As Emefiele, Cabal Plan Imposition Of Crime Suspect As Nigeria’s President
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By Sylvanus Ogah
World-wide media reports on Atiku Abubakar’s alleged criminal records dated back to his time as the Vice President of Nigeria. The media reports chronicled all alleged criminal activities involving the candidate of PDP in the February 25 presidential election and it is on record that the cumulative effects of all his alleged illegal activities resulted in a crushing economic crisis that has manifested in job losses and capital flight so much so that Nigeria has not recovered from economic recession up till this moment.
Apart from his Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) scam through which he duped Nigeria while he was the Vice President as he himself revealed in a viral tape, Atiku, who Emefiele and Aso Rock cabal members that lost in APC primaries are trying to force on Nigeria, is notorious for alleged crimes over the years. If the cabal and Emefiele defeat Nigerians in the February 25 election to ensure Atiku’s victory by blackmailing APC to set Nigerians against the party by their fuel scarcity and naira swap mischief, they would have succeeded in imposing a first class criminal suspect as Nigeria’s President.
Media reports on Atiku will suffice to highlight his larger- than-life image of a serial fraud suspect:
Nigerian senators once accused Atiku of diverting more than $100m (£51m) in public funds to private interests when he was Vice President of Nigeria.
A Senate inquiry on the matter recommended that Atiku should be prosecuted for siphoning government’s money to companies he was connected with.
The Senate launched the investigation after President Olusegun Obasanjo forwarded charges by Nigeria’s anti-corruptions body against Atiku.
In a report presented to the Senate, the investigating panel said it agreed with the findings that Atiku helped divert $145m from Nigeria government accounts to banks opened by his wife to warehouse illegal funds from government treasury.
These fraudulent practices did not stop in Nigeria; for overseas, Atiku’s name reverberated in several fraud cases.
For instance, the US Senate report nailed Atiku Abubakar in one case.
Atiku had for a long time been challenging Nigerians who accused him of being corrupt to come forward and prove it. But a Nigerian newspaper, PMNEWS, took up the challenge and published a report on how Atiku was the subject of a probe many years ago by a United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Senator Carl Levin.
The report detailed how Atiku Abubakar while still the Vice President of Nigeria between 2000 and 2008, used offshore companies to siphon millions of dollars to his fourth wife in the United States, Jennifer Douglas.
Specifically, the report said Jennifer Douglas, an American citizen, helped her husband bring over $40 million in suspect funds into the United States through wire transfers sent by offshore corporations to U.S. bank accounts.
In 2004, the then President Bush barred Atiku and other corrupt politically exposed persons (PEP) from being issued visa to the United States.
The World Bank estimated that $1 trillion in bribes alone exchange hands worldwide each year through frauds by political leaders, Atiku being an alleged principal culprit.
The report unveiled violations of US laws by Atiku and his fourth wife, Jennifer Douglas. It also included revelations about Siemens bribe paid into one of the accounts opened for fraudulent receipts from Nigeria and it provided the basis for Atiku being barred from entering the United States since then.
In 2007, Atiku was the subject of another corruption allegations in Nigeria related to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund.
Of the $40 million in suspect funds, $25 million was wire transferred by offshore corporations into more than 30 U.S. bank accounts opened by Ms. Douglas Jennifer on behalf of her husband, primarily by Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd., LetsGo Ltd. Inc., and Sima Holding Ltd.
The U.S. banks maintaining those accounts were, at times, unaware of Jennifer’s Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) status, and they allowed multiple, large offshore wire transfers into her accounts. As each bank began to question the offshore wire transfers, Ms. Douglas Jennifer indicated that all of the funds came from her husband (Atiku) and confessed little familiarity with the offshore corporations that were actually sending her money.
When one bank closed her account due to the offshore wire transfers, her lawyer helped convince other banks to provide a new account. In addition, two of the offshore corporations transferred about $14 million over five years to American University in Washington, D.C., to pay for consulting services related to the development of a Nigerian university founded by Atiku, the American University.
American University accepted the wire transfers without asking about the identity of the offshore corporations or the source of their funds, because under current law, the university had no legal obligation to inquire.
Sahara Reporters also reported that Atiku used Jennifer to create many bank accounts that he illegally transferred money to make Atiku look like an “employer of labour” and a proud owner of American University of Nigeria (AUN), a school, whose tuition fees more than 99% of Nigerian students cannot afford.
