Group slams PDP over comments on Covid-19 funds, says President setting transparency standards

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is setting a standard in transparency and integrity with the handling of Covid-19 funds that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is finding difficult to comprehend.

This, according to the group, is why the party and its members have been speaking about a non-existent plan to misuse the fund.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, BMO said PDP was used to sharing public funds under different subheads in its 16-year long misrule.

“Nigerians have seen how the former ruling party had, in recent times, been issuing statements on the donations and technical support the country has been receiving from individuals and groups, as well as from donor agencies.

“We see it as an unnecessary fixation on the funds to the point of salivating over the billions of naira going through a few designated bank accounts into a centralised account (Treasury Single Account) in the Central Bank.

“We invite Nigerians to note how $2.1bn set aside for arms purchase at the height of the war against insurgency were authorised to be shared through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to certain party elements.

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“Then was the 2015 election bribery scandal in which public funds running into N32bn were shared by former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke, to PDP members and senior electoral officials, according to court documents.

“And discerning Nigerians have not forgotten how this same party twice raised a total of N27bn for its national secretariat but the fund practically developed wings.

“These are the things that the former ruling party is known for, so it is proper to conclude that its members would look at the list of donors and wonder how the funds would be spent indiscriminately. It is simply a case of misery seeking company.

“We make bold to say that it is about leadership and that is why the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) will issue an expenditure framework for all Covid-19 funds that bars indiscriminate spending while the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) has also announced its own guidelines on the management of funds in line with the Public Procurement Act of 2007.

“These are safeguards that are not known in the PDP era that made public funds a free-for-all bazaar for party chieftains,” the statement added.

BMO also hailed individuals and corporate organisations, as well as donor agencies that have been making donations and offering technical support to Nigeria.

“We recognise that many of the donors are used to donating to past administrations and have over the years seen how government officials had misused those funds.

“This is clearly a new dawn, especially as there are very clear guidelines on expenditure as well as the corruption prevention measures that are in place to safeguard funds and ensure they are used for the purposes they are meant for.

“It is against this backdrop that we urge more public-spirited individuals and groups to do more, especially as the pandemic is not showing signs of going away soon.”

The group assured Nigerians that the President will do everything possible to mitigate the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on the country.