The Nation Newspaper

Tag: looting

  • Looting galore

    Looting galore

    It is concerning that the cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria has worsened. Recent incidents showed a dangerous degeneration.

     For instance, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic on the Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.

     Also, hoodlums attacked a warehouse belonging to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city, and looted foodstuffs, among others.

    An attempt to loot a private warehouse in Idu Industrial Estate, Jabi, Abuja, was foiled by soldiers guarding the place.

    Armed hoodlums attacked a truck conveying raw materials from the Dangote Cement Plant in Ibese, Ogun State.  The truck was en route to Obajana in Kogi State. According to the police, “After the attack, they made away with the truck along with all the consignments that were inside. The three victims were rushed to Live Well Hospital Ajaka in Sagamu for medical attention.”

    Also, in Kaduna State, hoodlums hijacked and looted a food truck at Dogarawa in the Zaria area. The driver had parked to observe prayer when the vehicle was looted. A viral video showed people carting away cartons of spaghetti from the truck.

    The owner of the popular Sufaye Stores in Kano, Alhaji Ahmad Sufaye, was reported saying, “We resolved to evacuate all the wares in our warehouses located outside the city to safer places because of the recent happenings in the state.’’

    Read Also: Warehouse looting: No cause for alarm in Lagos, say NEMA, police

    The Minister of State of the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, described the attack on the warehouse as “really a bad situation” and “a sign that we need to reinforce the security situation around all our warehouses because you just have to keep food.” She added: “But the way this thing happened actually is beyond hunger. This is a criminal act. Somebody hungry cannot move out to remove all the roofing, all the doors, windows, and also the gates.’’

    She missed the point that desperately hungry people were not only likely to steal food but also take other things that could bring money to cushion their hardship.

    It was reassuring that the police announced the arrest of 15 suspects in connection with the attack on the warehouse, including two local security guards employed to protect the warehouse.  Hunger or hardship cannot be an excuse for committing crimes. Those involved in the looting must not go unpunished.

    These attacks and looting, believed to be connected with hunger or hardship, showed that the perpetrators made no distinction between government and private property, which underlined their desperation. Such criminal activities must not be allowed to continue. The authorities must urgently take concrete action to discourage anarchy.

  • Looting a lot

    Looting a lot

    • The boss of the National Lottery Trust Fund must account for N6.3 billion

    It was a sorry sight on the floor of the Committee on Finance of the Federal House of Representatives. The chief executive officer of a well-known agency gave his stewardship, and it was a travesty. The National Lottery Trust Fund CEO Bello Maigari stumbled to answer a simple question.

    How did it generate a whopping N6.3 billion and suffered a deficit of N255 million? This happened when all its bills, including salaries and allowances, have been paid by the Federal Government.

    Maigari, smiling with apparent discomfort, knew he had been exposed, and how did he not know that his math was a scandal? The point is that he knew and he probably thought he could get away with it. Or, perhaps, he thought he would not be found out. After all, more cases than not of financial brigandage have gone below the radar.

    Even those open impunities manage to fizzle out and the criminals do not only go free but often repackage themselves into icons and heroes and even get elected into offices.

    We have seen sessions before like the recent one between the House Committee of Finance and the chief steward of the NLTF. They disappeared out of memory like a soap bubble.

    In other societies, the story would make screaming headlines and the name of the agency’s head would fall into obloquy. But few know the name of Maigari. It is testament to a public weary of such news, and that is a tragedy.

    It is such feeling of ennui and aggravated indifference that continue to encourage persons like Maigari to handle public trust like a family fiefdom. What did he do with the N6.3 billion? Maigari claimed he spent the money on matters like education, sports development, social services, public welfare and disaster management.

    Those were not his responsibilities. The Federal Government, in its annual budget, covers the NLTF in both the payment of salaries and allowances. Even its capital expenditures were also covered.

    The NLTF was trying to curry compassion by claiming that it devoted the money to higher causes. It was a cynical exploitation of noble causes for personal gratification. The finance committee chairman, James Faleke, reflected the mood of his colleagues and any person of integrity when he railed at Maigari.

    “It’s like the government opened this agency for you and your family. That is what you are saying. That is the meaning. You generated almost N2.5 billion and you spent the N2.5 billion on the last kobo.” He spoke with sarcasm and disguised contempt.

