…As NLC begs governors to utilize Paris Club refund for salaries, pensions***
Former Senate President David Mark is to account for over N5.4billion slush cash and campaign funds traced to him, The Nation learnt yesterday.
Part of the money is N550 million, which is part of the $2.1billion controversial arms procurement cash, according to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sources.
Mark is also expected to respond to issues raised in the Panama Papers bordering on his relationship with some shell firms.
But Mark insisted yesterday that no 2015 presidential election campaign fund for Benue State was given to him.
Detectives will today grill Mark on four issues.
Mark it was learnt, requested to be allowed to travel home to Otukpo, Benue State, after his preliminary grilling at the EFCC on Thursday, to fetch documents to exonerate himself from the allegations.
“The firms were allegedly used to launder money, evade tax and dodge sanctions.”
Mark, in a statement by his Media Assistant Paul Mumeh, yesterday faulted the EFCC and insisted that he kept a clean record as a public officer.
The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports wherein it was reported that former President of the Senate David Mark was quizzed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over some alleged financial transactions.
“To set the record straight, Senator Mark was invited by the EFCC via a letter addressed to the National Assembly to answer questions on the 2015 presidential election campaign funds as it concerned Benue State.
“As a law abiding citizen, Sen. Mark honoured the invitation.
“Curiously, they also alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paid over N2bilion into the National Assembly’s account which he, as the then President of the Senate, allegedly shared among the 109 Senators (including PDP, ACN, and ANPP) in 2010. Again, to the best of his knowledge, Sen. Mark is not aware of such transaction.
“This simply did not make sense to any right thinking member of the society. Sen. Mark wondered why anybody would think that PDP will pay money into National Assembly account. He, however, clarified all the issues raised before returning home.
“Sen. Mark believes in due process and rule of law. He has maintained a clean record of public service over the years and will continue to uphold the highest standard of conduct expected of public servants.
“Sen. Mark’s house has since become a pilgrimage of sort to politicians across party lines, friends and well-wishers identifying with him at this moment.
“He however appealed to his supporters, friends and associates to remain calm and see his current travails as a price he has to pay for leadership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is the first and only official statement from the office of Sen. Mark on this issue.”
In the meantime, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked state governors to prioritise their activities and ensure that they use Paris Club refund to pay workers’ salaries and pension.
President of Congress, Comrade Abubakar Wabba said that governors, who have refused to pay salaries and pension were not doing so because of the lack of money, but because they have not considered the payment of salaries as a priority.
He urged workers to ensure that such governors are voted out during the next election.
Wabba said: “Most of the governors have abused the trust of the President Muhammadu Buhari, especially those that are not paying. They will go begging that once the money is released, they will use it to pay salaries. This is about the third episode.
“The Chairman of the Governors Forum once made a promise publicly that they were going to use the money to pay salaries. Even in his own state, he did not use the money to address Labour issues. So, we are tired of this whole deceit of going to beg the President because they know he is passionate about workers and pensioners.
“They will get money and come back to do something different. In states where they are not paying salaries and pension, you have seen what is happening with the rate of crime on the increase and people dying from starvation and frustration, while kidnapping is on the increase.”
Wabba said the governors should know that it is in their own interest to pay workers and pensioners their entitlements.
He noted that social consequence of not paying is glaring in those states because of the rise in criminal activities there.
The NLC President said: “Our position usually is that they should prioritise the payment of workers and pensioners entitlement because there is no way you can have peace and development if workers entitlements are not being paid. It is arising from that that the President has continually told them to go and settle these liabilities.
“We hope that with the little commitment they have made, it will work out this time around. If they pay, fine, but if they don’t pay, they should also know that they will not receive the support of the workers and pensioners. Right now, there are about nine states that are in this situation and we use this medium to thank those governors that are paying as and when due.
“If they don’t pay, we have said it over and over again that workers should vote them out. They should know that if they don’t pay, the workers will not support them and if they pay, the workers will be happy and support them. That is the position we have taken long before now and that position has not changed.
“For governors that have done well, we have asked workers to go and support them. It is actually in their own interest to settle all categories of workers so that workers can support them and also be very productive.”
Nation with additional report from Citizen