Okonjo-Iweala Accepts Lawmaker’s Challenge For ‘Public Debate’ Over N24bn Police Pension

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister
for the Economy, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
has described as "ridiculous and false" allegations
by Chairman of the House of Representatives
Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Solomon
Adeola Olamilekan that N24bn was missing from
the Police pension account.
Rep. Olamilekan on Thursday while insisting that
the N24bn was missing, accused Mrs. Okonjo-
Iweala of brandishing fraudulent, forged and fake
documents – which cannot stand the test of time –
to defend her position that the fund was intact and
challenged her to a public debate on the matter.
But the minister in a statement issued on Friday
night by her Special Adviser Communications, Mr
Paul Nwabuikwu, maintained her stand that the
money was not missing adding that it is an irony
that the federal law maker is attacking her for
taking action to ensure that public money was not
stolen, but put back into the treasury where it
belongs.
The statement reads, "It is unfortunate that the
Chairman has persisted in using his privileged
platform to disseminate such distortions even
though the Minister has repeatedly explained to the
Committee that the money was an overpayment
based on the demands of those trying to steal from
pension funds which was successfully blocked and
the money returned to the treasury by the minister.
"This persistence in peddling this untruth suggests
that this is yet another attempt to tarnish the image
of the Minister for partisan political reasons and to
take public attention away from the positive efforts
to reform the historically problematic pensions
sector.
"It is indeed a sad irony that the Committee
Chairman is attacking the Minister for taking action
to ensure that public money was not stolen, but put
back into the treasury where it belongs".
The statement further explained that the said
amount was returned to the treasury well before
the DG of Pension Transitional Arrangement
Department, Mrs. Nellie Mayshack, was appointed
adding that the effort by Rep. Olamilekan to use her
to confirm that the amount is missing is contrived
and deceptive.
"The Minister is currently out of the country but
she is ready and willing to take up the challenge
posed by the Committee Chairman for a public
discussion on the issue.
"Beyond this issue, she also looks forward to the
opportunity to throw light on the status of pension
reforms and the Federal Government's efforts to
fix the problems of the sector in a sustainable
way", it concluded.