Money
man, Ben Peters is making frantic efforts to cover his tracks in myriads of
shady deals involved with petroleum minister, Diezani Madueke as the jonathan
government winds down.
The
wealthy nigerian who just cornered another oil field is afraid of the
consequence of discoveries of his involvement in multiple under the table oil
deals by the incoming government
Here
are the details
Before
General Buhari won the presidential election, he allegedly benefited from very
lucrative oil deals brokered for him by the Petroleum Minister. The latter reportedly
masterminded and profited from the oil deals for which she used Ben as a front.
The duo was allegedly involved in several oil deals that ran into billions of
dollars. Now, Ben has ran out of the country for fear of being jailed.
However,
the exponential growth of his company, Aiteo Group, is one which has continued
to confound competitors and industry watchers alike. Aiteo now trades over $11
billion worth of petroleum products. Aiteo beat several top names in the oil
and gas industry to win and acquire an 85-percent stake in block OML 29 from
Shell for $2.56 billion. The clock is reputed to potentially hold up to 2.2
billion barrels of oil and about 300 million standard cubic feet of gas, one of
the most lucrative assets put up for sale by Shell and partners. Profiled by
Ventures Africa as one of Africa’s 54 Richest People, Ben is said to be
“rapidly diversifying. He has acquired three power generating companies in
Nigeria for over $1.7 billion and is set to build a 100,000 barrel refinery in
oil-rich Warri in Delta State. Ultra secretive and highly religious, Peters
dislikes being photographed. He is assisted in his role as vice chairman in
Aiteo Group by his younger brother, Francis Peters.”
Born
to a banker and a homemaker, Ben Peters grew up in a middle income family in
the midst of other three siblings, Ben Peters is the founder and vice chairman
of Aiteo Group. His ascension to his present height was achieved by no small
means. He paid his dues by passing through a series of corporate tutelage of
seasoned business tycoons whose excellence has continued to receive accolades
of global dimension.
Having
had a stint with Sayyu Dantata, founder and Chairman of MRS Holdings Limited
(formerly MRS Group), his entrepreneurial teeth was cut his teeth in the early
nineties working with the Aliko Dangote’s younger brother in the oil and gas
business. His expertise in the downstream sector of Nigerian oil and gas
industry would later be of immense benefits to the trio of Wale Tinubu, Mofe
Boyo and Onajite Okoloko, who floated Ocean and Oil, then a downstream company
which has grown to a global business concern in what is today known as Oando
Plc, with listing in world’s most respected stock markets.
Ben
had his eyes on the ball of the big scene. He was restless for big success and
later left to float his own company, Sigmund Cummenicci, which operational
focus was the downstream sector of the oil and gas business. And so he heavily
invested in tank farms. Being what it has always been, the Nigerian business
environment became stifling; then in no time, the bad times were here. Ben’s
Sigmund Cummenicci ran into trouble waters when his debts far outpaced his
earnings. Undaunted and undeterred, Ben was forced to restructure his
operations and took every other step to reverse the misfortune.
Fortune
then looked towards his direction and smiled on him. His efforts paid up after
winning a trading line of $100 million from local banks. He went bullish and
constructed a massive tank farm capable of storing 210 million litres of
petroleum products. He was so grounded that not even the financial storm of
global meltdown could shake him. Ben stood stoutly where other tested and
weather beaten petroleum traders were swept by the storm.
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