Yakubu Gowon, former military head of state, has described as rubbish, allegation that he looted half of Nigeria’s Central Bank when leaving the office.
The United Kingdom parliament on Monday, November 23, debated petition signed by over 200,000 persons calling for sanctions against the Nigerian government over alleged human rights abuses and killings during the #EndSARS protests.
Speaking during the session, Tom Tugendhat, a member of the House, accused Gowon of looting Nigeria’s treasury when he left office and urged the UK to call out corruption and use its powers to stop who profit from Nigeria’s wealth and hide it in foreign countries.
Tugendhat said: “We need to call out the corruption, we need to use, the powers that we have in this country to stop those who are (illegally) profiting from the wealth of that great nation (Nigeria) and hiding it here.
“Now some people will remember when General Gowon left Nigeria with half of the Central Bank so it is said and moved to London. We know that today, even now, in this great city of ours, there are sadly some people who have taken from the Nigerian people and hidden their ill-gotten gains here. We know that our banks sadly have been used for that profit and for that illegal transfer of assets,” he maintained.
Tugendhat, however, has not provided any evidence to support his claim.
In his first-ever reaction to Tugendhat’s weighty allegation, Gowon told BBC: “I don’t know where he got that rubbish from, I served Nigeria diligently and my records are there for all to see”.
“What the MP said was just mere ridicule and I don’t know as to where he cooked up such statement. I served Nigeria as much as I could and my achievements during those years are available to everyone.
“I don’t want to talk over the matter since those who know me very well say that the MP’s statement is nothing but a mere fallacy”.
Gowon was Nigeria’s military head of state from 1966 to 1975, including during the time of the oil boom.
After leaving power in 1975, Gowon went to the UK to study political science and international relations as an undergraduate at Warwick University.
Several people including Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), have reacted to the claim vouching for Gowon’s integrity.
