This is an interview granted to African Daily News by Abdullahi Mahmood a former staff Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL).
-Please can you tell us about yourself and the period your worked with Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL)?
My name is Abudullahi Mahmood, I was the pioneer Business Development Manager of Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL).
As the Head, Business Development Department, I was instrumental to establishment and operation of almost all the businesses of the company.
I was in charge of marketing and sales of the Asokoro Hills estate, we generated over a billion naira for the company. I can boastfully say that 90% of the people who subscribed and paid for the houses agreed to do so because of how i convinced them, i put my integrity into line for the company, but the company ended up in using the funds for something else and till date none of the subscribers have being issued a house or property in the estate.
My department also facilitated the establishment and operations of the NAPL travels, we facilitated all the necessary permits and licenses required. NAPL travels was never allocated with a start up capital for operation, but because we wanted the company to succeed, i personally went out of my way to outsource for funds that was used to kick start the operations of NAPL travels and tours. I still have some balance of my money in in the company that is yet to be refunded to me deliberately by the current Management.
Within the first 6 months of operation, the performance of my team led to the Special Award of Recognition on Tourism, given to the Chief of Army Staff by the Nigerian Tourism Industry. Between November 2019 to August 2021, we made a sales of about N30,000,000 for NAPL. This sales were all generated by the funds i outsourced for the company at no interest. My team and i made all this sacrifice in good faith for the growth of NAPL TRAVELS. But after i resigned from the company, the business crashed within 2 months. The current management is now claiming and blaming me for their inefficiency and in ability to manage the business.
During the covid 19 lock down, i personally initiated and facilitated a partnership deal between NAPL and NIPOST for the distribution of Federal Government nationwide palliatives. We successfully executed the distribution of the Federal government palliatives across the country. This also led to a commendation to the Chief of Army Staff from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs for playing a major role in the nationwide distribution of Federal Government palliatives.
The only business establishment of NAPL that was not successful under my watch was the Mining. This is because the process of obtaining the license was not supervised by me but by the Human Resource Manager. It was not successful because the consultants who acquired the license in favor of NAPL, could not continue with operation due to frustration from the HR Manager, because he requested for a kick back of N300,000 from the consultants and when they refused to give him, he frustrated the process. The consultants are still alive, they can testify to this and since they were the ones who acquired the license, nothing can be done without them hence why the mining business was abandoned.
This is one out many issues in the company that a lot of people don’t know, but they are ignorantly blaming Major Gen UM Mohammed for everything.
The NAPL concrete factory was my initiative. When i proposed the idea to the management, it was approved. I was asked to submit a proposal, at first, i submitted a budget of N5,000,000. The then Deputy Managing Director, Brig Gen Doma, rejected and said i should make it N20,000,000. He gave me all the figures to put, prices for Machine, Generator, and others. He also asked me to work with a particular engineer for the construction, which i did. Gen Doma supervised the whole process while i executed it, but today some mischievous people are going about trying to slander my name saying i embezzled the funds used for the factory, i still have all records of expenditure used for the establishment of the factory.
In 2020 during the covid, NAPL had no money to pay salaries, because the only major source of income was affected by the lock down. NAPL concrete factory was the only existing business and proceeds from the factory was used to pay salaries of staff. In June 2021 the company was forcefully seized from me by some military officers who said they could do a better job than me but ended up abandoning the factory due to mismanagement.
-We learnt that you have recently dragged NAPL to court, what happen between you and the company?
Well, any one who worked and served in NAPL between 2015 to 2021 knows the kind of effort and level of productivity i put in to the growth of the company.
I have many cases to drag the company to court, but the first one for now is the issue of my entitlements, which they have deliberately refused to pay me.
I will not say much, but i have confidence in the court process and i am optimistic that i will get justice and weather they like it or not my hard earned sweat will be paid to me in due time.
-We were told by some staff of NAPL that the management reported a petition against you to the Inspector General of Police. How true is that?
It is very true. On the 23rd of November, 2021 a petition signed by one Isah Doma was reported against my person on “Alleged Criminal Misappropriation and Continuous Illegal Dealings with Classified Information Belonging to NAPL”.
After series of investigation i was Exonerated and they were Disgraced. The Legal Officer a Serving Military officer was even chased out of the station because of his lies, bitterness and persistence to implicate or find me wanting by all means. As we speak i have a copy of the final police report, were it was stated that the case reported by NAPL had no substantial evidence and lacked merit.
It was so surprising how the Group Managing Director of a company will lie just to implicate a former staff. The highlight of the case was that i ran away with a computer system belonging to NAPL, meanwhile when i resigned i handed over the system to my deputy and insisted that the deputy must ensure the GMD and HR saw the system and she did just that but these people still went ahead to lie to the police that i ran away with the company laptop. But to God be the Glory my deputy testified in a written statement that i handed it over to her and both the GMD and HR were all aware because she showed them. Another allegation was the issue of N2.9m which was claimed that i went away with. I presented documented evidence of how the funds were utilized. Infact, as we speak today out of the money released for the the GMD, HR and others are the ones yet to refund the DTA allowances given to them, because they did not travel and ideally they are to refund it. This is just one out many incorrupt practices taken place in the company.
There was also issue of alleging that the company licenses were in my possession, which was a big lie and they know but they just wanted to find a way to implicate, slander, and defame my character.
In total the report had about 11 allegations but to God be the glory i had evidence to counter all the lies and this is why i was completely exonerated by the police.
When they were not satisfied with the civil police, they still took me to the Military police and after the MP listening to my side of the story, one of the officer even said i deserved an apology. The MP were so professional and fair to the case.
-What are you soliciting for now?
First and foremost, since the August 31st, 2021 when i resigned, i moved on with my life. I left everything about NAPL behind me to pursue a new phase of life but this people keep dragging me back. They are still going about making false allegations about me, slandering and defaming my character. Few month ago they published a Disclaimer with my name and picture on the dailies, this is another case that we will sort out in court.
Since i left the company i have only acted in good faith. I never for once used the name of the company for anything. Instead, if anyone calls me regarding the company i always refer them to my former colleagues. On so many occasions, people have called me for flight tickets and i have referred them to my colleagues, which means even after my resignation i was still helping the company in making sales.
Secondly, my entitlements which i am already in court to seek justice.
-What do you think could be the reason why you and the current management are in lock heads?
You see, there are a lot of impurities that have happened in the company that for the sake of sanity and confidentiality, some of us have chosen to remain silent.
The majority shareholder of NAPL are trying to solve the issues of the company, but unfortunately they have been mislead by the problem of the company itself and until they can get to the root of the main problem, NAPL will continue to be in crisis.
My major problem with the current management is because i refused to join them to witch hunt Major General UM Mohammed. The GMD actually sat me down and spoke to me for hours convincing and trying to turn me against Maj Gen Mohammed but when he finished i told him i will rather walk away than betray a man who has not offended me.
And the reason why i stood my ground was because as someone who was deep rooted in the affairs and politics of the company i knew fully well that it was all a personal vendetta and i could not jump into it. The GMD has some personal grudges against General Mohammed, he personally told me that some informed that Major General Mohammed was responsible for his name to appear on promotion list during the 2020 promotion board, he said so many things and since it was clear to me that it was not about NAPL but about personal grudges i decided not to support him in his fight to investigation and prosecution.
So since when i rejected the offer, i was sidelined, victimized and marked as someone not to be trusted, and to do my self good i actually walked away by resigning.
Some of my other colleagues who also stood by my principle were sacked while those who accepted the offer were promoted with gifts and bogus salaries of N700,000 to N1,000,000 monthly including productivity allowance.
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