Story by Thelma Julius.
Like every other thing that has a beginning and that must have an end and as part of efforts to wean Nigeria off corruption, whether as a gradual process or as a holistic one, a group of journalists came together to investigate how Nigeria’s diplomatic mission runs its activities across the world.
This report focuses on the systemic corruption perpetuated by government officials and the head of the mission and political appointee, the Ambassador. We begin our journey with Kingston, Jamaica.
On the 12 of January, 2010, a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti causing widespread destruction in the Caribbean country that had already suffered enormous political and economic turmoil according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
With the exact death toll difficult to ascertain due to the chaos, many relied on the Haitian government’s official count, which was more than 300,000, a record which made the earthquake’s aftermath one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. Hundreds of thousands of survivors were displaced, schools, homes, hospitals and many more became mere rubble.
The post earthquake survival of the Haitian people depended largely on humanitarian aid promised by numerous organisations spearheaded by the United Nations and the International Red Cross, with many countries in the region and around the world sending doctors, relief workers, and supplies in the wake of the disaster. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, who had in May 2009 been named the UN special envoy to Haiti, was assigned the task of coordinating the efforts of the disparate aid initiatives.
But in the ensuing months, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive expressed concern that foreign nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) which were numerous in Haiti even prior to the quake and which bore responsibility for diverse aspects of the recovery were not sufficiently accounting for the use of their resources, making it challenging for the Haitian government to assess where its own resources could best be deployed.
Countries pledged millions of dollars to the cause but hardly could anyone ascertain if the rebuilding of Haiti and the executed projects is commensurate with the millions of dollars donated. Dozens of social media app, Twitter users, including many Haitian Americans and individuals with ties to the Caribbean, used their platforms to remind their followers of a 2015 joint investigation by NPR and ProPublica that documented what the two news organisations said was a gap between funds donated to the American Red Cross and what actually went toward directly assisting victims in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Their investigation found “poorly managed projects, questionable spending and dubious claims of success.” Many organisations, NGOs and the likes had been called out but hardly is anyone focusing on the Nigeria diplomatic mission in Kingston, who served as custodian of over $10 million donated to the same “rebuild Haiti cause”. The $10 million was supposed to be spent on building schools or at least a proper and well-equipped school in Haiti to enable displaced children go back to school.
But our investigation revealed that more than 13 years after the earthquake, with almost, if not all of the $10 million fully spent, no tangible building can be pointed to by the diplomatic mission led by Portharcourt politician, Ambassador Maureen Tamuno. Like her predecessor, who successfully got close to $4 million out the Haiti funds in the custody of the diplomatic mission in Kingston, Jamaica while in charge and with no meaningful explanation or project to show for it, Maureen Tamuno led mission in Jamaica has completely depleted the rest of the funds ($6 million) with no project to show for it except for a most recent award of a contract to build a block of classrooms which when built, cannot even be evaluated to be worth more than 20% of the leftover funds.
Rather than fulfilling the mandate of leading a mission, that is accountable, Ambassador Maureen Tamuno and the Finance Attaché, Mr Isaac Oghenelueluo Akparobi play god over the funds doing their utmost best to clean out before the last political dispensation in Nigeria ended.
Now the question that behoves all of us is, why would a civil servant collude with a politician to defraud not just his own country now but another country as well, of aid, when the money is meant to be traceable and his assignment properly monitored?
With the National Assembly providing oversight function, why did the 7th, 8th and 9th senate and house of representatives committees on foreign affairs or that of government institutions miss this? Or were they also partakers of the goodygoody? Another big question to answer. The Accountant General of the federation who also deploys accountants to work with these missions must have a way of monitoring their activities or are they also a unilateral body with the ability to do as they will without question?
Although the staff of the mission could not speak freely for fear of being brutally dealt with as some implied when asked a few questions, it was obvious the two principal officers, Ambassador Maureen Tamuno and Finance Attache, Mr Isaac Akparobi in collaboration with the former head of Chancery, Anthonia Akune were daily dealing with them even as far as refusing to pay officers basic entitlements like house rent, medical allowance etc which had been disbursed to the mission from the Nigerian federation account. How possible is it that the ministry of finance disburses money but the Auditor general of the federation and his office would be completely oblivious as to the daylight theft going on under its very nose?
In further affirmation of the absurdities going on at the mission, it was discovered that Anthonia Akune, the former Head of Chancery who returned to Nigeria in May 2023, is still signatory to the High Commission’s account. From Abuja, she gives a mandate before any transactions can take place while the new Head of Chancery is completely in the dark about the Mission’s inflows and outflows leaving the said new head of Chancery idle.
