Buhari to meet Jonathan over arms scandal

The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will be willing to meet former President Goodluck Jonathan to get clarifications on the multi-million dollar arms procurement scandal, which is under investigation.

Jonathan and Buhari

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, stated this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday.

Our correspondent had asked if Buhari would be ready to grant Jonathan audience if the former President sought to make clarifications in view of the revelations coming from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s probe of the scandal.

Adesina said because of Buhari’s belief in decency and civility, he would not shut out his predecessors, even if some people had done so in the past.

Adesina said, “A former President should always have access to a sitting one. It would be uncouth and indecent to shut out a former occupant of such lofty office. If some people did it to their predecessors in the past, it is not this President who believes in decency and civility.

“Yes, President Buhari will always grant audience to former President Jonathan, if there is any request for such. A rebuff does not come into the picture at all.”

A top government official told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity that the former President had tried to reach out to the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongunu.

The source, however, said he did not know if Jonathan had succeeded in establishing a contact.

“I know that the former President has been trying to reach the NSA. Whether he has succeeded, I do not know. You can ask the NSA himself,” he said.

It was the NSA, on the orders of the President, who constituted the committee that has audited the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015.

Most of the information in public domain on the arms scandal is from the findings of the committee, which has submitted two preliminary reports so far.

Based on the finding of the committee, the EFCC has ordered 18 military chiefs to appear before it on Monday.

It was learnt that the commission had sent invitations to some of the Generals and the companies, whose names featured in the report submitted to the President.

Buhari had on Friday directed the EFCC to carry out further investigation into the alleged misconduct established against some retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army.

Those affected in the order include embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. ​Sambo Dasuki (retd.); former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.); and two former Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Marshal MD Umar (retd.) and Air Marshal Adesola Amosun (retd.).

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed the President’s directive in a statement made available to journalists on Friday.

He listed others that the President asked the EFCC to probe to include Maj.-​Gen. ​E.R ​Chioba (retd.); AVM​​ I.A​ Balogun (retd.); AVM ​A.G​ Tsakr (retd.); AVM​​ A.G​ Idowu (retd.);AVM ​A.M ​Mamu; AVM ​O.T ​Oguntoyinbo; AVM ​T. ​Omenyi; AVM ​J.B ​Adigun; AVM​​ R.A ​Ojuawo; AVM ​​J.A ​Kayode-Beckley; Air Cdre ​SA ​Yushau (retd.); Air Cdre ​A.O ​Ogunjobi; Air Cdre​ G.M.D ​Gwani; Air Cdre S.O ​Makinde; Air Cdre A.Y ​Lassa​; ​and Col. N ​Ashinze.

Shehu said the directive was based on the recommendation of the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015.

In its first interim report, the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment established that the sum N643bn and $2.1bn interventions were received for procurements by DHQ and the services between 2007 and 2015.

Buhari to meet Jonathan over arms scandal

I didn’t endorse any candidate – Soyinka

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Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday dismissed claims that he had endorsed some politicians as his presidential and governorship candidates ahead of the February elections.

Watch And Pray, Watch And Prey By Wole Soyinka

Soyinka, in a piece titled, ‘Identity Thieves and the 2015 Election Peace Accord,’ warned those spreading the rumour of his purported endorsement of candidates “to be less gullible, and avoid becoming cheap conduits for the deception industry.”

He said, “Let me thus seize the occasion of the Abuja accord to state categorically that I have never made a statement endorsing any presidential or governorship contestant. All such attributions are fabrications by faceless, often self-appointed agents of deception, and should be publicly pilloried.

“Whenever I choose to declare support for a candidate – as is my electoral right – I shall ensure that I deploy a medium that places my authorship beyond dispute.”

Reacting to the peace pact signed by President Goodluck Jonathan and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Wednesday to ensure violence-free polls, Soyinka said he was impressed with the outcome of the meeting.

He described the pact as a “positive step in the direction of democracy.”

He commended the efforts of a former Secretary-General of the United Nation, Kofi Annan, and a former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, in ensuring the success of the accord.

The Nobel Laureate said if the peace pact was adhered to with sincerity, it would ensure a wholesome space for future elections and avert further violence.

“It might even come close to what the democratic ideal should be, as canvassed by others, including Governor Babatunde Fashola a few years ago,” Soyinka added.

He, however, said he was disappointed that the communiqué issued after the peace meeting made no reference to the victims of political violence.

He said, “From personal interest, however, I was disappointed that the communiqué makes no reference to the violence done to members of the electorate whose identities are stolen, abused and debased during this exercise.

“It is rapidly becoming commonplace to encounter totally fictitious statements, even entire interviews published and attributed to unsuspecting authorship. This criminal proceeding has even involved the cloning of media mastheads to which non-existent interviews are then attached. To render it in local parlance, this is political 419, and of the most despicable brand.

“While it would be unjust to place direct responsibility on the contestants, one must stress that they also have a moral responsibility to denounce these dirty tricksters in the strongest terms, even in their own interest.

“The resentment inspired in victims of such cowardly conduct cannot but impact on their own political image. The media must also protect itself by taking necessary measures against such unprincipled confusionists. It is the democratic right of every citizen to know exactly who is saying what on issues that affect their political choices.

“I take a less serious – indeed, near carnivalesque view of the opportunistic and sometimes de-contextualised use of genuine quotes from statements I have made in the past – that is a different matter entirely. As a non-pensioned writer, however, and thus dependent on the proceeds of intellectual property, such users should expect to hear from my literary agents.

“I join General Abdulsalami and others in hoping that 2015 prove a live-and-learn election year, not a do-or-die!”

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I didn’t endorse any candidate – Soyinka