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Abia Forensic Report: Governor Alex Otti should publish the report now
By John Okiyi Kalu
After former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s team busted the brazen lies about Abia Airport project with facts and documents, Governor Alex Otti is now making new false claims on bailout fund and Paris Club refund instead of publishing the forensic audit that allegedly found, among other things, that N10b was paid for a non existent Abia Airport project. He should bring it on because facts are still sacred.
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commisison (ICPC) and members of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) applauded Dr Ikpeazu for managing those funds transparently. There are also banking and other documentary proof on the application of the funds. Leaders of organized labour in Abia State were actually members of the committee that recommended how the funds were shared and should be ready to give evidence if called upon. The ICPC report on the use/application of the bailout funds is available to all interested Nigerian.
In Ikpeazu’s time as Governor, he was not only bold enough to announce receipts of bailout/Paris Club refund and the figures to Abia public, he also had organized labor making recommendations, and actually supervised the disbursement
Governor Alex Otti, should be compelled to publish his so called forensic audit report now, and unbiased Nigerians along with the Ikpeazu team are still insisting he does that while others compile and publish their own report on Otti’s administration, from Signature Bank through Abia Cryptocurrencies to alleged contract inflations. This is now more important and urgent because excerpts from the recently released quarterly financial report published by the Otti administration showed entries such as over N3billion naira spent on “research & development”, billions of naira collected as “security votes” and other tears inducing entries.
If Governor Alex Otti ever proves that Dr Ikpeazu paid N10bn for any airport project, I will leave all social media platforms permanently. The simple proof is to follow the money and identify where it landed with airport project or airport contractor.
On my own, I will soon publish documents available to me to prove decisively that the proposed Abia airport project was canceled by the state executive council, I was a member of, on Friday, 13th of November 2020.
Let’s entrench transparency in Abia State rather than celebrate partisan witch hunt by a Governor who obviously is seeking to use the media and international platforms to smear his predecessor.
Meanwhile, Governor Alex Otti and his government should immediately restore all the archieved financial reports published from 2016 to 2023 by the Ikpeazu administration via the state website, abiastate.gov.ng. It is fraudulent to remove the public data and I wish to call on SFTAS, Federal Ministry of Finance, anti-corruption and data management agencies in Nigeria to rise up to this occasion and ask Governor Otti and his government why those documents were removed.
It is noteworthy that the Ikpeazu administration was the first ever in Abia State to publish quarterly and annual financial reports via newspapers and the state website.
Contrary to the earlier boasts of Governor Otti’s media minions, he is yet to publish the so called forensic report by “one of the top 3 audit firms in the world” for the auditees to respond publicly after being accused publicly in faraway USA. Why is he afraid of publishing a document he made copious public reference to in faraway United States of America if he is sure of his facts?
Nigerians also deserve to see that report as well as know how much was paid from Abia State account to the “reputable” auditors that dared prepare and release an audit report without seeking any response from the auditees.
Why is it taking so long to publish a report Governor Alex Otti claimed was with him and made public reference to? When will the world learn of the companies that allegedly collected billions of tax payers money from Abia State without doing any work? Why is the Governor and his government protecting the identity of supposed fraudulent companies but hastened to accuse his predecessor?
It is crass and unacceptable to employ the resources of a state to engage in media trial of your predecessor without offering documents you have publicly cited as evidence. Bring it on Governor Alex Otti, publish the audit document or at least go back to John Hopkins University and apologize to Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.
Abians deserve to know who collected N10bn for airport and did nothing. They also deserve to know the construction companies that allegedly collected tens of billions of naira from Ikpeazu administration and did nothing. We already know that as Governor Dr Ikpeazu did not sign any cheque and have made clear that the allegation of paying N10b for Airport project is false. So we are interested in finding out if there are people in his adminstration that did what Governor Otti alleged so that such people can be punished.
If Governor Alex Otti is afraid of naming supposed criminally complicit individuals and the contracting companies that received the money why did he make public allegations to smear the image of Nigeria and Abia State before the international community? It is my view that the Presidency and NGF should consider a strong public reprimand for Governor Otti to prevent future bitter Governors from rubbishing the country’s image abroad.
It is already more than one week since Governor Alex Otti made his spurious allegations in USA and Abians should not be distracted by any forensic “premium whisky” video released by his own team in USA from continuing to ask for the audit report until Otti makes it public. Governor Otti obviously has the highest media and publicity budget in the south east region, ostensibly for propagating bitter lies against his predecessor and others who are opposed to his make-believe style of governance, yet that should not be enough to allow him get away with needless economic sabotage against Nigeria.
Unfortunately, those who believe the allegations made by Governor Otti did so because they rightly expected a Governor not to lie so brazenly in public, but just like in the past, this forensic tale by moonlight will expose the real Otti after he must have published the report and his predecessor’s response is also made public. Dr Ikpeazu apparently does not have anything to hide hence his well documented demand that the audit report be made public for him to read and respond accordingly.
Governor Otti knows he has been boxed in, just like he was when he lied that Ikpeazu administration did not invest in Aba IPP of Geometric Company, because he can not deny that he told the world about N10bn being spent on an airport project in Abia State.
Mr Otti must also know that leadership is different from skit making and content creation for public applause as he obviously did with his artificial intelligence joke. He made a weighty allegation that impugned on someone’s hard-earned reputation, demarketed Nigeria at a global stage and the onus is on him to prove it, or at least, make the report public for those concerned to give an equally very public response with or without availability of “premium whisky.”
No matter how cheap talk is,Governor Otti should not use it to malign others. Abians are still waiting for the audit report!
Kalu (Nwandugbom JOK), was former Commissioner For Information, Trade & Investment, Abia State.
