By ADEBIYI ADEDAPO |
The House of Representatives yesterday urged the Ministry of Finance to stop forthwith further appropriation/and or disbursement of recovered loot of £4.2 million without recourse to the Delta State government.
This is just as the House urged the federal government to ensure that the total amount of £6.2 million loot is credited as against the £4.2m stated.
The House, however, requested the ministry and the attorney general of federation and minister of justice, Abubarkar Malami, to furnish the House with all documents and particulars relating to the recovered money.
According to a motion of urgent national importance presented by the minority leader of the House, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, and 9 other members of the opposition political parties, the recovered looted funds belongs to the good people of Delta State and as such ought to be refunded to the coffers of the Delta State government for developmental purposes.
Elumelu in the motion noted the sum of £4.2 million being proceeds of looted funds recovered from a former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori is being transferred to the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria for appropriation without recourse to the Delta State government and the parliament.
“From all indications and information to Delta State, the actual money is £6.2m and the federal government should ensure that the total of £6.2m is credited, not £4.2m as stated,” he stated.
While briefing journalists shortly after the plenary, Elumelu said “Anything that federal government needs to do, it should be brought tothe National Assembly, that is the provision of the law, and I know the AG is a law-abiding citizen. The money could be an application from the federal government, meant for Delta State but found its way to the UK, so when it is received, the first question to ask is where did the money come from and the government should sit with the Delta State government.
Elumelu who is from Delta State noted that should the federal government be allowed to appropriate the funds without recourse to the Delta State government, the people of Delta State will be shortchanged/deprived of their legitimate resources to improve on the economy of the state as well as provide the requisite infrastructural development for their benefit.
