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Public Information
September 5, 2000 Page 1 | Page 2
Table 5 (a) purports that the Xerox 265 DC Copier, awarded at a price of N5,952,000 inclusive of VAT and Withholding Tax was over inflated by N1,341,545, which I am asked to refund. Let me first clarify that what was actually bought and supplied was not the Xerox 265 DC but a much higher grade and specification copier, the Xerox 265 ST.
The price of the Xerox 265 DC is N4,613,700 as indicated by the Kuta Committee while that of the Xerox 265 ST is N6,341,921 inclusive of Service Charge and VAT. The Committee may have been right of inflation if what was supplied was the Xerox 265 DC. However, what was supplied was the Xerox 265 ST, currently in the Finance and Appropriation Committee at a price N389,921 less than the actual selling price.
Rather than been asked to refund N1, 341,545 we need to be commended for giving the Senate value for money.
Also, the Committee states that the Xerox 214 DC of which they based their pricing and calculated level of contract inflation replaces the Xerox 5815 which was supplied to the Senate. In as much as I do not want to go into detailed specification, the Xerox 214 DC is a smaller copier that does only A4 paper while the Xerox 5815 does A3 paper and is a much higher
specification copier than the Xerox 214 DC referred to by the Committee and used for price comparison.
The Committee further claims that there is a strong suspicion that the Xerox 5815 copiers supplied were all refurbished. Xerox H.S (Nigeria) Limited have since debunked all these
allegations through their letter dated 3rd August 2000 signed by their National Sales Director. See Appendix 6.
The most amusing one is items C-E, the Dell Laptops, and Computer set comprising of COMPAQ DESKPRO, HP LaserJet 1100, APC UPS and Surge Protector allegedly inflated.
I have stated times without number that the price of the DELL Latitude Cpx Laptop is no secret in this world of the internet and prices can be accessed from the DELL CORPORATION WEBSITE at www.dell.com or by direct telephone call to the DELL CORPORATION in America or Republic of Ireland.
The Committee however decided to go to a local and non accredited supplier in NICON HILTON HOTEL and use that as basis for price comparison.
There has also been constant reference to TRITECH COMPUTERS LTD, suppliers of the Laptops as being a company in which I have interest. I own no shares either directly or remotely and knew about the existence of the company in 1994/95 when they were installing the computer network system of the National Maritime Authority (NMA) at Apapa, Lagos, a building shared by the Nigerian Shippers Council at 4 Burma Road, of which I was General Manager.
On the Compaq DeskPro Computers, it is instructive to note that on page 34 of Volume II, it was stated that the supply of 3 Nos. Computer Set for the Office of the Senate President was awarded on the 31st of August 1999 by Senator Evan Enwerem at a price of N1, 650,000, that is N550, 000 per set consisting of the Compaq DeskPro Computer, HP 695C Deskjet Printer, and a
UPS.
Also note that TASK SYSTEMS LTD was the supplier of these 3 systems. I must indicate that N550, 000 per Computer Set is the official price of the National Assembly and most government establishment, and the National Assembly has procured hundreds of computer Systems at this price of N550,000. Documents abound in the National Assembly to this effect.
It is instructive to note that when we later negotiated for the supply of the same kind of Compaq DeskPro 10Gb Computers (as against 6GB earlier supplied), HP Laser Printer LJ1100 (not DeskJet), APC 650 VA UPS and Surge Protector, our total price was N391, 500 inclusive of VAT and Withholding Tax irrespective of the fact that we were aware that the official price was N550,000 per set.
The Committee however finds it proper to accuse me of over pricing and inflated contract at a lower price of N391, 500 and ignore a previously bought product at a higher price of N550, 000. What type of logic is this!
All this false calculations above make up the N39,257,598 I am supposed to refund in the imagination of the Committee. Throughout the hearing and testimony, not one contractor was called to give evidence, even though the Committee saw the necessity to do so from minutes of their meetings attached to Volume 1 of the Report. The Committee however went ahead to
draw far-reaching conclusions without thorough investigations.
In any case, let us even assume that the claims of the Committee of inflated prices can be substantiated, all payments were made to companies duly engaged by the Senate to supply the products and not to Senator Aluko or any other Senator indicted. How then can we be asked to refund monies that we did not receive or benefit from under the guise that prices were
high and inflated!