    “We are going to carry out a status enquiry on the Nigerian Lottery Trust Fund. Status enquiry means we are going to bring in an external auditor to audit your accounts, your books, all your income, and expenses from day one to date. We would send our report to the plenary and if you are found guilty, you will be made to refund all expenditure and any other punishment thereof,” he declared.

    The House session mirrored the state of our agencies and how rotten it has been. It shows why some Nigerians scramble for political appointments. They see the positions as opportunity to fleece the nation and thumb their noses at those who brandish ideas about the urgency of public service.

    Few knew until this revelation that the NLTF made such money. In this case, it was lack of finesse but brazen robbery that exposed it. When Ishaq Oloyede and Dakuku Peterside took over the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), respectively, it was a change of guard that exposed those who had hidden and stolen our treasure for decades.

  • Looting: We‘ll soon go after banks— EFCC chair Magu

    Looting: We‘ll soon go after banks— EFCC chair Magu

    Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ibrahim Magu vowed yesterday  that the agency would  go after banks being used for the looting of the nation’s treasury and money laundering.

    He asked the  Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop private banking in the country and pledged the determination of his team to give corruption a brutal fight.

    Magu was reported by the agency’s in-house magazine, Alert, as telling  Channels Television in an interview that the era was gone when treasury looters kept their money under the guise of private banking.

    He said  there was no more hiding place for banks to be  used by corrupt public officials and fraudsters.

    He said: “We are not only going after the personnel of banks, we are also going after the banks. What happens is that when a staff of the bank is involved in such activities, what the bank does is to take the person out of the system through dismissal.

    “But now, we are going to go after the banks and the personnel used to perpetrate the fraud. It takes two to tango. In fact, very soon, you will see us going after the managing directors of the banks.

    “We don’t care what happens because the right thing has to be done because they have given a lot of room for money laundering activities to thrive. They were used to hide all the stolen money.”

    On private banking, he said the EFCC has advised the CBN to stop it in all banks.

    “We had a discussion with the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and I insisted that this so-called private banking should be stopped. It is illegal; it is wrong.”

    On repatriation of stolen funds, the EFCC chairman said: “Of course, we are working with all the law enforcement agencies- the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the NCA, the Swiss Police and the Italians as well and many other people.

    “There are requirements you must enter- the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) – with other countries. We are following the money and we will get them back very soon. But it has to be done within the law.

    “There are procedures and they are really tedious. But there is an improvement because these countries are willing to issue warrant; they are willing to restrain any account we point  out. They are willing to also release the property we have traced to their countries. We are also helping them at this end.

    “We are working with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and many countries are now ready to key in because they realize that fighting corruption is a very serious issue.”

    Magu, who admitted that corruption has been fighting back at him, said he would fight the monster to the end with his team.

    “Corruption is fighting back and some of the fighting back is coming from government officials. It is very serious, but I have fought corruption and corruption fought back. I am still fighting corruption.

    “If it is my portion to lead the corruption fight particularly under President Muhammadu Buhari. I am fulfilled. We are ready to fight to the end. Somebody has to do it and I am happy we are making tremendous progress.”

    Responding to a question, he said there is no sacred cow in the fight against corruption.

    He said corrupt suspects will be arrested and prosecuted irrespective of political parties they belong to.

    He said: “There is no sacred cow as far as this fight against corruption is concerned. We will go after anybody who has committed an offence. We will collect the money back so that it will go back to the treasury so that it can be used for the original purposes.

    “I don’t care whether you are black or white or you come from Party A or Party B; the moment it can be established that you have stolen from the public treasury, we will go after you.

    “Even right here (in EFCC), if we discover that you are corrupt, we will kick you out. And we are already doing that. So, we don’t go after innocent people. We are going after the thieves of state resources.”

    On his reaction to President Muhammadu Buhari’s concurrence in London that Nigerians are fantastically corrupt, Magu said: “I won’t go beyond the reactions of Mr. President.”

    He however said that London is the capital of money laundering.

    He added: “I think it was most appropriate and you cannot shy away from being called corrupt because corruption has gone deep. The President’s reaction is ‘whatever it is, give me back what has been taken from us.’

    “Of course, London is the capital of money laundering. Most of the stolen monies are hidden there either by way of property, banks or physical cash.

