Dasukigate: Is the dragnet getting closer to Jonathan?

The chicken seems to be coming home to roost. Former President Goodluck Jonathan appears to be the only prominent member of the last administration yet to be interrogated. Since he left office on May 29, 2015, the nation has been regaled with dirty details of looting and fund diversion under his watch.

The arms deal popularly known as Dasukigate has revealed how billions meant for procurement of arms to prosecute the Boko Haram insurgency allegedly ended up in private pockets. The National Security Adviser (NSA) under Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki, has been facing trial for alleged diversion of $2.1 billion of the funds.

Dasuki, who has been in detention since December 1, 2015, was fingered as the main conduit for the alleged diversion. His office was said to have awarded over 53 fictitious contracts running into billions.

Some of the beneficiaries of Dasuki’s largesse include former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who is facing a charge of money-laundering to the tune of N400million.

Read also: Dasukigate: Ndume wants Jonathan prosecuted

A former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, also admitted he got N2.2billion from Dasuki to organise spiritual prayers for the defeat of Boko Haram.

Baba-Kusa said he took several Mallams and clerics on pilgrimage to Holy Lands for the spiritual exercise after approval of a verbal proposal from Dasuki.

Founder of African Independent Television (AIT), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, also admitted collecting N2.1billion from Dasuki for ‘media and political’ activities for the unsuccessful reelection bid of Jonathan at the 2015 general elections.

Prominent members of the immediate past administration have either been quizzed or arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for collecting monies to prosecute the reelection bid of Jonathan.

Former Sokoto governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; ex-Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda have also faced charges of collecting N350billion and N28billlion respectively from Dasuki to help Jonathan’s reelection.

EFCC investigators said all of them confessed to have received the funds to mobilise for Jonathan’s victory at the polls. In a nutshell, the reelection campaign of the former President allegedly offered many of them the opportunity to loot the nation’s treasury principally through the former NSA.

According to EFCC investigators, Jonathan’s name seems to be the only common denominator in all of the findings, and his name has been mentioned severally as the one whose table the buck stops.

There were even claims that Metuh on afterthought, tore and chewed up a statement he made because Jonathan’s name was mentioned in it.

Though the former President has refused to comment on the ongoing trials of his ex-aides, only hinting he would react at the appropriate time, many believe such scale of looting couldn’t have been perpetrated under his watch without his expressed approvals, either oral or written, and that the defence by some of his supporters that he was ignorant of it seems ludicrous.

Dasuki, it is believed, fully carried Jonathan along and was given the latitude to operate without inhibition because of the former President’s knowing stance. Constitutional lawyer, Festus Keyamo, is of the view that the former President should be investigated and questioned over the arms deal and many other financial irregularities under his watch.

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He said: “That is the standard thing to do. If someone worked under you and did well, you take the credit. And if, on the other hand, that person did evils, you also share in the blame because he couldn’t have done what he did without your knowledge and supervision.

“His ministers and aides have confessed to have looted the treasury, then their principal should answer on why he didn’t stop them or why he didn’t know they did that much evil.”

Also, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume said Jonathan should face trial if he covertly instigated the sharing of the $2.1 billion arms procurement money.

He noted that if Jonathan, who approved $2.1 billion for the purchase of arms, turned back to give directive secretly that the money should be shared among his cronies, he should be prosecuted.

Given that almost everything associated with the former President has been questioned, arrested or tried, maybe the dragnet is getting closer to Jonathan. Will it be his turn to be invited for questioning or trial? Will he face trial to answer for several infractions under his administration?

While many believe there is an international agreement that he shouldn’t be prosecuted for willingly handing over power, it is not yet impossible that the ongoing trial might get to him. The proximity of the accused, tried or indicted is too close for the ex-President’s comfort.

 

 

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