Cornelius Adebayo
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo is a former Senator of Nigeria, who became a state governor, and later was head of the Nigeria
n Federal Ministry of Communications.
in Kwara State
. He was educated at all Saints Anglican School, Oke-Onigbin
, Provincial Secondary School, Ilorin
and then at Barewa College
, Zaria
from 1962-1963. He studied as the Ahmadu Bello University
, Zaria (1964–1967), and then at the University of Ghana
, Legon
(1967–1969). He became a teacher at the University of Ife in 1969, and in 1973 was appointed head of the English Department at Kwara State College of Technology. Between 1975 and 1978 he was Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Economic Development in in Kwara State.
. In 1983 he was elected governor of Kwara state, but lost the position in December 1983 when the military overthrew led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari
took control.
In 1993 Adebayo was offered a ministerial office by the military regime of General Sani Abacha
, but turned it down.
After a May 31, 1995 bomb explosion in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State
, the police arrested and interrogated Adebayo and other members of the National Democratic Coalition, a group that called for the return of democracy during the military regime of General Sani Abacha
.
In 1996, after finding he was scheduled to be arrested again, he fled the country in disguise for a brief exile in Canada.
As minister of Communications, Corlenius Adebayo said his colleagues should not be carried away by fantastic returns that had been reported by the mobile phone company MTN Nigeria. He described the need to grant incentives to telecommunications service providers, and spoke with approval of plans by Multi-Links Communications Nigeria to expand its switch capacity to 500,000 lines.
In September 2005 he was a keynote speaker at the 4th International Nigerian Telecommunications Summit in Abuja
.
Adebayo pushed for privatization of NITEL
, the state telecommunications company.
In September 2005 he said the sale of a controlling stake in NITEL would be completed by the end of the year. Bidders included Vodacom
and MTN Group of South Africa, Huawei Technologies, Orascom Telecom of Egypt and Celtel International.
In April 2006, Mtel, the Mobile subsidiary of NITEL, announced plans to add 2.5 million lines of capacity. The Board of Mtel, chaired by Cornelius Adebayo, had approved the program in September 2005. The vendors were Ericcson, Huawei
, ZTE
, Motorola
, Nokia
and Siemens
.
A local company founded in 2005, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria
, acquired NITEL on July 3, 2006.
In September 2006, Cornelius Adebayo became Minister of Works, replacing Engineer Obafemi Anibaba
.
Court found Siemens
AG guilty of misconduct and unethical contract dealings by allegedly offering bribes to Cornelius Adebayo and others to secure contracts for telecommunications equipment.
According to court papers, former ministers Bello Mohammed, Tajudeen Olarenwaju, Cornelius Adebayo and Alhaji Elewi were paid over $17 million dollars as bribes to secure contracts.
In November 2007 President Umaru Yar'Adua ordered security agencies to investigate and prosecute the named officials.
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
(ICPC) invited Adebayo for questioning related to involvement in the Siemens
bribe scandal during his spell as communication minister.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n Federal Ministry of Communications.
Background
Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo was born on February 24, 1941 in IgbajaIgbaja
Igbaja is a community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria, at an elevation of 349 m. It is about 40 km southeast of Ilorin, and is in Igbomina country....
in Kwara State
Kwara State
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...
. He was educated at all Saints Anglican School, Oke-Onigbin
Oke-Onigbin
Oke-Onigbin lies at the heart of and is the major community in Isin Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria. It is mostly inhabited by Igbomina people.-Traditions:...
, Provincial Secondary School, Ilorin
Ilorin
Ilorin is one of the largest cities in Nigeria and is the capital of Kwara State. As of 2007 it had a population of 847,582.-History:Ilorin was founded by the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, in 1450...
and then at Barewa College
Barewa College
Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1922 by British Governor General Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as "Katsina College." It switched its name to "Kaduna College" in 1938 and then "Government College, Zaria" in 1949 before settling on "Barewa...
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
from 1962-1963. He studied as the Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria and second largest in Africa, second only to Cairo University, Egypt. It is situated in Zaria. It was founded on October 4, 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria....
