Senate: Ex-NIA DG Collected $289m from CBN without Presidential Approval

The Senate has disclosed that $289 million was paid in cash to former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, in February, 2015 without the approval of the then President Goodluck Jonathan.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, who made this revelation said from the reports before the committee the $289 million was released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from Niger Delta Security Votes without presidential approval.

NNPC and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had appeared before the Committee to explain why the money was released in cash to former NIA Director General against extant law.

Senator Uroghide, who spoke on behalf of other committee members, queried NNPC for giving order to the nation’s apex bank, Central Bank of Nigeria on February 24, 2015 to release such huge sum of money to the NIA without presidential approval.

According to him, there was no document before the committee that showed that the former President gave approval for the release for such money to the NIA boss.

He further stated that from the documents made available to the committee by the Auditor-General of the Federation it was NNPC that advised CBN to pay the money to former NIA DG in cash which is against extant law.

Urhoghide said based on the audit query from the AuditorGeneral of the Federation, the NNPC granted a request from the NIA to pay $289m in cash to the Director-General of the NIA and that the NNPC complied by directing the CBN to pay the cash to the NIA.

Urhoghide asked if the NNPC had a mandate from the Presidency directing it to pay money in cash to the NIA.

He wondered why the NIA should insist on cash payment when the procurement of the security equipment was coming from outside the country.

Urhoghide agreed with the submission of the Auditor-General of the Federation in his audit query that there was no way the President would have directed the NNPC to pay $289m in cash to the NIA.

His words, “We want NNPC to convince this committee why you think that the transaction must be done by cash payment.

Tell us if the President expressly stated that the money should be paid to the NIA in cash. There is no way government business involving such huge sums would be transacted in cash.”

In his response, NNPC’s Director of Finance, Godwin Okonkwo, confirmed to the committee that the amount requested for by the NIA was actually paid out in cash.

His words: “Yes, we complied with the request. It is not true that we said the money should be paid to the Director-General but to the NIA as an institution. I’m not defending NIA for requesting for the money to be paid in cash but considering the circumstances which is for security purposes.”

He further defended the action taken by the corporation saying “NNPC obliged because we are not in charge of security, if they request for payment in cash and they said it is for security, NNPC cannot say no, and that it must be transferred through electronic means to a particular account.

“If anything happens afterwards, NNPC will not be held responsible. It is the man who insisted that the money be paid in cash that would answer.”