If you’re still scratching your head about the $50 million discovery, let me help you out a little bit

by Soma Oj.

There’s absolutely nothing like a Nigerian scandal.

Didn’t I say that we were going to move on so fast from that Malabu/GEJ scandal, Michelle Rodriguez won’t know what drove past her?

[I’m not interested in the Malabu Oil Controversy and you shouldn’t be either]

Was I right or was I right?

Anyway, it’s another day and of course, there’s another scandal on our hands. It’s Nigeria we are talking about after all. And I’m not talking the forged results kind. We have that too; now around the frequency of once a week. Nor the or the big-man truck killing people upandan kind.

[Read here: Another Dangote truck killed people in Anambra yesterday]

I’m talking the money kind.

Yesterday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) “uncovered” a large stash of cash in an Ikoyi apartment which they believe to have been proceeds of “unlawful activity”. The cash sum which is now being passed around as $50 million Dollars was broken down by the EFCC as $ 43.4million, £ 27,800 and NGN 23.2 million.

The EFCC officials said that they found some of the money laying in two of the four bedroom apartment and then a further probe of wardrobes in one of the rooms by the operatives, they found three fireproof cabinets hidden behind wooden panels of the wardrobe containing neatly arranged US Dollars, Pound Sterling and some Naira notes in sealed wrappers. Wawu right!

But it’s not as if this is the first time our jaws will drop at the incredibility of the amounts of money that Nigerians have amassed and kept hidden only for the EFCC to discover. It doesn’t look like this will be the last either. And this particular money scandal gets even juicy.

This one got interesting the moment Sahara Reporters started the usual speculations; this time, over who owns/lives in the house where the discovery was made – 16, Osbourne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

First, their pointy fingers located the former Governor of Bauchi (1999 – 2007) and former Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman. They alleged that the politician had spent a lot of time in the building’s penthouse especially during his time as the governor of Bauchi. His spokesperson wasted no time denying this allegation. The proof of his innocence being the fact that “Mr Mu’azu does not own any house in Ikoyi except his house at Walter Carrington Street, Victoria Island Lagos”.

LOL. What a confusing denial right!

Don’t worry your head about this confusion of a statement. As a professional “non-botherer-about-Nigerian-politicians’-lingo”, I can assure you that all this confusing statement was meant to get across is that Mr Mua’zu is not the owner of that building. But the fact that he decided to say his boss owns “no house in Ikoyi except the one in Victoria Island” is simply his version of plausible deniability. So for now, this will suffice as “Adamu Muazu only has a house in Victoria Island and he’s not the owner of the house where the money was discovered”. If a house with his name on it in Ikoyi gets uncovered, then he can say he didn’t quite say, he has no house in Ikoyi and that spokesperson has been fired.

Add the fact that Mu’azu has tweeted that he’s proud of the work that the EFCC is doing, you can hold on to the fact that the former PDP Chairman intends to stay as far away from this scandal as possible.

Femi Fani-Kayode has also helped his former Chairman out by throwing the blame water on APC’s Rotimi Amaechi by saying both the money and the flat belongs to Rotimi Amaechi.

Again, notice how he decidedly avoided the topic of who owns the whole building and the allegation that Adamu Muazu’s name was listed as the client by the contractor for the building.  Yes, that’s where you take into the cognizance Adamu’s final admission that he built the place (using a loan) but he does not know about the occupants.

[Catch up: I sold the building where the $50 million was discovered – Mu’azu]

So who owns this house or who lives in the apartment where the cash was found?

The sacked Managing Director, Operations at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue? Well, she’s denied being he owner. So has the Senator representing Lagos West, Senator Solomon Adeola ( I suspect he’s not a major player as far as this money goes. Especially as his statement of denial reads $15 million).

Honestly, let me assure you that there’s no need to worry yourself about this $50 million drama like all the others. It may rear it’s head from time to time as Nigerians suddenly remember but for the most part, it’s all over especially with this court judgment ordering the forfeiture of all the money to the Federal Government.

[The Federal High Court has ordered a temporary forfeiture of the $50 million uncovered by EFCC]

The $50 million is like Davido’s “$30 billion for the account”. The money surely exists and it’s awe-inspiring but nobody will ever be quite sure who the real owner of the money is.

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