For most of 2014, Marilyn Ogar, the
spokesperson for Nigeria’s secret police, the
State Security Service, SSS, cut out for herself
a controversial portrait of a blunt security
official who had no qualms issuing threats
and attacking anyone or institution perceived
to be critical of the Nigerian government.
In the heat of the August 9 Osun State
governorship election, won by the All
Progressives Congress, APC, Ms. Ogar alleged
links between the party and bomb attacks, and
narrated how SSS officials rebuffed N14million
offered as bribe by an unnamed party –
although her description fit the APC.
“A director in charge of election duties
(security) was offered N4 million for himself
and N10 million,” Ms. Ogar, a deputy director
in the service, said at a news conference. “It is
because the money was declined, that is why
the certain political party is having a running
battle with the DSS.”
She added, “Thank God the APC won the
election; its loss could have been blamed on
the DSS”, using the service’s alternate name.
Ms. Ogar assured that she and other SSS
officials could not be bribed because the
service provides a competitive reward package
for its personnel, even before assignments.
“We are well paid, I will say it categorically,
our operations are well funded. N14 million as
against N200m that was spent, which one will
you go for? The federal government and the
people of Nigeria who have engaged us have
the capability of taking care of us.”
Ms. Ogar was lying. Investigations by
PREMIUM TIMES have confirmed the SSS
spokesperson received bribe from government
officials well ahead of the Osun election, and
was indeed paid millions of naira at least two
months before the polls.
PREMIUM TIMES could not however confirm
whether the money was directly tied to the
Osun election.
But in June, Ms. Ogar was treated to a special
offer the Nigerian government utilises in
appeasing dubious officials who are willing to
play ball, and other Nigerians regarded as
troublesome.
Within government circles, the offer, which is a
direct allocation of fuel products, is termed
“settlement”.
“That is what the government uses if it wants
to settle you. If you are settled once, you are
made,” one source told PREMIUM TIMES.
Ms. Ogar was referred to the Pipelines and
Products Marketing Company, PPMC, a
subsidiary of the government-run Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in
charge of marketing and distribution of
petroleum products.
According to elaborate details of the
transaction obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the
PPMC was directed to allocate 10 trucks of
DPK (Dual Purpose Kerosene) to Ms. Ogar.
The SSS spokesperson, accordingly met with
the Managing Director of the company,
Haruna Momoh, and the deal was struck
between first and second week in June, this
newspaper confirmed.
With little or no previous fuel marketing
experience, and more importantly, without a
registered company for that purpose, Mr.
Momoh, who took charge at the PPMC in
2011, suggested the allocations be channelled
through known fuel independent marketers
who will receive the allocation, sell them and
deliver cash to Ms. Ogar.
The SSS spokeswoman agreed, and the PPMC
selected three marketers to deliver four, three,
and three trucks apiece on her behalf.
An agent at the PPMC triggered text messages
to the respective marketers. In one, sent by
the coordinator of a private depot in Apapa
Lagos via 08064387579, the firm wrote,
“Please be informed management has
approved three trucks of DPK to your
company. Kindly make arrangement for
payment. Thank you.”
To finalise the deal, the PPMC introduced Ms.
Ogar to the three marketers and all sides
agreed she be paid N1.5 million for each truck
of DPK.
In all, Ms. Ogar was paid N15 million for
doing nothing beyond meeting the PPMC boss
having been recommended by the higher
authorities to do so.
Ms. Ogar declined to comment to this story.
She did not answer multiple calls to her by
one of our reporters. She is also yet to reply a
text message sent to her seeking comment.
Mr. Momoh too did not answer or return calls.
Neither did he respond to a text message sent
to him.
Third party bazaar
For the marketers, the deal was not a bad one
as they received hundreds of thousands of
DPK at N40.90k per litre.
For a 33,000-litre truck, as the average
volume of fuel tankers is, that amounted to
N1.345 million in purchase cost for each
truck.
To enable them profit, the Nigerian
government allowed the marketers the liberty
to sell the fuel at any rate, as high as N120, to
raise their profits after paying Ms. Ogar.
Ms. Ogar’s bazaar was typical of the rot in
the marketing of petroleum products in
Nigeria, the most infamous example being the
2012 fuel subsidy that cost the nation nearly
N3 trillion.
While landing cost of fuel could be as low as
N40.90k, registered marketers buy at far
higher price than that, often in excess of
N100.
Our investigations showed that the huge
differential oils a complex web of official
racket that allows top government officials
settle their cronies, by using them as
intermediaries who receive direct fuel
allocations before re-selling to marketers.
The end cost is transferred to Nigerians who
buy fuel at far more exorbitant rates.
Ostensibly to cover up the deal, Ms. Ogar and
the PPMC chose not to issue routine
documents for the transaction, but conducted
most of the deal through telephone calls and
text messages.
Our sources said the June allocation was
neither the first nor the last for Ms. Ogar, a
claim PREMIUM TIMES could not
independently verify.

kodded:
Ggg

ggg

kodded:
This is the worst time for apc to release such news to the public because it can incite more violence in the country
I keep telling my friends that apc does not have nigeria at heart..........they prefer nigeria splitting than for jonathan to be declare the winner

***spit at their change***

u mean for exposing the rot in our state security system.My guy on this you are wrong

smemud:
ggg

bros no vesk na space booking cause am

smemud:
u mean for exposing the rot in our state security system.My guy on this you are wrong

naaaaa there are some things you don't say to the public at a certain time it might spark conflict and war


The major reason for war in the world today is because they said the right thing at the wrong time

kodded:
naaaaa there are some things you don't say to the public at a certain time it might spark conflict and war


The major reason for war in the world today is because they said the right thing at the wrong time

I agree with you on that

kodded:
This is the worst time for apc to release such news to the public because it can incite more violence in the country
I keep telling my friends that apc does not have nigeria at heart..........they prefer nigeria splitting than for jonathan to be declare the winner

***spit at their change***

Guy, abeg come pack ur spit, everywhere just dey smell.

Chanchit:


Guy, abeg come pack ur spit, everywhere just dey smell.

but I don brush teeth na

kodded:
but I don brush teeth na

Na now u jst brush, you never brush that time.