UNN Convocation speech: House of Representatives to investigate Oby Ezekwesili’s claims

by Emmanuel Okubenji

Oby-Ezekwesili

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, said it will investigate the Federal Government’s alleged misuse of  $67 billion in the last six years.

The alleged used sum comprised of Nigeria’s foreign reserves that stood at $45 billion, as well as an excess crude amount of $22 billion in 2007.

Oby Ezekwesili, former Special Adviser on Public Procurement to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and  one time Vice President of the World Bank made the allegation.

She had alleged that the government of late President Umaru Yar’Adua  and the current administration mismanaged the money that  was left behind by Obasanjo’s administration.

The House, in adopting a motion sponsored by Umar Bature (PDP, Sokoto), directed its Committees in charge of Finance and Appropriation to jointly investigate the allegation and report back within six weeks.

Bature however, while emphasising on his motion, urged  the House  to conduct a thorough investigation based on the background of  Ezekwesili as Special Adviser to the President on Public Procurement before becoming  Minister of Education.

The former minister who had spoken at the 44th convocation lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, held last week had alleged that the squandered sum was  made up of direct savings from increased earnings  that arose from oil sales which the Obasanjo administration handed over to the successor government in 2007.

Ezekwesili lamented that six years after the administration handed over such amount of money to the present administration, most Nigerians,  especially the poor, has  continue to suffer the effects of failing public health and education systems as well as decrepit infrastructure and battered institutions.

“One cannot but ask what exactly does this level of brazen misappropriation of public resources symbolise? Where did all that money go? Where is the accountability for the use of these resources and the additional funds  realised from oil sale by the two administrations that have governed our nation in the last six years?” Ezekwesili said.

Comments (2)

  1. Making schools child-friendly,providing facilities and infrastructure esp libraries with state of the art textbooks including Aworerin and other Yoruba language/literature facilitators as well as involving the community in school governance through school based management committe are better options than intimidating teachers to the point of engaging in examination malpractice, Ma. Add govt sponsored competitions in science and the languages and you will see academic wonders in Oyo state. Ur colleagues in other progressive states will immediately queue behind the pacesetter state.

  2. As far as I'm concerned this is a petty argument. It consists of largely "where did the money go?" "How did you spend the money?" and "oh you mismanaged and stole the money"

    I'm awaiting a real discussion on what's happening in Nigeria and shame to those who think that their previous positions of privilege and the opportunities that life has afforded them gives only them the right to participate in the discussion. They don't understand democracy and are living in a time warp of the pre-information age.

    @OIbhagui

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