BREAKING NEWS: BUHARIS CORRUPTION STORY EXPLAINED Buhari Explains The 53-Suitcases And The Missing N2.8 Billion Stories In a Sun newspaper interview published on 24 December 2012, Buhari responded to the oft-repeated claims by his detractors that 2.8 billion Naira went missing during his tenure as Petroleum Minister, and his military government allowed 53-suitcases of Naira notes to enter Nigeria despite a ban on moving currencies. The interview, titled Sun Exclusive: Buhari Bares It All and conducted by Eric Osagie and Paulinus Aidoghie, is still available online. Read the relevant excerpts below and decide for yourself: Q: But there was an issue that became quite contentious: N2.8billion. They said N2.8billion oil money was missing. A: It couldn’t have been missing. The governor of the Central Bank then, the late Clement Isong, said it was ridiculous, that N2.8billion couldn’t be missing because he said even the king of Saudi Arabia, couldn’t issue a cheque of N2.8billion. When you have paid your money for petroleum, they are normally put in the country’s external account and no bank will release that amount of money at a go because it was deposited. And then, at that time, Nigeria was exporting about 1.82 million barrels a day. And the cost of barrel a day was about $18. You work out N2.8billion. How could N2.8billion be missing and we still have money to run the country? So, it was just a political… Q: How did that issue come about? What happened and how did you feel during that period? A: No, no. Shagari did the only honourable thing. He ordered a judicial enquiry and put a serving Justice of the Supreme Court, the late Justice Irikefe, to carry out investigation. And their terms of reference were put there. They said anybody who had an idea of missing N2.8billion, let him come and tell Justice Irikefe. Nobody had any evidence. It was just rubbish. Well, later, Tai Solarin and Professor Awojobi were confronted and Fela, the late Fela, to go and prove their case. They had no evidence, most of them took the newspaper cuttings of their allegations to the tribunal. Q: As evidence? A: As their evidence…Cuttings of newspapers publications where they said N2.8billion was missing. That was their evidence. That was what they took to the Irikefe panel. Q: And Fela sang about it! Fela was your friend? A: He couldn’t have been, because of what Obasanjo regime did to him. Because we were part of Obasanjo regime. Q: During your tenure, one case kept coming up: the 53 suitcases. You had ordered the border shut and your Aide de Camp (ADC), Major Jokolo, was alleged to have escorted 53 suitcases into the country. What happened? Why were you selective? A: There was nothing like 53 suitcases. What happened was that there was my chief of protocol; he is now late. He had three wives, and I think about 12 children. He was in Saudi Arabia as Nigeria Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He was in Libya before, as ambassador and later, he was posted to Saudi Arabia. And then, I appointed him as my chief of protocol and he was coming back. Three wives, about 12 children. And then, by some coincidence, the late Emir of Gwandu, the father of Jokolo, who was my ADC then, was coming back with the same flight. And somehow, some mischievous fellows, everything, including the handbag of maybe, their small daughters, were counted as suitcases. Atiku then was the Commandant of Murtala Muhammed Airport as customs officer. And that day, we were playing squash. Jokolo my ADC and I. At some point, I said to him, ‘Mustapha, is your father not coming back today again?’ He said, ‘yes, sir, he is coming.’ I said, ‘what are you doing here? Why can’t you go and meet your father?’ He said yes, sir. He went to wash and meet his father. I am telling you there was no 53 bags of suitcases. It was a bloody lie. It was a bloody mischief. Q: So, not that he was detailed? A: No, he was not detailed. He was not even about to go. I was the one who made him to go and meet his father. He was a respected emir, in fact,
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 19:09:46 +0000
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