A former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has described as a joke attempt by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, to link her to the raging $2.1 billion arms scandal.
A statement issued by her media adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, said the ex-minister “has absolutely nothing to do with the alleged misuse of $2.1billion by the office of the former National Security Adviser.”
The statement said, “Falana and his sponsors are simply trying to invent a connection where there is none.”
Okonjo-Iweala she sought and received the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan for the release of part of the returned Abacha funds to the ex- NSA, Sambo Dasuki, for purchase of arms which is totally separate from the $2.1 billion.”
She added: “Some of the funds recovery was done under the regime of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo when Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was not even in government.”
During her time as Finance minister in the Obasanjo administration, Okonjo-Iweala said $500million was recovered by the government.
“As documented by the field study conducted by the World Bank with the assistance of national and international NGOs, this amount was properly applied. Falana’s insistence on the contrary shows how despicable he is and how he is ready to ignore facts and concoct a fiction in the service of his sponsors,” the ex-minister stated.
