Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says, unlike ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime is looting Nigeria’s treasury on low-key.
Speaking of brazen looting of the country’s funds under Mr Jonathan, Mr Amaechi stated that the looters “had nothing to do to show for it.”
“They did not have a carpentry shop, but they were billionaires. They did not hide it. But here (Mr Buhari’s regime), if you are stealing, it is done quietly,” the minister revealed in an interview with Daily Trust.
Speaking on how the regime has managed the country’s resources in the past years, Mr Amaechi, an ally of Mr Buhari, noted that stealing was taking place “quietly” under the regime.
“I want Nigerians to be honest. Can you openly take money from this government? I am not saying whether we are corrupt or not,” he acknowledged.
Mr Amaechi also claimed that corrupt officeholders displayed their wealth without fears of being prosecuted, compared to the current administration where looters “face the consequences” for their actions.
“Let us assume we are corrupt: can you openly take money in this government? In the past governments, what happened? You can take money in the streets. Corruption was so pervasive that nobody was talking about it,” said Mr Amaechi. It was not hidden that people completely and openly displayed their wealth.”
Admitting that Mr Buhari’s regime is not corruption-free, the transportation minister pointed out, “But here (under Mr Buhari’s regime), if you are stealing, it is done quietly. I am not saying it is good. It is a sin punishable.
He added, “In the previous government, you could steal, and you won’t be caught. If you were caught, there wouldn’t be consequences. But in this government, if you steal, there are consequences.”
(Peoples Gazette)