Allegations of Espionage: Reps seek probe NASS clerk

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Arc. Amos Olatunde Ojo, may be in for trouble as some members of the House of Representatives want him investigated over allegations of aiding espionage through contract manipulation.

A member of the House committee on anti-corruption who disclosed this in confidence to our correspondent said they were worried about allegations leveled against the clerk by a non-governmental organisation, Equity and Transparency Development Initiative.

He said: “As members of the parliament and in fact, the committee on anti-corruption, we are concerned that such serious and sensitive allegations are preferred against the head of the National Assembly bureaucracy.”

“When we reconvene next week, we will raise this issue. The allegations are so grievous that one should not attempt to sweep them under the carpet. Part of the legislative agenda of the 9th Assembly is to expose and fight corruption and everyone working within the precinct of the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly must key into this.

“However, we are not drawing conclusion yet, but as I have said, we will push for the investigation of these allegations and whoever is found culpable, whether the CNA, the companies involved in the alleged contracts or if the NGO is found to be lying or peddle falsehood, the House needs to take actions”, he stated.

It will be recalled that a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Equity and Transparency Development Initiative, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the CNA, Arc. Amos Olatunde Ojo of allegedly abetting espionage as well as influencing award of contracts to a company which he has interest in.

The petition dated 10 January, 2021 said the clerk allegedly hijacked contracts in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department of the National Assembly from organisations that were hitherto providing the services and handed same to organisations in which he has vested interest.

The petition titled: “A petition against Arch. Amos Olatunde Ojo, Clerk to the National Assembly, and a call to investigate and prosecute him for a breach of Nigeria’s Security System by compromising the National Assembly Information Technology Network and other official infractions, through a company he has a vested interest in,” and signed by Ijewa Obioma, the group said the action further compromised the worsening security situation in the country.

The petition read: “As part of our cardinal objectives as a civil society organization, our recent search light has taken us to the National Assembly, particularly at the department of Information Technology department, where we unearthed some eye-popping underling practices, that border more in contract awards and executions, to a company a top management staff of the National Assembly, has a strong interest in, using close persons and associates.

“Unfortunately, such contract awards, we found out, have the potential to breach the security system of the country, especially by exposing some vital information bordering on National Assembly/Nigeria security network.

“Prior to Arch. Amos Olatunde Ojo taking over office as the Clerk to the National Assembly, (previously he was the Secretary, Procurement, Estate and Works), there were three Internet Service Providers providing internet services to the National Assembly.

“These companies are: Nanocom International Limited; Navadee Integrated Nigeria Limited; and NEWTECH Global Networks. They were individually awarded contracts at total sum of N207,000,000 each per annum, to run for initial two years (01/05/2019 to 30/04/2021) per company; totaling N621,000,0000 for the first two companies as mentioned above….

“On resumption of duty as the Clerk to the National Assembly, our findings revealed, Arch. Amos O. Ojo, engaged the services of two companies he has a strong interest in, namely; Sunnet Systems and Datacom Services Limited with office address at number 14, Balarabe Musa Crescent, Off Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos and NEWTECH Global Networks at Plot 90, Kwame Nkrumah Crescent, Asokoro Abuja, without due process.

“NEWTECH Global Networks was engaged to provide internet services at a sum total of N748,200,000 while Sunnet Systems & Datacom Services Limited, was engaged as ICT Consultant & Network Infrastructure manager for the National Assembly Information Technology Department, at a contract sum of N206, 937,500.00.

“Having assumed duty as the Clerk to the National Assembly, Arch. Amos O. Ojo clandestinely positioned Sunnet Systems and Datacom Services Limited, to undertake more hatchet jobs as a way of entrenching and cornering all the lucrative contracts in the ICT Department; this include witch-hunting and frustration of already established contractors, hitherto doing a marvelous work in the department.

“The most obvious of all these, as mentioned above, is the task of concluding all auditing process as started when he, (Arch. Amos O. Ojo) was Secretary, Procurement, Estate and Works. This task was essentially trusted on the hands of the newly engaged Sunnet Systems and Datacom Services Limited which was primarily engaged to audit the ICT Department.

Following a lay-down script, Sunnet Systems and Datacom Services Limited went to work. When the result of assigned duty came out, the obvious targeted companies marked for elimination, were roundly indicted.”

According to the NGO, the ‘programmed’ indictment resulted in the dismissal of companies that were providing the services, except the third Internet Service Provider, NewTech Global Network,” a company, we found out, Arch. Amos O. Ojo brought into the National Assembly, for the purpose of collapsing the services of the other two ISP companies.”

The CSO accused Ojo of using his office to merge the services hitherto rendered by the two ISP companies to that of NEWTECH Global Network, saying the move, made the new contract sum awarded to the company to rise to N750 million as against N621 million as previously awarded to the three companies combined.

On the alleged security breach, the group said: “It was discovered that there was no basis to discontinue the contract awarded to Helios Nigeria Limited. However, the National Assembly management was made to disengage their services based on the advice of the auditor, Sunnet System and Data Services Limited.

“But when Helios Nigeria Limited was invited through a letter marked NASS/3154/ICT/IV, dated 13th November 2020 (please see document 111) to handover, it was discovered by the ICT department and the new ICT consultants/Network maintenance Company, Sunnet Systems and Data Services Limited; that the whole Enterprise network Infrastructure of the National Assembly had been compromised, and nobody could access the ICT Infrastructure.

“We learnt that when Helios Nigeria Limited was confronted on the issue, during a meeting, it however, denied any wrong doing. This made the new Auditor/Consultant, Sunnet Systems and Data Services Limited to allege that Helios Nigeria Limited had been transmitting information, secretly though, from the National Assembly to the home country of Mr Joseph Quaye (Ghanaian), who is the Chief Operating Officer of Helios Nigeria Limited.

“We however learnt that based on this weighty allegation coming from Sunnet Systems and Data Services Limited, Mr. Joseph Quaye left the meeting in anger without proper handing over.

“This action, therefore, prompted the ICT department to formerly write and reported the incident to the NASS management. Based on the written report, the NASS management led by the Clerk Arch. Amos Ojo, invited the Directorate of State Services (DSS).

“The invitation of DSS, made it possible for the Clerk to post some senior staff of IT department to other departments; this was done to achieve his long aim and objective in which he brought in Sunnet Systems and Data Services Limited in the first place; to take over all contract jobs emanating from IT department.

“It will interest the respected anti-corruption agency to know that neither Mr. Joseph Quaye, the man behind Helios Nigeria Limited or his company, whom the Sunnet Systems and Data Services Limited indicted and labeled as committing espionage because of the way he was accused of fretting sensitive information in the National Assembly and Nigeria in general to his home country, Ghana, was neither arrested, detained or prosecuted, for lack of any forensic evidence against him.”

The group urged the ICPC to intervene and ensure that sensitive security information is not compromised by persons that have hijacked the IT infrastructure of NASS for sinister purposes that may be geared towards sabotaging the 2023 general elections. (Daily Independent)