Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has challenged the British lawmaker, Tom Tugendhat, who accused former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, of looting half of money CBN to check the facts again and do the needful if he was wrong or back up the allegation if he has any evidence to retain his credibility and the institutional integrity of his country’s parliament.
SMBLF threw this challenge in a joint statement issued and signed by its chairman, Chief Edwin K. Clark on behalf of South-South, Chief Ayo Adebanjo (South-West), Chief John Nwodo (South-East) and Dr. Pogu Bitrus (Middle-Belt).
The forum, in a statement titled: “On Looting Allegation Against General Gowon,” while affirming its stand for integrity in public life and holding leaders accountable for their stewardship, and would not shield corruption or maligning people without facts, said it was not aware of any such accusation against Gowon since he was overthrown 45 years ago.
SMBLF said it ordinarily would not have been bothered with such accusation but quickly recalled that Gen. Gowon was overthrown while at the OAU conference in Kampala in 1975 from where he moved to London where he became a student for years.
The forum, therefore, wondered how the former head of state could have moved such money when on the run, saying it found it difficult to comprehend, adding: “If he (Gowon) had half of the CBN in a foreign bank, going to school would probably not have been his preoccupation.”
“The attention of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has been drawn to the flat rebuttal by Gen. Yakubu Gowon of the allegation that he looted half of the Central Bank as the military Head of State in Nigeria.
“Gen. Gowon was accused of looting half of the CBN by a United Kingdom Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat last Monday during a hearing of a petition against the Nigerian government at a committee meeting of the parliament,” SMBLF said.
It continued: “While we stand for holding leaders accountable for their stewardship, we will not support maligning people without facts.
“We stand for integrity in public life and will not shield corruption but we are not aware of any such accusation against Gen. Gowon since he was overthrown 45 years ago.
“We, therefore, call on the British lawmaker who was born a year after the coup of 1975 in Nigeria to check the facts again and do the needful if he was wrong or back up the allegation if he has any evidence to retain his credibility and the institutional integrity of the British Parliament.”
Following the allegation, last Monday, Gowon, who ruled the country from 1966 to 1975 as a military leader, stated that he was disappointed and sad but that he knew he was innocent of the allegation.
“It is certainly surprising, and I am disappointed that a British parliamentarian could make such a statement without checking the facts of what he was saying,” Gowon said.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
ICYMI: Nigeria Back Into Recession, Worst Since 1987
Nigeria is back into a recession. This time, it is the worst the country has experienced since 1987…
ICYMI: Why We Can’t Call Off Strike Now –ASUU
It is still uncertain whether the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will end soon as the president of the union, Professor ‘Biodun Ogunyemi has said there are certain steps to be taken to reach a final conclusion on the issue…