The All Progressives Congress has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to “urgently address Nigerians on the serial embarrassments to which his administration is subjecting the country in the comity of nations, after another seizure of $5.7 million of Nigerian arms money by the South African authorities.”
In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the issues surrounding the first seizure of $9.3 million have yet to be resolved before this latest scandal, wondering why the government would want to turn Nigeria to a rogue nation by taking ownership of money laundering and other acts of illegality, thus devaluing the currency of every Nigerian.
The party said in the statement: “Again, Mr. President, Nigerians are urging you to please come clean over these cash-for-arms scandals. They want you to answer critical questions on the legality of your administration’s repeated conduct. They want to know the identities of the two Nigerians who were arrested with an Israeli in South Africa over the first illegal deal, especially since the Israeli has been named.
“Nigerians want to why the purported arms procurement for the government is done illegally between private companies that are neither known nor registered for dealing in arms? And why are the movement of monies not transparently documented for what they really are, if they are truly for legitimate purposes?
“They want to know whether indeed the weapons which the government is seeking so furiously to procure are for the battle against Boko Haram or for a sinister motive, considering the desperation of your Administration to continue to rule at all cost and by any means possible. They want to know whether every Nigerian should begin to fear what will happen in the days and weeks leading to the forthcoming general elections, against the backdrop of your Administration and party’s do-or-die politics.
“Mr. President, if the funds involved in the latest seizure were sent through bank transfer, can the government explain why Oritsejafor’s plane was stuffed with cash and transported to South Africa? Can your administration’s embarrassing explanation that it is customary for other country’s security agencies, including with MOSSAD, KGB and CIA, to cart plane loads of cash across the world to purchase black market weapons hold any more water now? These are some of the questions Nigerians are asking, not an untenable spin by untruthful government officials.”
The APC also wondered whether the funds being ferried up and down by the Administration were appropriated by the National Assembly or whether they are part of the missing $20 billion oil money.
The APC slammed the Federal Government for issuing childish and immature threats against South Africa, threatening its investments in the country, instead of addressing the pertinent questions surrounding the illegal arms procurement deals.
The statement by Mohammed added: “Mr. President, you cannot threaten another country when your Administration is willfully breaking the laws of that country. In this case, your administration stands on a weak moral ground, as its hands have been caught in the cookie jar. Therefore, issuing infantile threats is laughable, unacceptable and wrong.”
