‘Missing’ $20bn oil money: I have nothing to hide, Jonathan tells Buhari

President Goodluck Jonathan on
Monday said his administration had
nothing to hide in respect of the
claim by a former Central Bank of
Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi,
that $20bn oil money was not
remitted to the Federation Account
by the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation.
To prove this, he said he had
directed that the full report by
PriceWaterHouse which was
commissioned to carry out a
detailed investigation into the
activities of the NNPC be made
public immediately.
Jonathan, in a statement in Abuja by
his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Reuben Abati, also
described the allegation by the All
Progressives Congress that his
officials were embarking on last
minute illegal actions as
“unfortunate and uncharitable.”
Buhari had while receiving an APC
delegation from Adamawa State on
Sunday, expressed surprise that
instead of probing the allegation
by Sanusi ,who is now the Emir of
Kano, the Jonathan-led Peoples
Democratic Party administration
chose to fire him.
He stated that since Sanusi’s claim
was documented, his
administration would take a look at
it after the May 29 handover date.
Buhari said, “On the issue of
corruption, I heard that some
people have started returning
money. I will not believe it until I
see for myself.
“You all remember what the Emir of
Kano talked about when he was the
governor of the CBN. He said $20bn,
not N20bn, was unaccounted for;
they said it was a lie. Instead of
investigating it, they sacked him.
And God in his infinite mercy made
him the Emir of Kano. In any case,
that is what he wanted. And since
this was documented, our
administration will take a look at
it.”
Sanusi had written a letter to
Jonathan that $49bn was not
remitted to the Federation Account
by the NNPC.
But following the controversy
which the letter generated, a
committee was set up to reconcile
the account.
Sanusi later recanted and said the
unremitted fund was $12bn. He
later changed the figure to $20bn.
But Abati, in his statement, said
Jonathan was concerned by the
continuing suggestions that his
administration had anything to
hide on the allegation.
The statement read in part,
“President Jonathan is also deeply
concerned by the continuing
suggestions that his administration
still has anything to hide about the
unproven allegation that about
$20bn is unaccounted for by the
NNPC during his tenure.
“To lay the matter to rest, President
Jonathan in line with Section 7(2) of
the NNPC Act, has directed that the
full report of the PWC Forensic Audit
of the NNPC accounts be released
immediately to the public so that
all Nigerians will be properly
informed on the matter.”
When journalists asked Abati why
Jonathan had to wait until Buhari
said he would look into Sanusi’s
allegation before making the audit
report public, he said he did not
know the circumstances in which
the President gave the directive.
He said all he knew was that the
issue had been in the public
domain for a long time and that
there was the need to lay it to rest.
Abati gave assurance that Jonathan
would continue to do his best to
ensure a smooth handover to the
President-elect but regretted what
he called the unfairness and
combative frame of mind reflected
in a recent statement by the APC’s
spokesman, Lai Mohammed.
He said that as the APC’s spokesman
threatened in his statement, the
incoming administration would be
perfectly within its rights to review
all actions of the present
government as it might deem fit.
Abati added that there was
nothing wrong with that because
the Jonathan government also
reviewed the actions of previous
governments on assumption of
office with resultant benefits for
policy and project implementation.
Abati’s statement explained, “We
have noted with concern, the
allegation by the spokesman for
the APC, Alhaji Mohammed, that
officials of the Federal Government
are engaged in ‘last-minute looting
of the nation’s resources, rushed
privatisation of key institutions and
hurried recruitment into the public
service’.
“We also consider as most
unfortunate and uncharitable, the
suggestion by Alhaji Mohammed
that the Jonathan administration is
trying to “tie the hands” of the
incoming government merely by
continuing to discharge its
constitutional responsibilities until
the end of its tenure.
“The Jonathan administration
which continues to do its best to
ensure a smooth and peaceful
handover of power to the
President-elect deeply regrets the
unfairness and combative frame of
mind reflected in Alhaji
Mohammed’s statement.
“President Jonathan has done his
best in the past five years to
discharge his constitutional
responsibilities for good
governance and effective
leadership of the nation.
“Without any prejudice whatsoever
to the freedom of the incoming
administration to do as it pleases,
within the confines of extant laws
when it assumes office, the
Jonathan Administration will
continue to discharge its
responsibility to govern until May
29, 2015.
“In continuing to fulfil the
obligations of his office however,
President Jonathan has not, and
will never condone any form of
unscrupulous conduct on the part
of state officials.
“President Jonathan will also never
authorise any attempt to create any
problems for the incoming
administration as the APC
spokesperson, who ought to know
that the outcome of the March 28
presidential election does not
imply a cessation of governance,
unjustly alleges.
“As Alhaji Mohammed threatened in
his statement, the incoming
administration will be perfectly
within its rights to review all
actions of the present government
as it may deem fit.
“We see nothing wrong with that.
After all, the present administration
reviewed the actions of previous
governments on assumption of
office with resultant benefits for
policy and project
implementation.”

PDP N trouble jona in mess asiri tu po

I am seeing this nation is in great danger in the hands of our leaders.be it APC OR PDP' please my people let us continue to pray for our beloved nation

lisonic wrote:

I am seeing this nation is in great danger in the hands of our leaders.be it APC OR PDP' please my people let us continue to pray for our beloved nation

Lolz! U beta pray 4 ur famliy, 9ja on fire already

ancl wrote:

PDP N trouble jona in mess asiri tu po

wot concern u

is too late 4 u to prove kindness@jonah