The immediate past National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki
(rtd) has given his side of the story on the arms procurement saga which
has pitted him against the incumbent federal government led by
President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dasuki insisted he was never invited
to appear before an Investigative Panel on the Procurement of hardware
and munitions in the armed forces.
The full statement reads: “In a theatrical manner, the Presidency
fed the public with many allegations against my person and yet to be
named former public officers.
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“To draw sympathy, the presidency quoted some absurd findings
including extra-budgetary interventions; award of fictitious contracts;
53 failed contracts; payment for jobs without contractual agreements;
non-execution of contracts for the purchase of 4 Alpha jets, bombs and
ammunition.
“For undiscerning Nigerians, they may tend to assume that the
allegations were true and pronounce the former National Security Adviser
guilty as charged.
“The statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who should know better as a former
President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a witness to history, was
nothing sort of propaganda to cast aspersions on Dasuki.
“To set the records straight, Nigerians should appreciate that the
AVM Jon Ode-led panel did not invite the ex-NSA under any guise before
arriving at its ambiguous findings. At least, fairness demands that the
panel ought to hear from Dasuki instead of its recourse to hasty
conclusions. If the panel had been more patient and painstaking, it
would have been availed of all relevant documents on some of the
jaundiced findings.
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“As if acting a script, the Presidency alleged that the Panel
accused Dasuki of awarding fictitious contracts between March 2012 and
March 2015. Contrary to this claim, Dasuki was not the NSA in March 2012
and he could not have awarded any contract in whatever name. The ex-NSA
was appointed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on June 22, 2012.
“All contracts and accruing payments were with the approval of the
President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. Once the
ex-President approved, the former NSA paid. So, there was due process
for every purchase in line with regulations guiding arms procurement for
the Armed Forces.
“And Nigerians should note that all the services generated the
types of equipment needed, sourced for suppliers most times and after
consideration by the Office of the NSA, the President will approve
application for payment. For sensitive sectors (military/security),
there was no room for awarding fictitious contracts. The conclusions of
the panel were presumptive, baseless and lacked diligence.
“There were no fictitious contracts; contract sums were not
diverted and the relevant services in writing acknowledged delivery of
equipment. For all procurements, the Nigerian Army, the Air Force and
the Nigerian Navy have their contractors.
“While awaiting judicial process on these allegations, it is proper
to make some references to show that the presidency was just desperate
to hang some former public and military officers who served this nation
at the risk of their lives.
“It is laughable for the panel to assume that 4 Alpha jets and 12
helicopters were undelivered. In a memo to the Office of the National
Security Adviser(ONSA), referenced NAF/905/D/CAS of November 28, 2014,
the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu
acknowledged the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the
helicopters.
“On 10/21/14, the Chief of Air Staff also confirmed the receipt of
F-7 N1 aircraft combination of 250kg bombs and accessories at $2,894,000
with the cost of freight at $1,200,000. The same Air Force confirmed
getting 2xTri Shield 36DG Tactical radars
“In another letter of December 1, 2014 signed by L.S. Alao(on
behalf of the Chief of Air Staff), the Air Force said it received five
containerized fuel storage and dispensing units with equipment.
“The Nigerian Army wrote the ONSA to acknowledge the delivery of 14
armoured tanks. In a December 13, 2014 memo, the Brigade of Guards
thanked ONSA for releasing N30m for RCA, Operation allowance for Troops
on Op Urban Sweep II for third and fourth quarters of 2014. This is
apart from the installation of CCT Cameras at the Brigade Headquarters, 2
backscatter bomb detection vans and other equipment.
“On November 26, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff,
Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh sought for approval of the award of one
pair of uniform(in the interim) for the Armed Forces at N165, 375 to
El-Jahab Mubarak Nigeria and N330,750,000 for two pairs.
These are some of the acknowledgement letters submitted to me by
the end-users(the services). It is not for me to go and find out whether
the equipment were delivered or not. I am not the one keeping the
inventories.
“To show that I have nothing to hide, I submitted a comprehensive
list of all requests for procurements by the services, the items bought
and those equipment being awaited to His Excellency, President Muhammadu
Buhari long before I left office. If there were issues, I should have
been questioned. I was just the clearing house, I did not award
contracts to my company or proxies. There was no contract awarded or
equipment bought without approval from the then President and
Commander-In-Chief. I am not a thief or treasury looter as being
portrayed.
“In order not to endanger the nation’s security, there are many
salient issues and contracts which I cannot put in public domain. I am
ready for trial on all these allegations in order to prove to Nigerians
that I did nothing untoward in office. We will certainly meet in court.
I have a lot to tell Nigerians but in the interim, they should not
believe some of the allegations as the gospel truths. The good thing is
that some of the key actors in the present administration were parts of
the past process being viciously challenged.
“As for my tenure as the nation’s NSA, I acted in the interest of
the nation and with utmost fear of God. I did not use the office for any
self-serving agenda. I occupied the Office of the National Security
Adviser at a difficult moment in Nigerian history when terrorism was at
its peak and I am leaving posterity to judge me accordingly
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