Over 500 placard-carrying protesters on Wednesday
in Abuja stormed the Federal Ministry of Finance and demanded the immediate
resignation of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
They called for the minister’s sacking for what
they described as unfavourable economic policies of the current administration
and an alleged fraudulent payment of N2. 7bn to a firm which was allegedly not
registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
They specifically accused the minister of
allegedly paying “the fictitious company” N2.7bn subsidy claim.
The groups also alleged that the minister
breached the Appropriation law by her failure to release funds for the
implementation of capital project, a situation they said had led to less than
50 per cent budget implementation.
The protest by a whistle-blowing organisation,
Anti-Corruption Network and the Alhaji Balarabe Musa-led Conference of Nigerian
Political Parties coincided with the time the minister was attending the
Federal Executive Council meeting.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters
read, ‘Economic policies would kill us’, ‘Ngozi Okojo-Iweala is an imperialist
agent’, ‘Ngozi Okojo-Iweala must go,” “Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is our major problem’,
‘You can’t be saving money when Nigerians are suffering’, among others.
But in his response, the Permanent Secretary in
the ministry, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, urged the groups to put their
allegation in writing for onward delivery to the minister whom he said
was at the FEC meeting at the time of the protest.
He however absolved the ministry of any
wrongdoing.
Executive Secretray of ACN and former member of
the House of Representatives, Mr. Dino Melaye, alleged that the group’s finding
had revealed that a firm received payment of N2.7bn from the ministry without
registration with the CAC.
He said, “The minister must tell Nigerians who
are actual owners of Pinnacle as it is not known to Nigerian law, it is a
made-in Taiwan company.
“We are demanding the immediate resignation or
sacking of Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. I want to educate Nigerians that the
minister of finance and the Coordinating Minister of the economy released a
list of 25 companies after the submission of report by the Aig –Imoukhuede-led
presidential committee on fuel subsidy claims. Number 22 on the list of the
companies is Pinnacle Construction Nigeria Limited. Pinnacle got N2.7bn tax
payers money.
“An investigation conducted by the
Anti-Corruption Network at the CAC revealed that the company is not registered
with the commission. We are here to ask who approve the payment, who authorise
the payment of the money and the minister must tell Nigerians who are the
actual owners of the company?”
Secretary-General of CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu, condemned
the alleged corruption going on in the ministry and said, “It is either we live
as a country or we seize to exist.”
The Director of Outreach Services of the
anti-graft group, Mr. Timi Frank, said it was unfortunate for the finance
minister to be involved in frivolous payments, wondering why she was not veting
documents as required of her.
In her reaction, Okonjo-Iweala on Wednesday said
the demonstration, led byMelaye was sponsored by “indicted oil barons.”
In a statement by her Senior Special Assistant
(Communications), Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, the minister described the protest as a
deliberate attempt to force her out of office.
She said her resolve to ensure prudent management
of the country’s resources would not make her abandon her responsibilities to
Nigerians.
The statement read, “Earlier today (Wednesday), a
disreputable former member of the House of Representatives, Mr Dino Melaye,
brought a handful of demonstrators to the Federal Ministry of Finance who
conducted themselves in an unruly manner.
“We have it on good authority that Mr Melaye’s
group was sponsored by some of the indicted oil barons who are currently being
investigated and prosecuted for subsidy fraud.
“Their allegation of wrong subsidy payments made
by the ministry is a mere ruse to conceal their true motives. It is important
to note that the Federal Ministry of Finance does not pay any contractors
directly. The relevant ministries do.
“So this allegation by Mr Melaye and his group is
completely wrong and without foundation.”
She added, “The Melaye demonstration was
ostensibly to call for the resignation of the Coordinating Minister for the
Economy and Minister of Finance who is well known for fighting the fraudulent
oil barons whose names were published by the Federal Ministry of Finance for
various breaches of the subsidy regime.”
The Punch
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