Buhari says he is surprised at corruption level he encourages by pardoning jailed thieves
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Muhammadu Buhari has expressed surprise that despite efforts by his administration to tackle corruption, the menace remains at a high level in the Nigeria he superintends.
His Media Aide Garba Shehu who spoke for him stressed, however, the President is above scandal and has no account with corrupt money anywhere on earth.
“If you ask the President this question, (why corruption is still rife in the country), he will equally tell you he is baffled by the fact that people, who otherwise would have been in jail are riding their Rolls-Royce and their aircraft, roaming around,” Shehu said on Channels Television.
Based on the Constitution, he explained, the President or the Executive arm could only investigate and prosecute suspected corrupt persons.
“The moment the President or the Executive arm takes these cases to court, his job is done. And it is up to the court to determine whether one is guilty or not,” Shehu explained.
But what Shehu skirted over is the truth that Buhari has encouraged corruption to fester under his watch by his actions and inactions.
Just to cite one example. Buhari granted pardon to both former Governors Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba) in April 2022 which exposed his hypocrisy about corruption fight.
Buhari granted them and 157 others pardon at a meeting of the National Council of State (NCS) in Aso Rock on 14 April 2022.
Dariye and Nyame were convicted in 2018 by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
Dariye, who governed Plateau from 1999 to 2007, was found guilty of laundering N1.12 billion public funds and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
His prison term was reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja but his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court in March 2021.
Nyame governed Taraba from 1999 to 2007. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing N1.64 billion from the treasury, a judgment also upheld by the Supreme Court in February 2020.
Besides, under Buhari’s reign, Nigeria fell from 154 out of 180 countries and territories in the latest ranking of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International in January 2023.
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Buhari ‘is still what he is’
Shehu stressed that during the tenure of Buhari, the highest officials in parliament and judiciary have been prosecuted on corruption-related matters.
“The third highest person in the Executive arm of government is still undergoing trial,” he added, per The PUNCH.
Shehu reiterated Buhari has no bank account stashed with proceeds of corruption and fears no scandal or prosecution after office, insisting “the President is still what he is; he is still above board.
“As his spokesperson, I go to bed, I sleep soundly convinced that nobody, whether from Nigeria or outside the country, can call me to say we have discovered this bank account and your boss has these huge millions.
“That’s not Buhari; he is well-above scandal and that is how it will end.
Buhari, 80, will end his two-term tenure of eight years on May 29 when President-elect, Bola Tinubu is expected to be sworn into office.
