 President Muhammadu Buhari is
working to recover N57.2 billion from five
serving senators just as the President is
facing intense pressure to turn off
searchlight on chieftains of his party, the
All Progressives Congress (APC) facing
corruption cases, his biographer, Prof.
John Paden has said.
The amount to be recovered from each
senator was also listed in the book.
The book, Muhammadu Buhari: The
challenges of leadership in Nigeria, written by
Paden, equally revealed that the
administration’s ongoing investigation of
alleged dubious international oil transactions
by former minister of Petroleum Resources,
Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and her foreign
allies as well as tracking of stolen oil is being
hampered by lack of funds.
The book was launched on Monday, October 3
and has drawn varied reactions from
Nigerians over some positions and claims.
Detailing various efforts being made by the
president in the fight against
corruption,Paden said of the nine senators
currently facing corruption cases, five are
being investigated by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
Independent Corrupt Practices (and other
related) Corruption (ICPC) for alleged
misappropriation of N57.2 billion.
The senators, according to Buhari’s
biographer are: Ahmed Sani Yerima who
ruled Zamfara State between 1999 and
2007 (N1billion); former governor of
Plateau state who recently defected to
Buhari’s APC from the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP); Joshua Dariye (N1.2 billion)
and ex-governor of Gombe State and
incumbent Senate Committee Chairman
on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje (N25
billion).
Others senators are: former governor of
Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu (N15
billion) and son of former governor of
Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako), Senator
Abdulaziz Nyako (N15 billion).
Although investigation of the senators was
inherited by the administration, the
president’s disposition in the war on
corruption has placed more heat on the
lawmakers, the author contended.
According to the book, president Buhari has
been going through enormous pressure to
give preferential treatment to APC leaders
fingered in corruption cases but stated that
such requests have not received his blessing.
Paden said: “Importantly, in none of these
cases (apart from certain military
procurement scandals that impacted
national security) has the prosecution
been sponsored or encouraged by
president Buhari. He has kept his hands
off the judiciary, despite enormous
pressure for him to come to the aid of APC
allies.”
He further added that, “although a number
of senior officials had been tried for
corruption prior to the Buhari Presidency,
the extent of the current corruption court
cases in Nigeria is unprecedented. By
February 2016, nine senators (out of 109 in
the National Assembly) were facing
criminal charges.”
On the reason the administration is yet to
make desired impact in recovering petro-
monies involving Mrs. Madueke and her
foreign allies, the book claimed that
investigation into the deals were being
hampered by lack of funds.
“A major challenge for the Buhari
government was how to track stolen oil…
At the heart of the oil bunkering scandals
was the former minister of Petroleum
Resources and her associates,” the book
alleged .
It stated that “a general lack of funds
appeared to hamper the Nigerian
component of the investigation… In
February, a letter by the Presidential
Advisory Committee on Corruption(PACC)
to a United Kingdom -based anti
corruption organisation, Global Witness,
soliciting assistance in raising funds,
revealed that due to the fall in crude oil
prices and the general economic
downturn, government lacked the needed
funds to pursue the recovery of loot.”