President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led federal government have been challenged by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organization, APCPCO, to live up to their vaunted belief in the public probity, accountability, rule of law and due process by acceding to the request of the House of Representatives to submit the forensic audit report from KPMG on the purported missing $20 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The party’s Campaign organization further called for the publication of the same report in mainstream newspapers for Nigerians to assess or query the degree of transparency involved in the controversial transaction.
APCPCO, in a statement issued yesterday by its director of media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, wondered why the federal government is yet to do anything since last Thursday when the lawmakers had requested for the report.
“Why should the President and the PDP develop the feet of clay like an immovable Colossus when the representatives of the people in the National Assembly asked for copies of the forensic audit report, which public outcry forced the government to procure in the first place?” Shehu asked.
The APCPCO spokesman questioned what he called the audacity of the President, PDP and NNPC in disobeying the NASS request to scrutinize the PriceWaterCoopers audit report on the NNPC finances.
“So many respected experts on the national economy have condemned the wanton waste of the country’s hard currency earnings at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Worse still, those in charge have treated Nigerians with impunity by hiding the facts relating to petro-dollar trade from the taxpayers. Some of them have been gallivanting and globe-trotting around the world in luxury while their compatriots languish in poverty and squalor.
“Is the NNPC a sacred cow? And should the President be an umpire in a game to which he’s a contender, or a judge in his own case?
“Is the President and his Petroleum Minister telling Nigerians that no wrong has been done in terms of stealing of public funds? If corruption was established in any form, is anyone listed for punishment? It is pertinent to put all these information in the public domain for third party verification. The KPMG report funded by taxpayer’s money is itself a public property. And until this is done, the NNPC under Jonathan shall remain in public consciousness the abattoir for corruption, immodesty, dishonesty and impunity,” he stated.
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