EFCC boss worries over abuse of public funds
Shola Adekola, Lagos and Okey Muogbo, Abuja - 21.08.2009
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Mrs Farida Waziri, on Thursday, confessed that it was the first time she will witness the magnitude of abuse of public funds the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last week exposed in the banking sector.
She disagreed with the claims by some borrowers that there were discrepancies in the debt profile released by the CBN and those in the banks’ records.
Waziri, who spoke with some journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, expressed surprise that the banks could grant such huge loans without any significant collateral, thereby putting the banks in a financial mess.
Speaking on how her commission intended to ensure that the debtors complied with the ultimatum given them to pay, Waziri said : “Well, they have no choice. They have to comply. Do not forget, we are working together; it is a very serious matter, pertaining to the economy and the entire country as a whole. Nigerians are watching; the international community is watching. We are working with other agencies: the Nigeria Police, Securities and Exchange Commission, NDIC. All hands are on deck.
There is no way that we will not accomplish this task of recovering the money.”
Meanwhile, one of the bank debtors, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, has challenged the CBN to publish the names and amounts owed the five banks taken over by the government to prove that the government action was to rescue the banks.
Ibrahim contended that after publishing debts of private businessmen and companies, the CBN should go ahead to let Nigerians know how the government contributed to the crisis by publishing the full list of all debtors, including debts owed the banks by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the state governments.
No comments:
Post a Comment