NGO urges FG to set up neutral body

chika ebuzor

July 9, 2015 4:06 AM

Our fear is that the exercise, if not properly handled, might not yield the expected result.

NNPC Probe.

Voice of Arewa Youth (VAY), has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a neutral body to probe the alleged claim that the NNPC withholds N3.8 trillion of the N8.1trillion generated in three years.

The Coordinator of the NGO, Mallam Bello Khalifa gave the advice on Wednesday in Abuja at a news conference.

The National Economic Council (NEC) had set up a committee comprising Gombe, Edo, Akwa-Ibom and Kaduna state governors to scrutinise the accounts of NNPC and Excess Crude Account (ECA).

The probe is meant to unravel N3.8 trillion not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC between May 2012 and May 2015.

The probe is also to unravel the 2.1 billion dollars alleged to have been deducted from the ECA without approval.

"Our fear is that the exercise, if not properly handled, might not yield the expected result. This is evidenced in the suspicion that exists between the members of the present executive and the previous one. I urge Mr President to reconsider the team he had chosen so that the result will be acceptable to all when it comes out," he said.

Khalifa however appealed to the president to keep to his words "that his government will not witch-hunt members of the past government.’’

You will recall that the whole NNPC brouhaha started when Fmr. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said $20b was unaccounted for.

chika ebuzor