Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that only God will punish the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly looting the country dry for the 16 years it was in power. This is even as he said those the government is able to prove are corrupt will be prosecuted, their property confiscated and sold and the money put into the treasury for public use.
Buhari said this when he met with both local and international support groups at the State House, Abuja. This is the second time the President will be calling down divine punishment on those he said looted the nation’s treasury.
In May 2018, President Buhari had in an interview on Voice of America (VOA) said God will judge the PDP for mismanaging the country’s resources. “Nigerians know that there were no roads or rail lines, there was no power, despite the billions of dollars spent. Only God will judge this thing,” he had said. But addressing leaders of 1,000 support groups, the President said, “Large scale abuse of trust, only God can give them punishment but those we can touch, we will get them prosecuted. We have said properties confiscated should be sold and the money put into treasury and we will use.”
The President reiterated that on assumption of office, he approached the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who told him there was no money in federal coffers. Worse still, Buhari said, there was no infrastructure or any developmental achievements to point to as justification for draining substantial crude oil earnings.
“I have said this for the umpteenth time and I have challenged them to prove me wrong but in those 16 years of PDP rule, Nigeria was getting 2.1 million times 100 (2.1 million barrels by $100 per barrel) everyday, every week, but when we came on board, the price fell to between $37-38 and hung around $40-$50. I went to the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, and asked him for money and he said there is no money.”
According to him, the last time roads rehabilitation took place was under General Sani Abacha, when he served as Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund, adding that the roads where rehabilitated up to the east. Speaking on his integrity, Buhari said “If I didn’t stick to my principle of accountability I would have been in trouble by now and I have no regrets. Everybody wants to be comfortable but the most important thing is to live within your means and bear the consequence.”
He explained why he visited neigbouring countries shortly after he was sworn in saying, “If you don’t establish good relations with your neigbours you will spend more on security.”
The leader of the delegation, Dr. Mahmud Mohammed, said the groups supported him because of his integrity and commitment. He said for the first time in the history of campaigns, they were campaigning with meager funds generated from well wishers because the president specifically directed that no money from the public funds should be spent on his campaign. He said “From tomorrow we will not sleep. We still start house to house, shop to shop and market to market campaign to ensure your victory.”