The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has berated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke for allegedly withholding the report of police investigation and draft charges against the embattled former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Hon. Farouk Lawan for allegedly receiving $620, 000 bribe from an oil magnate, Femi Otedola.
Reacting to the news of the Nigerian Police claiming it had sent the case file to Adoke since August 2012, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Debo Adeniran derided the Minister of Justice for his constant practice of shielding corrupt people.
“It is so unfortunate that our AGF could cover up such magnitude of corruption. We knew from the outset that the whole scandal broke out to rubbish the authenticity of the House of Representatives’ report. Though the bribe giver claimed it was a sting operation done in connivance with the men of the State Security Service, my question still remains, why did it take both Otedola and the SSS two solid month to speak up after giving the marked dollar. I am still maintaining that the oil magnate is as guilty as Lawan himself, because if he (Otedola) did not make the payment for himself, he probably paid the bribe to let his friends in the industry off the hook of the Farouk Lawan’s Committee. To this end, the AGF should make public the police investigation and ensure apposite prosecution of both the bribe taker and the giver,”Adeniran submitted.
Stressing further, Debo Adeniran maintained that there are some salient issues raised in the committee report that are sacrosanct and must be attended to, if President Goodluck Jonathan is really sincere with his anti-corruption fight and wants to be taken serious.
“It is so unfortunate the Farouk Lawan’s report went the way of others, but there are some salient issues that must be treated with steel gloves. The House report claimed that our nation does not have business with oil importation, let alone pay subsidy, because the output of our four refineries could serve the whole nation. No one from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or the office of the Minister of Petroleum has come out to debunk the allegation. The issue of fuel subsidy is what the President must tackle headlong because that remains the main avenue through which our common patrimony are diverted into private coffers,”he said.
Abimbola Adegoke
Media Officer
19 January, 2013