President Jonathan Sponsored Boko Haram To Cover Up Corruption"...El-Rufai Tells BBC

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),  Malam Nasir el-Rufai yesterday alleged the Federal Government of being responsible for the continuous bombing in the Northern states region.

El-Rufai who made this accusation while granting an interview with “BBC” said that government’s involvement was a diversionary measure.

He alleged that Jonathan always ordered Boko Haram to embark on bombings, whenever corruption in his government was about to expose to the masses.

“This will assist the government to change the attention of the masses on the Boko Haram’s activities rather than anxiously waiting to protest or sue the government for corruption” He said.

He recalled that Boko Haram engaged on daily basis bombings when the report of House of Representatives Committee on fuel subsidy came out.

He said,“We have to start accusing the government because anytime we are in this problem, like when the Farouk committee in the House of Representatives  came out with its report on the fuel subsidy scam, at that time they started coming out with bombs all over.

“Therefore….we keep on asking the government : ‘ why is it whenever they have problem, that is when those they call Boko Haram will start bombing. Or are they working together?

“They are yet to give us an answer; there are many other things which up till now, there is no explanation. Every Nigerian knows that two years ago, there was rest of mind and he could sleep well at home. But today, there is no rest of mind, things have deteriorated.

“The economy has deteriorated; salaries are delayed in the Federal Civil Service. Since I left Abuja last week, April salary was not paid. That of March was paid in May, even the monthly allocation to states, they were unable to pay. We don’t know where the money is going so the economy is in trouble”.

The former Minister also alleged that the federal government has been receiving $1billion loans on every months.

He urged the masses to visit the website of the Debt Management Office (DMO) to verify his claim.

“We calculated and I wrote on it in the paper, nobody came out to say it is not true. Every month since Jonathan became the President, on the average, every month he takes $1 billion loan.

The Debt Management Office published it, it is a government office. So, I am not just saying it. Even last month, the Federal Government sold bond,”

But reacting to this, the political adviser to the President, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak dismissed the allegation, saying it is callous and unreasonable.

He urged Nigerians not to take the allegations of the former minister seriously as they were baseless and not true.

He described the allegations as “just an outburst from the opposition camp which cannot hold water. It is the figment of his imagination, it is not true.

“Every right thinking person will not listen to that and will never agree with what El-Rufa’i is saying. This is because they are so extreme in their opposition. For example, ministers came out some days ago and they reeled out all the achievements and successes of governments.

“In the next two months, you will see trains shuttling between Lagos and Northern Nigeria, God willing. Everybody knows that road construction is on. Is that not so? Look at the education sector, we have gone far”.