Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The National Youth Supreme Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to explain to Nigerians why it has not been able to prosecute any of the stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) indicted for corruption.
The group said while the administration has found it easy to distract Nigerians with the purported recovery of funds from indicted persons from opposing parties, it has not seen reasons to tell Nigerians how much it has recovered from the its high-ranking officials who were also indicted for corruption.
In a statement issued tuesday by the Youth Council’s National President, Adai Edwin Adai, he gave instances of such allegations levelled against the former Governor of Rivers State and now Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, as well as the alleged N500 million bribe by the multinational company, MTN to the Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari, and other APC stalwarts.
“We read with amusement the purported reports by the federal government that it has recovered a total of $151 million and N8 billion through whistle-blowers but none recovered from looters in the present APC administration.
“While we await the government of the day to tell Nigerians the names of those the supposed looted funds were recovered from through whistleblowers, we wish to encourage and applaud the whistle-blowing policy and advise Nigerians to continue to demand good governance from this administration and not be distracted with the latest innovations of the ruling party.
Adai said the most ridiculous aspect of the reports from the federal government was the naming of the former Group Manager Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu, of $9.2 million without the mention of the remaining suspects and where the other monies were recovered.
“Lest we forget, has the APC-led federal government recovered the N13.12 million loan the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, borrowed from one of the parastatal under his ministry, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC)?
“The last has also not been heard of all the allegations of several misappropriations in Lagos State during the tenure of the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. We are yet to get the full detail of the steps taken by this so-called anti-corruption administration against the allegations made by the Justices of the Supreme Court against the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonaya Onu, and Amaechi.
“The judges are already in court defending themselves on several count charges of fraud and money laundry but President Buhari’s ministers are working freely and unhindered.
“We are also waiting for the final report of investigations into the misuse of office and cases of corruption hanging on the neck of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu. There is a saying that those who go to equity must do so with clean hands.
“Nigerians will also remember the huge fraud and several cases of forex racketeering under this administration. Nothing has been done and its still business as usual as friends and cronies of this government are buying dollars at a cheaper rates and making billions of naira by reselling same in the black market.
“We therefore believe that the new so-called whistle-blowers successes recorded by the APC-led federal government is a distraction to divert attention from failures and incompetence of this administration.
“We demand that the government publish the names of all those the monies were recovered from apart from the former GMD, Yakubu.
“We also know for a fact that the only reason the ruling party is sending its anti-corruption watchdog against one of its financier in the 2015 general elections, Yakubu, was because he is preparing to run for governorship in Kaduna State in 2019 and the non-performing APC is not happy with this move,” he said.
