Nigeria: Governors Perfect New Looting Plan

To Beat EFCC, ICPC As Uncertainties Mount
Adamu, Attah, Duke, Ibori, Igbenedion, Odili in Soup

NIGERIA is likely to return to the top chart of the Transparency International (TI) as the most corrupt country in the world, if the new schemes allegedly being devised by public functionaries, particularly state governors, go unnoticed by the anti-graft agencies.

This latest revelation is coming against the backdrop of guarded whispers in some quarters that the current security approach to the Niger Delta crisis might not yield lasting results. It is also coming on the heels of alleged growing uncertainties among some public officers whose election in April this year are being challenged by the opposition.

Some of the rebel groups under the umbrella of the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) have said that they will soon take on some American oil giants who are allegedly unwilling to play ball with some of the local communities their extractive operations have impacted negatively. In this case, the oil companies, according to the rebels, are ExxonMobil and Chevron.

Still in the South-South geo-political zone area, the opposition are still insisting on fresh elections or an Interim National Government to prepare grounds for a more credible elections in the country. It appears some of the desperate moves by the ''elected'' public officials to woo the opposition to their side is not yielding fruits.

To therefore, recoup their alleged huge investment during the largely condemned April polls, most of the governors and their sponsoring godfathers are said to have devised plans to loot their state treasuries through contract deals before their political curtain falls.

In a bid to abort their plans, Bassey Orok, a renowned spiritual consultant and seer, says all the anti-graft agencies in the country should be on red alert 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

According to him, ''the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) should upgrade their searchlights on all public functionaries in the as there are plans by some governors to siphon public funds for their selfish aims''.

''While some of the governors'', he went on, ''are now on the move, planning seriously on how they will carry out this notorious act, the others have started to send their immediate family members abroad''.

Orok says he is calling on the anti-corruption agencies to beam their searchlights more on all contract deals at all levels of government. He is insisting that those who are scheming to loot the public till will not use the same methods of the immediate past chief executives.

At the moment, the seer says there is no hiding place for six former governors, all of them of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The six ex-governors, according to him, are Peter Odili, of Rivers State, Lucky Igbinedion, of Edo State, Adullahi Adamu, of Nassarawa State, Donald Duke, of Cross River State, James Ibori, of Delta State and Victor Attah, of Akwa Ibom State.

''These six ex-governors should warm up to face the law of the land as a result of the financial crimes they committed against their states between 1999 and May 2007. They will all face serious trials, their roles in the outcome of the April polls notwithstanding'', the seer said.

He is also asking the EFCC and the ICPC to probe the business relationship between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Donald Duke, while both were in office.

''The two past leaders had something in common which they used to destroy Cross River State in particular and Nigeria in general, financially. Obasanjo was not the saint most Nigerians thought he was. The man did a lot of damage to this country. At the appropriate time, nemesis will catch up with him'', Orok said.

ENDS

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