This
is a concise report aimed at backing up a grievous allegation that
Jonathan illegally allocated a massive project to the embattled Dasuki.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
Former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki, received over
N80 billion to execute projects not related to his office, Daily Trust
reports.
Some documents seen by a correspondent revealed that former
President Goodluck Jonathan approved the sum of N80.83 billion to the
office of the NSA between May 20, 2013 and March 2015.
The amount is more than the 2017 budget of Nasarawa or Yobe states
or equivalent to the budget of five average federal ministries combined.
Dasuki is already on trial for alleged misappropriation of $2.2 billion dollars arm procurement deal.
The documents showed that payments were made in five batches from
two special fund accounts namely - the Stabilisation and Residual
Account and Development of Natural Resource Account. Some of the funds
were spent on projects such as dam construction, protection and
surveillance.
The biggest chunk of the money ₦36.4bn was processed on
24/03/2014 to NSA via a letter referenced
PRES/87/MF/-2/235/100/MWR/107/149/NSA/625 and NSA/SH/600/A of 6th March,
2014. The Central Bank of Nigeria released the money on March 26, 2014.
The said letter ordered the Office of Accountant General of the
Federation to release the fund from the Federal Government of Nigeria
Development of Natural Resources Account for the protection of 20
selected dams including helicopter surveillance, rehabilitation of Kiri
Dam and construction of Mangu Dam.
Investigations show that the contracts didn’t follow due process
even before the release of the fund. In the same vein, a visit to some
dams in Abuja and some north eastern parts of Nigeria by some auditors
have no proof of NSA staff or duty post at the dams even during the peak
of the crises. The auditors also did not witness any helicopter landing
platform at the dams.
Another payment of ₦30 billion was made on March 11, 2015 to
the former NSA approved by the former Coordinating Minister of the
Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for security
related transactions vide memo REF. DFD/OAGF/365/1and
FD/5385/S.44/IV/T/307 of 2nd & 3rd March, 2015 from the
stabilization and residual account. The letter did not contain details
of the security related transactions.
Other payments were captured as ₦7.7bn approved by the former
president as shortfall in 2012 appropriation vide ref. PRES/87/MF/968
AND OAGF/FD/RS/31/VOL.VI/40/DF <http://vol.vi/40/DF> of 24th and
28th May 2013 from Stabilization and Residual Account on May 30, 2013 to
the NSA and another ₦5.5bn approved by the president for security
related transactions vide memo REF. BD/2000/EXP.557/T2/66 and
FD/5385/S.91/1/11/DFOF 9TH & 11th December, 2013 from the
Development of Natural Resources Account. And ₦1.1bn approved by the
former president as loan for the payment of 2013 paramilitary NSA and
other intelligence agencies group life insurance vide ref.
PRES/87/MF/-2/459 of November, 2014 Stabilization and Residual account
on May 12, 2014.
Early last year, a committee established by President Muhammadu
Buhari to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the armed
forces from 2007 to 2015, revealed in its preliminary reports of an
extra-budgetary spending to the tune of N643.8 billion and an additional
spending of about $2.2 billion in the foreign currency component by the
NSA office under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The committee discovered that an officer serving in the ONSA used
his office to secure 2 contracts for his company, Geonel Integrated
Services Ltd, among which are for the protection of 20 Dams and
Presidential Air Fleet security at the cost of 6.2bn and $5m USD
respectively.
The process of the administration of the special accounts has since
been generating controversies. According to some observers, the release
of the funds contravened the extant laws of Nigeria.
In the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Section 80(3) stated that “No
moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the federation other
than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation unless the issue of
those moneys has been authorised by an Act of the National Assembly”
Also the Revenue Act, states that for the Stabilisation Fund, Shall
be used to initially augment the allocation to any state of the
federation that suffers absolute decline in its revenue arising from
factors outside its control in accordance with the acceptable threshold,
to be worked out by the National Revenue Mobilisation Allocation, and
Fiscal Commission, at which recourse can be had to the Fund and for how
long.”
A constitutional lawyer and activist, Femi Falana (SAN) when
contacted on the legality or otherwise of the withdrawals from the
special funds told Daily Trust that “As far as the Constitution is
concerned the Federal Government cannot take any loan without the
approval of the National Assembly. Neither can any fund be withdrawn
from the accounts belonging to the federation and the Federal Government
without appropriation by the National Assembly.”
In its audit report for special purposes funds from 2007 to 2011,
the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI)
described Stabilisation and Residual Account and Development of Natural
Resource Account as loose fund available for government to borrow to
meet other obligations.
NEITI said the fund SRA which was set up to serve as a stabilizing
factor on the federation revenues from any economic down turn arising
from depletion in oil revenues, over the years became a pool to grant
loan to fund various expenditure while DNRF which was set up to develop
alternative sources of revenue from natural resources was not used for
the same purposed by previous administrations.
Culled from Daily Trust
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