Just after Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo disclosed that former President Goodluck Jonathan “essentially shared” N150 billion two weeks to the 2015 polls, a statement which the former President’s spokesperson Reno Omokri responded to, a source from Nigeria’s Presidency told Vanguard that there are documents to back up the Vice President’s claims.
The source further said that the former National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo, personally supervised the physical transfer of the money from the CBN vaults to the private residence of the former President.
“In one particular instance over N70 billion was released in parts from the national treasury between January 8 and February 25, 2015. The over $289M which was also referenced last week by the Vice President is said to be included in this particular series of illegal transactions. Besides, that in another illegal disbursement, the minutes of the Central Bank board meeting of 25th August 2014 indicated the board’s okay of another N60B requested by the former President and released later by the Central Bank.
“Besides, that in another illegal disbursement, the minutes of the Central Bank board meeting of 25th August 2014 indicated the board’s okay of another N60B requested by the former President and released later by the Central Bank.
“While some of these newly emerging fund disbursements have been traced to the former NSA, there are indications that some of the funds are unconnected to the ongoing Defence contract trials of the former NSA,while some might” he said.
The presidency source specifically claimed that sum which was okayed by the CBN board was not tied to any project or procurement, and was meant and disbursed purely for campaign purposes, through the office of the then NSA and the SSS leadership at the time.
He said that N60 billion that was okayed by the CBN on August 25, 2014 was said to have been shared between the two security agencies thus: N40B went to the NSA while N20 billion was released to the State Security Services (SSS).
