Former Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala in fresh investigation for N1.17bn fraud

Nigeria’s former finance minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, may have some questions to answer from a House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the “suspicious” transfer to another account of N1.17bilion approved for a Federal Government agency.

Following a presidential directive, the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBA), received N1.17bn in its account. But around the time of Nigeria’s transition from the PDP to the APC, Okonjo-Iweala ordered the withdrawal of the money.

The Nation reports that the House committee investigating the withdrawal of the funds is intent on finding out:

• Who applied for the withdrawal since payment was initiated through an application by the SRRBDA?
• How a ministerial directive can override a presidential approval;
• Where the money was returned to after it was withdrawn from the account of the Authority; and
• Whether the withdrawal was politically motivated given the time of the withdrawal

Writes the newspaper: President Goodluck Jonathan, in a letter, approved the release of the money to the River Basin Authority. The approval was conveyed to the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) by the (then) minister of Finance, according to the office of the AGF.

The payment was made into the accounts of the SRRBDA on March 9 but withdrawn in two tranches within a week, two months later in May.

The first withdrawal of N784m was made on 6th May, 2015. The second, N90m, was effected on 12th May 2015 but executed on 16th May 2015 by the CBN.

“We are interested in who applied for the withdrawal since payment was initiated through an application by the SRRBDA”, Evelyn Oboro who heads the House committee, was quoted as saying.

She added: “More importantly, there is a need to know how a ministerial directive can override a presidential approval.

“We also want to know where the money was returned to after it was withdrawn from the account of the Authority.

“We are only interested in how to make agencies of government responsive to the people.

“This is an organisation that can bring a whole lot to the agricultural sector in that region and the country as a whole, yet through whatever what we are yet to understand, it was being deliberately starved of funds. We are determined to get to the bottom of the matter.”

Okonjo-Iweala has been at the receiving end of a firestorm of allegations in recent weeks over her release of $330m Abacha loot to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), without appropriation.

The money meant to secure weapons for the military to fight Boko Haram, ended up as election campaign slush funds for the PDP.