All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led-government have now embarked on plugging some financial loopholes after its operators have stolen all they needed to steal from the nation’s treasury.
In a statement, the director of media and publicity for the campaign organisation, Garba Shehu said: “these people are clearly plugging the loopholes, obviously having stolen enough.
“The idea to plug loopholes is on its own desirable but it should worry any well-meaning Nigerian that it has taken this administration the better part of nearly six years for it to realise that the bane of this government is outright stealing, waste and mismanagement of resources.”
Garba Shehu was referring to the recent Federal Government’s commencement of an independent revenue e-collection scheme under the Treasury Single Account initiative which he said is too little too late “and only predicated on the anticipation of an inevitable win by General Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 presidential elections.
“These are obviously last-minute attempts by the President Goodluck Jonathan government to plug loopholes in federal revenue collection by centralizing the process, a clear reaction to their expectation of General Muhammadu Buhari’s coming to power.”
Garba Shehu saw the Federal Government’s new directive that all revenue collections of MDAs, which used to be deposited in banks, should now be sent directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund at the Central Bank of Nigeria through electronic payment channels as suspicious.
“They didn’t do this all these years, and now with barely four weeks to go, they suddenly think this is essential.
“It is even more suspicious when viewed along with the report of the inauguration of the Automated Aviation Revenue Project by the Ministry of Aviation.”
The media and publicity chief of APC campaign organisation recalled that General Buhari’s declaration at a Lagos town hall meeting last month that corruption would drop a significant percentage immediately he is announced winner of the elections, even before he began to take formal measures to stem official graft.
“This is a clear manifestation of what the General said. They know they have only four weeks left in government and they have started covering their tracks.”
Garba Shehu has also asked President Jonathan to blame himself for the poor quality of aides and advise that he has benefited from since his days as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, adding that the recent statement credited to the President that most of the advise that he has received from his aides have been worthless 80 percent of the time amounted to self-indictment and a revelation of the quality of person of the President himself.
He said that such situation has demonstrated that the President lacks sound judgment bearing in mind that a leader is only as good as those who are around him.
Garba Shehu said that the revelation by the President indicated that the people he has been leading have been putting up with mediocre, insincere and poorly thought-out and un-coordinated leadership.
He said that is therefore no wonder that leadership by Jonathan at the national level has been in fits and starts, lacking coordination, depth and vision and unable in the past six years to lift the country from where he (Jonathan) met it.
“We in the APC consider it an act of God, especially a few weeks to the March 28, 2015 Presidential polls that President Jonathan who insists on his re-election should make this revelation which to a large extent gives a deep insight into his person and character.
“The President or the leader of the country selects his aides and the reason behind the selection is to enable him understand the country and govern effectively. In the case, where aides or advisers fail in their duty, the President or leader ought to accept responsibility as the buck stops on his table. The fact that all this while, no one heard of Dr. Jonathan sacking or reprimanding his aides, makes his lamentation curious, self- serving and opportunistic. It shows that the unpleasant situation has served President Jonathan well until this time that he is desperately seeking re-election.
“President Jonathan’s revelation once again confirms the fact that the President is habitually making excuses buck passing for his shortcomings. This is the hallmark of poor leadership and the reason why the APC is confidently presenting a credible alternative in the person of General Muhammadu Buhari, who has a track record of performance, discipline and effectiveness.” [myad]
