Musiliu Obanikoro served as Nigeria’s Minister
of State for Foreign Affairs in the immediate-past
administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES’
Samuel Ogundipe, Mr. Obanikoro, a one-term
senator and former Minister of State for Defence,
tells his own side of the story from his abode in
the United States, as Nigeria’s anti-graft officials
continue their investigations into his activities
while in office, as well as those of his two sons,
Jide and Gbolahan.
You dared the government to seek your
extradition in a statement you released a
day after your property was raided in
Lagos, did you do that because you’re in
America or because you’re confident of your
innocence?
You know why I am laughing? Because they have
trivialised government by all those senseless
propaganda that they’re perpetrating all over the
place. These people you’re talking about, they
know they don’t have anything that will
withstand judicial scrutiny.
They will never attempt any extradition. I, Musiliu
Olatunde Obanikoro, am inviting EFCC to petition
America to extradite me to Nigeria. The whole
world would now see their charade for what it is.
It is even good for everyone to know the truth,
including those who are sympathisers to the All
Progressives Congress.
Because, in Nigeria, you’re either on this side or
the other side. But this American system is
unbiased. They’re neither for me nor for them.
So, let them bring the tissue of lies that they have
put together and submit everything to serious
judicial scrutiny and let us see whether it will fly. I
am inviting them to do that.
Let them tell us how APC elections were funded if
it was not government funds that they used. So
why are you persecuting people that lost election
and maturely and showing respect for peace and
tranquility of Nigeria submitted themselves to the
rule of law and accepted the verdict of the people
and you’re now turning around to witchhunt
them?
Maybe they’re trying to tell Nigerians in advance
that if they lose elections they will not let go. And
I have two good examples to show that if the APC
loses election they will never hand over, they
would rather destroy the system than hand over
government to the winner. My son was a victim in
Lagos. We won elections and they refused to
hand over without blinking an eye. The
councillorship election of my son and
chairmanship elections were won by the PDP and
they took everything away from them—just like
that.
But, as the saying goes, the law is like a
sieve, so it can’t catch all offenders.
Similarly, if you’ve done anything to breach
public trust as a minister, shouldn’t you be
made to pay for your actions in order to
deter others from committing similar
offence?
Mr brother, don’t let us be naive. There are
petitions against [Minister of Transport, Rotimi]
Amaechi and there are petitions against [Minister
of Power, Works and Housing, Tunde] Fashola
with the EFCC. They have decided not to touch
them because they are in government and they
are in APC. We are all Nigerians, are you telling
me all APC members are clean? And I am telling
you authoritatively as someone who had worked
extensively in security institutions in Nigeria that
government funds at the state level were used to
help APC win elections.
You see, it is unfortunate that these people will
use propaganda to destroy people unjustly. And,
in this month of Ramadan, God will visit them in
his own way.
All this time they were talking about, my son,
Jide, was out of Nigeria. We have evidence to
show that he was not even in the country. We
have evidence. That is why I am telling them to
bring the matter to a neutral ground where they
will subject it to proper judicial scrutiny. I am
inviting them, I am begging them in the name of
God. Jide was not even near Nigeria throughout
the period in question. He was here in America
when the whole funds they’re talking about were
released. My other son, Gbolahan, didn’t have
access to that kind of money. Did he work for
government? How could he have that kind of
funds?
Are you implying that the EFCC plucked
those figures from thin air, including bank
accounts and firms said to have been linked
to your sons?
It is unfortunate that the media in Nigeria are
allowing these people to abuse them. They’re not
using you, they’re abusing you. Ask them to give
you the account details —since they have
decided to try this matter in the court of public
opinion. Let them publish the account numbers
publicly.
Why not go to the Corporate Affairs Commission
and obtain those documents there
independently? That is why I am saying ‘let them
come and seek my extradition’ then we will see
whether all the lies they’re propagating in Nigeria
will fly here.
