Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The names of persons suspected to have looted the nation’s treasury have been released by Federal Government.
At a media briefing in Lagos of Friday, Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said most of the persons were those in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said the list was just the tip of the iceberg and was in response to a challenge by the PDP on Thursday to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to release the names.
According to the Minister, some of the alleged looters were already facing trials.
The Minister said, “Let us just give them a teaser with this list: PDP chairman Uche Secondus on February 19, 2015, took N200 million only from office of the then National Security Adviser (NSA).
“The PDP Financial Secretary, Bolaji Anani, on October 2014, took N600 million from the office of then NSA.
“The then PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh, who is on trial, collected N1.4 billion from the office of then NSA
“Dr Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of DAAR Communications, who is also on trial, took N2.1 billion from the office of the NSA.
“Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, former SSA to President Goodluck Jonathan, is also on trial over N830 million kept in accounts of four different companies.”
“They said they did not loot the treasury. Well, I am sure they know that the treasury was looted dry under their watch.
“Yet they decided to grandstand. This shows the hollowness of their apology to Nigerians.
“This list is just a tip of the iceberg, and the PDP is aware of this.
“We did not make these cases up. Many of these cases are in court and the records are available.
“Some of the people on this list are seeking to plea bargain, and that is a fact,” he said
The Minister told newsmen that, “We insist that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP, and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot.
“It is like a robber admitting to stealing your car and apologizing, but then saying he will keep the car anyway. It doesn’t work that way.
“The PDP is a hypocrite, and that reminds me of what English writer William Hazlitt said, ‘The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy’.
“We will not stop talking about the massive looting by the PDP. They brought Nigeria to this sorry pass.
“We are now looking around for loans to build infrastructure, and they ask us not to talk about it. we will talk about it”.
