Obasanjo off to Switzerland as NLC plans stike for Weds.

AreaDaddy · Post by **AreaDaddy** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:29 am

Yomi Odunuga, Abuja

Strong indications emerged on Sunday that President Olusegun Obasanjo might damn the strike threat by the Nigeria Labour Congress as he begins a four-day working visit to Switzerland and the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

A Presidency source said on Sunday the President would attend the World Economic Forum billed to begin on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland.

According to the source, Obasanjo would use the forum to sell his administration?s economic agenda and also seek the assistance of the international community to recover funds looted from Nigeria.

He would be accompanied by a coterie of members of his cabinet, including the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; National Economic Adviser, Prof. Charles Soludo; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Senior Special Assistant and Head of the Due Process Unit, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; and the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment and Promotion Commission, Mr. Bello Bello.

It would be the second time the president would be attending the WEF, an annual event in Davos where world leaders and financial experts meet to review global economic situation.

A Presidency source told our correspondent that Obasanjo, who attended the forum in 2002, would use the opportunity to lobby the leaders to assist the government in the recovery of the stolen funds especially that of the late Gen. Sani Abacha and his family.

The government?s plan to fund the 2004 budget from the $618 million Abacha loot was blighted by legal hurdles by the Swiss government.

Obasanjo would also be meeting with prospective members of his International Investment Council after attending the opening and plenary sessions of the WEF on Wednesday and Thursday.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:37 am

How many times will this man sell his Economic agenda to World leaders? He has been doing that for close to five years now with no effect. What makes him think another sojourn will chnage anything. This guy must really love to travel alot.

living · Post by **living** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 9:04 am

this looks familiar, is this not the same thing the Haitian Preident Jean Aristide did.I hope we can from that extrapolate and begin to understand the kind of President we have

nemi2002 · Post by **nemi2002** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 6:21 pm

OBJ will get what he wants very soon

AreaDaddy · Post by **AreaDaddy** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 6:25 pm

living wrote:this looks familiar, is this not the same thing the Haitian Preident Jean Aristide did.I hope we can from that extrapolate and begin to understand the kind of President we have

Even closer to home - Gowon and the OAU summit in Kampala I think...

Yettycom · Post by **Yettycom** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 9:31 am

the man doesn't give a damn that he's killing the people of this country. i wonder who will work 4 the investors when they don die finish.

i agree with nemi, he'll get what he's looking 4 very soon. if u keep pushing a man to the wall and there's no more room, he has no choice but to fight back.

nakson · Post by **nakson** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:43 pm

At least naijs's problem is no more a Northern issue.

Bell · Post by **Bell** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:59 pm

SOME TRAVELS ARE NO DOUBT NECESSARY, BUT...

...because this man travels so much no one can tell which is important and which is not. Makes you wonder why he had a foreign minister and a VP in the first place.

Advice to Obasanjo: the loudest foreign policy is a successful domestic policy.
Bell

AreaDaddy · Post by **AreaDaddy** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 9:16 am

Obasanjo has seen the light and realised the stupidity (and potential danger coup-wise) of this trip and cancelled it....

AreaDaddy · Post by **AreaDaddy** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 9:08 pm

.. but latest report have it that Switzerland was too tempting and he finally sneaked out of the country at 1.00pm

...maybe he has a deposit to make , who know?