Abia missing airport fraud: Otti’s revelations in America just a teaser – Commissioner

…Says opposition, shadow-boxing, can’t force govt. to publish audit report  

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

Abia State government says the opposition cannot stampede it to publish details of the forensic audit report it conducted on the last administration, revealing that what the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, said in America about the audit was just a “teaser.”

Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, stated this in Monday at Government House, Umuahia, while briefing Journalists on the outcome of the Weekly State Executive Council meeting.

Kanu insisted that details of the audit report would only be published when government wants to do so

Recall that recently, while delivering a lecture at John Hopkins University in the United States of America (USA), Governor Otti alluded that the report of a forensic audit commissioned by his administration revealed an alleged massive financial sleaze by the immediate past administration headed by Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.

Governor had said at the lecture: “Still talking about corruption, I had set up a forensic audit as soon as I took over last year in Abia. And so that there won’t be any argument, I called in one of the top three audit firms in the world and not too long ago, the turned in their report and some of the things in the report are frightening.

“So, N79.3 billion was paid to seven contractors for contracts that were not executed at all, up till today. Another N15.9 billion, almost N16 billion, was paid to 63 contractors with no  supporting documents anywhere in the state. Another N12 billion was paid to two contractors for contracts that do not exist.

“Out of this figure, N10 billion was on September 25, 2020, and that is almost four years, paid to some contractors for the construction of Abia State airport. We have spent time trying to locate the airport and up till now, we have failed.

“In fact one of my aides told me the other day that may be we are using native intelligence to look for the airport, that we should seek artificial intelligence.

“So, as we continue to look for our airport, we have also involved security agencies to help us search. So, that is just an example of what typically happens and when you juxtapose that with pensions that were lying unpaid for about 10 years and salary arrears, just recently the N10 billion that was spent to build the non-existent airport, was exactly the amount of money that our government used to take off the pension arrears.”

Officials of the Ikpeazu-led administration disputed Otti’s claims, faulting him on logic and procedure.

They insisted that if Governor Otti was sincere, procedurally, he would have availed them the audit report or publish details of the report to enable them to study it and respond. They challenged the Governor to publish the said forensic audit report.

But Kanu said the opposition, which, he said, was shadow-boxing, jumped into the fray too early and maintained that they won’t force government to publish the forensic audit report until when government deems it fit to so do.

“What His Excellency said in America during a lecture was just a teaser,” Kanu stated.

He continued: “At the appropriate time, that full report would be published. The government is at liberty to publish that report when it feels is appropriate to do so.

“We know what the people who are here have been doing: they have been shadow-boxing. There is an Igbo adage that says when you name a thief, he will show on the road.

“What has happened is that His Excellency told his audience that there is a forensic audit that spoke to certain things that happened in Abia State.

“And hardly had he finished saying that than these people went to town. They can’t force the government to publish the forensic audit when the report is not ready. But what he (Otti) did was a teaser.”

Kanu assured that when the full details of that audit report is ready, it would be published.