Vice-President Namadi Sambo

By Muhammad Bello

Vice-President Namadi Sambo has denied media reports that he asserted that the Federal Government will descend on corrupt governors.

Sambo, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, at the launch of a book written by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in Abuja Wednesday, said the Federal Government would not relent in its fight against corruption.
However, some national dailies (not THISDAY) reported otherwise.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Sani Umar, said: “Our attention was drawn to a publication in some national newspapers where President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have stated that they will nail corrupt governors.

“The President, who was represented by the Vice-President at the occasion of the book launch titled ‘Reforming the Unreformable’ by the Coordinating Minister of the economy and Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, which held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, never made any such statement referring to any governor.”

Instead, the statement in question reads in part “on the governance level, we are going after those who commit economic crimes and corrupt practices with impunity.” 

The statement, however, advised “all those mediums who reported Mr. President’s statement inappropriately to address it properly and reflect the correct statement. This will set the records straight by not misleading members of the public and casting aspersions on governors, who are our partners in progress in our transformation agenda.”