Corruption: Buhari has letters Jonathan wrote asking for funds outside Budget – Prof. Paden

7 years ago

Corruption: Buhari has letters Jonathan wrote asking for funds outside Budget – Prof. Paden

A Professor of International Studies, John Paden, has claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari has some letters written by his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan requesting “off-budget funds”.
Paden, made the claim in his recently-launched biography of the President titled: ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria.’

In chapter 20 of the book titled ‘Corruption and law in military procurement’ under the subheading, ‘The role of PDP leaders in the diversion of funds’, the professor explained that Buhari’s purpose of waging the current anti-corruption war was not to jail former top government officials but to retrieve stolen funds.

Buhari, who recently reiterated his resolve to fight corrupt, pledged to deepen and institutionalized the crusade in the country to last beyond the life of his administration.

Paden observed that the stability of Nigeria’s political system seemed to be at stake if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, went after Jonathan or other former Presidents.

He said, “Buhari had letters in his possession showing Jonathan’s requests for off-budget funds. But Buhari’s larger purpose was not to put former high-level officials in jail.

“Rather, it was to retrieve stolen funds and to change the political culture of the country.

“The fact that Buhari was enlisting the help of international community in the probes lent weight to the seriousness of his effort – and also meant that alleged offenders had nowhere to hide.

“Would the trail lead to former President Jonathan himself? As of the early months of 2016, it appeared that the EFCC was not going after Jonathan. Nor was it going after former President Obasanjo.

“The question of the stability of the entire political system seemed at stake.

“In addition, a number of senior military officers, who had served as Heads of State – from Babangida to Abubakar – seemed off-limits.

“Indeed, rumours swirled that if the probes went after senior officers, they might push back because they had extensive networks in the active military services.

“At the same time, the knowledge such heavyweights possessed could well be traded for immunity and would help to illuminate the patterns and sources of corruption.”