Now the Wilbros Affair!

Its getting more and more interesting, isn’t it? Last week I wrote about the ‘Siemens affair’, and predicted that the story was not going to go away. I asked for more investigation and information on that scandal as well as other developing ones-Wilbros, being one of them. The details of the goings-on at or around Wilbros have unraveled faster than I expected.

What do we know today about the Wilbros affair? Well apparently there was an “Eastern Gas Gathering System” contract (EGGS) to be awarded in which Wilbros was interested. Someone (one report specifically named a former NNPC top shot) intimated Wilbros officials that ‘nothing goes for nothing’ and that some big men will have to be ‘settled’ if the deal was to go through. Two names have been specifically mentioned as having received varying amounts of bribes from Wilbros-former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar (otherwise referred to as ‘VP’ or ‘No 2’) and former Finance Minister, Dr Onaolapo Soleye, from Ogun State, both alleged to have received $250,000. Reports also suggest that several top and middle ranking officers of Shell and NNPC benefited from the loot.

Hmmm. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is defending himself quite vigorously, understandably! His name always seems to come up in these matters, whether at the PTDF, in the US I-Gate matter involving Congressman Jefferson and now in the Wilbros affair. In fact, Alhaji Atiku started defending himself even before the public became aware of the details by issuing an advance notification that some people would try to drag him into the matter. Any way the good thing is Atiku is stating his case. He is questioning how and why he should receive bribes on a matter in which he played no roles and in which his ‘traducers’ (read Obasanjo and co.) were in charge. His suggestion is that his name must have been used by impersonators or mischievously in a matter he knows nothing about. I have also read a report in which Atiku specifically mentions Mr Funso Kupolokun as someone who should know more about this matter. We wait to hear from Kupolokun.

Dr Onaolapo Soleye was Minister for Finance under the Buhari/Idiagbon regime. A fellow Owu man, he was widely believed to have been General Obasanjo’s nominee in that government. He was very close to Obasanjo and when Obasanjo became President in 1999, Soleye returned to ‘power’. He served on the board of the NNPC and took care of matters in respect of the President’s business interests, especially we are told the schools and universities the President owned. Unlike Atiku, Soleye is yet to say anything. Of course, Nigerians will expect him to say all he knows about this matter, including in what capacity, or on whose behalf, he took any money he may have received from Wilbros-if indeed he did receive any moneys. Towards the end of Obasanjo’s regime, some reports suggested that the age-long relationship between Soleye and Obasanjo was ruptured for some reasons. Perhaps we will also hear about that now.

Shell of course must tell us its own account of what went on. Did any officers of Shell receive any payments in the Wilbros affair? Is that routine business practice at Shell? If not, what has Shell done about the matter? Have any officers been subjected to disciplinary proceedings over this matter? Has any one been relieved of their duties? Did Shell report the matter to Nigerian law enforcement agencies-the police, EFCC or ICPC? Shell must also understand that this raises wider issues of its role in the Nigerian oil sector in particular and our political economy in general. Is Shell a responsible corporate citizen? Does it abhor corruption and corrupt practices? Does it believe that corruption is a major problem in Nigeria, and what does it propose to contribute towards its eradication? Senior officials of Shell must understand that they would be required to answer these questions.

The Nigerian government appears to have been quite enthusiastic in following up this matter. The government is reported to have sent very senior officials including the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of State for Petroleum to the US to investigate the matter. The government has also handed over the report of the investigating team to the EFCC for further action. That in my view would be the first manifestation of ‘zero tolerance for corruption’ since this government took office in May. It would be encouraging if the government displayed similar zeal in the Ibori, Siemens, Orji Kalu and other corruption case involving the ex-governors and others. A cynical interpretation could in fact be that the government’s enthusiasm in this case is related less to anti-corruption and more to politics (with the involvement of Atiku who insists on pursuing his electoral petition).

The Attorney-General in particular has displayed a very curious attitude in relation to corruption. With the exception of the Wilbros case, in every other case in which his involvement has been public knowledge (particularly Ibori and Orji Kalu, he has appeared to deploy the weight of his office against the EFCC and the London Metropolitan Police rather than against corruption. He has resorted to various technicalities, feigned indignation and raised charges of insubordination and generally done every thing, except fighting corruption. At some point, as long as he continues in this attitude and is not removed from office, Nigerians would conclude that he manifests the real position of his boss, the President in his coldness towards the anti-corruption fight.

Well, whatever the motivation, it is good that government has taken up the investigation of the Wilbros matter. Like I always say, it’s the precedent we set that matters, not really our motives. I believe that there is a global momentum against corruption. The international financial, judicial, and policing systems are united against the flow of dirty money; Nigerians are fed up with corruption and corrupt governments; the institutions of democracy by their very nature-the legislature, media, opposition political parties etc will by their very nature expose corruption, even if initially for self-serving reasons; and ultimately Nigerians will defeat corruption. Amen. Meanwhile more details are needed. The US indictment of Jason Edward Steph, Wilbros’ former General Manager suggests that bribes totaling $6million were paid. The figures disclosed so far do not add up to a significant proportion of that figure. Who took the balance?