Jonathan orders release of full forensic audit report on NNPC’s account

Following the decision by the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to further probe the alleged missing $20 billion from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the full disclosure and publicity of the forensic audit.

 

This is even as the presidency dismissed allegations of last minute looting by the outgoing administration, rushed privatisation, as well as hurried recruitment into the federal public service.

The forensic audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, an audit firm, on behalf of the Federal Government on the operations of the NNPC, had indicted the management of the corporation for various questionable transactions.

The forensic audit had been commissioned following allegations by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that about $20 billion oil money was missing from the NNPC.

The allegation that the huge amount had been stolen was raised in 2013 by the former CBN governor who is now the emir of Kano.

Sanusi had said as much as $49 billion was diverted by the NNPC and had later reviewed the amount to $20 billion, and called for investigations after writing to President Goodluck Jonathan.

The presidency had on March 12, 2014 announced, through a statement by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, that it had authorised the engagement of reputable international firm to carry out the forensic audit of the accounts of the NNPC.

Part of the recommendations made by the firm had included that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the upstream subsidiary of the NNPC, should refund about $1.48 billion to the Federation Account for various un-reconciled transactions.

Briefing journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, however, Abati said the president was “deeply concerned by the continuing suggestions that his administration still has anything to hide about the unproven allegation that about $20 billion is unaccounted for by the NNPC during his tenure.

“To lay the matter to rest, President Jonathan, in line with Section 7(2) of the NNPC Act, has directed that the full report of the PwC forensic audit of the NNPC accounts be released immediately to the public, so that all Nigerians will be properly informed on the matter”.

He said the president had also noted with concern, the allegation by Lai Mohammed, the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), that officials of the Federal Government are engaged in “last minute looting of the nation’s resources, rushed privatisation of key institutions and hurried recruitment into the public service”