BAYELSA State governor Seriake Dickson may become the first casualty of General Muhammadu Buhari's clampdown on corruption after details emerged that he transferred $4m to an unregistered account with First Bank.
Governor Dickson, who is a close confidant of President Goodluck Jonathan, who personally handpicked him to govern his home state, is already being investigated over the matter by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Also being investigated is Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, the managing director of First Bank who helped facilitate the transfer.
Always in Abuja, where he more or less operates as President Jonathan's chief of staff, Governor Dickson has been accused by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of looting the Bayelsa State treasury through different anonymous means. Bayelsa receives one of the highest federal allocations in Nigeria but is one of the country's least developed states in terms of infrastructure.
Other Niger delta States like Akwa Ibom and Rivers States which receive similar amounts of money from the federal government have all embarked upon massive infrastructural development projects. In contrast, Bayelsa remains an undeveloped rural state with very few tarred roads, lacking in modern amenities like stadia, shopping malls, dual carriageways, cinemas and hospitals.
Mr Onasanya and Governor Dickson have been known to be very close friends and according to investigations carried out by the EFCC, the governor Dickson had on several occasions, transferred a huge amount of money from the state treasury to First Bank. Mr Onasanya is believed to get a certain percentage for every deposit made into this hidden account on each occasion.
Former aviation minister Stella Oduah, who was disgraced out of office, had also been alleged to have used First Bank to carry out illegal transactions. Investigations had revealed then that a fund amounting to over $76m supposedly kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria and under the control of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority was tapped out for unapproved and unauthorised expenses and budgets.
This new development of another financial scam involving Mr Onasanya is likely to lead to his prosecution. With president-elect General Buhari promising zero tolerance of corruption, the First bank boss and Governor Dickson may likely be the first casualties of his campaign.
Governor Dickson is up for re-election next year and the EFCC will only be able to go after him if he loses. For now, the governor has immunity from prosecution under Nigeria's constitution unless General Buhari succeeds in getting the clause scrapped.
