EFCC grills Pius Anyim over N13bn ecological fund, Centenary City project

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, continued questioning a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim.

Anyim, who served as the SGF under the administration of former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Saturday Tribune gathered from insiders in the anti-graft agency, was grilled in relations to N13billion ecological fund and the Centenary City project in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A source informed that the former Federal Government scribe, who was arrested on Thursday night, was in EFCC mainly for the ecological fund, adding that the Centenary City project was an ancillary issue in his arrest.

According to the source, Anyim, a former Senate President, was linked to a shortfall in the ecological fund while he was SGF and diversion of N60.75million by both the federal and state governments from the fund for purposes not related to ecological issues.

The source further told Saturday Tribune that the former SGF’s roles in the Centenary City project also came under scrutiny by the commission.

He added that Anyim was involved in some fraud regarding the $18.3 billion project, which was initiated by the Jonathan administration to mark Nigeria’s 100 years of amalgamation, as about 3,000 acres out of the about 1, 267 hectares of land on which the project is sited belonged to the former government scribe.

The Centenary City project was a subject of investigation of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT in February, leading to the recommendation that Anyim and the immediate past FCT Minister, Senator Bala Muhammed be investigated by anti-corruption agencies for their indictment by the committee’s report on the project.

In view of the House Committee’s report, former Senate President approached a High Court of FCT to restrain the House from ordering his arrest over alleged fraud in the project.

The court presided over by Justice Usman Musale, sitting at Jabi, on May 4 granted an order restraining the House of Representatives from acting on the committee report, which the House adopted on March 16, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice Anyim filed before it.

However, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in September dismissed an application seeking the nullification of the report.

Justice Dimgba held that the former SGF’s argument that he was not given the right of fair hearing lacked merit, adding that it was not enough to dismiss the findings of the committee as contained in its report.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren confirmed to Saturday Tribune that Anyim was still in the anti-corruption commission’s custody as of yesterday evening.