Anegbehgate: The Aborted Diplomatic Coup D'etat and Scam Aimed at Hijacking the

Leadership of NIDO-MALAYSIA
It is a known reality that since its inauguration as a Non-Governmental body, various chapters of
Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization (NIDO), are being faced with assorted challenges. While
the European and American Chapters of this Non-Governmental Organization have grappled
mostly with internally instigated leadership problems, the most dynamic Asian Chapter of this
body, NIDOMY is known to be free from such plague.
Nonetheless, within the first four years of its existence, NIDOMY has struggled intensely to
purge itself of questionable characters that once succeeded to ascend to leadership positions. The
Organization whose leadership in the last two years has for the first time in its history maintained
a non-involvement in any known or unknown criminal activities is now entangled in a
Diplomatic Coup D'etat cum scam that is known as the Anegbehgate. The brains instigating
this embarrassing situation, as well as the rationale behind this mischievous adventure constitute
the focus of this piece.
The immediate cause of this crisis is the insistence of Mr. Anegbeh Peter, the retired High
Commissioner to Malaysia to impose some hand-picked individuals as the successor of the
outgoing leadership. In one of the meetings attended by the author of this piece alongside
the outgoing President of NIDOMY, Dr. AbdulKarim S. Mohammed, Mr. Anegbeh declared in
the presence of those in attendance that he has finalized the selection of names that would take
over from the outgoing leadership. Mr. Anegbeh also stated that Dr. AbdulKarim shall be
appointed to head this group of hand-picked individuals.
Reading meanings into my facial expressions and reactions to his outburst, Mr. Anegbeh
audaciously declared whoever is dissatisfied with his arrangement should proceed to make use of
the media and other channels to air his objections. Mr. Anegbeh boasted that as a sacred cow that
enjoys the protection of the powers that be, such efforts will not affect his plans in the least. To
establish how strongly connected he is, Mr. Anegbeh requested his critics to wonder why he was
still running the affairs of the Commission months after he has not only retired from the civil
service but also paid his severance allowance.
As soon Mr. Anegbeh made his final submission, Dr. AbdulKarim informed the former that he is
neither interested in re-contesting for the post of the Organizations president nor ready to be part
of such unconstitutional arrangement. Before venturing into the major agenda upon which the
meeting was focused on, Dr. AbdulKarim informed Mr. Anegbeh that at the appropriate time, he
would be briefed on the transitional process that is hinged on necessary constitutional provisos of
the Organization. This said, Dr. AbdulKarim opened discussion on the plans of NIDOMY to
invite the likes of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as Guest speakers in the event being proposed to make
the 50th Independence anniversary of Nigeria as well as NIDOMY 2nd Annual Diaspora Day.
Issues were also raised on the Commissions plan as par the 50th Independence anniversary of
Nigeria.
Prior to this meeting, there have been reports that during some of the Local Organizing
Meeting(s) conveyed by Mr. Anegbeh to plan for the Commissions 50th Independence

anniversary of Nigeria, promises were made to appoint some of the LOCs members as part of
the team to be hand-picked. These members, amongst others, were one of the sources from
which fund was sourced and obtained from, to sponsor the 50thIndependence anniversary of
Nigeria because it was said that no fund was provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria to
mark the event. It was during this fund soliciting drive that Mr. Anegbeh made promises meant
to guarantee the interest of this particular segment of the fundraising sources. Realizing the
benefits to be made out of such deal, the concerned individuals made generous cash, commodity
and other forms of donations to the both the High Commission and Mr. Anegbeh as an
individual. For the records, ten and six thousand Ringgits were the respective minimum amounts
levied by Mr. Anegbeh on the old-timer and Malaysians who have been conducting businesses in
Nigeria for a long and short time. They were forced to make on the spot donations and pledges.
What a national embarrassment!
However, when the news of the NIDOMY constitutionally inaugurated Electoral Committee
(EC) reached the retired High Commissioner, frantic efforts were made by him to nullify the
process. He toyed with different ideas which were aimed at getting his aims achieved. Those
who were banking on him to deliver as promised ignored the transition process because it was
felt that nothing can stop the all-powerful Anegbeh from delivering. As it was dawning on the
potential benefactors of the donation-for-NIDOMY Executive positions-deal that things may not
work as planned, Mr. Anegbeh came under increasing pressure and could not withstand the
consequential backlash. Probably, he was afraid of what this particular segment of the donors
could do to expose the volume of money that was realized through the 50th Independence
anniversary fundraiser.
When Mr. Anegbeh realized foisting hand-picked individuals on the Organization as its new
leaders wont work, then, he came up with another idea by suggesting the setting up of
Committees. These Committees, he enunciated, would be in charge of the affairs of NIDOMY
after the outgoing Executive body is dissolved. Again, he was made to realize Committees could
only complement the activities of the Executive body and not take over the latters
responsibilities.
However, signs that things might work according to Anegbeh plans started to emerge when he
smartly botched the attempt to hold NIDOMYs AGM on the 13 November 2010 by putting
forth why the High Commissions premises wont be available for this purpose on the said day.
His reasons were that the High Commission would be handicapped as a result of playing host to
the 900-membered Nigerian delegations who were to attend a world conference of Accountants,
here, in Malaysia. It was also said that during the same period, the High Commission would be
hosting Auditors from Nigeria. Based on these factors, NIDOMY Executive went ahead to
postpone its AGM until 20 November, 2010.
The retired High Commissioner, Mr. Anegbeh made a deft maradonic u-turn, by requesting for
an extended familiarizing meeting comprising the outgoing NIDOMY Executives, the EC
members, the aspirants and those whose names have been penciled to serve on various
Committees. This meeting, he ironically fixed for 13 November 2010. The outcome of the
meeting was not in the retired Higher Commissions favour, so, his request for a low-key
meeting on 15 November, 2010. Again, he was disappointed with the outcome of this meeting.

