Alleged N89.09trn stamp duty fraud baseless – Presidency

The presidency has dismissed the allegation of misappropriation of stamp duty funds and coverups by top government officials

Kazaure Gudaji, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, Yankwashi federal constituency of Jigawa State, had alleged that there was connivance by some officials of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and the Protocol Department of the State House, to prevent him from briefing Buhari on findings made on the alleged missing money.

Kazaure, who claimed to the secretary of the Presidential Committee on the Reconciliation and Recovery of All Stamp Duties, had in an interview, conducted in the Hausa language on Friday, said he was blocked from meeting President Buhari, to brief him on progress report on efforts to trace trapped N89.09trn.

But in a response to the allegations, the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, at the weekend, dismissed Gudaji Kazaure’s claims as ‘wild allegations’.

Shehu said it was ludicrous that a member of the parliament would claim to be secretary of an executive committee, adding that such a mix would be unconstitutional.

Shehu also pointed out that the president had since dissolved the committee Kazaure is claiming to be secretary of, adding that there is another committee chaired by the attorney-general and minister of justice, set up in June 2020 by the president, which is still executing the task of reconciling stamp duties accounts.

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“In the first instance, the committee on the alleged loss of stamp duty funds he is talking about is an illegal committee, it was dissolved on the directive of the president.

“Anyone familiar with our constitution will find it curious that a member of the parliament is the secretary of an executive committee. It suffices to say that the entire net worth of the nation’s financial sector, the assets of the banking sector put together, is not worth N50 trillion, not to talk of the kind of money he is talking about.

“The central bank assures that there is absolutely no problem, whatsoever, with money from stamp duties.

“There is a committee duly set up by the president in June 2020, chaired by the attorney-general and minister of justice, and the secretary is the chairman of the Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS), that is currently reconciling the stamp duty accounts. The job is not finished.

“As it is, there is nothing to give credence to wild accusations made against the administration.

“Following speculation and the many allegations, earlier investigations were commissioned by government departments and agencies, including the ministry of finance, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation and nothing sensational has been discovered by them.

“Issues of reconciliation are being handled”, Shehu explained.

He also debunked the allegation that Kazaure was prevented from meeting with the president in his efforts to expose his findings to him. Shehu said there could be no truth in that as the legislator is known to be a friend of the president, with an unfettered access whenever he desires to see him.