    “I have an advantage of leading the EFCC now because what you need most when you are fighting corruption is the political will of the leadership.

    “You will agree with me that Mr. President is not pretending about fighting corruption. You can see that it is in his blood. So, we are so lucky to have somebody who is committed, who supports us, who does not interfere with what we are doing and I mean that.

    “It is good; you can see how we are moving. It is unprecedented.”

    Regarding plea bargain, he said it is not a bad idea depending on the cooperation of accused persons who have stolen public funds.

    He said: “I know plea bargain has a lot of issues, but if it is handled properly, it is not bad. If you happen to cooperate and you don’t give us too much problem and we sit down and look at what has been recovered from you, we can agree to entertain plea bargain.”

    Magu insisted that the EFCC does not detain suspects illegally.

    He said those who had met bail conditions were always allowed to go by the anti-graft commission.

    “Nobody that has met the bail conditions is kept in the cell. We don’t do that. Honestly, it does not happen here. If we have any reason to keep somebody beyond the time allowed by law, we go to the court and obtain a remand warrant.

    “But sometimes, when you arrest the suspect, on disclosure, you will get additional information from them. For instance, somebody who has stolen state funds to the time of $88m, you do not expect me to let him go like that.

    “It is when you keep them that some of them will oblige and return the money and it is very important for us to get the money back.”

  • Visions and challenges on terrorism and looting

    At  the conference of the National Human Rights Commision to commemorate its 20th Anniversary,  Edo  State Governor Adams Oshiomole called  for the prosecution of the former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo  Iweala on her admission that she made available 322m dollars  from the recovered Abacha loot to the office of the former NSA Sabo  Dasuki  for the prosecution of the war against  Boko  Haram  in the North  East  of the country.  At  about the same time US  Republican Party front runner in the US  2016 presidential  elections Donald  Trump  called  for a  ban  on the migration of  Muslims to the US  and raised such  a furore that US  President Barak Obama at the  150th  Anniversary  of Slavery in the US cautioned against the rise  of bigotry  even as he called slavery the ‘original sin‘  on that occasion. I  will spice these two stories with the news of the sack of  Nnlalah  Nene, the Finance Minister of S Africa by President Jacob Zuma who  announced that the Minister who  has been largely described as reform minded and fiscally prudent was just being moved to a more strategic position in the cabinet after just  18 months.

    On  the surface,  all these  are quite controversial  issues. But an analysis will  reveal that they are new ways of looking at the problems of governance, leadership and corruption and are evolving in a  speedily   changing world that  is becoming  degraded and dehumanized  by the impunity of terrorism and Islamic Militancy led  by the brutality of Islamic  State and Boko  Haram. The  saying that desperate  diseases  need desperate  cure is bound to evolve from our analysis  of these issues  on discussion today as I ask you to join issues  with  my chain of thought on them.

    Let  us start again  with Adams  Oshiomole’s seemingly  endless grouse with Okonjo Iweala that  she should be prosecuted for approving money for purchase of arms that were not bought and in  which  funds were diverted  for other purposes. The  Finance Minister’s media aide  has been at pains to explain that the Edo  State Governor has an axe to grind with Okonjo  Iweal a because  she did not approve a World  Bank  loan  that Edo state was pursuing. But  the Finance Minister’s  reason for the loan was intriguing. She said that since there was an outcry that the Jonathan Administration was not funding the war effort in the North East enough she prepared a memo for a Committee  approved by the president and gave the money to the office of the NSA. Which  sounds like  an ordinary  housewife’s  defence of why she bought more meat than fish with the feeding allowance given by the husband. Except  that this was  the Finance  Minister  of  Nigeria at her second coming in that office after being recruited from the World Bank by the Obasanjo Administration at her first calling during which  she got paid in hard  currency against the labor laws of  the nation. The  same Finance Minister  was promoted by the World  Bank after her reforms in Nigeria based on the recipe of the Washington Concensus which  emphasizes high interest rates and budget  deficits when it was obvious that these were leading to economic stagnation, high  unemployment  and social upheaval from the ensuing growth of poverty  and  income   inequalities  instead of   real  economic  growth  and   development.

