The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said it committed no offence in making donations to the United Nations office in Abuja, in the aftermath of the October 2010 bombing.
The party stated this while responding to allegations of wastefulness by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). It accused members of the opposition of playing politics with the issue.
The CPC over the weekend said: “On the first year anniversary of the bombed UN building, the government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan provided N3.2 billion to rehabilitate the UN house, made up of N2.6 billion to start the building and N600 million to provide temporary accommodation, in addition to a promising refund of $580,000 for the treatment of victims. It did not really matter to this profligate PDP-led government that the UN, in its worldwide operations, has comprehensive insurance for its buildings and workers, even against terrorism.”
However, the PDP replied the accusation saying that “no amount of compensation is enough to compensate the victims of terror for their loss and suffering which is why responsible governments always ensure that victims receives as much compensation as possible.”
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said: “If the CPC wants to betray its ignorance in diplomacy and government, it should do so on its own dime and not in a way that demeans Nigeria before the international community as it has done by this unseemly criticism of the victims.”
“Many in the international community will indeed be wondering why the CPC does not have harsh words for the propagators of terror but choose to use its words against the victims and the government which aligns with them. Since the advent of terror attacks in Nigeria, we do not have the CPC on record anywhere condemning them.”
“Nigerians must note that the UN are in Nigeria as guests of the government and people of Nigeria to whom they have been offering selfless services for decades and it is most undiplomatic and unAfrican for any one, leasts of all a party that aspires to national governance to criticise a gesture aimed at providing succour to a body such as the UN, which suffered from terrorism while in the service of Nigerians,” he said.
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