What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)
Join Date: Apr 2008
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CLA
Tractor Driver,
I think you are a tad mistaken - we receive salary and location allowances for working in Countries crap or otherwise!
CLA on the other hand pays for beers, fags, phone cards and even the odd BJ (the choice is yours) whilst you are there!
Yes it is only US$3200 - US$5500 tax free for your 6 months on site at present with BHNL depending on your deal but that does pay for quite a few of the 3P's without having to dig into your own (in some cases incredibly deep and unfathomable) pockets.
It can transform Hopeless Scrooges into Socialites full of wit and Company subsidised Bonhomie! Look at the Escravos Mango Tree since CLA arrived!
Trog
I think you are a tad mistaken - we receive salary and location allowances for working in Countries crap or otherwise!
CLA on the other hand pays for beers, fags, phone cards and even the odd BJ (the choice is yours) whilst you are there!
Yes it is only US$3200 - US$5500 tax free for your 6 months on site at present with BHNL depending on your deal but that does pay for quite a few of the 3P's without having to dig into your own (in some cases incredibly deep and unfathomable) pockets.
It can transform Hopeless Scrooges into Socialites full of wit and Company subsidised Bonhomie! Look at the Escravos Mango Tree since CLA arrived!
Trog
Perhaps we all got spoiled from the old days....back when the Old Man ran things and the CLA sufficed for all yer expenses at work and usually had a surplus that allowed for the mad money on leave. But then we also have to admit times have changed.....bean counters rule nowadays unlike those days when a real helicopter pilot ran things.
Unfortunately, most bean counters know the cost of everything but the value of nothing and view the ledgers as being ciphers on parchment reflecting measurable assets.
Add in the Human Resources movement and business has gotten very cold.
IMHO....HR ranks right up there with other "Crimes Against Humanity" and ought to be prosecuted with the same punishment in mind.
Unfortunately, most bean counters know the cost of everything but the value of nothing and view the ledgers as being ciphers on parchment reflecting measurable assets.
Add in the Human Resources movement and business has gotten very cold.
IMHO....HR ranks right up there with other "Crimes Against Humanity" and ought to be prosecuted with the same punishment in mind.
The definitions are quite simple.
Personnel Department. Look after the people that work for the company.
Human Resources Department. Squeeze the hell out of the people who work for the company.
Personnel Department. Look after the people that work for the company.
Human Resources Department. Squeeze the hell out of the people who work for the company.
I Try To Be Good !!
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Bottom line is keep the shareholders happy. HR do as they are told by the shareholder's puppets. We are the ones with HRs hands up our a**ses !!
HR folks sure amaze you with how they throw out the company dogma without giving it a second thought.
At New Iberia at a Bristow subordinate business unit prospective employee orientation, a gorgeous young lady representing HR explained the pay scale to us. She nicely told us old farts having experience would start at Step Five of the pay ladder and seemed to think that was a good deal. She also answered a question that confirmed those starting at Step Five would not receive a raise until after the fifth year of service.
I then asked her if she understood just what she had said.....and suggested she and the business unit in question must think helicopter pilots to be very dull folk (English "dull"....) only to be greeted with some confusion and lack of understanding by said good looking babe.
When I asked her if she really thought that was a good deal....she actually said "of course...we pay you for your experience."
She got her knickers in a twist when I asked her if she would forego five years of raises in order to get some appreciation of the situation to which she took some offense.
Being neither "dull" nor willing to take advantage of such a good deal as I would have felt a bit guilty.....I failed to complete the orientation and instead headed for other climes.
At New Iberia at a Bristow subordinate business unit prospective employee orientation, a gorgeous young lady representing HR explained the pay scale to us. She nicely told us old farts having experience would start at Step Five of the pay ladder and seemed to think that was a good deal. She also answered a question that confirmed those starting at Step Five would not receive a raise until after the fifth year of service.
I then asked her if she understood just what she had said.....and suggested she and the business unit in question must think helicopter pilots to be very dull folk (English "dull"....) only to be greeted with some confusion and lack of understanding by said good looking babe.
When I asked her if she really thought that was a good deal....she actually said "of course...we pay you for your experience."
She got her knickers in a twist when I asked her if she would forego five years of raises in order to get some appreciation of the situation to which she took some offense.
Being neither "dull" nor willing to take advantage of such a good deal as I would have felt a bit guilty.....I failed to complete the orientation and instead headed for other climes.
