Buhari identifies governors that would face trial after their tenures

The Presidency on Wednesday, January 15, has warned the state governors who are found to have hijacked funds meant for the local governments in their respective states would be made to face trial at the end of their tenures.

The Presidency said governors hijacking funds meant for their local government would face trial immediately after leaving office.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, according to a statement by his spokesman, Edet Etuk, gave the warning yesterday while featuring on the Federal Radio Corporation Network Service programme, “Issues of the Moment” .

Enang charged the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Attorney-General of the Federation to monitor the spending of allocation of funds to the states.

“Let the governors know that they would be made to stand trial in accordance to the extant law when their immunity is eventually lifted,” Enang said.

He said most of the local government secretariats had been taken over by weeds; “while most of the primary healthcare centre do not function.”

Recall that in December 2019, the names of former governors and ministers who are currently facing prosecution for various allegations of corruption.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption rages on, some former public officers being probed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have had their funds or assets forfeited to the federal government, either temporarily or permanently.

Those who were affected include former governors, ex-ministers and others who have held various public offices in the past.

According to Daily Trust, the value of the forfeited assets by the former public officers stands at N21.8bn, $273.3m (N83.9bn at CBN’s exchange rate of 307) and £74,000 (N29.3m at CBN’s exchange rate of 396).

The newspaper, however, stated that its current findings did not capture several other assets forfeited which are yet to be valued.

Some of these former office holders include Jolly Nyame of Taraba, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who headed the ministry of petroleum in the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

Newsflash247

Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.

To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732