N5bn recovered from former NNPC GMD’s private home, not shocking ― Igbokwe

Spokesperson of All Progressive Congress (APC), Lagos State chapter, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said he was not surprised that a sum of N5billion was recovered by the EFCC from the private home of former GMD of NNPC, Mr. Yakubu, describing the amount as little compared to what could still be unearth if the anti- graft agency could try and dig deep.

Igbokwe said this in his reaction while speaking with the Tribune Online, pointing out that a sum of N5billion being recovered by the anti- graft agency in the home of Yakubu, should not be considered  as too much to be given as gift especially in an oil industry, where such practice he contended predominates.

“It’s not too much in oil industry, that’s what they do. The thing has been a recurring decimal for years. How do they do that? If you buy crude oil, they can give you excess of 2million barrels and you pay them, that’s what they’ve been doing, it’s not a new thing we know.

“So this one is just small money o. This one is just small money, if you dig in, you will get a lot of money from that man.”

“It is not dash, it is not dash, they gave them excess crude oil, if you buy 1million barrels, they can supply you with 1.5 or 2million barrels, it is corruption, even if it a gift, it is corruption, is your house your bank? A lot of things would come out,” the APC chieftain said.

Igbokwe, however, said the lid on the shady past was being removed through the encouragement given to whistle-blowers by the Federal Government, assuring that more revelations would be made in due course, leading to more problems for looters and recovery of more looted funds under the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“You know what is bringing these things out; it is the stipends they (government) are giving to whistle-blowers. It is going to bring a lot of havoc for corrupt people and that is good for Nigeria,” he said.

While saying that corrupt people were potentially dangerous and could kill to continue their corruption, the APC spokesperson urged Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, to live and not die to be able to deliver on his mandate as a man of destiny, who had been in presidential race from 2003 until he finally secured the key to Aso Villa in 2015.

“And that the president must live that is why we are saying corrupt people are potentially dangerous, they can kill to continue this corruption. And that the president must live, we are praying for the president to live. These people they have a lot of money, election is coming and they can do anything, they can even kill the president if care is not taken, so it is a serious business.

“But they will go down, God allowed the president to come in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, God has a purpose for him and he would deliver,” he said.

Commenting on the huge stash of cash found in Andrew Yakubu, former Group Managing Director of NNPC’s house, a legal practitioner. Mr Abolade Adejumo, however, lauded the security agencies for a job well done.

“Who would have ever imagined that such a huge sum of money existed? I guess the former CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi, was right all along, when he mentioned disparities between what the NNPC got and what was remitted to the coffers of the government.

“It is still an allegation though but, since it has been brought to light, justice must prevail. I like the approach of this present administration where no one is spared, and I believe the same should apply in this case,” he said.