…former North-Central govs top list of alleged financial crimes
As the nation clocks her 22nd year of interrupted democratic experiment on May 29, a staggering N975 billion is alleged to have been embezzled and laundered by 30 former state governors between 1999 and 2019.
Out of the 30 former state chief executives tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), only seven have been convicted so far, one has also been acquitted, while others have their cases ongoing or stalled due to legal processes.
A further breakdown of the governors accused of financial crimes based on regions in the country, indicates, according to Dataphyte Research, that former governors from the country’s North Central allegedly stole more state resources than their other colleagues in other regions.
Out of the 30 governors investigated by the EFCC in the period under review, four governed in the South-West, seven in the North-Central, five in the South-South, six in the South-East, three in the North-West and five in the North-East of the country.
The recent arrest of the immediate past governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, on the 14th of April by the EFCC, made him the latest bride on the list of former governors to be cross-examined by the anti-graft agency.
Okorocha, who is currently a sitting senator in the National Assembly, was, however, released 48-hours later by the EFCC
Meanwhile, among the governors investigated by the EFCC, only Rochas Okorocha and Abdulaziz Yari (who had his first term under ANPP) belonged to the All Progressive Congress (APC). The remaining 28 former governors were all from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) while the alleged embezzled state funds by all of them approximated to a trillion naira.
The estimated sums allegedly embezzled by the past governors amounted to a total of N355.80 billion in the North-east, N316.35 billion in the Northwest, N161.160 billion in the South-South, N62.67 billion in South-East, N56.16 billion in North-central, and N23.30 billion in South-West – the region with the least quoted amount of looted funds.
Unfortunately, three of the alleged 30 former governors have passed on. Those in this class are Aliyu Akwe Doma (former Nassarawa gov); Audu Abubakar (former Kogi gov); Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (former Bayelsa gov).
Interestingly, some of the alleged former governors are still holding one public office or the other. Those in that group are former Benue State governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam; Abdullahi Adamu (ex-Nassarawa State gov); Jonah Jang (ex-Plateau State gov); Danjuma Goje (ex-Gombe gov); Aliyu Wammako (ex-Sokoto gov), Timipre Silva (ex-Bayelsa gov); Godswill Akpabio (ex-Akwa Ibom gov); Chimaroke Nnamani (ex-Enugu State gov); Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji (ex-govs of Abia State) and Okorocha (former Imo gov).
According to Amnesty International corruption ratings, Nigeria ranked 149th among 180 most corrupt countries in the world. The country was also estimated to have lost over $400 billion to corruption since its independence in a report carried out in 2012.
