SAN FRANCISCO, January 17, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday night appealed to Nigerians that have evidence against corrupt persons in government to make it available.
He made the appeal while answering questions alongside Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during a live TV programme tagged ‘The Candidates’, anchored by Kadaria Ahmed and is sponsored by MacArthur Foundation and NTA.
The President was asked why the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal, and other persons in his government have not been persecuted inspite of the fight against corruption.
Buhari said that the onus was on the person making allegations to provide evidence why the accused should be prosecuted.
“That is not fair criticism of the government. I don’t think there is anybody that is being pointed out as corrupt in the last dispensation which we looked the other direction.
“I told you why I have to be careful and the public should help us, if there are strong allegations that is backed up with evidences, bank accounts, names of companies floated, contracts awarded, then we take them before the courts through EFCC and ICPC and we have to trust the system and allow them to complete investigation.
“If we just take people in as we did during the military and lock them up, the present democracy, a multi party democracy does not approve that.
“If you accuse any person, you have to provide evidence in court for him to be prosecuted, So, if there is strong allegations, the government may decide to ask people to go like the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation we asked him to go.
“The matter is already before the EFCC and I believe that a directive has been issued to charge him and all persons who have cases before the EFCC.” he stated.
On his part, Osinbajo said the APC administration was dealing with poverty in many ways including monthly payment of N5,000 to the poorest Nigerians, home grown school feeding programme and the Tradermoni, where market women are given N10,000 each to start business.
“As of 2012 Nigeria had 112 million people living in extreme poverty. Today Nigeria has about 86 million people who are poor but it is higher than India.
“From 2010 to 2014 Nigeria earned the highest revenue in oil. Nigeria earned $383 billion. Poverty figure went from about 82 million people to about 112 million in 2012. That is the reason why we have the poverty problem.
“Unfortunately, with all this money we had poverty was not addressed, nothing was done about it.
“In three years of our own government $94 billion is what we made from oil revenue compared that to$383 billion, but we started the largest programme to tackle poverty in the history of this country,’’ he said.
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