The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday challenged the Buhari Presidency to lead by example by publishing details of its spending and financial transactions as an impetus to enforce its financial reporting directives on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The party also tasked the Presidency to publish details, including the
beneficiaries, the purpose and the amount of each payment, in line with
the Presidential directive to the MDAs.
The PDP said it was not enough for President Muhammadu Buhari to issue
spending directives to MDAs, without the Presidency, which received
billions of naira in budgetary allocation, leading by example.
A statement by the national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said, “Nigerians deserve to know how much is allocated to the Presidency, the
various expenditure subheads, process of award of contracts, the
contractors, the beneficiaries, amounts paid and payment system.”
The statement said such disclosure may explain “why certain individuals who are close to the Presidency live in ostentatious opulence and flaunt very expensive lifestyle in the same country where millions of citizens wallow in abject poverty, hunger, homelessness and disease.”
According to the opposition party, “It is worrisome that the Buhari Presidency has failed to make details of its yearly budget and expenditure public, despite several demands for openness, which raises anxieties and allegations of huge sleazes and corrupt concealment against certain officials and cabal in the Presidency.
“The PDP recalls several ugly scenarios around the Presidency, including
that arrest, in October, of a suspected scammer, Abdulrauf Illyasu, who
even enjoyed an office accommodation within the safety and cover of the
Presidential villa.
“This is in addition to the arrest of a said confidant of Mr. President,
Nasir Danu, at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, for alleged
international passport scam and money laundering while allegedly
ferrying currencies for persons said to be close to the Presidency.
“The PDP also reminds Nigerians of the case of the former aide to the
First Lady, Mr. Baba-Inna, arrested for alleged financial fronting as
well as the confession of one Amina Mohammed who, while being paraded by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2018, stated in public that
persons close to the Presidency were involved in serial fraud and
looting of public resources under the cover of some elements in the
Presidency.”
The PDP therefore challenged the Presidency to “clear these anxieties by
opening up and publishing details of its budget and expenditure for
Nigerians to see.”
