The ongoing probe of former Pres Jonathan's
administration by President Muhammadu Buhari is to find
out the dealings behind the alleged purchase of 3 mobile
stages, that cost $6.9m, 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The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the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, NNPC, for the purpose of buying 3 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money was withdrawn.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 in 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 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.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic
Party, Chief Olisa Metuh is set to respond to the
allegations.
Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment