Immediate past Accountant- General of the Federation, Mr Jonah Otunla, has denied being privy to the botched $9.3 million deal to purchase weapons in 2014.
The sum was seized in September 2014 by South African Revenue Service at Lanseria Airport, northwest of Johannesburg from two Nigerians and an Israeli.
The bundles of unused $100 bills packed in three suitcases were transported from Nigeria to South Africa in a private jet. The administration of then President Goodluck Jonathan later claimed ownership of the money, saying the South African authorities only faulted the non-declaration of the cash by the trio.
The deal was allegedly packaged by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), to enable the Jonathan administration to procure sophisticated military hardware from South Africa in order to combat Boko Haram. President Muhammadu Buhari had said last month that he would look into the matter.
However, Otunla said in a telephone interview on Thursday that he was neither aware of the source of the money nor the purpose of the botched transaction.
“I wouldn’t know where the funds originated from because what they intercepted was cash; it wasn’t a draft or a cheque. If the money they intercepted was cash, it would be difficult to know exactly where the money came from unless the person from whom tbe money was intercepted tells you from which account the money was taken.
“If it was a cheque, a draft or a transfer you can trace it. But it was cash and it is difficult to say it came from so, so, so account,” Otunla stated. The former AGF also denied reports that he was privy to secret accounts allegedly opened by Jonathan’s administration. Some online media had reported on Thursday that the secret accounts were used to fund counter-insurgency operations.
There were reports that the funds were taken from a secret account maintained by the federal government but which is known only to the NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki; Otunla and the Director of Finance, DFA in the Special Services Office (SSO) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, whose name was not given. Sources in security circles told Sunday Telegraph that the trio were the only people who had access to the secret account through which several transactions were carried out without passing through the normal administrative channels.
But Otunla, who retired about a month ago, said though every government institution ought to seek permission from the AGF’s office before opening any account, he was not in a position to confirm if any such secret account existed.
“Unless you know of an account, unless they mention the account they are referring to, it would be difficult for anyone to trace it. Under normal circumstances, every institution of government will take permission from the Office of the Accountant-General before they operate any account.
Ordinarily, every agency of government should seek the authority or permission of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation before they open an account. So if we know the specific account they are talking about, then we can now know if authority was given before such an account was opened.
“I am not aware of such an account. I think the best thing to do is to contact the Accountant-General that is in the position now.
He is the Accountant-General of the Federation now and will be in a better position to respond to your enquiry. If there is an allegation against the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, I don’t think you should personalise it. “All the time I was there, if any allegation was made against my predecessors, I was always defending the issues because it is an office.
So if there is any issue involving the Office of the Accountant- General of the Federation, whether under my tenure or any other tenure, the best thing is to direct your enquiries to those currently in the office,” Otunla said.
When contacted, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, gave the assurance that Nigeria would recover the funds from South Africa. “The President has said he will ask South Africa to return the money. When it is done, Nigerians will be told,” he said on the telephone
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