The Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, yesterday again came hard on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over what it called endless persecution of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s family.
It asked the commission to allow the late Mama charity Oba, mother of Dame Patience Jonathan to rest in peace.
The OYC said the “obvious persecution” of the Jonathans had been pushed too far to the detriment of poor Nigerians who were deriving succour from their goodwill.
In a press statement signed by Dr Arthur Obiora, its National Deputy President, he wondered why the EFCC had for the past two years centred “its much dramatized anti-graft war only on the Jonathans and their allies.”
He specifically came hard on the EFCC for freezing the account of Aruera Foundation, known for offering medical assistance to poor Nigerians with heart-related ailment.
Ohanaeze Youth Council while commending the Foundation “for giving succour to helpless Nigerians, especially children with heart problems”, expressed sadness that “the Foundation suffered a set-back because of on-going investigation of Dame Patience Jonathan by the EFCC, since 2016.
“We are not against anti-corruption fight; we give total support to President Buhari’s anti corruption stance.
“However, we are concerned about the victims of this clampdown on the Foundation, especially children who their medical treatment have been aborted because of the freezing of the account of the NGO.”
He added that “As many Nigerians are yearning for good health facilities, we should not take politics too far.
“We urge the EFCC to unfreeze the account of Aruera Foundation so that the people involved in the overseas medical trip will continue treatment.
”As we have always advocated, the anti-corruption war should not start and end with Jonathan’s family. This obvious bias is corruption in itself”, the group added.
Speaking in the same vein, the World Igbo Youth Council faulted the EFCC, noting that “the ARUERA REACH OUT FOUNDATION was formed by Patience Jonathan in 2006 as her pet project as the wife of then Governor of Bayelsa State.”
In the statement signed by Dr. Festus Uwajiofor, WIYC Deputy National Secretary General, he said “EFCC should stop media trials on the pages of newspapers but use the opportunity to answer the summon from Senate and House of representatives committees on Public petitions
“The board of Directors are prominent Leaders in Nigeria, including former Governors and traditional rulers.
“World igbo Youth council is advising EFCC to allow Mama Charity Oba to rest in peace; she was a business mogul with chains of business for more than 30years.
“Magel resort Limited is one of the chains of businesses owned by Late Mama charity Oba, late mother of Patience Jonathan and for clarification, it’s only when she died that patience Jonathan entered in the picture and change the signature of the late mother.
“So, EFCC should take all the evidence against her to committee on public petitions in Senate and House of representatives respectively.”
