Like govs, Reps minority caucus demands probe of $418m judgement debt

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has warned against the reported approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the payment of the $418 million suspicious debt to six creditors, despite its objection by stakeholders, including state governors, Local Government chairmen and anti-graft agencies.

In a statement by its leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, the caucus said the President should be aware that the consent judgement relied upon for the payment is unclear and raises concerns of huge swindle on the national treasure, which calls for an immediate investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The lawmakers called on Buhari to immediately halt the payment processes until after the investigations, insisting that the objections raised by the Association of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON) and the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) in calling for a forensic audit into the claims by the creditors must be considered.

The caucus said: “As lawmakers, our caucus insists that the approval to funnel out $418 million out of the national treasure under such hazy consent judgment and in the absence of the forensic audit smack of an endorsement of corruption.

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“Our caucus urges President Buhari not to allow himself to be misled or entangled in this nebulous enterprise, but to listen to the state governors and allow for the audit, particularly on the particulars of claims by creditors as well as the circumstances leading to the suspicious consent judgement.

“The minority caucus demands that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice should avail himself of the audit to bring the processes and circumstances surrounding the judgment debt to public glare.

“The caucus maintains that the audit should unravel those behind the consent judgment, the propriety of such measures as well as why the objection by the governors was ignored.

“This is more so as the consent judgement predicated the payment of the doubtful $418 million on deductions from allocations to states and local governments, a development that will put an unwarranted burden on the already overstrained tiers of government and worsen the economic and infrastructural deficit in the country.”

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