Electronic Media Live Coverage, News for Seventeen Million Naira (17, 000,
000) and Ten Million Naira (N10, 000, 000) for Souvenirs and Honorarium.
When questioned as to the Time it took to Write and Type out the Memos,
and to going back and forth, for the processing, the Defendant could not
remember, and also could not state the Hours it took to Process the Memos,
but knew that it was Mr. Nev that processed and collected the Monies as
Permanent Secretary.
So the Question is, if the Second Memo arose as a result of being on ground
in Mambila, and we were told that the President’s Visit was to be in Mambila,
the issue that arises is, why was there a need to procure the services of a
helicopter ride to Mambila? The Defendant had written in his Statement in
Exhibit Z5 that at the time the Memo in Exhibit O3 (the 2nd in Time Memo)
was written, he was already aware that the President was going directly to
Mambila. The Charter of an Aircraft or Helicopter in Exhibit O3 was
superfluous. It ought not to have been part of the Budget Plan to convey the
President from Jalingo to Mambila, unless there was proof that the President
would have to stop initially in Jalingo or unless the use of the Aircraft was
meant for the Defendant’s use.
Another question to be asked is, did the Defendant have to go back into his
Office to approve and sign the Second Memo, and at what time of the day did
he do this, and further, what was the possibility/likelihood of Three different
Cheques being issued at three different times, with Monies collected at three
different times in one day? How realistic could this possibly be? Or was it
that all these Memos were presented at the same time, in which case, the
Defendant could not have been right, when he said that it was when he got to
the Project Site in Mambila that he suddenly realised that he needed more
Money.
That being said, if they did employ a Helicopter as they said they did, to be
carrying them back and forth, for the purposes of the Visit, then it was
expedient for the Defendant to furnish the Receipt of the Helicopter that he
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