By Abdullahi Mohammed
Edo state governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has accused former minister of Finance ,Dr Ngozi Okonjo –Iweala of ‘play around with statistics’.He said so in a counter attack against the former minister who has denied spending $2.1bn from Excess Crude Account without authorization.The Edo State Governor responded to her claim assertion on Monday while speaking on Channels TV .
Oshiomhole said ” I think with all due respect to former minister of finance Okonjo-Iweala, she knows how to play around, I don’t want to say lie with statistics. I have made this point that she keeps opening only part of the pages and not the entire book.
“The logic of transparency is that honourable minister must publish in full what is accruing to the federation account month to month and not what is distributed to who” he complained.
Oshiomhole further accused the former minister that of not letting people know the total picture. ” What she has been publishing is what went to the federal government, state government and local government. What she has never published simultaneously is what has accrued during the period out of which this said sum was distributed so we can net what is distributed from all that was collected, so we can see what is left in the Excess Crude Account ” he said.
According to the governor,” now you can see her changing the goal post. Okonjo-Iweala was a member of the National Economy Council . I was a member and we have asked her don’t give us verbal report on matters of federation account give us written report and the power to spend is not vested in commissioner , she knows that, you look at the constitution and tell me what sections gives the commissioners of finance presided over by the finance minister (governors that are) elected by Nigerians” ?
