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| Gen. Danjuma |
But it was learnt that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), is yet to get the file on the scam.
Also, a former Chief of Staff, Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed, has written the Acting President denying alleged involvement in the Halliburton scandal.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that the Chairman of PAC made his mind known to the Acting President at an audience during the week.
It was gathered that Danjuma said Nigeria could only retain its respect in the comity of nations if it acted on the report submitted by a committee headed by a former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
About 80 top Nigerians were allegedly implicated in the scam by the committee.
A highly-placed source in the Presidency, who spoke in confidence, said: "The Chairman of PAC has made representation to the Acting President on the Halliburton scam.
"The representation is in advisory capacity, it is not binding on Jonathan. You know, Danjuma does not joke with discipline. He urged the Acting President to take action on all the suspects, no matter how highly-placed.
"But I think Jonathan is weighing all options because of the number of top Nigerians implicated in the scam. No one can say if Jonathan will accept the advice of Danjuma or not."
Another security source added: "The truth is that the Acting President has been in the picture of the eminent Nigerians implicated in the scam.
"When a document was brought from a court in France, the list of the bribe takers was attached. And in going through the list, President Umaru Yar’Adua called the Acting President (who was then Vice-President) with a senior minister to go through it one by one.
"I think the three Nigerians weighed the security implications of releasing the list for the nation’s democracy and decided to tarry a while until the nation reached a convenient political bend to manage the fall-out of the scam."
At press time, a source in the Office of the AGF said: "The AGF is yet to get the file on the Halliburton scam, he cannot comment on it."
On his part, the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Femi Babafemi, said the commission had not received the Okiro report or any report on the Halliburton scam.
He said: "The Chairman of this commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has said it before that anytime a report on Halliburton scandal is made available to the commission to work on, we will do it."
But a former Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Mohammed said he is ready to clear his name in a letter to Jonathan.
Mohammed, in an April 15, 2010 letter to the Acting President, said he was shocked that his name was put on the list of 80 suspects linked to the Halliburton scam in Nigeria.
The letter, exclusively obtained by The Nation, reads: "My attention has been drawn to a daily newspaper publication (name withheld) dated April 15, 2010 where a list of 80 Nigerians who were alleged to have received part of N27billion bribe from Halliburton (a company involved in the Nigerian LNG project) was published. I was shocked to say the least, to find that my name was listed No. 58.
"As Your Excellency may be aware, this scandal has been a festering national embarrassment with wide international proportions of which I know absolutely nothing about.
"I have never been invited, interviewed, investigated both in Nigeria or elsewhere in connection with this scandal. I am also not aware of any mention of my name in any inquiry into this scandal.
"This publication is very damaging to my records and personality as the pioneer Director-General of the Nigeria Security Organization (NSO, now SSS), former National Security Adviser, former Chief of Staff to the President and above all, a holder of several prestigious honours among which include CFR and GCON.
"I do not have any information about the actual source of this smear publication but having received several calls from friends, associates and well-meaning Nigerians, I am most humbly constrained to bring this publication to your esteemed notice.
In a separate note to the newspaper that reported the findings of Okiro Committee, the chambers of the counsel to the former Chief of Staff, Handel Okoli and Associates added: "It is on record that our client was the pioneer Director-General of the Nigerian Security Organisation (now State Security Service) from 1976 to 1979 and he was reputed to have played a foremost pioneering role in erecting the pillars of the Nigerian Intelligence Community.
"In addition, our client was the National Security Adviser under the Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar regime from 1998 – 1999 during which he was charged with the onerous task of overseeing the activities of the entire intelligence community. That regime returned this nation to the path of democratic government in 1999.
"Notwithstanding, that the Military was withdrawing from governance, the Obasanjo regime in recognition of our client’s qualities as a statesman and a disciplined Nigerian, appointed our client, the Chief of Staff to the President, Commander-in-Chief, a position which he occupied from 1999-2007.
"When in 2007, the President Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration came into office, our client once more received another clarion call to serve his fatherland as the Chief of Staff to the President, a position he held from 2007 until 2008 when he resigned from office.
"We have taken the pains to mention a few of the sensitive and pioneering positions held by our client in Nigeria against the backdrop of your publication cited above to enable you appreciate the personality who has been cited in that report."
Courtesy: The Nation (24/04/10)
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