The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, insisted Friday that former president Goodluck Jonathan and his erstwhile Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala, have a case to answer on the whereabouts of the monies withdrawn from the $1 billion saved under the Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Oshiomole, who has made a reputation for his trenchant attacks on former President Goodluck Jonathan and the cabinet members in his defunct administration, pooh-poohed the defence put up by the former minister of Finance , Dr. Okonjo Iweala, on how the $700 million withdrawn from the account as spurious.
The Edo governor, who is chairman, National Economic Council Adhoc committee on the management of excess crude and related federation account issues spoke to the State House Correspondents in Abuja after a private meeting with Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa on Thursday night.
According to him, the defence put up by the former minister that the money was used to finance the second Niger bridge and partially in Kaduna-Abuja rail is not true.
NEC, after its meeting on Thursday, reported that the subcommittee discovered that most government revenue generating agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC were reckless in their financial management under the previous administration.
Other members of the subcommittee are the Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo; Kaduna State Governor, Mallam El Rufai; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Emmanuel Udom and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode
Oshiomhole enjoined Nigerians not to see the inquiries into the financial dealings of the past government a personal vendetta against members of the past administration but a way to re-establish the culture of transparency and accountability in public office.
He threatened to publish the report from the SWF should there be any denial by those involved in the issue.
“When I reported to the media that the Sovereign Wealth people in their report told us, which I have in black and white, clearly that they have only $300 million left in the Sovereign Wealth Fund account they tried to deny it.
“We have it in black and white and I can publish it if anybody wants to deny that because it was not submitted to me secretly. It was submitted at plenary of the committee.
“And then we asked, because I knew that the fund was $1 billion, what was done with $700 million. And they said they have made some investments.
“We asked them what they invested in and they said the second Niger bridge and partially in Kaduna-Abuja rail. That is what they said and I was not alone there.
“We were about five governors and it was a full plenary. But we know that the Kaduna-Abuja rail was funded with Chinese loan, which even Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala spoke about, when they said the loan from China was not used for Lagos, she said it was for Kaduna-Abuja.’’
