Haliru Mohammed Bello (born 9 October 1945) is a Nigerian politician. He was trained in veterinary medicine. He held various administrative positions under the military governments before 1999. He was Minister of Communications from June 2001 to May 2003. After he left office, he was indicted in a bribery scandal involving the German telecom company Siemens AG.
He was Defense Minister from July 2011 until June 2012. He was appointed the acting National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria on 25 May 2015.
Haliru Mohammed Bello was born in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State on 9 October 1945. After his primary education in Birnin Kebbi, he attended Government College, Zaria, now Berewa College. He was admitted to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1966, and studied veterinary medicine.
He became a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University and a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.[1]
In 1977 Mohammed was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture for Sokoto State under the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo, and then Commissioner for Education for Sokoto State. After the return to civilian rule in 1979, Mohammed ran unsuccessfully for Deputy Governor of Sokoto State on the Great Nigeria People's Party (GNPP) platform. He was GNPP Secretary for Sokoto State until December 1983, when the military resumed power under Muhammadu Buhari and banned party politics. Mohammed worked for a private company, then was appointed first Assistant General Manager and then General Manager of the Rima River Basin and Rural Development Authority, a Federal Ministry of Water Resources agency.[1]
General Ibrahim Babangida appointed Haliru Mohammed as Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service in 1988.[1] He was the first Comptroller General of the Customs and Excise department, then a service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, under a new decentralized arrangement that began on 16 February 1988.[2] He held this post until 1994, when General Sani Abacha replaced him by Brigadier General S. O. G. Ango.
During the 1995-98 transition program, Mohammed was a founding member of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN). After the death of Abacha, Mohammed was one of the founders of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State.
In September 1999 President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Mohammed as a Commissioner on the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.[1]
Minister of CommunicationsEdit
Mohammed became the minister of Communications in June 2001 in a minor reshuffle of the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo, replacing Mohammed Arzika. He was appointed at a time when the government was planning to privatise Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).[3] In December 2001, Mohammed said that the regulator had been mistaken in revalidating the analog mobile licence granted to MTS First Mobile, which could interfere with plans for the nation's GSM network. He said the government was instead encouraging MTS to go into fixed and rural telephony.[4] In September 2002 Mohammed announced that 400,000 lines were being installed to expend NITEL's GSM network in the North-west zone.[5] In May 2003 Mohammed approved revised regulations for interconnection between telephone companies designed to foster competition.[6] Mohammed left office in May 2003.[1]
Subsequent bribery scandalsEdit
In 2007 a German court named several prominent Nigerians, including Mohammed, in a bribery scandal involving communications firm Siemens AG. Mohammed was alleged to have collected €70,000 in two installments, a charge that he denied.[7] In total, the court found that Siemens had paid out €12 million in bribes to obtain contracts in Nigeria and other countries, and fined the company €201 million.[8] In November 2007 the German authorities provided fresh information on the Siemens bribery scandal.[9]
In January 2010 another scandal emerged over a N5 billion contract for supply of equipment to (M-tel), a subsidiary of NITEL. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) launched an investigation. In 2002 Mohammed had looked into complaints by Ericsson over the conduct of Motorola in trying to win a contract, and on the basis of his findings, the contract was awarded to Ericsson. Mohammed was not accused of wrongdoing in this case.[11]
Later careerEdit
PDP leaderEdit
In June 2004 Mohammed was elected as PDP National Vice Chairman for the North West Zone, which consisted of the states of Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa and Zamfara.< In March 2008 Mohammed became Deputy National Chairman of the PDP.[1]
In August 2008, Mohammed received the Diamond Nigerian Telecoms Award at a ceremony in Lagos.[12] In January 2011 he was appointed Acting National Chairman of the PDP after Okwesilieze Nwodo was suspended by the Enugu High Court.
Mohammed supported a change to the PDP's zoning system so that President Goodluck Jonathan could run for reelection in 2011, rather than making a northerner the party's candidate.[1]
Minister of DefenseEdit
Mohammed was Minister of Defense under President Goodluck Jonathan between 2011 and 2012.[13] He was removed on 22 June 2012 during a period of escalating security problems in the north including bomb attacks by Boko Haram extremists.[14]
Acting Chairman of the PDPEdit
Following the resignation of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman, Anthony Anenih, the BOT appointed Haliru Mohammed as its Acting Chairman. Mohammed’s nomination was endorsed on 25 May 2015 by the BOT at a meeting at the Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja. The decision was unexpected, as Anenih had said he was resigning so that Jonathan could take the post.[13] On 10 February 2016, Bello was relieved of his duty after it was revealed that he was being prosecuted in connection with the alleged diversion of arms procurement funds.[15]
ControversyEdit
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has already filed charges against him for their alleged role in the diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms in the office of the National Security Adviser.[16]
ReferencesEdit
^ abcdefg"BELLO HALIRU MOHAMMED; IN THE EYE OF THE STORM". Flashpoint News. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
^"Brief History of NCS". Nigeria Customs Service. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
^. ThisDay. 10 November 2001. Archived from the original on 2 December 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^Tayo Ajakaye (11 December 2001). . ThisDay. Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^"400,000 NITEL GSM Lines Ready By December - Minister". This Day. 17 September 2002. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^"Telecommunications Networks Interconnections Regulations" (PDF). Nigerian Communications Commission. 20 May 2003. Retrieved 22 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
^Jide Babalola; Dayo Thomas; EMMANUEL ONYECHE; NIYI ODEBODE; Jonah Iboma (18 November 2007). . The Punch. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^Angela Jameson (16 November 2007). "Siemens bribes reached around world". Times Online.
