African Independent Television (AIT) owners received N10
billion to produce and air negative documentaries on leaders of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), a SaharaReporters investigation shows.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Minister for Petroleum Affairs,
Diezani Allison-Madueke is bankrolling the documentary while the scripts and
voice overs are being prepared and cut with the help of the Nigeria Television
Authority and some Nollywood production companies and working for President
Jonathan's re-election.
As a result of the massive deal, AIT, which was in poor
financial shape that its principal owner, Raymond Dokpesi, had decided to sell
it to the banks to which the station owed several billions of Naira, is now
back in good standing. It has also become considerably bolder because of the
backing of Mrs. Allison-Madueke and other powerful government officials behind
the deal.
Our investigation reveals that AIT receives N5 million each
time an episode of any of the documentaries is aired on their channels in
different Nigerian markets.
Apart from the cost of producing and airing the
documentaries, SaharaReporters found that a team of high-priced lawyers has
also been mobilized with about N3 billion to handle any legal threats that may
arise from the documentaries. Just last week, APC chieftain Bola Tinubu sued
AIT over the documentary on him.
Our source, who didn't want to reveal the content, said the
objective of that show will be to “destroy” Prof. Osinbajo's position as a
strong moral leader in the Christian community.
"The idea is to make the Christians who have left
Jonathan because of Osinbajo's entry into the Presidential race to have a
rethink," our source stated.
Bank Of Industry’s MD, Rasheed Olaoluwa Goes ‘Lowkey’ Over
Multiple Allegation Of Fraud
Information filtering has it that the table has turned on
the celebrity status of Bank of Industry (BOI) Managing Director, Rasheed
Olaoluwa.
A finding by societyreelnews unearthed that the acclaimed
Nigeria’s oldest, largest and most successful development financing
institution’s MD has gone lowkey.
This development is attributed to multiple allegations
against him- borrowing from BOI with his personal organization and refusal to
service loan, including granting of loans to his key loyalists.
Reliable sources revealed that Managing Director of Bank of
Industry, Rasheed Olaoluwa who was elected as interim chairman of Ikeja Hotel
Plc has resorted to lowkey lifestyle after his activities came under the
searchlight of the Board of directors of the bank. It was gathered that few
months ago with the directives of the board of directors of BOI to adopt a hard
stance against debtors, publishing on its website, 24 blacklisted companies,
which allegedly failed to repay loans granted to them, the directors found out
that a particular company’s name was omitted.
After several finding according to our sources, it was
revealed that the ‘sacred cow’ company is owned by the BOI’s MD. This
aggravated the annoyance of the Chairman of BOI’s board of directors, Mr.
Abdulsamad Rabiu who then summoned Mr. Olaoluwa to an emergency but private
meeting.
Insider of the bank
alleged that Mr. Olaoluwa was given private reproof and warning that if such
reoccur, it might lead to his exist from the bank.
Insider of the bank claimed that after the meeting, Mr.
Olaoluwa activities both official and personal has gone lowkey which is very
unlike him.
Further digs revealed that less than a year of Mr.
Olaoluwa’s tenure as MD, BOI has become a beehive of fraudulent activities.
Another alleged fraud of granting loans but not documented, to some top
executives of the bank, who are Mr. Olaoluwa’s loyalists was discovered. Those
in the known alleged that Dangote BOI fund and CBN intervention fund was the
purse used to perpetuate the allege fraud.
When contacted to respond to these allegations, BOI
corporate communication officer, Hadiza Olaosebikan sent the below via SMS:
How possible is that? The MD just resumed some few months
ago!
…loan approvals goes
through the board and the makeup of our board are people of integrity who only
accepted the job to serve our nation.
You can go on our
website www.boinigeria.com to checkout what we have done.
I appreciate your
feedback and the opportunity given for us to react.
My office is open for
further discussions.
How Jonathan Awarded $500 Million Defense Contract To Arthur
Eze For Purchase Of Refurbished Helicopters
“The PDP is still failing the basic mathematics,” a
political analyst told SaharaReporters.
“They can squander all of the money in the Central Bank trying to damage
the reputation of everyone in the opposition, but how does that provide a cover
for the ineptitude and corruption of the Goodluck Jonathan government? Does that explain why Nigeria is far worse
than they found it? That is the question
Nigerians will be answering when they go to the polls in three weeks.”
SaharaReporters has obtained documents relating to a
scandalously inflated $500 million defense contract that President Goodluck
Jonathan awarded to Arthur Eze, a Nigerian businessman with a shady past, a
close friend of the president and his wife, and a major financier of the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Our security sources said some officers of the Nigerian Air
Force (NAF) were furious over the jumbo contract described by one source as “a
pure waste.” The sources, most of them military personnel, told our
correspondent that, in addition to its sheer extravagance, the contract has
also saddled the Nigerian military with helicopters that have limited or no
combat utility.
The documents obtained by our correspondent reveal that Mr.
Eze, the chief executive of Triax, received the gigantic sum of $466.5 million
in order to weaponize six Puma helicopters with the aid of an Israeli company
named Elbit Systems. This meant that each weaponized helicopter cost close to
$78 million. “For the price of each helicopter provided by Engineer Arthur Eze,
the Air Force could have acquired seven top grade military helicopters,” said
one of our sources.
