Dimeji Bankole Buys Speaker’s Residence, Wants To Rent It - To Speaker



Reports from Abuja indicate that Dimeji Bankole, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, having been allowed to “buy” the palatial official residence of the Speaker, for a meager N45 million, wants to let the property to the current Speaker, for N40 million per annum.
Vanguard newspaper reported today that the current Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwa, has not enjoyed the official residence since he assumed that position, apparently because Mr. Bankole would not let it go.

But strangely, it is Mr. Tambuwal himself who recently informed members of the House of the rental proposal.

On November November 30, 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan gave leave to the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, to “purchase” their official quarters.  Reporting that story, NEXT newspaper said that N1.5 billion had been made available in the 2011 budget for the construction of replacements for those properties.  The largesse, which was denied at the time by presidential Special Adviser Ima Niboro, was thought to be Mr. Jonathan’s way of garnering wide-ranging support for his April 2010 presidential bid.

Perennial “palatialization” and privatization of official quarters is a popular government game in Abuja.  In 2007, Patricia Etteh, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, awarded mouth-watering contracts of about N628 million for the renovation of her official residence and that of the Deputy Speaker.  The uproar which arose eventually forced her out of office
Months later, in 2008, President Umaru Yar’Adua approved N200 million in the budget of the Federal Capital Territory for renovating the renovations that were begun under Mrs. Etteh. 
In 2009, the sum of N200 million was again provided in the budget to renovate the accommodations being occupied by her successor, Bankole, and Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada.  The excuse was that the 2008 provision meant for the upgrade had not been “accessed”.

Jonathan’s November 2010 decision to allow the official occupiers of federal property to convert them to private ownership meant that the Senate President, Mr. David Mark, would be enjoying such largesse for the second time since he became a Senator in 1999.  He was one of those Senators who benefitted from the sale of the Apo legislative residence quarters of Senators between 2003 and 2007.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Bankole had also benefitted from that sale, and it was in that Apo house he lived until he moved to the massive official residence of the Speaker last year. 

It would also be recalled that in December 2009, the Federal Government awarded a contract for the construction of a N7.5 billion “permanent residence” for then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan.




His predecessor, Abubakar Atiku, had occupied the official residence of the Chief Justice of Nigeria during his years in office.  Upon assuming office, Mr. Jonathan took up the same residence until he acquired the sumptuous Akinola Aguda House, previously a Presidential Guest House.  It was in that residence, on February 26, 2010, that Jonathan as Acting President hosted United States Ambassador Robin Sanders following the sudden return of President Umaru Yar’Adua to the country and made his famous declaration, which was exposed this year by WikiLeaks: “I lack administrative experience.”

It is not yet clear how Mr. Bankole, who is facing a 15-count criminal charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja brought by the EFCC, managed to swing the deal to “buy” his former official residence.

In addition to those charges, Bankole, who was arrested a few months ago as he allegedly prepared to flee the country, also has issues relating to inflated contracts, money-laundering, and a controversial N10 billion bank loan he arranged without authorization as Speaker with which he bought the NITEL House in Lagos for peanuts.  Prior to that, he was also involved in a N2.3 billion car scandal in the House.

In May 2011, a SaharaReporters’ investigation found that Bankole also owned an astounding $1 billion in a United Bank of Africa domiciliary account being operated for him by his Principal Officer, Maurice Ekpeyong.

When things were rosy for Mr. Bankole, real estate was one of his special thrills.  He also owns a N7 billion hotel resort being built in Akodo, near the highbrow Lekki in Lagos.  In addition to properties in South Africa, the United States, Abuja and Abeokuta, he bought the 32-storey NITEL building in Lagos for N4 billion, allegedly in cash.

Two weeks ago, Mr. David Mark, a former Minister of Communications, accused the Jonathan government of doing nothing about NITEL.

"NITEL has just simply died and nobody is saying anything about it,” he said at the launching of the Senate Committee on Communications.  “That is tax payers' money that has gone down the drain and nobody is doing anything and we will just fold our hands and people will still talk nonsense.”

See Dimeji, swaggz lomo

The best speaker we ever had, and will be for a long time to come.

These people don sell us finito, and we dey here fighting each other, tearing each other into pieces


God, Oh God my God, Oh God of Israel, in my next life, please, dont make me come as a Nigerian.

Oluwa mi O! see as these people just dey chop money. kai, boko boys be basterds. these are the guys bokos are supposed to blow up instead of fumbling like arseholes.

arsenefc:

See Dimeji, swaggz lomo

The best speaker we ever had, [/b]and will be for a long time to come.

arsenefc:

[b]These people don sell us finito, and we dey here  fighting each other, tearing each other into pieces


God, Oh God my God, Oh God of Israel, in my next life, please, dont make me come as a Nigerian.

O sure pe oo ti ya were ba yii?

