By Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Abba Kyari might have stepped on many toes, and crushed some in the process, but the tribute of the President raises questions on his credibility.
There is an unfortunate pattern of unaccountable leadership that the President has foistered on the country and the attention of all well meaning Nigerians must be drawn to it and the President held accountable.
The death of Ahmad laid to rest the inquest into the stewardship of APC to PTF, as other members of the APC Team claimed that they were not in a position to supply the documents Ahmad was about to supply the day he collapsed and died.
The stench of the nepotism that called the shot at APC and ran the show at PTF became a public ridicule as more sordid revelations were made. One of such came from the Pan Yoruba group, Afenifere. The organisation did an analysis of the siting of projects of PTF and as usual the outcome was true to type. The pattern is nothing different from the style of leadership Muhammadu Buhari has offered Nigeria since 2015 even as an elected democratic President.
From Afenifere’s data, consumption of petroleum products by the South was 70%, while that of the North was 30%. However the distribution of PTF projects was a reversal of the consumption pattern: 70% to the North and 30% to the South.
All Southern States had 4,440.43 kilometres of roads rehabilitated which is 24% of total roads by PTF. The North had 13,870.47 kilometres of roads to their credit, which is 76% of roads rehabilitated by PTF.
The Northern oligarchy’s imprint on Muhammadu Buhari didn’t spare even the health sector; teaching hospital rehabilitation: South 29%, North 71%. In food supply Buhari starved the South to feed the North; a paltry 17% against 83% respectively.
Under the National Health and Educational Rehabilitation Programme (NNERP), the South had the full dose of Buhari’s nepotism as investment to the entire Southern Nigeria in this regard was nil and the North, enjoyed “a winner takes it all” advantage of 100%.
The loser treatment of Southern Nigeria continued with Vocational Programmes: South 3%, North 97%. Same pattern was maintained in the primary school rehabilitation: South 12%, North 88%.
The spirit that headed PTF and ran it to the advantage of the North was seen requesting from the President of the World Bank to concentrate all their projects in the Northern part of our country.
Whichever way corruption is defined, those who took advantage of the resources of a region to the exclusive benefit of another are also thieves.
Dr Haroun Adamu acknowledged the gross imbalances in the sharing of the project, but regretted that his Committee could not do much to remedy the situation since by the IMC mandate they could not embark on new projects. From their findings PTF was occasioned by massive fraud.
“The Weeks” had interviewed him about the damming corruption allegations, but all the President said was allegations of corruption against him were false, “my integrity is still intact”.
Is there anyone that allegations were raised against that had not claimed innocence?
The nepotism and corruption with which Ahmad oversaw PTF for Buhari was seen in the flesh through the oversight of Abba Kyari of the office of the Chief of Staff. Will accountability for his 5 years stewardship like Ahmad be buried with him?
Or will Nigerians demand it from the man they gave their mandate? Is Gambari’s alleged cancellation of appointments made by Abba Kyari a diplomatic manoeuvring or a genuine intention to lay bare before the best of us to score?
Will the greatest form of corruption, which is nepotism, treating a part of the country better than the rest, as it was in the days of Ahmad and the days of Abba be the same in the days of Gambari?
Your guess is as good as mine! The servants may differ but the Principal is still the same: General Muhammadu Buhari.
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