NNPCS MISSING $10bn MAY HAVE GONE TO BOKO HARAM – Balarabe Musa September 14, 2014 | Author: NATHANIEL AKHIGBE Former Kaduna State Governor and current Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Balarabe Musa, has alleged that, at least, $10 billion unaccounted missing money between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under former governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi may have been Federal Government’s contribution to the dreaded Islamic sect Boko Haram; calling on the National Assembly to urgently institute a panel of enquiry to expose the local political financiers of the sect as recently alleged by Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davis. Musa, who was enraged by President Goodluck Jonathan’s poses in photograph in Chad with Ali Modu Sheriff, an alleged Boko Haram financier, said Sanusi should be investigated because there was need for Nigerians to find out the truth about his alleged involvement in the transfer of funds to Boko Haram’s agent allegedly based in Egypt. President Jonathan had met his Chadian counterpart, Idris Derby on Monday, September 8 in the country’s capital, Ndjamena, in the company of Sheriff, an appearance that sparked outrage on the social media, with many calling the Nigerian President a lead sponsor of the Islamic sect. Balarabe Musa said: “Remember that the former CBN governor made a weighty allegation about the missing $40 billion that was reduced to $20 billion. The NNPC denied it and later, the President himself after he suspended Sanusi also agreed that $10 billion was not accounted for. Now, in that case, both the allegation against Sanusi and the miss-handling of Sanusi’s letter by the President should be included in the investigation. That amount maybe part of the money made available to Boko Haram by the government. The whole thing should be investigated. Nobody should be left out of the investigation because that is the only way we can know the truth; and that makes the government incapable to conduct the investigation. It must be an independent body.” According to him, “there was no need for any international criminal investigative body to be invited into the country’s internal affairs since the National Assembly could serve as an independent body to do a thorough investigation, arguing that Nigeria was not a banana republic where foreign countries could be called to interfere.” “Do you think the Chinese and the Americans would allow foreign countries to investigate their affairs? Not everyone in Nigeria and those in the National Assembly in particular is a Boko Haram sympathiser. Even though we are polarised at the moment, we must find someone who we can trust at home. We cannot trust the executive and judiciary to do it; we should allow the NASS to do it. As bad as they maybe the NASS are the ones directly representing Nigerians. It is more difficult to manipulate the NASS because they are people with different interest,” he said. The former governor of old Kaduna State insisted that the best thing to have was a judicial enquiry; an enquiry with power to investigate the allegation against Ali Modu Sheriff, Azubuike Ihejirika and Sanusi Lamido Sanisi so that Nigerians can know the truth about Boko Haram and who are indeed behind them. He urged Nigerians not to allow any executive investigative enquiry constituted by the Federal Government because the FG was under suspicion due to the body language of the President; even though under normal circumstance, that was its responsibility. Balarabe Musa, who is also the national chairman of the Peoples’ Redemption Party (PRP) said President Jonathan’s tolerance of Sheriff who at the moment is ‘credibly’ accused of having a relationship with Boko Haram and being a major financier of the sect, and that, in spite of the seriousness of the allegation the President was forbearing him to the extent of travelling along with him; gave the impression that they are conspiring to hide the truth about Boko Haram’s funding. “The President and Sheriff are probably collaborating to hide the truth about Boko Haram. President Jonathan is giving Sheriff the strength to feel that they are together and that they will stand with each other. This is the impression I have; and definitely it is a reasonable impression. “This is not the first time the president is flirting with those under investigation. You remember how the President appeared in a group photograph with the erstwhile Aviation minister, Stella Oduah, in Israel when she was accused of squandering the nation’s resources on bullet-proof cars. The President gave the impression that he was supporting the minister. Nigerians were shocked and surprised that a minster under serious allegation bordering on corruption and gross misconduct, did not consider it moral to avoid taking the minister on an oversee tour or associating with her. So, the continuation of misconduct, even if it did not amount to conspiracy, it is an impeachable offence,” he said. He further said that Nigeria has got to the point where even when there is no democratic way of changing a government under current circumstance, other tools available to check excesses of government and abuse of power should be employed in order to save the country’s nascent democracy. “We certainly don’t want military coup. So, the simplest thing is impeachment. If we can’t have military coup and we don’t want impeachment, then, we will have social revolution. This unemployment, the current level of corruption- wasting and stealing of the nation’s resources, corruption in public institutions and mindlessness of political leaders call for drastic action,” he said. Musa noted that given the current situation, Nigerians expects the National Assembly to use its powers to enquire into the matter to enable Nigerians know the truth about Boko Haram and its financiers since the executive has failed to address the issue; adding that in the course of the enquiry, should the President be found to have breached the trust of the Nigerian people, the legislators should commence impeachment procedure against the President. “Either through assistance given to Boko Haram for political or whatever reasons, or being reckless is a slap on Nigerians. So, the National Assembly should arise to salvage Nigeria from the hands of terrorists,” he said. Also enraged by President Jonathan’s dalliance with the former Borno governor, popular lawyer and rights activist, Fred Agaje, told BD SUNDAY that it was unfortunate that the President was not taking the fight against insurgence serious with his “uncritical embrace” with the likes of Ali Modu Sheriff and his refusal to persecute Azubuike Ihejirika who was recently indicted by the Australian hostage negotiator; stressing that the President’s attitude was the very reason the Boko Haram Islamic sect was gaining upper hand over the military. “We cannot keep quiet and hope things will change. It is sad. An unnamed senior official of the CBN who recently left the bank was indicted by the Australian as being part of those in Boko Haram’s financial department and yet, nobody is asking question about that? If government chose not to do something about it and the Nigerian people are keeping quiet; and you journalists are not making noise about it that is where the problem starts! “The media must bring this issue to the front burner; let the public know what is happening. Things must not continue the way they are. We must keep talking. Why must government continue to behave against public opinion and against public interest? When good people keep quiet, bad people will reign supremely,” he said, alluding that the recent ‘Bring Back Jonathan’ billboard controversy was orchestrated to distract the media from the real issue. “The current people benefiting from democracy are not even the people who fought for it; they were not in the reckoning. Where were they when we were fighting for democracy? It was people like us that took all the risks! They don’t know how democracy came into being in Nigeria. They are only there for their own stomach infrastructure. As far as they are concerned, democracy can be destroyed overnight. But they don’t know if democracy is destroyed today, they would be the first casualties,” he said. Godwin Emefiele’s CBN is also yet to issue any official statement on the allegation that the alleged official who handles money sent to Boko Haram by yet-to-be identified Nigerian politicians, currently works in the apex bank’s operations department. Efforts to reach CBN’s Corporate Affairs Head, Ibrahim Muazu was unfruitful as he had yet to return several calls or reply text message sent to his phone as at the time of this report. Reuben Abati, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, did not take his calls when attempts were made at reaching him on his cell phone to hear the position of the presidency on Musa’s views. But Abati had, last Thursday denied that President Jonathan travelled with Sheriff, for a meeting with the Chadian President. In a statement, Abati insisted that the extent of Sheriff’s participation in Jonathan’s mission to Chad, was limited to his being part of Nigerians who welcomed the President to the foreign land. BUSINESSDAY ONLINE/NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 21:31:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015