- MT Mbu, a former minister of foreign affairs has disclosed, in his autobiography, how the federal government spent £18m refurbishing a ship he had purchased on behalf of the country, for £2.8m
- £6.5m had been approved for the flagship; but Mbu was able to save the nation the sum of £3.7m, as he managed to purchase the vessel for £2.8m
- The deceased ex-minister also criticized the former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, for the Tinapa project
Matthew Mbu, Nigeria’s former minister of foreign affairs, has narrated how a ship he purchased on behalf of the country for £2.8m was refurbished by the federal government, for £18m, Punch reports.
Mbu, who died on February 6, 2012, narrated the event in his autobiography. He left the manuscript, which was published in his honour, by his family.
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NAIJ.com notes that in the book titled, Mbu: Dignity in Service, the former minister stated that after purchasing the ship for £2.8m, he was surprised when the vessel was sent for refitting to the tune of £18m by officials at the Ministry of Defence, shortly after he left office.
Mbu noted that the sum of £6.5m was approved for the flagship by the minister of defence at the time, Alhaji Muhammad Ribadu, but that he (Mbu) was able to save the nation £3.7m, as he managed to purchase the vessel for the Nigerian Navy for £2.8m. According to the former minister, he fought corruption by serving with dignity.
Furthermore, he also disclosed that a gift of two ships was presented to Nigeria by the then Netherlands minister of defence, Piet de Jong, who was his friend. Piet de Jong had presented the vessels as his contribution to the Nigerian Navy.
Mbu’s son, Matthew Mbu Jr, told journalists: “MT Mbu did not only come back with a flagship befitting the NN for £2.8m and saved £3.7m, but had a deal to pay back the £2.8m in 10 years interest-free.
“The story of Mbu tells us how to stop kickback and start kicking forward. Unfortunately, and it was a sad moment for Mbu, when he left the ministry and one of those ships was sent for refitting at the cost of £18m.”
In the book, the late minister also criticized the former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, for the Tinapa project, which he described as ‘non-viable’.
He queried: “Politically, it was myopic at conception; why should the resources of a state be frozen for decades? What about the cost of maintaining a non-viable project?”
Mbu Jr disclosed that his father’s autobiography would be launched posthumously on April 10, 2018 at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that MT Mbu disclosed in his autobiography, that ex-presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan failed in office because they did not prepare for the presidency.
Mbu also stated that Jonathan could not tackle corruption and became myopic with Ijaw agenda. He also lamented over the fact that former Rivers state governor Peter Odili, who was ready to lead the nation in 2007, lost to the “antics of a mischievous individual”.
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Source: Naija.ng