When later contacted on the availability of the premises of the High Commission as the venue
for the Organizations AGM and elections scheduled for 20 November, 2010, Mr. Anegbeh
summoned efforts to notify the NIDOMY President of his plans for that day.
Cognizant of the fact that the NIDOMY President was not cooperating with him, Mr. Anegbeh
contacted Prof. Suleyman A. Muyibi in order to make him buy into his agenda.
Mr. Anegbeh briefed Prof. Muyibi how he plans to announce the names of the members that are
to populate the Committee that would man the affairs of NIDOMY on an interim basis. In the
consequence, the electoral process, would as planned the retired High Commissioner, be
dismissed as null and void. This was relayed to the NIDOMY Executive members by the Prof.
Consultations were made within the ranks of the Executive members on the next line of action
which in effect gave birth to well-thought decisions.
It was decided that the AGM and the elections be postponed in order to map out strategies aimed
at neutralizing Mr. Anegbeh's plans. This decision was effected and well received by our
members. One of his plans as it was discovered after serious meditation and based on facts from
certain sources was to create a full blown crisis situation by instigating his expectant benefactors
to disrupt NIDOMY AGM and elections. On the basis of this, he would set up a reconciliation
Committee which is to be populated by those who shall forge ahead to execute his predesigned
agenda.
While planning to strategize on the next line of action, the attention of the NIDOMY Executive
was drawn to a text message which emanated from the High Commission, calling for NIDOMY
AGM and elections. After frantic efforts, NIDOMY Executive laid their hands on the outrageous
text message that was sponsored by Mr. Anegbeh to factionalize and destabilize the activities of
the Organization.
This development spurred author of this piece to make effort to speak with some of the staff of
the High Commission and other stakeholders. After several attempts, Madam Francisca
Marinho and Mrs. Dupe Quist Adebiyi, two senior staff of the High Commission were
reached. It took hours of intellectual engagement before these two members of the High
Commission staff were made to realize that they have no such powers being exercised by them.
They were also informed of the actionable consequences of the High Commissions inactions.
During the aforesaid conversation which lasted hours, one of the staff in question alleged that the
present NIDOMY Executives were not elected but selected by Mr. Anegbeh. This grave
historical distortion was corrected by calling the attention of Mrs. Dupe Quist Adebiyi to the fact
that like the retired High Commissioner and other members of the Commissions staff, she
witnessed the fiercely contested election that ushered in the outgoing leadership of NIDOMY.
Before, it was being said that NIDOMY does not have a constitution, now, what is being
rumoured is what the outgoing Executives were selected by Mr. Peter Anegbeh.
Not minding the actionable implications of his inactions, Mr. Anegbeh proceeded with the
conduct of the AGM of his camp of NIDOMY. A meeting that was mainly attended by Mr.

Anegbehs town people and the expectant benefactors of his inactions recorded a worrying
attendance.
This diplomatic coup d'etat arising as a result of the scam whereby NIDOMY Executive
positions were offered to the highest bidders ( Anegbehgate) is now seriously being fought by
the outgoing NIDOMY Executives. Abuja intervention is now being sought to call the retired
Diplomat to order and act decisively by imposing necessary sanctions on the members of staff of
the High Commission who were involved in this aborted diplomatic coup d'etat cum scam.
Interventionists support is at the moment pouring in from concerned individuals who are afraid
of how Anegbehs inaction could spell doom for the battered image of Nigerians in Malaysia.
The Author, Mr. Adebiyi Abudugana can be reached through abudugana2000@yahoo.com