Former EFCC Chairman and PDP
Governorship candidate in Adamawa
state, Nuhu Ribadu says the allegation by
former CBN Governor Charles Soludo
that N30trn had gone missing under the
watch of the Minister of Finance and
Coordinating Minister of the economy,
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wasn't true
In an interview with NAN, Nuhu Ribadu
said it was not possible to have such a
huge amount of money go missing in an
office she assumed about three to four
years ago...
"I was baffled and got deluded for
anyone to say that N30 trillion got lost. I
think we just have to look at what we
earn as a country and what our budget
had been in these few years and see how
possible it is. If everything we earned is
not up to that within the period she has
been the minister, which is about three
to four years, then we need to be
careful. We need to be careful to avoid
more damage to our nation, because
there are certain things that when it
comes out, it will never go back again.".
Mr Ribadu argued that the Minister of
Finance has an impeccable record
having monitored her while she was
minister under Former President
Olusegun Obasanjo
"I challenge anybody to say that she stole
N1 at that time; we were all there. I was
in charge of EFCC and I want to hear
anybody say that she did this and that. I
followed her up till now. I think it is
somehow uncharitable for someone to
come out to say that such an amount of
money was missing under her watch.
When I worked with her, she exhibited a
nationalistic attitude that was not
questionable and believed in any policy
that could take Nigeria and its people
high. I am close to almost all of us that
worked together as a team and I know
that Ngozi continues to do what she
knows how best to do, which is to serve
Nigeria. She managed this economy
fairly in spite of all the challenges and
difficulties; it is sad for someone to look
at Ngozi and said that she has a hand in
it (alleged missing funds). This pull-
down syndrome has to stop and we must
manage ourselves very well; I am not
happy now with what is going on and I
think that if it is politics, I think it is
something that is hurting us as people
and hurting the economy as well,” he
said.
Credit NAN/Tribune