It is one thing to use their power to intimidate
judges and compel them to do things that
ordinarily they wouldn’t do. But because they’re
trying to put everybody in a cage, they will
blackmail, they will intimidate just to arrive at a
desired conclusion. But luckily, God gave me the
wisdom to seek more knowledge after office,
that’s why I am here in America and not in
Nigeria for them to persecute the way they’re
persecuting others.
Tell EFCC to give you all the documents of the
company and account statements from the
banks. Let them publish everything in the papers.
And anywhere you see Obanikoro’s name, you
should crucify me.
Neither Jide nor Gbolahan has interest in
Sylvan McNamara Ltd. or knows anything
about the N4.7 billion fleece?
I am volunteering to pay for the publication. Tell
EFCC to make them available then you call me, I
will pay to have it published in the papers for all
Nigerians to see. Not a kobo can be traced to me
nor to my children. Not a kobo.
There’s a paper trail, this money was not just
given in cash. There were bank transactions
according to them. At a time they claimed the
money was part of the $2.1 billion arms
procurement funds. Now, they have changed it
that it’s from the National Security Agency’s
imprest account.
Now, assuming, but without conceding, assuming
that it was from NSA’s imprest account, does the
law not allow the NSA to use its imprest as it
pleases when it comes to security? Does the law
not allow that? Go and read their release today,
they said it was from the NSA imprest account.
Let me tell you, I am not defending Dasuki, he’ll
defend himself. But in terms of security parlance
and the challenges we were confronted, N4.2
billion was too insignificant against the threat that
we faced.
I worked as Minister of State for Defence and I
know the meaning of imprest account, so
discretion is very key in this area.
I am telling you and I am appealing to all
Nigerians to also join me in asking them to seek
my extradition.
Did your sons leave Nigeria because they
knew the authorities were closing in on
them?
My sons have really established persecution,
politically. You cannot be releasing something to
the media for the past eight months and now
you’re coming out to release the same thing by
yourself. Something that you have used to
destroy, to tarnish and reduce me in the public
and going to my house without a valid court
order.
They claimed I have forfeited my property, how
can I forfeit a property without a due process?
You see, my brother, the danger we face in
Nigeria is bigger than what all of you are
admitting. I am telling you, the danger you face
in that country, if EFCC can go to a magistrate
and lie to them and get an order that someone
has forfeited his property, without a fair hearing?
Without any letter inviting him to come and
explain anything? Without the judge seeking to
know the other side of the story before granting
such forfeiture order? Nigeria is in a great trouble,
my brother. We are in serious trouble. This is
worse than a military era. Far worse than a
military era.
I am going to petition the National Judicial
Commission on the activities of the judge. I do not
have any business account anywhere in the
world. Since I don’t have any business, you
cannot trace any money to a business account.
How can you forfeit someone’s sweat without
hearing from them?
Now, talking about my sons. Let me tell you, Jide
went for a course in Holland–let me tell you, I
want them to come to America, I am repeating
myself– so that the two of us can have serious
judicial scrutiny. Jide went to Holland for a course
in fish farming. But it is convenient for the EFCC
to go to a beer parlour shop and be speculating.
You cannot say people should not go and improve
themselves when they have interest.
Gbolahan also has a very good reason to be out of
the country. Gbolahan has a valid explanation
and a genuine and honest reason to be in
America. But from what we’re seeing now, we can
tell that we’re in deep political trouble with the
government of the day.
Let me tell you, I will not honour any invitation
from the EFCC and neither would I allow my
children to be part of that charade.
Having gone to my house without inviting me or
inviting my children. They subjected my
grandkids, my teenage kids, my wife and
daughter-in-law to this kind of embarrassment, it
is evident that I cannot get any fair hearing from
them.
It is unfortunate that they would jump fences into
my residence in which there were two-year-old,
three-year-old, four-year-old-children. Every man
deserves fair hearing. You must have your day in
court. Now taking that privilege away from people
and not dignifying them, to me, is not good.
