The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said the way funds were being recovered in hidden places in Nigeria with no traceable owners was mocking mockery of the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government.
The governor also said it was absurd for the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to claim that looters had resorted to burying stolen funds in their backyards, deep forests and burial grounds.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose accused the presidency of providing cover for treasury looters who are members of the All Progressives Congress.
He said, “Looters in the Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, especially those being compensated for funding the election of the President in 2015 bury their own loots in the Villa with Presidential protection.
“Should it be wrong for other supposed looters that do not have presidential protection like their All Progressives Congress counterparts to bury their loots in burial grounds probably for spiritual protection?”
“Nigerians can no longer be fooled with stage-managed loots recoveries, with no traceable owners (looters), especially when the loots are traceable to close associates of the president and his cabinet members.
“Obviously, this so-called anti-corruption war has become a laughing stock with N49m found in Kaduna Airport, N448m discovered in a shop at Victoria Island, Lagos and N13bn found in Ikoyi, Lagos, neither having owners nor the identities of owners of the properties where the money was found known.”
Fayose explained that it was either the monies recovered belonged to members of Buhari’s government or they were being planted by the government to sustain “its fake anti-corruption fight in the minds of the people.”
“Enough of stage-managed and fake anti-corruption war aimed solely at opposition figures, especially presidential hopefuls in the 2019 election.”
According to him, there are two different laws now in operation in the country, with one law for the APC and those who defect to the party and the other for the opposition, especially those perceived as having presidential ambition.
“The narrative they push daily is that only those in their government are saint while other Nigerians, including those in the National Assembly, Judiciary, opposition politicians and the civil servants are rogues while only Buhari’s appointees are saints.
“To worsen matters, the cluelessness of the APC government in the last two years has plunged the country into debt without anything to show.
“The cabals in the Presidency are also taking advantage of the President’s state of health, which is as a result of his age to oppress Nigerians.
“Nigerians must therefore keep their eyes on the ball and not be carried away by the orchestrated distractions aimed at preventing them from seeing how the APC led government has failed woefully.”
The governor called on the international community to hold Nigeria accountable on the recovered N13bn cash found in the Ikoyi, Lagos apartment, saying the issue must not be swept under the carpet.