President Muhammadu Buhari has given an indication that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may soon be probed over the $16 billion which his government claimed to have spent to improve the nation’s power generation.
The President, who gave this indication today in an interactive session with Nigerians residence in Dubai where he is attending international official function, showed that he is not yet done with the matter, as he asked again: “where is the power?
“I think one of the leaders of the (past) administrations made a slip of tongue by saying that they spent $16 billion, not naira on power. But, where is the power and where is the $16 billion? Maybe, eventually, by the end of this (my) term, we will get at it.”
He acknowledged that he is taking things slowly and steadily in order not to make the mistakes of the past, especially when he first led the country in military uniform.
“Whoever calls me ‘Baba go slow,’ (is right because) I’m very cautious of historical antecedent. “Since I was in a hurry, I was locked up; I’m going slowly so that I can survive.
“I may be ‘Baba go slow’ but I didn’t loot.”
President Buhari said that in fighting corruption now, his government follows due process by allowing people to be proven guilty before they are locked up.
“All that I have to do is to tell the police and SSS (State Security Service) that somebody has so many houses; that he has so many investments and his salary is such.
“Recently, the EFCC placed an advert in some of the national newspapers and showed how much was recovered in terms of fixed asset and money.”
He accepted the fact that democracy has made him to only ‘bark but cannot bite.
“I have once ruled this country, some of you know that once upon a time I came in uniform and what I did was to arrest political leader from the president downward: the President, Vice President, the governor’s and ministers. I put them in Kiri-Kiri, and I told them they are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.
“And you know subsequently what happened- we put about six tribunals base on the geopolitical zones, and those who were ministers and governors were asked to justify what they have in the banks and physical on the ground relative to their legitimate earns.
There were only two Nigerians then to my knowledge who were found to be very Honourable, both of them are dead now. They are Biliaminu Usman, a junior minister, from Jigawa State, and Adamu Chiroma, a minister of finance and governor of central bank. They were incredible Nigerians.
“But you know what happened, eventually, I myself was arrested, I was put in detention for three and a quarter years. Luckily for me, I was so stupid, I didn’t take anybody’s money, so there was no bad publicity for me because they couldn’t find anything against me. Eventually I was released, and that was why I made up my mind since the bulk is partisan politics, I joined the partisan politics.”
