TheCable

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says she is ready to face advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in court over alleged missing N30 trillion.

SERAP had filed a suit against Okonjo-Iweala at a federal high court in Lagos, challenging her to account for the missing money – an allegation levelled by Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“It has come to our attention that a so-called civil society group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has brought a politically-motivated suit against the coordinating minister for the economy and minister for finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala based on the discredited N30 trillion allegation by Professor Charles Soludo,” she said through Paul Nwabuikwu, her special adviser on Tuesday.

“The suit is the latest in the campaign of falsehood and politicisation of the economy by persons and groups who are getting more desperate by the day because the economy, despite their propaganda, is still standing and will continue to stand. Like their previous efforts, this latest one will fail because Nigerians can see through their antics.”

Okonjo-Iweala stated that SERAP was “nothing but a political tool of the opposition hiding behind the façade of advocacy”.

“We look forward to meeting SERAP in court,” she added.