In preparation for the 2015 Presidential elections, former Vice
\nPresidential Atiku Abubakar is building a war chest and has allegedly
\nleased a $2.5 Million Jet for his campaign, several credible sources told
\nPointblanknews.com.<\/p>\n
Pointblanknews.com could not confirm which of the private Jet companies
\nbetween Hanger8, Kings Airlines, Top Brazz Aviation, Wings Aviation,
\nOverland Airways, Arik Air, Vistajet and Aero Contractors leased out its
\njet to Atiku.<\/p>\n
According to a Punch Newspaper findings, Nigerians, notably public office
\nholders and businessmen, spent about N29.7bn on charter flights in 2012.<\/p>\n
The 50-Seater Jet according to one of the source close to the former Vice
\nPresident is to be used in touring States for consultations and campaigns
\nahead of the Presidential elections.<\/p>\n
The APC may pick its Presidential candidate from the North-East and Atiku
\nfrom Adamawa State is highly favored having allegedly received a tacit
\nendorsement from former Lagos State Governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.<\/p>\n
Already, some Northern Politicians have been drafted to begin
\nconsultations and mobilization of Northern elders to accept his candidacy.
\nArewa Consultative Forum, the apex Northern group is said to be neck-deep
\nin plot to have Atiku.<\/p>\n
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that Atiku is hinging his candidacy on the
\npremise that the North did not conclude its eight-year tenure, which was
\nterminated following the death of late President Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua.<\/p>\n
It was gathered that the former Vice president has also hired the services
\nof several consultants to help design and fashion out the best campaign
\nstrategy to be adopted.<\/p>\n
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that Atiku, a very wealthy Politician,
\nwhose daily income from Intel and other businesses are said to be in high
\nmillions, is not leaving any stone unturned in his quest to win the 2015
\nPresidential elections.<\/p>\n
Atiku\u2019s wealth is immeasurable. He served in the Nigeria Customs for 20
\nyears retiring in 1989 as a Deputy Director. A close aide of the former
\nVice President said he owns more than 180 homes in Yola, capital of
\nAdamawa State. His businesses are said to be in several areas such as: Oil
\nServices, Education, Real Estate and Agriculture.<\/p>\n
A presentation made by the by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial
\nCrimes Commission (EFCC) to the Nigerian Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the
\nProbe of the PTDF in 2007 said: \u201cAtiku Abukakar is the Vice President of
\nNigeria and he was the one overseeing the activities of the PTDF. He
\ninaugurated the Interim Management Committee of the Fund in September
\n2000.He played prominent roles in the approvals for release of PTDF funds
\nand their placement in two banks. \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cThe VP had an outstanding interest in the placement of the PTDF funds in
\nthese two banks. For one, even the $125 million for the implantation of
\nsome specific projects was not utilized for that purpose, rather because
\nof their diversion to their placements in the two banks (TIB & ETB).
\nPrior to the placements of the PTDF funds, the Vice President held several
\nmeetings with either the ES (Executive Secretary of the PTDF) alone and
\nsometime the ES and Mike Adenuga to discuss modalities regarding the
\nplacement of the funds either in TIB or ETB. The placements were done at
\nthe detriment of the Fund as they were made at interest rates below the
\naverage CBN Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) even when he was strongly
\nadvised against that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe request for the release of the $20 million, was predicated on the
\nissue of the ongoing projects being executed by the Fund, whereas it was
\nnot so. The funds were released again by the VP and were sent straight to
\nthe same placement in TIB.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis second release according to reports was done without the knowledge
\nand approval of the President and the FEC, even though the President\u2019s own
\npattern of management of the Petroleum Resources ministry pointed to the
\nfact that both the VP and the President might have shared. As these funds
\nwere hitting the two preferred banks, \u201cloans\u201d were packaged by TIB, even
\nwithout adequate collateral, for his long time friend and business
\nassociate, Otunba Oluwole Johnson Haliru Fasawe through NDTV and Mofas.
\nIn Mofas, one of the directors is Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, a son of the VP.
\nThrough the VP\u2019s name was not stated as a director of Marine Float,
\nevidence abounds that the account is controlled by him. First, the VP
\nadmitted he paid N30million for the property from that account; secondly,
\nmost of the beneficiaries from the account are his friends, associates.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilarly, as the funds were hitting ETB, Otunba Mike Adenuga made
\n$20million deposit for Globacom license, the second national carrier. A
\nlittle scrutiny of the equity ownership structure of the company revealed
\nthat Otunba Mike Adenuga lied about the ownership of the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the transfer of the $50million by PTDF from its account in UBA Plc
\nNew York was made in ETB, Mike Adenuga gave the Vice President the sum of
\nN322million (i.e. N300m on 27\/11\/02 & N22 on 06\/03\/03) through his Marine
\nFloat account domiciled in Bank PHB Plc through his aides- Akinyera and
\nAjibade. N21 million was paid to the VP through a draft raised in the
\nname of Umar Pariya, his Personal Assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Vice President held several meeting with the US Congressman Williams
\nJ. Jefferson both in Nigeria and abroad in relation to business ventures,
\nwhich included NDTV and Rosecom.net, an ISP. When the business
\nrelationship between NDTV and iGate collapsed, his assistance was sought
\nto extinguish the outstanding approximately $2million already paid by
\nNDTV. Even though he denied assistance on extinguishing the amount, he
\naccepted, conveying a letter from US Congressman Jefferson to the
\nHonorable Minister of Communication Chief Cornelius Adebayo in relation
\nwith iGate and Rosecom.net business venture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe VP\u2019s business interest in NDTV was confirmed when he made an initial
\ndeposit of N30million in January 1, 2003 from his Marine Float account in
\nBank PHB Plc for the purchase of the N200million property being used as
\nNDTV Head Office. His interest also influenced the placement of PTDF
\nfunds in TIB from where Otunba Fasawe obtained \u201cloan\u201d and completed the
\npayment of N170million for the property at the Wuse. The VP\u2019s interest in
\nNDTV is further buttressed by the fact that he even acted as a referee to
\nOtunba Fasawe for the sourcing of the licensing of NDTV in Nigeria
\nCommunication Commission (NCC). Investigation also revealed that the Vice
\nPresident severally met contractors of NDTV at Jada, his hometown on his
\ninterest in the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EFCC’s report on the probe of the PTDF which heavily indicted the
\nformer Vice president and the Halliburton Scandal which accused Atiku’s
\nIntel of bribing Nigerian officials with $50 Million have all remained in
\nthe dustbin of the investigating agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In preparation for the 2015 Presidential elections, former Vice Presidential Atiku Abubakar is building a war chest and has allegedly leased a $2.5 Million Jet for his campaign, several credible…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n