NLC calls for probe of Patience Jonathan over $31 million •Supports freezing of her account

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, over the frozen $31 million alleged traced to her account.

NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke to journalists during the NLC National Youth Conference held in Abuja, said the congress and Nigerian workers were in total support of the freezing of the account.

The NLC president urged the EFCC to probe the sources of wealth of  the wife of the  former president, “prosecute and confiscate her assets if found culpable of illegal accumulation of wealth.”

He pointed out that in other civilised climes, Mrs Jonathan would have voluntarily forfeited the money to the state, adding that the EFCC must make her to explain to Nigerians what business she had undertaken to amass such wealth.

According to him, “we have said it over and over again, that NLC is the first organisation that actually supported openly the anti-graft war. We said recover, investigate and prosecute, so that it can serve as a deterrent. Our position has been undoubting on the issue of the frozen $31 million.

“In this respect, the onus of proof is on the  ex-first lady. First, she must inform all of us the sources of the money. She must explain what business she has done to accumulate such wealth. In other climes, she would have forfeited such funds. This is our position and we have always been consistent about it,” he said.

He regretted that the inability of some state governors to meet their financial obligations to  workers was  due to endemic corruption rather than non-availability of resources.

Against this backdrop, Wabba urged the anti-graft body to extend the fight against official graft to the state and local government levels.

He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop buck passing and evolve realisable policies that would lead the nation out of the present economic recession.

He advised the youth to begin to take active interest in governance, adding that they were the worse hit by the current economic downturn.

Citing the International Labour Organisation’s recent statistics, he stated that over 70 per cent Nigerian youths were unemployed.