By Our Reporter
Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, popular, Jagaban, a former governor of Lagos state and President –elect , on the Platform of the ruling All Progressive congress, APC, who has been in the news lately for saying that Nigerian workers deserve more than N30,000.00 as minimum wage, has a big task at hand.
The former Lagos state governor, has to convince Nigerians , both within and outside the country, that the $10.8, million, spent by his son, Ambassador , Oluwaseyi, addressed by peers as Seyi, co-founder of Loatsad, Promedia Lt an outdoor Advertising agency , which calls some of Nigeria’s leading blue chips and multinational companies as his clients has no corrupt dealings with one Jide Kolawale Aluko,, a Nigerian businessman which may have helped him to purchase a multi-million dollar corruption -linked property in North London.
Going by the Bloomberg, a German Media outfit accounts of the oil deals, the duo may have executed together during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration, through Granda Overseas Corp. in which Seyi, was said to have a majority shareholding and which deal was said to have closed through Deutche Bank.
Bloomberg had reported that Granda Overseas Corp. was registered as an overseas entity in the United Kingdom, UK, on January 2017, noting that the property, in question purchased by Seyi, Tinubu’s son, actually belonged to Aluko, the Nigerian businessman, who was alleged to have had a strong contact with some close associates of Diezani Allison-Maduke , a former minister of Petroleum Resurces during Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration.
Many believe that the alleged close working relationship between Aluko and Jide Omokore, a proxy, of the Nigerian oil minister , may have helped him to raise the funds to allegedly repurchase the multi-million dollar property said to have been traced by the relevant agencies, particular, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to have been purchased through ill-gotten wealth.
Note that the Katsina state born Nigerian President, had won the 2015 and 2019, Presidential elections, on the wave of fighting corruption in the most populous African nation , particular, among the elites. He may have sent a signal to the elites hobnobbing with Allinson-Madueke, to perpetuate fraud in the nation’s oil sector, when he started hunting for them.
Indeed, the Buhari’s Administration since 2015, may have made life uncomfortable for the former oil minister associates asAbuabakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and mister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, had gone after the former’s minister of Petroleum Resource proxies, including Kolawole Aluko, to arrest and prosecute them.
Given the Nigerian government’s impressions that the three-floor building in the exclusive St. John Wood’s district for the rich and favoured by the North American country of the United States, US, Bankers , was said to have been equipped with eight car drive way , two gardens electric gates and a gym, may have informed why it has filed a case this year in response to the new anti- money laundering rules in the UK.
Going by Channels Television report, Aluko, and Seyi may have been exposed in the Property deal, in January 2016, barely one year of Buhari’s assumption of office from Jonathan and his anti-corruption agenda , which may have encouraged the EFCC, to drag Jide Omokore and two of his oil firms, Atlantic Energy Brass Development and Atlantic Drillig Concepts Limited to Court for alleged fraud and money Laundering allegations to the tune of $1.6 million to Federal High Court, in Abuja, the Federal Capital, Territory, FCT.
. The EFCC, going by the Channels report, as amplified by Bloomberg, had made false presentations to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPCL, with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, and signed into Law, in August 2020, to obtain a $1.6 million barrels of Crude oil for sale.
The two Omokore’s oil companies, according to Channel’s Television , may have compromised some top officials of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, and the NNPC, to enter into a ‘’strategic Alliance Agreement , SAA, with the government for the alleged operation of four rich oil wells in the Niger Delta region’’ which they did.
There is no gain say the fact that officials of the Commission, in the course of their investigation into Aluko’s multi-million dollar property in North London , purchased by eyi, Tinubu’s son, may have discovered that contrary to Omokore’s claims that he has ‘’the expertise, professional skills and funds to support the Petroleum operations of NPDC, in relation the four oil wells, to win their hear, it was not true.
Omokore was said to have been working in connivance with Aluko, to ‘’siphon thousands of barrels of the country’s oil and sell same to third parties. Aluko, the Nigerian businessman partner to Omokore in the oil fraud may have seen that the case in Court with the EFCC may take take to jail that he was said to relocated abroad to escape EFCC’s personnel harassment. The former Oil mister’s proxy,Omokore, was said to have been acquitted by the trial judge in a Federal High Court , on February 7, 2023.
Many fear feared that if Seyi , the President-elect’s son could penetrate Omokore, Aluko, both fronting for Diezani minister Allinson -Madueke, the former Nigerian Petroleum Resources minister , and could ourchase a multi-million property from, Aluko, and traced to embezzled funds, what would happen now that the father is in-charge of sharing the resources of the country.
Nigerians worries had become more worried over what is happening in the country as the elites are dipping the hand s into the till to steal and involved I oil theft wiht impunity The case of Idris Ahmed, the Accountant General of the FederationAGF, who was arrested by the anti-graft agency for diversion of public funds and money lundering through real estate’s investments in the ancient city of Kano and he FCT, to the tune of N80 billion speaks volume.
Officials of the anti-graft agency who were said to have verified the fraud and intelligence showed that ‘’the AGF, raked of the funds , in investing in real estate , in choice Areas in Kano and the FCT, through ‘’bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies , family members and close associates’’.
Nigerians are watching to see how the former Lagos state governor would handle the alleged scandal that has broken out around his son, owninga 10. 8 million, mansion in North London.
Despite the controversy surrounding the President –elect’s son over the purchase of a multi-million dollar in the highly exclusive area for the rich in North London, which remained aclosedly guided secret until bow, Seyi, who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares during the electioneering Campaigns , for the race to be Nigerian’s next President, that the former Lagos state, governor, and the President-elect has a ‘’penchant for discovering, nurturing, and empowering talent’’, noting that he has ‘’the experience ,tolerance andc apacity to turn the fortunes of the nation for the best’’.
