Paris Club Debt: Anti-Corruption Group Wants Commission Payment to Consultants Probed

By Abraham Olatokunbo

The move by the federal government to pay the consultants, who work for the states to reclaim the refund from the Paris Club loan, has drawn the anger of a group, the South South Buhari Anti-corruption Group.

The group recalls that the previous governments of Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan didn’t pay because of the huge amount involved and also because the whole process was not clear enough.

Buhari’s government has ordered for the payment of $350 million standing in favour of consultants, who worked for states to reclaim the sum of $2,689,279,365 as final payment arising from the refund of Paris Club loans.

The South South Buhari Anti-corruption Group, has, however frowned at this move by the federal government, questioning the rationale behind the payment of such huge amount.

The anti-corruption group, in a statement by its President, Imafidon Peter Odion, expressed suspicious, pointing out that the rush to pay the consultants should be investigated.

The group said that for the previous governments not to have paid means that there are things that are not right in the whole process.

The anti-corruption group said: “For this government to expressly put modality in place to pay the consultants, which the previous governments didn’t pay shows that there are things some persons are hiding from the public.

“The anti-corruption agencies should beam their lights on the payment of this money to the consultants. They should ensure that this nation is not defrauded by few gullible persons.

“The speed at which things are being put together to expressly pay this money is suspicious and it should be investigated so that few shouldn’t benefit at the expense of the nation.”