Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose has dismissed the federal government’s claim of winning the fight against Boko Haram and corruption as a ruse.
In a statement by his spokesman, Lere Olayinka, in Ado Ekiti, Fayose accused the federal government to stop “lying concerning the fight against Boko Haram insurgents because it has now become the tradition that whenever the government boasts of defeating the insurgents, greater havoc is wreaked on the country.”
Referring specifically to the terrorist group’s attack on Government Girls Secondary School Dapchi, Yobe State on Monday evening, Monday Fayose said the federal government was misleading Nigerians with information suggesting security operatives had rescued some of the schoolgirls abducted by the insurgent group.
Fayose said his heart “goes out to those 46 students that are yet to be found,” and urged the federal and Yobe State government to do “all within their powers” to rescue the girls.
He expressed regret that despite repeated claims by the Federal Government that it had “technically” and “completely defeated” Boko Haram, the sect still staged the abduction of 94 students in one day.
Apart from the abduction, Fayose lashed out at the anti-corruption campaign of the current administration, saying: “Transparency International (TI) only confirmed what I have said before that President Buhari is only hiding under the anti-corruption fight to harass his perceived political foes while protecting corrupt people in his government.”
A fresh report by TI, ranked Nigeria 148th out of 180 countries on its Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Nigeria was rated 136th in 2017. “Transparency International has placed a question mark on the president’s claim to integrity. The fact is that President Buhari is presiding over the worst form of corruption in the history of Nigeria. And the good thing is that despite their propaganda, they have not been able to hide the rot in their government from the eagle eyes of international organisations like Transparency International,” said Fayose.
The governor noted that Nigerians have been confronted with “messy revelations like the fraudulent reinstatement of Abdullahi Maina, alleged award of $25 billion contracts without following due process, Attorney-General of the Federation’s declaration that the EFCC lacked evidence to prove its allegations of sharp practices against prominent players in the Malabu Oil deal; and alleged re-looting of exotic properties recovered from alleged looters of pension funds; even the acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, was indicted by the Department of State Services for corruption.”
“The reality, as revealed by Transparency International, is that the federal government under President Buhari is using APC’s broom to sweep corruption involving top functionaries of the government under the carpet, while setting lions on opposition figures, even on a mere rumour of corruption,” he added.
