Alleged N89trn Stamp Duty Fraud: CSOs write open letter to President Buhari

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

8th Jan. 2023

His Excellency,

Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,

President,

Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Abuja,

Sir,

WE BESEECH YOU TO MAKE A NATIONAL ADDRESS TO THE NIGERIAN CITIZENS ON THE STATUS OF THE ALLEGED UNDERCOVER COMMITTEE SET UP TO INVESTIGATE AND RECOVER THE ACCUMULATED STAMP DUTY MONEY AS A MATTER OF URGENCY IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY

The Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks is a forum of states based civil society networks operating in the Nineteen Northern states of Nigeria and Abuja.

Your Excellency, we wish you a happy new year and accept our congratulations on the signing into law, the 2023 appropriation bill, an exercise which happened to be the last of such national rituals you would be obliging the Nigerian citizens.

Sir, we wish to bring to your attention, the trending issue in Nigeria regarding a committee supposedly set up covertly under your able hands to investigate an alleged stamp duty fraud worth N89 Trillion.

We, as members of Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, operating in the nineteen northern states and FCT, and other Nigerians are worried about the purported humongous sums of money said to have been manipulated by some few individuals, while we continuously pass and sign into law appropriation bills with huge deficits, and whose implementation largely depends on borrowings. We feel uneasy on the increasing Nigerian debt profile, and wonder how our nation, shall magically plan to survive with these humongous deficits in our annual national budgets.

Read Also: Missing N89trn: NIPOST distances itself from revenue collected by CBN as Stamp Duties

Sir, Hon. Muhammad  Gudaji Kazaure, a member of the National Assembly representing the people of Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and Yankwashi Federal Constituency in Jigawa State, had on several platforms claimed that, you had set up an undercover presidential  committee,  headed by one Mr. Adetola Adekoya to investigate the long accumulated stamp duty revenues.

In our humble opinion, It will be a major disservice to the nation, if you as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, continue to remain silent on this sensitive national issue, which has not only captured the attention of all Nigerians, but also the international communities.  The magnitude of the most recently trending issue deserves nothing less than a live national broadcast to address Nigerians on the status of the said committee and the humongous sums of money said to have been stashed in some Nigerian commercial banks

Your Excellency, one of the most painful and derogatory remarks in the entire hullabaloo is that “Nigeria is a country where Government borrows Government money and pays interest to cabals” This assertion is not only too sensitive to capture your attention, but also the glaring desire to clear the air and vindicate the reputation of your administration, as some Government officials were fingered in the alleged mess, as well as to save the integrity of our dear country, which is currently at stake.

Signed:

1. Amb. Ibrahim A. Waiya – President, Kano Civil Society Forum, Kano State
2. Amb. Ibrahim Yusuf – Chairman, Association of NGOs, Gombe State
3. Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina – Chairperson, Kogi NGOs Network (KONGONET), Kogi State
4. Aminu Mullam – Secretary General, Network of Adamawa Non – Governmental Organizations (NANGO), Adamawa State
5. Jinjiri J. Garba – Executive Director/State Chairman, Bauchi State Network of Civil Society Organizations (BASNEC)
6. Mrs. Shimenenge Kyaagba, for: Benue Network of NGOs (BENGONET), Benue State
7. Comrade Bulama Abiso – Executive Director, Network of Civil Society Organizations Borno. Borno State
8. Muhammad Musbahu Basrika – Chairman, Network of Civil Society organizations, Jigawa State
9. Emmanuel Bonet – Chairman, Concerned civil society, Kaduna State
10. Abdulrahman Abdullahi – Chairman, Coalition of Civil Society organizations, Katsina State
11. Hon. (Dr) Usman Buhari Ali – Chairman, Coalition of NGOs in Kebbi State State (CONKS)
12. Ade Bodunde – Chairman, Kwara Forum of CSOs, Kwara State
13. Mr. Solomon Yakubu Enjola – Chairman, Nassarawa NGO Network (NANGONET), Nassarawa State 14. Habila Muhammad Kudu – Coordinator, NGOs Forum Niger State
14. Gad Peter – Rep. Coalition of NGOs Plateau State
15. Ibrahim Abdullahi Shuni – Chairman, Coalition of NGOs in Sokoto State
16. Joseph Gimba PhD – Chairman, Coalition for civil society organizations in Taraba State (COCS OTS), 18. Alh. Baba Shehu, Executive Director/Chairman, Network of Yobe Civil Society Organizations
17. Ambassador, Ibrahim Tudu – Chairman, Zamfara Coalition of NGOs (ZASCONS), Zamfara State
18. Aanu Rotimi, Chairperson – Accountability Mechanism – FCT, Abuja.