Ask anyone around to name individuals who have contributed to the
putrefaction state of our country Nigeria, people who at one time or the
other have been in power and used such position to siphon the
collective wealth of all. You will get names like Ibrahim Badamosi
Babangida the one they call ‘Maradona’, names like Sani Abacha the
dreaded military junta whose looted loots we are yet to discover fully,
James Ibori a onetime governor of the oil rich Delta State currently on
vacation in the United Kingdom prison, Tafa Balogun the former police
chief who was disgraced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Diepreye Alamieyesigha the former governor of Bayelsa state who
suddenly transformed into a woman to escape judgment in the United
Kingdom only to be given a pat-at-the-back sentence in Nigeria and later
a jumbo presidential pardon.
Yes, these men are part of the reasons
why Nigeria is where it is today, but before them was a man greater in
corruption and embezzlement, he was the signature for fraud and
blueprint for bribery. He was a minister of labour, minister of finance,
a leader of the defaulted NCNC party, a business mogul and a trusted
allay of the west. This man once increased the import duties on imported
shoes in other to monopolize the then thriving leather industry. He was
one of the few who sold our national wealth to the colonial rulers in
other to cut corners. This man was High Chief Festus Okotie Eboh.
But I will rather save my anger on
Festus Okotie Eboh for another day and concentrate on one of the
landmark achievement historians have over time claimed he made in
Nigeria, this is the bringing into our country the construction company
who over the years has continue to promote injustice, corruption and
bribery. The advent of the curse called ‘Julius Berger’
For a very long time Nigeria have been
at the mercy of Julius Berger Plc, a low level construction company in
Germany who through Nigeria metamorphosised into a gigantic pillar.
Looking at Julius Berger as just another company will be under
estimating its strength. To say the least this company has proven over
time to be bigger than Nigeria or any leader ever appointed or elected
in our nation’s history.
In 1975, when the capital was moved from
Lagos to Abuja the federal government contracted the construction and
design of the Aso Villa to Julius Berger, the project was so financially
demanding that the government couldn’t pay fully in cash but with crude
oil, that is just one. The security codes and access to the most
secured house in Nigeria was entrusted to this alien company, you may
not believe this but ask Al Mustapha about the event of 1993 when Abacha
took over as the Head of State and how Julius Berger locked him out of
Aso rock by refusing to give him the security codes to access the villa.
Not that this is a bad development in face of politics bearing in mind
Abacha came in by force but it is in the face of national security and a
huge threat to our sovereignty as a nation. The interpretation of this
is that Julius Berger can wake up one day and decide President Jonathan
would not leave the villa by shutting the security system down or simply
take over the government as its staff is granted access to the most
secured area in the Villa without questioning under the disguise of
maintenance.
The Villa is just one out of the lots;
Julius Berger constructed the renowned International Conference Center
(ICC) and was paid also with crude oil, JB as fondly called constructed
the magnificent palace of the former head of state Ibrahim Babangida in
Minna at a figure kept under oath.
In all of these one would have expected
the German company to respect Nigerians but this is far different from
what is at play; JB continue to belittle the Labour law and subject its
staff to various degree of hardship and unfriendly treatments one of
which is the transportation of its staff in a jam-packed ‘Molue’ like
bus. It freely operates the disbanded Apartheid policy with construction
of discriminatory health facilities, one for the whites, with adequate
skilled personnel and drugs and the other for the common blacks
(Nigerians) with quack doctors and limited drugs, in fact NAFDAC once
closed done this section of the hospital for administering fake drugs to
patients (Nigerian staff).
These are few of the tales of disservice
of JB to its Nigerian staff; the greater ones are the massive fraud and
continuous bribery, the company flows in. Name any big financial fraud
in Nigeria and the name Julius Berger comes up.
In the famous Halliburton $180million
fraud Julius Berger played an important role by helping to distribute
the bribe to government officials, a fact it confessed to and later got a
plea bargaining for at the tune of $26million. That is not all; JB was
also involved in the Siemens bribery scandal where it acted as a channel
for Willbros in distribution of $6.3million bribe to various government
officials.
In the aviation sector Julius Berger
also carved a niche for itself in corruption. In May 2009, FAAN
contracted the supply of three CAT generating set to Julius Berger at a
whooping sum of N228.258 million which the company failed to supply even
though it got full payment for it and an additional N45million for
fuelling equipments it never bought. Prior to that contract Julius
Berger was paid N8.406 million for the top overhaul of generating sets 2
and 4 of the Airport, a service it never rendered.
In recent corrupt practices, Julius
Berger inflated the expansion of the Abuja Airport Road and Outer
Northern Expressway (ONEX) Project by N2billion claiming the margin was a
mathematical error, in a similar scenario it suddenly increased the
Vice President’s House contract already awarded to it for 7billion naira
to a whopping 16billion naira with a huge margin of 9billion naira.
That is not all; Julius Berger was awarded the refurbishing contract for
the National Stadium recently for another mouthwatering 96million
naira, a job the Super Eagles coach described as “a disaster” hard and
sandy pitch, unable to withstand rainfall as the pitch becomes water
logged”.
In all these it is evident Julius Berger
is a vehicle of corruption in Nigeria. To be fair the blame shouldn’t
be on this company alone after all none of these frauds would have been
possible if we have a reasonable and accountable government but the
truth is that we don’t have such and we know it.
These are not tales known to myself or
any other individual in the media alone. More fact revealing evidence
lies with the anti-corruption agencies and top government officials up
to the presidency. But it is obvious the power that dines with Julius
Berger is more powerful than that which dines with the president.
The government must standup against this
curse and redeem what is left of our sanity. Our country may indeed be
in bad shape, it may have a bad reputation far and wide but we don’t
need another alien to rekindle our furnace of corruption, the footprints
of our colonial masters is still very much evident in our social,
economic and political lives. We won’t have another ‘master’ pull us
down for their self benefit.
Government must take necessary actions
against Julius Berger for these cruel acts against Nigerians and Nigeria
and not award contract to it.
The agony of Julius Berger’s fraud and
inconsistency is better recounted by men and women, young and old, who
ply the recently awarded every day. Ever since the jamboree kickoff and
the payment of the Lagos end of the road to Julius Berger, commuters
experience on the road is better felt than said, but this is a matter
for another day.
This curse must be cured no matter the might of the devil pulling the hypnosis. Julius Berger must shut up or shutdown!
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