Immediate
past Special Adviser on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty
Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, has asked anti-corruption agencies not to tamper
with the account of his charity organisation, Keketobou Care Foundation, which
he has been using to help the poor in the society.
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| Hon. Kingsley Kuku |
Kuku, who
made the call in a telephone interview from his hospital in the United States
on Sunday, said there was no public fund in the charity account, which has
helped to render succour to indigent students, women and men over time.
Kuku was
reacting to reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
frozen the accounts of close allies of former President Goodluck Jonathan,
including the Keketobou Care Foundation, run by Kuku.
The former
presidential aide, who is recuperating in an American hospital after a knee
surgery, said there were no government funds in the said account, which had a
total deposit of N720,484 as at the end of July this year.
According
to Kuku, the amount found in the account was the proceeds from the launch of
his book: “Remaking the Niger Delta: Challenges and Opportunities."
He said
before now, he had used his personal earnings and other donations by
well-wishers to fund the account so as to provide enough funds for buying JAMB
forms for poor indigenes of Ondo State and provide support to poor widows,
women and traders in the state.
“I have
always been using the Keketobou Care Foundation to help the poor and there is
no evidence that the account has ever been funded with government money, as the
records would show,” Kuku said.
He
described as unfortunate any attempt by the EFCC or any other anti-craft agency
to flag the account, saying that it was a politically-motivated move to
implicate him and others who worked with Jonathan.
Kuk said
while he was open and ready for investigation by the anti-graft agencies, it
was wrong for anyone to try to cook up malicious and politically-motivated
issues to smear his hard-earned reputation in a bid to suit predetermined goal.
Kuku said:
“Keketobou Foundation has only N720,484 balance as at today. The proceeds of my
published and launched book "Remaking the Niger Delta" went in there
for charity purposes as a public officer.
“It gave
free JAMB forms to applicants, financial/material support to the aged, widows
and the physically challenged and helped in the local rehabilitation of
walkways and drainages in my birth-place/town, Arogbo, Ondo State in the
determined spirit to give back to my final place of return in life.
“The
publication is false, untrue, malicious and politically-motivated to smear my
hard-earned reputation. What on earth links my face to the alleged story about
NIMASA?
“It is
still all part of the anti-Jonathan onslaught. I am open to investigation as a
public officer but ongoing distortion by agencies and some section of the
media creates in the heart of it all suspicion of witch-hunt and bad politics.
“I hope no
desperate elements would deposit illicit funds into the Foundation's account to
implicate me because the full details of the account from opening to date are
with us.
“Again,
what links this foundation to their so-called alleged sleaze of billions and
phantom security claims? I sincerely smell a rat. Finally, it’s not my account
but a foundation's account,” Kuku claimed.
