Nuhu Ribadu defends Okonjo-Iweala, says N30trn can't go missing under her

 

Former EFCC Chairman and PDP Governorship candidate in Adamawa state, Nuhu Ribadu says the allegation

 by former CBN Governor Charles Soludo that N30trn had gone missing under the watch of the Minister of

 Finance and Coordinating Minister of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wasn't true

In an interview with NAN, Nuhu Ribadu said it was not possible to have such a huge amount of money go

 missing in an office she assumed about three to four years ago...

"I was baffled and got deluded for anyone to say that N30 trillion got lost. I think we just have to look a

t what we earn as a country and what our budget had been in these few years and see how possible it is

. If everything we earned is not up to that within the period she has been the minister, which is about three

to four years, then we need to be careful. We need to be careful to avoid more damage to our nation,

because there are certain things that when it comes out, it will never go back again.".

Mr Ribadu argued that the Minister of Finance has an impeccable record having monitored her while she was

 minister under Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

"I challenge anybody to say that she stole N1 at that time; we were all there. I was in charge of EFCC

and I want to hear anybody say that she did this and that. I followed her up till now. I think it is somehow

uncharitable for someone to come out to say that such an amount of money was missing under her watch.

When I worked with her, she exhibited a nationalistic attitude that was not questionable and believed in any

policy that could take Nigeria and its people high. I am close to almost all of us that worked together as a

team and I know that Ngozi continues to do what she knows how best to do, which is to serve Nigeria.

She managed this economy fairly in spite of all the challenges and difficulties; it is sad for someone to

look at Ngozi and said that she has a hand in it (alleged missing funds). This pull-down syndrome has to

stop and we must manage ourselves very well; I am not happy now with what is going on and I think that

if it is politics, I think it is something that is hurting us as people and hurting the economy as well,” he said.

Credit NAN/Tribune