^Jide Babalola (26 November 2007). "ICPC receives fresh facts on Siemens scandal". ICPC NEWS. Independent Corrupt Practices Commission. Retrieved 22 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
^"Nigeria probes Siemens bribe case". BBC News. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^Yusuf Alli (7 January 2010). . The Nation. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010.
^"Biodun Ajiboye - Phone Companies Don't Respect Consumers". ThisDay. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^ ab"Indicted Ex-Minister, Haliru Mohammed, returns as PDP's BoT Acting Chairman". Premium Times. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
^Leon Usigbe (23 June 2012). . Nigerian Tribune. Abuja. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
^"PDP sacks Bello, appoints Senator Jibrin as acting BoT chairman". Daily Post. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
^"PDP sacks Bello, appoints Senator Jibrin as acting BoT chairman". Premium Times Ng. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
haliru, mohammed, bello, born, october, 1945, nigerian, politician, trained, veterinary, medicine, held, various, administrative, positions, under, military, governments, before, 1999, minister, communications, from, june, 2001, 2003, after, left, office, indi. Haliru Mohammed Bello born 9 October 1945 is a Nigerian politician He was trained in veterinary medicine He held various administrative positions under the military governments before 1999 He was Minister of Communications from June 2001 to May 2003 After he left office he was indicted in a bribery scandal involving the German telecom company Siemens AG Haliru Mohammed BelloChairman of the PDP Board of TrusteesActingIn office 25 May 2015 10 February 2016Preceded byAnthony AnenihSucceeded byWalid JibrinMinister of DefenseIn office July 2011 22 June 2012Preceded byAdetokunbo KayodeSucceeded byErelu Olusola ObadaFederal Minister of CommunicationsIn office June 2001 May 2003Preceded byMohammed ArzikaSucceeded byCornelius AdebayoPersonal detailsBorn 1945 10 09 9 October 1945 age 78 Birnin Kebbi Kebbi NigeriaPolitical partyPeoples Democratic Party PDP He was Defense Minister from July 2011 until June 2012 He was appointed the acting National Chairman of the People s Democratic Party of Nigeria on 25 May 2015 Contents 1 Early years 2 Minister of Communications 2 1 Subsequent bribery scandals 3 Later career 3 1 PDP leader 3 2 Minister of Defense 3 3 Acting Chairman of the PDP 3 4 Controversy 4 ReferencesEarly years EditHaliru Mohammed Bello was born in Birnin Kebbi Kebbi State on 9 October 1945 After his primary education in Birnin Kebbi he attended Government College Zaria now Berewa College He was admitted to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1966 and studied veterinary medicine He became a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University and a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria 1 In 1977 Mohammed was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture for Sokoto State under the military government of General Olusegun Obasanjo and then Commissioner for Education for Sokoto State After the return to civilian rule in 1979 Mohammed ran unsuccessfully for Deputy Governor of Sokoto State on the Great Nigeria People s Party GNPP platform He was GNPP Secretary for Sokoto State until December 1983 when the military resumed power under Muhammadu Buhari and banned party politics Mohammed worked for a private company then was appointed first Assistant General Manager and then General Manager of the Rima River Basin and Rural Development Authority a Federal Ministry of Water Resources agency 1 General Ibrahim Babangida appointed Haliru Mohammed as Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service in 1988 1 He was the first Comptroller General of the Customs and Excise department then a service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under a new decentralized arrangement that began on 16 February 1988 2 He held this post until 1994 when General Sani Abacha replaced him by Brigadier General S O G Ango During the 1995 98 transition program Mohammed was a founding member of the Democratic Party of Nigeria DPN After the death of Abacha Mohammed was one of the founders of the People s Democratic Party PDP in Kebbi State In September 1999 President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Mohammed as a Commissioner on the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission 1 Minister of Communications EditMohammed became the minister of Communications in June 2001 in a minor reshuffle of the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo replacing Mohammed Arzika He was appointed at a time when the government was planning to privatise Nigerian Telecommunications Limited NITEL 3 In December 2001 Mohammed said that the regulator had been mistaken in revalidating the analog mobile licence granted to MTS First Mobile which could interfere with plans for the nation s GSM network He said the government was instead encouraging MTS to go into fixed and rural telephony 4 In September 2002 Mohammed announced that 400 000 lines were being installed to expend NITEL s GSM network in the North west zone 5 In May 2003 Mohammed approved revised regulations for interconnection between telephone