The erstwhile Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Christopher Kolade has said that he resigned on age ground contrary to media reports that it was because of the alleged missing N500 billion SURE-P funds.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, Mr. Kolade said he informed President Goodluck Jonathan of his inability to carry on with the assignment long time before the rumour of missing funds started.
According to him, having attained 80 years, he could no longer engage in activities that demand energy and therefore, thought it wise to slow down.
Mr. Kolade regretted that media organizations did not conduct necessary investigations as require by the journalism profession before publishing false reports.
He said, “I explained in the letter that having done this SURE-P programme for two years and because within the next month I would be clocking 81, I am giving up some activities that take my energy.
“The letter I wrote was sent on the 26th of September long before the rumour of the missing fund started, so there is no connection between the two.”
“To write an editorial based on rumour (because they refused to get the truth before writing) is a waste of energy and a betrayal of trust.
“The media has the responsibility of informing the public and they (it) must do so with facts.
“The group that started this rumour said that this committee appeared before the National Assembly and only accounted for N300 billion out of the N800 billion that is the totality of the money.
“So if the committee accounted for N300 billion, in order words, we have accounted for our 41 per cent. So, is the remaining N500 billion really unaccounted for?
“The answer is ‘no’ because we know that the 59 per cent goes to states, Local Governments and the Ecological Fund and this does not show that the fund is missing.
“It just shows that the persons who said the fund is missing is deliberately ignorant of the fact of case.
“I say so because the Federal Minister of Finance published the breakdown of the amount of money that goes to each area.”
