EFCC traces £2.7m London property to Gov Daniel
By Akin Oyedele and ADemola Oni
Sunday, 1 Aug 2010


Gbenga Daniel - Ogun State Governor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it is investigating the source of the £2.7m London mansion allegedly traced to the Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

The building, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered, is part of the alleged infractions being investigated in the state by the anti-fraud agency.

Our correspondent learnt that Daniel before becoming governor had on March 28, 2000 bought a ”modest bungalow” located at 39A, Park Hill Road, Croydon CRO5NF, United Kingdom.

He was said to have bought the property for £287,500; with title registration no SGL 41007.

He also on February 2, 2005, allegedly bought another property in Croydon for £1.73m.

The property named The Gaters, which the governor is said to have paid for on December 17, 2004, was handed over to ARC 3 Designers in Kent for renovation at the sum of £1m.

However, the state commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Sina Kawonise, on Saturday said the allegation was not new.

The governor, he said, owned houses in the UK and that the properties were contained in his asset declaration form. Kawonise described the allegation of an illegally acquired UK property by the governor as ”yet another sinister move by the enemies of the state.”

The commissioner added, ”The issue of Governor Daniel owning property in London is not new. I wish to confirm that the Governor owns several properties in the United Kingdom.

“The list of these is contained in the statutory asset declaration the Governor made with the Code of Conduct Bureau both in 2003 and 2007.

”It will be recalled that the Governor was among the few public officials to publicly declare their assets. All that is needed is for any interested person to obtain whatever information or confirmation of this from the Code of Conduct Bureau.”

The state government had already initiated an action in court to stop the EFCC from further prying into the affairs of the state, accusing the commission of pursuing political agenda.

Kawonise, had earlier denied the alleged financial misconduct levelled against the state.

Clarifying that the executive was not averse to investigation of its finances, he said the role should be left for the state‘s House of Assembly.

According to him, the state House of Assembly is vested with the sole powers to investigate the executive.

Kawonise had accused the EFCC of merely allowing itself to be used by political opponents of the governor to pull the government down ahead of the 2011 election.

The Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the London property allegedly owned by the governor had also come under investigation by the commission.

He said, ”There are several issues we are trying to unknot in Ogun State. The London property said to have been bought in the name of the governor is part of it. No further details will be released for now.”

Is it not possible that he owns the property before becoming a governor?. He bought those properties 5 and 10 years ago. Was he a governor then?

No one, I know pay money in cash over here. You go borrow the money from the bank. Daniel may have the house. But he most likely did not pay 2.7 million for it. He is going to pay for may be 25 or 40 years. That how the system works. He arranged to borrow 2.7 million from the bank and pay for 40 years. That is what he may have done.

Is this not the same gov that was alleged to have fastforwarded his declaration of assets to accomodate likely future loot(s)?
Ok, we shall hear the conclusion from the EFCC.

Aloy_Emeka:

Is it not possible that he owns the property before becoming a governor?. He bought those properties 5 and 10 years ago. Was he a governor then?

While he may not have been a governor 10yrs ago, he was definitely a governor 5yrs ago. He just needs to show the correctness of the transaction, he is not on trial yet!

jamace:

Is this not the same gov that was alleged to have fastforwarded his declaration of assets to accomodate likely future loot(s)?
Ok, we shall hear the conclusion from the EFCC.

that, you'll never hear. They only specialize in disclosing criminal offences without a punisheable judgement. They're only fooling themselves!

So this man even before he was governor had a house in London
Well maybe when he became governor he stole and bought another house or he used "his money" to buy
I think Soludo also have a house of this amount 2.7m pounds or about N500 million in London

[size=16pt]Daniel declares N4.46bn assets [/size]

By Niyi Odebode, Abeokuta
Monday, 16 Jul 2007

The Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, in Abeokuta on Sunday made public all his assets at the Code of Conduct Bureau.



At a news conference addressed on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Wale Adedayo, the governor put his total assets in May, 2007 at N4.46bn.



The governor also expressed his support for the Freedom of Information Bill, which he described as the bedrock of democracy.



Daniel stated that his assets on assumption of office as the governor of the state in May, 2003 stood at N5.96bn.



The governor, who stated that between May, 2003 and May, 2007, there was a loss of 25 per cent in his assets, put his present liabilities at N364,000,000.



He disclosed that assets consisted of those that were personal to him, companies he and his wife, Chief Olufunke Daniel, had interest in as well as his wife’s personal assets.



Daniel further said, “They also include bank liabilities, increase in the value of shares and positive results posted through fresh investments by companies, where he has interest.”



Giving a further breakdown of the assets, he said his bank balance and cash, which was N138,100,000 in 2003, had reduced to N25,301,650 in May, 2007.



The governor stated that his bank liabilities and collateral in May, 2003 was nil. He said his bank liabilities and collaterals stood at N280,000,000 in May, 2007.



He further stated that his total investment in foreign banks in 2003 was N497,070,000, and that in May 2007, he did not have such investments



He put the value of his foreign properties in 2003 at N376,050,000, adding that in May, 2007, they stood at N733,750,000.



Daniel put the worth of his property in Nigeria at N400,000,000 in 2003. He indicated that the property had increased to N555,000,000 in May, 2007.



The governor, who said his wife’s assets in 2003 were worth N99,000,000, stated that it was N157,700,000 in May 2007.



The governor further said his vehicles were worth N104,000,000 in 2003, adding that it had increased to N147,400,000 in 2007.



Speaking on the FOI bill, he stated that he had advised the “leadership of the Ogun State caucus in the National Assembly to ensure the revival of, and urgent passage, of the bill.”



Daniel said, “For Nigeria to join the league of developed democracies, we need to entrench the culture of freedom of information.”



When contacted to comment on Daniel‘s action, members of the opposition parties, including the Senatorial candidate of the Action Congress in Ogun East, Mr. Bisi Adegbuyi, said they would speak after seeing the details of the governor‘s assets.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2007071610281168

so you , do you want to buy a house abroad