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Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari
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Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that his
administration will probe the US$20 billion alleged to be missing from the
coffers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The immediate past governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido, had alleged that the US$20 billion
made from the sale of Nigeria’s crude oil by the NNPC could not be accounted
for.
PREMIUM TIMES report continues:
President Goodluck Jonathan sacked
Mr. Sanusi from the CBN after he made the allegation. The former bank chief was
later crowned the Emir of Kano after the death of Ado Bayero, the former emir.
Speaking Sunday when he played host
to a delegation from Adamawa State led by the state’s governor-elect, Bindow
Jibrilla, in his campaign secretariat, Mr. Buhari said although he received
information that some persons already started returning money to government
coffers, he would only believe it when he “sees it”.
“I heard that some people have
started refunding money, but I will not believe until I see it.
“His royal highness, the Emir of
Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was removed from the Central bank because he said
that about US$20 billion was missing, instead of the government to investigate the
matter, they refused, instead they sacked him. As God will have it, he is now
the Emir of Kano and that is exactly what he wants to be.
“He has already written all the
detail report on it, the incoming government will not ignore it, even though we
have promised to draw a line, but US$20 billion is too big to ignore. This is
Nigerian money and it must be investigated,” Mr. Buhari said.
The president-elect also empathized
with the delegation for the suffering of the people of Adamawa State in the
hands of Boko Haram terrorists. He said the Boko Haram elements were not
pursuing any religious cause since they attacked people of all religions.
“We thank God that our people have
now realized that it is not about religion, it is about terrorism which has no
basis in both Islam and Christianity. None of these two religions encourage
injustice.
“So for Boko Haram to go to and kill
people in mosques, churches, markets, bus stations or slaughter children in
schools while they were asleep, and shout Allahu Akbar.
“Whoever did that does not know the
meaning of what he is saying or does not believe in it. We hope when we resume,
we pray to God to help us end terrorism in Nigeria”.
He also blamed the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, for allowing the Boko Haram insurgency to fester in the
state.
“PDP for the last 16 years has done
virtually nothing in your state. Thank God it is not my party that has
subjected you to these hardships, it is not the defunct ANPP, CPC or ACN, so I
urge you to wait for the next four years and see how we would start our own
government,” he said.
Mr. Buhari also reiterated his
resolve to tackle issues of security, youth unemployment, and corruption as
priority of his administration.
“These are three things that I
promise to give priority on,” he said.
He also accused the PDP of
“damaging” the Nigerian military. He said before now, the Nigerian military had
an impressive track record of excellence everywhere they went for an
assignment.
“I could recall when I was a military, my first
posting was to Kinshasa and we have done extremely good. Our military has done
a lot in Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but today the PDP government is telling us
that the same army could not be able secure 14 out of 774 local government. I
still find it difficult to reconcile this. If we resume office, we would find
out why,” the retired general said.
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