Join Date: Sep 2001
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CLA actually stands for cost of living allowance. For a significant number of us in Nigeria it is what we need to use to pay for our food as we are not fed by client oil companies and either have to pay for meals in a company staff house whose catering has now been contracted out to a local company, or we have to feed ourselves. In the latter case this may be by choice or in some cases (the few people still on 5/1 month contracts) by necessity. This is going to make life very difficult as if one is in-country for a few months it will be necessary to carry in several thousand dollars to pay for food as Nigeria is very expensive and most of us don't have the opportunity to be able to visit a local bank even if the money were paid into a local account. In the present security situation the prospect of travelling around in the Delta with large sums of money is not something which fills me with joy.
That coupled with the lack of any news about a pay review for this year means that morale, already at rock bottom has now fallen to subterranean levels
The quality of life here in the last few years has declined considerably as a result of militant activity; it's pretty desperate when now our own employers are adding to the misery
That coupled with the lack of any news about a pay review for this year means that morale, already at rock bottom has now fallen to subterranean levels
The quality of life here in the last few years has declined considerably as a result of militant activity; it's pretty desperate when now our own employers are adding to the misery
SOGS,
Crikey....that is too close for comfort....let's stick to Soggy!
Just how low does morale...loyalty have to suffer before folks simply pull up stakes, fold tents, and head off for somewhere else in the world? Could one not be just a bit better off somewhere else and leave the operators looking at all the empty beds, pilot seats, and unused air tickets?
Or....is everyone hanging on in the hopes they will be the cadre upon which a new scheme is founded and thus benefit from the up tick in pay, allowances, and related perks?
But if....enough of you cling to that line of thinking....are ye not doomed to continue suffering along in perpetuity?
At some point a mediocre job in some place nice would be a better deal!
Pack yer bags Squire and leg it for somewhere else!
Crikey....that is too close for comfort....let's stick to Soggy!
Just how low does morale...loyalty have to suffer before folks simply pull up stakes, fold tents, and head off for somewhere else in the world? Could one not be just a bit better off somewhere else and leave the operators looking at all the empty beds, pilot seats, and unused air tickets?
Or....is everyone hanging on in the hopes they will be the cadre upon which a new scheme is founded and thus benefit from the up tick in pay, allowances, and related perks?
But if....enough of you cling to that line of thinking....are ye not doomed to continue suffering along in perpetuity?
At some point a mediocre job in some place nice would be a better deal!
Pack yer bags Squire and leg it for somewhere else!
Nigerian In Law
Lots of BHNL big hitters in Lagos at the moment. Agbami or the pay review ? Ogas don't trouble themselves with employees pay, after all it was a survey by an external agency's survey that delayed the review in the first place. So that leaves.............
Let's see what happens.
NEO
Let's see what happens.
NEO
Big hitters from Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited in Lagos at the moment???
NEO, I would think they would be there all the time or am I missing something here?
If Nigeria is a separate Business Unit aside from the North Sea business unit...why would they (the heavy hitters) need to come to Lagos?
Reckon they will not find their way to Eket or Escravos....or Port Harcourt for a week or so with the Lads either!
NEO, I would think they would be there all the time or am I missing something here?
If Nigeria is a separate Business Unit aside from the North Sea business unit...why would they (the heavy hitters) need to come to Lagos?
Reckon they will not find their way to Eket or Escravos....or Port Harcourt for a week or so with the Lads either!
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As our famous Flying Chicken has now been savaged by the Nigerian Eagle and we are badly wounded, we are retiring hurt. Be warned, you guys will never make it on your own. We came in, we gave you everything, especially the benefits of our superb management and what did you do? You kicked us in the face and stole the senior managers we sent out to sort out the mess you had yourselves in. We'll come in and pick up the pieces again once you've gone the way that Virgin Nigeria is rapidly headed.
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An Interview with Randy Organ
An interview with Randy Organ was published in this month's edition of CDF magazine:
CDFM: Hi Randy, it's a pleasure being able to talk to a new rising star in the online publishing community. Your first edition of the BIA(G)L Newsletter is regarded by many as a masterpiece of the genre and is sure to become a collector's item with its masterful use of colour and words and incorporating detailed maps and so much useful information. How do you find the time to do it?
