The story of ‘Ikoyi Billions’ may well end up as a tale of the more you look, the more you will uncover.First Shocker: More facts are crawling out of the inner sanctum of the National Intelligence Agency,NIA about how Jonathan extended NIA DG Ayo Oke’s tenure by two years. Insiders said the DG ought to have retired but the financial transactions at the tail end of the last administration and the need to cover up the tracks through projects were used to convince Jonathan that Oke needed at least a two year tenure extension.
Second: It is all about the money released to NIA by the outgoing regime.It is public knowledge that President Goodluck Jonathan released over $289m to the NIA. Officially it was meant for some projects.
But a senior operative who knew about the fund told Newsdiaryonline that it was all carefully planned to be p part of the 2015 campaign funds.The NIA was one of the agencies given money to dispense to politicians, a strange, even unbelievable, task.All the talks of other projects were just part of the grand decoy, an insider claimed
One official claimed that a lot of the money was not distributed to politicians and relevant stakeholders ahead of the 2015 election as expected, to enhance ex President Jonathan’s reelection.
“Even more, we know a few projects were carried out at the agency’s office like the new security gate, the conference room.
“We also know the DG claimed to have built 50 flats as staff housing project out of the money released to him.
“Don’t forget that this fund was different from the statutory allocation which also came about the same time.
The source urged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo panel to do a lot more work because “about $200million was unaccounted for before the EFCC raid on Ikoyi apartment and the DG should be asked to explain where the money went to”.
The insider who spoke on condition of anonymity said : “If you substract the fact that only about $50million in total was discovered at Ikoyi, then the panel should seek explanations because we believe about $150m is still unaccounted for.All the projects carried out by the DG, how much was the cost? He should be asked to explain,that is my patriotic call to Osinbajo.”
It was further learnt that Oke sought an extension so that he will perfect the deployment of the funds released before exiting the stage.But some of his extravagant expenditures may have angered some staff, perhaps leading to the unraveling of the NIA funds. Some salacious accounts were revealed about how funds in foreign currency dished out in arcane circumstances .Newsdiaryonline could not confirm if these payments were carried out from the special fund .
The DG pulled his strings in the villa as soon as President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office. “Buhari was deceived into truly believing that Oke needed the extension to carry out some noble projects.But I can assure you that he got the extension from Jonathan in order to perfect the cover up projects on the heels of huge allocation of funds to the agency” a source said.
Oke has reportedly maintained his innocence and he has also claimed that the Presidency was adequately briefed about the projects under his watch.
The question is: was the entire $298 million allegedly released by Jonathan expended on the known projects before EFCC struck ? That is what insiders want Osinbajo to address his mind to.
