President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led Nigeria from 1999-2000, during which time he swore to fight corruption in the country, obtained considerable helpings of the infamous Haliburton bribe money, the Special Investigation Panel headed by Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, has declared in an interim report.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led Nigeria from 1999-2000, during which time he swore to fight corruption in the country, obtained considerable helpings of the infamous Haliburton bribe money, the Special Investigation Panel headed by Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, has declared in an interim report. According to the document, which was submitted to *President Umaru Yar’Adua in May last year by Mr. Okiro, Obasanjo shared the sum of $74 million USD between 2000 and 2001 with his Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, as well as Funsho Kupolokun and Gaius Obaseki, who were successive heads of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation during the government’s early years.
During that same time span, said the interim report, Obasanjo and the ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party, also pocketed $5m from the Halliburton slush funds.
Other major beneficiaries included General Sani Abacha, who got $40 million in 1994-95; Ibrahim Aliyu, $11.7million in 2001-2002; former Minister, Dan Etete, $2.5 million in 1996-1998; Abdulkadir Abacha, $1.8 in 1998; and M. G. Bakari, $3.1 million
Among the more startling of the revelations in the interim report, the panel wrote as follows about some of the key Nigerians involved:
On Chief Olusegun Obasanjo: “He was President of Nigeria from May 1999 – May 2007. Reports suggest that Stanley met with Chief Obasanjo and then Group Managing Director of NNPC, Gaius Obaseki, in Abuja on 111th November 2001 to negotiate pay-offs in respect of Trains 4&5. On 20th December 2001 Obaseki reportedly met with Chodan and Stanley in London over lunch in furtherance of discussions. In March 2002, TSKJ won the Train 4 and 5 contacts for $3.6 billion USD allegations are the Gen. Obasanjo may have received a minimum of $4 million USD as pay-off.”
With reference to Obasanjo, the report noted: “Panelists are currently examining documents before the invitation of former President Obasanjo.”
On Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (Head of State, 1998-1999): “Sequel to Gen Abacha’s demise in June 1998, Stanley allegedly shifted focus to Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, and met with him in Abuja on 28th February 1999 to discuss Train 3 of the NLNG Project. He is alleged to have at this meeting requested Gen Abubakar to designate a trusted ‘frontman’ to collect his bribe. About 11th March, 1999 TSKJ won the Train 3 contract for $1.2 billion US Dollars.”
On Late Gen. Sani Abacha: “He was Head of State of Nigeria from November 1993 to June 1998. Chief Executive of KBR Albert Jackson Stanley and top executives of TSKJ were said to have struck an agreement with Gen. Abacha in August 1994 on the terms of the contract award. In subsequent meetings between Tesler and then Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, it was agreed that $40 million USD would be paid to Gen. Abacha while $20 million USD would be given to other players in the scandalous gas contract.” On former Minister Daniel Etete: “He was Former Minister of Petroleum. Etete allegedly negotiated the briberies paid for the Trains 1 & 2 contracts with TESLER, resulting in agreement to share $60 million USD to key Government officials. Upon signing the NLNG Trains 1&2 contracts, Telster allegedly wired $63,000 into a Swiss account for Etete. Around the same time, purportedly to cover up tracks, he was said to have opened negotiation for the purchase of 5% of Etete’s holding in the OPL 245 Malabu oil bloc. For this deal, he wired $2.5 m USD to Etete through Tri-Star accounts in different names, viz: Dan Etete, Buzaki Etete and Omono Amategha. That oil bloc license was revoked by the Obasanjo administration in 1999.” With reference to the continuation of its investigations, the panel said it had employed the assistance of varied local and international bodies, besides member services, including the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and CITIBANK Plc. It was also, through the Ministry of Justice, requesting assistance from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom, the French Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice, Switzerland.
It is not clear why the interim report disappeared once it was submitted to Yar’Adua, who had set up the panel claiming he would combat corruption, or when the Okiro panel intends to submit its final report on what it described as “the bribe scam which has none-the-less demeaned the status of Nigeria among the comity of nations and the entire black race.” Among others, it was asked to “establish the extent of involvement or culpability of any Nigerian in the bribery scandal and the sums of money allegedly paid out to any person in Nigeria by Halliburton as bribes in respect of the Bonny LNG Project.”
Curiously, the panel indicated it was yet to find the following people:
Umaru Maikaura Ali Shinkafi (former Director General, Nigeria Security Organization – NSO). He is alleged to have received $195,000 USD from Tesler. • Funsho Kupolokun – former MD, NNPC • Gabriel Fari – He ran GK Commerce and Finance (Geneva) and was a beneficiary of Tri-Star Investments • Mark Donald Riser (Briton) • Michael Edward Riser (Briton) • AbdulKadir Abacha • Edith Edeghonghon (f) • Prince Nasir Ado Bayero • Ashiru Bisje Aliyu • Zertasha Malik (f)
It would be recalled that on April 13, 2010, Saharareporters broke the story about how Halliburton bribed 80 eminent Nigerians that include former such former Nigerian leaders as Ibrahim Bademasi Babangida, General Abdussalam Abubakar, General Sani Abacha and Chief Ernest Shonekan. We noted in that report that as extensive as the list of names was, it was likely that more names would emerge, partly because the document on which it was based did not cover the three-year period between 24th March 1995 and 31st March 1998, for which no record was available. Much of the Okiro Panel report is based on testimonies in judicial systems abroad.
In addition to Mr. Okiro, members of the panel include the Chairman of the EFCC, as well as representatives of the State Security Service and the National Intelligence Agency.
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