Publish names those involved in siphoning $322m repatriated fund, PDP challenges Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to make public the names of those handling the disbursement of the $322 million repatriated Sani Abacha loot in line with his administration’s commitment to transparency in public administration.

The party said President Buhari should do so to show his penchant for transparency as well as to enable Nigerians know the faces of those superintending over the management of the repatriated fund under the guise of sharing it to the ‘poorest of the poor’.

It also challenged President Buhari to order the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to make public, the APC interests who own the consulting firm reported to have been paid billions of naira as consultancy fees for the “sharing” of the money, which was not also passed through the constitutionally required approval of the National Assembly.

“President Buhari needs to note that Nigerians are utterly dismayed that having hitherto postured as a supporter of the ‘Talakawa’ and man of integrity, he has taken no steps against this bare-faced atrocity where over 90 percent of supposed beneficiaries of the repatriated fund are phony names supplied by fraudulent officials of his government.

“Nigerians are completely at a loss on why President Buhari always fail to take bold steps to expose and deal with corrupt and sharp practices by his appointees and leaders of his APC, even when such nefarious acts are directly against the less-privileged citizens already suffering the harsh economic realities of his administration.

“Since this issue was raised and the PDP called for a legislative scrutiny, the federal government and the APC have kept mum, perhaps, thinking that by their silence, it will be swept under the carpet like others in the past,” read a statement issued on Sunday by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The PDP further tasked the Presidency not to forget that “Nigerians want to know the details of all those involved in the sharing, the details of the consultants; who authorized the consultancy, the scope of work of the consultancy firm as well as the terms,” stressing that President Buhari “should not stand aloof on this matter like others before it because it directly concerns the people.”