With the Finance attache, Isaac Oghenelueluo Akparobi who coincidentally covers at least three different Nigeria diplomatic missions as their official accountant, playing God over people’s hard earned money, despite the express approvals by the immediate past Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Geoffrey Onyeama, Isaac Akparobi sure seems to have more and exercises more powers than required or associated with his office. Yet, our investigation shows he is not new on the job and had done similar things while serving in other countries. This shows that he should have been thoroughly investigated before being redeployed to these countries where he currently serve.
Our findings also revealed that Nigerian diplomats in Kingston, Jamaica used part of the Haiti funds to purchase luxury homes in different parts of the world. Some in Cagliari, Canada, Texas, USA and more. If agencies of government like the EFCC, and ICPC would be thorough in their investigation, they will find more projects even here in Nigeria. Monies that would have been of benefit to Nigeria as a country us being siphoned daily. This time, the money being expended with recklessness belongs to another country indirectly.
Nigeria’s anti corruption agencies must also concern itself with investigating white elephant projects like, purchase of Tractor which was neither purchased because it was only a phony excuse to move more funds nor was it needed since the mission is not a construction company. There is also the purchase of a school bus at a ridiculously high price, renovation of a non-existent immigration quarters at a whooping $50,000, purchase of luxury vehicles at triple the price and much more.
Another worthy question is, how do they get away with all of these if someone or some people in the Minister of Foreign Affairs are not in cahoots with them or intentionally turning a blind eye to these anomalies? Have we really that porous a system, that even the national assembly would simply look and see nothing even when evidence is in plain sight or are they also beneficiaries of the loot?
For the Haiti project, it is expected that the Policy and Research Department of the federal ministry of foreign affairs saddled with the responsibility to award and supervise contracts in compliance with extant regulations be made aware. Is that department aware that the Haiti school project has been awarded to a Benson Construction Company, a newly registered company not up to a year old and most likely set up purposely for the purpose of cleaning out the funds for the Haiti project and the full award of the contract paid? Are they equally aware of the numerous white elephant projects like purchase of a tractor which is non-existent or the numerous over-padded projects executed under this Ambassador and enabled by the Finance Attache?
Through this report, we were able to discover how critically urgent and paramount it is for agencies of government like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the office of the Auditor General of the federation, the National Assembly and the presidency to oversee the affairs of the diplomatic mission. It is also of great importance that the office of the Accountant general is probed and corrupt officers recalled and reprimanded publicly. As the practice of simply reshuffling such officers has continued to make a mockery of our country and the hard work of her government.
In other to ensure complete transparency and equity, the agencies of government should be remunerated the same way. Treat the diplomatic missions staff like the officers of Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), whom when deployed, get their entitlements payable to them as at when due and in almost all cases without prejudice or delay. Set up a direct system of accountability where agencies like the International Seabed Authority will have collaboration with the mission in their territory in relevant areas but not in matters that require funding. Such that the said agency would not just be another appendage of the mission used by the Ambassador to siphon money or defraud the government or its sparse resources.
With the introduction of the IPPIS and the effectiveness attached to its deployment by the Ministry of Finance, officers of the diplomatic missions are promptly meant to collect their salaries and allowances as at when due and without being at the mercy of another individual who will then hold them and their families to ransom while enjoying more than the entitled benefits accruable to his office.
This current system of turning a blind eye to corrupt practices has robbed hard working officers of the diplomatic mission in Kingston, Jamaica huge allowances and encouraged the perpetrators of their suffering the opportunity to exploit the system, deny the officer of their dues and enjoy such dues in the pursuit of their endeavour. So what exactly is the IPPIS doing? Is the system in place to ensure some get their basic emoluments while other benefits are denied?
With the bosses perpetuating daylight robbery without being questioned, little wonder you find high commissioners taking their domestic servants with them on various assignments that ideally wont be part of their primary assignment but only a ploy to further defraud the federal government and alas the whole country of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is time to stop the bleeding. It is time to hold our officers and appointees accountable. It is time to correct the bad image associated with Nigeria among the comity of nations. With the President’s desire to end the subsidy regime and his immediate and effective disposal of it, we are somewhat encouraged that he will see to the proper and thorough investigation and prosecution of these individuals, payment of accrued allowances to the staff of the mission, dismantling and overhaul of the system they currently operate and the installation of a fresh and accountable system where normal will be normal and abnormality will be completely done with.
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