Documents Implicate Osita Okechukwu In High Level Fraud, Massive Money Laundering At Voice Of Nigeria
Documents obtained by SIMON ATEBA NEWS, WASHINGTON DC, have implicated the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) , Mr. Osita Okechukwu, in a high level fraud and massive money laundering.
The radio station, established by Decree 15 of 1991, is the external radio broadcast arm of the Nigerian government. It is, in effect, the voice of Nigeria in the world.
The outright fraud and daylight theft of public assets are coming at a time Nigeria is struggling to come out of recession and efforts are being made by President Muhammadu Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to fight graft. They are also coming at the same time Voice of Nigeria Lagos has been off air for almost a year due to lack of funding.
Documents obtained by this newspaper show that the 2016 capital budget of VON made provision for the repair and maintenance of the transmitter and rotatable antenna at the transmitting station in Lugbe, Abuja.
Instead, Mr. Okechukwu, without any legal backing, decided to divert the funds to the ‘completion of works and services’ as well as the furnishing of a nonexistent corporate headquarters of Voice of Nigeria in Wuse 2, Abuja. The illegal virement is a criminal offence under the Nigerian law, lawyers told SIMON ATEBA NEWS .
Osita Okechukwu
The diversion of funds to the non-existent second corporate headquarters of VON in Abuja was all a scam, as there is no evidence of any acquired or built VON Corporate Headquarters at Plot 1386 Oda Crescent Wuse II, Abuja, as claimed by VON boss.
Worse, Mr. Okechukwu’s criminal acts extended to money laundering, the act of paying for things that do not exist in order to enrich oneself.
Documents show N149,684,293.30 was paid to Bowa Engineering Services Ltd “for completion of works and services of the newly acquired VON Corporate HQ at Plot 1386 Oda Crescent Wuse II, Abuja”.
However, SIMON ATEBA NEWS established that there is no acquired corporate HQ in existence and no work was executed by the company and the money was paid 100% to the company’s account.
Worse, N 60,036,973.76 was paid to Interior Woodworks Ltd for the supply of office furniture at the nonexistent HQ office. The company was paid 100% and no supply was made as the contract location is nonexistent.
Also, N 47,625,000.00 was paid to ECR Technologies Ltd for the provision of ICT Centre.
This contract seems to have been completely cooked up as it was not even in the letter sent to BPP and the money paid 100%.
With nothing like ICT Centre in VON, the money was simply laundered.
Beyond the above payments, there were several other payments made for jobs not done or not in existence as exposed by the Accountant General’s team which further investigation is needed to unravel.
Government officials who spoke with SIMON ATEBA NEWS, condemned the fragrant abuse of public office, adding that it must be checked immediately. They implored the ICPC and EFCC to recover these looted funds for the government and save VON from imminent collapse.
The organization, which has been operating at great difficulty due to poor funding from the government over the years, seems to have witnessed its worst period ever since the appointment of Mr. Okechukwu as the Director General, staff in Abuja and Lagos, who spoke on condition that their identities would remain secret, told this newspaper.
Staff said apart from theft and abuse of office, Mr. Okechukwu was not qualified in the first place to head VON.
They pointed to Article 6(3) of Act 15 of 1991, which states that the person to be appointed as ‘’The Director General shall be a person with wide knowledge and experience in broadcasting’’.
They said, Mr Osita Okechukwu has never come close to any broadcast organization and does not have any experience in broadcasting.
“He did not even possess any knowledge of corporate governance. He therefore, is not qualified to be the DG of VON thus his appointment at the onset is a breach of the law,” a staff told this newspaper.