Tag: Oronsaye

THE absence of the judges involved in the trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki and former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, stalled proceedings in their cases yesterday.

Justices Gabriel Kolawole and Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja  were said to be attending the court’s annual judges’ conference outside Abuja.

Court officials have, however, fixed Monday for further hearing in the case involving Dasuki;  Oronsaye’s was fixed for Tuesday.

On October 26 when the Dasuki case came up, Justice Ademola adjourned to yesterday for ruling on the prosecution’s application  for the trial to be conducted in secret.

The judge also fixed ruling for yesterday on the defence’s application for the release of Dasuki’s travel documents, which he submitted to the court after he was granted bail on self-recognition.

Dasuki, who was earlier arraigned on a one-count charge of illegal arms possession, was re-arraigned on October 26 on an amended five-count charge of illegal arms possession and money laundering.

He was arraigned on fresh money laundering charges involving about N84.6 million.

The prosecution alleged in the fresh charges that sums of $20,000; $40,000 and $150,000 (totalling N42 million at N200 to $ 1 exchange rate) as well as N5 million and N37.6 million were recovered during search operations at Dasuki’s residences in Abuja and Sokoto on July 16 and 17, 2015.

But Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and a limited liability company – Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited – were arraigned on a 24-count charge in July this year for alleged fraud and money laundering offences involving N1.2 billion.

Justice Kolawole, before who they were arraigned, granted Oronsaye bail on self-recognition.

On October 5, Justice Kolawole fixed October 28 for the beginning of trial.

Oronsaye, Afe and his company were, in  the charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleged to have collaborated to defraud the Federal Government of over N118 million, under the guise of paying the money in tranches for the contract of biometric data capture project between March 2010 and December 2011.

The fraud was allegedly perpetrated through the award and payment for fake contracts to nine companies, including Innovative Solutions, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services, Xangee Technologies Limited, Fatideck Ventures, Obalando Nigeria Enterprises, Moshfad Enterprises and Fesbee Global Resources Limited.

Other companies, through which the accused persons allegedly siphoned the money from the Federal Government, included Jolance Integrated Concept Limited and MOF Investment Limited.

One other person, who was allegedly involved in the fraud, Abdulrasheed Maina, was said to be on the run.

At 63, Stephen Oronsaye, former Head of Service, deserves to enjoy his retirement. Having worked in both the private and public sectors at critical times in the life of the nation, his retirement ought to offer him robust rest and prolonged laughter. But Oronsaye is not resting. Long shadows of accusation and strident voice of allegations, over some alleged misdeed while he was in office, are attacking his sleep and tearing through his peace. Just a few days ago, he was docked by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over an alleged procurement scam running into N2billion. Granted that the law presumes Oronsaye innocent until he is proved guilty of the offences stacked against him, the unhealthy stain and pain of being investigated and arraigned,  by an anti-graft agency many Nigerians  love to fear, is one trouble too many.

We may be quick to accuse the EFCC of being behind  the anguish of a senior citizen like Orosanye but is the anti-graft agency really the trouble of the old man? The truth of the matter is that Orosanye may be his own demon. With a 24 count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining under false pretences, as alleged by the EFCC, the former top civil servant would need the legal pyrotechnics of an F.R.A Williams and G.O.K Ajayi to scale through the storm of trial. Besides, with the lightning speed and amazing alacrity of the EFCC, he would also need all the prayers in this world, to halt the momentum his trial is likely to gain. He may also not be helped by a government that has promised never to interfere with the works of the EFCC and the judiciary in general. So, the real troublers of Oronsaye is certainly not the EFCC or our law courts. His troublers are the the weight of allegations against him, which by their sheer weight, seem heavier than ten loads of granite.

