Posted by From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja on
Former Senior Special Assistant (Domestic Affairs) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Andy Uba, has quit his residence within the environs of the Presidential Villa (Aso Villa) Abuja.
Former Senior Special Assistant (Domestic Affairs) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Andy Uba, has quit his residence within the environs of the Presidential Villa (Aso Villa) Abuja.
Uba had been occupying Plot No. 19, Ibrahim Taiwo Street, directly opposite the headquarters of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) since 1999.
The sprawling peach building has now been converted to a guest house for the Chief Security Officer to President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Uba's continued occupation of the building after the exit of Obasanjo in May 2007 had been controversial.
While some said he bought the house under the monetisation policy, others said he got it as a parting gift from Obasanjo.
It was gathered that some top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, had mounted pressure on Yar'Adua to eject Uba.
The forces against Uba cited reasons of security and other concerns for their request.
While he was the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation under Obasanjo, Ahmed was denied the opportunity of buying his official residence under the monetisation policy.
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and a few of Obasanjo's kitchen cabinet members had allegedly schemed Ahmed out by redefining his status.
The group was said to have convinced Obasanjo that as Head of Service, Ahmed could no longer enjoy the status of a civil servant.
He was classified as a political appointee; and by implication, he was not entitled to buy his official residence.
Ahmed was said to have been piqued by the fact that other political appointees under Obasanjo, including el-Rufai, were allowed to buy government houses under the same policy.
A cleverly distorted version of the policy made it possible for el-Rufai and two of his cronies to buy three guest houses attached to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The houses were bought at give away rates by el-Rufai, his brother-in-law, Alhaji Tijani Abdullahi and a former Political Adviser to Obasanjo, Mr. Akin Osuntokun.
The house deserted on Sunday.
Uba's Media Assistant to Uba, Mr. Chuks Akunna, confirmed that he had vacated the building.
Akunna however, said that Uba vacated the building on his own volition; refuting the claim that he was evicted on the orders of Yar'Adua.
Akunna said: "Yes, Dr. Andy Uba has vacated the building. He left the place over a month ago. He was staying there as a privilege extended to him by President Yar'Adua but he felt he had enjoyed enough of the privilege."
The spokesman also dismissed the claim that Uba bought the building under the monetisation policy of the Obasanjo era.
According to him, the house is a special building meant for security aides of the President; there was no way anyone could have bought it or to have got it as a parting gift.
"Uba did not buy the house because it was not for sale in the first place. The house is a special building meant for security aides of a sitting President so it was never put up for sale when Obasanjo was president," Akunna added.