Press Conference
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alerts Nigerians of desperate efforts
by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC)
administration to divert attention from the stench of monumental
corruption in its government.
Nigerians have noted the blackmails, intimidation and threats coming
from government quarters, in their feverish bid to frustrate
whistleblowers and truncate on-going uncovering of widespread corruption
in ministries, departments and agencies, under the APC administration,
for which Nigerians cannot wait to see the exit of this party of
horrendous looters.
One of such antics by this administration was the Tuesday July 28, 2020
press conference by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, wherein he dared Nigerians, particularly whistleblowers,
despite revelations of rampant corruption virtually in all aspects of
government under the APC.
Our party is however not surprised that this corrupt administration
resorted to distortion of facts and daring of citizens when its
officials from the top to the bottom are all soiled in the foul potage
of corruption.
It is ridiculous that this administration seeks to claim credit for the
investigation and unearthing of fraud in the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) when it is already public knowledge that the
investigation only came as a result of pressure mounted by our party and
other Nigerians.
This is more so as the corruption in the EFCC under the APC had reached
an embarrassing crescendo that it could no longer be concealed.
Such humongous corruption in the EFCC under the APC confirms the level
of financial malfeasance and a shameful breach of trust by this
administration, in which very top officials of the Buhari Presidency had
been mentioned.
We challenge the APC federal government to give account of the N800
billion, which Lai Mohammed claimed to have been recovered, especially
given allegations that recovered monies have been re-looted and shared
among topmost officials of the Buhari administration and APC leaders.
Rather than resorting to false performance claims, the expectation of
Nigerians is that this administration would have sent Lai Mohammed to
apologise for this display of gross abuse of position especially as it
relates to the fight against corruption.
We further invite Nigerians to note that Lai Mohammed, in his press
conference, admitted that he could not go into the details of the
various corruption issues in the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), EFCC and other
agencies.
Our party holds that this is an evasion of gory tales of direct
stealing, treasury looting and barefaced embezzlements by government
officials and APC leaders as already exposed in on-going investigations
at the National Assembly and at the presidential panel.
With this shocking suppression of information related to corrupt
practices, by no other person than the minister of information,
Nigerians and the world at large are no longer in doubt that concealment
of corruption in ministries, department and agencies is an official
policy of the APC administration because their leaders are involved.
This is the same reason the APC and its government had suppressed the
prosecution of officials indicted in the N90 billion stolen from the
Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in which top members of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) were mentioned.
This is in addition to the suppression of prosecution of APC leaders
involved in the reported looting of N33billion from the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the stealing of over N18 billion
from the rehabilitation of IDPs in the Northeast as well as the over N25
billion from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among others.
Of course, the APC has not denied that it is the headquarters of
corruption and also had nothing to say to reports by reputable
international organizations, including the Transparency International
(TI) that corruption had worsened under this administration.
If the Buhari administration is indeed fighting corruption, Nigerians
wonder why it has not addressed the involvement of APC leaders in the
alleged looting of over N14 trillion, including the N9.6 trillion ($25
billion) as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo; the over N1trillion worth
of crude oil using 18 unregistered companies linked to APC leaders as
well as the sleaze in fraudulent oil subsidy regime.
We also challenge the minister of information to inform Nigerians why
this administration has failed to address the direct allegation by the
First Lady, Aisha Buhari, that the N500bn meant for Social Investment
Program under this administration was diverted to private purses.
Furthermore, we challenge Lai Mohammed to name those behind the $2.5
billion (N1.175 trillion) Chinese Gates oil theft scandal, in which
officials of this administration were alleged to have been involved.
We also challenge the minister to name those behind the looting in NEMA,
NHIS, FIRS North East Development Commission and the NDDC.
Moreover, in doing that, Lai Mohammed should also offer some
explanations on his alleged role in the reported National Broadcasting
Commission (NBC) N2.5 billion fraud, for which Nigerians had demanded
his investigation by the ICPC.
Of course Nigerian have not also forgotten how the nation was defrauded
with a fictitious Nigeria Air which only flew on the internet under the
watch of this administration.
As a party, we sympathize with our nation for having an administration
that is replete with looters, who in the last five years have been
dipping their leprous hands into the till at the expense of governance
while Mr. President’s silence makes him complicit.
Nigerians already know that due to the level of corruption in this
government the eight years of this administration will unfortunately end
up as a wasted era, in which life of the ordinary Nigerians have failed
to find any sort of improvement; be it on the economy, security,
education, healthcare, urban development and other critical sectors.
Indeed, the stench of humongous corruption oozing out of an
administration that claimed to have come to clean an alleged Augean
stable have constituted a huge embarrassment to Nigerians in the face of
economic, political and security misery confronting our people in the
last five years.
The PDP stands with Nigerians in stating that no amount of propaganda,
blackmail, threats and intimidation from the APC and the Buhari
Presidency will stop them from continuing to expose the monstrous
corruption being perpetrated by APC leaders and government officials
under this administration.
As a party, it is a sacred duty we owe our nation and we will not be
cowed or intimidated to abandon this cause for the good of our nation.
I thank you for listening
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyn
National Publicity Secretary
