Businessday NG -
Buhari, OBJ and Emeka Offor
By Mohammed Al-Bishak on August 11, 2015



It is necessary to explain the relationship between Offor and the refineries. Offor founded a firm known as Anchoff Strongholds which was a clearing agent for the Warri Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (WPRC) and later became its supplier. Between 1993 and 1994 it stunned the petroleum industry worldwide by becoming the first African company to carry out a turn-round maintenance (TAM) on the 125,000 barrels per day WRPC. It was assisted by Gidado Idris, then permanent secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who was to become chairman of all of Offor’s companies. But practically no work was done. A probe led by Aret Adams, the best group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) ever, was instituted. The report recommended the dismissal of the WRPC managing director, Dr Owokalu, for his role in the scandal. The government acted promptly. The report also recommended the blacklisting of Anchoff Strongholds and its promoters and their ban from ever doing business with the NNPC. It was accepted.

But in the typical Nigerian fashion, the latter recommendations were circumvented. Anchoff promoters formed a new company and named it Chrome. Meanwhile, Gidado Idris had taken over from Aminu Saleh as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation under General Sani Abacha’s military dictatorship. Chrome was awarded the contract to do the TAM on the 210,000 barrel per day Port Harcourt Refinery and Petrochemical Company, which is much bigger than the Warri refinery whose TAM had become an international scandal. Ever since then, all the country’s refineries have become comatose. This is the background to Obasanjo’s anger over the sweetheart deals between various Nigerian governments and Offor.

Obasanjo

“Take for example the decision on privatizing all refineries,” remarked the former president in respect of certain decisions he took in the days of his administration which were reversed by the succeeding Umaru Yar’Adua government which he had handpicked. “I explained (in my memoirs) that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turnaround maintenance, to the company of the Emeka Offor group. Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, refineries were not working.”



https://www.google.com/amp/s/businessday.ng/amp/analysis/article/buhari-obj-and-emeka-offor/

Ok

Is Rigging allowed Like all dis igbo bus Drivers will tell you that Overtaken is allowed

No sooner had Premium Times published on Monday, August 3, 2015, the first part of its interview with erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo than it went viral. Though the immediate context of the interview was the publication of Obasanjo’s controversial trilogy entitled My Watch, the questions from the interviewers were forthright and wide-ranging, and the responses quite interesting. Early in the interview, Obasanjo devoted considerable time and sentiments to an evaluation of a controversial government contractor, Emeka Offor, and his activities.

“Take for example the decision on privatizing all refineries,” remarked the former president in respect of certain decisions he took in the days of his administration which were reversed by the succeeding Umaru Yar’Adua government which he had handpicked. “I explained (in my memoirs) that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turnaround maintenance, to the company of the Emeka Offor group. Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, refineries were not working.”

The diligent team of reporters tried to find out from him why he did not bother to recover the huge amounts paid to Offor’s companies, and the retired army general, noted for ebullience, surprisingly sounded helpless before a mere civilian, a mere government contractor, almost half his age. Here are his words: “(Recover money from) a man who was paid upfront? He had people. He got some police….People were there. And Emeka Offor, after I left (office), became friends with every government that has come.” Offor was, no doubt, friends with the Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan governments. With this interview, Obasanjo is strongly warning the new Muhammadu Buhari administration to avoid controversial contractors like a plague. Otherwise, they would ruin the new government the way they destroyed governments before it. I should think there is merit in the wise counsel because Buhari is globally recognized for high personal integrity, and his government is the last hope of the Nigerian people to get out of the corruption cancer which has metastised all over the country.

The Role of Emeka Offor



One of the most important links in this story of fuel prices and refineries is that of Emeka Offor. Offor is very rich. His wealth has made him a power broker in politics. He is one of the principal financiers of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, at both the national and state levels. In the 2003 election he ‘donated’ some N200million to the PDP. The election of some of the senators, House of Representative members, state assembly members and council chairmen was said to have been funded by him. Most of the Igbo federal political appointees are said to be his nominees. They include Emeka Ani, chairman of the federal Poverty Eradication Programme; Martin Agbaso, presidential adviser on ecological problems and Martin Igbokwe, chairman of the NITEL board.



His overblown residence at Oraifitte, his hometown, situated along Onitsha-Owerri highway in Anambra State, looks like a presidential palace, brimming with opulence. It is heavily guarded by scores of mobile policemen. Offor moves about in a long convoy. He has several houses and flats in London and in Houston. He was the ‘godfather’ in Anambra politics when Mbadinuju was governor and the ‘Bakassi Boys’ ruled the streets.



