PETER OBI, NOT WHO HE APPEARS IN PUBLIC TO BE, AS SECRET DOCUMENT REVEALS HIS EVIL DEEDS IN BUSINESS AND GOVERNANCE

The former governor of Anambra State in South Eastern Nigeria, Mr PETER OBI is not Saint he made members of the public to believe he is, as a secret document, the Pandora Papers have revealed a lot of his shoddy deals, portraying him on the contrary.

The former Anambra governor is largely seen by many Nigerians as an advocate of good governance, an epitome of transparency and one without an oita of corruption in his system.

Often times, in speaking about his governance records and statistics-laden prescriptions for Nigeria’s development, PETER OBI delights in talking about how hugely successful he became in business before he joined politics.

He has always reeled out his numerous business affiliations and accomplishments.

He had boasted that he “was chairman of Next International Nigeria Ltd, then chairman and director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd, Guardian Express Bank Plc, Future View Securities Ltd, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd.”

Furthermore, he had also described himself as the youngest board chairperson ever appointed by Fidelity Bank Plc, a 34-year old Nigerian lender listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

However, beyond the facade of priggish speeches and appearances, an investigation has now shown that Mr PETER OBI is not entirely transparent in his affairs as he made Nigerians to believe.

The investigation is part of the global International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)-led PANDORA PAPERS PROJECT.

The project saw 600 Journalists from 150 news organisations around the world poring through a trove of 11.9 million confidential files, contextualising information, tracking down sources and analysing public records and other documents.

The leaked files were retrieved from some offshore services firms around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore entities for clients, many of them influential politicians, businesspersons and criminals, seeking to conceal their financial dealings.

The two-year collaboration has so far revealed the financial secrets of not less than 35 current and former world leaders, more than 330 public officials in more than 91 countries and territories.

Mr OBI is one of the individuals whose hidden business activities was thrown open by the project. Indeed, he has a number of secret business dealings and relationships that he has for years kept to his chest.

These are businesses he clandestinely set up and operated overseas, including in notorious tax and secrecy havens in ways that breached Nigerian laws.

When contacted with written questions and one on one interview by a set of Journalists weeks ahead of this publication, OBI admitted that he did not declare those companies and the funds and properties they hold in his asset declaration filings with the Code of Conduct Bureau (the Nigerian government agency that deals with the issues of corruption conflict of interest and abuse of office by public servants)

The former Anambra State Governor said he was unaware that the law expected him to declare assets or companies he jointly owns with his family members or anyone else.

The Pandora Papers, the biggest cross-border collaboration of Journalists in history, is an investigation into a vast amount of previously hidden offshore companies, exposing secret assets, covert deals and hidden fortunes of the super-rich – among them more than 130 billionaires – and the powerful, including more than 30 world leaders and hundreds of former and serving public officials across the world.

The confidential documents also feature a global cast of fugitives, convicts, celebrities, football stars and others, including judges, tax officials, spy chiefs and mayors.

The leaked records came from 14 offshore services firms from around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore nooks for clients like Mr OBI, who seek to shroud their financial activities, often suspicious, in secrecy.

Stay with Brave Views as we now bring you break down of the activities of Mr. PETER OBI in our next publication.