The probe on former Pres Jonathan's administration
by President Muhammadu Buhari has kick off,to find out the dealings behind the alleged purchase of 3
mobile stages, that cost $6.9m, the Presidency source has said.
According to a document release by the source in 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.
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The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the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the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn.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
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