THE ESA FAMILY

Thursday, 20 August 2015

MAKE MONEY

GEJ’s Men Secretly Returning Government Properties?

According to the investigation carried out by Leadership, some officials of the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan have started returning assets taken while in office.
The move follows Buhari’s repeated claims that those involved in public funds embezzlement would be identified and punished.
The report states that a set of senior officials were secretly returning vehicles, furniture and generator sets back to Aso Rock where they had been previously taken from.
A source from the presidency, who pleaded for anonymity, disclosed that since Monday, August 17,
Jonathan’s men had been calling to explain that some of the government properties had been taken by their relatives or aides without their consent.
The source noted, however, that despite their last-moment attempts to avoid being probed by the government, the officials would still need to explain their actions.
“Throughout today (yesterday), we have been receiving calls from some of the former aides and officials of government who claim that whatever was still in their possession were taken and were being kept either by their families members or personal assistants.
READ ALSO: We Must Begin To Behave As If Have No Oil At All – Buhari Set To Review Economic Policies
“Some even claim that they were aware that their family members were still living in government buildings while they were away in their hometowns, or abroad where they are on vacation. But their explanations amount to nothing but medicine after death. Whether they return the property or not, they must face the law because what the president is angry about is the action itself.”
When asked about the names of those involved in the incident, the source said:
“We have the names of most of them on ground already. What the committee is doing at the moment is to ascertain whether due process was followed before they took the property as their personal possessions.
“Once discovered that they did not buy them in line with the monetization process initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, they will still be prosecuted.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Monday, August 17, reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption in the country. He noted that no one should “get away with corruption” as with his administration, noting that change had come and it was time to bring the guilty to justice.

Governor Wike Begins Amaechi Probe

The Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, has kept to his promise to probe the administration of the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who presided over state affairs as governor from 2007 – 2015.

Nyeson Wike

Daily Independent reports that Wike has told all state permanent secretaries to reveal account details of their spending for the last eighteen months.
Wike alleged that state ministries helped Amaechi’s administration to withdraw money illegally from the state treasury even a day before the May 29 swearing-in date.

Rotimi Amaechi

Addressing the permanent secretaries during a meeting at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, Wike requested to see “full details and print out of every ministry’s account in the last 18 months. I will not accept any handover note without an accompanying account details.
He said, “The government was coming to a close and some of you were busy signing cheques on 26, 27 and 28 of May. On 28 of May, the Transition Committee called most of you and you refused to cooperate because they told you I will not be sworn-in.”
The governor told those present at the meeting that he will not witch-hunt any civil servant but he will fight anyone who plans to disrupt the flow of his administration.
READ ALSO: Inauguration Of Rivers State Governor: How Laws Are Used To The Benefit Of Lawmakers
Wike promised to support civil servants bent on repairing the state as he warned the civil servants not to inter-change their roles with those of politicians. He said back-dated employments and suspicious issuance of certificates of occupancy will be revisited.
Of all the secretaries in attendance, the governor was specific in telling the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Survey to produce the relevant land documents for examination.
Those who attended the meeting included the head of service, Barrister Samuel Longjohn, who led the permanent secretaries to the meeting with the former minister of sports, Dr Tammy Danagogo, the former deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, and the secretary of the Transition Committee, Barrister Frank Owhor.
Governor Wike has been at loggerheads with Amaechi over his alleged mismanagement of state funds. The governor alleged that Amaechi had looted and vandalized the state governor’s residence before he left office.
Amaechi denied those claims saying Wike could not have known what he had in his bedroom before he left office. The former governor also claimed that Wike was planning to siphon billions of naira from the state treasury in the guise of renovating the state house.
Wike had earlier announced that he would stay away from the Government House in Port Harcourt until September because of the vandalisation of the property by the past administration.