Investigation by NEWS PUNCH
reveals that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe
Kachikwu, and his brother, Dumebi Kachikwu are embroiled in a bribery scandal
that may further put to test the Buhari Administration’s mouthed mantra of zero
tolerance for corruption.
NEWS PUNCH found out
that THEWILL authoritatively reports that all is not well between the Kachikwu
brothers and their erstwhile ally, Mr. Igho Sanomi, the chairman of Taleveras Oil,
following the minister’s inability to deliver oil contracts to the businessman
as agreed after allegedly receiving over a billion naira in kickbacks.
The brewing crisis in
the scandal is that the kachikwus are unwilling to return the kickbacks which
Sanomi paid partly in naira and same choice properties in Maitama-Abuja and
Banana Island-Lagos.
NEWS PUNCH confirms that
sources knowledgeable about the development told THEWILL that Sanomi has been
pressuring the Kachikwus to return his monies and houses that were transferred
to the minister upfront through Dumebi to facilitate oil contracts while he
served as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC.
Total payments to the
minister who hitherto doubled as the NNPC boss, from Sanomi are estimated to be
close to N2billion as at when the shady deal was consummated, insiders say.
Dr. Kachikwu, a former
top executive at Mobil Oil, was once the most powerful and influential cabinet
official in the Buhari administration while he superintended over the NNPC. The
notoriously corrupt public official was
even planning to run for the
governorship of Delta State under the ruling All Progressive Congress,
APC, but presently that power and influence are gone. Associates say his mobile
phones are now often silent and the visitor’s register in his office are dotted
with empty lines begging to be filled.
Whispers on the street
are that he lost his influence politically and remains a shadow of his former
self whilst basking in negative low esteem and inferiority complex.
NEWS PUNCH learnt that
he contemplated resigning from government after his sudden ouster from the NNPC
but was advised against such a move to stare off prosecution by the presidency.
NEWS PUNCH learnt that
THEWILL authoritatively reports that kachikwu lost his lucrative position as
GMD of NNPC barely one year after his appointment due to shady and corrupt practices
after the EFCC released series of damaging reports to Acting President, Yemi
Osinbajo, detailing how the flamboyant and perverted minister used his brother
to receive and launder bribes from companies seeking contracts.
NEWS PUNCH learnt that
the classified report which was sighted by one of the correspondents of THEWILL,
named Mr, Sanomi and his company, Taleveras as one of those that funnelled
hundreds of millions of naira into an investment account controlled by Dumebi
in one of Nigeria’s oldest banks from where private accounts controlled by the
minister were credited with chunks of the bribes.
NEWS PUNCH learnt that
THEWILL reports that President Muhammadu Buhari was going to fire kachikwu from
his cabinet over the report but General T.Y, Danjuma, who facilitated his
appointment, intervened and got him a soft landing.
As Minister of State
for Petroleum, his hands are off the cookie jar and he has zero influence over
the affairs NNPC under current GMD, Maikanti Baru, who reports directly to the president,”a
source in the presidency said.
Meanwhile, insiders
squealed that Sanomi is spoiling for a dirty fight with kachikwus over their
failure to return his money and houses.
NEWSPUNCH learnt that
the story THEWILL published against the kachikwus of their involvement in
corruption is no longer available on THE WILL news platform because kachikwu
paid THE WILL N10 million to remove it.
Based on the
investigation carried out by NEWS PUNCH on the allegation of corruption against
the kachikwus and the removal of the story by THE WILL, NEWS PUNCH calls on the
National Assembly to set up a credible committee to probe the Minister of State
for Petroleum Resources and NNPC.
During Jonathan
Administration, the Malabu Oil deal and Diezani Alison-Madueke corruption were
some of the issues that questioned Jonathan’s anti-corruption competency. According
to THE ECONOMIST of 15 June 2013, In
2011 Goodluck Jonathan’s government facilitated the transfer of payment of
$1.1Billion to a fake company set up by a controversial former Petroleum
Minister under Sani Abasha’s corrupt regime, Dan Etete. The fake company,
Malabu Oil and Gas was set up in 1998 by Etete using a false identity so as to
award himself a lucrative Oil block, OPL245, for which he paid only $2million
of the $20million legally required by the State. At the time of Jonathan’s
government helping to facilitate the transfer of payment from shell and Eni to
the fake company, Etete was already a convicted felon of money laundering in
France. THE ECONOMIST further says
that only $800million out of the $1.1billon meant for Malabu Oil and Gas was
even remitted by the Nigerian government.
The former Nigerian
Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke, who signed the documents involved in
facilitating the payments, denied the rest was shared by public officials.
PREMIUM
TIMESof March 24, 2014 reports that the former Petroleum Minister, Diezani
Alison-Madueke was accused by some group of Nigerians and the media of
squandering N10billion to charter and maintain private jet for her personal use
which made the National Assembly to probe her. She was accused of spending
about 130Million Naira monthly to maintain the aircraft, solely for her
personal needs and those of her immediate family.
Samuel Adejare,
the lawmaker at the 7th National Assembly who raised the matter made it
explicitly clear that there was irrefutable evidence showing that the financing
for the Challenger 850 aircraft was drawn from government funds from NNPC.
According to Mr.
Adejare, the estimated N10billion would be “a tip of the iceberg” as further
investigation would show the minister spent far higher.
The 7th National
Assembly handled Diezani’s corruption allegations at NNPC with kid gloves. The 8th
National Assembly should not handle Kachikwu’s corruption allegations associated
with NNPC with kid gloves this time as Nigerians are looking up to federal lawmakers
at the National Assembly to deliver their constitutional duties without fear or
favour.
By:Terfa Naswem