Two-time minister under Nigeria’s military regimes, a professor, consultant virologist of national and international standing and a commissioner, late
Two-time minister under Nigeria’s military regimes, a professor, consultant virologist of national and international standing and a commissioner, late Tam David-West may be dead but some of the things that defined him to be who he was, can never be forgotten. On of such instances was months of harsh experience in Bama prison, Borno, for drinking a cup of tea.
Tam David-West was tried by the Babangida regime for drinking tea with the executives of a firm, which the regime claimed compromised the ex-minister of petroleum in the process. The regime made reference to a $57million contract between Nigeria and Stinness oil company, in New Jersey, United States of America.
The deal, which was made during the era of ex-President Shehu Shagari but negotiated during the Buhari military era, landed David-West in a “huge mess”. The Babangida regime accused Tam David-West of “trading off the country’s interest” for a cup of tea and wristwatch, which was linked to the proceeds of the $157 million offshore processing contract with Stinnes Oil Company. The contract, which involved exporting crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for refining and sales outside the country provided revenue for both Nigeria and the company. However, an outstanding $157 million payment came up after the Shagari government fell, which made Buhari mandate David-West to negotiate a deal.
However, in an interview, the elder statesman said the company which offered him tea was not the same as that which made an oil deal with Nigeria.
“The government mixed up the two. The company that gave me tea did not have any contract with Nigeria. How can an oil minister take as bribe a lady’s wristwatch and a cup of tea? Stupid. In fact, $157 million can buy a tea factory and wristwatch factory,” he said.
“I met the president of the company that gave me the tea and wristwatch in Geneva. The company’s president invited myself and my team for dinner. I was there with my team from Nigeria. All of us were served cups of tea. The company’s president said he wanted to have an oil contract with Nigeria. Then, I asked him to negotiate with my team so that my team would report the outcome of the discussion to me. I insisted he must come to Nigeria to open the negotiation. The company was in Geneva and Stinness was in Vienna.”
In an interview a year ago, the professor narrated how he made needed effort to recover the funds from the US oil company, but was only able to reconcile $100 million. The Babangida government subsequently charged him for $57 million corruption, which it believed David-West traded with a cup of tea and a piaget wristwatch.
“All they said about the tea and wristwatch was a fat big lie and fraud. It was tagged $57million tea and wristwatch. When Shagari’s government fell… Buhari called me for discussion on the $157million with Stinness.
“He gave me a mandate to negotiate with the company, so that we would reconcile and Nigeria would get its own share. We negotiated with the company. The company finally agreed to pay $93million or so to Nigeria as our share, after three negotiations with my team. Then, I told the MD of NNPC and other members of the team, that they should tell the company that the minister is a simple-minded professor, who likes round figures. They should make it $100million. We were surprised that the company agreed to pay the $100million, and everybody was happy. The $100million was not paid during Buhari’s era.
“In 1991, which was about five years after leaving the government, the Babangida government accused me that out of the $157 million, I accepted $100 million for Nigeria and got the remaining $57 million for myself. They said the company must have given me $57million as bribe. The government set up a tribunal, which sat many years after I had left office. In December 1990, I was summoned on a two-count charge to appear before a Special Military Tribunal. I was surprised when SSS invited me for interrogation.
“My lawyer filed a no-case submission, which the judge did not accept. They jailed me for life. Then, my lawyer, Tunde Olojo, who is now a monarch, and Peter Ige, who is now a judge, and A. Raji, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) now, told the tribunal presided over by Justice Gusau that the maximum sentence by law was 22 years for the two counts, not life imprisonment.”
The Cable
