Supernumerary Police Officers are private individuals trained by the Nigeria Police for specific security functions, primarily within their place of employment.
“They are not on the payroll of the NPF and do not swear to the oath of allegiance like sworn regular police officers, thus they have the right to belong to any political party of their choice and freedom of expression.
” In this extant case, the Police frowns at the wearing of his official SPY uniform and engaging in political activities.
The individual involved has been arrested for further investigations. We reiterate that his political comments do not reflect the views of the Nigeria Police, and the public is urged to disregard any such statements and trust in our continued commitment to professionalism, neutrality, and the rule of law.” Adejobi said
In the viral video, the officer could be heard saying ;
“They want to make the governance of our state a family affair, an affair between two friends and we Edo people will not allow that to happen and this is the time to bring Obaseki to justice.
” He has committed a lot of crimes against Edo people. We have spared him because of the immunity given to him by the Constitution. Very soon, he will not have immunity, he will be free and the Edo people will deal with him as we please”
News
UAE deports 400 Nigerians
Four hundred Nigerians including 90 females and 310 males have been deported from the United Arab Emirates, UAE, the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, reports.
They were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the office of the National Security Adviser alongside the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders.
It was gathered that a total of 103 Nigerians deported from the Republic of Turkiye, recently, were received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders.
The deportees who arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Friday at 7:00 pm through the pilgrims wing of the airport were received by Federal Government officials led by NEMA personnel.
News
#Endbadgovernance: Court grants N10m bail each on 10 protesters
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday slammed N10 million bail each on the
ten members of the #endbadgovernance# protesters who were charged with attempting to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu between July 1 and August 4 this year.
Justice Emeka Nwite admitted them to bail while delivering a ruling on their bail applications.
Among others, the protesters are to produce one surety each in the same amount while the sureties must be residents in Abuja.
Besides, the sureties must be property owners in Abuja and must deposit documents of the properties to the court in addition to swearing an affidavit of means.
Also, both the defendants and the sureties must deposit their international passports and three recent passport photographs with the court.
Justice Nwite, while rejecting the objections of the Inspector General of Police against the bail request, ordered the defendants not to participate in any public rally throughout their trial.
Pending the perfection of their respective bail conditions, the Judge ordered that they be remanded in prison custody.
Meanwhile, September 27 has been fixed for the commencement of their trial.
The accused persons were said to have committed the treasonable offence during their one-week nationwide protests when they allegedly levied war against Nigeria.
The offences were said to be contrary to sections 96, 410 and 413 of the Penal Code.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP, who brought the charges against them alleged that the accused persons broke into the Abacha Army Barracks and openly called on the military to take over the constitutional government of President Tinubu.
He also alleged that they attempted to force their way into the seat of power during which they allegedly burned down a police station and injured police officers.
They were also said to have incited the Nigerian public against the government and destroyed several public properties including a Police station, High Court complex and National Communication Commission, NCC facilities.
The accused persons are Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Eleojo Simon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello Nurudeen Khamis and Abduldalam Zubair.
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