SaharaReporters wrote that Atiku established AUN at a time when public universities were collapsing under him and Obasanjo and poor Nigerian students were languishing at home due to strike actions by lectures over poor funding.
Former President George Bush had in 2004 barred Atiku and other corrupt politically exposed persons, including Atiku, from being issued visas to the US over frauds.
It would be recalled that a former US congressman, William Jefferson was in 2010 sentenced to 13 years in jail for corruption that involved US companies and Nigerian officials.
The ruling by Federal Judge, TS Ellis III of the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, followed Jefferson’s conviction for collecting bribes on behalf of Nigerian officials, and specifically, Atiku.
However, the FBI found $90,000 cash, which Jefferson said was meant for the PDP chieftain, hidden in a freezer in Atiku’s home in the US.
But Atiku and Jennifer did not accept summons and subpoenas to appear before the US court when they were charged to court. Instead, they quickly moved their family out of America and headed to Dubai to escape American justice system. They put their Potomac mansion up for sale, thus effectively escaping justice in America over criminal acts hanging on his neck. Since then, he has been living in Dubai.
Back home in Nigeria, Atiku excelled in his alleged criminal acts through his fraudulent privatisation programme of the Federal Government headed by him.
HOW ATIKU SUPERVISED THE SALES OF OVER 145 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’s ASSETS TO HIMSELF AND CRONIES
As Head of National Council on Privatization (NCP) from 1999, Atiku dug Nigeria’s economic grave for today’s extreme poverty and unemployment.
There were over 600 federal assets when Atiku’s NCP started selling them in his fraudulent privatisation. The question is: who bought these Federal Government’s assets? Of course Atiku through his cronies.
The following assets were sold to Atiku’s cronies who were working for him to later recapitalise the companies to reap bountifully while Nigerians lost their jobs and millions live in hunger. They include NAFCON, Eleme Petrochemical, Daily Times, Ughelli Power, Egbin Power, NICON Insurance, ALSCON, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, NICON Luxury Hotel, Sunti Sugar Ltd, NetCom House,
Bacita Sugar Ltd and MM2, among several others too long to mention.
In 2007, Onigbolo Cement operating at 500,000 tonnes per annum was sold to Dangote, his kinsman, at N1.7b.
The Senate public hearing of August, 2011 succinctly captured how Atiku through retinue of cohorts, fronts, shell companies, ring-fenced over 70% of FG’s assets through a brazen daylight privatisation robbery that he supervised.
The 2011 Privatisation Senate committee was made up of Senator Ahmed Lawan – Chairman, Senators Babafemi Ojudu, Philip Aduda, Mohammed Ndume, Ifeanyi Okowa, Hope Uzodinma and Mohammadu Magoro.
Now, a look at the Aluminium Smelting Company, ALSCON, Ikot Abasi, that Atiku privatized.
ALSCON which Nigeria built with $3.2 billion, was sold to a Russian firm, Russal, for $130million. In the company, Atiku’s men were the directors. As of the time of sale, ALSCON had received $120million for the dredging of Imo River, but the job was never done. The whole money was allegedly pocketed by Atiku and his men.
When the Senate Sitting of August, 2011 asked the Russian company the whereabouts of the $120million dredging money, the company’s Deputy Managing Director, Vitaly Kuzrestov, said that the money had been used for “Environment Impact Assessment.”
Federal Government’s Five percent share in Eleme Petrochemical worth USD27 million was never presented at the National Council on Privatization before it was sold to Indorama.
Indorama recovered this amount selling Polyethylene and Urea to the entire West Africa sub-region in just 14 months.
Then Nigeria Airways and the company’s houses in GRA Ikeja, what happened to them? They were sold to Atiku’s men.
What of Nigeria RE, the biggest re-insurance company in Africa? Who bought it? What of
NICON Insurance? Of course, Atiku’s men acquired them.
NITEL was sold for peanuts and killed by Atiku and his men so that their investment in private telecom firms will yield dividends.
NITEL House, one of the tallest buildings on Marina, was sold cheap to Atiku’s friend.
