₦airaland Forum

In the past month, Nigerians have been besieged by a surge of sleaze. The panel, led by Air Vice Marshal John Ode, has unearthed stories of alleged corruption in high places. It has revolved around the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, involving about several billions of naira.
The narrative has evolved as a theatre of accusations and recriminations, about full-throated defences, protestations of innocence, explanations hiding under veils of technicalities, half-confessions overcast by shadows of regret, epistolary flourishes marked by aggressive assertions and the bandying about of figures.
Whether during arrests, or through supine visages in court or defiant poses on newspaper pages or electronic media, the persons involved in this still unfolding drama have further desecrated the cathedral vista of government office. They have brought the dignity of public service down to a farce of thieving.
Many persons were on the take. Many contracts defied the minimal rules of civilised transactions. The money disbursed in the name of national security fulfilled any imaginary purpose from online fantasy to religious ecstasy.
What is baffling in this cacophony of iniquity is the inscrutable silence of the principal actor in the regime: ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. To be fair to the former Nigerian leader, he uttered a rebuttal on the onset of the allegations.
Hear him: “I did not award any $2 billion contract for the procurement of weapons. Where did the money come from?” he asked at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the United States. Showing how he felt about the welter of allegations, he said, “Sometimes I feel sad when people mention these figures.”
President Jonathan also adverted to figures cited by the President Buhari Muhammadu administration after a visit to the U.S barely a month after he assumed office. “When the president paid official visit to the US, there were some figures that were mentioned that I don’t believe.” He referred to “$150 billion American money” reported to be missing, adding rhetorically, “and Americans will not know where it is?” He felt the allegations were not pelted at his administration.
This was November 19, 2015. In the flush of the first few days of the allegations, ex-NSA Dasuki also presented an exterior of innocence and victimisation. He issued a statement that seemed sturdy and beyond reproach. He said he was made NSA on June 22, 2012 while the allegations dated from March 2012. He explained that “all contracts and accruing payments were with the approval of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. Once the President approved, the NSA paid.” He added that “there was due process for every purchase in line with regulations guiding arms procurement for the armed forces.”
He noted further that “Nigerians should note that all the services generated the types of equipment needed, sourced for suppliers most times and after consideration by the Office of the NSA, the President will approve application for payment.”
He boasted that “I am ready for trial on all the allegations in order to prove to Nigerians that I did nothing untoward.”
Weeks after though, the picture seems to have changed. Its web has enveloped quite a few politicians, business men, the media, etc. Confessions have erupted from the lips of some of those who collected money direct from the Office of the NSA. For instance, the former chairman of the African Independent Television, or AIT, confessed to collecting the sum of N2.1 billion. His son defended the contract by saying former President Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo were present at the moment of approval. Was that what the NSA characterised as due process? Another absurd part of the story was the confession and revelation that N4.6 billion was disbursed to a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, for religious purpose. The president of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN, Nduka Obaigbena, confessed to receiving N670 million as compensation for newspapers that suffered damages when the military impounded their products last year, and also for the bombing of his office building in Abuja by Boko Haram insurgents in 2012.
Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, a former minister of state for finance, said he dished out N100 million each to leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) across the country, but the drama spun into an absurd light when some denied, including Bode George. George said the sum was inflated while Jim Nwobodo knew about the disbursement not from Yuguda but from party chairman Adamu Muazu. He claimed that when it fell on his laps, it was N500 million and he distributed it to the five governors of the southeast.
We cannot ignore former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her confession. She wrote that the sum of $322 million was approved by President Jonathan before she conveyed the princely sum to Dasuki for the war on terror. The minister who claimed a regime above board has not explained how the sum was disbursed and why she raised no eyebrows while our soldiers starved and died in spite of the large allocation.
What this shows is that this is no more a fairy tale series of allegations. From the confessions, it is clear money passed from the office of the NSA, and princely sums at that. It refutes the NSA’s claims that they were unleashed on the war on terror, given the purposes for which some of the money was disbursed. Why, for instance, would a former governor collect N4.6 billion for spiritual reasons?
It is also questionable if these sums passed through the due process. Where were the certificates of incorporations of the companies, particulars of directors, tax clearance certificates from 2011, letters of award of contracts, invoice of supplies or services, evidence of payment so far and outstanding balances, personal income tax clearance certificates of directors, etc.?
The presences of party bigwigs in this unfolding narrative revealed that national security may have been the bogey man for this liberal shower of corruption. Is it true as some of the confessions have implied that national security was a guise to funnel slush funds for political campaigns?
What this betrays is a fundamental cankerworm in our body politic, and this is not restricted to the PDP.
http://lm.?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthenationonlineng.net%2Fjonathans-silence%2F&h=_AQFVF1Ih&enc=AZM3MaLHUGPi6O3wBG3caw9676hteiTtY85PTIyD_EUPtXQXzQLb0gdG_hP-Nz7cX5bzNKk23bZ-G15vffyQeGRe4Daz-4kKA23zoYEzMr9UODFpHGBH46IJK1UuLix1R4I-GaSKbOm2_q-wiGQB7IX8&s=1

