KEKE OWNERS SEEK SACK OF NAPEP COORDINATOR

The crisis rocking the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) got messier yesterday with a faction of the Keke Owners and Riders Association (KORAN) calling for the suspension of the National Coordinator of the agency, Dr. Magnus Kpakol from office.
At a press conference in Lagos, the faction led by Chief Eze Nwachukwu urged President Goodluck Jonathan to relieve Kpakol of his duties at the agency and set up a high powered judicial panel of enquiry into the activities of the agency under him.
The faction also called on Senate President, David mark to facilitate the immediate formal release of the Senate Committee report which allegedly indicted the leadership of NAPEP of fraud.
KORAN also absolved itself of any complicity in the alleged N417 million scandal in the agency saying: “KORAN was not involved in the fraud but Trimidan Limited, a phony company owned by our now expelled former president, Alhaji Bashiru Akinola, in connivance with a top official of NAPEP.”
Nwachukwu said: “Very recently, the media exposed the findings of the Senate Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation which allegedly indicted the NAPEP leadership of monumental corruption. For a programme designed to alleviate poverty to be mired in corruption is very unfortunate. To save NAPEP from this situation, KORAN requests Senate President David Mark to ensure the immediate formal release of the Senate Committee report.
“We also urge President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a high powered judicial panel of enquiry to be made up of eminent Nigerians like retired Supreme Court Justice Oguntade, Dr. Christopher Kolade, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Alhaji Ahmed Joda to investigate the agency.
“We urge President Jonathan to immediately suspend the National Coordinator of NAPEP, Dr. Magnus Kpakol from office so that proper investigation can be carried out at NAPEP. Suspending Dr. Kpakol from office, pending the outcome of the investigation, will make it possible for the Judicial Panel of enquiry to be so constituted to have unfettered access to vital documents at NAPEP, which the continued presence of Dr. Kpakol in office will make impossible.”