EFCC Arrests Finance Chief Of Goodluck Jonathan’s Campaign Organisation

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in the 2015 presidential election, over an alleged diversion of $48,485,127 from the accounts of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Olojeme, widow to Felix Obuah, the late Chief Security Officer (CSO) to former President Jonathan, served as the Chairman of NSITF and had been declared wanted by the EFCC but was said to have fled the country shortly after her sacking by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Olojeme, who was declared wanted a few weeks ago by the EFCC on the order of a court, turned herself in while the EFCC has arraigned a former Managing Director of NSITF, Umar Munir Abubakar and four others for alleged diversion of N18billion.
The others are Henry Ekhasomi Sambo, Adebayo Adebowale Aderibigbe, Chief Richard U. Uche and Aderemi Adegboyega.
THEWILL gathered that the former NSITF chair, was quizzed for hours yesterday over the alleged diversion of the fund.
The EFCC had received a petition alleging that over N50bn from the Employee Compensation Scheme fund, paid by Ministries Departments and Agencies and private companies, as well as another N18bn being the contributions of the Federal Government as take-off grants to the NSITF, was allegedly mismanaged and diverted into the personal accounts of Olojeme and Abubakar.
It immediately set up a team of detectives to look into the allegations and into the bank accounts of the NSITF and allegedly discovered suspicious transactions and diversion of funds.
Some funds were said to have been traced to the accounts of some consultants and contractors who were alleged to be mainly fronts for Olojeme and other directors in the NSITF.
“It was discovered that the NSITF accounts in First Bank of Nigeria and other banks have witnessed a total turnover of over N62,358,401,927 between 2012 and 2015 from the Employee Compensation Scheme contributions,” it stated.
“That out of the N62bn, the Federal Government contributed N13,600,000,000 while the sum of N48,758,401,927.80 was contributed by the private sector.
“That there were several payments to individuals and companies from the NSITF bank accounts for purported contracts or consultancy services.
“That some individuals and companies that received these payments in turn transferred parts of the funds directly to the NSITF officials while others transferred huge sums to bureau de change operators who changed them to dollars.
“That through this process, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the then NSITF board chairman, has collected a total sum of $48,485,127 from Mr. Chuka Eze (her account officer at FBN) which cash he collected on her behalf being the dollar equivalent of money paid to BDCs by NSITF contractors.
“She and others also diverted huge cash allocated for allowances of its staff and compensation to contributors. Detectives actually traced some of the NSITF funds in the personal accounts of Olojeme and the former MD, Umar Abubakar.
“For instance, Abubakar and others converted N18billion, being contribution from the Federal Government as take-off grants and Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS) for MDAs.
“The said sum was diverted into personal accounts by an e-payment mandate jointly signed by Umar Munir Abubakar and Henry Ekhasomi Sambo.”