VOA Fires or Proposes Removal of 15 Hausa Service Members for 'Improper Conduct'

[ChrisSmolinski]

https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-hausa-employees/4599712.html

Voice of America has terminated or proposed to terminate 15 members of its Hausa service, following allegations of improper conduct, including the acceptance of improper payments.

VOA Director Amanda Bennett said in an email to staff Thursday that the agency's leadership was made aware of the allegations "in recent months" and launched several investigations.

"While privacy laws prevent us from disclosing any specifics, it is following the completion of these investigations that these terminations and proposed terminations are occurring," she wrote.

The VOA Hausa service broadcasts to Nigeria and Niger and extensively covers events in that part of Africa.

Bennett said the improper payments came "from an official in the coverage area."

"A separate investigation has been launched to determine if any coverage by VOA was improperly influenced," she said. "If any such influence is discovered, we will deal with it promptly and transparently."

"What’s more, if any other instances of improper payments are discovered in any service anywhere in VOA, we are committed to investigating them thoroughly and dealing with them promptly as well."

Bennett said the leadership of VOA's Africa Division gave total support to the investigations and cooperated in the decision to terminate or propose to terminate the affected people.

"They, like all of us, are committed to the highest standards of ethical behavior and will not tolerate any infractions," she said.

She added: "Nothing is more important here at VOA than the trust our audiences place in us. To maintain that trust, nothing is more important than maintaining the highest possible standards of journalistic, professional, legal and moral integrity."

[refmo]

I guess that Nigerian prince is still trying to transfer money out of his country.

[Pigmeat]

I knew a Nigerian Prince in college. His two cousins came along with him, I was tight with those two. I asked if he was really a Prince. One said,"Yes and no. Before the British came his family was royalty. After independence it's in name only. He's considered an odd little guy around town." I told them he was considered an odd guy on campus and they rolled

The last time I saw him in the flesh he was trying to beat out an engine fire in his old car with his coat. Believe it or not he now has the title of "King" in part of southeastern Nigeria.

[Weed Dick]

I knew a Nigerian Prince in college. His two cousins came along with him, I was tight with those two. I asked if he was really a Prince. One said,"Yes and no. Before the British came his family was royalty. After independence it's in name only. He's considered an odd little guy around town." I told them he was considered an odd guy on campus and they rolled

The last time I saw him in the flesh he was trying to beat out an engine fire in his old car with his coat. Believe it or not he now has the title of "King" in part of southeastern Nigeria.

How do you come up with all these stories and tidbits?? Which drugs are you on comrade? This one sounds like an alternative plot of Coming To America.

[Pigmeat]

It's pretty easy. Since I was a little kid the first thing I asked myself upon waking was, "What kind of adventure can I have today?" Then I went out and gave it a try. You can get into all sorts of interesting stuff with the right attitude and "screw it" attitude.

This was well before Eddie Murphy was a thought at SNL much less in Hollywood. There were all kinds of guys from around the world on campus who claimed to be this or that. This one happened to be telling the truth.

I should have known something was up when his cousin and I were driving through Kentucky? Black guy, fancy car, funny accent, he was a rolling target for the cops. The nimrod didn't set the parking brake when the cop pulled us over. When he slammed the door to go back to the state troopers ride, his car rolled backwards into the troopers. All I can think is "Oh sh!t, we're going to jail now!"

I'm watching the two of them argue in the mirror and my buddy gets out, rips up the ticket and tosses it at the cops windshield. The cop burns rubber out there, with a look like he'd like to shoot us both. My buddy hops in the car, I'm tearing him a new one about how to deal with cops in this country. He shows me his license, it's one that's issued to diplomats. The asshole had diplomatic immunity! It was a half-hour before my heart stopped pounding.

I knew a guy from Thailand in that period who claimed to be a Prince. He's now a celebrity chef there and here. I checked out his Wikipedia profile a couple of years back. Damned if he's not a Prince? I knew his Dad was a diplomat, thus his immunity, but the Prince stuff? Tell me another one, Mike. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that bio.

If you guys behave yourself, I'll tell you the tale of the Iranian with the armored Mercedes. Bulletproof glass, too. After the Shah fell, those guys were picking up all sorts of weird surplus from the former Iranian Embassy and consulates in the States.