, Zaria (1964–1967), and then at the University of Ghana
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
, Legon
Legon
Legon, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital city Accra, is situated about twelve kilometres north-east of the city center. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. The word "Legon" is derived from the indigenous Ga language of the people of Greater Accra; NI-LEY GON therefore "Hill...
(1967–1969). He became a teacher at the University of Ife in 1969, and in 1973 was appointed head of the English Department at Kwara State College of Technology. Between 1975 and 1978 he was Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Economic Development in in Kwara State.
Early political career
When the reforms instituted by the military ruler Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo led to democratic elections for the second republic in 1979, Adebayo was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria running for the Unity Party of NigeriaUnity Party of Nigeria
The Unity Party of Nigeria was a Nigerian political party that was dominant in western Nigeria during the second republic. The party revolved around the political leadership of Obafemi Awolowo, a sometimes polemical but effective administrator. However, the party's main difference with its...
. In 1983 he was elected governor of Kwara state, but lost the position in December 1983 when the military overthrew led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
took control.
In 1993 Adebayo was offered a ministerial office by the military regime of General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
, but turned it down.
After a May 31, 1995 bomb explosion in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State
Kwara State
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...
, the police arrested and interrogated Adebayo and other members of the National Democratic Coalition, a group that called for the return of democracy during the military regime of General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
.
In 1996, after finding he was scheduled to be arrested again, he fled the country in disguise for a brief exile in Canada.
Obasanjo period
In June 2003, president Obasanjo nominated Adebayo for a ministerial post.As minister of Communications, Corlenius Adebayo said his colleagues should not be carried away by fantastic returns that had been reported by the mobile phone company MTN Nigeria. He described the need to grant incentives to telecommunications service providers, and spoke with approval of plans by Multi-Links Communications Nigeria to expand its switch capacity to 500,000 lines.
In September 2005 he was a keynote speaker at the 4th International Nigerian Telecommunications Summit in Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
.
Adebayo pushed for privatization of NITEL
NITEL
Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, or NITEL, is the principal telecommunications company in Nigeria, and was owned by the government of Nigeria until it was sold to Mtel by the Bureau of Public Enterprises...
, the state telecommunications company.
In September 2005 he said the sale of a controlling stake in NITEL would be completed by the end of the year. Bidders included Vodacom
Vodacom
Vodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the 1st cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
and MTN Group of South Africa, Huawei Technologies, Orascom Telecom of Egypt and Celtel International.
In April 2006, Mtel, the Mobile subsidiary of NITEL, announced plans to add 2.5 million lines of capacity. The Board of Mtel, chaired by Cornelius Adebayo, had approved the program in September 2005. The vendors were Ericcson, Huawei
Huawei
Huawei is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China...
, ZTE
ZTE
ZTE Corporation formerly Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and systems company headquartered in Shenzhen, China...
, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
and Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
.
A local company founded in 2005, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria
Transnational Corporation of Nigeria
About TranscorpTransnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc , is a diversified conglomerate with strategic investments and core interests in the hospitality, agribusiness and energy sectors...
, acquired NITEL on July 3, 2006.
In September 2006, Cornelius Adebayo became Minister of Works, replacing Engineer Obafemi Anibaba
Obafemi Anibaba
Obafemi Anibaba is a Nigerian civil servant and businessman who was appointed Federal Minister of Works in March 2006 and was redeployed as Minister of Communications in September 2006 during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.-Background:...
.
Subsequent career
In 2007, a MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
Court found Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
AG guilty of misconduct and unethical contract dealings by allegedly offering bribes to Cornelius Adebayo and others to secure contracts for telecommunications equipment.
According to court papers, former ministers Bello Mohammed, Tajudeen Olarenwaju, Cornelius Adebayo and Alhaji Elewi were paid over $17 million dollars as bribes to secure contracts.
In November 2007 President Umaru Yar'Adua ordered security agencies to investigate and prosecute the named officials.
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission , is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on the 29th of September 2000 following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo...
(ICPC) invited Adebayo for questioning related to involvement in the Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
bribe scandal during his spell as communication minister.