By JOHN OKIYI KALU

After former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s team busted the brazen lies about Abia Airport project with facts and documents, Governor Alex Otti is now making new false claims on bailout fund and Paris Club refund instead of publishing the forensic audit that allegedly found, among other things, that N10 billion was paid for a non-existent Abia Airport project.

He should bring it on because facts are still sacred.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and members of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) applauded Dr. Ikpeazu for managing those funds transparently. There are also banking and other documentary proofs on the application of the funds. Leaders of organized labour in Abia State were actually members of the committee that recommended how the funds were shared and should be ready to give evidence if called upon. The ICPC report on the use/application of the bailout funds is available to all interested Nigerian.

In Ikpeazu’s time as Governor, he was not only bold enough to announce receipts of bailout/Paris Club refund and the figures to Abia public, he also had organized labour making recommendations, and actually supervised the disbursement

Governor Otti should be compelled to publish his so-called forensic audit report now, and unbiased Nigerians along with the Ikpeazu team are still insisting he does that while others compile and publish their own report on Otti’s administration, from Signature Bank through Abia Cryptocurrencies to alleged contract inflations. This is now more important and urgent because excerpts from the recently released quarterly financial report published by the Otti administration showed entries such as over N3 billion spent on “research & development”, billions of naira collected as “security votes” and other tears inducing entries.

If Governor Otti ever proves that Dr. Ikpeazu paid N10 billion for any airport project, I will leave all social media platforms permanently. The simple proof is to follow the money and identify where it landed with airport project or airport contractor.

On my own, I will soon publish documents available to me to prove decisively that the proposed Abia airport project was cancelled by the state executive council, I was a member of, on Friday, 13th of November 2020.

Let’s entrench transparency in Abia State rather than celebrate partisan witchhunt by a governor who obviously is seeking to use the media and international platforms to smear his predecessor.

Meanwhile, Governor Otti and his government should immediately restore all the archived financial reports published from 2016 to 2023 by the Ikpeazu administration via the state website, abiastate.gov.ng. It is fraudulent to remove the public data and I wish to call on SFTAS, Federal Ministry of Finance, anti-corruption and data management agencies in Nigeria to rise up to this occasion and ask Governor Otti and his government why those documents were removed.

It is noteworthy that the Ikpeazu administration was the first ever in Abia State to publish quarterly and annual financial reports via newspapers and the state website.

Contrary to the earlier boasts of Governor Otti’s media minions, he is yet to publish the so-called forensic report by “one of the top 3 audit firms in the world” for the auditees to respond publicly after being accused publicly in faraway USA. Why is he afraid of publishing a document he made copious public reference to in faraway United States of America if he is sure of his facts?

Nigerians also deserve to see that report as well as know how much was paid from Abia State account to the “reputable” auditors that dared prepare and release an audit report without seeking any response from the auditees.

Why is it taking so long to publish a report Governor Otti claimed was with him and made public reference to? When will the world learn of the companies that allegedly collected billions of taxpayers money from Abia State without doing any work? Why is the Governor and his government protecting the identity of supposed fraudulent companies but hastened to accuse his predecessor?

It is crass and unacceptable to employ the resources of a state to engage in media trial of your predecessor without offering documents you have publicly cited as evidence.

Bring it on Governor Otti, publish the audit document or at least go back to John Hopkins University and apologize to Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.

Abians deserve to know who collected N10 billion for airport and did nothing. They also deserve to know the construction companies that allegedly collected tens of billions of naira from Ikpeazu administration and did nothing. We already know that as Governor, Ikpeazu did not sign any cheque and have made clear that the allegation of paying N10 billion for airport project is false. So, we are interested in finding out if there are people in his administration that did what Governor Otti alleged so that such people can be punished.

Ikpeazu tackles Otti, dismisses claims on N10bn Abia airport

If Governor Otti is afraid of naming supposed criminally complicit individuals and the contracting companies that received the money why did he make public allegations to smear the image of Nigeria and Abia State before the international community? It is my view that the Presidency and NGF should consider a strong public reprimand for Governor Otti to prevent future bitter governors from rubbishing the country’s image abroad.

It is already more than one week since Governor Otti made his spurious allegations in USA and Abians should not be distracted by any forensic “premium whisky” video released by his own team in USA from continuing to ask for the audit report until Otti makes it public. Governor Otti obviously has the highest media and publicity budget in the South-East region, ostensibly for propagating bitter lies against his predecessor and others who are opposed to his make-believe style of governance, yet that should not be enough to allow him get away with needless economic sabotage against Nigeria.

Unfortunately, those who  believe the allegations made by Governor Otti did so because they rightly expected a governor not to lie so brazenly in public, but just like in the past, this forensic tale by moonlight will expose the real Otti after he must have published the report and his predecessor’s response is also made public. Dr. Ikpeazu apparently does not have anything to hide hence his well-documented demand that the audit report be made public for him to read and respond accordingly.

Governor Otti knows he has been boxed in, just like he was when he lied that Ikpeazu administration did not invest in Aba IPP of Geometric Company, because he cannot deny that he told the world about N10 billion being spent on an airport project in Abia State.

Mr Otti must also know that leadership is different from skit making and content creation for public applause as he obviously did with his artificial intelligence joke. He made a weighty allegation that impugned on someone’s hard-earned reputation, demarketed Nigeria at a global stage and the onus is on him to prove it, or at least, make the report public for those concerned to give an equally very public response with or without availability of “premium whisky”.

No matter how cheap talk is, Governor Otti should not use it to malign others. Abians are still waiting for the audit report!

*Chief John Okiyi Kalu (Nwandugbom JOK) is a former Commissioner for Information, Trade & Investment, Abia State.

The Star