Nigerian elite in media attacks against Buhari due to their frustrations by his anti-corruption war – Presidency

*Says criticisms of Buhari shouldn’t come from Col. Umar but others

…’Nobody has proved how Buhari is selective in anti-graft war’

“By now, President Buhari’s administration is quite familiar with the barrage of verbal attacks that have accompanied the administration’s determined war against corruption.  A number of Nigeria’s elite, uncomfortable with the disruption of business as usual, have fought viciously, usually via the media.  However, these comments, coming from, Colonel Umar, is highly disappointing, because he is not in a position to label accusations. He should, instead, allow other to do this.

The Presidency said Monday that the nation’s elite were attacking President Muhammadu Buhari in the media because they were frustrated by the ongoing anti-graft war.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the Presidency would not allow them to frustrate the fight against corruption.

He was reacting to the accusation by former Military Governor of Kaduna State Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar that Buhari’s government was not being fair in the anti-graft war.

Shehu assured that the anti-corruption war had come to stay as long as Buhari is in power, saying the government would neither be deterred by false accusations nor be quenched by disgruntled elements.

Shehu said: “A number of Nigerian elites have over the years benefitted from various forms of corruption, including monthly payouts from the office of previous National Security Advisers. Let me clarify that this is not in reference to Colonel Umar in particular.

“The Buhari administration has offended so many of our greedy elite by putting a stop to this, plugging many of the holes through which our country’s resources, belonging to each and every one of us, were looted by a few.  Naturally, these elites are frustrated.  But we shall not allow them to frustrate the war against corruption.”

He added: “By now, President Buhari’s administration is quite familiar with the barrage of verbal attacks that have accompanied the administration’s determined war against corruption.  A number of Nigeria’s elite, uncomfortable with the disruption of business as usual, have fought viciously, usually via the media.  However, these comments, coming from, Colonel Umar, is highly disappointing, because he is not in a position to label accusations. He should, instead, allow other to do this.

“Curiously, despite the various accusations and media attacks, no one has so far come forth with any evidence of President Buhari’s selectiveness in the war against corruption. All the agencies involved are allowed freedom to carry out their responsibilities, without any inference whatsoever from the Presidency. If Colonel Umar or anyone else feels that they have any evidence to the contrary, they are encouraged to make this public.

“Ultimately, the final frontier of the war against corruption is the judiciary. After the anti-graft agencies have gathered proof of corruption and made arrests, they present the accused before competent courts of the land, who have the final say on who is guilty of corruption and who is not. President Buhari has never interfered with the judicial process, despite publicly expressing his frustration with how slowly corruption cases are handled. Again, anyone with a shred of evidence to the contrary is encouraged to go public with it.”

Former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) was in the news two days ago as he hit the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government over the ordeal of erstwhile National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd).  Dasuki’s continued detention, according to him, was beyond anti-graft war, as he claimed Dasuki was  being punished because of his loyal service to former President Goodluck Jonathan.  Some Nigerians said they had expected Dangiwa Umar to say Buhari was punishing Dasuki for his loyalty to the Military President Ibrahim Babangida, at the instance of whom he (Dasuki) arrested the then Military Head of State and put him in chains and even went ahead to deny him the witness of the burial of his mother.

“But now that Lt. Col. Umar has limited himself to Dasuki’s loyalty to Jonathan, the same former President that has himself denied Dasuki, what Umar should do, instead of attacking Buhari is to slam blast Jonathan for not providing expected leadership to Dasuki by coming forward to explain by himself how the arms deal money went.  To some of us, we see Dangiwa Umar as just being the Babangida boy that he used to be.  Recall he supported the Ibrahim Babangida coup that toppled the Muhammadu Buhari’s military government in 1985 and was compensated with military governorship of Kaduna State,” a respondent of The DEFENDER said.

The respondent went down the memory lane to tell a little about the background of Umar.  He read from Wikipedia part of his profile:

“Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, born 21 September 1949 in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, joined the Nigerian Army in 1967 and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in March 1972. He held various positions, including ADC to Major General Hassan Usman Katsina, Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.  Umar was appointed General Staff Officer in the Department of Armour, Army Headquarters. At the time of the coup of 27 August 1985 in which General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida assumed power he was a Major and Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (1984 – 1985).  He supported the coup, and after it succeeded he was appointed Governor of Kaduna State. Later he was promoted to Lt. Colonel.

“Umar was Military Governor of Kaduna State from September 1985 to June 1988, during a period when funding was scarce. He had to deal with a serious religious crisis within the state in 1987, becoming unpopular with all sides of the dispute.  He said, “If you win a religious war, you cannot win a religious peace.  Since the killing started how many Christians have been converted to Islam? How many Muslims have been converted to Christianity?  It is an exercise in futility.

“In 1993 he was Colonel and Commander of the Armoured Corps Center and School. He started being loved by government critics when he was opposed to the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, and started looking for support within the Army for installing the elected but not sworn-in President MKO Abiola.  In October he was detained on suspicion of conspiracy, but was not charged.  After being released he resigned his commission,” he read in part adding that it would be in the best interest of Umar to allow the anti-corruption go on without his distractions.

In the meantime, the presidency has vowed that there is no amount of distractions that will stop him from the anti-corruption and that it would never allow the business of the past where corrupt held sway to continue.