- Mr Fasua through his Lawyer Johnbosco Bankong vehemently condemned the laxity and sluggishness with which those who are charged with the responsibility of recovering debts that have been underwritten by poor taxpayers in AMCON are treating the matter.
Following the release of the list of bad debtors by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) last year, a concerned Citizen and Former Presidential Candidate of Abundant Nigerian Renewal Party (ANRP) as well as President of Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance, Mr. Tope Fasua today, in Abuja decried the delay by AMCON to recover the debts describing it as an attempt to frustrate the good people of Nigeria.
Mr Fasua through his Lawyer Johnbosco Bankong vehemently condemned the laxity and sluggishness with which those who are charged with the responsibility of recovering debts that have been underwritten by poor taxpayers in AMCON are treating the matter.
Of particular focus is the fact that in October 2018, AMCON released list of 109 bad debtors which included big companies like Chevron Oil Staff Multipurpose Cooperative, Shell Staff West, Mobil Workers (EKET) Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Capital Oil & Gas Industries Limited and many others.
These published debtors owe the Nigerian people #906bn altogether and have simply refused to engage according to AMCON. The trio of Shell Staff West, Mobil Workers (EKET) Multipurpose Cooperative Societies owe over #40bn to the Nigerian people, monies which may have been deployed to purchasing luxury real estate in a country where we have the highest number of extremely poor people in the world.
Mr Fasua, through an NGO known as Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance and with the objective of defending social justice and rule of law filled a suit against Asset Management Corporation Of Nigeria (AMCON) and The Attorney General of the Federation to ensure that the debt is paid.
In a recent development monitored by our correspondent, the Attorney General filled a preliminary objection claiming that the Federal High Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
“The Defendants claims are laughable and gives a signal of compromise somewhere”, says Bankong, the attorney to the plaintiff.
“The Attorney General of the Federation does not fall on the category of people that have immunity of prosecution. In fact, the Attorney General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation which presupposes that he sees that law and order is maintained and that any act done by any agency of the Federal Government is done in consonance with law.” He lamented.
He narrates that AMCOM bailed out some debtors with tax payers’ money and those debtors must pay back. “If this money is not recovered, how will the Federal Government function? How will the Attorney General, his workers and other Federal Government workers be paid? He questions.
He therefore called on those concerned to look into the matter and ensure that justice prevail and that the masses do not suffer the compromise of others.
Nevertheless, the spokespersons of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and The Attorney General of the Federation could not be reached at the time of filling this report.