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF, but doing all the sorts of staff courses that senior officers like myself do, you learn a lot about time management and publishing, using complex programmes such as Microsoft Word, which lower ranks never know about. Also, I had many hints from my great mentor Brew Meddling who rose to great prominence once he had mastered making tea and coffee. I've now freed up more time for the next great masterpiece by taking on an assistant. When you're an HR mogul you have opportunities to create empires like that.
CDFM: As a Squadron Leader in the RAF what sort of squadron did you command? I'm sure you must have seen a lot of action during your many years of active service. Do you find your present appointment rather humdrum in comparison?
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF and as such never commanded a squadron of actual aircraft, but my job was far more important in keeping things flying at the front line. After so many years of managing stores I decided to utilise all my management skills in dealing with real people, whilst still working in a dangerous front line environment, hence my decision to offer my years of skill to BIA(G)L. With all my years in the military and the school of hard knocks that just goes with my major sporting achievements in rugby, the opportunity to visit dangerous bases in the front line of the Niger Delta was just too much of a challenge to turn down. The opportunity of learning from a master of Human Resources such as David Knowall was also too good to pass up.
CDFM: With all that you've said so far Randy, it seems that you cut your teeth on danger. Wouldn't you rather be out in the thick of it with the boys?
RO: Naturally, as a man of action, it's something I've thought of, but I'm an independent sort of chap. Senior managers in Nigeria live attended by servants to do their every bidding and are driven to work by chauffeurs. I prefer the simple life in the Island (as we call Guernsey), where I have to do some of my own shopping, cook and even have to drive my own Porsche. Mind you, it's pretty frustrating sometimes driving a Porsche when the Isle only has little twisty roads. However, I feel I'm demonstrating solidarity with the boys in the bogs, or swamps or whatever they are, by coping with the constant hardships on the Isle.
CDFM: It certainly seems you live life right on the edge Randy. You said that you even have to do shopping? Is it safe to do that on the Isle? Presumably you also have to do this in your precious spare time?
RO: Yes, unlike the chaps out in the bogs, I don't get 3 square meals a day provided free by highly trained international chefs. I have to pay for all my own food, and let me tell you, that's pretty darned expensive on the Isle, not to mention the shortages we sometimes have to cope with when tropical storms prevent supply boats arriving from the mainland.
CDFM: You're an inspiration to all of us Randy and I'm sure you're regarded with awe by the men whose lives you've made it your duty to improve.
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF, so it's just something which comes naturally to me. It's been nice talking to you and if at any time you come over to the Isle we can have a business lunch together to discuss how to further improve the legend of Randy Morgan, man of action, man of the people
CDFM: Hi Randy, it's a pleasure being able to talk to a new rising star in the online publishing community. Your first edition of the BIA(G)L Newsletter is regarded by many as a masterpiece of the genre and is sure to become a collector's item with its masterful use of colour and words and incorporating detailed maps and so much useful information. How do you find the time to do it?
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF, but doing all the sorts of staff courses that senior officers like myself do, you learn a lot about time management and publishing, using complex programmes such as Microsoft Word, which lower ranks never know about. Also, I had many hints from my great mentor Brew Meddling who rose to great prominence once he had mastered making tea and coffee. I've now freed up more time for the next great masterpiece by taking on an assistant. When you're an HR mogul you have opportunities to create empires like that.
CDFM: As a Squadron Leader in the RAF what sort of squadron did you command? I'm sure you must have seen a lot of action during your many years of active service. Do you find your present appointment rather humdrum in comparison?
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF and as such never commanded a squadron of actual aircraft, but my job was far more important in keeping things flying at the front line. After so many years of managing stores I decided to utilise all my management skills in dealing with real people, whilst still working in a dangerous front line environment, hence my decision to offer my years of skill to BIA(G)L. With all my years in the military and the school of hard knocks that just goes with my major sporting achievements in rugby, the opportunity to visit dangerous bases in the front line of the Niger Delta was just too much of a challenge to turn down. The opportunity of learning from a master of Human Resources such as David Knowall was also too good to pass up.
CDFM: With all that you've said so far Randy, it seems that you cut your teeth on danger. Wouldn't you rather be out in the thick of it with the boys?
