Anti-Corruption War: Why Segun Awolowo Of the Nigerian Export Promotion Commission Should Be Investigated.

With the fall of the Naira value in foreign exchange bringing with it lots of negative externalities, no one seems to realise that this period is the best time to encourage  exports as one would gain in multiple folds as a result of the high value of the U.S dollar .


While all eyes are on the fall of oil prices, it is shocking that no one seems to realise the importance of strategic government agencies like The Nigerian Export Promotion Council and it's likes. It is against this background that the Executive Director of the agency in the person of Mr Segun Awolowo Jnr, is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons .

At a time exports should be rigorously encouraged, to compliment the revenue the country makes from it's oil sales, the reverse is the case as the grandson of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Former Premier of Western Nigeria) is presently embroiled in lots of corruption cases. The young Awolowo, who is also am in-law to the Vice-President Prof Yemi Osibanjo, according to Saharareporters sits atop an agency that is characterised by reckless looting and mismanagement of public funds . To explain further , Mr Awolowo has a six-car fleet and a siren-blaring pick -up van, while workers of his agency at the headquarters solely depend on car hire services to run official assignments . As if that is not enough, only five out of 15 zonal offices of the agency have operational vehicles .

While the agency is one of those to have managed to steer clear of the public's consciousness for a long while, it has become a national issue this time around as a result of Mr Awolowo's disregard for federal financial rules and misappropriation. While the last administration did not take notice of this as the rot continued, the same cannot be said of the present administration which ranks "anti-corruption fight" as it's priority . Mr Awolowo is reported to have incurred more than N60m alone for flight tickets while not making most trips. Such trips which he had pocketed money and yet did not make the trips include- 2013 Nigeria Solo-Exhibition in Lome, Togo which gulped an excess of N170m of which a mere N15m could have been enough , AGOA Forum Gabon (August 24-28, 2015) and Export Warehouse Meeting in Maradi, Niger Republic (June 16-17 2014) to mention but a few.

Also not exempted is the high nepotism and tribalism which the has characterised the agency as recruitment and promotion are done along ethnic lines. At a period that the country seems to find it difficult to generate much revenue as oil prices have gone down, and with the need for the country to diversify it's economy, there is really a lot the President can do to clear the rot caused in NEPC by Mr Awolowo.

Therefore, people like Mr Awolowo should be throughly investigated, if the anti-corruption war of the president is to be taken more seriously and also if the country really desires to diversify it's economy in the long run. Such recklessness should no longer be tolerated, if we have to come out of this near economic collapse.