Buhari Shielding His Men From Probe, Fayose Alleges

The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop shielding his men from probe.

He also urged Nigerians to demand the release of the authentic report of the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He described claim by the Federal Government that the probe panel only looked into procurement and contracts awarded by the military between 2011 and 2015 because documents regarding procurement from 2007 to 2010 were not available as a clear indication of support for corruption.

“It is now obvious to the entire world that anyone that is in President Buhari’s good books can never be adjudged as corrupt even if such a person is caught looting the entire money in Nigeria’s treasury,” Fayose said.

The governor, in a statement on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it smacked of sheer hypocrisy and nepotism for anyone to accept that fraud could have been perpetrated on procurement and award of contracts in an establishment without the involvement of the director of procurement.

“There are many petitions relating to Defence from 2007 that are being discarded, the question is why? There are several petitions against APC leaders that are not being looked into. The question is why? Fighting corruption and targeting only opponents of the President is, in itself, corruption.

“Buhari’s’ Minister of Interior, Major General (Lt. Gen.) Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), was Chief of Army Staff between 2008 and 2010 and the current Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai, served as Director of Procurement, Defence Headquarters, from 2012 till May, 2015.

“It is a fact that the committee, in its terms of reference, said it queried all procurement from 2007 to 2015. Even the press release issued was titled, ‘Third Interim Report of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement from 2007 to 2015.’

“The first paragraph of the committee report also indicated that it used 2007-2015 as reference, stating that the committee ‘analysed procurement contracts awarded by or for the Nigerian Army between 2007 and 2015’.

“Questions Nigerians must now begin to ask President Buhari and his government are: where is the report of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement relating to 2007 to 2010? Who ‘doctored’ the committee report and why?

“Lai Mohammed said the committee would commence the audit of procurement from 2007 to 2010 ‘as soon as the necessary documents are available’.

“It is necessary that Nigerians are told who the custodians of the documents are. Why were documents on procurement from 2011 and 2015 available and those of 2007 to 2010 not available?”