Ifere Paul|19 January 2017
According reports making headlines online, Governor Ben Ayade went to Aso Rock and had a meeting with the President on the Deep Seaport.
Information available from the Villa suggested otherwise. According to my informants, the Governor sneaked into the villa to have a secret meeting with the President on the 7.8 Billion Naira bailout fund. The file Governor Ayade held contained what he explained to the President to be the expenditure of the bailout fund.
The President was said to be noncommittal and directed Governor Ayade to explain to the auditors that have been shortlisted to audit the way the bailout was spent on or before Friday, the 20th of January, 2017.
This is coming out of the heels of a senate reprimand to the Accountant General to make available all material evidence of how the bailout was spent.
Recall that the senate committee on allocation had on Monday this week said that the Accountant General excuses were flimsy and clumsy the way the bailout funds were spent.
Woried about imminent investigation of his administration for the misappropriation of the 7.8 Billion Naira, Ayade had no choice but to secretly see Mr President.
GovernorAyade was led out of the private residence of Mr President after the short meeting without a goodbye or handshake from Mr President.
However, Governor Ben Ayade had left the country to China yesterday, the 17th of January, 2017.
Is the bailout fund in China?
Ifere Paul
Writes from Abuja
