Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to prosecute governors who might have sited projects near their homes without considering access to raw materials.
Akpabio argued that such wrong decisions based on sentiments were the bane of government projects and industries in the past.
He also declared that despite independence, Nigeria is not free.
Akpabio, who spoke at the ICPC Governors Forum in Abuja on ‘Incidences of good governance and the fight against corruption’, likened Nigeria to a country that had attained freedom without becoming free.
Making reference to a book written by a Zimbabwean, Joshua Nkomo, ‘The story of my life’, Akpabio said, “I believe the challenge that is militating against good governance is that Nigerians have yet to be free. The statement of Joshua Nkomo has become a reality in our time.
“It is corruption when leaders take decisions on the basis of tribal sentiments, rather than common sense. It is corruption when projects are sited near homes of those in authority and not in proximity to raw materials. We should arrest those people after leaving office.”
Akpabio added his voice to calls that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation must give account of its transactions to Nigerians.
He said, “We need to know what quantity we need after the quantity refined vis-à-vis the crude that is supposed to be for refining. We can’t even determine the amount of revenue that should come to the Federation Account every month; neither can you determine the amount of crude oil every month.
“My personal opinion is that all hands must be on deck to assist the Federal Government to bring this to a close. Otherwise, if we continue with the way we are going, a time will come when there will be nothing to share.”
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