Okonjo-Iweala confesses: Jonathan asked me to withdraw $2bn

Madam Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria’s former minister of finance has finally confirmed that the $2 billion she was alleged to have withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account without authorisation was used to pay for fuel subsidy on the instruction of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

She claimed the issue was discussed at the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), a statutory body which is chaired by the Minister of State for Finance in which all the states are represented.

But the truth is that FAAC did not approve the $2billion withdrawal.

It will be recalled that Nigerian state governors had after the inauguration of the National Economic Council about two weeks ago accused Okonjo-Iweala of spending $2 billion from the ECA, a pool of funds which belonged to the three tiers of government.

Adams Oshiomole, the governor of Edo state told journalists that there has been a depletion in the funds from $4.1 billion as at November 2014 to $2.1 billion, even when there was no authorisation for any withdrawal from the funds known to state chief executives.

The governors had subsequently set up a committee made up of four of their members to investigate the withdrawals.

“Payments made were used for paying for petroleum subsidies for the Nigerian people and were approved by Mr President,” Iweala said in a statement through her media aide, Paul Nwaibuikwu.

“Therefore there is no question of mismanaging any resources here,” she added

FAAC members from all the states have insisted that they were not party to such illegal withdrawals.