The federal government has released a list of some of those who have allegedly looted the nation’s treasury.
The minister of information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, released the list during a press conference in Lagos on Friday.
According to Channels Television, Mohammed said the individuals include officials in the past government.
The names in the list revealed by the federal government include PDP chieftains who are currently being tried for corruption and financial crimes.
“The PDP has challenged us to name the looters under their watch. They said they did not loot the treasury. Well, I am sure they know that the treasury was looted dry under their watch. Yet they decided to grandstand. This shows the hollowness of their apology to Nigerians.
“Let’s just give them a teaser with this list: PDP Chairman, Uche Secondus, (on the 19th of February, 2015, he took N200m only from the office of the then National Security Adviser); the then PDP Financial Secretary (on the 24th of October, 2014, he took N600m only from the office of the then NSA); the then National Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh, (on trial for collecting N1.4bn from the office of the then NSA.
“Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of DAAR Communications, (on trial for taking N2.1bn from the office of the then NSA); former SSA to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, (on trial over N830m kept in accounts of four different companies); former President Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola, (on Thursday, a Federal High Court ruled that he has a case to answer for collecting $40m from the office of the then NSA.)
“We did not make these cases up. Many of these cases are in court and the records are available. Some of the people on this list are seeking plea bargain, and that is a fact.
“We insist that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP, and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot. It’s like a robber admitting to stealing your car and apologising, but then saying he will keep the car anyway. It doesn’t work that way.
“The PDP is a hypocrite. And that reminds me of what English writer, William Hazlitt, said ‘the only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy’.
“They brought Nigeria to this sorry pass. We are now looking around for loans to build infrastructure, and they ask us not to talk about it. We will talk about it,” said Mohammed.
