Elder statesman and former Information Minister,
Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to
summon the courage to prosecute past leaders including Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo,
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar for allegedly using their
position as Nigerian heads of state to amass enormous wealth.
He spoke apparently in response to the alleged knocks on the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he accused of inciting Nigerians against Jonathan "for reasons best known to him".
Speaking in a statement he released in Warri yesterday, Clark said that Obasanjo lacked the uprightness or moral justification to criticize the President or his government.
He averred that Jonathan was today battling with the corruption-related problems created by past Nigerian leaders like Obasanjo.
He said: "The problem of Nigeria is corruption by every living president or head of state in Nigeria; and none of them, except two or three should therefore parade himself or see himself as indispensable, let them be factual, and not to deceive fellow Nigerians.”
According to Clark;"Those ex-heads of state and presidents who contributed to the corruption in Nigeria are the same former heads of state or presidents parading themselves as only former heads of state, who could eradicate corruption or who believe that any head of state or president who is ready to fight corruption must be ready to die.
This is hypocrisy and it must be taken as a call on the present administration to deal with corruption cases no matter whose ox is gored, because in many parts of the world presidents and former heads of state have been charged to court. Nobody should be seen as a sacred cow.
"A situation whereby former heads of state who stole Nigerians' money and everybody knew that they were corrupt are now buying the property of Nigeria, particularly in the power sector, is condemnable; and, they should be held accountable. They should not be celebrated.
"It is sad that they are parading themselves as the only people who could deal with corruption and they regard the present administration as being too weak to deal with it. Nigerians should ask all former heads of state who "bidded" for power assets where they got the money. We need to know their technical partners from abroad. Jonathan should probe where they got the money.
"It is only in Nigeria that former heads of state are bidding to buy public property which they corruptly mismanaged when they were in power. This does not happen in other parts of the world. Such former heads of state should be facing trial for corruption or remain behind the bars.
"Most heads of state and former presidents contributed to the corruption in the country. The Halliburton scandal is fresh in our memories. It should not only be resuscitated to try all those involved but the government must recover the money paid by Julius Berger under plea bargain. All those involved should be tried no matter the position they occupied."
The elder statesman, however, urged Nigerians to question the above-named past leaders about the sources of money being used by them to acquire public assets in the country.
He stressed that most past leaders in the country lacked moral and legal rights to talk or accuse anybody of being corrupt.
"All Nigerian former heads of state and presidents, with the exception of about two or three, are not supposed to be moving about as free citizens because of the level of their involvement in corrupt practices while in office", he said.
Clark further challenged Jonathan to immediately probe the source of the money the ex-leaders were using to buy up public assets as well as initiate the process for their trial.
He specifically lamented that Obasanjo who allegedly used his position as president of Nigeria to amass questionable wealth was now portraying Jonathan as being incapable of performing the duties of the office of the president.
He alleged that Obasanjo practically perpetuated and legalized corruption while presiding over the affairs of the country.
He further claimed that Obasanjo remained one ex-leader Nigerians should wary of trusting.
"It agitates my mind when I read or hear of former heads of state or presidents claiming that they are more positioned to fight corruption than any other one, particularly the present administration. It angers one therefore to hear or read Obasanjo's claim as to how to curb corruption in Nigeria when in fact he is the one who perpetuated and legalized corruption in Nigeria.
"For instance, he was the brain behind the formation of Transcorp Company for which he bought over two million shares while in office as president and Transcorp Hilton, the premier hotel in Nigeria is partly owned by Obasanjo. The same Transcorp company bidded for power facilities being privatized, after Obasanjo had spent over 15 million dollars on the same power facilities as exposed by the Elumelu Committee of the House of Representatives.
"Secondly, he forced Nigerian businessmen and bankers to donate to his presidential library in Ota. Was he out of office when the Bell University was founded? He should tell Nigerians how much he made from Ota Farms as one of his cronies , Fani Kayode, had once claimed that he was making N30 million daily. Why has he not announce how much he is making now? One will also like to know the details of Ota Farms' transaction with Delta State Government, for which he has received over N3billion.
"We do not want a situation whereby most corrupt former heads of state or presidents pride themselves as the only person who could fight corruption in Nigeria because they are ready to die in the eradication of corruption in Nigeria and they cheaply portray to Nigerian public that Jonathan as president of Nigeria is not ready to die in the process of eradicating corruption in Nigeria."
Speaking on the Boko Haram insurgents, Clark said; "On the Boko Haram issue, I had given Obasanjo credit for visiting the Boko Haram den in Maiduguri and challenged his colleagues to condemn Boko Haram and visit the den as leaders. However, which report is Obasanjo talking about, which he submitted to President Jonathan and it was not acted upon? What is the purpose of the letter he jointly signed with Babangida?
"I want Obasanjo to stop parading himself in every corner of Nigeria as a super-president and thereby looking at other leaders as incapable of solving Nigerian problems, particularly those created by him."
