$180.6bn Centenary City: EFCC Arrests Former SGF Anyim
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has been picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud involving $180.6 billion linked to the Centenary City, Abuja.
The Abuja Centenary City was an initiative of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as part of the celebration Centenary Independence celebration of Nigeria.
Forefront gathered that the project documents indicated that despite being a Public Private Partnership (PPP), the Centenary City, was designated a free trade zone, which was designed to be exempted from both federal and state taxes as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) property tax.
Anyim, who is assisting the EFCC with investigations, had said that the stocks of the City would be quoted in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as well as other international markets before the end of 2013.
Anyim, who once served as President of the Senate had while serving as SGF assured investors that they would have a good return on their investments if they staked their funds in the project.
But four years after, the Centenary City deal has not been listed on the stock exchange, a development that made investors not to have returns on their investment.
Accordingly, the investors had no option than to turn to the EFCC as part of efforts to recoup alleged under the table deals the investors had with Senator Anyim.
The EFCC is yet to officially issue a statement on the arrest and detention of the former SGF.