    Governor Oshiomole’s  insistence on the prosecution  of the former Finance Minister is not in any way misplaced. If  anything it is patriotic and salutary.  Has  the  National  Assembly no role to play in the disbursement of funds for war according to our constitution?  Why  should  an educated Finance Minister give the sort of excuse she gave that the government succumbed to public opinion and averted due  process in giving the nations funds behind the door and on the authority  of a kitchen cabinet instead of that of the National Assembly  as  demanded  by the separation  of powers inherent in our Presidential  Constitution? Governor Oshiomole  may  be an insistent  former  labor leader and no  friend of   the  World Bank  because of its  inhuman economic prescriptions  but he certainly knows what  he is saying when he calls for the prosecution of the former Finance Minister on account of conspiracy  in  giving out funds for fighting insurgency illegally  and  making the fraud  of diversion a grim possibility and a huge drain on the dwindling resources  of our nation.

    Equally  intriguing and   definitely  more  alarming was Donald  Trump’s call  for a ban on Muslims going to the US  because  of the rise of terrorism  on the US homeland the latest   being  the killing of 14  people by a radicalized US couple in California. How  Trump  came  about  such  a statement still  baffles me but he insists that what he has said is  popular and has not recanted which is unfortunate. But  then he  has touched a raw nerve and since  he is the leading Republican candidate in spite of all odds  so far,  his party has to look for a way to contain him. If in spite of this he wins  the Republican Party’s  nomination then that party can never be the same again and the nature of the 2016 presidential election will  be quite unpredictable though it  will be  quite exciting as usual. However l do  not subscribe to the view that Trump’s antics may give Hillary Clinton an easy presidential election next year. Clinton will have to react to these dangerous things that Trump  has been dishing out and the way she does will determine her presidential  fate and that of the Democratic, Party in 2016. Trump  has been  so bold as to postpone a trip  to Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu  who  has a soft spot  for him as a Republican  candidate,  on the excuse that he will do that trip after he has been elected president of the  US. Already Israel’s President has retorted to Trump’s Islam ban by saying that Israel is not at war  with Islam but extremists who  are wickedly bent on killing innocent people for no justifiable or sane reasons. Really  I  wonder at Trump’s emergence and his staying power which confirms that there is some anger out there against  politics as usual in the US  and established political  parties and politicians had better be on the look  out   for as the saying goes no one can stop  an  idea  whose  time has come. Just  like  no one got  it when a seasoned Democratic Party Convention Speaker  emerged  from no where to thwart Hillary Clinton’s ambition in 2008  to become the  44th and  first black president of God’s own country. The rest is history and this rumbling Trump looks more like an approaching political volcano on the US political arena than an ill wind that will soon  and   readily  blow away.  Americans   therefore and   indeed  the world  at  large   should prepare  like  the Chinese would say,  to live  in interesting times  and so  too should terrorists and those who  kill and maim innocent people globally prepare  for a most unusual foe  and enemy.

    Lastly  the sack of S Africa’ Minister of  Finance, Nnlalah Nene is   a  story  that has parts  and bits of the last two issues on our former finance Minister and Governor  Oshiomole  and of course Donald Trump  and I will illustrate  vividly.  The  first  is tha the Finance Minister  was sacked for  among other things failing to approve the purchase of a presidential jet for the S African  president and  for  failing to approve salary increment  for workers. I  commend the Minister  for having the guts to chop off the presidential jet although he now knows that he who pays the piper dictates the tune. I disagree  with him on the refusal  to increase the workers salary  as Governor Oshiomole would do and vehemently too and my reason is that such  an act smirks of an IMF conditionality for which Finance Ministers like those  of France, Indonesia and Nigeria have  been rewarded with plum IMF jobs after leaving  office  for services  well  rendered  for  IMF even though such measures  bred inevitable social unrest and violence  in the nations  of such  ministers. Perhaps  President Zuma saw through the Minister’s gambit to play to an international audience at the expense of the S African economy although there is no denying that the chopping of the presidential jet was  enough ammunition for President Zuma known for opulent life style to have sacked him. Obviously  the sacked S African Finance  Minister  now knows better that in politics as in religion  you cannot serve God  and  Mammon.  Just  as Governor  Oshiomole  made very clear  in his very public and strident call for the prosecution  of our former Finance Minister.  Again  long live  the Federal  Republic  of Nigeria.

