The ongoing blockbuster drama involving the fingering and arrest of looters in the Nigerian elite class has unveiled another sensational episode as the newly appointed overseer of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Anamekwe Nwabuoku has been fingered in corruption probe.
Economic Confidential reported that Nwabuoku has a heavy corruption dossier and is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It could be recalled that Nwabuoku was recently appointed to oversee the office in the absence of the suspended AGF, Ahmed Idris, who is in EFCC custody while undergoing investigation for fraud to the tune of 80 billion naira.
A statement by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning said Nwabuoku will oversee the affairs of the office during the pendency of Idris’ investigation.
However, reports said the Overseer of OAGF has massive corruption hanging on his neck from the previous positions of responsibility he held in the course of his career.
Sources confided in newsmen that the EFCC is investigating him for a series of graft allegations and Nwabuoku is known to visit the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency on a regular basis as part of the investigation routine.
Among others, the allegations levelled against him include overpayment to himself in previous MDAs he served.
It was gathered that some of the properties he acquired fraudulently have been recovered by anti-corruption agencies.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source informed Economic Confidential that perhaps his major financial crime was allegedly committed while he was the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) at the Ministry of Defence where he was said to have enriched himself with internal security funds.
Reports have it that he was allegedly involved in other fraudulent activities and using the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) to steal the salaries of federal government staff.
It’s important to clarify that the GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting. It was adopted as part of a wider Public Service Reform Strategy by the federal government of Nigeria starting in the early 2000s. Reports said Nwabuokucompromised the system and made away with a humongous amount of money.
When quizzed on why the federal government opted to appoint a man with such questionable records to oversee an office vacated by an allegedly corrupt AGF, a top official in the Presidency said Nwabuoku was the most senior official in the office.
The official clarified that “He is not acting AGF but overseeing OAGF as the most senior director in the office”.
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