Ngige asked To Withdraw Over Alleged Looting of Local Govt Accounts.
By Ekunie Ndukwe.

(Or to avoid reprisal attacks: Anambra Professionals or anyother group asks Ngige to Withdraw Over Alleged Looting of LGA Accounts. If a group is talking, then it has to be signed by a President/Chairman of the group and its Secretary). My fingers dey pain me…o. Somebody should please tell Capital Oil that I need some more Naira. For this I'm lucky to have two Advocates and Solicitors in the house, just as I have one as a wife (so I have learnt to watch my steps and my tongue) And that is urgent! Now that I really need Ayo, Nkem Jika and co, I wonder where they and their teams are!!!!)


The newspaper reports, with just three days to the November 16, 2013 gubernatorial election, screaming blue murder about Anambra state was this: “How Ngige Laundered N46 Billion Local Govt. Funds”. Not unexpectedly, the internet news portals have been excited over it, replicating it again and yet again – with much curses, teeth-gnashing and hand wringing from commentators.

It is a shame that this very grievous matter has been allowed to remain unadressed for long; since 2006. But things go beyond curse-raining and handwringing, if Anambra state must advance in the quest for a bold new direction – from corruption and stagnation to real development where every index that shows the peoples quality of life would get better.

The disturbing reports said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that it has established how former Anambra Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr Chris Ngige in the November 16th governorship elections in Anambra laundered and Misappropriated the N46 billion of Local Government Funds between 2003 and 2006 when he held sways as the Governor.

According to the interim report signed by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Hayatu Shaafa who lead a team to investigate the petition against Ngige by Anambra Democratic Vaguard, the Socio-Economic Rights Initiative (formerly known as Shelter Rights Initiative) and IBB Mafuafojwa the former Governor with the collaboration of some local government chairmen, eleven members of the state House of Assembly and some consultants to the state government laundered over N 43billion.

Shaafa stated that about N 47,166,297,177.60 was released to Anambra State Government from the Federation account as allocation to the local government councils from May 2003 to February 2006, that Dr Chris Ngige ordered for the opening of two accounts known as projects and security accounts in Guardian Express bank, now Spring bank, inspite of the the project account maintained by the State Accountant-General in Intercontinental Bank Plc”.

The well-detailed report stated that over a dozen persons, mostly key players in Dr. Ngige’s government, were questioned in the course of the investigation. All that emerged from the questions addressed to such an array of former high government officials was not that Dr. Ngige acted in the interest of Anambra state or within the ambits of the law, but they sang one sorrowful song: “my duty is to obey instructions without asking questions”. Once you begin to hear such a refrain, it is certain that something untoward, something indefensible, something odious, has happened.

Anambra is a poor state with few developed cities. Even its state capital, Awka has remained a glorified village – no thanks to the combined mal-administration of both Dr. Ngige and Mr. Peter Obi. Yet, instead of developing the Local Government Areas so that citizens would have what in modern development analysis is called “nuggets of developments or growth” close to them, to take the pressure of search for jobs and the bright lights off the capital city and close to the people, people did not know that Ngige and his administration had “kidnapped” the growth potentials of the LGAs. As Ngige asked for no ransome, he simply killed off such growth potentials by taking away the money that would have funded such growth and development.

Thus a direct quotation from the EFCC report includes this:
“That N 6,726,054,692.00 and N3,892,929.00 were transferred into the project and security accounts respectively from the Local Goernment Joint Account from the period under review.”

Then please read this: “That only some fraction of the local government council allocation was paid to the 21 councils to cater for staff salaries, security votes and over head costs and projects”.

And this: “That Dr.Peter Ogbuka and Dr. Uche Wzeliora are signatories to the local government joint account while the latet and Mr.Emma C.J Nwosu were signatories to the project account and the same Mr. Emma C.J Nwosu was the sole signatory to the security account.

That the Governor through his principal secretary E.C.J Nwosu at different times deposited various sums of money into the account number 29030001 called Interdepartmental suspense account maintained by Guardian Express Bank now Spring Bank to disguise the money before distributing to various beneficiary which include Harlesden Engineering Limited, Swiss Engineering Company, Iyke Ohaleye, I.K Okonkwo, Steve Morka, Princess Uzo Okonkwo and some fake companies.

That Dr. Chris Ngige used Mr.Emma.C.J Nwosu and Miss Uzoma Victoria Okonkwo who are his principal secretary and special assistant on liaison matter and personal assistant to siphon and misappropriate public funds through Guardian Express Bank Awka (now Spring Bank) and has branch in Anambra State and Abuja respectively.

That between November 2003 to March 2006, the ex-Governor, Dr Chris Ngige through his principal secretary and personal assistant sent the sum of N132,750,000.00 (one hundred and thirty two million seven and fifty thousand Naira) to Miss Uzoma Victorai Okonkwo.

That out of the above sum amount the sum of N74,000,000 (seventy four million) was used to purchase about $500,000 US dollars for the ex-governor.

That on the 30/11/2004 Emma C.J Nwosu issued and withdrew eighty six cheques (86) of five million naira each amounting to four hundred and thirty million naira (430,000,000) and on the 31/12/2004 He also issued and withdrew one hundred and forty four (144) cheques of five million Naira each amounting to (seven hundred and twenty million naira) N720, 000,000.

That on the 27/06//2005 he also issued twenty one (21)cheques of between five hundred thousand naira and five million Naira among several withdrawals.

That between November 10th 2003 and March 15th 2006 Mr. Emma C.J Nwosu withdrew the total sum of over N6,850,918.54 from the security account”.

That Supra Autos Limited is an automobile company which has Dr.Chris Ngige and his parents as Directors. And one Steve Morka was the General Manager.

That on the 19/11/2993 the sum of 2,331,000.00 was transferred from the security account do icicles in the Spring Bank to Steve Morka which Mr.Emma C.J Nwosu and Dr. Chris Ngige were unable to give account for,

That on the 16/07/2004 the sum of N3,750,000.00 was paid to Steve Morka which Mr.Emma .C.J Nwosu and Dr Chris Ngige were unable to give account of”.

Now, these are weighty allegations. And they must not be swept under the carpet. That the allegations had lain fallow because our collective and institutional memories are very short should not keep us from addressing the problem once and for all.

The Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah Campaign Organisation hereby calls on Dr. Chris Ngige, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the Anambra election to do the honourable thing and defend himself from these very devastating allegations. He has been accused of having stolen from the very people that voted him into power; until he clears that hurdle of clearing his name, he has no moral right to be in the contest for the office of the Anambra state governor – when there are still Mount Everst-sized question marks over his previous watch at Government House, Awka.

Finally, if Dr. Ngige has lost his sense of shame, and does not have the moral courage to do the right thing and voluntarily withdraws from the race, the voters should do the right thing and reject him and his APC party. Ngige should know that power without responsibility, has down the ages, remained the prerogative of the prostitute, and if he is no prostitute on the corridors of power he should assume some modicum of responsibility towards the long-suffering Anambra voters, whose votes he once stole and whose funds he has now been accused of, once again, mishandling. Nothing less is expected of a man who wants to be a leader among other men: he must show a sense of leadership and must earn the respect of the people. Such respect cannot come with such weighty allegations hanging around Dr. Ngige’s neck. And Anambra state would make itself a laughing stock to even bear to have such a person’s name on its gubernatorial election ballot.

sorry

Liar

Who is clean among them? They all ve dirty hands so they should let Ngige be. Who ever paid them to publuish this story should watch his back. He that seek equity should come with clean hands.