The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has called for the resignation of the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, from the federal cabinet. CNPP accused the minister of deceiving President Goodluck Jonathan. In a statement by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, Monday, in Abuja, CNPP said that their request followed a statement made by the president during Sunday’s televised media chat. The statement quoted Mr. Jonathan as saying Ms. Okonjo-Iweala had presented a World Bank Report which placed corruption in the third or fourth position, after access to fund and infrastructure, on a list of key factors undermining Nigeria’s development. “It is the considered view of (CNPP) that infrastructure deficit and poor access to fund are bye-products of the monumental corruption going on in the country,” Mr. Okechukwu said He challenged the Finance Minister to publish the said World Bank Report and asked for her resignation. “We now know how inchoate and anti- people economic policy dished out by the two time Minister of Finance led to the failure and poor performance of ex- president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo regime and currently President Jonathan.” Mr. Okechukwu said it was trite economic law, considering the type of monumental corruption going on in the land for the past decade in the midst of unprecedented oil and gas revenue, that gross infrastructural deficit, capital flight and poor access to fund would be its ultimate outcome. “CNPP is appalled that the Minister and others of her ilk exploit the kindness and gullible trust of Mr. President to fleece and milk our dear country dry; otherwise, if not for corruption, what is the economic sense for a country to spend over $7 billion (N1.1 trillion) annually for importation of refined petroleum products rather than building new refineries? Alhaji Aliko Dangote has shown that $3 billion (N484 billion) can build 400,000 barrels per day capacity refinery under three years,” he said. What corruption has done Mr. Okechukwu pointed out that if not for corruption, major road projects such as the Agege-Ota-Abeokuta, Lokoja-Abuja, Lokoja- Benin,Lagos-Benin, Lagos-Ibadan, Gombe- Maiduguri, Maiduguri-Kano, East-West, Port Harcourt-Enugu and Enugu-Onitsha express roads may have been completed. He said all the projects were budgeted for year in and year out and government in its wisdom budgeted below prevailing market rate of oil price yet, they remain uncompleted. He added that due to corruption and despite spending about $16 billion (N2.5 trillion) on the power sector, the Federal Government had failed to provide adequate power supply in the country. He also noted that about 75% cost of Zungeru Power project was based on loan, thanks to corruption. “These examples of how corruption created gross infrastructure deficit, led to capital flight, devalued the naira, poor access to fund, high interest rate, crippled social services, ASUU strike and Boko Haram are legion and uncountable,” he said “Ms. Okonjo-Iweala should resign forthwith, for deceiving President Jonathan, into believing that corruption is not the greatest of the cancers afflicting our dear country, which must be stridently exorcised if we are to advance.”
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 19:06:07 +0000
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