Demand For Missing $20 Billion Oil Money Is In Spirit Of Zero Tolerance For Corruption -Buhari

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News, Nigeria 2015 Election Monday, December 29th, 2014

By Ayo Balogun – The controversies surrounding the alleged missing $20 billion oil money has failed to abate, as the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has joined other stakeholders in demand for the release of its forensic audit outcome.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

While noting the request was made in the spirit of recent war against corruption declaration, by President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen Buhari held that there was a clear linkage between the billions of naira lost to corruption and the poor living conditions of people, adding that it was the resources meant for human development that were diverted to service the greed of a few.

The statement attacked that it was the fear of the unknown in a country where both family and government social welfare have collapsed that fuelled the “avarice of those in offices to steal for generations unborn”.

The Former Head of State who accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) digging graves in search of rumours, to confuse the voters, established it was true that, by sheer force of personal examples, he and his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, have demonstrated beyond the reasonable doubt that it was possible to live above the greed that dominates the system.

“I believe our spiritual anchors as men who fear The Almighty and are resolved to live our lives according to His admonitions have played very critical roles in developing our capacity to lead. As Christians go and return from churches, as Muslims and men of other faiths observe their spiritual obligations, we believe our individual commitments to serve our Creator will inspire us to shun corruption.

“We say this fully conscious of the need to strengthen these spiritual values by creating a system that cares for the poor and the downtrodden; a system that gives jobs to the unemployed; provides electricity so that the artisans and the middle class can be productive and expands infrastructure to enable the corporate sector reduce cost of operations” the APC Presidential flagbearer said.

The statement reiterated that APC Presidential team has already declared war against corruption, resolved to achieve food security, provide accelerated power supply, integrate the country’s transport network, promote free education and provide affordable health care service.

General Buhari maintained that what he and Professor Osinbajo offered Nigerians was that day and night, 24 hours per day, seven days a week, would stake their integrity as men of discipline and transparency to make life better for the average Nigerian by executing these policies in the shortest possible time.

“What we bring to the table is an unblemished record of patriotism to our country and an enviable standard of hard work and fulfillment of pledges that we have not seen in the handling of our national affairs in the last few years”.

The opposition standard bearer also challenged that failure of the ruling party to showcase an equally “clean and unassailable ticket”, informed why the party and its stalwarts were running from pillar to post, digging graves in search of rumours “in the impossible hope of misinforming unsuspecting voters and spinning a web of blackmail and deceit”.

It would be recalled Gen Buhari’s party, made similar demand last Saturday, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stating the deadline given by the Finance Minister, Dr Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, to release the missing money audit has already lapsed, stressing that any attempt made to cover up the outcome would amount to conspiracy.