How Governor Willie Obiano swindled N3.5 billion from security vote in a single day

Outgoing and controversial Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano, looted over N3billion from Security Vote Account in one day, according to 2017 financial documents of the state exclusively obtained by TrackNews Online.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been grappling with the prosecution of Governors hiding under security challenges to convert security votes to personal use. Only recently, the Nigerian Governors Forum went to court to stop the EFCC from prosecuting Governors over security vote looting. But Governor Obiano would have no one stop him from digging into the Security votes account and helping himself with as much as he wants.

On January 26, 2017, the Anambra Governor went to the security votes account with number 5110032568 at Fidelity Bank and took N500million in one shot. Barely a month after, on February 23, 2017, he took additional N500million from same account.

On March 29, 2017, Obiano’s insatiable quest to loot, took him back to the same account. This time, he smiled home with over N3.5billion withdrawing N509.2million, N504.9million and N500million withdrawn five times in one day, according to the documents in possession by TrackNews Online

The Governor went back on March 31, 2017 just two days after swallowing N3.5 billion and took additional N283.6million. He took a little break and on July 4, 2017, and July 7, 2017, he went back and took N30million and 19million respectively from the same Fidelity account number 5110032568 housing the Security Votes of the State.

On August 4 of 2016, according to the documents still being scrutinized by TrackNews Online, Obiano took N500million and about two weeks after on August 22, 2016, he took another N500million.

Sources told TrackNews Online that Obiano’s lifestyle is largely fueled by his looting of security votes and padding of contracts.

On April 22, 2020, during the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria and global lockdown, his Chief of Staff, Chief Primus Odili, purchased a palatial home at 1804 Terrabrooke Private Court, Brentwood, Tennessee for the exact price of $1,818,718. He purchased the palatial home from Partners in Building of TN LLC through Chuddy Nnodu of Hodges and Fooshee Realty Inc.

The palatial home seats on a 1.1 Arce of compound and has six bathrooms, six bedrooms. The house has an area of 5,575sq ft.

Prior to becoming a staff of the Obiano administration, Primus Odili worked as an administrative assistant for a private clinic in Nashville – where he was discharged shortly before his return to serve the Obiano administration – initially at the capacity of Special Assistant on Special Duties. After the successful reelection of Governor Obiano, he was appointed the Chief of Staff. He is considered Man-Friday to the Governor. He is the closest man to the Governor.

The former acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, had alleged that some state governors deliberately fueled insecurity in their states just to collect more money as security vote. He noted that some of the governors “now covertly promote insecurity as justification to inflate their security vote.”

Governors of the 36 states in Nigeria under the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) had engaged the services of lawyers to challenge the probe of states’ security votes by the EFCC.

The amount allocated to security votes for both Governors and the Presidency in Nigeria has always been top level secret. The EFCC and other anti-graft agencies have had troubles probing present and past Governors’ expenditures of Security Votes.

Transparency International says Nigeria allocates an estimated N241.2billion, about $670million on Security Votes annually.

Since 2012, the US has spent over $68.6million in Security assistance to Nigeria, while the UK has spent over $53.5million in counterterrorism support to Nigeria between 2016-2020. Yet, despite these humungous expenditures, insecurity is still high in Nigeria and has now spread from the north to all parts of the country.

Security Votes By States (Wikipedia Source)

SOUTHEAST

Imo State: N333.333M Monthly (N4B Annually)

Enugu State: N600M Monthly (N7.2B Annually)

Anambra State: N850M Monthly (N10B Annually)

Abia State: N700M Monthly (N8.4B Annually)

Ebonyi State: No Record Available

SOUTH SOUTH:

Cross River State: N500M Monthly (N6B Annually)

Rivers State: N1.5B Monthly (N18B Annually)

Akwa Ibom State: N1.8B Monthly (N21.6B Annually)

Edo State: N900M Monthly (N10.8B Annually)

Delta State: N2B Monthly (N24B Annually) [3]

Bayelsa State: No Record Available

SOUTHWEST

Lagos State: N1.429B Monthly [N1.297B (Public order and safety) + N132.5M (Social Protection)] (N17.149B Annually [N15.559B + N1.59B])

Ondo State: N600M Monthly (N7.2B Annually)

Osun State: N400M Monthly (N4.8B Annually)

Ogun State: N80-N100M Monthly (N960M-N1.2B Annually)

Ekiti State: N100M Monthly (N1.2B annually)

NORTH EAST

Borno State: N806.25M Monthly (N9.675B Annually)

Yobe State: N316.667M Monthly (N3.8B Annually)

Taraba State: N200M Monthly (N2.4B Annually)

Bauchi State: N1.417B Monthly (N17B Annually)

NORTHWEST

Kano State: N0.00

Kaduna State: N400M Monthly [N175M (Security vote) + N225M (Security Vote (Preventive and Supportive) for the SSG’s office)] N4.8B Annually [N2.1B + N2.7B]

Katsina State: N17.583M Monthly (N211M Annually)

Zamfara State: N600M Monthly (N7.2B Annually)

NORTH CENTRAL

Benue State: N3.092B allocation to personnel and overhead costs monthly which covers security vote, among others. (N37.1B Annually) [8]

Niger State: N1.308B Monthly (N15.7B Annually) [9]

Plateau State: N216.667M Monthly (N2.6B Annually) [10]

Kogi State: N400M Monthly (N4.8B Annually)

Nasarawa State: N100M Monthly (N1.2B annually)

Kwara State: No Record Available