EFCC Arrests GEJ’s Campaign Organisation Finance Chief, Ngozi Olojeme

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in the 2015 presidential election.

Olojeme was arrested by the anti-graft agency for allegedly diverting N69 billion when she served as the Chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund from 2009 to 2015.

She was said to have fled the country in 2015 shortly after her sacking by President Muhammadu Buhari government.

Olojeme, who was the convener of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme sub-committee on Public Works and Road Rehabilitation, is also the widow to Felix Obuah, the late Chief Security Officer to Jonathan.

The EFCC said the former NSITF boss and some directors in the company allegedly diverted billions of naira, including funds meant for the payment of allowances of its staff as well as compensation for contributors.

The agency said it received a petition alleging that over N50bn from the Employee Compensation Scheme fund, paid by Ministries Departments and Agencies and private companies, as well as another N18bn being the contributions of the Federal Government as take-off grants to the NSITF, was allegedly mismanaged and diverted into the personal accounts of Olojeme and Umar Abubakar, the Managing Director of the NSITF.

An EFCC report read in part, “It was discovered that the NSITF accounts in First Bank of Nigeria and other banks have witnessed a total turnover of over N62,358,401,927 between 2012 and 2015 from the Employee Compensation Scheme contributions.

“That out of the N62bn, the Federal Government contributed N13,600,000,000 while the sum of N48,758,401,927.80 was contributed by the private sector. That there were several payments to individuals and companies from the NSITF bank accounts for purported contracts or consultancy services.

“That some individuals and companies that received these payments in turn transferred parts of the funds directly to the NSITF officials while others transferred huge sums to bureau de change operators who changed them to dollars.

“That through this process, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the then NSITF board chairman, has collected a total sum of $48,485,127 from Mr. Chuka Eze (her account officer at FBN) which cash he collected on her behalf being the dollar equivalent of money paid to BDCs by NSITF contractors.”

The EFCC had in November arraigned some of Olojeme’s accomplices, including Umar Abubakar, Henry Sambo, Adebayo Aderibigbe, Chief Richard Uche and Aderemi Adegboyega, before Justice Silvanus Orji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, in Abuja, on 26 counts bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and illegal diversion of public funds.

They all pleaded not guilty to the offences and were granted bail. The matter was adjourned till February 5, 2018, for the commencement of trial.