You don’t need any soothsayer or any pastor or
any imam to tell you that they have a
predetermined position as far as this matter is
concerned. Either officially or unofficially, they
have never invited me.
Let me tell you something new today, about a
month or two ago, we got a letter from the bank
that Gbolahan’s account was frozen. We went to
court in Abuja. EFCC came to court and lied that
they never froze the account. Their deposition is
in court. Our lawyer, Onoja, has their deposition in
which they said they never froze the account.
So, we have all the proof to prove in a fair judicial
system that these people are witchhunting us
and that they’re persecuting us. We have
sufficient evidence and we will show it in the
court of law. Let them bring anything they have. I
can show it to you that there is no where–
whatever evidence they have–that they can link
me, Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro, and my children
directly to any of the claim being made by them.
Why did they lock up Femi Fani-Kayode? What did
he do that their own campaign spokesman did
not do? This is someone who had no idea how
money for campaign was sourced. You also had a
publicity secretary who paid the media just as
Femi did and he’d never been invited for
anything. He who comes to equity must come
with clean hands. There’s a clear evidence that
whatever the EFCC is doing now is just
persecution, political persecution. They have gone
from arms money to other things.
What did operatives make away with when
they raided your property and that of your
son? Has your family enumerated the items
to you?
That is no longer relevance as far as I am
concerned. I have asked my lawyers to challenge
all their activities in the court. I am a law abiding
citizen, but I will not allow anybody–no matter
how highly placed–to humiliate me, to rubbish
me. I have been in public office for more than 20
years and I have never been found wanting. For
them to call me a thief, it means a lot to me, even
if it doesn’t mean anything to them.
Every of my properties can be explained. These
were things acquired not when I was in
government.
Including the exquisite vehicles and other
valuables said to have been wheeled away
from your home?
Up till now, they have not given us any court
order to the effect of everything they’ve done. As
I speak to you, they have not. Our lawyer was
there today for over four hours and they didn’t
give him anything.
Nigeria is in trouble. If people of goodwill don’t
stand up and ask these people to follow due
process–all I am saying is: follow due process.
Nobody, should be above the law, including the
institutions that are saddled with the
responsibility of law enforcement.
If all of us submit ourselves to the rule of law, that
is when we will have orderliness. We will not have
orderliness when people trample on the individual
rights with impunity and knowing that nothing
will happen to them. I want all Nigerians to be
patient and let us bring this fight against
corruption to the international arena and see how
it would play out.
So you’re going to remain in exile rather
than submit yourself to Nigerian
authorities?
I did not say that. I cannot say that. Nigeria is my
country, a country that I love dearly. What I am
saying is that, once EFCC is made to conform with
due process, rule of law, fairness, equity I am
prepared to submit myself and come home.
We learnt you recently graduated from
Oglethorpe, yet you’re determined to
remain in the United States for a while, are
you afraid of the president?
One thing I know General Buhari does not have is
tolerance for opposition. I can say that anywhere.
He does not tolerate opposition. You can see that
this point is quite evident in all his activities, even
though it would have been in his interest to allow
opposition to thrive. If the PDP had killed
opposition, they won’t be in power today. Anyone
that speaks against Buhari now is an opposition
and they will deal with him.
As I am talking to you now, I am enrolled in a
leadership training course. I am also studying
Spanish after which I intend to enrol to study
French. I have started Spanish now, I learning
Spanish now.
You didn’t apply for a job, how are you
sustaining yourself?
I am an old man, who will employ me? People see
old men as liabilities.
But you have the skill, you’ve been
educating yourself all over, after all?
Yes, what I can do here is consultancy, and you
have a lot of activities in that aspect here. There
are so many companies that are interested in
public ventures in Nigeria and they need people
like us who have been in government to advise
and do paperworks for them so that they can
have informed position as far as their interest is
concerned. There’s a lot to do here, actually.
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