The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has on
Thursday disclosed his involvement in the ’leaked’ secret letter written
by former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi to former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Recall that Sanusi had earlier reveled an interview with Forbes Africa
Magazine, that Amaechi was responsible for leaking to Obasanjo a letter he
wrote to Jonathan on the “missing” $49.8 billion oil revenues.
Amaechi who reacted in a statement signed by his media office emphasized
that the role he played on the issue was in the best interest of the
nation and Nigerians.
Read the statement in full,”Our attention has been drawn to reports in the
media that tends to infer and/or suggest that immediate past governor of
Rivers State and now Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi
Amaechi surreptitiously and clandestinely ‘leaked’ a letter written by
former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and now Emir of Kano, Sanusi
Muhammad 11 to then President Goodluck Jonathan on the non-remittance of
$49.8 billion from oil sale to the federation account. This is further
from the truth and what exactly transpired as regards Amaechi’s
involvement in that Sanusi letter.
To put the records straight, we want to categorically state that: A
concerned and patriotic Nigerian who felt sufficiently troubled with what
was happening then, gave a copy of the Sanusi letter to Amaechi in
Amaechi’s capacity as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).
Like Amaechi, we should appreciate that concerned Nigerian’s patriotism.
“When Amaechi got the letter, he spoke with Sanusi who was still the CBN
governor to confirm the authenticity of the letter. Sanusi confirmed to
Amaechi that he wrote the letter. During their conversation, Amaechi made
it abundantly clear to the then CBN governor that the bleeding of the
nation had to be stopped, all non-remitted funds remitted and that he
(Amaechi) was going to use the letter to do whatever is in the best
interest of the nation and Nigerians, which was the stoppage of the
non-remittance and the recovery of all the non-remitted funds from oil
sale. The CBN Governor didn’t agree with Amaechi on the way
forward.Considering that the letter was given to Amaechi as Chairman of
the Governors’ Forum, he shared the letter with his colleague governors
first, and with Senator Bukola Saraki (now Senate President), who before
and around that period was doing some work or/and investigation around the
oil sector in the senate.”
Around that period, a delegation from the United States of America
government, from the offices of the Secretaries of State and Defense
visited Amaechi in Port Harcourt to discuss the issue of oil theft in
Nigeria. From their records, they gave Amaechi figures of billions of
dollars (about $7 billion dollars, annually) that was being lost to oil
theft in Nigeria.They were discussing the issue and figures of oil theft,
and that was how the CBN governor’s letter to President Jonathan came up.
In the presence of journalists covering the visit, Amaechi brought out the
Sanusi letter to the visiting American delegation to buttress the point
that Nigeria was losing far more money to non-remittance of proceeds from
oil sale into the federation account, which everyone seemed to concur, was
in itself, another form and another dimension to the issue of oil theft.
“To suggest, infer or even extrapolate that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi
Amaechi surreptitiously, clandestinely or underhandedly ‘leaked’ the CBN
governor’s (Sanusi’s) letter is indeed most unfair, disrespectful and
uncharitable to his person. Amaechi did what he did because he believed
that the theft and corruption was just too much. He was propelled by his
patriotic zeal to put Nigeria first, do what is in the best interest of
the nation and Nigerians, and stop the bleeding and sucking of our
collective resources by a tiny few.
“The mind boggling corruption revelations in the recent past, that is
still ongoing clearly justifies and vindicates Amaechi’s stance on the
issue and the actions he took. Faced with the same situation, under
similar circumstances, Amaechi will not act differently. The good of
Nigeria, putting the nation and Nigerians first, will always be his
guiding principle.”