  • Looting of army allocation is treason

    SIR: In Nigeria strange things happen often.  All over Africa, political leaders are known to be corrupt and inept.  They are manipulators of the political process, many of them wanting to be President for life.  From Cairo to Cape Town, perhaps with the exception of South Africa, political leaders of all cadres amass obscene wealth, to last not only their generation, but also three generations ahead.

    Nowhere in Africa however have the politicians exposed citizens to dangers as in Nigeria.  It is only in Nigeria that funds meant to equip the military and provide for the welfare of serving officers, are routinely stolen and distributed among political big wigs.  The case of Nigeria is unique in view of the fact that thousands of innocent Nigerians are being slaughtered and millions displaced from their homes.  Nowhere have fighting soldiers been drafted to the war front with their bare hands.

    The stories emanating from Abuja could have evoked laughter but for the seriousness and audacity and impunity with which these crooked Nigerians plunge the nation.  The common view now is that, these looters should be made to return their loots, and then the prosecuted.  To me and some other Nigerians this punishment could not match the atrocity committed against Nigeria.  The fact is that they have committed treasonable felony. They have exposed the Nigerian nation to ridicule.  Except our so-called friends in the west (many of whom feign friendship), we are categorized as a banana republic.  More seriously, smaller neighbouring countries some of who have come to our aid, are visibly disappointed, seeing us a big for nothing land mass.

    The order given to the military to flush out the terrorists in three months ending in this December may be accomplished on paper since it is likely every inch of our land would have been recovered.  But how can we guarantee that these terrorists would   not go about throwing bombs at innocent Nigerians in the days and years ahead?  Terrorist are not ghosts but wrong-headed Nigerians living among Nigerians.  What I am saying is this.  If the army boys had been properly equipped and remunerated, we would have wiped out the menace before now.  Why didn’t the looters go straight to the Central Bank and collect local and foreign currency kept in the bank and spare us the humiliation and dangers of an ill-equipped army with low morale.  No, this is looting with a difference and should be handled differently.  There is hardly any difference between these kind of looters and terrorists.  They are both enemies of society.

    There is the need for a special criminal court to be setup to address these uncommon sins committed against God and man.  This will not affect our democratic process; it will only strengthen it, as it will send appropriate signals to the enemies of our country.

     

    • Deji Fasuan MON, JP

    Ekiti State

  • ‘Looting’ uncountable

    The PUNCH Editorial of September 2, 2015, committed a faux pas: “With crime gangs fast acquiring notoriety for maiming and killings in our major cities and campuses (on campuses), the need for action is pressing.”

    From the Back Page of the above editioncomes this inaccuracy: “And he should know that Nigeria will cross the bridge when it gets to recovery of stolen loots stashed in foreign banks.” ‘Loot’ does not admit plural inflection.

    “…said the newspaper company is (was) determined to change the face of sports journalism with the birth of….”

    “Nigeria must not miss polio free (polio-free) certification in 2017, Buhari warns”,

    “APC exposes fresh lootings” Voice of the nation: ‘looting’, just like ‘loot’, is uncountable.

    “We won’t allow you rubbish Igbos (Igbo), PDP tells Buhari”

    “Swazi girls dance and sing Friday on a farm in (on) the outskirts of Luve, Swaziland….”

    “Dangote commissions (inaugurates) $250m cement factory in Cameroun”

    “Parents must not interfare (interfere) in their children’s education”

    “And so to have the equipments there….” ‘Equipment’ is non-count.

    “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and late (the late) Yar’Adua ensured fair balance in the distribution of public offices in the country.”

    THE NATION ON SUNDAY Front Page Banner of August 30 goofed: “N2.4b pay off (pay-off) for ex-Senators, Reps”

    THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER, of August 2 disseminated just three blunders: “An example within our contemporary socio-political milieu, (unnecessary punctuation) is an article in defence of….”

    “After all, he who pays the piper dictates (calls) the tune.”

    “If the troubles of Abia State are as popular and relevant as envisioned by Wabara in his imaginary world, how come Orji Uzor Kalu has….” Get it right: why is it that Orji Uzor Kalu has….

    “The basic education sector: the very foundation of the educational sector has been in shambles (a shambles) for too long.”

