Missing $20 billion: Publish forensic audit report, Buhari tells Jonathan

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, has challenged President Goodluck Jonathan to order the release of the full report of the audit of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, accused of diverting $20 billion oil money.

Mr. Buhari’s campaign organization, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the president should live up to his flaunted belief in the rule of law and public probity, by acceding to the request of the National Assembly to release the forensic audit by PriceWaterHouseCoopers.

Mr. Buhari said the president should also go ahead and publish same in mainstream newspapers for Nigerians to assess or query the degree of transparency involved in the controversial transaction.

“Why should the President and the PDP develop the feet of clay like an immovable Colossus when the representatives of the people in the National Assembly asked for copies of the forensic audit report, which public outcry forced the government to procure in the first place?” the statement issued by the APC campaign said.

“So many respected experts on the national economy have condemned the wanton waste of the country’s hard currency earnings at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Worse still, those in charge have treated Nigerians with impunity by hiding the facts relating to petro-dollar trade from the taxpayers. Some of them have been gallivanting and globe-trotting around the world in luxury while their compatriots languish in poverty and squalor,” the statement said.

The campaign team questioned the audacity of the President, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and NNPC in disobeying the NASS request to scrutinise the KPMG audit of an alleged grossly corrupt government agency, NNPC.

“Is the NNPC a sacred cow? And should the President be an umpire in a game to which he’s a contender, or a judge in his own case?” the statement said.

“Is the President and his Petroleum Minister telling Nigerians that no wrong has been done in terms of stealing of public funds? If corruption was established in any form, is anyone listed for punishment?

“It is pertinent to put all these information in the public domain for third party verification. The PriceWaterHouseCoopers report funded by taxpayer’s money is itself a public property. And until this is done, the NNPC under Jonathan shall remain in public consciousness the abattoir for corruption, immodesty, dishonesty and impunity.”