The Minister of Information, Alhaji LAI MOHAMMED, has dismissed claims of fraud in the Treasury Single Account.

The Minister of Information, Alhaji LAI MOHAMMED, has dismissed claims of fraud in the Treasury Single Account. LAI MOHAMMED said the funds that have accrued to the Treasury Single Account remain intact. The Information Minister challenged anyone who has any fact and figure to the contrary to make such information public. According to a statement issued in Abuja by his Media Assistant, the Information Minister said less than two trillion naira has accrued to the TSA. LAI MOHAMMED said with the current status of the account, the one per cent charges on the amount could not have been twenty-five billion naira as alleged. He said for the sake of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who have been following the TSA debate, the TSA deal was initiated by the immediate past administration but only enjoyed a new lease of life under the Administration of President MUHAMMADU BUHARI.
He said this was made possible because of the President’s leadership qualities of accountability, transparency, uprightness and respect for the rule of law.
The Minister also said any agreement on the TSA charges was reached long before the present Administration assumed office on 29th of May this year.
LAI MOHAMMED said even if the agreement on the charges is one percent; it could not have amounted to twenty-five billion naira because the total amount of money that has accrued to the TSA is less than two trillion naira. He said even if one per cent was agreed as charges, whatever accrues there from was meant to be shared among the Central Bank of Nigeria, Systemspecs and the commercial banks. MOHAMMED explained that no single company could have collected twenty-five billion naira as charges on the TSA. The Minister said as at the time the controversy over the TSA broke, the total amount of money in the account was less than eight hundred billion naira. He said the Senate’s investigation of the TSA issue is within its oversight responsibilities and is never a confirmation that the TSA funds have been diverted or that indeed one single company has made twenty-five billion naira as charges.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has assured indigenes of Kogi State of the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to provide effective security and ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the governorship election this Saturday. IGP ARASE ordered the deployment of Marine Police, Anti-Bomb, Counter Terrorism Unit, Police Mobile Force, Force Intelligence Unit and Mounted Troop to complement the conventional Police personnel. He also directed the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Police Air Wing to deploy the Force’s helicopter for aerial patrol before, during and after the election on Saturday. The IGP directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, SOTONYE WAKAMA, to relocate to Lokoja to coordinate security operations for the election. The decisions were taken after a meeting called by IGP ARASE with stakeholders and police personnel in Lokoja, Kogi State. The IGP warned all trouble-makers and anti-social elements to stay away from Kogi State throughout the period of the election. The Inspector General of Police said the Police will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any person, no matter how highly placed in society, who flouts the law or causes a breach of the peace. The directives were announced in a statement released by Force Public Relations Officer, OLABISI KOLAWOLE.