RO: Naturally, as a man of action, it's something I've thought of, but I'm an independent sort of chap. Senior managers in Nigeria live attended by servants to do their every bidding and are driven to work by chauffeurs. I prefer the simple life in the Island (as we call Guernsey), where I have to do some of my own shopping, cook and even have to drive my own Porsche. Mind you, it's pretty frustrating sometimes driving a Porsche when the Isle only has little twisty roads. However, I feel I'm demonstrating solidarity with the boys in the bogs, or swamps or whatever they are, by coping with the constant hardships on the Isle.
CDFM: It certainly seems you live life right on the edge Randy. You said that you even have to do shopping? Is it safe to do that on the Isle? Presumably you also have to do this in your precious spare time?
RO: Yes, unlike the chaps out in the bogs, I don't get 3 square meals a day provided free by highly trained international chefs. I have to pay for all my own food, and let me tell you, that's pretty darned expensive on the Isle, not to mention the shortages we sometimes have to cope with when tropical storms prevent supply boats arriving from the mainland.
CDFM: You're an inspiration to all of us Randy and I'm sure you're regarded with awe by the men whose lives you've made it your duty to improve.
RO: Well, I don't know if I mentioned that I was a Senior Stores officer in the British RAF, so it's just something which comes naturally to me. It's been nice talking to you and if at any time you come over to the Isle we can have a business lunch together to discuss how to further improve the legend of Randy Morgan, man of action, man of the people
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Bell 412 Crew wanted
Well someone has already leaked the news that daddy has singed a deal with Bell to buy the 412 Super we are looking for only toppest professional to join the team at the center of excellence. The Bell 412 Super builds on the well known star of the Veetnam war, the Huey. Bell have not tried anything smart and we are excepting many years of reliable service from it, just as our customers expect from the center of excellence. We need engineer, pilot, training pilot, all. As indigenous company the Super Bell will have us in the primest position to pluck work from foreign usurpers with no hold back of any such thing as Kobi. We will be paying the toppest salary of any company in Nigeria and offering accomodations in superb comfort with cash allowance paid every month for your very good living standard. Why not visit our website and join the best NOW 
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Standards Will Fall Even Lower
Aero should have plenty of pilots available if the 225's are en route and they need crew. With the deafening silence from Bristow about any pay review and the recently awarded CLA at bases such as Eket, Escravos and Warri now about to be withdrawn I think what NEO will see happening is his empire rapidly shrinking 
. As has been said by numerous people, although the money in other places may be less, it's not much less and the management surely can't be any worse than the non-existent management in CHC or Bristow. I forecast that even Caverton will benefit from all this. I wonder how many other people, like me, are just waiting for confirmation of other offers before making the decision to quit? I'll still keep an eye on the place after I've gone, but only so that I can see that it's not likely to improve any time in the medium term. Bristow and CHC will both still have many people wanting to come out here, but that just means that the standards, which have already dropped to an all time low will dip further as new crews with no experience of the Nigerian dimension arrive - and who's going to train them
. As has been said by numerous people, although the money in other places may be less, it's not much less and the management surely can't be any worse than the non-existent management in CHC or Bristow. I forecast that even Caverton will benefit from all this. I wonder how many other people, like me, are just waiting for confirmation of other offers before making the decision to quit? I'll still keep an eye on the place after I've gone, but only so that I can see that it's not likely to improve any time in the medium term. Bristow and CHC will both still have many people wanting to come out here, but that just means that the standards, which have already dropped to an all time low will dip further as new crews with no experience of the Nigerian dimension arrive - and who's going to train them
Join Date: May 2004
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Sinking ship??
PW how right your are. I just heard (first hand) that their 225 TRI/TRE has quit, and taken up a position back in Australia.
When will CHC realize that if they do not look after their people, they will not keep them? Yes, all the old-timer pilots will stay as they unfortunately have no other options most of the time, but the improvement of the gene pool for the work force in Nigeria will continue to stagnate.
TL
When will CHC realize that if they do not look after their people, they will not keep them? Yes, all the old-timer pilots will stay as they unfortunately have no other options most of the time, but the improvement of the gene pool for the work force in Nigeria will continue to stagnate.
TL
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Something's in the Wind - A Coup?
This little nugget of information may well have gone un-noticed by many Prune readers:
YAR’ADUA NAMES NEW CDS,
SERVICE CHIEFS
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has approved the appointment of Air Marshal Paul Dike as Chief of Defence Staff. Air Marshal Dike is to take over from General Andrew Azazi who is retiring from service.
