Former President Muhammadu Buhari has lashed out at the ex-Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, for accusing him of corruption.
Buhari said his administration’s fight against corruption in Nigeria was unprecedented, noting that Adoke lacks the track record and the moral standing to accuse him or anyone of corruption.
The former president said this in a statement issued on Sunday, September 3, 2023, by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, in reaction to the statement credited to Adoke accusing Buhari’s administration of corrupt practices in the Paris Club Refund.
Adoke served as AGF and minister in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015.
Shehu noted that the cases cited by Adoke as a reference point of corruption were cases that originated from an administration in which the former AGF was the man responsible for the administration of justice, saying the latter’s accusations were “famous skit”.
He added: “The fact that this character is a free man, walking away from the industrial-corruption their administration foisted on the 200 million-plus Nigerians is an Eighth Wonder. So vast was its scale, it is today a subject of international scrutiny. That should be a script for a Nollywood/Kannywood blockbuster all by itself.
The contract and incidental judgment in the Process & Industrial Developments (P&ID) were inherited by the Buhari administration. To his credit, President Buhari succeeded in staying its execution even when the previous administration that was responsible for the creation of the liability watched helplessly and exposed Nigeria to over $10bn dollars liability.
“Paris club saga that Adokie cited as an example of corrupt practices of the Buhari administration is not in any way different in origin and circumstances with the case of P&ID.
“It was rooted in administrations that predated that of President Muhammadu Buhari. Adoke was a product of the administration that planted the evil foundation and the judgments that resulted therefrom.
“The logical conclusion any reasonable person can make on P&ID, Paris Club and Ajaokuta is that President Buhari came on a rescue mission and effectively saved Nigeria from corrupt undertones that were planted to expose its economy to imminent collapse.
“The success of the Buhari administration in the direction of the fight against corruption is unprecedented.
“New legislations were introduced, major recoveries were made at home, stolen monies were repatriated from abroad, and they were judiciously deployed in infrastructure development. High-profile convictions were recorded in unprecedented numbers, with enhanced percentages over and above the records in existence.
“It is in international recognition of these efforts that the African Union chose the former President as its African Continental Anti-Corruption Champion. Additional recognitions by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Corruption, UNODC among others were also lauded on the former president and his administration.”
The former presidential spokesman stated that Adoke also made some wild allegations in the aviation sector, adding that the efforts of Buhari’s administration in the sector were “visible in terms of capital infrastructure development, safety, and policy; they changed the face of the aviation sector into an attractive one for investment, resulting in new airlines coming on board. No major commercial airlines incident was recorded throughout this period.
“All Nigerians by right can say whatever they want of the Buhari administration. No one is offended by their actions, right or wrong.
“But when you come out with innuendos of corruption written all over your face and say that you want to moralise and pontificate, Nigerians in different walks of life will have problems with that.”