We won’t stop talking about PDP’s corruption, say Buhari, Osinbajo, Tinubu

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held to mark the 66th birthday of the APC national leader, however, not so restrained in looking back saying: “Upon all I had seen in government in the past three years, the corruption of the previous five years is what destroyed the Nigerian economy. “Every time we talk about corruption, our opponents say don’t talk about it. Just do your own. But we must talk about it.

The reason why we must talk about it is that we must let our people know that we can’t afford to go this way again. “Never again should we allow a system where people take the resources of this country and steal the resources, use the resources against the people and at the same time they want to continue to rule the people.”

The vice-president said the APC government had successfully invested N560 billion in a budget year, money which he said would otherwise have been stolen if the PDP had been in power. “We as a party, as your government, must show the difference between us and the government and the party that impoverished our nation. “Let me give you an example, in 2014 when oil was  between $100 and $114 a barrel, the actual releases for capital for three major ministries; power, works and housing, when they were three separate ministries, in total was N99 billion. Transportation got N14 billion and agriculture N15billion. “

Now let us compare that with capital releases to the same ministries in 2017 when oil price was between $50 and $60 per barrel; N415 billion for power, works and housing, N80billion for transportation and N65billion for agriculture. Totalling N560 billion in a time when we were earning at least 50 per cent less. “This is possible because if you do not steal the resources of the people, you can spend it,” he said. The chief host, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, while welcoming dignitaries to the colloquium, had paid tribute to Tinubu’s vision saying: 

“After his gubernatorial years, he has continued to show pivotal leadership, particularly on the national stage.  It is not for nothing that he is acknowledged for his defining role in the emergence of a progressive political party in Nigeria,” the Governor said. “Look around you; there are only a few people that can match his (Tinubu) unquestionable thirst to invest in people.  It goes without any gainsaying that, I join numerous others seated here or outside, that have gained in the investment Asiwaju has made on people.  I am grateful for that,” Governor Ambode said.

While acknowledging the challenges the APC had to contend with, Tinubu encouraged Nigerians not to give up on the administration as he vowed that he would continue to talk about the alleged corruption of the PDP era.

Vanguard