MY OPINION ON FAROUK/OTEDOLAR DOLLAR SAGA

Honorable Farouk Lawan took a bow before the house when he submitted the long awaited subsidy probe report to the floor of the house on the 17^th of April 2012. Few days later, there was an allegation that he had a dollar conversation with the business mogul, Mr Femi Otedola.
 He publicly denied it (June 10th 2012.: From Honorable Farouk: " .... I wish to categorically deny that I or any member of the committee DEMANDED or RECEIVED any bribe from anybody in connection with the fuel subsidy probe..." but accepted it about 24hrs later (June 11th 2012.Honorable Farouk: ".... I COLLECTED it as an exhibit to expose corruption..."). Please, kindly study lines .
The alleged conversation went below.

1.   Part 1. Otedola: How are you sir? I don’t want to bring it to my house

2.   Lawan: Oh, you would take it to your house.

3.   Otedola: No I don’t want to bring it to my house; it is a lot of money.

4.   Lawan: err… so where? Because I’m rushing to the… they are at the airport now?.

5.   Otedola: Yes they are in the airport in the aircraft.

6.   Lawan: Well I can’t come over now and before they can come over now unless I send somebody to but I can’t because…by the time they come I should be…I have a lot of things to do myself.

7.   Otedola: Is there anybody you think I can give it to or maybe I should just postpone my trip to China till tomorrow?

8.   Lawan: No, no it’s ok…I’ll arrange it with someone…let me give you his number 080

9.   Otedola: hold on hold on.

10.                     Lawan: 08036513355.

11.                     Otedola: (Repeats number after him)What’s the name?.

12.                     Lawan: TJ.

13.                     Otedola: Sorry?.

14.                     Lawan: aaarrh… TJ.

15.                     Otedola: Ateezay?.

16.                     Lawan: TJ!.Otedola: Teezay?.

17.                     Lawan: No, Tj.

18.                     Otedola: OK. So I will give him the balance; that is erm… 2.5 million dollars, yea?.

19.                     Lawan: that’s right. Hold on. I’m calling him to be sure his phone is on…..

20.                     Part 2. Lawan: it wasn’t like my brother talking. That’s one. Secondly, please this thing that we are doing, keep it to yourself otherwise you will make it difficult for us.

21.                     Otedola: Ok, ok. I am na. 

22.                     Lawan: Because somebody called me now and said that we said we are going to address it..

23.                     Otedola: address what?.

24.                     Lawan: Yea. Because if it is already out that we are going to do something, when we do it, people will think that we are doing it because we have been compromised. And you know that is something that errrrr… And if my colleagues get to hear about it, I wouldn’t be able to convince them. So keep it to yourself..

25.                     Otedola: ok.

26.                     Lawan: Let it not be like anybody is aware of what is happening. If anybody ask you, simply explain that this thing, you know from your records. You have all records and you have made a case to the committee. You have sent your documents to the committee.

27.                     Otedola: Yea, Yea.Lawan: Yea. It’s left for the committee… it’s left for the committee to decide what to do. Please keep it that way..

28.                     Otedola: Yea. God bless you. God bless you.

29.                     Lawan: Yea. Because the moment it gets out now we are going to correct it. Then it means we have already Haaa… so let it be ….

30.                     Otedola: Ok, Ok.

31.                     Lawan: I want to spring a surprise on the floor and only that is the only credible way I can do this. So please, please..

32.                     Otedola: God bless you. God bless you my brother. I have been crying. Anytime I hear your voice.

33.                     Lawan: Yes. You know your sector is small. Everybody knows… and people are already saying … Somebody just called now and said Femi has gotten his way around you guys and he has already succeeded..

34.                     Otedola: That is not true. But let me also tell you one thing

35.                     …..Lawan: No, no, no, no. I am saying it because this is what I heard.

36.                     Otedola: But my brother, let me also tell you one thing. You know me as a person.

37.                     Lawan: It doesn’t have… I know… I don’t want.

38.                     Otedola: People just get up.

39.                     Lawan: I know. That makes it difficult. Just, just whoever… you know… no. I didn’t do this. I’m sure it must have been a mistake from the committee but I have sent a letter to set the record right.

