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12 ways billions of Naira disappeared before 2015 election

Here are 12 ways billions of Naira disappeared from Nigeria's central bank under Goodluck Jonathan, before 2015 election.

On Monday, March 19, 2018, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo accused Jonathan and his men of moving N150 billion out of the treasury in one day.

In Osinbajo’s words: "In one single transaction, a few weeks to the 2015 elections, sums of N100billion and $295million were just frittered away by a few.

"Nobody should talk about the economy when you have this kind of huge leakages and huge corruption. Corruption that completely makes nonsense of even what you are allocating to capital projects.

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“We saw from the presentation of the minister of finance that N14 billion was spent on agriculture in 2014, transportation N15 billion, so the total spent on infrastructure in those three years were N153 billion and in two weeks before the elections, N150 billion was essentially shared.

"So, if your total infrastructure spending is N150 billion and you can share N153 billion, that is completely incredible. That sort of thing doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. And when we are talking about the economy, we must simply understand that that is the problem."

Proof

After Osinbajo’s remarks, Pulse wrote a piece asking for proof from the presidency because we were sick and tired of the endless looting allegations against Jonathan in the media.

Just before midnight of Sunday, March 25, 2018, the presidency source called our office and left us the following details:

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1. Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki personally supervised the physical transfer of billions of Naira from the CBN vaults to the private residence of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

2. Between January 8 and February 25, 2015, over N70 billion was released in parts from the national treasury.

According to the source, over $289M which was also referenced last week by the Vice President, was also withdrawn around this period.

3. In the minutes of the Central Bank board meeting of 25th August 2014, the apex bank approved N60 billion requested by the former president.

4. “This sum which was okayed by the CBN board was not tied to any project or procurement, and was meant and disbursed purely for campaign purposes, through the office of the then NSA and the SSS leadership at the time”, the presidency source said.

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5. This N60 billion okayed by the CBN on August 25, 2014 was shared between the two security agencies as follows: N40 billion went to the NSA while N20 billion was released to the State Security Services (SSS).

6. The $289m mentioned by the Vice President was released on February 25, 2015.

Fani-Kayode

7. Documents including cash vouchers indicate that $289,202,382 was released in cash to the NIA by the Central Bank of Nigeria from the Joint Venture (JV) Cash Call Account No. 000-0000-11658-366 of the NNPC/NAPIMS with JP Morgan Chase Bank, New York, USA.

8. On January 8 and 16, 2015, the sum of N1.5 billion was released in three tranches of N300m, N400m and N800m respectively.

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“This money was released from the MEA Research Library Account to the Jointrust Dimension reportedly owned by Danjuma Yusuf and Nenadi Esther Usman,” an official source with knowledge of the transaction disclosed.

9. N350 million was transferred to Femi Fani-Kayode through his Zenith Bank Account No. 1004735721, on February 2, 2015, was told.

10. Another N250 million was allegedly transferred to Fani-Kayode through the same Zenith Bank Account on February 19, 2015.

11. N10 billion was released to the Office of the National Security Adviser by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on September 15, 2014.

The money was released in tranches of foreign exchange of $47 million, $5 million, 4 million Euros and 1.6 million Euros.

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Special services

12. A letter from the Office of the NSA in November, 2014 further showed that the monies were released by the CBN as ‘funds for special services'.

“Further to our discussion, you are please requested  to provide the sum of Forty Seven Million United States Dollars (USD47,000,000,00)cash out of the Ten Billion Naira (N10,000,000,000,00) and the balance in Euro to this office for special services,” a letter signed by the former NSA read.

Pulse was told by the presidency source that the CBN release of N10B was sourced in November 2014 from a N40 Billion CBN released funds meant for Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR.

“It was this N10B that former President Jonathan instructed the CBN Governor and the then NSA to deliver to him personally in a private residence in Abuja".

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The presidency source disclosed that the money was illegally transferred using CBN van for the use of “PDP Presidential Primaries”.

Jonathan response

Jonathan's media aide, Reno Omokri, wasn't immediately available for comments for this story.

However, last week, Jonathan responded to Osinbajo's allegation through Omokri by calling the Vice President a liar who has surrendered his lips to Satan.

“Nigerians may recall that lying is the most consistent achievement of Prof Osinbajo’s almost three years as vice president.

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“On this most recent allegation, let me state categorically that Jonathan did not share N150billion two weeks to the 2015 election. If Osinbajo has proof that Jonathan did so, then we challenge him to publish his proof.

“He is a professor of law and ought to know that he who alleges must prove.

“The vice president has again surrendered his lips to Satan to be use to spread slander and lies", Jonathan said.

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