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A former Minister of Power, Elder Wole Oyelese, has pointed out that President Muhammadu Buhari is riding on a tiger’s back in his anti-corruption efforts.
He insisted that the president could no longer look back on the fight but ride the tiger to death.
Oyelese also advised President Buhari to engage the services of experts in loot recovery at the international level to speed up his fight against corruption and increase the amount of loots his administration could recover.
Oyelese, in a statement entitled: “Ride this Tiger to Death” in Ibadan at the weekend, observed that the task of battling corruption and recovering looted funds by corrupt Nigerians is so huge that the Buhari administration would require the services of international firms which specialize in loot recovery services.
He explained that corruption has assumed the dimension of ‘a devouring tiger’ in Nigeria, stressing that it has to be destroyed permanently before it destroys Nigeria fully.
Commending Buhari’s anti-corruption efforts, Oyelese, who is a former chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, called on Nigerians to support the Buhari administration in the fight against the menace.
The statement read in part:
“By his avowed and tenacious determination to fight this scourge to the logical conclusion, President Mohammadu Buhari has no doubt willfully mounted the proverbial tiger which in this case is unbridled corruption. This move is no doubt a very welcome development and an act of great courage in a country as ours where might is often right and actions are taken with impunity by those in power.
“As a rider on the tiger’s back knows so well that he cannot dismount while the tiger is still alive without dire consequences, President Buhari can now neither slow down nor stop this dogged war against corruption. This is because so much has already been let out that most Nigerians now feel terribly betrayed by our past leaders and are now boiling with anger over the wickedness of the looters of our treasuries.
“I personally have no doubt whatsoever in the ability of President Buhari to lay the foundation and start building the Nigeria of our dream if given the necessary tools which include massive support of most Nigerians and the resources to work with. This task is herculean and to make the loot-recovery effort seamless and fast so that more funds can be available to implement revenue-yielding capital projects, the Federal Government may consider the services of reputable international companies noted for this type of exercise.
It is a good omen that Nigerians are now feeling to be part of the system by being adequately informed about activities of government including the exposure of the corrupt mighty ones and the hitherto untouchables.
“No matter how it is viewed, Nigeria is definitely ripe and almost overdue forcleansing. The reaction of the generality of Nigerians to release of information about the level of corruption shows that they are deeply appalled by what went wrong with our commonwealth in the last eight yearsat least under a supposed leader. The process of the cleaning has clearly started and the Buhari administration which happens to be the safer and better option should be totally supported to do the job. It is already too late for anything to stop the cleansing of this Aegean stable called Nigeria.
“If we as a people either by commission or ommission fail to faithfully prosecute this war against corruption to a successful and meaningful end, then we must be prepared for a cleansing tsunami as the alternative. This would be an event that would shake the country to its very foundation and only God knows who will survive it especially among the political elite.Luckily we can collectively prevent it. Therefore Buhari must be given the fullest support to succeed in this crusade.”
The politician recalled that he had warned In 2014 that Nigerian oil might become useless but that it never got published for political leaders and members of the public to read.
He also warned: “The tradition of treating corruption in Nigeria in which the dead are derided and vilified and the weak individuals are punished while the really more corrupt powerful but living ones are protected must have to change through the change mantra of the present administration. No discovered looter should be covered or protected and the war against corruption must assume no colouration.
President Buhari must ride this tiger of corruption to death and all Nigerians must faithfully support him as the alternative is indeed very dire.”