The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision not to include former President Olusegun Obasanjo from his proposed probe.
Speaking on Sunday, August 30, 2015 via a statement issued by its President, Udengs Eradiri, the IYC saidthe president is trying to shield his friends and associates from the said probe. challenging him to start the probe from 1960 when the country became independent or at best 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule.
Eradiri further enthused that President Buhari was shielding Obasanjo from investigation because the role he played in his emergence as president.
The statement read: “We find it pertinent to react to recent media reports that our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari, has ordered a probe of weapon procurement for the military from 2007 to date.
“While we are not against any effort of the President to investigate previous administrations and indeed take steps against the scourge of corruption in the society, we hereby state without equivocation that the period covered by this probe is suspect.
“It would have made a lot of sense for somebody, who is genuinely interested in revisiting alleged cases of malfeasance, which had held our nation back, to either commence such an investigation from 1960 when the country became independent or from 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy after years of military dictatorship.
“We hold that this is unfair and that the tenure of Chief Obasanjo is being exempted because of the role he played in Buhari emergence as President.
“In fact, if there is somebody that should be probed, it should be Chief Obasanjo, who lacked foresight and failed in the critical job to adequately arm our military, in spite of the huge funds appropriated for defence under him. If he had done so, the menace of Boko Haram would have long been dealt with in the early stages. It took the administration of Goodluck Jonathan to buy the weapons we need.”
