A socio-political group in Akwa Ibom State, Akwa Ibom Patriots (AKIPAT), has written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over the misappropriation of monies received by the Akwa Ibom State Government as Federal Government Bond through the office of Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akan Okon.
The group appealed to the President to not only focus his effort on the crusade against corruption in the centre but to states and local government areas, particularly, Akwa Ibom State.
Below is a copy of their letter:
AKWA IBOM PATRIOTS (AKIPAT)
13 JUBILEE SCHOOL ROAD, UYO
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR
BOND PLACEMENT: PLEASE TELL MR. AKAN OKON TO BRING OUT AKWA IBOM MONEY FOR DEVELOPMENT, NOT TO KEEP IT FOR ELECTION RE-RUN
1. Your Excellency, we commend your proactive effort in the battle against corruption in our national life.
2. We are, however, afraid that focusing the war only in the centre will diminish the significance and benefits to be drawn from the war.
3. States in Nigeria have become centres of massive corruption where the leadership short-charges the people greatly and use the commonwealth of the people shared in Abuja for their personal and private use.
4. Akwa Ibom State is one of the states in the category of the most corrupt states in Nigeria, Your Excellency, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should turn the searchlight on.
5. The reason is that based on the fact that the State Government had made huge budget to carter for the just concluded Supreme Court case regarding the April 2015 Governorship Election in the state. The Udom Emmanuel Government, before and after then has been behaving like a bull in a China Shop. The government stashed away billions of our commonwealths, majorly from the Federal Government Bond, in private and public till.
6. We wish to specifically draw His Excellency’s attention to Mr. Akan Okon, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Finance, who till date cannot account for the over N5billion of our money fixed monthly in a bond that they have been drawing for unknown purposes.
7. Please, Your Excellency should order an investigation into all monies placed in Federal Government and other bonds in the last seven months and it will shock you to see that instead of investing the people’s money in development, the Udom Emmanuel government, through the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akan Okon, and the Accountant General, have been putting away money in the bonds, to draw it for what they tagged “Supreme Court Project.”
8. We stand to defend this any way.
We are, yours in nation building:
Akparawa Etim Uwe – Urue Offong Oruko
Obong Godwin Akai – Ibiono Ibom
Chief Sunny Elijah – Nsit Atai
Obong Rita Akpan – Uyo
Chief Maurice Ebong – Etinan
Hon. Eseme Eyiboh – Esit Eket
Dr. Emem Wills – Eket –
Okpongette Ulaeto – Ibeno
Hon. Aniekan Akpan – Eket
Hon. Lawrence Etang – Eket
Idorenyin Akpanudo – ONNA
Chief Eyo Etim Eyo – Oron
Cc: The Inspector General of Police
The Director of Department of State Security (DSS)
The Director General, EFCC
