Account for Missing $5 Billion, Says Baraje’s PDP Faction

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Sunday, November 17th, 2013

The Alhaji Baraje led faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Federal Government to account for the $5 billion which has allegedly disappeared from the nation’s Excess Crude Account (ECA).

Alh Kawu Baraje

The faction says it threw out the challenge “after a careful study of the disclosure made by the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, while declaring open the second annual retreat of the NGF on 15^th November, 2013 in Sokoto.”

According to Governor Amaechi, the Excess Crude Account stood at $9 billion last January but has shrunk to only $4 billion as at today.

The National Publicity of the faction Eze Chukwuemeka Eze stated this in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to African Examiner.

The statement further reads:

“We consider this development too weighty to be swept under the carpet in view of the stature of the person making the allegation and the realities on ground. For all intents and purposes, Gov. Amaechi is not a frivolous person and is not known for making frivolous claims.

“We told Nigerians about the poor handling of our common patrimony by this administration and sadly nobody took seriously as today, the unmistakable evidence is that Nigeria is broke as the Federal Government now finds it difficult to meet its obligations to states, local governments and contractors.

“We wish to commend the NGF Chairman for bringing this matter to the open and hereby challenge the Federal Government to come to tell Nigerians what it did with the money. We also hereby challenge the anti-graft agencies to prove their relevance by unearthing the whereabouts of this huge sum of money.

“We heartily congratulate the NGF for a successful retreat and fully support its call for transparency in the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the need to develop a National Security Framework for the country.

“That this administration is running for a price award as the most corrupt administration in the annals of governance in Nigeria is not in doubt but we urge Nigerians to heed the advice of the NGF and stop being docile in the face of monumental impunity in the country. This, in reality, is the only way to rescue Nigeria from the path of doom.”