Offor admits that he had a humble background. He was born in Kaduna. His father was a policeman. After secondary school, he went into business. He hit big money in 1983 when he won a contract of N19 million. He now has a chain of businesses in Nigeria and abroad. He owns Chrome Oil Services which handled the turn-around maintenance of Port Harcourt refinery. He also owns Chrome Air, a charter airline which is on retainer by the Central Bank of Nigeria. He is co-owner of African Express Bank, (Afex Bank) and a director of Niger Insurance, amongst several other companies, including Chrome Radio station in Oraifitte. Offor is a knight of the Catholic Church and close to the Opus Dei.

https://saharareporters.com/2007/06/20/how-emeka-offor-ruined-national-refineries-dr-gary-k-busch

Transparency Watch alleged that Offor claimed in his interview with The News magazine that he was worth $3 billion. “Informed sources say he is in fact, worth $6 billion. May we ask, Mr. President where Sir Emeka Offor, a mere driver for Julius Berger a few years ago got this mind-boggling wealth from?” Transparency Watch argues that since Offor does business mostly with Nigerian government, his wealth could be estimated. “What comes out of this is that this wealth could be as a result of inflated contracts. Is he a major conduit for siphoning Nigerian funds abroad? Is he a money launderer?” It asked.



In one of his deals, Chrome Consortium was paid millions of dollars for the repairs of the old and new Port-Harcourt refineries. According to experts in the industry the nation was ripped off to the tune of about $100 million as inflated payments in this contract alone. Transparency Watch said it documented about 20 other serious cases of corruption, influence peddling, abuse of office, involvement in illegal acts and cover-ups, harassment and intimidation of political and business opponents, procuring law enforcement agents to act unlawfully, infringement of transparency rules and regulations of government associated with Offor. It called on the president to direct the inspector-general of police, the director-general, SSS, the National Security Adviser, the director-general, National Intelligence Agency, the International Police, INTERPOL, the CIA, M16 and other international agencies to investigate these serious issues with a view to commencing prosecution.



Offor got his start in business operating as a front for President Sani Abacha. Abacha arranged for his first contract and his first ‘mobilisation’ payment. Since then Offor, it is said, has been one of the main money launderers for Atiku Abubakar (then a Customs official and recently Vice-President) and has worked closely with other Nigerian luminaries, including President Obasanjo.



A Nigerian security document (NSO) coded “Oracle” alleges that Offor and Gidado Idris (chairman of Offor’s Apex Bank) contributed to the ill-fate that befell defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC; the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria, NAFCON, and The Eleme Refinery through inflated contracts. “Most of the contracts in NAFCON and these other institutions were hijacked and the contract sums manipulated and criminally inflated including the contracts for the turn-around maintenance of the refineries,” it said, describing Offor “as the alter ego of Alhaji Gidado Idris.” These contracts, it is said, were attained through the intervention of Atiku.



Offor allegedly used his connection with the vice-president to corner the $8 billion NEPA contract for building the Yola/Bauchi transmission line. The original sum for the contract was said to be $6 billion. Pivot Engineering allegedly came first on the list of bidders. Annoyed that the contract was awarded to Chrome, Pivot allegedly petitioned the presidency. Offor denies Atku’s intervention, “It was an open tender handled by NEPA management and approved by the federal executive council,” he said. Other aides at the presidential villa said that no one person could influence a contract of that magnitude which had to be approved at the highest level. They said that the contract was approved by the presidency and that if the president didn’t want Offor to have the contract, he would have cancelled it. There is a certain reluctance on the part of some NEPA officials to give accurate information on the contract. When NEPA was contacted, its top officials denied there was any project as Yola/Bauchi transmission line. However, the Chrome Consortium was paid part of the contract sum up front.


https://saharareporters.com/2007/06/20/how-emeka-offor-ruined-national-refineries-dr-gary-k-busch

Igbo destroy, Igbo cry foul

.

Who are the staffs that approve this bogus contract?.

Biodun556:
Igbo destroy, Igbo cry foul

In the last 35 years no IGBO Man or woman have presided over the affairs of this country not even as vice, emeka offor is loothing and laundering in conjunction with the a fulani or yoruba president.

sweetonugbu:
In the last 35 years no IGBO Man or woman have presided over the affairs of this country not even as vice, emeka offor is loothing and laundering in conjunction with the a fulani or yoruba president.

You're on point

Rich people collaborate to still billions irrespective of tribe. Poor people fight over tribal differences and gain no Kobo in the end