EFCC probes Centenary City Project

ABUJA—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has commenced investigation into a petition alleging corruption in the Cente-nary City Project initiated by the administration of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

The anti-graft agency, Tuesday, invited the petitioners, who are operating under the aegis of Nigerian Unemployed Youth Vanguard, NUYV, to furnish it with information that would help it nail some top government officials in the previous administra-tion, who were said to have used the project as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds.

The initiative of the past government was meant to be a monument to commemorate Nigeria’s 100 years of nationhood.

Meanwhile, the petitioners, led by their National Coordinator, Mr. Solomon Adodo, while briefing newsmen after their meeting with EFCC investigators, said they were satisfied that those involved in the alleged fraud would be punished accordingly.

It will be recalled that erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, had earlier asked a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to award him N2 billion as general and aggravated damage for insults he said he had received over the Centenary City Project that was hitherto under his supervision.

Anyim, in two separate suits through his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozehkome (SAN), told the court that he had been called many derogatory names such as “419ner,” “fraudster” and “corrupt former SGF,” among others.

The ex-SGF wants the court to compel the National Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, and Deputy National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, Mr. Timi Frank, to retract the said damaging stories and apologise to him in six major dailies.