Respected businessman cum philanthropist, Captain Hosa Okunbo, has caused to be issued again a statement dissociating him from the controversial oil swap deal involving former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke.
An unverified news report currently being circulated among Whatsapp users, which listed some Nigerian businessmen as beneficiaries of the said fraud, is a rehash of a report published in 2015 by a news portal, Pointblanknews.com, which it had since retracted as Okunbo was never listed among the perpetrators.
A statement released by the media team of Captain Okunbo reads, “As widely known, Captain Okunbo is neither under any probe nor facing any litigation over oil scam. The current administration, which has made anti-corruption its mantra and made giant strides in that respect, has not found Captain Okunbo or any of his businesses questionable or culpable of any underhand dealings.
It is therefore horrifyingly unprofessional that some people, who perhaps saved the earlier report for hideous purposes apparently, have made it a habit to rehash and circulate it on a periodical basis on social media platforms especially on Whatsapp to unsuspecting contacts who in turn send it as broadcast messages.”
The statement reads further, “We, therefore, urge the public to disregard the report, which as far as we are concerned, is a product of the puerile imagination of blackmailers masquerading as bloggers, and fifth columnists who have clearly demonstrated that they have an axe to grind with the widely respected businessman.”
“It bears reiterating that Captain Okunbo has nothing to do with the controversial offshore processing agreements, OPAs, known as oil swap, involving the former Minister of Petroleum and others,” the statement concluded.
However, like a strapping rampart in life’s sea of odds, Okunbo’s resilience stretches for miles. As a businessman, Okunbo has the same fundamental psychology as the artist, inventor, or statesman. He has set himself at a certain work and the work absorbs and becomes him. It is the expression of his personality; he lives in its growth and perfection according to his plans.
There is no gainsaying that the amiable Chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions represents a force of nature on the African continent, a towering force of hope and entrepreneurial depth. Capt. Okunbo is a patriot whose commitment to national and economic stability are beyond doubt. By grit, persistence and hard work, he built a great empire that employs thousands of Nigerians and Africans in highly profitable and futuristic endeavour.
