Atiku Tackles Tinubu Over APC Chieftain Exposing That Billions Paid For Appointment As Ministers, Others
Opposition leader, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to respond to the allegation by a Spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, who revealed that ministers in the government bought their appointments with billions of naira and were out to recoup their money.
Tinubu’s cabinet has 47 members currently.
Hassan, who described ministers as the “most criminal elements in government,” made this remark in an interview with ARISE TV on Thursday, while defending Mr Tinubu’s decision to control government expenditure by not giving his ministers the budget to implement.
“Whatever it is that a budget should do in this country in the last three years, Asiwaju has done it by himself. Why do we need ministers? Why do we need budget given to ministers? A lot of ministers…,” Mr Hassan said as he was interrupted by the interview anchor
But Hassan returned to the point he was making before the interview anchor interrupted him, saying, “The way Asiwaju is hands-on on the expenditures of our revenue is fantastic, and I love it. A lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed, the first thing they think of is how to recoup that money.”
Atiku, who is the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) took the President to task over the exposure.
In an X Twitter posting on Friday, Atiku said: “Bola @officialABAT, your campaign Spokesman has admitted that ministers paid billions in bribes to secure their appointments. You appointed them, so who received the money? Nigerians deserve names, not silence.
“Your government’s reckless decisions have driven the cost-of-living crisis. And when you withhold funds from ministries because you distrust your own ministers, Nigerians are left paying for a government that has abandoned them.”
Hassan has been asked how government intended to fund its budget amid concerns about revenue shortfalls.
He questioned the importance of the budget and argued that Tinubu’s personal oversight of government spending was preferable to leaving expenditure decisions to ministers.
Hassan argued that successive administrations had failed to address corruption among public officials, particularly ministers.
“Whatever it is a budget is supposed to do in this country in the last three and a half years, Asiwaju (President Bola Tinubu) has done it by himself. Why do we need ministers? Why do we need budget to be given to ministers?” he asked.
When Aniagolu suggested that the administration was deliberately approving budgets without adequately funding them, Hassan praised Tinubu’s direct involvement in expenditure decisions.
“The way Asiwaju is hands-on on the expenditure of our revenue is fantastic, and I love it,” he said.
Hassan then alleged that some ministers paid huge sums to secure their appointments and enter office intending to recover their investments.
“Charles, a lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” he said.
He added that the alleged practice was not limited to the APC, claiming that ministers had been among the most corrupt officials across successive administrations.
“The biggest fraudulent people you arrest after every government are ministers,” Hassan said.
