Nexim Bank: Group Issues Ultimatum to ICPC on Petition
Sequel to a letter of petition it submitted last week, a group under the auspices of Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, has vowed to mobilise its members and occupy the office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) within a week if it fails to act on the petition.
The group led various groups of protesters to the ICPC headquarters in Abuja to protest against the appointment of an Executive Director in the Nigerian Import Export Bank, NEXIM, Mrs. Folake Itohan Salami.
In an open letter presented to the Head of Administrative Services of the commission, Mr. Nathan Bako, the group stated that it was compelled as an advocate of the masses to take the step in response to the global and national moral consensus to free the nation from corrupt persons.
The group had earlier in a petition addressed to the ICPC and signed by its Coordinator stated that the appointment of Salami did not follow due process as she was not qualified to be appointed executive director in the Bank.
While addressing journalists, the group, which is a coalition of civil rights groups, claimed that Salami had allegedly falsified her experience status in the banking sector to influence her appointment into that position, stating that her claim of working in a multi-purpose cooperative Society did not fit the bill as stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It petitioned further that upon confirmation that Salami did not qualify and lied under oath, criminal proceedings be initiated against her to ensure that she is not only removed from office, but that the salaries, emoluments and allowances she had received while fraudulently occupying the office be returned to the coffers of the Federal Government to serve as deterrent to others.
The group however warned that failure of the Commission to act on this petition within seven working days would leave it with no other option than to mobilise the media and other concerned organisations to occupy the commission’s office until the attention of Mr. President and the international community is drawn to the matter.
Bako who received the letter on behalf of the anti-graft agency however promised to work on it.