Anti-corruption War Is Non-negotiable, Buhari Replies Jonathan’s Ministers

President Muhammadu Buhari on
Sunday replied former Nigerian
ministers who questioned the
sincerity of his anti-corruption war,
saying it is not intended to rubbish
the name of anyone.
The ministers, who served in the
administration of ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, had in a
statement cautioned against selective
anti-corruption war and warned
against labelling the Jonathan
government as corrupt.
In his response, Mr. Buhari’s
spokesperson, Garba Shehu, asked
the country’s latest “trade union
formation, the Association of Ex-
Jonathan Ministers to do a bit of self-
reflection on the sort of government
they handed to President
Muhammadu Buhari back in May to
determine for themselves if it would
have been right for any incoming
government, not just this one to
ignore the issue of the brazen theft
of public assets, perhaps the first of
its kind we have ever seen in this
country”.
“Earlier statements made in this
regard that there is no witch hunt or
malice against anyone in the pursuit
of the county’s stolen assets still
stands” Shehu said in a statement,
Sunday in Abuja.
He added that the war against
corruption knows no friend nor foe,
he said .
Mr. Shehu said there was no
intention to deny anyone of their
good name where they are entitled
to it and that President Buhari
reserves the highest regards for the
country’s former leaders including
Mr. Jonathan who he continues to
praise for the way and manner in
which he accepted defeat in the last
election.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the
issue of fighting corruption by
President Buhari is non-negotiable.
It is sine qua non to the overall
reconstruction of the economy and
social systems which suffered
destruction and severe denigration
under the last administration.
President Buhari will not be deterred
or blackmailed into retreat and
surrender” he said.
He added that no one in the
opposition Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, can accuse President Buhari of
undermining the economy when “all
they handed over to him is at best,
was a tottering economy hobbled by
corruption and the absence of due
process”.
He added that the situation in
Nigeria has become worsened by the
continuing fall of oil prices, which is
expected to fall even further with the
imminent full return of Iran to the
global oil market. According to Mr.
Shehu, all the president has been
doing is to put things together,
organize to defeat Boko Haram, pay
outstanding salaries, clean up the
mess left behind, improve security
and restore Nigeria’s relationships
with neighbours and the world.
“So what are former ministers afraid
of in these things? Have they become
a new trade union?
“Let this collection of ex-VIPs allow
the President the peace he needs to
handle the reconstruction of the
economy and the nation in a
manner that most serves Nigeria’s
best interests.
“President Buhari does not need
these types of distraction presented
by the so-called association of
former ministers”.