Governors: We’ve done nothing illegal as far as Paris Club refund is concerned

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says there is no illegality in the disbursement of the Paris Club loan refund.

The refund was a result of over-deductions from the statutory allocations of the states for debt-servicing from 1995 to 2002.

The forum was reacting to reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had indicted Senate President Bukola Saraki, his aides, and Robert Mbonu, a consultant the NGF hired, for money laundering to the tune N3.5bn.

They were alleged to have diverted a part of the fund.

But in a statement issued on Monday, Abdulrazque Barkindo, NGF spokesman, said there was no illegality in the transaction.

He said Mbonu’s Melrose General Services Limited was duly hired as a consultant and that it was paid an amount commensurate to its services.

He also said it was not the business of the forum to investigate how money genuinely paid to its service providers was spent.

“Our attention has been drawn to publications in the media which are believed to have emanated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about a purported report the anti-graft agency submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, on March 10, 2016,” he said.

“The report is said to have indicted the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and imputed illegal dealings in the disbursement of the Paris Club refund payment to states of the federation as handled by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

“While the NGF will not want to repeatedly join issues with the EFCC on the disbursement of the first tranche of the Paris Club refund, particularly after its officials have been interrogated by the anti-corruption agency and we provided all necessary and required details and documents regarding disbursement to states, including harmonising the number of consultants and payment made to them, we are constrained to once again state the following for the benefit of members of the public:

“It is true that Melrose General Services Limited was one of the consultants that was duly engaged and documented to facilitate the disbursement of the Paris Club Refund. The consultant was also paid an amount commensurate to the services it provided, among other numerous consultants that were involved in the process.

“It is not in the NGF’s purview to determine how Melrose or other consultants disburse or utilise the consultancy fee paid to them. The NGF should therefore not be dragged into how its suppliers, lawyers, contractors and consultants spend their legitimate incomes and revenues.

“It may interest the public to know that the NGF is still being inundated with claims from many other consultants from all over the country who had earlier been engaged and promised commission by the respective states.

“The NGF maintains its earlier position that it has done nothing illegal as far as the disbursement of the Paris Club Refund to states and the consultants are concerned. The Forum has all necessary approvals to act in the manner it did. Therefore, the misinformation in the media about the disbursement and insinuations being made concerning some governors that are being mentioned is outright mischief.”

Barkindo said the approval for the release of the second tranche of the Paris Club refund by the president was indicative of his confidence in the NGF for the manner it handled the disbursement of the first tranche of the fund.

“The NGF would like to once again place it on record that it played an altruistic and patriotic role in ensuring that it aided, as directed, approved and authorised by the presidency, federal ministry of finance, office of the accountant general of the federation, debt management office (DMO) and all other necessary agencies of government, the disbursement of the funds to entities and individuals lawfully entitled to it. All approvals, authorisation, terms of engagements and disbursement were properly documented and are verifiable by anyone, including the general public,” he added.