President Goodluck Jonathan's Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs Dr Doyin Okupe has explained his role in the contracts he was reported to have allegedly abandoned after collecting mobilisation fees from Imo and Benue governments when he served as aide to former President Olusegun Oabsanjo.
Okupe said in a statement that companies which he had substantial interests in and was serving as their chairman obtained rural road construction contracts from Benue and Imo governments in 2004 and 2005 which mobilisations were paid against presentations of bank guarantees submitted by the companies, saying therefore that he did not abscond with the monies meant for the contracts.
The statement by his solicitor Yemi Gbonegun also said on no account did any of the companies bolt away with any money and if they had, the state governments would have legally had recourse to the bank guarantees issued, held the banks accountable and recovered their monies.
Okupe said what really happened was that disputes about certificates of payments arose in the matters of the contracts and the issues were at different times thoroughly investigated by the EFCC, and so at no point was a case of fraud or any act of criminality found against any of the companies.
"In both contracts the company went far beyond the issue of mobilisation; in fact, the companies received other payments over a period exceeding two years continuously for work done that went far beyond the level of mobilization", he said.
Okupe's solicitors also said the contracts were awarded and executed by companies duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with a full complement of board of directors including foreign nationals, saying "none of the contracts were awarded to the person of Dr Doyin Okupe".
The clarification was coming against the background of an allegation the Okupe did a shoddy job for the Benue State government eight years ago and absconded with some amounts belonging to the government.
Former Benue governor George Akume confirmed awarding contracts belonging to the firms substantially owned by Okupe. But he did not however give details of the amount in question.
Daily Trust