NNPC under Senate probe over $43m cash to NIA

Three years after the former Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke, was sacked over $43 million scandal, facts emerged on Friday that the money found in Oke’s apartment by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was a fraction of $289 million cash collected by the DG from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Revelations to this effect, were made to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), by the Financial Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Godwin Okonkwo.

According to Okonkwo, the $289 million cash given to the former NIA boss by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was based on directive to that effect from NNPC.

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Though he added that NNPC gave directive for release of the said money by CBN to NIA but explained that NNPC’s action was also based on directive from the Presidency then.

According to Okonkwo, the Presidency gave approval for payment of the said amount to NIA on February 16, 2015 which was however carried out by the CBN on February 24, 2015 to the former DG and not the Agency.

  “Yes, we complied with the request. It is not true that we said the money should be paid to the Director – General but to the NIA as an institution.

“I’m not defending NIA for requesting for the money to be paid in cash but considering the circumstances, which is for security purposes.

“NNPC obliged because we are not in charge of security. If they request for payment in cash and they said it is for security, and that it must be transfered through electronic means to a particular account, NNPC cannot say no because if anything happens afterwards, NNPC will  be held responsible”, said Okonkwo.

However, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide ( Edo South), said there was no such documents before the Committee indicating that directives for release of the said money was issued from the  Presidency.

Urhoghide said available documents from the office of the Auditor – General of the Federation and even those from NNPC, did not indicate that any directive to that effect was given by the Presidency.

He said “the documents before us show that $289 million was released by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from Niger Delta Security Votes in the CBN to NIA DG in February 2015 and in cash which is against extant laws”.

The committee chairman further stated that from the documents made available to him, it was NNPC that advised CBN to pay the money to former NIA DG in cash which is against extant laws.

He said based on the audit query from the Auditor – General for the Federation, the NNPC granted a request from the NIA to pay $289m in cash to the Director – General of the NIA and that the NNPC complied by directing the CBN to pay the cash to the NIA.

He wondered why the NIA should insist on cash payment when the procurement of the security equipments NIA claimed the money was meant for, was to purchased outside the country.

He agreed with the submission of the Auditor – General for the Federation in his audit query that there was no way the then President (Goodluck Jonathan), could have directed the NNPC to pay $289m in cash to the then NIA DG.

 “We want you to convince this Committee why you think that the transaction must be done by cash payment.

“Tell us if the President expressly stated that the money should be paid to the NIA in cash. There is no way government business involving such huge sums would be transacted in cash”, he stressed.

But the NNPC representative promised to make available mandate from the presidency to that effect at subsequent sittings.