Posted by By MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta on
Two years after the much-celebrated Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) launch, the former president may have had a brainwave over the project, preferring now to rush the five-star hotel that would spin mega bucks. The library wing of the project has, therefore, dropped to the bottom of his priority list.
Two years after the much-celebrated Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) launch, the former president may have had a brainwave over the project, preferring now to rush the five-star hotel that would spin mega bucks. The library wing of the project has, therefore, dropped to the bottom of his priority list.
The hotel, said to be of five star standard, is on the site of the OOPL in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Workers on site say it is a 250-bedroom edifice that is nearing completion.
Leading business moguls like Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. and Mr. Femi Otedola had contributed generously to over N5 billion raised on a single day in 2005 for the N6 billion project.
Given the zeal with which the former president is pursuing the hotel wing of the project, it has become the subject of discussion and gossip in Abeokuta.
His kinsmen, in particular, feel scandalized that the former President now prefers to speed up work on the hotel - a commercial venture - not the non-profit library project that the public contributed money to help him build.
Said a resident of the area who craved anonymity: "Nigerians were deceived by the former President, that he was raising money for a library. But now, two years after, we have all seen the real reason Baba was raising money.
"In an ideal society, the former President would have been made to tell the whole world why he diverted money collected for a library project to something else. Only God will save Nigeria from greedy leaders like our Baba from Owu."
The OOPL was launched with fanfare May 14, 2005 while Obasanjo was still a sitting president, infuriating Lagos lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi to take him to court arguing that he (Obasanjo) abused his office and violated the constitution in initiating the project.
At the launch, movers and shakers of corporate Nigeria donated generously, hence insinuations in some quarters of "scratch my back, I scratch yours" deal.
Thus, Fawehinmi challenged the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate all the contracts awarded by the Federal Government from 1999 to date "in so far as the donors of the gifts of money received at the launch of the Presidential Library at Abeokuta, Ogun State on May 14, 2005 are involved in such contracts and for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to take appropriate actions against the President and the donors."
He also urged the court to declare that the gift of money to the President at the launch by various contractors to government and other beneficiaries of government policies and programmes including oil firm majors, consortium of banks and others which were benefiting or had benefited from policies and programmes of President Obasanjo's government contravenes Section 15 (5) of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Obasanjo has, in another business-related matter, sent signals that he still wields influence despite being out of office.
This concerns the dealership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC) Mega Station in Abeokuta, which he lost in July to one Mr. Idowu Togun, until recently Special Assistant to Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, on Oil and Gas.
Obasanjo had lost the bid to reclaim the premium filling station after the incidence of financial mis-management was reported at the station under the supervision of the Obasanjo Holdings Limited (OHL).
The fraud led to staff shake-up in the station, following which several people, including an Alhaji, were quizzed by the EFCC.
The Alhaji, who then held a sensitive position in the OHL, was said to have been released following the intervention of some board members of the company who feared that he might "spill the bean."
At that time, even though Chevron, the managing partner of the station, was willing to do business with the OHL, Sunday Sun learnt that the large-scale fraud running into millions of Naira and allegedly masterminded by the OHL staff was the company's albatross.
This led to the appointment of another Station Manager, Mr. Togun.
Togun was said to have been interviewed in June along with others, including the former Commissioner for Community Development and Co-operative, Pastor Abiodun Sanyaolu, at the McCarthy Street office of Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc, Onikan, Lagos.
The eventual appointment of Togun, a London-trained Oil and Gas expert, fuelled speculation that the state government might have acquired substantial shares in the oil business.
But Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Daniel, Mr. Wale Adedayo, denied the involvement of the state government in the petroleum transaction.
However, the resignation of Togun penultimate week was said to have been facilitated by the General Manager (Retail) of the NNPC, who was allegedly instructed by former Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr. Funsho Kupolokun (before the latter was booted out of office) to "do everything humanly possible to hand the Mega station back to the former President."
In compliance with the directive, Togun was said to have been advised by "the powers that be" in the state not only to resign his appointment in government, but also "to leave the petrol station business in his own interest".
"It was in his own interest and that of the state government that Togun had to leave the mega station for Baba. The thinking is that Governor Daniel, who knows nothing about the deal, is suspected to be the one that facilitated the appointment of Togun," a source told Sunday Sun.
"The way I see it, it appears as if Togun's appointment constitutes an impediment to the cordial relationship that exists between Governor Daniel and Baba. When two elephants fight, who suffers?" an aide of the governor asked rhetorically.
With Togun's resignation, the coast now appears clear for the OHL to take over the Mega Station. Already, a man simply identified as Pastor Olaniyan of the Obasanjo Farm Nigeria (OFN) has been penciled down for the lucrative job.
The fraud that rocked the petrol station before Obasanjo's firms - IBAD and OHL - lost out was in form of diverted oil products worth about N95 million, part of which (about N75 million) was said to have been refunded to the station.
One of the subsidiaries of Obasanjo Holdings in Igboora (Oyo State) was said to have been a beneficiary of the deal which was not accounted for.
Details of how the Mega Station was run under the leadership of the former dealer, Alhaji Lateef Aremu, was given in Abeokuta last week.
The former dealer who operated under IBAD Limited, a subsidiary of the OHL and the former Accountant of the station, were alleged to have defrauded the company including the Chevron and Texaco by forging a bank rubber stamp.
With the rubber stamp, they allegedly authenticated tellers to deceive unsuspecting auditors (Chevron/Texaco). It was also intended to serve as make up for the accounts and monies not lodged.
Sunday Sun learnt that the affected Accountant confessed to auditors that the fraud had been on since April 2006.
The disclosure raised several questions, some of which were why did the Accounts department of the NNPC (Retail Headquarters), Abuja, failed to report the anomalies since April 2006, in their monthly reconciliation?