Former Petroleum Minister, Tam David-West, has warned corrupt politicians around President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to change their ways or risk being used as example in the war against corruption.
“Buhari is a man I know personally. I worked with him closely. Everything I say about him can be proved. Buhari will fight corruption. Somebody has said that some people around him are alleged to be corrupt. They cannot survive,” David-West alerted.
“Buhari can never be partial. If you are corrupt and you are near him, you either change from your corrupt ways or he will deal with you. I am absolutely certain of this.
“If you are going to be near to Buhari, you either change your corrupt ways or he will use you to set example of his uprightness. They can never influence him.
“You people who are around Buhari, if you are corrupt, you better change your ways. I know he will deal with you ruthlessly. He will have no pity for anybody. I know he will fight corruption quickly.
Only the upright can fight corruption
“You cannot fight corruption if you are not opposed to corruption. You cannot fight corruption if you don’t know the meaning of corruption.
“[President Goodluck] Jonathan said there is a difference between stealing and corruption. Buhari will fight corruption. That is the first thing he will do and he will do it effectively.”
David-West recalled that when Buhari became Head of State in 1983, corrupt contractors returned loots without being prodded to do so.
Thieves return loot
“People know what he stands for. I worked with him before. When we were together, some corrupt politicians who had inflated contract during [the Shehu] Shagari administration, wrote on their own.
“One of them said ‘I have returned N12 million to the government.’ Another said ‘I have returned N20 million’ without Buhari touching them. They fear that he would catch them.
“There is a particular oil company from which we got $21 million from contracts awarded under Shagari’s time. If people know what the leader stands for, they will fall in line.”
He said Buhari has the quality to fight corruption. “I have written about Buhari, the first is ‘Who really is General Muhammadu Buhari.’ The second is ‘16 ‘sins’ of General Buhari.’ The 16 ‘sins’ are not sins. They are 16 qualities of Buhari.
“And that book has been printed three times. When I was autographing it for people, I said this book is in defence of truth .… I ended that I am optimistic that time will vindicate me.
“I don’t take any personal vindication. I give thanks to God that I have been proved right.”
Insurgents will flee
He said Buhari would equally tackle the insurgency ravaging the North East.
“Buhari has said that Boko Haram has been allowed to fester for four years without effective attack. The Boko Haram people now know that a no-nonsense man is in power. No militant wants to die. No insurgent wants to die.
“The moment you know that the leadership will deal with you, that your life is at stake, you will stop being militant, you will stop the insurgency.”
Experience to fix economy
David-West added that Buhari also has the experience to fix the economy.
“I will tell you what people don’t know. Now oil is selling at $54 dollar per barrel. When he was in government, oil was selling for $30 per barrel. And it even dropped to $10 per barrel. So the downward oil price will not affect Buhari. He has the blueprint to move the economy forward.”
He said during Buhari’s time as military Head of State, he had aggressive oil market policy, recalling that “The Financial Times of May 1984 commended Buhari’s extra ordinary policy.
“Shagari was to get $2 billion loan from IMF. They gave all sorts of conditions. Shagari had not taken the loan before he was overthrown.
“Buhari said he was not going to take IMF loan. That it was not in the interest of Nigeria. And God helped us. We made IMF irrelevant. He said why take loan that we cannot pay and only pass it to the next generation?
“So Buhari can handle the economy much better than Jonathan and his team.”
Dossier on Asari-Dokubo
He dismissed the threat by Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo that Niger Delta militants would return to the creeks if Jonathan lost
“Asari-Dokubo should shut up. He has no followers. He is my cousin. He stayed with me. I used to give him pocket money. He talks too much without thinking. He is a bright person but very empty and shallow.
“He has no followers. His Niger Delta Volunteer Force does not exist again. It died long ago.
“Tompolo is more powerful than Asari-Dokubo. Tompolo has congratulated Buhari. MEND has congratulated Buhari. He cannot do anything. Asari-Dokubo said if Buhari is elected, they will go to the trenches and fight. Which trench is he going to? Asari-Dokubo has no followers.”
David-West threatened to release a dossier on Asari-Dokubo if continues to make inflammatory comments.
“If I release these documents, Asari-Dokubo cannot leave this country. He will be barred from visiting any country in Europe.
“He changed from Christianity to Islam. Christianity does not miss him and Islam is not gaining anything from him. Why did he change from Christianity to Islam? Because that would qualify him to be trained by Ghadafi.”
He argued that the tribute being paid to Jonathan for congratulating Buhari is being blown out of proportion.
“Jonathan congratulating Buhari is not a big deal at all. He has no choice but to do that. What Jonathan has done is candour and not statesmanship. Candour is when you behave properly. A statesman is one who thinks about the future of his country.”
