Abuja/Lagos — Two of the leading businessmen cited among debtors of the five banks whose management were sacked by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, have questioned their inclusion in the list published by the CBN yesterday.

Dangote, the chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group of Companies, yesterday cleared his directorship of Dansa Oil and Gas Limited, which CBN said owed Intercontinental Bank Plc the sum of N8.5 billion.

And Ibrahim, the Group Managing Director of Global Fleet, accused the Governor of the CBN, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, of lying against the debt he allegedly owes Oceanic Bank International Plc.

In a figure released by the apex regulatory bank on Tuesday, the CBN claimed that Ibrahim owed a "non-performing" debt of N14.7 billion.

The management of Dangote Industries Limited said in a press statement yesterday that Alhaji Aliko Dangote is neither a director nor a shareholder of Dansa Oil and Gas Limited as averred. "This is verifiable through the company registration documents held by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wherein directors of the said company are listed as: Alhaji Sani Dangote, Alhaji Mohammed Dangote, Mr Ali Dangote", the management said.

"It is important to note that Alhaji Aliko Dangote is not the same as Ali Dangote as erroneously published in the CBN advertorial. Ali Dangote is the son of Alhaji Sani Dangote.

"Form CAC7 of the Corporate Affairs Commission shows Ali Dangote's signature, which is very different from Alhaji Aliko Dangote's signature. Furthermore, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has no part in the management and running of Dansa Oil and Gas Limited".

The statement said a letter has been written to the Central Bank of Nigeria to correct the misrepresentation and to request the removal of the name of Alhaji Aliko Dangote from the list of non-performing debtors of Intercontinental Bank Plc.

"With reference to Dangote Industries Limited's indebtedness to Oceanic Bank Plc to the value of N2,526,460,000.00, we are in dispute over the charges and are very close to resolution", it added.

On Jimoh Ibrahim's reported indebtedness, Oceanic Bank explained the situation yesterday. In a letter signed by Mr. Robinson Ofomala and Mr. Oti Ikomi, the Assistant General Manager (Corporate Banking Group) and Executive Director (Corporate Banking Groups) of the bank respectively, the bank said Ibrahim's outstanding indebtedness to it is N8 billion. The bank, in its letter, thanked him for a "mutually beneficial relationship".

Relying on the bank's letter, therefore, Ibrahim wondered where the CBN got its figure from. He threatened to drag Sanusi to court unless he retracts his statement concerning him.

Describing the loan he took from the bank as a pure business transaction, he said he had made consistent efforts to repay the loan.

"The turnover on the account since inception is over N100 billion and we will need Oceanic Bank to do reconciliation and provide evidence of withdrawal to enable us pay", he said. "Oceanic is a tenant of our Global Fleet in about 20 of her branches".

Ibrahim said the CBN should have found time to get the current figure, more importantly that it is accusing the bank of inaccuracy and non- disclosure.

"There is no crime in borrowing and the company provided collateral security for all money borrowed, the bank earns income from the loan that improves their balance sheet; CBN was also unfair for not publishing the deposit of the so-called debtors", he added.

Ibrahim said he did not have contractual obligation with the CBN, and did not borrow money from the CBN and it could not regulate him. Oceanic Bank is not a failed bank within the law, he said.

"They were simply supposed to ask the bank to publish the name by themselves. And why the hurry? For instance, between January and now, we paid the bank N3 billion as shown in the letter, so why is the loan not performing?" he asked

Ibrahim said the only way the CBN could get credibility in the whole exercise is to show that what "it is doing is fair and just, accurate and of good conscience. Otherwise, it would have to return the bank to the former management.

"If CBN did not apologise or do retraction, I will sue them for damages because I am doing my business, employing people, paying salaries and taxes and developing my dear country Nigeria", he added.

Ibrahim, who said he was not out to frustrate Sanusi and the CBN in their assignment, advised the CBN to get its activities right so as not to create a crisis in the banking sector and the economy in general.

Similarly, Intercontinental Bank Plc has declared that the N16.247 billion facility of United Alliance Company of Nigeria Limited is actually active and performing.

The management of the bank, in letter to the chief executive officer of the company, dated August 19, 2009 and jointly signed by Rasak Yussuf and Yemi Ogunfeyimi, both of Intercontinental Bank Plc, stated that the company is up to date, both on the principal amount and accrued interest on the facility.

"Please be informed that you are up to date both on the principal and accrued interest on the account. Please be informed that the N360 million represents the prepayment on your dues for October 2009. However, the Central Bank of Nigeria, during the last credit examination, did classify your account," the statement noted.

According to the bank, United Alliance actually paid the sums of N170 million, N725 million, N440 million and N360 million on July 3, July 15, August 11 and August 10 respectively, as a demonstration of the fact that the facility is actually performing and active.