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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has been advised to distance himself from corrupt former governors especially those that served between 1999 to 2007.
About five days ago, President Tinubu hosted about 20 former governors who served during his time as governor of Lagos State.
Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, President of Civil Liberties Organisation,
(CLO), Igho Akeregha, claimed that most of the President’s colleagues plundered the resources of their various states with reckless abandon, stating that Tinubu must not allow them to milk the country again.
He said: “We are all witnesses to how Nigeria, our dear country which holds so much promises as a global leader at independence on October 1, 1980 has been destroyed by successive leaders.
“The founding fathers of Nigeria from the North and South had great dreams and they patriotically laid good foundation for a great country.
“The military forcefully took over power through a number of coup de tats and began the process of neutralisation of Nigeria
“Through determination and spilling of the blood of innocent citizens, the civil societies, the media and other patriotic Nigerians chased the military out of power culminating in the historic return to civilian rule in 1999.
Within 24 years between then and now, the political class parading themselves as leaders have brought the country to her knees through massive corruption and stealing of our common patrimony.
“Nigeria is now officially rated as the poverty capital of world, one of the most corrupt countries, a safe haven for bandits and terrorists, a country with so much oil and gas resources but imports fuel, four moribund and dead refineries that gulp billions of Dollars in turn-around maintenance which is a conduit pipe for stealing public funds by every new government.
“Nigeria is now a comfortable environment and destination for all manners of criminal enterprise to thrive
“The implication of poor and inept management of the country is supported by the recent report by the Debt Management Office which disclosed that Nigeria’s total foreign debt for the period ending March 31st, 2023, has risen to N49 85 trillion ($108.30 billion) from N46 25 trillion as of December 21st 2022.
“Amidst these humiliating setbacks, the civilian rulers of Nigeria have perfected the act of impunity where they regard the military-imposed constitution as a mere document that can only be obeyed by the poor.
“The CLO is appalled by recent developments in the country where in June, a former Governor of Delta State, indicted for corruption, led Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and former Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers state to visit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Ibori, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in office when Tinubu was Governor of Lagos state between 1990 and 2007.
“And on July 12, former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo state who was also indicted for corruption but took advantage of a plea bargain to escape jail was among more than 20 former Governors including Ibori who visited Tinubu at the Presidentail Villa.
“Apart from the few good ones among them, many of these Governors who hid under an amorphous num de guere ‘Class of 99’ were notorious for setting the template for massive corruption in the country by fleecing their states and stashing the looted funds in foreign bank accounts.”
Meanwhile, the CLO Executive Director, Ibuchukwu Ezike, frowned at the increase of the price of fuel from N540 to N617 per litre.
Ezike charged citizens to rise up in defence of their rights, noting that the sharp increase was unwise going by the harsh economic conditions biting citizens.
