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Vanguard Newspaper 03 February 2018

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8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 3, <strong>20</strong>18<br />

N3.48b NDDC contract: EFCC closes in on Senator<br />

By Soni Daniel, Northern<br />

Region Editor<br />

A<br />

Nigerian Senator<br />

has come under the<br />

searchlight of the Economic<br />

and Financial Crimes<br />

Commission <strong>for</strong> using his<br />

influence to corner N3.4<br />

billion job <strong>for</strong> himself, using<br />

companies licensed by<br />

family members, friends<br />

and associates to secure<br />

the questionable jobs.<br />

The Senator (name withheld)<br />

who is already in<br />

court with the EFCC <strong>for</strong><br />

supplying used equipment<br />

to a Southern State<br />

in place of new ones and<br />

using the money to purchase<br />

a monumental<br />

building in Lagos, is being<br />

probed by the anti-graft<br />

agency <strong>for</strong> influence peddling,<br />

breach of public trust<br />

and abuse of the public<br />

procurement Act in the<br />

award of the multi-million<br />

contract <strong>for</strong> the ‘provision<br />

of plastic chairs and desks<br />

<strong>for</strong> primary and secondary<br />

schools in nine states of<br />

the Niger Delta-Abia, Imo,<br />

Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross<br />

River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo<br />

and Delta.<br />

Saturday Vanguard<br />

gathered that trouble started<br />

<strong>for</strong> the Senator when<br />

the EFCC received a petition<br />

on the fraudulent<br />

NDDC contract award<br />

from anti-corruption<br />

group, which alleged that<br />

the said contract did not<br />

pass through any bidding<br />

process as prescribed by<br />

law.<br />

The petitioners, Anti-<br />

Corruption Group and Integrity<br />

Forum, a group interested<br />

in promoting good<br />

governance, transparency<br />

and sustenance of the rule<br />

of law in Nigeria, raised<br />

the alarm that the Senator<br />

virtually used his position<br />

as the Chairman of a powerful<br />

Senate Committee to<br />

<strong>for</strong>ce the NDDC to hand<br />

over the huge jobs covering<br />

the nine states to him.<br />

Findings by EFCC<br />

showed that the lawmaker<br />

used 15 companies,<br />

which are closely related<br />

to him to award contracts<br />

valued at N3,483,144,000<br />

to himself not minding<br />

that the jobs did not go<br />

through any procurement<br />

process.<br />

Most worrisome to the<br />

crack team of EFCC investigators<br />

is the discovery<br />

that four of the companies<br />

were registered in the<br />

name of the Senator’s<br />

younger brother while the<br />

rest had the imprints of his<br />

proxies and business associates.<br />

Documents obtained by<br />

Saturday Vanguard from<br />

investigators gave the<br />

names of the companies<br />

used by the Senator to secure<br />

the jobs as: Benchmark<br />

Construction &<br />

Projects Limited; Milestone<br />

Allied Builders Limited;<br />

Edendoma Stars Intl;<br />

Isumabe U.K Global Ventures;<br />

Nelpat (Nig) Company;<br />

Edrihide Company;<br />

Antlers Construction & Allied<br />

Works Limited; AGH-<br />

Rown Ventures; NOAN<br />

Integrated Services Limited;<br />

De-Towers Construction<br />

& Allied Services;<br />

Eastern Wrought Iron<br />

Limited; Franstine Nig.<br />

Enterprise; Brant Technologies;<br />

Omozuabho Global<br />

Resources and Bugstruct<br />

Limited.<br />

Documents at the disposal<br />

of Saturday Vanguard<br />

also indicate that<br />

out of the 15 firms suspected<br />

to be linked to the Senator<br />

based on Corporate<br />

Affairs Commission’s<br />

records on their ownership,<br />

Investigations reveal<br />

that out of the above companies,<br />

all believed to<br />

have links with Senator,<br />

Benchmark Construction<br />

& Projects Limited got the<br />

contract <strong>for</strong> the production<br />

of plastic desks and chairs<br />

<strong>for</strong> primary and secondary<br />

schools in Abia State at the<br />

cost of N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600,<br />

Milestone Allied Builders<br />

Limited and Edendoma<br />

Stars International Ltd got<br />

the same contract sum of<br />

N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600 each <strong>for</strong> the<br />

same purpose in Akwa<br />

Ibom State. On the other<br />

hand, Isumabe U.K Global<br />

Ventures; Nelpat (Nig)<br />

Company and Edrihide<br />

Company also got<br />

N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600 each <strong>for</strong> the<br />

