Operators Of Arts And Craft Village, Abuja, Accuse Otunba Runsewe Of Revenue Diversion
Loading ...Operators of Arts and Crafts Village, Abuja, have accused Otunba
Olusegun Runsenwe, director general of the National Council for Arts
and Culture, of converting revenues accruing to the nation’s coffers
into private accounts.
The operators stated this in a petition entitled, ‘Collection of
federal government revenue into private accounts by Otunba Olusegun
Runsenwe, DG of National Council for Arts and Culture’, dated March 12
2018, and addressed to the chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission. The petition was jointly signed by the
association’s president Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, secretary Lawal M’hd
Shua’ibu and chairman, Board of Trustees, Alhaji Mustapha Kidama.
They claimed the accounts used in collecting the revenue were Arabi
Bello & Associates, Diamond bank 0025007753; and Fidelity bank.
4011219621.
“We attach some receipts issued by the National Council for Arts and
Culture, NCAC, and Arabi Bello. We also attach some bank tellers used
in paying in the money. They collected all originals of tellers before
issuing receipts. Over two hundred of our members were forced to pay
money running into tens of millions of naira into these accounts. We
have over the years insisted on only paying into the Treasury Single
Account in line with the policy of the federal government. But Otunba
illegally locked up all the shops of those that refused to pay into
these private accounts forcing them to pay in order to have their
shops opened.”
The petitioners also alleged that Otunba was also collecting gate pass
from people driving into the village and selling parking stickers to
occupants of the village.
“We want this matter thoroughly investigated and Otunba prosecuted if
found to have engaged in any act of illegality,” they demanded.
Efforts to hear from the head of public relations of the council did
not yield results as at press time.