President Yar’Adua also approved the appointment of Major-General A.B. Dambazau as Chief of Army Staff in place of Lieutenant-General Luka Yusuf who is also retiring. Until his new appointment, Maj.-Gen. Dambazau was the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan .
Other changes approved by the President in the command structure of the Armed Forces include the appointment of Rear Admiral Isaiah Iko Ibrahim as Chief of Naval Staff in place of Vice Admiral G.T.A. Adekeye who retires from active service. Rear Admiral Ibrahim was the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Training Command, Lagos .
President Yar’Adua who left Abuja this evening to perform the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia also approved the appointment of Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin as Chief of Air Staff. Until this appointment, Air Marshal Petinrin was the Air Officer Commanding the Nigerian Air Force Training Command, Kaduna .
All the appointments are with immediate effect.
President Yar’Adua and the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed have met with the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs to thank them for their services to the nation.
Olusegun Adeniyi
Special Adviser to the President
(Communications)
August 20, 2008
President Yar'Adua is said to be facing another health crisis and will be treated in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. His spin doctors are claiming he is going for an early Hajj timed to coincide with Ramadan. With the latest reshuffle, men loyal to James Ibori, the notorious former governor of Delta state, facing charges of laundering more money than anyone in the history of this country, will take charge of the Yar'adua regime. Two weeks ago, Yar'adua had appointed David Edevbie, a former commissioner of finance of Delta State with extensive links to Ibori's money laundering activities as his "Private Principal Secretary".
Ibori owns Wings Aviation and both he and his wife Theresa are being extensively investigated in both Nigeria and UK on charges of money laundering.
Sahara Reporters further reports:
In Nigeria we may be sick of military rule, but since the return to civilian rule corruption has increased exponentially and there are a significant number of people who would welcome someone like Gerry Rawlings to sort out the country's malaise. However, we would do well to remember the old adage, 'be careful what you wish for as it may come true'.
YAR’ADUA NAMES NEW CDS,
SERVICE CHIEFS
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has approved the appointment of Air Marshal Paul Dike as Chief of Defence Staff. Air Marshal Dike is to take over from General Andrew Azazi who is retiring from service.
President Yar’Adua also approved the appointment of Major-General A.B. Dambazau as Chief of Army Staff in place of Lieutenant-General Luka Yusuf who is also retiring. Until his new appointment, Maj.-Gen. Dambazau was the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan .
Other changes approved by the President in the command structure of the Armed Forces include the appointment of Rear Admiral Isaiah Iko Ibrahim as Chief of Naval Staff in place of Vice Admiral G.T.A. Adekeye who retires from active service. Rear Admiral Ibrahim was the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Training Command, Lagos .
President Yar’Adua who left Abuja this evening to perform the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia also approved the appointment of Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin as Chief of Air Staff. Until this appointment, Air Marshal Petinrin was the Air Officer Commanding the Nigerian Air Force Training Command, Kaduna .
All the appointments are with immediate effect.
President Yar’Adua and the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed have met with the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs to thank them for their services to the nation.
Olusegun Adeniyi
Special Adviser to the President
(Communications)
August 20, 2008
Ibori owns Wings Aviation and both he and his wife Theresa are being extensively investigated in both Nigeria and UK on charges of money laundering.
Sahara Reporters further reports:
Yar'adua had delayed his medical trip for a day in order to announce the removal of the service chiefs following what SaharaReporters had earlier reported as a spreading sense of unease in military circles over the illegitimacy of Yar'adua’s presidency. “Many military officers are still upset about the way the April 2007 elections were conducted,” a source, who is a retired military officer, recently told our correspondent.
Mr. Yar’adua's present sickness has provided a public relations nightmare for his wife and closest aides who dread the political fallout of public knowledge that Yar’adua remains in fragile health condition. Last week Tuesday, Yar'adua canceled a meeting with newspaper publishers due to medical emergencies.
A reliable source within Aso Rock told Saharareporters that this concern with public perception led to a decision to announce Yar’adua’s medical trip to Saudi Arabia as a lesser hajj. Muslim fasting commences in two weeks time.
Yar'adua will not be traveling with his aides or his Nigerian doctor in order to make the trip appear like a private religious trip. He is expected to be away for one week starting from tonight.
Yar’adua, who was thrust into the presidency in last year’s massively rigged election, has been bedeviled by a series of health crises.
At the end of July 2008, Yar’adua collapsed in the presidential vehicle on his way to a launch at the Yar'adua Center in Abuja (named for his late elder brother). He was driven back to Aso Rock Villa, missing the ceremony he was to attend.
