Ikenga Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, a member repesenting Imo State in the National Assembly, has condemned the reported raid of the Lagos Office of the Dangote Group by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Officials of the anti graft agency, sources said raided Dangote office on Thursday in their quest to get document that could assist them in their ongoing investigation on the allegation of roundtripping against Aliko Dangote.
The raid has elicited mixed feelings from many Nigerians, even as some Nigerians have linked Dangote’s current predicament to the last presidential election.
Reacting to the development, Ugochinyere said the timing of the raid, coming at a time that Nigeria is seriously looking for investors. He said investors would be discouraged as a result of the incident.
He explained further that the raid portends serious negative image for the country because “this is not good look for us internationally.”
According to him,, “This evening, I read about the raid of the headquarters of the Dangote Group in connection with ongoing investigation into forex allocations in the country. The EFCC was reported to be investigating forex allocations to some companies during the tenure of Godwin Emefiele as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“I’m of the view that the timing of the raid on Dangote Group is not only very suspicious, but most importantly capable of worsening the economic situation and scaring investors. In the last few months, our nation has lost so many foreign investors. While some of the foreign companies operating in the country are leaving, potential investors are also sidelining us. Now you have the EFCC despite the word the nation is currently facing, raiding the headquarters of the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa.
“The Dangote Group, with investments in several sectors and across 14 countries in Africa. This is not good look for us internationally. What will the international community think of Nigeria when they read about news like this? Dangote Group’s impact for decades has been felt through various facets of Nigeria’s economy.
“The President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote. has helped transform our economy from heavy import dependence to a net exporter in some critical industries, including cement and Fertiliser. And given our current fragile economic situation, I believe this move by the EFCC will worsen things, now is not time for this, it’s time for the nation to focus on integration of African economies and expansion of trade and investments across the continent to stimulate growth and create employment opportunities, not carrying out raids on its largest conglomerate.”
Close watchers of the ongoing investigation of Dangote told the magazine that the business man’s fortune has nosedived after losing his position as Africa’s Richest man to a South African, Johann Rupert.
