Some groups have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies to pick up former President Goodluck Jonathan for questioning over the $2bn arms deal scandal. This is coming after the arrest of some persons allegedly involved in the misappropriation of the funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen military might in the fight against insurgency. The groups, therefore, argued that Jonathan should also be held accountable for alleged crimes of the suspects as the President of the country at the time.
The Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen said there were many questions begging for answer which Jonathan and the immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, should give answers to. Its Convener, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, also questioned the allocation of public funds to the office of the NSA, which he described as only playing an advisory role and lacking in operational powers. He described spending of the said public funds without due approval by the National Assembly as a “criminal offence.”
He said,
“It is a major international scandal, national disgrace and embarrassment. Given the fact that Jonathan was the one in charge, whether effectively or not is beside the point, if he is found to have been complicit in the bastardising of our national treasury, he should be called in to answer questions, whether the EFCC goes to him or he is physically called in to the agency’s office.
“The fact that the office was bastardised by this Dasuki fellow and other people to be awarding contracts and financing the campaign systems of the Peoples Democratic Party shows that there was something fundamentally amiss. And we now have to dig to the very bottom and we cannot get to the bottom without questioning Jonathan."
Coordinator, Federation of Middle Belt People, Mr. Manasseh Watyil, said Jonathan as the Chief Executive Officer of the country at the time should be held responsible for the alleged atrocities that went on in his government. He also accused the former president of spending without due appropriation by the National Assembly.
He said,
“As far as the middle belt is concerned, Jonathan had his lapses. I believe that the money was given to Dasuki out of the security vote. So Jonathan should be questioned. He needs to be questioned because there was no check and balance in his tenure.
“He allowed his officials to do whatever they felt like doing and that is why they ran into this problem. The National Assembly was supposed to know about it if there would be any procurement of arms or weapons and the lawmakers should have approved it before the disbursement of the funds.
“We need to know the source of the money. Where did the money come from? The former President is supposed to be held responsible because he was the Chief Executive Officer of the country. So for any mismanagement, he should be held accountable.”
National Publicity Secretary, Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, who accused Jonathan of giving undue power to the former NSA, said that grilling the former President over the issue would teach his successors a lesson.
He said,
“I think it is very necessary (to question Jonathan) so that it will be a lesson for other presidents that they should not leave everything to their special advisers.
“If it is found that the President has some questions to answer, there is nothing bad in it. It is being done all over the world. And as a president, you must take responsibility for actions taken during your regime. The former President was informed because he had people who gave him candid opinions about what was going on, but he pretended that nothing was going on then. He thought that every criticism was sponsored by the opposition.”
In addition, the Afenifere Renewal Group, a Yoruba socio-political group, described the scandal as an “offence tantamount to genocide, treason, war crime and crime against humanity.” Its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, said that Jonathan should be made to give account to Nigerians of how the funds meant for purchasing ammunition were allegedly diverted to other uses.
He said,
“It was an abuse of power for them to be spending public funds that way to the degree that one person (Dasuki), was given such huge amounts of money when he was not a government ministry. Jonathan must come to give account to Nigerians about how he managed the funds of the country because many Nigerians were killed by Boko Haram."
Source
The Punch
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