Dissatisfied with the way and manner
that the Central Bank of Nigeria's Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has
raised a number of sensational allegations of financial heist against the
Nigeria's National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] which has so far been
discredited by the officials of the NNPC, a civil society group with
pro-transparency tendency-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA]
has canvassed judicial interpretation relating to constitutional question of
whether the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] is statutorily
entitled to deduct foreign derived revenue from source before making payment to
the Federation Account of Nigeria.
HURIWA is of the conviction that
judicial process is best suited for this kind of very sensitive matter to
protect the nation's fragile economy from suffering the consequences of loss of
confidence by foreign direct investors and other industrialists just as the
group said the financial health of Nigeria is of the highest essence that must
be protected by all and sundry and especially government officials that hold
very sensitive financial positions.
In a statement by the National
Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Director of Media Miss.
Zainab Yusuf, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] affirmed
that in as much as whistle blowing is internationally acclaimed as the most
effective and potent tool against corruption, economic crimes and the best
measure to protect and promote the principle and practice of transparency,
accountability and zero-tolerance to official, public and private corrupt
practices, it said the 'politically suspicious' manner and the wrong timing of
these deluge of allegations of sleaze and financial malpractices made by the
CBN governor on the eve of his departure from office amidst speculations of his
'association' with political opposition elements belonging to the newly
registered All Progressives Congress makes it imperative that a judicial
decision be sought by the hierarchy of the Nigeria's Central Bank to put to
rest once and for all the controversy regarding the administration of funds
that ought to be remitted to Nigeria's Federation account by the Federal
Ministry of Petroleum and the NNPC. HURIWA said that the federal ministry of
Finance has also not helped matter by behaving as if the interest of the
political masters was important than national interest in all of these spate of
controversies over a range of 'missing' monies.
Specifically, The CBN Governor, who
on Tuesday raised the allegation of another missing $20 billion against the
NNPC when he appeared before the National Assembly's committee probing the
nation's crude oil sector, defended himself by saying that he never raised the
allegation to tarnish anyone's public image but that he did that in the best
interest of the country's economy. Sanusi had earlier accused NNPC of stealing
$49 billion but later admitted mathematical miscalculation in his allegation
and amended it to $12 billion just before he raised another kind of criminal
allegation concerning the financial malpractices noticed with the
administration of the kerosene subsidy by the NNPC's officials which he puts at
$20 billion as money stolen or diverted.
But, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [HURIWA] advised the CBN governor to proceed to the
court of competent jurisdiction with facts and figures to obtain an
authoritative judicial pronouncement in order to put to bed the allegations
that the nation's managers of our crude oil resources have embarked on
unrelenting bonanza of theft of public fund, unending vicious circle of
misappropriation and diversion of huge foreign revenue that ought to be
remitted to Nigeria's Federation Account. HURIWA stated that as the nation's
most preeminent bank chief, the Central Bank Governor was in the best position
to be in the know regarding the various transactions that go on at the highest
levels of government but the group insisted that apart from presenting those
damning evidence before the political and public arena, the Central Bank chief
should also seek judicial pronouncement for posterity and to justify his claim
that he is not on a wild goose chase and jamboree of political vendetta.
Besides, HURIWA asked the National
Assembly to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria's enabling Act to make it
imperative that the holder of the high office of the Governor of CBN is
prevented and insulated from political influences by making it mandatory
that the holder isn't allowed to venture until party politics until after
five years of exiting or quitting his appointment at the end of the
statutory tenure. The Rights group has also called for the appointment of a
thorough bred professional banker and economist of high repute from any part of
the World irrespective of the person's place of birth or nationality but with
clean forensic crime free record to head the Central Bank of Nigeria after the
exit of the current holder. HURIWA said Nigeria should borrow a leaf from the
British government that recently hired a Canadian scholar of Finance to head
the British Central Bank.
HURIWA said thus: " While we
commend the courage, and resilience of the CBN governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi in making these range of allegations, he must go a step further to file
a suit at the appropriate and best competent court of law because the criminal
allegations are specifically meant to indict certain individuals in the
nation's crude oil industry so the court would be in the best position to
indict, convict and sanction appropriately any Nigerian official of the NNPC
found culpable of the series of allegations of criminal diversion of Nigeria's
foreign revenue which breaches the Appropriation Act of 2013".
6/2/2014
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