Nsima Ekere, the MD of NDDC in an undated photo
Nsima Ekere, the
managing director of the Niger Delta Development Corporation, NDDC, is
currently enmeshed in a financial mess that borders on lack of
accountability and character, failure to honour and redeem a debt owed,
and financial recklessness that calls to question his capacity to play a
role in executing President Muhammadu Buhari’s much vaunted war on
corruption.
According to a court document exclusively obtained by The Trent (see gallery below), the NDDC boss,
who is a former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, had defaulted on a
credit facility in the amount of N27 million that the defunct Oceanic
Bank, now Ecobank Plc, had granted him.
All efforts by the bank to recover the
debt yielded no results, as Mr. Ekere had refused to honour his
obligations to the financial institution. Ecobank recently posted a huge
loss which its auditors attributed to bad loans.
Unable to recover the debt, Asset
Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, the receiver company had no
other recourse but to take Mr. Ekere to court to recover the money.
The details of this case, as detailed in
the court papers, paint the picture of a corrupt man who is deficient
in transparency, morality, and probity, which has been the governing
mantra of the Buhari-led government. This revelation about one of the
president’s top appointees seriously puts to test his on-going war on
corruption.
In a ruling by Justice Ijeoma L. Ojukwu
of the Federal High Court of Nigeria (Uyo Judicial Division) with a case
number: FHC/UY/CS/36/2017, which was delivered on Thursday, March 20,
2017, the judge ruled that an “order of the Court granting interim
possession of Plot 1. 52 Lagos Street (Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, Akwa
Ibom State belonging to the Defendant to the Plaintiff/Applicant; an
Order of the Honourable Court directing the State Commissioner of Police
to provide Mobile Police Security where the property is situate to
assist in the enforcement of the order of the Honourable Court”.
The ruling went on to state “that an
order is granted freezing all monies and/ or whatsoever assets due to
the Defendant from all bank accounts maintained by the Defendant with
all commercial banks in Nigeria to wit: ACCESS BANK NIGERIA PLC, CITI
BANK PLC, DIAMOND BANK PLC, ECO BANK PLC, FIDELITY BANK PLC, FIRST CITY
MONUMENTAL BANK, FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA, GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC,
HERITAGE BANK PLC, JAIZ BANK, KEYSTONE BANK PLC, SKYE BANK PLC, STANBIC
IBTC BANK PLC, STERLING BANK PLC, STANDARD CHARTERED BANK PLC, UNION
BANK PLC, UNITY BANK OF NIGERIA, UNITED BANK OF NIGERIA, WEMA BANK PLC,
ZENITH BANK PLC, situate up to the Plaintiff/Applicant’s claim of the
sum of N27,022,720.93 (Twenty Seven Million, Twenty-Two thousand, Seven
hundred and Twenty Naira, Ninety Three Kobo) only being a debt owed by
the Defendant as at 20th February 2017in respect to the credit facility
granted to the Defendant/Respondent by the defunct Oceanic Bank
International Plc. (now Eco Bank Plc.).
“The Defendant his agents, privies or
any other person natural or artificial however so called under the
control of the defendant is restrained from transferring or otherwise
dealing with any monies standing to the credit of the Defendant with any
of the aforementioned banks wherever situate up to the amount of the
Plaintiff/Applicant’s claim of the sum of N27,022,720,93 (Twenty Seven
Million, Twenty two thousand, Seven hundred and Twenty Naira, Ninety
three Kobo) only being debt owed by the Defendant as at 20th February,
2017 in respect of the credit facility granted the Defendant by the
defunct Oceanic Bank International Plc. (now Eco Bank Plc)”.
The financial mess that Nsima Ekere is
enmeshed in has raised the question as to how fit he is to hold public
office and leaves one to wonder how Nsima was able to pass the rigorous
security check that public officials are known to be put through by the
security agencies. Did he hide this critical material fact from the
screening agencies?
Nsima Ekere’s financial mess has put a
huge dent on the fight against corruption which Nigerians have
collectively applauded President Buhari for restoring a sense of probity
among office holders. How is he able to function in his current
position when this mess hangs over his mental space? That is the
question Nigerians are now asking and demand answers.
Ekere’s tenure as deputy governor of
Akwa Ibom under immediate past Governor Godswill Akpabio ended abruptly
in a cloud of disgrace when he hurriedly resigned in October 2012 to escape facing impeachment by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Click on any image below to enlarge.
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