A frontline pro-transparency
Non-Governmental organization - HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
(HURIWA ) has lambasted the minister of Information and Culture Alhaji
Lai Mohammed for promoting the culture of crass impunity and lack of
transparency by demanding for a loan of N13.12 million from NBC- an agency
under his purview to fund his China trip.
In a statement signed jointly by the
National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs
Director Miss Zainab Yusuf HURIWA demanded the immediate dismissal from the
Federal Cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari of Alhaji Lai Mohammed for
abusing his official privilege.
Describing the minister's action as
a subtke attempt at blackmail and a sinister plot to seek to extort N13 million
from one of the agencies under his ministerial supervision, the Rights
group affirmed that the action is absolutely against President
Muhammadu Buhari’s current anti -graft disposition which is signposted in the
bringing into being of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
HURIWA urged President Muhammadu
Buhari to remember his constitutional oath of office not to allow political
consideration to override public interest by dismissing immediately the
Information minister who has publicly accepted authorship of that loan request
letter that resembles the type used by the notorious 'YAHOOYAHOO BOYS'.
"Mr President must see this as
a litmus test of his avowed commitment not to tolerate impunity and lawlessness
from even his closest political friends".
Besides, HURIWA has asked President
Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of priority ensure that the staff of the
Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) are protected from the ongoing
witchhunt exercise ordered by the information minister who is angry that his
illegal letter requesting for a loan was leaked on social media.
"As an administration which has
shown through different local and international platforms that it is
primarily passionate towards eradicating economic crimes and corruption, it is
imperative that everything is done to protect the whistle blowers without whom
this heinous illegality of obtaining loan through false pretence by the
Information minister would have become a fait accompli."
HURIWA recalled that the Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said a letter he endorsed
requesting for a loan from National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to cover
travelling expenses of a delegation to China was in order.
The position of the minister was
contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by Mr. Peter Dama, the
Director, Public Relations and Protocol in the Ministry.
But HURIWA dismissed the defence put
up by the Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed as an
afterthought which was poorly manufactured to confuse and deceive some gullible
Nigerians just as the Rights group said it was wrong -headed for any minister
to seek for a loan from a government agency that is not licenced to operate as
a commercial financial institution.
"What this clever-by-half
explanation for the letter demanding for loan of whooping N13.12million
by the supervising minister to an agency under him has demonstrated is a total
ignorance of extant civil and public service rules and the ethical codes of
conduct".
HURIWA stated further thus:
"should a Supervisor descend to the arena to illegally coerce through
subterfuge an agency under his purview to take a loan when in actual fact this
Federal government said all revenues made by agencies are to be paid into the
Treasury Single Account and domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria? Did
President Muhammadu Buhari through the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank of
Nigeria upgrade the National Broadcasting Commisdion into a lending institution
far away from the statutory mandate for which it was set up in the first
instance?
Calling for the sack of the minister
the Rights group stated that: " The most honourable thing for the
Information minister to do under the circumstance is to resign forthwith or be
dismissed forthwith by President Muhammadu Buhari to save his administration from
the unmitigated opprobrium of harbouring Cabinet level officials who go about
using official cover to obtain loans through all kinds of pretences that are
out of place in this era of economic recession."
Similarly, HURIWA has
commended the professional manner that the Federal Attorney General and
Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) has so far shown in ensuring
that due process is abided by in the anti graft campaign.
HURIWA has therefore identified the
Justice minister as a reliable and dependable anti-corruption crusader going by
available body of evidence so far.
The group said that the Justice
Minister must be commended for assembling some of the finest and committed anti
graft crusaders as his advisers just as the Rights group said the various
bodies and initiatives put in place to fast track high profile anti
corruption prosecutions and counter terrorism prosecutions are good
demonstrations that the holder of the office of Federal Attorney General
and Minister of Justice under President Muhammadu Buhari now is a
thoroughbred professional who from available pragmatic evidence for the time
being is impressive and should be encouraged.
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Society