Our sources also noted that the haste with which the
contract was initiated, approved and executed raised serious questions. A memo
dated November 20, 2014 and submitted by the Chief of Air Staff, A.N. Amosu,
revealed that Mr. Eze had on November 4, 2014 submitted a proposal to the
office of the National Security Adviser proposing to supply the upgraded
helicopters to the NAF. The tone of Mr. Eze’s letter, obtained by us, indicated
that he was deeply involved in sourcing and supplying hardware to the Nigerian
military as it is embroiled in a fight against Boko Haram militants.
An Air Force officer said he was alarmed at the alacrity
with which Mr. Eze’s overinflated proposal was approved by the NSA’s office.
The NAF followed with an equally quick endorsement sixteen days later.
One of our sources accused President Jonathan and Mr. Eze of
using the refusal of the US to sell Cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria as an
excuse to engage in a large-scale squandering of funds involving the Federal
Government and Mr. Eze’s company, the Triax Company Nigeria Limited. “In the
US, a brand new AH Cobra attack helicopter costs around $12 million each,” said
a source at the NAF. He added: “That means that, with $400 million, Nigeria
could have purchased up to 40 brand new helicopters.”
According to the source, the Cobra attack helicopter is one
of the best US-made helicopters. “It is highly effective in the battlefield. It
would have given us big battlefield advantage over Boko Haram,” he said.
In an additional proposal, Mr. Eze’s company sought to
purchase 4,000 57mm S5 rockets, 400 80mm S8 rockets, 500 general-purpose bombs,
and 20,000 units of unguided rockets. His company also received a contract to
refurbish three C-130 planes that had been sitting at the hanger of the
Nigerian Air Force for several years.
A final invoice Mr. Eze submitted to the Nigerian government
showed that he would receive $466, 500,000 to supply six upgraded Puma
helicopters, four units of single-seater Sukhoi Su-25K (“Frog-foot”)
Soviet-made ground attack jets, and two upgraded Su-25UB trainers for $330
million. In addition, he would receive $14 million for the shipping of
platforms/ground support/line replacement of the six Puma helicopters; $44
million for some arms and ammunition earlier proposed; $37 million for the
maintenance of C-130 engines, and $40 million for unspecified armaments for the
NAF.
Our military sources stated that Mr. Eze’s invoice for the
supply of the refurbished aircraft was massively inflated by international and
Nigerian standards.
Several of the sources said Triax delivered the substandard
equipment after Mr. Eze further padded the cost of the refurbished helicopters
and the C-130. The sources revealed that, since February 15, 2015, when Chief
of Air Staff Amosu showed off the helicopters and C-130 planes, none of the
aircraft has been deployed even once to fight Boko Haram militants. “They are
not in any combat-ready condition,” one officer fumed. “We are looking at a
total waste of money for no good reason.”
SaharaReporters could not ascertain from Mr. Amosu whether
the Air Force had taken delivery of the other items listed on the invoice Mr.
Eze had signed and submitted to the NSA’s office.
Mr. Eze’s partners in the defense deals is Elbit Systems, an
Israeli company that has been involved in several scandalous defense contracts
in Nigeria, including a multimillion dollar internet spying project.
Our sources wondered why the Nigerian government, which is
in a critical stage of counter-insurgency operations against Islamist group
Boko Haram, would strike such an overinflated deal with Mr. Eze’s firm to
purchase antiquated helicopters and other equipment that were virtually
discarded by Romania.
One clear answer may be found in the fact that Mr. Eze is
one of the biggest personal financiers of Mr. Jonathan’s re-election. The
businessman, who also controls huge interests in oil fields both in Nigeria and
other West African countries, has been funneling millions of dollars into Mr.
Jonathan’s campaign, said an insider PDP source. The businessman is extremely close
to Mr. Jonathan and is reportedly well liked by First Lady Patience Jonathan
because of his lavish presents to her, including million dollar gifts.
Mr. Eze is a big-spending billionaire who is an expert at
ingratiating himself with those in power. During the brutal dictatorship led by
the late General Sani Abacha, Mr. Eze became one of the closest confidantes of
the general and his wife. He received a huge windfall when Mr. Abacha handed
him the $120 million contract for rural electricity and water projects in the
southeastern states. Even though the contract sum was borrowed from the African
Development Bank, Mr. Eze pocketed the money without doing any of the projects,
a scandal that led to the firing of the bank’s chief executive.
At the height of Mr. Abacha’s repression, Mr. Eze used to
fly traditional rulers from the southeast on frequent visits to pledge loyalty
to the dictator in Abuja. The Triax executive even stated once that he would go
into exile if Mr. Abacha gave up power to an elected government.
Mr. Eze warmed his way to President Olusegun Obasanjo. As
Mr. Obasanjo sought to change the constitution to extend his tenure, Mr. Eze
was a vociferous supporter of the scheme.
His closeness to President Jonathan and his wife has brought
him more riches through inflated contracts and great political clout. At the
urging of Mr. Jonathan and his wife, the PDP national headquarters in Abuja
allowed Mr. Eze to determine most of those announced as winners of PDP
primaries for Federal legislative seats in the southeast, but especially in his
home state of Anambra. In most cases, the businessman’s candidates were
declared winners of primaries that were either not held or were heavily
manipulated.
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