Dating back to his presidential campaign days, Yar’adua has been flown several times to Germany for treatment. But his present relapse has created a dilemma on how to embark on another international medical trip to Germany. His closest aides calculate that another emergency medical trip to Germany would be politically costly.
“The fear is that another medical trip to Germany might leave the impression that President Yar’adua is too physically ravaged to continue the day-to-day running of the country,” said a source close to the Yar’aduas.
Yar’adua’s wife, Turai Yar’adua, who is personally overseeing the campaign to influence Supreme Court justices to uphold her husband’s election, is particularly worried about any perception that her husband is too frail to continue in office, according to several of our sources. Mrs. Yar’adua has recently rebuffed pleas by some northern leaders to encourage her husband to endorse the idea of new presidential elections—and to announce his retreat from running. She has countered that, even if her husband dies in office, he would not be the first Nigerian ruler to do so, pointing to the case of Sani Abacha, the late military dictator.
The plan to fly Yar’adua to Saudi Arabia became the option once his inner circle decided that it would be politically damaging to return him to Germany to see his doctors.
Saharareporters has exclusively reported that Yar'adua suffers from Churg Strauss syndrome, a condition that kept him hospitalized in a hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany for 10 days last April.
Yar’adua’s medical treatments in Germany have also created a legal problem for Bilfinger Berger, the parent company of Julius Berger, Nigeria's biggest construction company with a reputation for corruption. German State investigators are poring over Bilfinger Berger’s financial documents over improper payments made to Nigerian public officials in relation to several construction projects.
According to published reports corroborated by officials of the Yar'adua regime, Julius Berger has been responsible for flying Yar'adua to hospital in Wiesbaden. Some of the hospital bills footed by Julius Berger are believed to be the subject of investigations and inquiry by the German police, BKA.
A reliable source within Aso Rock told Saharareporters that this concern with public perception led to a decision to announce Yar’adua’s medical trip to Saudi Arabia as a lesser hajj. Muslim fasting commences in two weeks time.
Yar'adua will not be traveling with his aides or his Nigerian doctor in order to make the trip appear like a private religious trip. He is expected to be away for one week starting from tonight.
Yar’adua, who was thrust into the presidency in last year’s massively rigged election, has been bedeviled by a series of health crises.
At the end of July 2008, Yar’adua collapsed in the presidential vehicle on his way to a launch at the Yar'adua Center in Abuja (named for his late elder brother). He was driven back to Aso Rock Villa, missing the ceremony he was to attend.
Dating back to his presidential campaign days, Yar’adua has been flown several times to Germany for treatment. But his present relapse has created a dilemma on how to embark on another international medical trip to Germany. His closest aides calculate that another emergency medical trip to Germany would be politically costly.
“The fear is that another medical trip to Germany might leave the impression that President Yar’adua is too physically ravaged to continue the day-to-day running of the country,” said a source close to the Yar’aduas.
Yar’adua’s wife, Turai Yar’adua, who is personally overseeing the campaign to influence Supreme Court justices to uphold her husband’s election, is particularly worried about any perception that her husband is too frail to continue in office, according to several of our sources. Mrs. Yar’adua has recently rebuffed pleas by some northern leaders to encourage her husband to endorse the idea of new presidential elections—and to announce his retreat from running. She has countered that, even if her husband dies in office, he would not be the first Nigerian ruler to do so, pointing to the case of Sani Abacha, the late military dictator.
The plan to fly Yar’adua to Saudi Arabia became the option once his inner circle decided that it would be politically damaging to return him to Germany to see his doctors.
Saharareporters has exclusively reported that Yar'adua suffers from Churg Strauss syndrome, a condition that kept him hospitalized in a hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany for 10 days last April.
Yar’adua’s medical treatments in Germany have also created a legal problem for Bilfinger Berger, the parent company of Julius Berger, Nigeria's biggest construction company with a reputation for corruption. German State investigators are poring over Bilfinger Berger’s financial documents over improper payments made to Nigerian public officials in relation to several construction projects.
According to published reports corroborated by officials of the Yar'adua regime, Julius Berger has been responsible for flying Yar'adua to hospital in Wiesbaden. Some of the hospital bills footed by Julius Berger are believed to be the subject of investigations and inquiry by the German police, BKA.