For those believing that President Bola Tinubu’s exclusion of Humphrey Nwosu, the late Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), was an error that would be corrected subsequently, their expectation came to naught on Friday, with his non-recognition once again.
In a surprise outing, the President failed once again to name the late Professor of Political Science as one of the Nigerians honoured, on the day Nigerians would be celebrating this year’s anniversary of June 12, designed to mark the historic 1993 presidential election, which has now been designated as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
It was a day Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO), the candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), was elected President in a transition programme undertaken by the military government of then President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).
Expectations are that because the Option A4 model used in achieving the outcome of the election, acknowledged as the freest and fairest election in Nigerian history, the late electoral commission’s boss, would feature prominently in the list of those to be honoured by the government.
But another list contained in the national broadcast by the President, suggested that the position of the treatment meted to the former NEC Chairman, reflected the thinking in the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu’s predecessor, under whom June 12 was given national recognition.
The list, populated mainly by names from the South West, which included both civilians and military personnel, did not capture the category of national honours to be bestowed on the recipients, as the government said further information would be released in due course.
Prominent among those recognized, was Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, a General and former Chief of Army Staff, Supreme Headquarters between 1976 and 1979, under the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, who died in Abakaliki Prison in 1997, where he was detained for allegedly participation in carrying out a coup against Sani Abacha, then Head of State.
Tinubu, said the completed Institute of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, would now be known as General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology, to honour the General, who later became a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, “for his vision of national partnership.”
Listing the other names, Tinubu said: “I am also pleased to announce national awards to the following Nigerians, who suffered persecution, endured indignities, exile, incarceration, and, at times, solitary confinement, so that we have democracy today.”
The recipients included: Ayoka Lawani, Tunde Fagbenle, Oladele Alake, Olatunji Bello, Louis Odion, Segun Babatope, Sam Omatseye, Ademola Osinubi, Bola Bolawole and the duo of Lade Bonuola, former Managing Director of The Guardian and Femi Kusa, former Editor of the Nigerian foremost newspaper.
Others, were: Debo Adeniran, Ayo Opadokun, Chief Ralph Obiora, Ose Osayande, Osa Director, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Arthur Nwankwo (Posthumous) and Osagie Obayuwana, all pro-democracy activists.
The list also included Joe Okei-Odumakin , Titus Mann, Joe Igbokwe, Richard Akinnola, Ben Charles-Obi (Posthumous), George Mbah Niran Malaolu, Ishola Williams, a retired Major-General, Femi Aborisade, Jenkins Alumona, Gbemiga Ogunleye, Muyiwa Adekeye, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju and Ike Okonta.
“We also recognise the soldier-democrats of the June 12 struggle: Major General MA Garba, Brigadier General Lawal Jaafaru Isa, Col Umar Farouk Ahmed; Col Sambo Dasuki;
Col Lawan Gwadabe; Brigadier Jonathan Ndam Temlong, Col Musa Shehu; Major General Chris Eze; Major General Harris Dzarma; Col Isa Jibrin; Maj. General Joseph Oshanupin; Col Olusegun Oloruntoba, Olugbede of Gbede Kingdom), Lieutenant Colonel Happy Kefas Bulus, Col J Okai;
Col Emmanuel Ndubueze; Lt Col Yakubu Muazu and Brigadier Yahaya Abubakar, the Current Etsu Nupe, who is already the holder of the CFR title.”
From Godswill Obot Akpabio, Senate President, came a definitive message to Nigerians on Friday – the future is bright, the road is clear and destination is assured under a strong, visionary and purposeful democratic leadership of President Bola Tinubu.
But he also raised a proviso – since democracy is participatory all citizens of the country, must get involved in providing the planks, which when nailed together, would enable the leaders fortify the platform for its growth, to enhance a robust, viable future.
These formed the fulcrum of his admonishment, as he joined other national leaders to celebrate Nigeria’s 27th anniversary of uninterrupted democracy, in which it not only broke the vice grip of military rule, but witnessed seven election circles to choose leaders at both national and other levels of government.
Akpabio, Chairman of the National Assembly, Nigeria’s lawmaking institution, was particular about the participation of the Nigerian youths in making his admonition come true, reminding them that they actually owned the future being fashioned today.
Conveying his message through Eseme Eyiboh, his spokesman the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and former Minister of Niger Delta, also called on Nigerians to embrace unity, vigilance, and active participation in nation-building, commending them for showcasing resilience and support for democracy despite some low moments.
Noting that democratic experiment remained a testimony of endurance despite years of agitations, he said: “On behalf of the 10th National Assembly, I congratulate every Nigerian for the sustenance of democracy for close to three decades. Mistakes have been made in the course of this journey but we will surely get to the desired destination with your support.”
“Democracy should extend beyond the conduct of elections and be anchored on accountability, justice, compassion and service to the common good.”
Particularly for the Nigerian youths, he was emphatic about their active participation in the nation’s political process stressing that the younger generation forms the fulcrum of leadership succession.
Hear him: “As we commemorate June 12, I wish to encourage the youth not to sit on the fence but be active participants in the nation’s political activities. The youths constitute the fulcrum of those who will succeed us tomorrow.
“Let us therefore rededicate ourselves to the ideals of freedom, transparency and accountable government, social justice, and active citizen participation, especially the youths.”
The Senate President, also spoke the current parlous state of carnage in the country, appealing to Nigerians to unite with one another and cooperate with the government to tame “the monster that has befallen the nation.”
Assuring that Tinubu’s administration remained committed to ending the menace and securing the release of all persons in captivity, he said: “I urge every Nigerian to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in her efforts in fighting terrorism. We understand the pains you are going through but the government is not resting on its oars and hopefully we shall overcome this current challenge and all will be well with Nigeria.”
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
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