– Asked to account for N26.5bn allocation
Ike Amos
Dublin, Ireland — In a petition to the Federal Government, one of the contractors of the Presidential Amnesty Program, PAP, Mr. Andrew Pinneh has questioned the rationale behind the appointment of Major General Barry Ndiomu (retd) to head the Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft and Losses in Nigeria, despite the weighty allegations of corrupt enrichment hanging over him.
While noting that Ndiomu’s place as chairman taints the integrity of the panel, he urged the retired Major General to account for the spending of the N26.4 billion allocated to the programme between September and December 2022, following series of allegations of corruption, embezzlement and fraud against him.
Pinneh, also called on the various anti-graft agencies — the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) — to investigate the allegations against Ndiomu, while he also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to institute a panel of investigation or a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into these financial allegations levelled against the PAP’s boss.
He said: “I will once again call on the anti-graft agencies – EFCC, ICPC and or NFIU to investigate these allegations, especially as it borders on financial crime and money laundering. It was reported that the misappropriated funds were initially credited into the accounts of individual staff in Accounts and Audit departments, then the syndicate gave clear instructions on who and how the funds were transferred to a third-party account – bureau de change (BDC), probably changed into foreign currencies.
“The three anti-graft agencies mentioned above all have a ‘Banking Investigation Department’ that is saddled with this simple and straightforward investigation. What it will reveal is the transaction data from GIFMIS platform into the culpable officials’ personal bank accounts and to the BDC operators.
“Then fraudulent indicators are established. If then nothing is done, then no foreign government should take Nigeria’s fight against corruption seriously. A lot of people claim they want to change Nigeria, but only a few people want to change themselves.
“I am using this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), to institute a panel of investigation or a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into these financial allegations levelled against one of his appointees: Major Gen. Ndiomu (retd), and he must be suspended alongside all the names mentioned in the corruption allegations, to allow for a proper investigation, without tampering with
evidence.
“A country like Nigeria, who is borrowing to finance her budget should not take such allegations lightly or sweep them under the carpet.”
Pinneh further advised Ndiomu to focus on clearing his name and properly account for funds allocated to PAP, instead of paying “spin doctors” and unscrupulous individuals to distract and divert attention from his alleged maladministration and misappropriation of funds.
He said: “It is a clarion call to integrity, accountability, stewardship, and responsibility. It is quite unfortunate that in a country where individuals are all clamouring for a better nation, some are bent on perpetrating fraud in the little spaces, offices or positions they are given the opportunity to oversee.
“Yet we all want a better Nigeria that we are not willing to sacrifice for? No individual should be allowed this level of impunity in a country struggling to fund the national budget. Our concern should be about the metrics of the application of the funds allocated to the office in September, October, November, and December 2022, which is a total of N26.4 billion.
“Ndiomu and his paid agents should know that what is pertinent here is that the allegations of corruption and embezzlement need to be debunked, and with verifiable facts, rather than devising a smokescreen and gloss-over tactics.
“How do you explain to the International Oil Companies (IOC) that the Chair of a newly inaugurated Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft and Losses in Nigeria, is a man with questionable character with allegations of self-enrichment, embezzlements, misappropriation of public funds dogging his every step. A man who does not understand and has not demonstrated any level of probity in the administration of PAP and her finances.”
It would be recalled that few days back, Chief Olotu Owei, National Coordinator of Niger Delta Conscience, Mind and Voice for the Voiceless, had in a series of petitions and reports, also accused Ndiomu of large-scale embezzlement and fraud, while also calling for his immediate suspension, along with a number of key officers of PAP.
He stated that since his appointment as the interim administrator, Ndiomu has allegedly misappropriated, laundered, looted and or embezzled over N5 billion directly and another N2.3 billion indirectly, whilst the debt portfolio of unpaid contracts remains nearly unchanged.
He accused the PAP’s interim administrator of misappropriating over N7.3 billion in three months, through various fictitious payments, contract splitting and racketeering.
According to him, Ndiomu, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, September 15, 2022, was also alleged to have superintended over the spending of N11.4 billion on questionable expenditures, along with a number of key officers of the programme.
When contacted over the allegations, Ndiomu had directed his former special assistant on special duties Mr. Freston Akpor, to respond on his behalf.
Akpor described the claims contained in the petitions against his principal as frivolous and an attempt to blackmail the administration of General Ndiomu, adding that already, people in the know, especially former agitators in the Niger Delta, had faulted and condemned the petitions.
He said: “The claims are falsehoods couched in what looks like the truth. The petitions are of no consequence and nobody is taking it seriously. These things had been done in the past and such documents will continue to fly. We are focused on the mandate given by the President and the National Security Adviser.”
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