Jaiyeola Andrews
3 December 2007
Abeokuta — Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has come to the defence of Chief Onaolapo Soleye, who was named in the $6 million bribe scandal involving top Nigeria government officials and an American oil service firm, Wilbros Group.
He said over the weekend that no Owu son would be found guilty in such a scandal.
The former president was reacting to reports which alleged that Soleye, a one-time finance minister during the Muhammadu Buhari military government, was offered part of the $6 million bribe in the deal to secure contracts from the Federal Government.
Obasanjo, at the occasion of the 16th National Convention of Owu nation held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said: "The Owus are not rogues. If any Owu son or daughter is found to be involved in any shoddy deal, then such child's paternity is in doubt."
He told the large gathering of Owu sons and daughters, which included the former Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Bola Ajibola, the Olowu of Owu-Abeokuta, Oba Adegboyega Dosumu, and other Owu obas in the country, that they should be ready to fight war of multiple identities and dignity.
He explained that the Owus were known to be stubborn and firm because they would not entertain any nonsense from anybody.
He urged the people of the kingdom to come together and champion a common front as well as empower the less privileged in the society.
Also former Minister of Special Duties, Elder Wole Oyelese, who spoke at the event, took a swipe at Obasanjo's critics, saying the former president had laid a solid foundation for the future generation of the country.
Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, some officials of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) and Soleye were alleged to have benefitted from the $6 million bribe distributed by Wilbros to secure contracts for the eastern gathering system (EGGS).
The Federal Government last week sent a four-man official delegation comprising the Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa; Minister of Energy (Petroleum), Mr. Odein Ajumogobia; the Acting Nigerian Ambassador to the United States; and an official from the National Security Adviser to the US to investigate the scandal.
The documents recovered by the team in the US were reported to have stated that Atiku and Soleye allegedly received $250,000 each as bribes from the oil-servicing company.
Atiku had refuted the allegation when the scandal broke as his Media Assistant, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Atiku had envisaged that he would be named as a recipient of the bribe, adding that Atiku was being blackmailed "as he was never involved or named as one of the beneficiaries of the bribe money."
However, a footnote in one of the documents collected by the delegation showed that out of the $250,000 allegedly collected on Atiku' behalf, only $150,000 was released.
The same footnote further revealed that some double accounting might have taken place at Wilbros, as a further $150,000 was said to have being paid to the alleged recipient of the former vice president.
Some officials of SPDC were alleged to have collected undisclosed amount of money from Wilbros.
The Wibros scandal first surfaced in 2003 with revelations that some Nigerians and Shell officials benefited from a $6 million bribe allegedly distributed by Wilbros to secure contracts for the EGGS in Nigeria.
The EGGS Phase I contract price was approximated at $216,500,000, the EGGS coating optional scope price was approximated at $216,500,000, while the EGGS Phase II price was approximated at $141,000,000; bringing the combined total scope of work price at approximately $387,5000,000.
The former General Manager of Wilbros, Mr. Jason Edward Steph, is at present, facing prosecution under the Foreign Corrupt Act for being the mastermind that distributed the $6 million to the senior Nigerian government officials, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts, NNPC, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) and SPDC officials.
The Federal Government is said to have forwarded the documents to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) for investigation.
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