Kayode Adelowokan
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for the approval of forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) accounts.
The Presidency made this known in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said that it had authorised the engagement of reputable international firms to carry out the forensic audit of the accounts of the Corporation, however, it did not give details of the firms.
The Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Mr. Debo Adeniran, described the audit approval as laudable though belated.
Adeniran also said though it is a known fact that NNPC has been a drain pipe to the coffers of the country but express believe that the audit will not only unearth the where about of the missing $20bn, but it will also make transparent, the accounts of the NNPC and other government agencies.
According to him, “The FG must be commended for approving the forensic audit of the NNPC books. It is a good thing that independent bodies are going to find out what happened to the missing money and even digging into the books of the NNPC and her sister agencies.
“Nigerians are skeptical about what will be fate of the audit report because the account of NNPC has been audited in the past and all indicted NNPC of inefficiency and monumental corruption. The KPMG report on NNPC carried out in 2010, the 2012 Nuhu Ribadu Report on NNPC, the Berne Declaration Report, all indicted the NNPC of massive corruption and sharp practices and nothing has been done to those indicted in the probes.”
The anti-corruption crusader averred that the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and others fingered in the previous probes should be asked to step aside, if the forensic audit would be successful.
“For any successful audit to be carried out, the Petroleum Minister and others that are suspects should step aside. Otherwise, the audit will just be efforts in futility as those auditors may be compromised at the end of the day,” Adeniran stated.
Comrade Debo Adeniran, however urged the federal government to be sincere and make sure due diligence is done.
He maintained that the report of the audit should be handed over to the anti-graft agencies for apposite prosecution of anyone found to have abused his office.