PDP fires back as APC says Jonathan’s govt looted N11tn.

Firstclass newsline gathered that the All Progressives Congress on
Sunday alleged that about $56bn (N11.02tn) was looted during the
administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and that the
Buhari government needed to recover the funds to fulfill the change
promised by the APC.
In the breakdown by the ruling party, it said $6bn (1.2tn, at the rate
of N197 to dollar) was stolen by some of Jonathan's ministers and that
160 million barrels of crude worth $13.9bn (N2.74tn) were lost between
2009 and 2012 while $13bn (N2.56tn) in NLNG dividends was mostly
unaccounted for.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said
this in a statement on Sunday.
Mohammed's statement read in part, "Some instances of the looting are
as follows: N3.8tn out of the N8.1tn earned from crude oil (2012-2015)
withheld by NNPC; $2.1bn (N413.7bn) from Excess Crude Account
unaccounted for; Department of Petroleum Resources' unremitted
N109.7bn royalty from oil firms.
"Others are: $6bn (1.2tn) allegedly looted by some ministers of the
last administration; 160 million barrels of crude worth $13.9bn
(N2.74tn) lost between 2009 and 2012; $15m (N2.96bn) from the botched
arms deal yet to be returned to Nigeria; $13bn (N2.56tn) in NLNG
dividends mostly unaccounted for; N30bn rice waiver; and N183bn
unaccounted for at the NDDC."
The APC consequently lashed out at those telling President Muhammadu
Buhari not to waste time probing the Jonathan administration.
The statement seems to be in reaction to a statement by the National
Peace Committee, which reportedly told Buhari that probing the past
administration was not a substitute for governance.
The APC, however, said there was no way the Buhari government could
effectively take off if it did not recover some of the trillions
stolen under Jonathan and that the party's promise of change was based
on the assumption that it would recover some stolen funds.
The statement added, "It is absolutely gratifying that Nigerians are
vehemently opposed to the few who would rather have the government of
the day turn a blind eye to the looted funds and, in their words,
carry on with the process of governance.
"Truly, what sort of governance can go on if the billions of naira in
a few hands are not recovered? In the first instance, the government
needs every kobo of the funds it can muster to bring about the change
it has promised Nigerians.
"Secondly, leaving such hair-raising funds in the hands of the few
looters is dangerous, because they can use the funds to destabilise
any government. In fact, no one will be surprised if the looters use
their dirty funds to sponsor public demonstrations against the
government's determination to recover the funds.
''Thirdly, allowing those who privatised the commonwealth to get away
is offering a thumbs-up for looting. No responsible government will do
that."
The party said that those who stole had embarked on an
increasingly-bold campaign to discredit the government of the day and
sabotage the funds' recovery process, using newspaper columnists,
'talking heads' and otherwise respectable opinion leaders.
The APC submitted that it was necessary to remind Nigerians of the
"massive looting of the treasury" that took place in the past few
years, so the citizens could better appreciate the seriousness of the
issue at stake.
The party said the listed "missing" funds constituted just a tip of
the iceberg, adding, ''The level of looting that went on in other
sectors is better imagined, hence the need for all Nigerians to rally
around the Buhari administration to recover the loots, bring the
looters to justice and to put in place measures to prevent such
looting in the future."
But the Peoples Democratic Party, in its reaction on Sunday, said the
figures released by the APC were imaginary.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a
statement, described Mohammed's statement as "reckless, irresponsible
and highly provocative."
Metuh said, "In trying to escalate their stock-in-trade of lies, wild
allegations and falsehood, the APC failed to understand that their
baseless fabrications are capable of throwing an unsuspecting nation
into chaos.
"The spate of fabrications by Lai Mohammed has become a sickening
source of worry for well-meaning Nigerians, including those in his
party."
The PDP spokesperson called on Buhari and the APC, as a party, to call
their spokesman to order before he plunges the country into crisis
with wild and unsubstantiated claims.
He said the APC-led government should get serious with the fight
against corruption by investigating and prosecuting corrupt persons,
rather than unnecessarily playing to the gallery
Firstclassnewsline.net