Below is what the Finance minister said while addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday regarding
her 83 year old mother's abduction and subsequent release...
“I
can’t give all the details because we don’t want to compromise ongoing
investigations. But I can tell you one thing: my mother suffered a great deal
during this ordeal. It was only the Almighty that rescued her from a situation
that could very easily have ended tragically. Apart from the emotional trauma
of being violently taken away from her family and kept incommunicado for five
days in a strange environment, a woman of 83 years was left without food for
five days.
“While she was in
their custody, the kidnappers spent much of the time harassing her. They told
her that I must get on the radio and television and announce my
resignation. When she asked why, they told her it was because I did not
pay oil subsidy money.
“They also said I had blocked payment of money to
certain components of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.”
“These statements
are, of course, not true. In the case of subsidy payments, we have been paying
all marketers whose claims have been verified by the Aig-Imoukhuede Committee
after going through the necessary processes.
“For
marketers whose transactions are proven to be fraudulent, the position of the
Goodluck Jonathan government is also clear: we cannot and we will not pay. We
will not back down on this. We will continueto stand firm.”
“In the case of SURE-P, there is a totally different process that I have no control over. This is the right thing to do. And this, I believe is what the Nigerian people want.”
“This
experience has strengthened my faith in the country. The outpouring of love
from all over the country has been simply overwhelming.”
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