Okonjo-Iweala Uncovers N.5bn Scam

[Richard Akindele]

FOREIGN Affairs Minister, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has uncovered $4.3 million (N.5 billion) scam in her ministry barely two weeks in office.

She blew the whistle on the scam yesterday at a meeting with the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs in Abuja while pledging to sanitize the ministry.

Okonjo-Iweala revealed that unnamed top officials of the ministry had collected $4.3 million for a contract originally approved for $230,000 (N29 million).

She said the bubble burst, when the cheque was made in the name of a foreign firm (contractor) that handled the unspecified job.

The first, the minister said subsequently alerted the Ministry of Finance about the contract inflation a few days after the payment had been made, noting that the said Nigerian officials are currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on their role in the scam.

She promised to sanitize the ministry, while insisting on transparency and accountability.

"I left the finance ministry but I am not going to change my optic. We must show how we spent the funds allocated to us (foreign affairs).

Lamenting over the poor state of facilities in the Ministry, Okonjo-Iweala said her ministry spends over N1 million monthly on purchase of diesel.

She however, said that such system would soon stop saying out of the 68 MGW of electrcity required by her ministry only 28 MGW can be provided by PHCN, She also revealed that the ministry is yet to be connected to internet so that it can be accessed by other countries.

On the alleged violation of federal character principle in the retrenchment and posting of staff in foreign mission, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said, the exercise is being done to reposition the ministry.

Relevant Links

West Africa
Legal and Judicial Affairs
Crime and Corruption
Nigeria



She said merit cannot be sacrificed on the altar of federal character. About 400 staff may be affected in the gale of posting and retrenchment.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Jubril Aminu said his committee received complaints about the posting while urging the minister to be thorough.

He said that the committee was worried over the reported state of infrastructural decay in the ministry despite huge budgetary allocation to it.

Daily Champion.