Charly Boy’s group resumes protest over FG’s silence on corruption allegations
Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The popular music maestro, Charles Oputa, also known as Charly Boy, and his “OurMumuDonDo” group on Tuesday commenced another round of protest over President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaction on several corruption allegation leveled against his appointees.
The group, as early as 8am, hit the streets of Abuja through the Unity Fountain to kick against President Muhammadu Buhari’s perceived inaction in the face of multiple sleaze allegations involving some top officials of his government.
The allegations boarded mainly on abuse of office, insubordination, mismanagement of public funds and outright looting of the national treasury against several top officials of government but President Buhari has not wielded the big stick against any of them as anticipated by most Nigerians.
The protest was relatively peaceful as the police and the Department of State Security (DSS) monitored the activities of Charly Boy and his group in contrast to what transpired earlier in August when security operatives dispersed them with security dogs, water cannons and teargas under the guise that some miscreants were planning to hijack the protest.
In his address, the co-convener of the group and leader of the “Resume or Resign Group”, Deji Adeyanju, said that they were in the streets to ask the President pertinent questions about the seriousness and sincerity of his anti-graft war.
He said: “if President Buhari once ordered the raiding of the homes of judges suspected to be tainted with corruption and also directed the handcuffing and dragging to court of alleged corrupt members of the opposition, we demand similar treatment for the suspended SGF, Babachir Lawal and other top government officials.”
Another group leader, Ariyo Atoye, who convened the pro-democracy group, a Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC), urged the Senate not to approve the $5.5bn foreign loan request made by President Buhari unless he is genuinely committed to the fight against corruption within his own government.
“There is no basis for the $5.5bn foreign loan request, if corruption has not been fought to a standstill. President Buhari also needs to tell Nigerians how the loan would be repaid,” he added.
One time President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Mahmood, and the convener of Campaign for Democracy, Bako Usman, contended that if President Buhari fails to take action against allegedly corrupt members of his cabinet, he should quit office.
“You said you will fight corruption and Nigerians voted you on the basis of that promise. Quit office if you cannot prosecute your allegedly corrupt friends. It means you are also corrupt,” they said.
The chief convener, Charles Oputa also known as “Area Fada ” added that the group would not back down on its call for the President to act or quit office if he is incapacitated in the fight against corruption, just as he reminded Buhari that his promise to fight corruption to finish was the major reason the masses voted for him.
Some of the officials facing corruption allegations are the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babchir Lawal, the Director General of Nigeria Intelligent Agency, Wale Oke, including the recent allegations from his Minister of State on Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachukwu, against the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru.
