In a startling revelation, a contractor, Olugbenga Obadina admitted in court on Monday that his company, Almond Projects Limited, received N2.17 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) without any contractual agreement or project fulfillment.
The admission came during his trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
Obadina, alongside Almond Projects Limited, faces an eight-count charge from the EFCC, including conspiracy, official corruption, and money laundering.
The charges stem from payments received on November 28, 2015, from the NSA office under Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd.), which were allegedly for no specified service or project.
During cross-examination, prosecution counsel Ibrahim Buba pressed Obadina to identify the project for which these substantial payments were made. Obadina conceded that the payments were not associated with the installation of a power plant or any other power project in Yobe State.
My lord, with reference to payments in the document that is written, particularly to the Almond project, no site was mentioned in all of the descriptions. No location was mentioned in any of the descriptions my lord,” Obadina testified.
Further questioning by the prosecution counsel led Obadina to confirm that none of the funds received were for solar or power plant installations in Yobe State.
This was corroborated by his extra-judicial statement, marked as Exhibit GO1, 1-9, which did not specify any project location in Yobe State.
Although Obadina contested this, claiming he mentioned a site outside Damaturu, the state capital, he failed to pinpoint this in his statement when challenged.
The defense chose not to re-examine Obadina, and the judge, Nnamdi Dimgba adjourned the case until May 30 and 31, 2024, for the continuation of the trial.
This case highlights significant issues of accountability and transparency within government contracts and the disbursement of public funds, shedding light on the broader challenges of corruption and governance in Nigeria.
