As president Muhammadu Buhari continues his anti-corruption fight, fresh trouble is already brewing up for the Goodluck Jonathan administration, as the probe of the past administration by President Buhari has indicted his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, and two of his former officials, over an alleged purchase of three mobile stages to the tune of $6.9million, a Presidency source has said.
The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the numerous accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
According to a document emanating from the presidency on Saturday, the deal, which had become subject of investigation, was allegedly carried out among Jonathan; his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The $6.9 million was said to have been withdrawn for the purpose of buying three units of 40-foot mobile stages for use by Jonathan during mass public speaking events.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the stages were “incredibly inflated,” there was currently no evidence that the stages were bought since the money was withdrawn.
“While the cost of mobile stages range in size and designs, only outlandish rock star musicians in Europe and the United States 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,” the statement read in part.
It added that the phony purchase was carried out late 2011, a few months after Jonathan won a general election for a full term after having completed the term of 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 the memo was regarding “regarding 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 minuted an approval of the request to buy the three stages 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, with 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 say, 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 say 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 $6.9million in question was promptly paid on November 29, 2011, into a private account belonging to the former CSO.
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