40.                     Otedola: ok.

41.                     Lawan: That’s all.

42.                     Otedola: Ok my brother.

43.                     Lawan: Yea. Yea.

44.                     Otedola: Ok. Great, Ok.

45.                     Lawan: Yea.

46.                     Otedola: thank you..CHANNELS TV

On the 21^th of April, he came back to the house for a proposal of an amendment in the already submitted subsidy probe report, that the two companies (Synopsis Enterprises Limited and Zenon Oil) belong to Femi otedola should be removed from the indicted marketers list, that they didn’t benefit from the subsidy regime even though the companies had a deal with the foreign exchange from the central bank.

In the end, the amendment proposal was allowed to sail through after a vote of confidence from the other honorable members of the house. Please read in between the lines below and grab your wisdom from the deputy speaker’s gesture.

After the oral proposal by honorable Farouk Lawan in the house, at that same spot, the Deputy speaker, Honorable Emeka Ihedioha, asked the chairman of the committee, “honorable Farouk, is the recommendation coming from the committee”? Honorable Farouk Lawan answered in the affirmative.

The whole house was suspiciously silent at that time. Then, he asked again, “could you please repeat yourself to the entire house for clarification”? Honorable Farouk went over the oral proposal again on why the two companies belonged to Mr Femi Otedola must be removed. The deputy Speaker made some body languages and funny statement and they went thus “ hum   interesting” with a smile. Then, he demanded the members of the house to vote for the amendment if they were in support or not, in which those in support had their way in the end.

The questions are: why those questions and body languages in such manners? Was the deputy speaker suspecting any foul play some where? It is quite unfortunate, that the whole subsidy report is gradually loosing confidence in the mind of the people on daily basis, just because of the greed of some people. The Channels television station has now become a cinema house for Farouk-Otedola dollar season drama. We have seen 1, 2 and we are still going to 17 according to Mr Femi Otedola. I cannot wait to see other seasons and how this fiasco will end.

 Who is fooling who here? Honorable Farouk Lawan insists that he collected money but not bribe after he denied it initially. Yet, he kept quiet for about two months. Nobody heard anything about it. Not the SSS or any of the members of committee. He made himself the actor and the boss altogether in the same movie. Could he have fought and won the battle alone if truly he did not have anything hidden? It is a shame. They are turning the entire nation into a group of fools by hiding under technological advancement. His legal counsel,Barrister Ozkhome was saying the purported audio proof was doctored, that it was not Lawan’s voice all in the name professionalism, when we could clearly identify the voices of familiar people, especially the one of honorable Farouk Lawan.

 Mr Femi Otedola said he was on a sting operation to curb corruption in Nigeria as a law abiding citizen. I wish we had people like him during the military regime as a great reformer. “A reformer indeed”. Gradually our attention is shifting from the real cause of the subsidy probe that grounded the country in January to a mere Farouk-Otedola bribery saga. Is that a game plan from some quarters? Only time will tell.

Our nation has now become a state where you have to raise an investigative committee to investigate the investigators. We saw it during the Security and Exchange Commission probe. Now it is subsidy’s turn.

 I am not holding brief for Femi Otedola. But why should the house embark on a secret investigation now? The real subsidy probe that brought about this saga was made opened to the public. Is it because honorahle Farouk Lawan is one of their own? Why should they be angry with Mr Femi Otedola for refusing to speak? I expect the house to firstly apologize to the entire Nigerians for bringing themselves into this mess. Farouk is a brand of the house. So it should be seen as a dent to the integrity of the entire house. I also expected Farouk to have also stood for the public hearing rather than a secret panel.

Another shock was the foul language used by the leader of the ethics and privilege committee, honorable Musa, when he referred to the attitude of Mr Femi Otedola before the panel as being STUPID in front journalist without minding that children could be watching. I do not think that was honorable.The house should allow the police and ICPC to do their job and stop putting pressure on people because I do not think the oversight privilege of the house can extend to a person outside the house. It is disheartening.God bless Nigeria. Thanks.

Tunde Adenuga