Obasanjo had last week, during a public lecture in Warri, Delta State, in honour of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on the 40th anniversary of his Christian ministry, scored Jonathan low in the fight against corruption and onslaught against the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
He spoke apparently in response to the alleged knocks on the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he accused of inciting Nigerians against Jonathan "for reasons best known to him".
Speaking in a statement he released in Warri yesterday, Clark said that Obasanjo lacked the uprightness or moral justification to criticize the President or his government.
He averred that Jonathan was today battling with the corruption-related problems created by past Nigerian leaders like Obasanjo.
He said: "The problem of Nigeria is corruption by every living president or head of state in Nigeria; and none of them, except two or three should therefore parade himself or see himself as indispensable, let them be factual, and not to deceive fellow Nigerians.”
According to Clark;"Those ex-heads of state and presidents who contributed to the corruption in Nigeria are the same former heads of state or presidents parading themselves as only former heads of state, who could eradicate corruption or who believe that any head of state or president who is ready to fight corruption must be ready to die.
This is hypocrisy and it must be taken as a call on the present administration to deal with corruption cases no matter whose ox is gored, because in many parts of the world presidents and former heads of state have been charged to court. Nobody should be seen as a sacred cow.
"A situation whereby former heads of state who stole Nigerians' money and everybody knew that they were corrupt are now buying the property of Nigeria, particularly in the power sector, is condemnable; and, they should be held accountable. They should not be celebrated.
"It is sad that they are parading themselves as the only people who could deal with corruption and they regard the present administration as being too weak to deal with it. Nigerians should ask all former heads of state who "bidded" for power assets where they got the money. We need to know their technical partners from abroad. Jonathan should probe where they got the money.
"It is only in Nigeria that former heads of state are bidding to buy public property which they corruptly mismanaged when they were in power. This does not happen in other parts of the world. Such former heads of state should be facing trial for corruption or remain behind the bars.
"Most heads of state and former presidents contributed to the corruption in the country. The Halliburton scandal is fresh in our memories. It should not only be resuscitated to try all those involved but the government must recover the money paid by Julius Berger under plea bargain. All those involved should be tried no matter the position they occupied."
The elder statesman, however, urged Nigerians to question the above-named past leaders about the sources of money being used by them to acquire public assets in the country.
He stressed that most past leaders in the country lacked moral and legal rights to talk or accuse anybody of being corrupt.
"All Nigerian former heads of state and presidents, with the exception of about two or three, are not supposed to be moving about as free citizens because of the level of their involvement in corrupt practices while in office", he said.
Clark further challenged Jonathan to immediately probe the source of the money the ex-leaders were using to buy up public assets as well as initiate the process for their trial.
He specifically lamented that Obasanjo who allegedly used his position as president of Nigeria to amass questionable wealth was now portraying Jonathan as being incapable of performing the duties of the office of the president.
He alleged that Obasanjo practically perpetuated and legalized corruption while presiding over the affairs of the country.
He further claimed that Obasanjo remained one ex-leader Nigerians should wary of trusting.
"It agitates my mind when I read or hear of former heads of state or presidents claiming that they are more positioned to fight corruption than any other one, particularly the present administration. It angers one therefore to hear or read Obasanjo's claim as to how to curb corruption in Nigeria when in fact he is the one who perpetuated and legalized corruption in Nigeria.
"For instance, he was the brain behind the formation of Transcorp Company for which he bought over two million shares while in office as president and Transcorp Hilton, the premier hotel in Nigeria is partly owned by Obasanjo. The same Transcorp company bidded for power facilities being privatized, after Obasanjo had spent over 15 million dollars on the same power facilities as exposed by the Elumelu Committee of the House of Representatives.
"Secondly, he forced Nigerian businessmen and bankers to donate to his presidential library in Ota. Was he out of office when the Bell University was founded? He should tell Nigerians how much he made from Ota Farms as one of his cronies , Fani Kayode, had once claimed that he was making N30 million daily. Why has he not announce how much he is making now? One will also like to know the details of Ota Farms' transaction with Delta State Government, for which he has received over N3billion.
"We do not want a situation whereby most corrupt former heads of state or presidents pride themselves as the only person who could fight corruption in Nigeria because they are ready to die in the eradication of corruption in Nigeria and they cheaply portray to Nigerian public that Jonathan as president of Nigeria is not ready to die in the process of eradicating corruption in Nigeria."
Speaking on the Boko Haram insurgents, Clark said; "On the Boko Haram issue, I had given Obasanjo credit for visiting the Boko Haram den in Maiduguri and challenged his colleagues to condemn Boko Haram and visit the den as leaders. However, which report is Obasanjo talking about, which he submitted to President Jonathan and it was not acted upon? What is the purpose of the letter he jointly signed with Babangida?
"I want Obasanjo to stop parading himself in every corner of Nigeria as a super-president and thereby looking at other leaders as incapable of solving Nigerian problems, particularly those created by him."
Obasanjo had last week, during a public lecture in Warri, Delta State, in honour of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on the 40th anniversary of his Christian ministry, scored Jonathan low in the fight against corruption and onslaught against the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
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