The trial of Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, continued on Wednesday with him giving evidence-in-chief.
Led in evidence by his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, the defendant said it is not the first time that such service will be rendered to the Federal Government that in 1994, after his initiative was adopted by the then Head of State, late General Sani Abacha, General Abdulsalam Abubakar and spanning through Olusegun Obasanjo to Musa Yar’adua, the then Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, recommended that such initiative should be handled by the office of the National Security Adviser.
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In 2014, the President Goodluck Jonathan administration also saw a need for media campaign to correct the image of the country in the wake of insurgency in the country and Dokpesi was again contacted by the then Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and a short extract was presented for a media campaign to rectify the image of the country and not a political campaign as rumoured.
The Nigeria image campaign was taken to the BBC and other international media organisations including local media organisations and he was surprised to have heard that he made payment in excess of N650m.
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On the issue of lavishing money on hotels, Dokpesi said during the media campaign, a total of 774 persons selected from each local government in Nigeria were accommodated at Top Rank Hotel and other places and they were taken through the initiative.
He also emphasised that during the media campaign in 2014, some persons who are presently in power, were criticised and that is what has led him to court.
Ozekhome sought for an adjournment till Friday on the ground that several applications have been made to some government agencies to avail him certified true copies of some documents to buttress his case.
In opposition, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob, said no sufficient reason was given for the adjournment and if such documents were important, the custodian of the documents can be subpoenaed.
He, therefore, urged the court to refuse the application.
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But Ozekhome was quick to say that the prosecution took four years to conclude their case and he sees no reason why an adjournment to secure documents in few days for his defence will be an issue in a defence that started a few weeks ago.
Justice John Tsoho, therefore, adjourned till May 14, to enable the defendant have access to certified true copy of the documents he needs in his defence.
Dokpesi was arraigned alongside DAAR Investment and Holdings Ltd. They were alleged to have received the sum of N2.1b from the office of the National Security Adviser between October 2014 and March 2015, which was said to have been used for the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