What is the status of National Stadium, Surulere? Millions of naira was budgeted for refurbishment by the sports ministry and nothing to show for it. Compare that stadium to Lagos State-owned Teslim Balogun Stadium and the difference is clear.
What of Nigerian National Shipping Line? Where are the ships? They disappeared between 1999-2015
At NEPA, after Obasanjo and Atiku’s administration spent $16 billion, they broke down NEPA to several units and sold the company to themselves and NEPA was still not efficient while Mikano Generators, the company owned by Atiku, is today powering Nigeria and her businesses. Obasanjo/Atiku sold Port Harcourt Refinery to their cronies in 2007, even though President Yar’ Adua reversed it .
From all indications, the Atikulate Business Theory is to sell to himself government’s assets that leaves millions in penury, to set up personal businesses that provide for a few. Atiku didn’t employ the few hundreds he employed because he likes them; he needs them to work to preserve what he took from the government.
Today, he is not talking about the privatisation of Nigerian refineries but outright sale of government’s assets. He has said it several times that he will sell NNPC and its refineries. Who is going to be the buyers? Of course Atiku through his cronies and fronts that he called his friends “that can manage them very well”.
A man who supervised sales of the Federal Government investments as a vice president for his personal benefit without a thought to safeguard the welfare needs of millions of Nigerians wants to be President?
All government’s assets that young Nigerians grew up to know and proud of were sold to himself and his croniesor the scraps sold for cash for Atiku and his men’s benefit.
Nigeria Airways and their houses in GRA Ikeja, what happened to them? Look at Nigeria RE, who bought the biggest re- insurance company in Africa? NICON Insurance, who bought it? NITEL was sold for peanuts and killed so that their investments in private telecom companies would yield bountiful dividends. Nigerians must stop him from coming back to steal your generation away.
After this privatisation exercise, millions of Nigerians lost their jobs after some companies relocated to Ghana over unfriendly investment climate in Nigeria after Obasanjo and Atiku spent $16b dollars on NEPA for a purported better service delivery only for Atiku to mismanage the funds that led to the reduction in NEPA generating capacity, as supply dropped from 4700mw to 3400 mw after spending $16b.
As a result, many lost their jobs and many businesses closes down operations or relocated out of Nigeria over power supply crisis.
Atiku and his SPV fraud machine:
After selling off national assets to himself and his friends, he devised another fraudulent means to steal Nigeria blind. He called it a special purpose vehicle (SPV). In one of the scams through SPV, Atiku was caught on tape explaining how he operated his fraud machine.
Atiku said in a secretly recorded tape: “You see, what happened was when we came into the office, I advised the President against open corruption. I said, give me three people you trust and I will prepare three companies, for which they would be the subscribers, or rather the directors so that, if there is any contract that we give, they will act like consultants, and then, they are given a fee and that fee is what we now use to fund the party instead of engaging in open corruption.
“So, he (Obasanjo) gave me the names of Fasawe, and this guy from Borno State, who died in that plane crash, eh, trying to rem…three of them.
“I now incorporated three companies and I put them as subscribers and one of the companies was Marine Float. One of the subscribers of Marine Float was Otunba Fasawe. That account was very, very well investigated by EFCC to see whether there was anything…..they found out that there was nothing.”
In another secretly recorded tape, his children spoke on how they must become billionaires by all means if their father is elected Nigerian President. But can they be faulted? Of course no! This is because they saw Atiku’s cronies that have no blood relations with him but who Atiku turned to overnight billionaires while the rest of the citizens live in poverty. Atiku has 31 children who are all angling to become billionaires.
Now that Atiku had made it plain that he will sell NNPC refineries, who are the buyers? Of course Atiku and his fronts, and possibly his children, who will continue to enjoy themselves while other Nigerians suffer.
Will Nigerians vote for a notorious greedy leader to complicate their already complex social conditions that appear intractable from the ruins that PDP left Nigeria in their 13 ruinous years?
Now, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and Aso Rock cabal are devising devilish schemes to blackmail APC through the twin-evils of fuel and naira scarcity to paint the party in bad light so that Nigerians can vote against APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to enable their Comrade in fraud, Atiku, win the presidential poll on February 25.
February 25 presidential election is an opportunity to reject a public enemy in Atiku and vote for a candidate that holds much promise for Nigerians.
* Ogah lives in Asaba, Delta State