I Know Nothing about the Illegal Arms Deal, Okonjo-Iweala Insists

Determined to clear her name from the illegal diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms, immediate past finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made public a memo she transmitted to former President Goodluck Jonathan to get approval for the request for funds by the troubled former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. Releasing a statement through her Media Adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, Dr Okonjo-Iweala made available to media men the said memo dated January 20, where she made a request for the president’s approval of $330 million and £5.5 million, as demanded by Dasuki. Excerpts of the statement read: “For the past week, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and other compromised persons and media have embarked on a campaign of falsehood against Dr Okonjo-Iweala. “They have distorted the contents of the January 20 memo in which she responded to a request by the former National Security Adviser and quoted selectively from the document to make their false allegations of “illegal diversion” of funds.“For your information and a fuller understanding of the issues, please see the January 20 memo by Dr Okonjo-Iweala as published. “It confirms that Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a transparent person of integrity and patriotic professional who worked hard to protect the interest of the country and that her accusers are purveyors of falsehood on a political mission to tarnish an innocent patriot.”