The ongoing probe of the immediate past administration by President Muhammadu Buhari is to beam its searchlight on the alleged purchase of three mobile stages, costing $6.9m, by former President Goodluck Jonathan and two of his officials, a Presidency source has said.
According to a document, which was obtained from the Presidency on Saturday, the deal, which is now a subject of investigation, was allegedly carried out by Jonathan; his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the numerous accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The $6.9m (about N1.37bn) was said to have been withdrawn for the purpose of buying three pieces of 40-feet mobile stages for use by Jonathan during mass public speaking events.
According to the document, apart from the fact that the sum for the stages was “incredibly inflated”, there is currently no evidence that the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn.
The document read, “While the cost of mobile stages ranges in sizes and designs, only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the US spend hundreds of thousands on their huge stages way bigger than the 40-feet stages.
“Even then, those musicians and superstars would not pay over $2m per stage, according to industry sources.
“The process of procurement of the three mobile stages was neither known to extant Nigerian laws and due process regulations nor were the offices of the Auditor-General and the Accountant-General in the know, according to the investigators.”
It added that the phony purchase was carried out late 2011, a few months after Jonathan won the presidential election for a full term after having completed the term of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Jonathan’s CSO was said to have initiated a memo to the former President on October 17, 2011, asking for the purchase of three mobile stages.
He was reported to have written in that memo to Jonathan that memo referred to “my earlier discussion with Your Excellency on the security implication of your public appearances and your subsequent directive on the need to procure a secured presidential platform.”
The Presidency source said on the same day, without any financial advice or purchase order reviews, the former President approved the request to buy the three stages and minuted the memo to the then Minister for Petroleum Resources.
In his minute, Jonathan was said to have written, “We have discussed this, please deal.”
According to the document, on the same October 17, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administrative Matters, Mr. Matt Aikhionbere, did another letter on the strength of the President’s approval requesting the minister to take action on the request to purchase the stages for $6.9m.
It added, “By the next month, an NNPC payment voucher, number 3840336, was already in place, revealing that the money was released.
“NNPC directed that the money be taken from one of its accounts in New York CITIBANK with sort code CITIUS 33, and Routing number 021000089.
“It was first routed from the US bank to an NNPC account in Zenith Bank account number 5000026593, Maitama branch in Abuja, from where the money was sent to a private account.
“The sum of $6.9m was then credited to a Sterling Bank account of one J. Marine Logistics Limited, Abuja, a company investigators said was registered by Obuah.
“The CSO himself, according to investigators, has not been able to show proof of the purchase and his memo irked his bosses at the SSS that he took the initiative to write requesting for the stages, an action which officials said was way above his pay grade.”
The document added that it was not the duty or responsibility of the CSO to make the determination on that purchase as he was meant to have informed the service, which will then review the situation and act accordingly.
It added that the $6.9miilion in question was promptly paid on Nov. 29, 2011 into a private account belonging to the former CSO.
“The former President approved the procurement of the mobile platforms without due process and bypassing the Procurement Act; neither was there an appropriation in the 2011 budget for such facility,” the document quoted investigators as saying.
It added that neither the then Minister of Finance nor the Director-General of the Budget Office was aware of the deal.
“Investigators say this is just one of the several instances, where the Jonathan administration used secret NNPC accounts to fund many questionable projects and for alleged personal financial aggrandisement.
“Already, the CSO has been questioned over his role and activities in the Jonathan Presidency. It will be recalled that he was arrested, detained, questioned and later released.
Attempts to get the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, to react to the allegation against the former President did not succeed as calls to his mobile telephone did not go through.
He was yet to respond to an SMS sent to his mobile phone as of the time of filing this report.
Punch.
Hmmm Diezani's name keeps coming up!..This woman single handedly aided and abetted emptying the treasury.ah ah!
Hmmm. This country sha. All we hear is millions and billions and we see noting.
ReplyDelete@lafresh.
DeleteU not us
Radio without battery that is what this present govt is
DeleteMoney maker ishie
DeleteAll ye blind supporters of Jonathan, consider this. Imagine, just imagine, that all these monies being talked about had been used to improve our hospitals, build excellent roads, improve our schools to top standards, equip our military, provide social benefits to d disabled etc. Deaths would have been avoided mehn. All the begi begi on IHN would have reduced significantly too. What a wonderful country this would have been.
ReplyDeleteThe northerners and Baba Iyabo ruled this country since Independence.
DeleteDid the country fared better under them?
Or is the nigerian economy doing better under the daura dullard?
Nice response from money maker...
DeleteI am also waiting to see Fashola probed!...
Nonsense!!..
And at the end of it all, no penny will be recovered. Tired much with all these probes or threats to probe without yielding a positive result.
