Publish your spending now, PDP blasts Buhari presidency.

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Nwafor Sunday

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has again challenged
President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to make public his
financial transactions and spending.
The opposition party equally asked him to publish details,
including the beneficiaries, the purpose and the amount of
each payment, in line with the Presidential directive to the
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Disclosing this in a statement on Monday, Kola Ologbondiyan,
National Publicity Secretary, said that “it is not enough for
President Muhammadu Buhari to issue spending directives to
MDAs, without his Presidency, which received billions of naira
in budgetary allocation, leading by example.
“Nigerians deserve to know how much is allocated to the
Presidency, the various expenditure subheads, process of
award of contracts, the contractors, the beneficiaries,
amounts paid and payment system.
“Perhaps such would explain why certain individuals who are
close to the Presidency live in ostentatious opulence and
flaunt very expensive lifestyle in the same country where
millions of citizens wallow in abject poverty, hunger,
homelessness and disease.
“It is worrisome that the Buhari Presidency has failed to make
details of its yearly budget and expenditure public, despite
several demands for openness, which raises anxieties and
allegations of huge sleazes and corrupt concealments against
certain officials and cabal in the Presidency.
“The PDP recalls several ugly scenarios around the Presidency,
including that arrest, in October, of a suspected scammer,
Abdulrauf Illyasu, who even enjoyed an office accommodation
within the safety and cover of the Presidential villa.
“This is in addition to the arrest of a said confidant of Mr.
President, Nasir Danu, at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom,
for alleged international passport scam and money laundering
while allegedly ferrying currencies for persons said to be close
to the Presidency.
“The PDP also reminds Nigerians of the case of the former
aide to the First Lady, Mr. Baba-Inna, arrested for alleged
financial fronting as well as the confession of one Amina
Mohammed who, while being paraded by the Department of
State Services (DSS) in 2018, stated in public that persons
close to the Presidency were involved in serial fraud and
looting of public resources under the cover of the some
elements in the Presidency.
“The PDP therefore challenges the Presidency to clear these
anxieties by opening up and publishing details of its budget
and expenditure for Nigerians to see.”