Minister says some looters are richer than Nigeria

monjola sotubo

January 20, 2016 10:23 AM

Mohammed is said to have made the comment on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, during a visit to Leadership Hausa at its corporate headquarters in Abuja.

Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that some corrupt Nigerians are richer than the country.

Mohammed is said to have made the comment on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, during a visit to Leadership Hausa at its corporate headquarters in Abuja, Leadership reports.

“If only we fight corruption successfully, there will be more money for everybody. If the leakages can be blocked successfully, I can assure you it won’t matter whether oil sells for $10 or $5, we will be able to run this country efficiently,” he said.

“We also appeal to the Judiciary to help in the fight against corruption. Everyone must be involved in the fight against corruption. Unless the judiciary is fair and independent, the government won’t achieve its goals as adjudication of high profile corruption cases can reach 7 years.

“If we don’t really take care of corruption, we may not be able to operate the 2016 budget because what we have found out is that it is these leakages that are making the country bleed. It is not by accident that between 1999 and today, the budget has been increasing every year yet poverty has also been increasing.

“In 1999, the entire budget was N947 billion, in 2016, it is N6 trillion. Has poverty gone down? It has increased almost by that margin. The issue of corruption must not be taken lightly. We must fight it as we fought Boko Haram, like we fought Ebola. We must fight it to a standstill,” he added.

Mohammed recently revealed that 55 former public officialshad stolen N1.34 trillion from Nigeria’s coffers.

monjola sotubo