LAGOS — Governor Orji Uzor Kalu said weekend that he had in his possession documents that would expose the foreign bank accounts of top government officials and this he promised to do at the appropriate time.
He spoke against the backdrop of recent claim by a London-based Non-government organisation (NGO) which accused some 21 governors of having two million pounds in their foreign accounts.
Kalu, who spoke with newsmen at the presidential wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, said he would resign were he found to be one of the governors in question.
He said he didn’t need to deep his hands into the state’s treasuries for his personal use as, according to him, he has enough investments to take care of his personal needs.
Kalu said: “We have documents which shows where people in high places have their accounts in the world. We are just keeping quiet because it is Godly to keep quiet. At the appropriate time, we’ll release it to the Nigerian public if they need it.”
He said those who take pleasure in moving the country’s money overseas would one day account for their deeds.
Governor Kalu lamented the loss of N7.8 billion investment to the ban clamped on Slok Airlines by the federal government, saying only President Olusgun Obasanjo rather than aviation minister, mallam Isa Yuguda, could lift the ban.
He also queried the selection of Virgin Atlantic Airways as strategic investor and technical partners in the country’s new national carrier, Virgin Nigeria, and added that Slok could have conveniently played that role with the nine Boeing 747 aircraft it was expecting from the U.S. at the time of the ban.
Slok Airlines was banned from operation in March this year by the federal government over what was described as “unethical practices.”
Governor Kalu said the airline’s ban had also gone with no fewer than 4,000 jobs, wondering why the federal government which always talks about job creation through foreign investments should at the same time, discourage local entrepreneurs from creating jobs for Nigerians.
“Close to N8 billion has gone with the ban on Slok Airlines. If the ban is lifted, I’ll be very grateful to President Obasanjo. I am looking forward to it because he is the only one that has the answers to un-ban Slok, not the minister of aviation, the minister has no power to do it.
“I want to compete with Virgin, they didn’t need to give Virgin that role to play; we have enough capacity. We have nine Boeing 747 aircraft in the U.S. to bring here to compete with Virgin, so why give it to Virgin?” queried Kalu.
According to him, those behind Slok Airline’s ban should have pity on the thousands of its workers who have been suddenly rendered jobless.