    “Google, MTN, Jumia brings (bring) Android One to Nigeria”

    “Judgment debts: Why luxury cars rot in (on) court premises”

    “Bangladesh arrests 3 over (for) secular bloggers”

    Finally from the NATIONAL MIRROR Back Page of the edition under review: “Many undocumented Nigerians roam the streets of Deira-Dubai with majority (a majority) of them engaging in ignoble acts.”

    “Corruption probe: Learn from Ghana, Reps (Reps’) caucus tells Buhari”

    “The arousing (rousing) ovation and prayers among the officers and men of….”

    “Just before National Assembly milk (milks) us dry”

    “NDLEA nab (nabs) 2 for drug trafficking in Lagos”

    “NCAA task information managers on accidents, incidents”

    “Mercy Johnson signs-off (signs off) until next year”

    “Igbinedion mourns Ooni’s death” Is it the man or his death that is being mourned?

    Wrong: largess; right: largesse

    From THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWS-PAPER, of August 22 comes this fault: “Poilce approves (approve) gunshot treatment”

    “Again, Airtel raises hope for the less-privilege (less-privileged) with Touching Lives”

    “Buhari goes after Jonathan’s aides over government (govern-ment’s) assets”

    “Ondo reads riot (the riot) act to land owners”

    FEEDBACK

    1. G.O. Komolafe’s two-part reaction (The Nation, August 23 and August 30) to his undeserved description as “Baba Sala Jnr (jester) and a quasi-intellectual was quite understandable and well delivered. But it exhumed the remains of a man academically “buried” in an unimaginable dimension through his recall of a past Wordsworth episode. All the same, I commend Mr Wabara for throwing open his column (some others do not welcome divergent views) to people who make robust contributions to appropriate English usage. Soon, we shall be introduced to Chinese English as the preferred choice. The pope talks ex-cathedra, some others pontificate. So, if it took time to accept that the word “witch-hunt” is not a verb but a noun and that Bill (William) Clinton was impeached (by the U.S. House of Reps), where then lies the infallibility? Me, I no sabi book! Brother Ebere, keep the flag hoisted. (KOLA DANISA/ 07068074257)

    Who or Whom?

    “Who” and “Whom” cause problems. “Who” is the subject of a verb, e.g. Who told you? It was you who told him and The girls who took part in the play had travelled abroad.

    “Whom” is the object of a verb or preposition, e.g. Whom did he tell? To whom did you speak? To whom it may concern! And The people from whom he stole had reported him to the police.

    However, in modern usage “whom” is falling into disuse, especially in questions, except in formal contexts. “Who” is used even though it is ungrammatical, e.g. Who did you speak to? “Whom” should be retained when it is a relative pronoun, e.g. The man whom you saw is my friend. The person to whom he spoke was our old teacher and The girl to whom she gave the book had returned it.

    I repeat, “whom” is falling into disuse – in truth, it has been declared obsolescent, i.e. going gradually out of the language, except in the Dative or Ablative case, e.g. to whom/with whom/on whom/by whom/through whom/of whom, e.t.c. Hence the Revisers of the Holy Bible corrected the “whom” in Matthew 16:15, But “whom” (who) say ye that I am? And in Luke 9:18, “Whom” (who) do the people say I am? “Who” (also in Luke 9:20) is in conformity with modern usage. These are sacred sentences.

    Ebere, lest we forget, the “conspirators” (I have known them for donkey’s years), like Don Quixote in Cervantes’ novel, are tilting at windmills. They can never ever win. Ride on, no one can rile you. (BAYO OGUNTUNASE/08056180046)

  • APC lists new cases of alleged looting in Jonathan’s govt

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has listed new instances of the alleged looting of the treasury by some officials of the Jonathan administration, saying the corruption mess that characterized the government was so pervasive that until it is cleaned, Nigeria will not be able to actualize its potentials.

    ”Those who would rather give comfort to the looters by dismissing the media exposure of looting cases as mere hell-raising should realize that no sane person can be silent in the face of what is unfolding as the worst cases of brazen stealing of public funds in Nigeria’s history,” the party said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    ”On Aug. 16th 2015, we listed some instances of the breath-taking looting of the treasury by some officials of the immediate past Administration. Today, we bring three more heart-rendering cases to the attention of Nigerians. We will not relent until closure has been brought to this issue,” it said, listing the new cases as:

    – A mind-shattering 2.2 billion-US-dollar arms scandal.

