While tin foil conspiracies rent the air over the supposed rejigged battle against governmental corruption – and the notion of well-oiled pushback by corrupt individuals, the unfortunate reality of a perpetuated illusion displays it bare regalia as deceptive.
Information available to 247ureports indicates the Buhari administration may have lost the battle to it lieutenants. The purported efforts to rid the country of corruption has turned out to be mere lip service – in the face of one of his corruption czars being entangled in an embarrassing and potentially libellous certificate scandal.
Documentary evidence [enclosed below] reveals what appears a damaging indictment against Okoi Obono-Obla as the Chairman of Special Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property – and as the Senior Special Assistant on Prosecution to the President.
The document shows Obla’s West African Examination Council [WAEC] certificate. The certificate bears the name Ofem Okoi Ofem with WAEC number 09403/247. According to the certificate, Obla sat for the exams May/June 1982 at Mary Knoll College in Ogoja, Cross River State.
What appears confusing and a tad interesting is the difference in the name and the discrepancy in the results verified by the WAEC office.
A source within the legislative chambers who is conversant with Obla’s backgrounds spoke with 247ureports.
The source revealed that the WAEC certificate does not belong to Obla. He stated that certificate belonged to a late relative who went by the name Ofem Okoi Ofem. The source pointed attention to the WAEC result as being a result belonging to a science inclined student and not liberal art inclined student – as Obla was – as an upcoming legal student. The source indicated that Obla’s authentic result was not presented to the presidency. The source did acknowledge that Obla later had a change of name allegedly from Ofem Okoi Ofem to Okoi Obono-Obla. The change of name served as an alibi.
The WAEC certificate presented to the presidency when compared with the copy of WAEC certificate obtained directly from the WAEC office – reviews another discrepancy indicative or symptomatic of masked illegality. In the certificate presented to the presidency, it started he sat for English Literature with a score of C6 [Credit] while in the copy obtained from WAEC office indicated he was absent for Literature in English.
This discrepancy was recently highlighted by the National Assembly’s Ad-Hoc Committee Investigating Legality and Modus Operandi of the panel headed by Obla. The committee had extended an invitation to Obla to appear before the committee to clarify the discrepancy. Obla is said to have been evasive.
The Committee, chaired by Hon. Aliyu Ahman-Pategi of Edu, Moro, Pategi Federal Constituency in Kwara State frowned at the perpetual disrespect of the panel chairman [Obla] to the NASS Ad-Hoc Committee that has received numerous petitions about his questionable character which include; senior school certificate forgery, extortion and blackmailing of top government officials, operating above the law, especially the laws guiding the mode of operations of the panel as confirmed by four other members of the panel among others.
The NASS Committee had been set up following Obla’s illicit activities at the head of the Special Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property. The NASS had received petitions pointing to Obla near fraudulent activities using his position. The petitions, in general, pointed to his attempt at defrauding well to do individuals – using federal might and the threat of media trial – as intimidation tools.
These illicit activities lead to the sack of Obla by the presidency in November 2017. He was later returned after several pleadings with the vice president, Osinbajo. He was returned with new restrictions placed on the panel. He was given remapped boundary conditions.
Obla’s recent recruitment of an internationally renowned blackmailer, Victor Uwajeh into the panel exposed the spirit with which Obla intends to pilot the affairs of the panel. Victor Uwajeh had been imprisoned by the Farida Waziri led EFCC over acts of blackmail and other criminal acts.
Victor Uwajeh was arrested for using forged EFCC documents and identification cards to identify himself as an agent of EFCC. Farida Warizi denied employing Victor Uwajeh into the EFCC.
Uwajeh is presently undergoing a criminal trial – where the Nigerian Police is prosecuting him for forgery of documents. The case is slated for hearing on May 21, 2018, at Federal High Court, Abuja.
The presidency has since overruled Obla’s job offer to Victor Uwajeh.
Nonetheless, the NASS committee has issued a stern warning to Obla to appear before the committee or face arrest.
According to the committee chairman, “following the continual refusal of the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel to appear before the Committee, the committee has resolved to implement relevant sections of section 89 of the 1999 constitution and summon the Chair of the SPIP Chief Okoi Obla and other members of the panel to appear before the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Thursday the 26th of May 2018 unfailingly. Without which the committee shall exercise its responsibility of issuing a warrant of arrest”.
247ureports reached out to the presidency through the corruption czar, Itse Sagay. Our correspondent inquired why the Obla may have refused to appear before the NASS committee. He did not respond.
