Immediate past governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, wants the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to be ruthless in dealing with alleged looters of Nigeria’s treasury. The charismatic former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress was reacting to the lists of looters recently released by the Nigerian government.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Allhaji Lai Mohammed, had last week named persons alleged to have embezzled the federation account, particularly during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Twenty nine persons were listed as alleged looters. And Oshiomhole on Sunday described as mindless the stealing by the PDP-led federal government.
The former governor said that it was the right of Nigerians to know the level of rot that allegedly transpired in Jonathan’s government. He said, "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, divide by 180 million people you will be a lot richer.“I think my only complaint is that the Federal Government should be more ruthless because there are lot of people who should be in court who are not there.“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 ask how I knew.
"I have interacted with power vertically and horizontally. I know that we cannot be lamenting today without understanding that the treasury was burgled yesterday.“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.”