companies designed to foster competition 6 Mohammed left office in May 2003 1 Subsequent bribery scandals Edit In 2007 a German court named several prominent Nigerians including Mohammed in a bribery scandal involving communications firm Siemens AG Mohammed was alleged to have collected 70 000 in two installments a charge that he denied 7 In total the court found that Siemens had paid out 12 million in bribes to obtain contracts in Nigeria and other countries and fined the company 201 million 8 In November 2007 the German authorities provided fresh information on the Siemens bribery scandal 9 The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC launched an investigation President Umaru Yar Adua said of the case there will neither be sacred cows nor a cover up for anybody found culpable of breaching the law 10 In January 2010 another scandal emerged over a N5 billion contract for supply of equipment to M tel a subsidiary of NITEL The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC launched an investigation In 2002 Mohammed had looked into complaints by Ericsson over the conduct of Motorola in trying to win a contract and on the basis of his findings the contract was awarded to Ericsson Mohammed was not accused of wrongdoing in this case 11 Later career EditPDP leader Edit In June 2004 Mohammed was elected as PDP National Vice Chairman for the North West Zone which consisted of the states of Kaduna Katsina Kano Kebbi Sokoto Jigawa and Zamfara lt In March 2008 Mohammed became Deputy National Chairman of the PDP 1 In August 2008 Mohammed received the Diamond Nigerian Telecoms Award at a ceremony in Lagos 12 In January 2011 he was appointed Acting National Chairman of the PDP after Okwesilieze Nwodo was suspended by the Enugu High Court Mohammed supported a change to the PDP s zoning system so that President Goodluck Jonathan could run for reelection in 2011 rather than making a northerner the party s candidate 1 Minister of Defense Edit Mohammed was Minister of Defense under President Goodluck Jonathan between 2011 and 2012 13 He was removed on 22 June 2012 during a period of escalating security problems in the north including bomb attacks by Boko Haram extremists 14 Acting Chairman of the PDP Edit Following the resignation of PDP Board of Trustees BOT Chairman Anthony Anenih the BOT appointed Haliru Mohammed as its Acting Chairman Mohammed s nomination was endorsed on 25 May 2015 by the BOT at a meeting at the Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja The decision was unexpected as Anenih had said he was resigning so that Jonathan could take the post 13 On 10 February 2016 Bello was relieved of his duty after it was revealed that he was being prosecuted in connection with the alleged diversion of arms procurement funds 15 Controversy Edit The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has already filed charges against him for their alleged role in the diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms in the office of the National Security Adviser 16 References Edit a b c d e f g BELLO HALIRU MOHAMMED IN THE EYE OF THE STORM Flashpoint News 23 June 2012 Retrieved 27 May 2015 Brief History of NCS Nigeria Customs Service Retrieved 27 May 2015 PDP s Men of Power ThisDay 10 November 2001 Archived from the original on 2 December 2005 Retrieved 22 April 2010 Tayo Ajakaye 11 December 2001 MTS Licence Revalidation A Mistake Minister ThisDay Archived from the original on 22 November 2005 Retrieved 22 April 2010 400 000 NITEL GSM Lines Ready By December Minister This Day 17 September 2002 Retrieved 22 April 2010 Telecommunications Networks Interconnections Regulations PDF Nigerian Communications Commission 20 May 2003 Retrieved 22 April 2010 permanent dead link Jide Babalola Dayo Thomas EMMANUEL ONYECHE NIYI ODEBODE Jonah Iboma 18 November 2007 Siemens scandal Nigerians call for probe The Punch Archived from the original on 21 December 2007 Retrieved 22 April 2010 Angela Jameson 16 November 2007 Siemens bribes reached around world Times Online Jide Babalola 26 November 2007 ICPC receives fresh facts on Siemens scandal ICPC NEWS Independent Corrupt Practices Commission Retrieved 22 April 2010 permanent dead link Nigeria probes Siemens bribe case BBC News 21 November 2007 Retrieved 22 April 2010 Yusuf Alli 7 January 2010 Atiku s ex ADC in row over N5b deal The Nation Archived from the original on 11 January 2010 Biodun Ajiboye Phone Companies Don t Respect Consumers ThisDay 2 August 2008 Retrieved 22 April 2010 a b Indicted Ex Minister Haliru Mohammed returns as PDP s BoT Acting Chairman Premium Times 25 May 2015 Retrieved 27 May 2015 Leon Usigbe 23 June 2012 BOKO HARAM Azazi Bello Booted Out Sambo Dasuki Now New NSA Nigerian Tribune Abuja Archived from the original on 24 June 2012 Retrieved 22 June 2012 PDP sacks Bello appoints Senator Jibrin as acting BoT chairman Daily Post 10 February 2016 Retrieved 14 February 2016 PDP sacks Bello appoints Senator Jibrin as acting BoT chairman Premium Times Ng 26 December 2015 Retrieved 26 December 2015 Party political officesPreceded byOkwesilieze Nwodo Chairperson of the National Working CommitteeActing2010 Succeeded byKawu Baraje Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Haliru Mohammed Bello amp oldid 1147839923, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
