Former Minister of Solid Mineral Resources in the Obasanjo Administration,
Mrs. Oby Ezekwezili has become an unlikely participant in the raging
controversy over the alleged missing $10 billion in the account of the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Ezekwezili took to the popular social media, Twitter, asking the Minister
of Finance /Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the
Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC to detail, for the benefit of all
Nigerians, what happened to the money.
The ‘missing’ money has in the last few weeks led to serious arguments
and exchange of words among public officials since it blew open. The Central
Bank Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had in a letter to President Goodluck
Jonathan alluded to the money. Last week, the NNPC had in a statement said no
money was missing and explained how it was spent.
However, Ezekwezili on the social media said, “Hello, NNPC! Here is ONE
Citizen that DEMANDS ACCURATE ACCOUNTING for the “missing” $10 billion. What
happened to it? What?” And followed it with: “If as a Citizen, U are as VEXED
as I am at the way the issue of “missing $10Billion has been handled tweet @
me.”
The tweets were quick in coming and she responded appropriately. In one
instance she said: “Madam Minister @NOIweala can we please v your signed off
BREAK DOWN of D “missing $10Billion” that NNPC must ACCOUNT FOR?
She also said: “It would help raise confidence in d Administration if
you! @NOIweala took up the ACCOUNTING 4 the “missing $$10 Billion”.
It would help raise confidence in d Administration if you! @NOIweala
took up the ACCOUNTING 4 the “missing $$10 Billion”.
Since you @NOIweala will be presenting #Budget2014 BREAK DOWN on the
22nd. Also provide BREAK DOWN OF “missing $10Billion
NNPC &Min of Petroleum have no FISCAL MANAGEMENT mandate. They MUST
end OFF-TREASURY spending of PUBLIC FUNDS. We Insist!
She also challenged the National Assembly to give a breakdown of the
‘hefty’ N150billion public funds it receives yearly, saying: “A NASS that has
REFUSED to give Citizens a BREAK DOWN of its HEFTY 150 Billion Naira yearly
allocation sets a BAD EXAMPLE!”
She did not spare the generality of Nigerians and the media for not
raising enough hell over the ‘missing’ money.
“When Citizens & Media act UNPERTURBED by the “murky” accounting for
the “missing $10Billion, the rest of the world hiss!” she said.
Mrs. Ezekwezili wondered whether the NNPC knows “that some African
countries SWEAT to raise $5Million to stay afloat? And here, $10Billion is
waved off?”