same contract in Bayelsa.<br />

In Cross River State, Antlers<br />

Construction & Allied<br />

Works Limited got her<br />

share of the contract sum<br />

of N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600 <strong>for</strong> the<br />

same production of plastic<br />

desks and chairs <strong>for</strong> primary<br />

and secondary schools<br />

while AGH-Rown Ventures<br />

and NOAN Integrated<br />

Services Limited were<br />

also awarded the same<br />

contract in Delta State at<br />

the cost of N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600<br />

each. Brant Technologies,<br />

Omozuabho Global Resources<br />

and Bugstruct<br />

Limited also got<br />

N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600 each <strong>for</strong> the<br />

same job in Rivers State.<br />

Similarly, De-Towers<br />

Construction & Allied Services,<br />

Eastern Wrought<br />

Iron Limited and Franstine<br />

Nig. Enterprise got<br />

N232,<strong>20</strong>9,600 each as contract<br />

sum <strong>for</strong> the production<br />

of same plastic desks<br />

and chairs <strong>for</strong> primary and<br />

secondary schools in Edo,<br />

Imo and Ondo States respectively.<br />

However, EFCC teams<br />

working on the probe of<br />

the Senator are trying to<br />

establish and locate the<br />

schools in the nine states<br />

where the said chairs and<br />

desks are currently being<br />

used after the lawmaker<br />

had received more than 50<br />

percent of the fund as mobilisation<br />

fee.<br />

Further investigations<br />

into the registration history<br />

of the above-mentioned<br />

companies with Corporate<br />

Affairs Commission (CAC)<br />

Abuja revealed that four of<br />

the firms- Benchmark Construction<br />

& Projects Limited<br />

with RC No: 925180;<br />

Milestone Allied Builders<br />

Limited with RC No:<br />

Continues on Page 43<br />

Mr. Onochie Anibeze, Saturday Vanguard Editor, (right) presenting a consolation<br />

prize of Tastee Fried Lunch Pack <strong>for</strong> a couple to Mrs. Ovadje Helen Okitoto in the<br />

recently concluded Vanguard's Valentine Love Note Competition at the newspaper<br />

Headquarters, Apapa, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez<br />

