Former Head of State retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar is to be questioned by the special investigation panel on the Halliburton bribery scandal, in which some top former public officers allegedly received $180 million in bribes to facilitate gas contracts for the American energy firm.

Police Force Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, told Daily Trust last night that Abubakar and a number of other key government officials in his administration would be invited to testify in the investigation.

A Halliburton subsidiary, KBR, recently admitted to funnelling bribes totalling $180 million to yet-to-be-named top Nigerian government officials to facilitate the award of gas contracts. The bribes were allegedly given between 1994 and 2004, during the regimes of the late General Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Federal Government early this month set up a special committee headed by Inspector-General of Police Mike Okiro to investigate the bribery scandal. The panel has so far arrested a number of former top public officers, including former chief of air staff retired Air Marshal Abdul Dominc Bello and former federal permanent secretary Ibrahim Aliyu. The committee also reportedly quizzed former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Dikko Yusufu and former Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Edmund Daukoru.



God go catch these mugus one after another.

na today?

nothing go happen to Abdusalanmi Abubakar

mikeansy:

na today?

nothing go happen to Abdusalanmi Abubakar

my brother u sabi naija politiks well well! anybody wey get two head make im go carry gen. abdulsalami.

House, I am getting convinced that something will begin to happen to crooks of whatever status in Nigeria any moment from now. I can't really explain where the power of conviction is coming from but I see a change coming. I'm not joking. I mean it. There is time for everything under the sun.
Just watch.

jamace:

House, I am getting convinced that something will begin to happen to crooks of whatever status in Nigeria any moment from now. I can't really explain where the power of conviction is coming from but I see a change coming. I'm not joking. I mean it. There is time for everything under the sun.
Just watch.

I don't share your optimism. It is possible for me to have a change of mind if crooks like Mike Kase Andoakaa the most corrupt Attorney General in the whole Universe is replaced (remember he is a member of the committe looking into the Harlibuton case) and the court cases against the corrupt governors especially Ibori) is prosecuted to a logical conclusion.

Abdulsalam is a big-time crook and I am not just saying it for the fun of it. Notwitstanding that he has been invited by the Okiro panel, it is highly unlikely that something positive will come out of the probe, not with the calibre of people that Yaradua grouped together to fish out the bribe-takers - people who are themselves big-time bribe takers (Mike Okiro, Mike Andoakaa and Farida Waziri). They are people of little or no integrity as far as I am concerned. But it will be the dawn of a new era for the country and a big public relation stunt for the government if they end up with an indictment of the corrupt ones.
Here is a refresher about the corrupt activities of Abdulsalam while he held sway as head of state - just for one year. Culled from "Strange Things Have Happened In Nigeria" By Abiodun Ladepo. Enjoy.

Gen. Sabo also alleged massive financial misdeeds by the Abdulkareem Abubakar government, saying:
"Before General Sani Abacha’s death there were bickerings from people including General Abdulsalami Abubakar that they were not being given any welfare. General Abubakar accused the service chiefs that they were the ones that had the resources but he did not have anything there was a time he asked Ambassador Zackary Ibrahim to give him N1 million urgently but Ambassador Ibrahim said he didn’t have the money. And when Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar became the head of state, he was relieved of his appointment.

"When General Abdulsalami came to power, he exhibited an accumulated and accentuated thirst for money. I stumbled on some documents and video cassettes even while in retirement.

"There was the case of $40 million contributed by multinationals for General Sani Abacha’s transmutation to civilian president. I gave the cassette of his disclosure to help him clean the system not knowing that he would use it to clean me out of the system because three days later I was arrested. I urge the commission to investigate this money contributed by multinational towards Abacha’s self-succession.

"There was also the case of Engineer Bubal Galatia, Director of NMA whom General Abdulsalami Abubakar directed to release N5 billion from the NMA to the minister through Chief Hope Ozodinma. But Galadima refused saying it was beyond his power to do so. That same afternoon, a lorry load of soldiers invaded his house managed him and took him to an unknown destination. He was ordered to put in his letter of resignation so as to look as if he resigned voluntarily but he refused and asked General Abubakar to fire him. He was fired and he was given two hours to vacate his official quarters.

"The N5 billion was to be shared like this: "1.35 to be given to the minister, Chief Hope would be given N265 million and $18 million would be given to General Abubakar. I have documents to prove this (He than tendered the documents).

"There is the issue of the printing of new naira denominations, of 100, 200 and 500. I shared Mustapha’s opinions on this which he explained in his testimony that it was a booby trap for President Olusegun Obasanjo to fail. I have 13 documents to prove this which I shall tender, before this commission.
"When General Abacha was alive the idea of the printing of new naira denominations was mooted. Three companies bided for the contract - J.B. of Munich; Thomas & Co. Of London, and Bodous of Germany. They all submitted their quotations. They all agreed on $30 per one thousand pieces but General Abacha said it was too much. The agreement was not sealed before his death. When General Abdulsalami came on board, he said it should be printed at $45 per thousand. G & D was given the contract of printing and here was the company reputed for tax evasion. The company has offices in Germany, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Argentina and other places, but only has a liaison office in Nigeria. The company evaded tax to the tune of 2 million Dutch marks in Germany. This is the same company given the job to print the money I commenced investigations into the activities of this company but General Abubakar ordered me to stop it. All these were known to him.

