Group calls for caution on Diezani probe

Emeka Ibemere
A group of Nigerians have called on the presidency to apply caution on the repeated cries for the sack of the serving Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke by some people.
In spite of the calls for probe and sack by individuals and interest groups in Nigeria, a non-governmental organization in Lagos State, in their meeting on weekend urged the federal government not to throw ‘chicken away at any slightest cry of a wolf’, adding that such actions would give ‘social media reporters’ and other emerging ‘Facebook journalists’ and groups power to derail government’s visions and policies at all time.
Honourable Charles Anike, President General of Eastern Union, (EU), and former Lagos State House of Assembly aspirant under the National Conscience Party (NCP), in the 2011 House of Assembly election, made this observation after the quarterly -monthly meeting of the Group in Lagos State.
The quarterly meeting of the group comes after three months when the group assess the state of nation, in the area of security, governance, policies and actions of the government in the last three months.
According to the Group’s leader, who said they are for good governance, peace and unity of Nigeria but interested in the development of the South-Eastern part of the country alleged there was a ‘hand of Esau and voice of Jacob’ in the cry for Madueke’s sack.
The group reiterated that without good governance, the country would not move forward. Anike disclosed that the Presidency should relax pressure occasioned by the calls for the Minister’s sack and allow her to continue the good work she was doing at the NNPC adding that the last thing presidency should allow themselves into was to be stampeded into taking action it would regret after.
According to Anike, unless there was a competent court or law enforcement agency’s report on the matter government should not work on mere ‘Facebook and blog comments and reports to sack a competent and serving any government officer based on heresy.
“We are not condoning corruption, no! Far from it. But what we are saying is that Nigerians have found it joy these days sacking their Ministers based on Facebook and other social networks and on-line reports without government verifying the allegations properly before going hard on that Minister”, Anike stated.
“Eastern Union is of the opinion that all calls for the sack of the Minister of Petroleum should not be taking seriously until a competent court verifies all the allegations and finds her guilty”. He said further:
“This is also because most of the people and groups calling for her sack are even ignorant of how the oil industry is being run. It should be borne in mind that the operation of oil industry is different from the way other sectors are operated. What we are saying is that no Minister should be sacked based on unverified allegations by people using the media and social networks”.  
The Group while condemning the call for the Minister’s sack also urge the government to properly investigate the allegations before sacking any Minister to abate the mistake made in the past where people just woke up and started crying corruption and somebody was sacked hurriedly to pacify the selfish demands of some groups. According to Anike, the so-called whistleblowers’ calls should be scrutinized properly by a competent courts or security agency that would now make their recommendations to the presidency to take action.
“Every allegation should be properly investigated by a competent court or else, we shall have a situation where at any slightest provocation, people will be sponsored to make calls and it’s obeyed”. Anike further stated that the group calling for the Minister to resign are not getting it right. According to the EU president, “considering that no fact has been established in all the allegations. I think people have formed a bad habit in this country. We the EU, implore the president to ignore such calls. The lesson on the sacked Minister of Aviation is enough and should be taken seriously”, he added. “It’s on record today, that no former minister of Aviation attempted Oduah’s achievement but due to some gang up in the polity by some individuals, she was unjustly removed. Now another call is coming again. The minister should be allowed to work”, the Group counselled.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC), which Alison-Madueke supervises, has denied the allegations, declaring that the corporation is legally authorized to own or charter an aircraft for its officials. The NNPC also stated that because oil and gas sector operations are often time sensitive and require expedited attention, it is a standard practice for large oil and gas corporations to utilize the “most efficient” means of transportation.
 “This practice is common and acceptable in the local and international business environment in which it operates. There is nothing prohibiting the NNPC from owning or chartering an aircraft,” the NNPC had said in a statement by its Acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Omar Ibrahim.
In the other hand, Presidency, through Doyin Okupe has said that non investigation of Petroleum Minister does not amount to condoning corruption. According the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, the refusal of the Federal Government to probe Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke does not indicate that President Goodluck Jonathan was covering up any case of embezzlement or mismanagement of public funds exposed in his administration.
Dr. Okupe while reacting to media interpretations of his statement on the ongoing Federal House of Representatives probe of allegations of wasteful spending of public funds against the petroleum minister said his statement was misconstrued.
Last week, some media quoted Okupe as saying that the Federal Government cannot set up a probe panel just on things that have not been substantiated as such.
“The information I have is that the House of Representatives is looking into the matter and they want to invite the honourable minister”, Okupe said. “Definitely, the right thing is to wait for the outcome of such an interaction before anybody can decide to do anything”.
“We wish to reiterate emphatically that President Goodluck Jonathan has never and will never condone any act of corruption no matter from which quarters such may come from”, he said.

“This clarification has become necessary as a result of a mischievous publication by a national daily which suggested falsely that my response to the planned probe by the House of Representatives on the hiring of a private jet by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) implied that the President was encouraging corruption. “The true fact of the matter is that it is the House of Representatives that claimed to be in possession of certain documents relating to the leasing of private jets for which they decided to institute a probe.
The Presidency is not in possession of such papers, neither has any petition relating to such issue been received by the Presidency. Therefore the Presidency is not in any position to investigate a matter that has no fact or presentation on.
Okupe explained that the Presidency has, therefore, chosen to await the outcome of the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives before undertaking any reasonable action. But he described the media report as “absolutely detached and totally disconnected” from his telephone interview with the paper’s correspondent.
“The said publication is to put it mildly, patently misleading and unprofessional. It will be recalled that just recently, Mr. President endorsed and directed that an alleged non remittance of about $10bn into the national coffers by the NNPC be subjected to a forensic audit by reputable international audit firms as suggested the Hon Minister of Finance”, he said.
“This is a clear indication that President Goodluck Jonathan upholds integrity, openness and accountability in the affairs of government and will never tolerate a cover up of any act of corruption by any person or agency of government”.

But the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commanded a probe by the House Committee on Public Accounts into the jet scandal involving Madueke. The opposition party urged the committee members to continue to put the interest of Nigerians above any individual or party's interest and to rebuff any alleged attempt to pressure it against carrying out its constitutional duties.

In a statement issued in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the investigation into the scandal was of great public interest; hence those who were reportedly piling pressure on the House Committee on Public Accounts should be deterred.

The party believed the allegation that the minister has spent N10 billion of taxpayers' funds to ‘junket’ around the world in chartered private jets was serious and could not be swept under the carpet as the People’s Democratic Party-led Federal Government would like to do.
"But Nigerians are interested in knowing the truth. Since the presidency has shown no interest in unravelling the truth about the latest scandal to hit the country under its watch, the House of Representatives which have taken on the challenge of seeking the truth should not be hindered by anyone.

"Nigerians will like to know whether or not the minister spent the huge funds on jets, which authorized the spending of such funds, whether or not the expenditure was appropriated by the National Assembly and which laws allow a government minister to junket around the world even on private trips,” the opposition party said. The jet, a Global Express XRS plane, is allegedly chartered specifically for her private and official trips overseas.