Nigeria’s minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said on
Tuesday that those who have been under heat of the anti corruption war
from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration are now fighting back
“hard and dirty.”
The Information minister who said while briefing journalists in Abuja to
further solicit the support of the media for the anti-corruption war noted
that the enemies of the anti graft war have started to use media and other
platforms to cut the ground off the battle against graft.
The Minister said such attacks have come in the form of well orchestrated
attacks of the President, his policies, the 2016 budget as well as
ridiculing the anti graft war itself on various media platforms.
Mohammed however said the good news is that the Buhari administration is
winning the war while Nigerians are now talking more about corruption. He
also said the Buhari administration will not be distracted in the war
against graft, no matter the level of distractions by those opposed to it.
“Well, I can tell you today that corruption is already fighting back, and
it is fighting hard and dirty.
“Sponsored articles have started appearing in the newspapers and on the
social media, while ‘Talking Heads’ have started making the rounds on
electronic media, all deriding the fight against corruption as well as
this administration.
“Not stopping there, they have been creating distractions by sponsoring
articles in both local and international media to deride the
administration’s policies generally, tag the President a budding dictator
and even write off his 2016 budget.
“We know that the sole purpose of these attacks is to distract attention
from the war on corruption,” Mohammed said.
“It is saddening that some otherwise credible voices have unwittingly
allowed themselves to be railroaded into the bandwagon of pro-corruption
orchestra. They engage sophistry to try to rally Nigerians against the
anti-corruption battle.
“One hack writer even said the disclosure that 55 Nigerians allegedly
stole 1.34 trillion naira between 2006 and 2013 did not trigger any anger
among Nigerias! A disclosure that made the front page in over a dozen
Nigerian newspapers, played widely in the international media and
attracted the attention of the world’s most powerful country and global
financial institutions cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand.
“Also, one of those who benefitted from the Dasukigate even had the
temerity to deride the anti-corruption war as ‘selective’, when in saner
climes, he should have been so ashamed of himself that he would have
apologized to the nation and hunkered down…for good,” the Minister who
said the sponsored attacks are not about to stop said.
He added that the attacks are likely to become more intense and more
coordinated in the days ahead.
The Minister noted that Nigerians who he said are now counting the cost of
corruption to their lives should not be taken in by such disinformation.
“We call on Nigerians not to be taken in by the antics of the sponsored
denunciation of the anti-graft war. The treasury looters, who have so much
resources in their kitty, and their cohorts will throw everything but the
kitchen sink at this administration. But we have no doubt that Nigerians
are discerning enough to know the truth which, in the words of President
Muhammadu Buhari, is that unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption will
kill Nigeria.”
While emphasizing the cost of corruption to Nigeria and Nigerians over the
years, the Minister recalled how the 2.1 billion dollars meant for the
fight against Boko Haram was diverted to other uses, including over 4
billion Naira for spiritual purposes, 13 billion Naira for Maritime
University land, 2.1 billion Naira for publicity and hundreds of millions
of Naira for political patronage.
“That explains why we lost many soldiers to the fight against Boko Haram,
which in turn created many widows and orphans, in addition to pushing
millions of Nigerians from their communities into IDP camps.
“This explains why the war dragged on for years until President Buhari
assumed office and, within just seven months, strengthened the capacity of
the military to decimate Boko Haram. It is also instructive that not one
of those who disbursed or collected the Dasukigate funds has denied giving
or collecting the money, even though they have given different reasons for
doing so,” Mohammed said.
He also noted that whereas Nigeria’s national budget has increased from
just over 900 billion naira in 1999 to over 6 trillion naira in 2016,
poverty has also increased almost by the same proportion because
appropriated funds have mostly ended up in the pockets of a few looters.
“When the money meant to construct roads are looted, the end result is
that the roads are not built and the people suffer and even die in
avoidable road accidents. When the money meant to provide electricity is
looted, we all are perpetually sentenced to darkness.
“When the money meant for healthcare is pocketed by a few, we are unable
to reduce maternal and infant mortality.
“These are the costs of corruption. Let us not just talk about corruption
in the abstract, let us be counting its cost to our lives, in order to
drive home the point that corruption must be tackled decisively for
Nigerians to feel the impact of governance.
The Minister also said the accusation that the government is dwelling too
much on the war against corruption is not true because the situation is
very grim indeed, as far as corruption is concerned.
“That is why we will not relent in prosecuting this war until we have
decimated the monster of corruption just like we did to Boko Haram and
Ebola.
“This administration will neither be distracted nor intimidated by anyone
into abandoning or weakening the fight against corruption, which is a war
of survival for our nation. No amount of media or other attacks will stop
the fight. The pseudo-analysts and hack writers will labour in vain in
their quest to stop the train of this anti-corruption fight.
“Let me restate, for emphasis, that when we give instances of
mind-boggling acts of corruption, our intention is not to vilify anyone
but to sensitize Nigerians as to how harmful corruption is to the country
and the people. The truth is that what we have revealed so far is nothing
but the tip of the iceberg. Nigerians should stay tuned for more shocking
revelations in the days ahead,” he said.