Obasanjo Buys Private Jet?

Akin Orimolade, Abuja


Even with the anger triggered by the draconian economic measures President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced before leaving the seat of power, Aso Rock, the former president has allegedly purchased a private jet worth $36 million.

Presidency officials, who had gone to Ota to consult with ex-president Obasanjo, who had earlier indicated his interest in using one of the presidential jets after his tour of duty in Aso Rock, concerning the workers’ strike, were taken by surprise when they learnt that the former number one citizen had travelled with a private jet.

The private jet was registered in the name of MRS, a company owned by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Sayyu Dantata.

Sources close to the former leader’s Ota Farm revealed that even workers in the multimillionaire farm were not sure whether the private jet was a free gift to ex-president Obasanjo or a loan for his current globe trotting jamboree.

They, however, argued that it was a well merited offer if it was a gift, considering the unprecedented assistance the former president has offered to Dangote and Dantata, whom some claimed, were former president Obasanjo’s business partners.

In 2003 alone, Obasanjo allocated 980,000 tonnes of Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO), to MRS from which the company made over $300 million.

Some Nigerians had queried the allocation because MRS was given the allocation at the local price, while the company sold it at international price, thus smiling to the bank with a wide profit margin.

Leadership Weekend investigations, however, revealed that it was a compensation to Dangote for being the highest donor to Obasanjo for the rigged election in 2003.

This action, it was gathered, consequently forced almost all textile industries to close shop in the Northern part of the country and a few others in Lagos.

But that deal was just the tip of the iceberg. The president made sure that Dangote, despite all protests from Benue State people, bought Benue Cement Company (BCC) at a give-away price, while other heavy government investments were transferred to the smooth palms of Dangote.

Such money-making industries that were deliberately run down to give room for such offers include the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries and the 24 per cent shares in NITEL bought by Alheri Engineering Company, a company hurriedly packaged for the takeover of NITEL but which had no previous experience in telecommunications sector. Dangote also owns Obajana Cement and some oil blocs.

But sources close to Obasanjo’s traducers claimed that the former president allegedly made the money with which he bought the jet by making only half of the presidential campaign funds available to President Umoru Musa Yar’Adua’s campaign team.

This, they claimed, made logistic for the Yar’Adua/Goodluck campaign team difficult at a stage during the campaign.

really?wetin be d plate nomba?

LOL!! na wa o!

Can somebody please tell me how to submit a topic?

So much for OBJ's anti-corruption crusade.

@chrisokw

Where is the link?