Minister Under Jonathan Stole $6bn, US Officials Tell Oshiomhole

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, July 27, (THEWILL) – Quoting Officials of the United States Government, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said a former cabinet Minister in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan stole at least $6 billion from state coffers.

Oshiomhole, who was on the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari during his official visit to Washington D.C, accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plundering the nation's resources during the last 16 years, particularly under the administration of President Jonathan, saying the party destroyed Nigeria.

The governor spoke to state house correspondents on Monday night after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

While reacting to the PDP's criticism of the President and the APC following their Washington D.C trip, Oshiomhole said, “The PDP destroyed Nigeria. This is from the lips of American officials, senior officials of the State Department said one minister under PDP cornered as much as $6 billion. The man said even by Washington standard, that is earth-quaking.

“PDP is a party that presided over the liquidation of our nation; destroyed all our institutions; converted the Armed Forces commanders to use them as if they were political thugs; converted NTA to a party megaphone; destroyed the SSS; went after opposition as if we were rabbits to be pursued into our holes; compromised even student unions and destroyed everything that you can think of; and elevated religion to a state affair.

“Under the party, Israel became a place you visit every week; they placed pastors against Imams, placed North against South, East against West, just to retain power; elevated Obas and Obis with dollars. You guys were reporting dollars that were changing hands; when NNPC was spending much more money than was available to the Federation Account.”

The governor further said, “We are a very patient people. If we were not a patient people, anybody wearing the tag of PDP ought to feel very unsafe because you are all victims – all of us here.

“Mr. Carson, who was the Assistant Secretary of State, when we visited him in the company of Senator Saraki, then as Chairman of the Governors' Forum – that was on the eve of President Obama's first visit to Africa – and we went to complain, 'why is Nigeria not on the list?'

“What he said, for me, was quite instructive, compared to what he said last week. Then I was present when he said 'you know, we who see ourselves not just as friends of Nigeria, each time we think there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is time to encourage Nigeria to build on it, you would wake up the following day under President Jonathan to find out that even the tunnel had been removed.

“Those were the words of Mr. Carson. Now, last week, this same Carson chaired the President's address at the Institute of Peace and he said 'we now have a man of enormous integrity; one that has shown so much faith in the democratic process; one that refused to be frustrated even in the face of massively rigged elections. He submitted to the judicial process and even when that was compromised he never gave up.'

“America has done its checks and we are convinced that this President is the one that Nigeria needs at this time to regain its leadership of the African continent.”