"The NTA in its news at 7 and 9 p.m. on January 11, 2001 reported that a container load of fake naira notes was discovered in Jos and Maiduguri. This is what I am talking about.

"During Abdulsalami’s time, our soldiers in ECOMOG were not treated well at all. General Victor Malu then ECOMOG Commander once had cause to complain of adulterated fuel sent to them. When the contract for the supply of food to our soldiers was changed, it was given to one lady; I will mention her name later.
When General Abacha was alive 45 dollars was approved a day for each of our soldiers but when Gen. Abubakar came to power he increased it. But instead of giving them the money, they were given the old rate, where is the balance?

"There is the issue of parting gift to each PRC member. N1 million was agreed as parting gift for each PRC member or 500,000 dollars. I inquired from two PRC members later differently. I asked them jokingly that I learnt you were all given ½ a million dollars as parting gift. Where is my own share now? But they told me it was only 50,000 dollars. So what happened to the remaining 450,000 dollars per each PRC member times the total PRC members?

Before General Abacha died, he left a foreign reserve of 9.7 billion dollars. There are papers to show this. But Abubakar claimed that only 7.17 billion dollars was left in the reserve what happened to the balance? This reserve that Abacha accumulated in five years, Abdulsalami depleted if in nine months.

"Eagle Square here in Abuja was being renovated yearly when General Oseni was FCT Minister. Consultants were appointed for the renovation at N230 million. But General Abdulsalami rejected this and opted for upward review of N2.3 billion as against N230m.

"Also through 59 million dollars he siphoned from government coffers he bought a house in London at 5 million pounds renovated it at 1 million pounds.
"Before General Abacha died he approved 66 million Dutch marks for the maintenance of Alpha jets and other aircraft. When Abubakar took over he wrote another memo for the sum of 44,275,000 dollars for the same maintenance. I would have wished he was here to cross check if this signature on these documents were his.

"There was also another memo from the CGS dated March 17 1999 at the injury time of the administration. There was request for the purchase of boats at 45 million dollars, purchase of amphibious plane at 21,747,660 dollars; and 5,000 rain coats jacket to cost 14,500,00 dollars. The normal cost of one rain coat to pocket were from rain is 45 dollar per piece and the total cost for the 5,000 rain coats should be 2,9000 dollars. It was signed by General Abdulsalami Abubakar to be purchased on ECOMOG issue, apart from the naval personnel that used to transport the food items, it was later given to merchant ships.

"There is the issue of Engineer Ibrahim Ali, MD of NPA. General Abubakar called him one day and told him since General Abacha did not give you free hand to do your duties, bring your quotation and I will give you the wherewithal to execute it. He brought it to Abdulsalami. He met Alhaji Gidado Idris, former Secretary to the Federation there. Abdulsalami approved it for execution but when Ali left Abdulsalami ordered Gidado Idris to fire Ali when Gidado wanted
to refuse, he told him that if he didn’t do it somebody else would do it and that was how he was fired.

Shinttien: What did all these mean with respect to Chief Abiola’s security.
Sabo: All these were to show that as Chief Abiola was to show that as Chief Abiola was in the custody of Abdulsalami, if Abiola was released, he would be demanding for his mandate and this will be unconducive for him to loot the country’s treasury. General Abubakar should appear before this commission to explain ,what happens to the depletion of the economy.
General Abdulsalami Abubakar set a booby trap for Obasanjo’s administration, I am not saying this to curry favour from President Obasanjo. Let us not deal only on the past of the late head of state.
Shinttien: In what other way to your knowledge has the General Abdulsalami Abubakar reduced the military to what it is now.
Sabo: Another way which General Abdulsalami siphoned money is the task force for the armed forces and the police.
On December 31 1997, N21, 270, 292,50 was disbursed to the armed forces and the police, I am not convinced the money was used judiciously, I have documents to authenticate this.

There is also the issue of N80m water project which was discarded by General Abdulsalami. He re-awarded it for 20 million dollars while 10m dollars was collected upfront. I am sure the balance was also given. I am not sure whether the water project was executed.]]
Again, I did not write the above. I copied it from the Vanguard of 20 July, 2001. But because we, as a people afflicted with amnesia, have conveniently forgotten this very recent history; because the people now enjoying the so-called dividends of democracy - not the poor, ordinary Nigerians now living in near-servitude in their own country, but the elected officials - have consigned to the waste bin of history the sacrifices of people who gave their lives to wrest democracy from the stranglehold of the likes of Babangida, Abacha and Abubakar, I chose to re-publish this emotive testimony.