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Looting: Obasanjo’s allegation is bogus, says Kalu
By
Uche Nwosu
Special Correspondent, Omuahia
Governor Orji Uzor Kalu
of Abia State on Sunday denied that he floated an airline with public fund.
Kalu, who was reacting
to insinuations by President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday that some governors
established private businesses with public funds, explained that Slok Airline
was incorporated in 1994 while the aircraft were leased in 2003 by the Jetian
Airline of United States of America.
Obasanjo, during a Radio
Nigeria phone-in-programme called “The President Explains”, did not
mention the Abia Governor or the banned Slok Airline belonging to him in his
assertion but declared that some governors loot public funds and use same to
establish private airlines, radio stations and schools.
Kalu described the
President’s insinuation as not only malicious and unsubstantiated but
also quite unfortunate that such could come from a president that he has great
respect for.
The governor spoke in a
statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Onuoha Udeala.
“There is no iota
of truth in President Obasanjo’s allegation since Governor Kalu as an
individual does not own Slok Airline alone rather Slok Air is a limited
liability company incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
according to existing laws in the country”.
“For the
information of the general public, Slok Airline was incorporated in 1994 and
the aircrafts were leased in 2003 by Jetian Airline of United States of
America, the same airline that leased Sosoliso and Fresh Airlines. The leasing
was financed by Chase Mahattan Bank of New York of USA,” Kalu said in the
statement circulated in Umuahia on Sunday.
He pointed out that he
declared his assets in line with the provision of the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that he explicitly stated those companies
in the Code of Conducts Bureau Assets Declaration Form which he filled before
becoming governor.
On Obasanjo’s anti-graft
crusade, Kalu said it is on record that the Petroleum ministry never sends memo
to the federal executive council for discussion, stressing that he (Kalu) has
severally written the president to recall the Managing Director of NNPC, Mr.
Gaius Obaseki, to answer charges of mismanagement in the corporation.
“If President
Obasanjo has proven cases of corruption against Governor Kalu, he should not
hesitate to make it public. Corruption cannot be fought by mere allegation and
character assassination,” the statement further affirmed.
“From the forgoing, we can see that the reason for the
ban of Slok Air was politically motivated and not technical problem as the
Federal Government will want Nigerians to believe,” Kalu further added.
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