<strong>20</strong>19, insecurity: IBB, Danjuma hold<br />

talks in Minna<br />

FORMER Military<br />

President, General<br />

Ibrahim Babangida on<br />

Thursday played host to<br />

<strong>for</strong>mer Chief of Army<br />

Staff, General Theophilus<br />

Danjuma during<br />

which they held a closed<br />

door meeting.<br />

Gen. Danjuma was<br />

said to have arrived Minna<br />

International Airport<br />

at about 11:45am on<br />

Thursday and was driven<br />

straight to the hill top<br />

residence of Gen. Babangida.<br />

The source said<br />

the meeting commenced<br />

immediately after launch<br />

at about 1 p.m. and lasted<br />

over three hours.<br />

Immediately after the<br />

meeting, General Danjuma<br />

was driven straight to<br />

the Minna Airport in a<br />

Mercedes Benz E class<br />

belonging to Gen. Babangida<br />

which brought<br />

him from the Airport .<br />

A dependable source<br />

told our correspondent<br />

that the <strong>for</strong>mer Military<br />

leaders must have discussed<br />

current national<br />

issues including <strong>20</strong>19<br />

general elections and security.<br />

According to the<br />

source, “Nobody was<br />

with them during the<br />

meeting and so nobody<br />

could actually say what<br />

they discussed. The meeting<br />

started immediately<br />

after they had lunch together<br />

and the closed<br />

door meeting lasted over<br />

three hours.<br />

“However, I can tell you<br />

that they must have discussed<br />

the general situation<br />

in the country including<br />

security, politics<br />

and other sensitive matters.<br />

General Danjuma<br />

left the house here exactly<br />

4:05 and he was taken<br />

straight to the airport and<br />

that is all I can tell you<br />

about the visits”.<br />

Gen. Babangida had<br />

been playing host to<br />

prominent Nigerians<br />

since <strong>for</strong>mer president<br />

Olusegun Obasanjo<br />

wrote the incumbent<br />

president Muhammadu<br />

Buhari to go home and<br />

rest in <strong>20</strong>19 and that he<br />

should not contest the<br />

presidential election.<br />

Gen. Babangida also<br />

released a similar letter on<br />

Gen. Buhari.<br />

ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY: Lawyers’<br />

group hails Osinbajo over statement<br />

By Charles Kumolu<br />

THE League of Patriotic Lawyers has hailed Vice<br />

President Yemi Osinbajo <strong>for</strong> saying that the executive<br />

would not change its position on the chairmanship<br />

of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,<br />

EFCC.<br />

Briefing newsmen in Lagos, Chairman of the group,<br />

Mr. Abubakar Yesufu described the Vice President as<br />

being consistent with the truth on the matter.<br />

His words: “Ibrahim Magu remains the last man<br />

standing despite attempts to intimidate and blackmail<br />

him. Magu’s credentials remain unblemished and<br />

spotless as the cattle egret. Here is a man who put<br />

his in-law, the <strong>for</strong>mer Managing Director of Bank of<br />

the North, Mallam Bulama on trial, and eventually<br />

convicted him.<br />

‘’Here is a man who has put senior retired and serving<br />

military officers on trial <strong>for</strong> financial crimes. Here<br />

is a man who has refused to compromise and demanded<br />

justice. “It would be ambitious <strong>for</strong> anybody to think<br />

that he would ever be confirmed when more than 15<br />

senators are on his radar.<br />

“Until more than the 15 cases that abound in our<br />

various courts are consolidated and determined,<br />

Magu, like the Vice President said remains the EFCC<br />

boss, either in an acting capacity or otherwise.”<br />

<strong>20</strong>19: Okowa has no rival — Aide<br />

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru<br />

DELTA State Commissioner <strong>for</strong> Commerce and<br />

Industry, Barrister Mary Iyasere, weekend, expressed<br />

confidence that the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi<br />

Okowa would outrun other contenders from the<br />

opposition political parties in the <strong>20</strong>19 governorship<br />

elections.<br />

The Commissioner said the governor’s re-election<br />

would be a smooth ride based on his giant strides in<br />

industrialization and economic revival of the state.<br />

Speaking in an interview with Saturday Vanguard,<br />

Barrister Iyasere explained that ailing companies inherited<br />

by the state government were coming on<br />

stream through strategic partnership with the private<br />

sector.<br />

She said since assumption of office, Governor Okowa<br />

has taken bold initiatives to reduce unemployment in<br />

the state with Skill Training and Entrepreneurship<br />

programme, STEP, and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs<br />

Programme, YAGEP, under the SMART AGEN-<br />

DA development blueprint .<br />

She said that Delta was on the threshold of a gradual<br />

industrial revolution and economic prosperity.<br />

According to Iyasere, “The Okowa administration<br />

is reviving moribund industries like Bendel Steel<br />

among others to boost the economy of the state and<br />

thousands of youths have been trained and equipped<br />

to own their businesses in Delta state.”<br />

The commissioner noted that the state government<br />

inspired the youths to establish the various vocational<br />

ventures <strong>for</strong> wealth creation and enduring means<br />

of survival towards the fulfilment of their destiny and<br />

overall growth of the state.<br />

According to her, “With the productive engagement<br />

of the younger generation, incidents of youth restiveness,<br />

pipeline vandalism and all <strong>for</strong>ms of economic<br />

sabotage and criminal tendencies have reduced.<br />

Okowa ‘s populist policies have endeared him to<br />

Deltans. He is a leader with tremendous goodwill<br />

across the three senatorial districts of the state .Okowa<br />

has no rival. He will emerge victorious in the <strong>20</strong>19<br />

governorship elections.”<br />

On political appointments, the female Commissioner<br />

said the Okowa government was gender sensitive.<br />

I’ll trans<strong>for</strong>m Ora community<br />

– Baale Ogungbesan<br />

Ora community in Eredo Local Council Develop<br />

ment Area of Lagos State is to be repositioned.<br />

The Baale, Chief Oriyomi Peter Ogungbesan told<br />

Saturday Vanguard in his Odo-Ora Palace recently<br />

that he would harness all the resources in his domain<br />

to trans<strong>for</strong>m it to a mega community.<br />

He said that all achievements so far was a result<br />

of the support of Council of Obas and Chiefs, government,<br />

CDA and all other well meaning personalities<br />

in his domain.<br />

Chief Ogungbesan said he was determined to increase<br />

the population of the community and encourage<br />

other economic and social activities.<br />

The community, royal fathers, the executive chairman,<br />

Erodo Local Council Development Area, Hon.<br />

Saliu Adeniyi Rasaq expressed his unimaginable<br />

stride by the community leader, championing the<br />

frontiers of his community development in area of<br />

security, electrification, amongst others.<br />

Hon. Rasaq said, he would lay the foundation of<br />

the first Millennium Estate of its kind in Ora Community<br />

by March during the Ora Day an initiative<br />

of Olu-Ora.

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