If there is any period in the life of our nation, when we ought to roll out drums and blow trumpets in support of the EFCC, the time is certainly now.  With unmistakable ease and consistence, the hawks of yesterday, who were shielded from any form of investigation by the machinery of the ousted government, are now bowing to the weight of arrests and prosecution. Oronsaye is in this mould. For a top civil servant that many regarded as forthright and thorough, the alleged theft of N2billion,  hanging on his neck ,like the sword of Damocles, is one scam too many. Oronsanye is not alone in this misadventure. In recent times, the anti-graft agency has been raising the bar of its prosecution of politically exposed individuals. The list of former governors invited so far for questioning is lengthening. Some of the governors like Murtala Nnyako; Sule Lamido and  Ikedi Ohakim have been arraigned,  in the same way that the EFCC docked some bankers for their involvement in the celebrated N8billion scam.

What all these suggest is that the EFCC has not been slumbering after all. While we were all wondering what had become of its capacity for combat against the corrupt in our midst, the agency seemed to be bidding its time and waiting for a kill. The time is here at last and the stage seems set for frontal pugilism with those that may have soiled their hands. Oronsanye is one Nigerian we cannot discuss in a hurry. As a former Head of Service in the  former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government, he did his work with much swagger and savvy. His name was on the lips of every civil servant and his profile was high. However, his involvement and linkage with Abdulrasheed Maina, a Nigerian suspected to have compromised himself with pension funds, may be a pointer to some form of shadiness and sharp practices. If all that have been prepared against Oronsaye is anything to go by, the stage may have been set for what promises to be one of the fiercest legal fisticuffs in recent times.

Those who are alleging bias or persecution or any under-handed claims as the basis  for Oronsaye’s prosecution, may not be embracing truth and objectivity involved in the trial. Is Oronsaye the only former Head of Service in Nigeria? Did his investigation start in a hurry or engineered by the weight of allegations against him? Did EFCC manufacture the names of the companies allegedly involved in the procurement scam? Are there witnesses to the scam involving him and his co-defendants in the triial?  What special benefits will the prosecution of a 63 year old man offer the EFCC? These and many other questions should be answered by the critic of the anti-graft agency. There are those claiming that Oronsaye was involved in the exposure of the pension scam, involving some top officers in the civil service, and may not be part of any shady deals in the system. This is a brilliant claim but is this enough reason to look the other way when the EFCC uncovered other schemes involving him?

If we are serious about cleansing the Augean stable in our nation, we should be ready to accept truths wholesale and move on the strength of them. Allegations are questions seeking answers. The judiciary is equipped enough to sort out the chaff from the wheat. If there is any suspicion of any foul play in the trial of anyone by any of the anti- graft agencies, the reservation should be hinged on verifiable facts and ungarnished truths. It is true that Oronsaye recommended that the anti-graft agencies be merged for strength, enhanced funding and operational efficiency, this is his view in the panel chaired by him. The buck stops at the table of the President, and it will be uncharitable for anyone to say that his present trial may be connected to the report. There are even those insinuating that the fear of prosecution by the EFCC may be responsible for the views Oronsaye expressed in the report. All these are primitive surmises which cannot hold water. The issue is simple: EFCC found Oronsaye answerable to some posers raised in some procurement deals and he must be encouraged to answer those posers.

We have reached a stage in our nation, when questioning public office holders over their stewardship in office, should become a regular engagement. A culture of questioning is the panacea to impunity. Oronsaye owes Nigerians explanations on what happened to the N2billion he is being accused of stealing. If the EFCC does not have water-tight evidences against him, the court will surely free him. This is the beauty of the whole thing. The EFCC cannot be the accuser and the judge in its own case. So, letting the wheel of Justice run in this matter and in other matters before the court is important. Beyond Oronsaye, we should wake up to the demands of this new era by supporting the activities of our anti-corruption agencies to tackle the menace of corrupt practices. We are all reduced every time a corrupt person gets away with his infamy but become greatly strengthened when we destroy the motivation of those milking us dry. Corruption is not a picnic and it is not a tea party: corruption is deliberate attack on our commonwealth, it is odious tampering with the chord of our hopes.

