Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that his administration will probe the $20 billion alleged to be missing from the coffers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido, had alleged that the $20 billion made from the sale of Nigeria’s crude oil by the NNPC could not be accounted for.
President Goodluck Jonathan sacked Mr. Sanusi from the CBN after he made the allegation. The former bank chief was later crowned the Emir of Kano after the death of Ado Bayero, the former emir.
Speaking Sunday when he played host to a delegation from Adamawa State led by the state’s governor-elect, Bindow Jibrilla, in his campaign secretariat, Mr. Buhari said although he received information that some persons already started returning money to government coffers, he would only believe it when he “sees it”.
“I heard that some people have started refunding money, but I will not believe until I see it.
“His royal highness, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was removed from the Central bank because he said that about $20 billion was missing, instead of the government to investigate the matter, they refused, instead they sacked him. As God will have it, he is now the Emir of Kano and that is exactly what he wants to be.
“He has already written all the detail report on it, the incoming government will not ignore it, even though we have promised to draw a line, but $20 billion is too big to ignore. This is Nigerian money and it must be investigated,” Mr. Buhari said.
The president-elect also empathised with the delegation for the suffering of the people of Adamawa State in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists. He said the Boko Haram elements were not pursuing any religious cause since they attacked people of all religions.
“We thank God that our people have now realized that it is not about religion, it is about terrorism which has no basis in both Islam and Christianity. None of these two religions encourage injustice.
“So for Boko Haram to go to and kill people in mosques, churches, markets, bus stations or slaughter children in schools while they were asleep, and shout Allahu Akbar.
“Whoever did that does not know the meaning of what he is saying or does not believe in it. We hope when we resume, we pray to God to help us end terrorism in Nigeria”.
He also blamed the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for allowing the Boko Haram insurgency to fester in the state.
“PDP for the last 16 years has done virtually nothing in your state. Thank God it is not my party that has subjected you to these hardship, it is not the defunct ANPP, CPC or ACN, so I urge you to wait for the next four years and see how we would start our own government,” he said.
Mr. Buhari also reiterated his resolve to tackle issues of security, youth unemployment, and corruption as priority of his administration.
“These are three things that I promise to give priority on,” he said.
He also accused the PDP of “damaging” the Nigerian military. He said before now, the Nigerian military had an impressive track record of excellence everywhere they went for an assignment.
“I could recall when I was a military, my first posting was to Kinshasa and we have done extremely good. Our military has done a lot in Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but today the PDP government is telling us that the same army could not be able secure 14 out of 774 local government. I still find it difficult to reconcile this. If we resume office, we would find out why,” the retired general said.
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