The Senate
committee on Public Account yesterday announced the uncovering of $100 million
allegedly spent on four airport terminals.The former Minister of Finance and
Coordinator of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, was claimed to have obtained
the loan.
According to
the committee, the credit was expended without the approval of former President
Goodluck Jonathan.The airport terminals are those in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Kano
and Abuja.This revelation followed an investigative hearing organised by the
committee to ascertain the $650 million balance of Eurobond with the
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Also
included is that of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), with
Debt Management Office (DMO) and the Aviation Ministry in Abuja.The Chairman of
the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, representing Edo South, affirmed that
the then minster and the DMO boss, acted without due process.He alleged that
they: “made payments to chains of company and the letter on page 12 signed by
one Haruna Mohammed only indicated that, the ministry had written to the
president informing him on how the money would be spent.
“What the
minister considered to be an approval was not so. The letter that was submitted
was for the issue of meter and based even on the $100 million.”Urhoghide added
that the committee discovered that the former president only noted the letter,
which the ministry took to be an approval from him.He said the minister never
asked the former president for an approval, but the DMO boss acted on the
letter as directed.
In her
reaction, the DMO Director General, Patience Oniha said: “Some high level
discussions took place that made the ministry to take the decision.She added
that Okonjo-Iweala knew about the letter by Mohammed.
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