…Says
‘stolen’ funds kept for Buhari 2019 re-election bid
The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the immediate investigation into
the alleged breach of due process in the $25 billion contract award involving
the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru. KACHIKWU and BARU Minister of State,
Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu had on Tuesday in a letter to President
Muhammadu Buhari, accused Baru of awarding contracts totalling $25 billion
without the input of the NNPC board, even as he described his conduct as an act
of insurbodination. Reacting to the development, the PDP in a statement by its
National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, called for the immediate
commencement of investigation into the allegations, saying President Buhari
should, without further delay demonstrate his anti-corruption credentials by speaking
up on the alleged scam.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to express
our shock at the loud silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the humongous
corruption scandal and other illegalities currently being exposed at the
nation’s cash cow, the NNPC in which two of his henchmen, the Minister of State
for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC,
Maikanti Baru are the dramatis personae. “As a political party, we expect that
the President, who prides himself as an indefatigable corruption fighter, would
for once try to live above board, by genuinely allowing one of his own, accused
of corruption, get properly investigated and prosecuted as a show of his
impartiality in the war against corruption. “He should do this to correct the
open impression Nigerians have about his so-called anti-corruption war; that
it’s just a tool of persecution of perceived enemies,” the statement read in
part. The party warned against any official cover up, adding that Baru’s
alleged misdeeds must be search lighted to prove his innocence or otherwise.
“We view the allegations levelled against Baru by Kachikwu as too grave to be
swept under the carpet and we insist that the NNPC GMD must be treated like an
accused who should not have the opportunity to influence investigation into his
alleged misdeeds. “We demand an immediate suspension of the NNPC GMD so that
proper investigation can be carried out by the relevant anti-corruption
agencies,” it stated, saying it appears President Buhari by his silence is
shielding the NNPC boss in a manner similar to the case of one of his trusted
officials some few months ago.
The statement continued: “Ordinarily, if there
was sincerity in the anti-corruption war , President Muhammadu Buhari should
not have waited for any prompting before he takes a decisive action on this
matter, but as customary with his administration, we suspect that he’s trying
to shield Baru as he did for Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation (SGF) whom he merely suspended to allow the hullabaloo generated
by the fraud perpetrated in the management of the emergency fund for the IDPs,
die down. Also up till now, we have never heard anything again about the
millions of dollars and billions of naira discovered at an Ikoyi apartment.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the acts of illegality and double standard
perpetrated by the president in refusing to hand over Lawal to the EFCC for
proper investigation and possible prosecution for graft, but rather, preferring
to give the task of investigation of the open sleaze to the Vice President, in
a move not known to any law of this nation.
“Even at that, the report of the
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led committee is gathering dust on the shelf of
the President because he probably could not bear to see one of his closest
allies punished by the laws of the land, even when all facts show that blatant
and unbridled theft was perpetrated by the president’s man.” The PDP further
condemned what it called the “hypocrisy” of the Buhari administration, noting
that the arms’ deal scandal for which Col. Ibrahim Dasuki is currently in
custody for, was a fraction of the contract sum Baru is alleged to have
fraudulently awarded. It added: “The sum involved in the NNPC scandal is $25
Billion. Less than 10% percent of that ($2 billion) is involved in the so
called arms’ fund allegedly converted by the former NSA for which hundreds of
Nigerians have been arrested and hounded.
“Nigerians can now see the hypocrisy
in the so called anti-corruption fight. We may as well say that the privileged
class of APC members enjoys total immunity from the anti-corruption campaign.
“Tired of this double-faced corruption fight and cover-ups, we demand an
immediate commencement of investigation into this latest exposed sleaze by
another of President Buhari’s men. “We have been saying this for months that
the looting of the nation’s resources under this administration is record
setting in the history of this nation and we are being proven right on daily
basis by the little revelations that are being made by even those working under
the administration. “We wonder what the stench will be when the real and hidden
atrocities being perpetrated under the watch of President Buhari are finally
exposed when Nigerians throw the APC government out of power in 2019.
“The sum
of $25 Billion said to have been the subject of the latest controversy, when
converted to naira is about N9 Trillion, a sum that is bigger than the nation’s
annual budget. “This we find, is one of the very many reasons, the nation’s
economy has nosedived under the inept administration of the APC. “The
allegations raised by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is a
confirmation of our earlier stance that the APC administration is in tatters,
an administration without coordination, but one planted firmly in the hands of
a few cabal who are stealing the nation dry while the President continues to
feign ignorance of the sickening stench.
“If not, how on earth can President
Muhammadu Buhari justify a situation where a Minister he appointed to serve
under him, presiding over an important sector like the oil sector, be turned to
a mere house-help who must get clearance from some “outsiders ” before
accessing the president? “How on earth will a mere Managing Director of a
corporation have the temerity to sideline a minister under whom he works and
take decisions without consultation with the appropriate authority?
“How on
earth could the NNPC GMD have been bold enough to sideline the entire board of
NNPC and take such far reaching decisions that have grave implications on the
nation’s economy alone? “We suspect and our suspicion is reinforced by the
unfolding events that powerful people at the corridors of power are tacitly
involved in this. If the President’s powerful Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari could
sit on the NNPC board and such a calamity is taking place without an eyelid
being blinked, we are forced to believe that the stealing is being done to the
advantage of the President who has shown by his body language that the only
thing that matter most to him for now, is his second term ambition.
“Will it be
considered a “hate speech ” if we say the money being stolen by President
Buhari’s men are being kept aside into a special pool for the prosecution of
his second term ambition? “We challenge the president to prove us wrong by
allowing his allies being caught up in acts of brazen stealing of our
commonwealth, get punished in accordance with the laws of the land. Anything
aside this, we will take as confirmation of our suspicion that the rottenness
is from the very top. “We demand as bonafide Nigerians, an express order from
President Buhari to the NNPC GMD asking him to go on compulsory leave so that
investigation into the matter at stake can be conducted without interference.
“We also demand an order from the President to the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to immediately commence
investigation into all issues of corruption levelled against Baru, as well as
other persons who might have overtly or covertly participated in the illegal
act.”
“Much as we commend the National Assembly for indicating interest in
probing the allegations against the NNPC GMD as approved in the adoption of the
motion moved by Senator Samuel Anyanwu at the Wednesday plenary, we wish to
appeal to the leadership of the Senate to prevail on the Ad-hoc committee set
up for the purpose of the investigation, to make their sitting open to all
Nigerians so that nothing will be surreptitiously swept under the carpet.”
Credit: Vanguard
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