The Presidency on Sunday said the current war being waged against corruption by the present administration is not negotiable.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement made available to journalists.
He was reacting to an earlier statement by ministers who served former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shehu asked the affected persons, who he described as “members of the country’s latest trade union formation, the Association of Ex-Jonathan Ministers,” to do a bit of self-reflection on the sort of government they handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.
He said such self-reflection would make the former ministers decide for themselves if it would have been right for any incoming government to ignore the issue of the brazen theft of public assets which, he said, appeared to be the first of its kind in the country.
Shehu said earlier statements made that there is no witch hunt or malice against anyone in the pursuit of the county’s stolen assets still stand.
He said, “This war against corruption knows no friend nor foe.
“There is no intention to deny anyone of their good name where they are entitled to it and President Buhari reserves the highest regards for the country’s former leaders including Dr. Jonathan Goodluck, who he continues to praise to the high heavens for the way and manner in which he accepted defeat in the last election.
“That singular action remains a feat that has earned the former President and Nigeria as country befitting commendations all over the world, the latest coming from Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who visited a week ago.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the issue of fighting corruption by President Buhari is non negotiable.
“President Buhari will not be deterred or blackmailed into retreat and surrender.”
Shehu said nobody in the Peoples Democratic Party can can accuse Buhari of undermining the economy when all they handed over to him was, at best, “a tottering economy hobbled by corruption and the absence of due process.”
He said things had become worsened by the continuing fall of oil prices, which is expected to fall even further with the imminent full return of Iran to the market.
He said all the President had been doing while around is to put things together, organising to defeat Boko Haram, paying outstanding salaries, cleaning up the mess left behind, improving security and restoring the country’s relationships with neighbours and the world.
“So what are former ministers afraid of in these things? Have they become a new trade union?
“Let this collection of ex-VIPs allow the President the peace he needs to handle the reconstruction of the economy and the nation in a manner that most serves Nigeria’s best interests.
“President Buhari does not need these types of distraction presented by the so-called association of former ministers,” the presidential spokesman added.
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