A frontline social commentator, Dr Peregrino Brimah, has advised Nigerians to focus their attention on President Muhammadu Buhari’s health status describing $9.8 million loot recovered from ex-NNPC GMD Andrew Yakubu as a distraction planted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to divert attention from Buhari.
Brimah, who made the comment in a statement he signed and issued, said going by the multi-faceted nature of the challenges rocking the nation’s economy, the most pressing challenge facing the country is health status of the president whom he previously described as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria.
He also berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as being a tool in the hands of the APC and distracting Nigerians whenever public attention is focused on the perceived weakness of the Buhari administration.
According to him, the anti-graft agency has been a political machine for persecuting perceived political foes, leaving out similarly indicted Presidency officers, ministers, heads of security agencies, and other ruling party men.
He said: “It’s gotten quite noticeable that whenever Buhari or his government is “down” the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is “up.”
“Once there are major headlines that cast the Buhari government in bad light, the EFCC takes over the headlines with updates on its activities against the corruption of the Jonathan past administration with predilection for PDP party members, their families and associates who did not switch to the ruling APC party.
“Interestingly a Vanguard article exposed the time-staging of the EFCC releases that September. The September 24, 2016 article was captioned, “$31.4m Cash Deposit: How Patience Jonathan forced EFCC to expose matter,” and had highlights “EFFC had knowledge of fund since July” and “Why action was not taken earlier.”
“And now again as the scandal over president Muhammadu Buhari’s sickness or “hale-and-hearty” lack of it, in-spite-of his absconding to the UK, makes headlines and as Nigerians begin to protest against the government, the EFCC is “Up” again.
“3 days after Buhari failed to resume work following his 18-day vacation to the Queen’s England, February 9th, 2016 saw headlines: “EFCC raids home of former NNPC GMD, Andrew Yakubu, recovers $9.2m.”
“These have rapidly been followed up with more headlines in the same class; February 11, 2017: “EFCC in another breakthrough discovers $37.5m in Diezani’s Lagos mansion,” and we can expect many more to come, back-to-back with the EFCC reliably keeping Nigerians conveniently distracted as the economy is wrecked and the Commander in chief “absconds.”
“Perhaps it’s just a coincidence; but most importantly, we will not be distracted by headlines of the EFCC doing its job the way Obasanjo set it up to: as a political machine against foe and the perceived opposition, leaving out similarly indicted Presidency officers, ministers, heads of security agencies, and other ruling party men.
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