have been linked with N17 billion Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN,
building scandal.Sources told Pointblanknews.com that some members of the cabal had
pushed for the TCN to acquire a new head office.
Sabiu ‘Tunde’ had then directed some officials of the TCN to commence
the process of acquiring the building.In July 2019, a nine-member committee in the Ministry of Power, Works
and Housing, was set up before the Ministries were split, to inspect
properties and make recommendations for a property to be purchased,
according to a memo signed by Louis O.N Edozien, Permanent Secretary.
The two Buhari’s Aides allegedly recommended The Plaza, a six-floor
building owned by Solutions Plaza Limited.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that Buhari’s PA and the Senior Special
Assistant, Domestic, and others in the Ministry of Power, inflated the
quote for the Plaza. The quote was said to have been rejected by the
Committee who had valued the building.
Sources told pointblanknews.com that the former Managing Director of the
TCN, Usman Gur Mohammed, who had vehemently rejected the planned
purchase of the new Headquarters for the TCN, warned officials of the
Power, Works, Housing Ministry of the consequences of approving the
purchase of The Plaza at the inflated figure.
Soon after, Mohammed ran into troubles with Sabiu ‘Tunde’ and he was
fired from TCN.
Sabiu ‘Tunde’ and Sarki Abba immediately commenced another push for a
TCN headquarters but this time settled for Gilmo Building in Abuja.
The Gilmo Building, according to sources, is smaller than that of The
Plaza in size. The Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, is said to have
issued approval for the purchase of the Gilmo Building at an inflated
price of N17billion.
The current market value of The Gilmo building, according to sources
familiar with it, should not be more than N10billion.
A source in the Presidency told Pointblanknews.com that Sabiu ‘Tunde’,
Sarki Abba, and few others would share the excess of the building
purchase once the deal is completed and paid for by the Government.
“This building is being pushed by Abba Sarki, Senior Special Assistant
to the President (Domestic) and Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf for Transmission
Company of Nigeria.
“Accordingly, the building will be paid by the Federal Government, so
the TCN were not directly involved. The Ministry of Works and Housing
did not give the approval to the request by Ministry of Power.
“For TCN, they are comfortable where they are and the current building
was built by PHCN/TCN superannuation fund. But the ministry is claiming
the building was given to them by former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s
government.
“The Minister of Power now wants to buy Gilmo building, which was a
small building that cannot accommodate TCN’s staff at a highly inflated
price of about N14bn to N17bn which would go to Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf and
Abba Sarki,” a Presidency source told Pointblanknews.com
