Some of the corruption issues in Nigeria are blown out of propotion.

FORMER President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said that it was impossible for his former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, to have stolen $2.1 billion as being alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Responding to questions after his lecture on Youth Entrepreneurship at the famous Oxford Union
in the United Kingdom, Dr Jonathan said: “They said the National Security Adviser (Sambo Dasuki) stole $2.1 billion. I don’t believe somebody can just steal $2.1 billion. We bought warships, we bought aircraft, we bought lots of weapons for the army and so on and so forth and you are still saying 2.1 billion; so where did we get the money to buy all those things? “Yes, there were some issues. Yes, there are still corruption issues but some of it were overblown; I’d say exaggerated and they give a very bad impression about our nation. You cannot say the National Security Adviser stole $2.1 billion. It is not just possible.” Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.): Former NSA and Goodluck Jonathan To avoid sounding confrontational with the President Muhammadu Buhari government, Dr. Jonathan said some of the graft cases were still in court, that legal processes should rather be allowed to reveal the facts of the matter. He said: “One thing about the issue of corruption is that these matters are in court, let’s allow some of these processes to end. Lately, some judges’ (homes) were also invaded. There are so many things involved and we have to follow up these matters to conclusion before we know the facts. “I don’t want to be seen as a former president challenging what the sitting government is doing. So I have decided to keep quiet for the court to look into them.” He said allegations of corruption were not unique to his administration or the country, adding: “You will see that it has become a major topic whenever there is a change of government …. I am not saying there is no corruption in Nigeria, there is corruption. If you look at corruption, there is almost no country that is free. The degree varies, the perception varies. Transparency International talks about the way corruption is being perceived in different economies. Why do we talk about the way corruption is being perceived? It depends on the issue raised in the media every day.” Dr Jonathan’s comments elicited mixed views in the polity with some challenging him to offer more details, and others calling on the EFCC to invite him for questioning.
















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