The comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Services, Mr. Jacob Gyang Buba is presently being investigated by the independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC in connection with an annual loss of N50 Billion in respect of the importation tariff waiver introduced by the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Pointblanknews.com learnt during the week that Mr. Buba has been a regular caller at the Abuja headquarters offices of the ICPC where he has facing intense interrogation within that last few weeks over repeated annual loss of about N50 Billion within the last eight years. The duty/tariff waiver was introduced by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo purportedly to serve as a stimulant for importation business within the Nigerian economy. Already the rippling is effect of the comptroller General’s confessions to the ICPC is being strongly felt by corporate Nigeria. It is believed that the useful statement that was given to the ICPC and the threat by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to expose Aliko Dangote maybe part of the reason why Alhaji Dangote of Dangote Group and Blue star Consortium made a volte-face over his interest in the purchase on his interest to buy the Kaduna and Port- Harcourt refineries aside the threat from Labor Union. Dangote among other powerful Nigerians was singularly alleged to have reaped a windfall of over N40 Billion from the so-called regime of waiver.
Other Nigerians who were said to have benefited from the waiver deal include such politicians and investors as Dangote, ex-Governors Saminu Turaki, Donald Duke, Governor Gbenga Daniel and Femi Otedola. Dangote was said to have been terribly disturbed by the gravity of the disclosure of his centrality to the whole deal that he had to hurriedly announce his interest in the Kaduna and Port-Harcourt refineries in order to maintain a low public profile both the media and the generality of Nigerians.
Apart from the statement made to the ICPC by the Customs Comptroller General, Dangote has a lot of things to worry about in the way he is being “regularly accused” of conniving with political office holders to literarily cream off the Nigerian economy by way of questionable concession often made to him by successive administration. Dangote has been a big campaign donor for many politician including ex-president Obasanjo and several Governors and Lawmakers. He reportedly gave close to a Billion naira for Obasanjo for president campaign in 1999 and 2003. More disturbing was the disclosure that he alone benefited over N40 Billion from the concession granted him to import sundry commodities into Nigeria. It was said that he enjoyed such concession because he had powerful political connection. His gains constitute terrible pain to the Nigerian economy. He was said to have bought a private Bombardier Challenger 300 Jet with registration number 3B-SSD which was registered in Mauritius and delivered through Ireland in June 2007 which he allegedly gave to ex-President Obasanjo to show gratitude. Obasanjo was said to have used Dangote as a front when he sold him a liquidated Federal Jet for an undisclosed amount. The said Jet bought from the Nigerian government is now the second in the fleet of Obasanjo’s private plane; Dangote is said to have since handed the plane back to the man who kept the plane with him in trust.
Dangote is a man who is fighting in several theaters of war. His recent allegations that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC is a beehive of corrupt practices has drawn the anger of NNPC top level executives who in turn are said to be spoiling for a no-hold-bared disclosure of all the under-table intrigue that led to the doubtful emergence of Dangote as the leading bidder in the privatization of the petroleum refineries in both Kaduna and Port-Harcourt. With the on-going interrogation of the Nigerian Customs czar, Dangote is said to be simply sick and tired of being incessantly accused of dominating the Nigerian business space using unscrupulous means.
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