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$150 billion Loot: Jonathan, Abdulsalam, Kukah in Corrupt Visit to Buhari

Feature Article 150 billion Loot: Jonathan, Abdulsalam, Kukah in Corrupt Visit to Buhari
AUG 15, 2015 LISTEN

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, former Military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Bishop Matthew Kukah, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Sultan Saad Abubakar, Cardinal John Onaiyekan and some other senior citizens of Nigeria last week paid a corrupt visit to President Buhari of Nigeria aimed at arm-twisting the later to allow the looters of over $150 billion dollars Nigerian oil revenue, stolen in five years, to go scot free.

It was former President Jonathan who came calling on the corrupt visit aimed at stopping the on-going investigation of financial rape of $142 billion dollars oil revenue ( my own estimate) or $150 billion dollars oil revenue(Buhari’s estimate) all in the name of honoring a peace agreement entered into before the March 28th Presidential elections

To the best of my knowledge, the peace deal between Buhari and Jonathan, including those brokered by the international community, does not include allowing perennial oil thieves who infested the Jonathan administration and looted Nigeria down in the greatest financial rape over the country to go scot free. The peace deal covers only Jonathan and his personal family, giving them immunity from probe and possible jail. It never covered all the thieves who rode on Jonathan’s shoulders to loot over $142 billion dollars oil funds in five years.

A very alarmed US had given President Buhari dossiers of the oil thieves in his recent visit to the US and said that one Jonathan’s minister alone stole as much as $6 billion dollars. In my recent article titled ‘Diezani Madueke, Oshiomhole and the stolen $ 6 billion dollars Nigeria’s Oil revenue’, I have tried to identify this female super minister, who industry watchers believe stole even far more than the bandied amount. Some other persons, including ministers, influential ambassadors, board chairmen, ethnic warlords all stole sums varying from $1 billion to $4 billion dollars , leaving over 80 million Nigerians living below $1 dollar daily, and some eminent Nigeria, whose conscience have been corrupted by evil association, are asking President Buhari to become a Catholic priest in the confessional, vested with the papal authority to forgive sins, and subsequently forgive and forget the $150 billion dollar loot and advise the criminals to go and sin no more.

To embark on this ignoble mission, a respected Nigeria’s former Head of State in the person of Abdulsalami Abbakar, made himself available. Our own respected Bishop Mathew Kukah joined the ‘forgive and forget the loot’ train. John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Sultan Saad Abubakar, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Most Rev Nichola Okoh all went on a tacit begging plea to stop the probe and recovery of looted billions of dollars. These Peace Committee members should know that $150 billion dollars translates to N30 trillion naira. If this amount is shared equally among the 36 states of Nigeria, it translates to N833 billion naira per state.

Quoting from a piece I wrote earlier in the year titled’ Looters of $142 billion dollars Nigeria’s Oil Revenue Not Working for Jesus ‘, I outlined what the stolen amount can do for Nigeria as follows “This fund ($142 billion dollars) can build two hundred and eighty four (284) second Niger Bridges at the cost of $500 million dollars per bridge and Igbo leaders do not need any sycophantic shamelessness to get it done.

“This stolen sum can build two hundred and eighty four (284) world class Teaching Hospitals at the cost of $500 million dollars each and improve health care in Nigeria. This sum can build two hundred and eighty four (284) world class Universities in Nigeria and the frustrations of parents over university admission will die naturally

“Therefore there is nothing scriptural in supporting a few persons not numbering above one thousand, stealing what can give Nigeria 284 Niger Bridges, or 284 Teaching Hospitals or 284 Universities of world standard.”

Therefore, there is no rationale for these eminent citizens of Nigeria to be trying to charm, manipulate, arm-twist, bully, confuse and blackmail President Buhari not to pursue and recover the funds capable of transforming Nigerian economy and lifting over 80 million Nigerians out of poverty lines.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Kukah, and spokesman of the National Peace Committee while defending the infamous and corrupt visit, told journalists after a meeting of his group with the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representative that their visit is not to stop the probe of Jonathan but his defense of no probe stance exposed him the more.

According to His Lordship, “However, in doing that we must never be distracted from the spectacular actions undertaken by former President Jonathan. He is an individual. I think this whole thing about probe can be ascertained once investigations are concluded. But we are saying that a lot of talk and speculation about this probe are distractions nobody needs.

So the most important thing is that we need a stable country first before we can talk about these things. And they will have happened down the line…

I will advise that rather than chasing the ‘thieves’, the president-elect (as he then was) should address the issues of the misery and squalor that have become Nigeria’s lot, as development will raise the best army to fight corruption,”

These men have simply told President Muhammadu Buhari to stop further probe of thieves and let the criminals go scot free. This stance of these eminent Nigerians smacks of high level accessory to financial crimes against Nigerians. When some respected Pentecostal leaders told Nigerian Christians to support the re-election of a corrupt regime of Jonathan, claiming that the opposition has Islamic agenda, I was among the few clerics that resisted the command and mobilized those that countered the theory. Now, it is the turn of the Catholic aand Anglicaan clerics in concert with Muslim leaders to ask a sitting President to stop the recovery of ill gotten wealth.

When Jonathan came to visit Buhari on another begging mission, it was reported that he claimed ignorance of most of the crimes being bandied all over Nigeria. If he is ignorant of the level of theft of his aides, friends, party members, then he should give way for these thieves to be apprehended. He should not shield them, except he has lots of things to hide.

Nigerians should give President Buhari the much needed support to ensure that looted funds are recovered. Information available to me suggests that soon all manners of blackmail of Buhari will be orchestrated all over Nigeria, all aimed at frustrating his resolve to prosecute corruption. Christian and Muslim prayer warriors and marabous are being contracted to charm the President into confusion and submission. Nigerians should cooperate with the International community and Buhari to get these loots recovered.

President Buhari should henceforth shun such corrupt laden, blackmail intended visit and concentrate on recovering looted funds from these agents of darkness before they devise another strategy to distract the entire process

Obinna Akukwe via facebook.com/obinnaakukw, @ObinnaAkukwe

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