FORMER Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has revealed how he used his office as Nigeria’s number three man to free a kinsman and recently retired Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Mr. Chinyeaka Oha, from the net of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Nnamani in video that had gone viral on social media said that although Mr. Oha, who was the Accountant-General of Enugu State during the administration of ex-Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, was to be charged to court along with a certain former governor for alleged financial infractions, he was able to use his influence to get former EFCC Chairman, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, to convert Oha to a start prosecution witness because, “a child whose father is the judge can never be convicted or go to jail”.
The former Senate President was reported to have made the confession on Saturday, during a reception organised by the Awkunanaw clan, comprising Amaechi, Obeagu, Umueze, Obuofia, and Akegbe Ugwu, in honour Mr. Oha to welcome him home after a “meritorious” service to the fatherland both at state level and Permanent Secretary of various Federal Government Ministries, including Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Federal Capital Administration, and the Ministry of Power.
Senator Nnamani, who chaired the event witnessed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, said: “we are here to honour someone, whom I have known for a very long time, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Oha.
“When I was in office, he had difficulties when he served before in (sic) state level. He was being tossed around. They were going to stand for charges in various courts of the land. But our people have a saying that a man, whose brother is among the leaders of the land or influential position, will never be found guilty.
“I ensured that Chinyeaka did not continue with that harassment; and that helped him to where he was until he retired because when I visited Nuhu Ribadu, later he was in my house and Chinyeaka was there also.
“Why I am saying this is that if you don’t blow your trumpet, nobody will blow it for you. If I don’t tell you these things, you may not know what happened. So, I’m telling my own story.
“I invited both parties and said, have you looked at the matter properly? Was this man an agent? Did he commit anything directly? I would like you and him to find a solution. They did find a solution, a lasting solution. Chinyeaka was made a prosecution witness in the matter.
“So, it didn’t have to go further because if the matter had to go further, he would not be where he got to before he retired.
“So, Chinyeaka is a person we can vouch for. He is a person from a humble background, who knows where he is coming from. Our people say that a man, who does not remember where the rain started beating him will not also remember where it stopped.”
Although, the former Senate President only mentioned that Oha’s brush with the EFCC occurred while the former federal Permanent Sectretary, who is said to be eyeing Enugu’s Government House in 2023, served at the state level.
Recalled that Oha was one of the Enugu State officials arrested and detained by the anti-graft agency in the twilight of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani’s second tenure over alleged looting of local government funds, among other financial malfeasances running into billions.
Others also arrested and detained along with the former Accountant-General were the then Commissioner of Finance, Peter Mbah; former Chairman of the Enugu State branch of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Chidi Nwatu and a former Special Adviser on Political Affairs and Local Government Matters to the Governor, Prince Sam Ejiofor.
The former governor was eventually arraigned in 2007 with Chinyeaka as star prosecution witness against his former boss.
But Senator Ken Nnamani, gave insights into what transpired in celebrated case, adding that for his intervention, Mr. Oha could have gone in for it and his civil service career short-lived.
Though Mr. Oha is yet to formerly declare his intension to run for the governorship of Enugu State in 2023, his presence has been felt in the political circles and rallies in the state.
The former Senate President equally gave inkling to that at the civic reception event attended by many political heavy weights in the state, including Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
“Chinyeaka is a man with a sense of shame. He is also not a man you can push around. So, the presence of the Governor here shows that he (Oha) has the support of everybody”, he stated.
