What President Goodluck Jonathan did as the Governor
of Bayelsa is coming back to haunt him - 7 years later! Bayelsa State was one
of the major sponsors of the ‘Thisday Music Festival’ which held in 2006 and
featured Beyonce and Jay Z. According to new reports, President Jonathan as the
Governor of the state then spent $1million on the music festival.
SaharaReports reported it four days ago that the
money spent on the festival was from The Bayelsa State Poverty Alleviation fund.
Well, now the report has gone international. UK Daily Mail quoted Sahara
Reporters in their report.
Continue to read the full report from UK Daily
Mail...
The Nigerian president spent $1million of aid money
to entice international popstars such as Beyonce and Jay-Z to perform at a
music festival in the poverty-stricken country, a media source reported.
A letter stamped and signed by Bayelsa State
officials in 2006 revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan, then the Governor
of the state, released 150million Nigerian Nairas from the state’s poverty
alleviation fund for the inaugural ThisDay Music Festival in the city of Lagos
in 2006, according to SaharaReporters.
The document surfaced after reality TV star Kim
Kardashian was reportedly paid $500,000 (£329,695) for a fleeting appearance in
Lagos last week, angering Nigerian commentators.
The Nigerian president spent $1million of aid money
to entice international popstars such as Beyonce and Jay-Z to perform at a
music festival in the poverty-stricken country, a media source reported.
A letter stamped and signed by Bayelsa State
officials in 2006 revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan, then the Governor
of the state, released 150million Nigerian Nairas from the state’s poverty
alleviation fund for the inaugural ThisDay Music Festival in the city of Lagos
in 2006, according to SaharaReporters.
The document surfaced after reality TV star Kim
Kardashian was reportedly paid $500,000 (£329,695) for a fleeting appearance in
Lagos last week, angering Nigerian commentators.
The authenticity of the letter has not been
confirmed. It is not known whether the funds allegedly released by the
government were paid to festival performers directly and if so, how much the
performers received.
One source told SaharaReporters: ‘Mr Obaigbena often
lines up financial bonanzas from numerous governors, ministers and other top
government officials to finance his jamborees.’
At the bottom of the letter, a handwritten note
allegedly signed by aides of then Governor Jonathan and the state’s accountant
general says: ‘Release N150,000,000.00 (One hundred and fifty million naira)
only to be drawn from the poverty alleviation subhead.’
The letter reads: ‘The music festival will bring the
world’s top music icons to Nigeria and showcase the great news coming out of
Nigeria.
‘Already several top music icons have signed on or
are signing on.
‘They’ll tell the world through music that Nigeria’s
time has come.’
The publisher added: ‘We invite you to partner with
us as co-hosts of the festival.
‘With a total budget of $10 million, the co-host is
expected to contribute a minimum of $2.5 million.’
There was also no indication that Beyonce and Jay Z
were aware that their appearance was subsidised by the Nigerian state’s poverty
alleviation fund, it was reported.
Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Ciara
were also among performers at the 2006 festival.
Mr Obaigbena’s parent company Leaders & Company
have produced other major events in Nigeria which have seen other American
stars such as Usher, Rihanna and R Kelly perform since 2006.
ThisDay Festival has also hosted former American
President Bill Clinton and Lawrence Summers, the former economic adviser for
the Obama office.
Tickets prices have often been too expensive for the
average Nigerian with some costing tens of thousands of Nigerian Naira.
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