It is also instructive to note that I have no power of contract approval, authorization or award. I performed my advisory duties as Acting Chairman of Senate Services Committee for a period of 18 days between December 2nd 1999 and December 21st 1999 when the Senate went on Christmas recess. Not enough time to be labeled 'Sole Administrator' and presented as a monster, which the Committee wants you all to believe.
The payment for the Rank Xerox equipment's which 11 companies were initially contracted to deliver, one of which was Associated Logistics Limited, a company in which I have shares was paid directly to FSB INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC, bankers of Xerox H.S Nigeria Limited.
All the cheques were signed for and collected by a Staff of Xerox Limited. At best the 11 companies acted as agents to Xerox Limited and never received payments from the National Assembly as evidenced from the letters of domiciliation issued to the Director of Finance and Supplies instructing that all payments be made directly to FSB INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC.
Photocopies of all cheques were also duly attached in my written submission to the Committee as proof. This was however conveniently ignored and not referred to whatsoever by the Committee to create maximum effect. The fact that I insisted that the pecuniary interest of all was
declared at the Senate Services Committee level, which was not contradicted, was also ignored.
The most interesting aspect is the bid of the Committee to create an entirely new human being, 'Mrs. Olufemi Shille Aluko", purportedly my wife and owner of INDEPENDENT STRATEGISTS LIMITED.
My wife's name is Mrs. Sileola Omowunmi Aluko who has no shares whatsoever, or owns INDEPENDENT STRATEGISTS LIMITED. There is no person called Mrs. Olufemi Shille Aluko as indicated in the report.
The shareholders of INDEPENDENT STRATEGIST LIMITED as provided by the Corporate Affairs Commission to the Committee are Mr. Nasiru Ali- Ahmed and Mr. Olufemi S. Aluko.
What the Committee did was to replace the S. in Olufemi S. Aluko with Shile, and convert a male to a female in order to connect the company to me through my wife. I cannot possibly marry a male and have three children from my wife.
Conclusion
In view of this fact, the District Attorney's Office and The Los Angeles Police Department have ordered the complete review of over 10,000 cases during this period and a rejection of
those obviously flawed. That is the way of Civilized Nations, and I believe this Senate and this nation of ours is civilized and has decided to follow rule of law.
It is the claim of some Committee Members that my testimony was destructive and gave them no option but to indict certain Senators. The questions we should ask ourselves are as follows;
Wherein lies this destructive evidence that was provided by me apart from in the imagination of the Committee! My Verbatim Report is very explicit on this issue and self-explanatory.
I most confess that the Report has done incalculable damage to my character and integrity and has allowed political opponents of all shades and character, both at home and abroad, to take cheap pot shots at my person.
The Internet has been awash with vitriolic articles castigating individuals indicted as well as the Senate and National Assembly at large based on the falsehoods in the Kuta Panel Report.
I take solace in the fact that what is false does not last and the truth shall always vindicate the just.
We are all witnesses to the experience of our President and Commander in Chief, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo a few years back as it relates to the phantom coup and false allegations against him which led to his imprisonment and dehumanization for more than three years.
Mr. Senate President, Distinguished Colleagues, this Senate must not succumb to the
blackmail of a phantom report and inadvertently destroy the political lives of some of its members. We have to chart a new course for ourselves that will bring us all into harmony and brotherhood.
Thank you and God bless the Senate and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
NOTES ON SENATOR ALUKO'S PRESENTATION NOTE NUMBER 1: Other members of the committee were: Arthur Nzeribe of Imo State, Tunde Ogbeha of Kogi State, Femi Okurounmu of Ogun State, Oserheimen Osunbor of Edo State, Dalhatu Sangari of Taraba and Abdul Yandoma of Katsina State, with Chief Emmanuel Ozubele as Secretary. Senator Gbenga Aluko, Senate PDP Deputy Whip and one-time member of the Senate Services Committeee, testified before the committee on Wednesday, July 26. All his textual submissions and press statements in Connection with the Senate Panel Report are available. See Gbenga Aluko Responds. Volume Two (Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations) of the report was submitted to the Senate on the 1st of August 2000, while Volume One (containing Verbatim Report and Exhibits) was submitted on August 3. The most comprehensive and readily-available compilation to date will be found in NewsWatch NOTE NUMBER 2:
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