The former President of the Nigerian Labour Congress and former governor of Edo State said the Federal Government should spare no one in its fight against corruption.
The former governor also challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to put his predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan on trial to disprove the claims of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the ongoing war against corruption is selective
The former governor said Jonathan should be docked for approving money beyond his powers and spending it in a way that was not accounted for.
Oshiohole who spoke in Benin City at the weekend after attending the wedding ceremony of the daughter of the member representing Ikpoba Okha/Egor Federal Constituency, Ehiozuwa Agbonayima also faulted calls by the PDP that the National Assembly should approve the $1b approved by the Federal Government to battling insurgency.
According to him, PDP spent well above that sum without going to the National Assembly.
He also said he is in support of the release of looters’ list because Nigerians to know the level of rot that transpired.
Oshiomhole said: “I hear them say the prosecution is selective. Maybe they are right because if they are not maybe President Jonathan should be in the dock. He approved money beyond his powers and spent it in a way that is not accounted for.
“I think that if other Nigerians don’t understand the power of transparency, the right to know, the media should uphold that right and defend it. What was stolen was not from private purse; the house that was destroyed was not a private residence. We are talking of resources, which if it is distributed on basis of equality and divide by 180 million people, you will be a lot richer.
“I think my only complaint is that the Federal Government should go more ruthless because there are a lot of people who should be in court who are not there because when I was still in the office and I said the kind of money they stole was huge in dollars, they paid hired writers to say how do I know.
“I know that we cannot be lamenting today without understanding that the treasury was burgled yesterday. It is like someone sneaked into your kitchen and took everything out and you woke up he tells you ‘am sorry I stole the pot of soup, in fact, I broke the pot. Should we continue like that?â€
The former governor said: “I think the promise of democracy is that good or bad the people have the right to know and that is the starting point and particularly important when armed robbers of yesterday are trying to do face surgery so that he looks different. Some are jumping the boat to wear new face, to change identity, and to change their fingerprints so that they can come back.
“I think the people have the right to know and if any of them think that what was been said is not true, they can go to court.
“All of them, who are involved and those who they are looking for, they should put everything in public domain and that is the promise of democracy. Just by virtue of being in a winning party, they helped themselves so much. One of the acting chairmen of PDP, Ahmed Makarfi, I used to respect him so much, I heard him saying that the reason they did not indict Diezani was that the money missing and everything that was done Goodluck approved. If President approved that money, should it be stolen and not go into the federation account. Is that the reason the PDP-led Senate and a subcommittee led by Makarfi cannot say it is not the minister but President Jonathan?
www.sojworld.com © April 9, 2018
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