    – A 6.9 million-dollar fraud by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to
    President Jonathan, committed under the guise of buying three mobile
    stages for the President.

    – A 2.5 billion-Naira scam involving the rent of house boats.

    ”While those charged with handling these cases are finalizing the details of bringing the suspects to justice, our immediate concern is the attempt by the PDP, under whose umbrella the looting took place, to blame the Buhari Administration for the mess and then infer that things have been worse in Nigeria in the past three months under the APC-led federal government than in the 16 years under the PDP. This is totally provocative, shameless and uncharitable.

    ”They say we are yet to fulfil our campaign promises to Nigeria, but they have forgotten that if only the PDP/Jonathan Administration had not stolen Nigeria blind, there would have been more than enough money to give school children in Nigeria not just one but three meals a day and even pay 5,000 Naira to 50 million most vulnerable Nigerians, not just the 25 million we promised in our manifesto,” APC said

    Despite the discovery of alleged cases of corruption under the Jonathan Administration, the APC assured Nigerians of better days ahead, as all its campaign promises will be kept because of the commitment and determination of President Buhari not only to cleaning the Augean Stable but also ensuring purposeful governance for the benefit of all Nigerians.

    ”It is clear to all Nigerians that the debilitating impact of 16 years of PDP’s misrule cannot be reversed in just 3 months. It is an obvious truth that it is always easier to destroy than to construct, but nothing will stand in the way of the Buhari Administration’s commitment to improving the quality of life of Nigerians and making our country to function again,” it said.

    APC said that a major clog in the wheel of faster progress for the new Nigeria under President Buhari has been the discovery that the pot housing the commonwealth has been licked dry by the looters of yesterday.

    ” Hence, the need to work meticulously to recover the looted funds and facilitate the delivery of good governance that will manifest in abundant jobs, strong economy and improved welfare and security for Nigerians.”

    APC said while the PDP presents the recently released data on job creation and economic growth as ‘clear signals’ that President Muhammadu Buhari is failing Nigerians, the party omitted the fact that those numbers are basically a manifestation of the final days of President Jonathan’s economic policies.

    ”The PDP omitted the fact that these numbers measure job creation and economic growth for the second quarter of 2015, which covers April to June 2015, a period in which President Jonathan was in office for two months while President Buhari was only just settling in to discover even more of the mess left for him to clear. No one in his or her right mind will hold someone more accountable for actions in just one month and exonerate another who was in the same office for two months.

    ”Since the PDP has become insular to global events, the APC will also like to educate the party that every country in the world is struggling to adjust to the effects of a global downturn at the moment. Only very few countries, if any, are growing as fast as they did, in say two years ago. From China, India, Russia, South Africa, to Ghana, Malaysia and Brazil, every country is feeling the effects of a sustained slowdown in global growth.

    ”The APC will also like to categorically say that it supports the policies of the CBN in its quest to ensure greater transparency in the Forex market and eliminate currency substitution in our economy. The CBN’s policy to stop cash deposits of foreign currency is in line with global best practices and has led to a drastic reduction in the BDC exchange rate for the Dollar, the party said.

    It commended Nigerians for showing absolute understanding and faith in the leadership of President Buhari to change the way that Nigeria has been misruled in the last 16 years, and assured that, in the days ahead, the painstaking efforts of the President will manifest even more than Nigerians have already witnessed.

  • ‘Plea bargain encourages looting’

    A former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has urged anti-corruption agencies to de-emphasise plea bargaining because it encourages looting.

    To him, imprisonment and forfeiture of all stolen assets will better deter stealing of public funds rather than asking those found culpable to return what was stolen to avoid a jail term.

    Kolade, who spoke during the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) distinguished Management Lecture, urged President Muhammadu Buhari maintain zero-tolerance for corruption and monitor those under him closely.

    The lecture had the theme: Managing Nigeria’s Resources for National Development and Political Stability. 

    Kolade said managing the country’s resources for political stability is challenging, though the nation is in no shortage of wisdom and expertise to get to where it should be.

    “To attract investments and retain them, we need to manage the way we talk to ourselves and project ourselves to the outside world so as not to devalue ourselves as a market,” he said.