Missing $20b: Civil Societies Call For Judicial Commission Of inquiry

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (SR) has called on the National Assembly to immediately convene an independent Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigation the alleged missing $20 billion from the Federation Account.

Rising from its meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday and attended by more than 60 Nigerian Civil Society groups, the SR discussed extensively the state of the nation and took positions on some national issues.

The SR frowned at what it described as the levity with which President Goodluck Jonathan is handling the issue of the missing oil money and called for immediate sack of the Ministers of Finance, Petroleum Resources and the GMD of NNPC.

The communiqué reads, “SR calls on the National Assembly to convene an independent Judicial Commission of inquiry to investigate allegations that 20billion has been stolen from public revenues at the NNPC.

“Situation room notes that $20 billion would make a huge and significant difference to the lives and living conditions of the ordinary Nigerian and significant impact on collapsed infrastructure, generate millions of new jobs, and revive industries and indeed address several problems confronting the country.

 “The levity, with which President Jonathan has handled this colossal and high level of corruption, questions his presidency and raises concern about his ability to govern. SR calls on President Jonathan to immediately sack the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Madueke, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the GMD NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, and other officials connected to this scandal.

 “SR is concerned about preparations for the 2015 elections. While we note INEC’s statement of being adequately prepared for the next election, we are concerned that there are several gaps in the election preparations. SR is worried that a lot of work is still required to achieve an acceptable and credible voters register. SR calls on INEC to provide adequate information to the public on work done to achieve a permanent voters card and have this distributed across all of the States of the federation before voting in 2015 and the governorship elections taking place in Ekiti and Osun States this year.    

“SR is also worried about the security situation across the country particularly in the North East region of the Country. In spite of assurances by President Jonathan and officials of his government on a daily basis the country receives damning report of bombings and other atrocities perpetrated against Nigerian citizens in the North East. 

“SR is worried that the government has not shown sufficient ability or competence to tackle the menace of security in the north- east and even across the rest of the Country. No doubt this situation in the North-East is a critical factor in the voting in the 2015 elections.  A situation where about one-sixth of the country’s citizens are under threat of not participating in the 2015 elections raises serious concern about the legitimacy of the next elections.

“SR calls on President Jonathan to disclose what concrete efforts are being made to address the challenge of security in the North-East, and the fear of Nigerians that the fight against terrorism has become another conduit for siphoning public funds without delivering on the promise of tackling security in the country”.