Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States, Professor Adebowale Adefuye, has reacted to a series of allegations of fraud and money laundering leveled against him by those he described as “the enemies of Nigeria”.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the Nigerian envoy said his leadership of the Embassy in Washington, DC, has never engaged in any form of fraud, money laundering and ill-treatment of the Embassy staff or Nigerians living in the United States.
Denying the allegation made against him by one Mrs Carol Olubufunmi that he defrauded her of the sum of 528,000 US dollars, Ambassador Adefuye said that the whole allegation was false.
He said: “The so-called Mrs Olubunmi did not at any time give me or any staff of the embassy the said money. What happened was that she organized a fake conference where she invited the wife of the vice president, Mrs Amina Sambo. She did this without the knowledge of the Embassy.
At the end, we found out that all the people she mentioned to the vice-president’s wife that would be attending the event did not show up and this made the embassy take an urgent step in order not to put the wife of Nigeria’s number-two citizen in any mess.”
Ambassador Adefuye added that the organizer of the event, Mrs Olubufunmi,? bypassed the? Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, as a way she thought she could prevent the authenticity of the event from being verified.
According to the Nigerian’s envoy, when? Mrs Sambo arrived at the venue of the conference themed “Pan-African Women Network event,”? there was nobody to receive her as the whole hall was empty, stressing that this made the Nigerian Embassy organize a befitting reception for the second lady in order to avoid disgrace.
Asked why he thinks the organizer of the event is alleging that he defrauded her of the sum of 528,000 US dollars, Ambassador Adefuye said that the befitting reception which he ordered the Embassy to organize for Mrs Sambo really got Mrs Olubufunmi angry and made her start saying that he (the ambassador) hijacked her event and as well defrauded her.
“I did not even know that a lot of money was involved in the fake conference that she said she organised, and I think she wanted the Embassy to refund the expenses she had incurred in the purported conference.
“As a result of this, Mrs Olubufunmi went to Sahara Reporters to start publishing damaging stories about me, that I had defrauded her of 528, 000 US dollars which she did not give to me or any staff of the Embassy.”
On the alleged ill-treatment of the staff of the Embassy, the ambassador said that he had always maintained an open-door policy since his inception as the head of the mission in 2010.
He also said that it was a lie that he always handed over whoever that had problems with him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ambassador said: “I have never handed anybody over to the EFCC in my life. The only person that has problems with the EFCC is one Mr. Ugwuonye who diverted the money that belonged to the Embassy into his own account.
I have no gain in sending any Nigerian to jail, but I have made it clear that all I want is that the money should be retrieved from him and returned into the Embassy’s account. Apart from this man, no other person can publicly say that I have handed him or her to the police or the EFCC.”
Asked about the alleged disappearance of almost 25 million US dollars realised from the sales of Nigeria’s properties in 2004, the ambassador said it was all lies, stressing that he was at the National Assembly two weeks ago to give account of his stewardship.
He added that he was able to present correct details of all the money he met when he got to the Embassy as the ambassador.
He also gave the lawmakers the details required regarding the running of all the accounts of the Nigerian Embassy between 2010 when he assumed duties and then, he said.
Asked about the rumoured protest that is to take place at the Embassy in Washington, DC, this Thursday, Prof. Adefuye said that he was not aware of such protest, adding that he believed that Barrister Femi Falana who they claimed would be leading the protest cannot lead any protest against him since he did not commit any of the offences they alleged.
“I know Barrister Femi Falana very well and he knows me too. He knows that I can never be part of any shady deal. He trusts that I cannot engage in fraud, money laundering or ill-treatment against any human being. So with this, I do not see any reason he will be coming to the US to lead a protest against my person.”
No amount of protest or allegations would make him resign as the Nigerian ambassador to the United States, he state, stressing that the president that appointed him to head the Mission believed in his pedigree before doing so.
“Those who know me know better. I will not involve myself in any fraudulent act. I can assure you that, even though I am officially a signatory to the Embassy’s account , I have maintained a policy since my days as high commissioner in Jamaica not to sign Embassy’s cheques. Two signatories are required on a cheque.? It is always the head of chancery and the accountant, not me.”