Minister of transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi, has denied reports that he leaked a letter written by the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and current Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi 11, to former President Goodluck Jonathan over the non-remittance of $49.8 billion from oil sale to the federation account.
Amaechi, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by his media office, said a concerned Nigerian gave him a copy of Sanusi’s letter to Jonathan based on his then position as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).
The statement reads in part, “Our attention has been drawn to reports in the media that tend to infer and/or suggest that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi surreptitiously and clandestinely ‘leaked’ a letter written by former CBN governor and now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Muhammad 11 to then President Goodluck Jonathan on the non-remittance of $49.8 billion from oil sale to the federation account.
“This is further from the truth and what exactly transpired as regards Amaechi’s involvement in that Sanusi letter. To put the records straight, we want to categorically state that:
“A concerned and patriotic Nigerian, who felt sufficiently troubled with what was happening then, gave a copy of the Sanusi letter to Amaechi in Amaechi’s capacity as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF). Like Amaechi, we should appreciate that concerned Nigerian’s patriotism.
“When Amaechi got the letter, he spoke with Sanusi who was still the CBN governor to confirm the authenticity of the letter. Sanusi confirmed to Amaechi that he wrote the letter.
“During their conversation, Amaechi made it abundantly clear to the then CBN governor that the bleeding of the nation had to be stopped, all non-remitted funds remitted and that he (Amaechi) was going to use the letter to do whatever was in the best interest of the nation and Nigerians, which was the stoppage of the non-remittance and the recovery of all the non-remitted funds from oil sale.
“The CBN governor didn’t agree with Amaechi on the way forward.
Considering that the letter was given to Amaechi as chairman of the Governors’ Forum, he shared the letter with his fellow governors first, and with Senator Bukola Saraki (now Senate president), who before and around that period was doing some work or/and investigation around the oil sector in the Senate.
“Around that period, a delegation from the United States of America government, from the offices of the Secretaries of State and Defence, visited Amaechi in Port Harcourt to discuss the issue of oil theft in Nigeria. From their records, they gave Amaechi figures of billions of dollars (about $7 billion annually) that was being lost to oil theft in Nigeria
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