The last may have not been heard of the immediate past president yet as news coming in say president Buhari is to probe the Former Pres. Jonathan and Diezani over $6.9m campaign stages.
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The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the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the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn.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.
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