Let’s face the facts: all the people and organizations being prosecuted by the EFCC or the ICPC are in courts, not because the anti- graft agencies don’t like their faces, they are in courts because there are cases against them. As a people, we should not be found raising issues in support of chicanery and unnecessary siege claims of those playing ludo game with our future. Corruption is our mortal enemy and we should all come together to fight it. Whether Orosanye, Ibori, Dariye; Atuche, Akingbola or anyone for that matter, as long as the court processes are on-going, we should allow the system to function and refuse to interfere in their operations. The beauty of this era is the transparency involved in the workings of the government. I’m sure, agencies like the EFCC and ICPC would be thanking God that they can now do their work un-fettered and achieve better results.

All the former office holders that are now being brought to court by the EFCC did not commit the offences for which they are standing trial yesterday. The anti-graft agency must have taken long time to investigate them. While this was going on, we were busy crying against the agency, accusing it of inaction and impotence in the performance of its work. But now that we are seeing actions, is it not fair that we applaud it or at least, understand its challenges, where political will of the government is concerned? The EFCC, if strengthened and funded adequately, is all we need to institute a culture of honesty, transparency and zero-corruption in our nation. The present government has not spent 100 days in office, yet the nation is already moving from the floor of impunity to a new height of responsible governance and citizenship.  This is all we desire. This is the kind of system that will continue to give real troubles to the likes of Oronsaye and their think- same and act-same in the public and private sectors. The time is ticking but this time around, it is ticking for good. It is ticking for a new hope and stronger drive towards the beautiful country we all hope to have. We will certainly get there!

Wale Olayinka is a public affairs analyst based in Lagos.

Former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, claimed yesterday that he discovered 70, 000 ghost pensioners during his tenure.

He also denied the allegation of embezzling N123 billion pension funds.

The former head of Civil Service said because of the pension reforms he initiated, the government was saving N1billion monthly.

Oronsaye, who made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja, said he was never indicted by the auditor-general of the federation.

He said a media report on his alleged indictment was fictitious and unfounded.

The statement reads: “For the records, the major gap identified in the administration of civil service pensions when I came on board in 2009, was the lack of proper records.

“My team and I made far-reaching efforts to address this shortcoming through the physical verification and biometric capture of civilian pensioners across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who retired from the service before July 1, 2007.

“Through that exercise, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation identified and eliminated no fewer than 70,000 fake/ghost pensioners from the pension payroll.

“To my credit and that of my team, and the relief of pensioners, 34,432 pensioners, who had hitherto never been paid their pension at the time, were enrolled and paid their pension as well as the arrears of their harmonised pension.

“In addition, under my watch, the Federal Government made a monthly saving of about N1billion”

He said contrary to insinuations, his office reported pension fraud to security agency and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Perhaps if the sponsors of the report were not so lazy, they would have dug out the letters I did to the then National Security Adviser (NSA) on December 10, 2009 and November 8, 2010  drawing the attention of the NSA on both occasions and requesting for investigations into unclaimed pension benefits that were hitherto fraudulently paid into certain bank accounts.

“In like manner, I wrote to the then EFCC Chairman in November 2010 vide a letter, forwarding four spiral-bound documents containing the names of different categories of supposed pensioners and the banks to which the funds were hitherto paid.

“The document was put together by the then Director, Pension Department in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

“In that letter, I drew the attention of the EFCC Chairman to the fact that “prior to the introduction of the integrated e-payment, pension benefits were paid to banks and all the payments were supposedly claimed by the bona fide beneficiaries.

“However, with the introduction of the integrated e-payment system, no one had come forward to claim the pensions that were hitherto paid to the banks for onward payment to the pensioners. I therefore requested the EFCC to cause an investigation to be made into the matter with a view to resolving all the issues and prosecuting all those found culpable”, he said.

Saying he was never indicted by the Auditor-General of the Federation, he added: “In actual fact, I worked closely with the Internal Auditor in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation at the time.

“It was this internal auditor’s report that actually prompted the setting up of the Pension Reform Task Team at the time. This can be verified from the official records.

“As a chartered accountant and having served as Permanent Secretary prior to my appointment as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, I am fully conversant with the imperatives of accountability and the implications of not applying the rules.”