Extend probe beyond Jonathan’s administration, CSJ tells Buhari

Jonathan & Buhari

The Centre for Social Justice has urged the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to extend its corruption probe beyond the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Reacting to reports that President Buhari will limit his probe to the past administration, the Lead Director, CSJ, Eze Oyekpere, said it would be unfair to streamline corruption probes to only officials in the Jonathan government.

He stressed that there were some unscrupulous deals conducted by previous governments that were still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
Oyekpere, who is a legal practitioner, spoke on the sidelines of media briefing that was organised to reveal the outcome of the fiscal governance tribunals.

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He said, “I take a holistic view about recovering public properties that were stolen and mismanaged. For instance, the Halliburton issue, the Siemens scandal did not just come up under the last administration. And those things are too recent for us to forget them. So I believe that he (Buhari) shouldn’t simply draw a line and say it is going to be from 2011 or from 2010, no.

“He should go back a little bit, even the power scandal that involves an expenditure of over $15bn where we can’t see the results up till today. He should go back a little bit, it shouldn’t be about Jonathan’s administration viz-a-viz PDP, APC, no. It should have been about our national interest and some of these issues are too recent in our memories for us to sweep them under the carpet.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in May, during the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council, stated that those who were calling for the probe of his government should ensure that such probes were extended beyond his administration, and stressed that otherwise it would be seen as witch hunting.
But late last month, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to President Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina, said his boss will limit his anti-corruption war to the immediate past administration in the country.

He had explained that Buhari would not waste time in probing the administrations of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Sani Abacha and Ibrahim Babangida.
He stated that even before the President was sworn into office on May 29, he had categorically made it clear that he would not extend his corruption probe beyond the Jonathan government.
“If you recall, that was already settled before he got inaugurated as president. He has said he will not waste time digging into the far past,” Adesina reportedly said.

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