ReplyDeleteLolz.
DeleteAll these are mere allegations specially manufactured to tarnish the image of the past administration.
ReplyDeleteI hope no one has forgotten how Oshimole's wild allegations where robustly rubbished by the Americans.
I still maintain that if the Baba GoSlow's administration has any concrete proof that officials of the past govt. engaged in corruption,
It should be presented in the Court during trial
Am really sorry for. U benifitted so well from the past government and it pains to see it go.hahahaha ! But don't worry, where there is live ,there is hope(but I hope u won't die soon cos ur hate and eka joy can kill instata!) let others enjoy for some years to ko! Ndo!
DeleteI dont think all these allegations are true cos if its true, why are they wasting time to prosecute them? Dont they have evidences to prove that?
ReplyDelete@olaedo,exactly.
DeleteIt is called smear campaign.
They want everyone to forget all the insincere campaign promises
Are u aware that even as an ex president, GEJ is still covered with immunity?
DeleteEmpty threats
ReplyDeleteThey still on it. Lol
ReplyDeleteWe will be hearing things like this till next year.
Probe if you must and let us know/see the outcome,not all these talk today,talk tomorrow.
Buhari is just afraid of the man Gej represents.
@chi exotic.
DeleteIt is called diversionary tactics.
The economy is in shambles.
The don't want anyone to ask questions
Wonders will never end. All this money this people stole, they could not even build one trauma centre anywhere in this country. Na to thief full pocket dem Sabi. I am glad NO ONE will take all their wealth with them to the great beyond and l am happier because their I'll gotten wealth will not give them a free pass at the Pearly gates.
ReplyDeleteThis is still one of their many talks, they have jumped from billion dollars to million dollars, very soon, it will be reduced to thousands. Let dem continue embarrassing themselves with these probes. And of course the apc senseless supporters will never notice how the figures are drastically reducing.
ReplyDeleteLolz.
DeleteFrom billions to millions.
I won't be surprised if they start talking about hundreds of naira in some months time.
Lmao
Omo Ale :)
DeleteOmo ashawo
DeleteBia Eka joy, oh sharrrap please! What do you even know. People like you that haven't seen 100k will be full of crap!!!!
DeleteI used to admire this woman some years back... it's just a shame she is this corrupt... I hope she pays for all these atrocities.
ReplyDelete@okezi,
DeleteDid have any evidence of corruption against her?
Its all here say.
Moneymaker, keep hopping up and down like a praying-mantis with bad legs. Aren't you outta breath already?
DeleteThis woman do Nigeria under GEJ administration very strong thing but I know say no be only she waka come
ReplyDeleteBuhari be behaving like a don,go and ask Abacha what happened to him
ReplyDeleteCan u imagine! 6.9m dollars just for mobile stages probably for election campaign. Chai these people really drained this country. So pathetic.
ReplyDeleteAllison is so corrupt
ReplyDelete@Money Maker, u are a lame fool. u and ur many types are the problem this country is facing as a nation. if the administration before Jonathan's administration was corrupt, which of course you and i and even the blinds knows they were exceedingly corrupt, why didn't GEJ probed them? what stopped him from looking into the corrupt practices of the administration that handle government over to him? instead the Otueke man decided to build on the corrupt foundation and continued from where they stopped, and Gej successfully perpetuated the most outrageous corrupt government in the high of Nigeria's democratic government. and here you are defending him and his cohorts like Alice Dezianni and Onkonjo and more.. and yet you look forward to a better Nigeria someday? how remotely stupid can anyone be? you people are busy condemning GMB's interest to probe these heartless murderers and robbers? y'all expectations was that he (GMB) builds on the same corrup foundation he met and continue from where the past admins stopped? you are lucky this internet otherwise i would slap some sense into that bigotry,tribalistic coconut head of yours.. anu ohia.. ewu-gambia.. baskalefu.. mtchewwwwwww
ReplyDeleteProbe without results ba?
DeleteHe should spend his 6yrs probing like this stupid government is doin ba
The economy is falling none of their promises have been fulfilled and you're here talking nonsense. I'm tired of this useless government
my take on all these probe news.
ReplyDeleteif GMB must probe he has to start from atleast 1999 till date. if not its witch hunting. lets say that the military were forgiven after the handover. corruption has rooted well in Nigeria. i will love those corrupt politician to be brought to book and our monies recovered.
i pray that these regime will set a standard for others to come. So that at the end of these regime Nigerians corruption status will be cleaned. SAY NO TO MERE THEFT, STEALING OR CORRUPTION.
Stories we hear every day. We want actions please
ReplyDeleteStories!!! We hear it everyday. We r tired abeg
ReplyDelete