Na to first comment b my own problem......der are sharing money for abj and my own na to read story

Op link

GEJ doesn't need a prophet to be told that his administration was wrought with profound stealing, theft and diversion of public funds, all of which was not known as corruption in his dictionary.

Even if Jonathan is caught dining with Shekau, murdering someone or burning down Mbaka's church with picture evidence, he remains my HERO.

Jonathan we love you.
Since you left buharrri and burrratai has been slaughtering nigerians using the illiterate millitary.
The economy is gone completely while the blood thirsty dulllard locked up shop and is only interested in settling old scores in the name pyting kwarrupsion.

DickDastardly:
Even if Jonathan is caught dining with Shekau, murdering someone or burning down Mbaka's church with picture evidence, he remains my HERO.

Jonathan we love you.
Since you left buharrri and burrratai has been slaughtering nigerians using the illiterate millitary.
The economy is gone completely while the blood thirsty dulllard locked up shop and is only interested in settling old scores in the name pyting kwarrupsion.

Don't mind these confused set of corrupt thieves. Tinubu, Amaechi, Fashola are now Saints abi? They better leave GEJ alone and fulfill their FAKE campaign promises. The truth is that Buhari is not GEJ's match. APC is a SCAM!

GEJ self may not know that such level of cash was looted behind the scene.......he may be hearing about some of them for the first time now from the press, am sure he might have been regretting that Dasuki played smart on him and didn't give him his share in some of the Jamborees.....dats clueless .....cluelessness

... even when is obvious that certain things may nt add up during d last administration bt Jonathan as a person, as a president is still rare democrat and uncommon personality. He definitely can be compared with great leaders and not in any way wit Buhari. If u ask me bubu is nt a march to GEJ in any way.

greatiyk4u:
GEJ self may not know that such level of cash was looted behind the scene.......he may be hearing about some of them for the first time now from the press, am sure he might have been regretting that Dasuki played smart on him and didn't give him his share in some of the Jamborees.....dats clueless .....cluelessness

in less than 1 year of dis present administration i bet u will know d exact meaning of cluelessness.

Now u knw what we mean by jonathan is clueless,his cluelessness has got no rivalry



Wailers continue to chant ''GEJ my hero''

i see him bein probed either by efcc,or internation criminal court.

Dansuki literarily allowed bh to flourish so that he can continue to siphon the treasury,nd Gej is feigning ignorance of that

charlycharles:
in less than 1 year of dis present administration i bet u will know d exact meaning of cluelessness.

Why not wait till then, so u can have reason to criticize rather than basing ur criticism on baseless assumptions,.......u will surely be disappointed

"Jonathan was misled, cajoled, messed up and put in complete darkness by a cabal in his government as far as the political process was concerned then" - Gulak (GEJ special adviser on political matters).

Wailers wailing foolishly, this is why your Hero GEJ should be Zerorized.
GEJ ran a government of Bazaar. The greatest tragedy in this whole scenario is GEJ claiming ignorance of this Bazaar.

What sort of comment do you expect a "drunk dunce" to come up with sef? He no longer has sane people that can construct press statements for him na! And asking that his wife for any sort of assistance in making one would only lead to "multiple arrow induced deaths" for innocent nigerians!

You think it's ordinary eyes Jonathan has kept quiet? If he sets foot into Nigeria to meet with Buhari Dss go hold am

DaBullIT:
You think it's ordinary eyes Jonathan has kept quiet? If he sets foot into Nigeria to meet with Buhari Dss go hold am

Jonathan is as free as the wind. he is nt hidding outside country for ur info