Hmmm! Exhales!! How Jonathan’s govt wasted N2.2bn on ‘special prayers’ against Boko Haram

New revelation suggests that former President
Goodluck Jonathan, spent a whooping N2.2
billion on prayers against Boko Haram.
The last administration was said to have spent
the money on special prayers in Nigeria and
Saudi Arabia to win the war against insurgency.
The N2.2 billion was disbursed through the
Office of the former National Security Adviser,
Retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki.
The disbursement took place after the
submission of a proposal by a former Executive
Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa.
In his statement of witness filed in the High
Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Baba-Kusa said the N2.2 billion was spent on
prayers to hasten the defeat of Boko Haram.
The former NNPC Director revealed to EFCC
that the contract proposal was verbal and the
funds were released in two tranches of
N1,450,000,000 and N750,000,000.
“I approached the former NSA and discussed
Boko Haram problems and I suggested there is
need for prayers and he considered and
accepted in 2013 when he first came to office.
I personally sponsored many people locally
and some few to Saudi Arabia. Some monies
were later paid into our companies, which we
paid to some of the mallams.”
“I then arranged to recover my personal
expense which I put into our own businesses.
We have been spending a lot from our
businesses and personal accounts. Money paid
through UBA, First Bank and ECOBANK. For
Acacia Holdings Limited(A/C 1017330319-
UBA); ECOBANK(0122012650); and First Bank
(Reliance Referral Hospitals Limited A/C
2022394057). The total amount is
N2,200,000,000 from October 2014 to April
2015.”
“But I used some of the mallams to organise in
Abuja, Zaria, Kano, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kaduna
and Saudi Arabia covering 2013 to 2015. I give
them funds as required from time to time,
ranging from N500,000 to N30million,
depending on their needs, traveling, sadaqat
and others for local expenses and travels to
Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj.”
“I reminded the NSA many times before
payments were made. We grew up together
with the former NSA with common friends in
ABU. Most of the payments in cash were
meant to give out cash to people that have
been organising prayers. Some transfers to
Acacia to other banks were for logistics and
also to some mallams in cash.”
“The proposal made to the former NSA was not
documented by him or myself. The verbal
proposal to him was for prayers to overcome
Boko Haram within the shortest possible time.
The engagement for prayers by organising
some people to be praying was not formally
written down.”
“There was no amount of money agreed on. I
said to him, I will start organising, which he
agreed and said he will see what he would give
at a later time. From my own resources before
I started to ask for money from him”. Some of
these funds came from disposal of some of my
land in Abuja. One in Maitama, one in Gudu
and one in Guzape. The Maitama was a little
over N200million; Guzape (N80m), Gudu
(N18m), he told the EFCC.”
Baba-Kusa also promised to refund the N2.2
billion by disposing of his assets and landed
properties.
“I am making efforts to dispose of my
properties in Abuja which would be over the
total amount of N2.2billion. If the sales go
through and the amount from the sales is
made in full, I will make full payment.