The $9bn p&id scam – Between TY Danjuma and our government lawyers (I)

Growing up in the military days, I used to wish to grow up to be as handsome as T. Y. Danjuma. I have an eye for things beautiful and Danjuma was indeed tall, dark and handsome in the rank of the army officers whose names, ranks and positions we had to memorize those days. That is however where it all ended. From what I have read about him, Danjuma is one shrewd, no-nonsense individual who sometimes throws fits of rage. He also has an eye out for big bucks, and made so much recently that he confessed he does not know what to do with it. Danjuma is certainly not a slacker. I find it hard to believe then, that he will conceptualize an idea, host a consultant called Mick Quinn in his own office perhaps for years, shell out $40million to get the project started, and then walk away from it all, as the consultant ‘stole’ the idea from him and later tried to stage the biggest swindle ever on this poor, ignorant, self-destroying country called Nigeria. Danjuma has details he hasn’t revealed to Nigerians, and can help us avoid this impending calamity.

The Late Mick Quinn was originally an Irish auto mechanic who later started managing music bands, transformed into a commodity trader and recognized Nigeria as a good place to go mega a long time ago. Smart chap. I believe Quinn saw himself in the mold of George Goldie, Lugard and the rest of the pirates – understanding perfectly that countries like ours was there for the milking, how much more with the full collaboration of local greedy minions. Some accounts link him with the IRA – the Irish Republican Army.  Before being tied with TY Danjuma, Quinn’s companies had made some good bucks from Nigeria, including a certain $40million paid out in arbitration and others paid in secrecy. A smaller deal with Nigeria Air Force had paid one of Quinn’s companies $2.3million after a similar business abortion. We have learnt that some of the sweetest deals done by guys like Quinn involve deliberate contract failure and elaborate court cases/arbitrations in which Nigeria’s top lawyers also have a cut. This is how the future of this country has been liquidated so far. The current case was to be Quinn’s biggest deal until cancer stretched its ugly hands and snatched him from mother earth in 2015. But his associate, Brendan Cahill, and other hangers-on – many of whom are Nigerians – are still working hard to ensure a major payday for themselves.

Quinn had dabbled in all sorts in Nigeria – medicals, supplying HIV drugs, military equipment, and everything in between. So this saga speaks to the way we think as Nigerians, and our vulnerability and dependence on foreigners for everything under the sun. Nigeria is a country that is decidedly unwilling to think for or save herself. Our leaders, and those who work for them, have till date displayed that tendency, and also ensured they are part of any major deal no matter how much that will hurt the nation. Every white man that shows up at our airports is a ‘foreign investor’ over whom we fawn. But most of the people who come to Nigeria, are like Quinn, or worse. They are the cynical lot. They don’t believe we deserve development and we too have not proven to them that we are deserving of a better life.  Can you believe that Ronnie Kray, the violent, perverted twin of The Krays gangsters of Bethnal Green, who ruled the roost in the 60s and 70s London underground world, was also in Nigeria for a few years, as an investor. He frequented Enugu and Abuja. We worshipped him too, before his crimes sent him to prison in the UK. I have always maintained that the path we have chosen will never take us to El Dorado.

So as far as the P&ID deal is concerned the following are the questions we must ask ourselves:

1. Given that the company did not as much as lay a foundation anywhere in Nigeria for where they will receive the wet gas upon which it is suing Nigeria, was the project not just a scam right from the beginning?
2. Can General Danjuma show the Nigerian authorities how and where he spent $40million for pre-project expenses as claimed by Brendan Cahill?
3. If General Danjuma spent that huge sum – which is twice over the limit for any oil and gas contract that needs to be seen, discussed and approved by the FEC – and he forgave Quinn for the betrayal, why is Cahill and co suing Nigeria over an amount spent by Danjuma?
4. Did P&ID fulfil any part of their end of the transaction and is that company approaching equity with unclean hands?
5. Given the magnitude of the transaction – upon with TY Danjuma alleged claimed he spent $40million for preliminary expenses – when was this deal discussed at the Federal Executive Council meeting?

More next week