AIT Received N10 Billion For Damaging Documentaries

African Independent Television (AIT) owners received
N10 billion to produce and air negative
documentaries on leaders of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), a SaharaReporters investigation
shows.
Raymond Dokpesi
SaharaReporters learnt that the Minister for
Petroleum Affairs, Diezani Allison-Madueke is
bankrolling the documentary while the scripts and
voice overs are being prepared and cut with the help
of the Nigeria Television Authority and some
Nollywood production companies and working for
President Jonathan’s re-election.
As a result of the massive deal, AIT, which was in
poor financial shape that its principal owner,
Raymond Dokpesi, had decided to sell it to the banks
to which the station owed several billions of Naira, is
now back in good standing.
It has also become considerably bolder because of
the backing of Mrs. Allison-Madueke and other
powerful government officials behind the deal.
Our investigation reveals that AIT receives N5 million
each time an episode of any of the documentaries is
aired on their channels in different Nigerian markets.
Apart from the cost of producing and airing the
documentaries, SaharaReporters found that a team
of high-priced lawyers has also been mobilized with
about N3 billion to handle any legal threats that may
arise from the documentaries.
Just last week, APC chieftain Bola Tinubu sued AIT
over the documentary on him.
SaharaReporters learned that the next in the series
will focus on the Vice Presidential candidate of the
APC, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Our source, who didn’t want to reveal the content,
said the objective of that show will be to “destroy”
Prof. Osinbajo’s position as a strong moral leader in
the Christian community.
“The idea is to make the Christians who have left
Jonathan because of Osinbajo’s entry into the
Presidential race to have a rethink,” our source
stated.
“The PDP is still failing the basic mathematics,” a
political analyst told SaharaReporters.
“They can squander all of the money in the Central
Bank trying to damage the reputation of everyone in
the opposition, but how does that provide a cover for
the ineptitude and corruption of the Goodluck
Jonathan government? Does that explain why Nigeria
is far worse than they found it? That is the question
Nigerians will be answering when they go to the polls
in three weeks.”