President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday directed the immediate release of the forensic audit report on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC’s accounts, which was carried out by renowned auditing firm, PriceWater House.The audit was prompted by allegations by the All Progressives Congress, APC and the former Central Bank Governor now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that $20billion was missing from the coffers of the NNPC.
When the report was submitted to the Federal Government, President Goodluck Jonathan mandated the Auditor-General of the Federation to to study it and release the highlights to the public, which he complied with.
But while receiving a delegation from Adamawa State on Sunday, the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said that he would revisit the matter when he assumes office because the amount was too huge to be ignored.
But in a statement he issued yesterday, the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, noted that President Jonathan was deeply concerned by the continuing suggestions that his administration still has something to hide about the unproven allegations that about $20 billion was still unaccounted for by the NNPC during his tenure.
He said: “to lay the matter to rest, President Jonathan, in line with section 7(2) of the NNPC Act, has directed that the full report of the PWC forensic audit of the NNPC accounts be released immediately to the public so that all Nigerians will be properly informed on the matter.”
The President dismissed allegations by the APC that the federal government is engaging in “last minute looting of the treasury, rushed privatisation and hurried recruitment into the Federal Public Service.”
The statement reads in part: “We have noted with concern, the allegation by the spokesman of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that officials of the Federal Government are engaged in ‘last minute looting of the nation’s resources, rushed privatisation of key institutions and hurried recruitment into the public service’.
“We consider as most unfortunate and uncharitable, the suggestion by Alhaji Mohammed that the Jonathan administration is trying to ‘tie the hands’ of the incoming government merely by continuing to discharge its constitutional responsibilities until the end of its tenure.
“The Jonathan administration, which continues to do its best to ensure a smooth and peaceful handover of power to the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, deeply regrets the unfairness and combative frame of mind reflected in Alhaji Mohammed’s statement,” he said.
Abati stated that President Jonathan has done his best in the past five years to discharge his constitutional responsibilities for good governance and effective leadership of the nation.
“Without any prejudice whatsoever to the freedom of the incoming administration to do as it pleases, within the confines of extant laws when it assumes office, the Jonathan administration will continue to discharge its responsibility as the President until May 29, 2015 when he will formally hand power over to the president-elect.”
The presidential spokesman noted that the President will never authorise any attempt to create any problems for the incoming administration as the APC spokesperson, who ought to know that the outcome of the March 28 presidential elections does not imply a cessation of governance as he unjustly alleges.
“As Alhaji Mohammed threatened in his statement, the incoming administration will be perfectly within its rights to review all actions of the present government as it may deem fit.
“We see nothing wrong with that. After all, the present administration reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office with resultant benefits for policy and project implementation,” he said.
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