Ni sukuru ile eko (school), a ma n pe eni  bi ti e ni bipolar. Sugbon ni ooja eko, were la ma n pe eyan bi ti e.

Ileke-IdI:

O sure pe oo ti ya were ba yii?

Ni sukuru ile eko (school), a ma n pe eni bi ti e ni bipolar. Sugbon ni ooja eko, were la ma n pe eyan bi ti e.

Ileke-IdI:

O sure pe oo ti ya were ba yii?

Ni sukuru ile eko (school), a ma n pe eni  bi ti e ni bipolar. Sugbon ni ooja eko, were la ma n pe eyan bi ti e.

"Goodluck ring Taken with HP MediaSmart Webcam"


You look like a slut in those pictures, You need to take down those pictures, aburo. Being honest with you here.

is that supposed to be relevant?

Dimeji and Tambuwwal.
Padi padi, wayo wayo, arrangee ni.

I have not been myself since i read this piece from SR! How much time do we have to keep up wif these Vampires that are ruling us wif impunity! It is high time we the youths of this Great Country take the bull by the Horn! This nonsense has gotten out hand and MUST stop! Ah i forgot noboby wants to die but everyday we get closer to our graves because their is No Good Health care facility, No Good Road, No Security, Corrution is every where! just to list a few. when ever i think of this great country wif WICKED leaders i CRY, becuse their is no future for our unborn children, which should be the reason we must stand up and say NO to these people, God will never come down and do this for US!

^ You people in the East should stop complaining. You choose to vote PDP, or need i remind you that your votes was between 98% to 99%?.

Eat your humble pie quietly, and stop disturbing our peace. You voted for continuity!

#dumbfounded#speechless#

I need to enter politics and join the PDP.

Seems a lucrative career

Rhino.5dm:

^ You people in the East should stop complaining. You choose to vote PDP, or need i remind you that your votes was between 98% to 99%?.

Eat your humble pie quietly, and stop disturbing our peace. You voted for continuity!

+1

God have mercy!!!

smh

happy fresh air!!!

Nigeria need a proper clean up

With just a Billion that this guy has 10 people can be millionaires for the rest of their lifes.
I've lost words to add.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, this is money

This is insane.

Rhino.5dm:

^ You people in the East should stop complaining. You choose to vote PDP, or need i remind you that your votes was between 98% to 99%?.

Eat your humble pie quietly, and stop disturbing our peace. You voted for continuity!

Are you for real? I thought Tambuwal was your man to checkmate PDP and restore The glory of Nigeria! You should eat the humble pile because this one is on your hands. You voted Tambuwal in to spite GEJ and OBJ. Now this is your fate. Deal with it. This is on ACN and Tinubu's hands. You cannot ascape it.

Rhino.5dm:

^ You people in the East should stop complaining. You choose to vote PDP, or need i remind you that your votes was between 98% to 99%?.

Eat your humble pie quietly, and stop disturbing our peace. You voted for continuity!

Broda i urge you to follow my comments on NL, you will uncover where i stand!
I will not dispute that my brodas from the SE and SS voted out of sentiment! But what i'm saying is that we the citizens are the one's suffering from the miss rule of these WICKED people whom call themselves our leaders!
@Rhino, if we the youths continue to blame this Tribe that Tribe for our collective problem then we still have a very long way to go! After my analysis i have come to the conculsion that the problem of Nigeria lies on our WICKED leaders!

Everythin' is just in billions, N1billion=1,000,000,000, #beatin' my chest#
Aal izz well, aaaal izz well

whats this one talking about? Are you on crack? is Tambuwal member of ACN? Is Rhino.5dm member of ACN? SSMH



For the last time, I cannot be with evil. So, you PDP vampires can suck as much bloods as you want. PDP is a venomous snake killing this country. Now, slit your throat in protest of me  belching the truth.

edicolove:

Are you for real? I thought Tambuwal was your man to checkmate PDP and restore The glory of Nigeria! You should eat the humble pile because this one is on your hands. You voted Tambuwal in to spite GEJ and OBJ. Now this is your fate. Deal with it. This is on ACN and Tinubu's hands. You cannot ascape it.

please mods take this topic to front page

they will not go unpunished, Nigerian politicians that steal money. their end is near!

enough is enough we need a revolution but how do we do it and not shed the blood of the innocents?

it's high time we took to the streets becuase of we remain mute these morons will just assump we're doing fine.the only language they understand is that of violence,just as MEND did,we may all settle for this and see the result aftermath!

i am from the N/E. I am in. viva revolution!!!

Is this how fresh air stinks?

Whenever I think of Nigeria, I see a people with misplaced and selfish leaders. It is high time we the YOUTHS enforce the Rawlings type of Ghana revolution here, KILL THEM ALL. It always grieves my heart that, Nigerians were so blind during the last elections. I rest my case.