The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu has revealed that under previous administrations, a chief or politician who pays a visit to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa is handed $100,000 or $50,000 when leaving.
Speaking in an interview with Leadership newspapers, the presidency official, however, pointed out that his principal has put a stop to the practice as such cash gifts are now diverted into productive services and the provision of infrastructure.
In the words of Ojudu, “In the past, somebody would come to Aso Rock, a chief or a politician. And they package $100,000, $50,000 for him. The man gets back to his hotel room, dashes his driver $500, dashes his PA $1,000, his girl friend $200. This has stopped. Such money must go into productive services, medical services, infrastructure etc.
“Let’s do something that is enduring for our people. All these stop gap measures, going as subsidies, we’re going to stop them. Let’s make our refineries work. Don’t let us make millionaires of a few and poor people of millions.
“These are the kinds of problems we’re having now. In the process of change, all these things are bound to happen. This is one year, but again, this new government never envisaged things will be this difficult.
“When we were campaigning, oil was still $112 per barrel. Nobody could have thought it would just crash and become $33 per barrel. We’re now on $40 per barrel. Nobody envisaged that our foreign reserve could go as low as $28 billion. We were importing food. We were importing medication, we were paying school fees of millions of Nigerians abroad. What the government is doing now is: let’s take subsidy away from these individuals that are getting it. Let’s take money off bringing in food, let’s grow what we’re going to feed on. This is going to take some time; it’s not something that is going be done overnight. Nigerians will have to be patient. I can understand. People call me every day that, they can’t pay school fees, they can’t pay house rent. But again, if we want Nigeria to grow, if we want sustainable development, we cannot but breakaway from the past. It is this breaking away from the past, that is causing the pain we’re going through as a nation.
“What people are saying is just like saying ‘bring back corruption’. They don’t know what corruption has done to this country. You vote about a billion naira for a hospital, and N800 million is taken away by corruption, and you have only N200 million left. So, there won’t be medication, there won’t be ambulances etc you can imagine how many people die due to such act. They stash such money outside the country. They buy houses in America, buy private jets etc.
“Do you know the havoc that corruption has done to this country over the years? That is why we now have half-baked graduates. Do you know what corruption has done to our infrastructure over the years? Look at the Abuja-Lokoja Road. What you have now is not the original design. Look at how much has been voted for that road, and several other roads across the country. How long are we going to continue with that kind of situation? We have a president that is sympathetic, who is not going to build a new house, who is not going to buy a house in London, or Dubai; but who has dedicated his life towards solving our problems.
The damage of so many years is not going to be corrected in just 10 or 11 months.
*I agree with the high lighted text.It will take YEARS to get Nigeria back on its feet.I am sure even the people that were screaming change just before the elections didnt know how bad it was.
Your headline Stella.. In the what??
ReplyDeleteAwon arijenibimadaru, omo aijoberi to n jepo saya.
DeleteUche onise, face your work sir. If you cnt do it, pls resign but all you have just said is nothing but pure lies
Pls, is he still campaigning for bukhari?
ReplyDeleteNo be small thing. May the Lord heal Nigeria
ReplyDeleteHmmmm
ReplyDelete@Stella, see your gbagaun, what's the meaning of 'Politicians Who Visited Aso Rock In The Were'? Lol
ReplyDelete*Larry was here*
We didn't know HOW BAD IT WAS, but we sure knew things shouldn't be allowed to get worse.
ReplyDeleteI thus embraced CHANGE for the following reasons:
1. To effectively CHANGE from our ruinous ways.
2. To CHANGE from being a Pariah nation to being loved by others.
3. To CHANGE from being driven by CORRUPTION to fighting corruption.
4. To CHANGE from BRIBING to get Ministers approved to following due process.
5. To CHANGE from BLOATED PADDY-PADDY BUDGETS to actual budgeting - proposal & defense.
6. To CHANGE from WASTEFULNESS to uprightness.
We acknowledge that the CHANGE might take a while, but stopping to ask for directions is definitely ,much more preferable to speeding down the wrong road. The CHANGE process has started.
How time flies. A month from now and it will be a year this government came into power. I want to believe they used this first year to set up ground work and that by this time next year, we would see a little improvement in the economy.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile what the hell is wrong with phcn?? Can people just come and buy into phcn please.. Let it be like telecommunications where there are different options. Of glo isn't suitable, we move to mtn. This should be done with electricity. I think it will be better. I'm tired of having light for 3 hours a day. That's if they bring the light. And to think they bring exorbitant bill like I was giving light for 24hrs.. This isn't funny at all. The cost of running my gen is beginning to look better than paying for Nepa bill..
And what's with the rain not falling?? This isn't funny either as the whether is to hot.
On the bright side, I ate cooked corn yesterday 🙈🙈
I second your second paragraph!...
DeleteToo hot **
DeletePHCN was privatized during GEJ's time already
DeleteThese People Wrecked us!
ReplyDeleteHw a group of Leaders,suppossedly trusted people committed this atrocity,dis wickedness,I stil find very mind-boggling.
God bless Our President as he tries to turn things around.give him strength,Solomon's wisdom and Guidance.
*Stil imagining all d Dash dat went on*
Amen!!! God bless my president Buhari. Keep him healthy, safe and sound. May he not be distracted by sound bites from some people ( not Linda and James o! Where dem wan see am to talk to am?). N'aha Jesus bu onye nwe anyi, AMEN!!!
DeleteHahahahaha...
DeleteAnon,why would I want to see him when he is not Obama or Queen of England?...
This man should just shut up!...At least the money was circulating!...
ReplyDeletePeople were not complaining of hunger!,.. Bring back our corruption!!...
Ndi ala!...
I totally agree with you on this. This should shut up already & get work.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOjudu shld rather keep quiet, under this same jonathan's regime,as a serving senator, I was told from a very reliable source that he paid for a chalet @ Nanet Hotel in abuja, for four years only to come and sleep or rest once in a while, maybe when he wants to hide his ugly head. A suite dat costs 120k per night, please calculate dat for a 365days and multiply by 4years. Trash!! #eni ti ile ba mo ba ni ole#
ReplyDeleteIt is well with naija
ReplyDeleteFools.Don't go and fight what is fighting you,Toothless bulldogs! Ndi okwu na agba ulo fa ma fa na achu nta oke! Animals,hopeless vagabonds
ReplyDeletehis girl friend $200? Cheap girlfriend. rubbish
ReplyDeleteStella u live in germany so u can be saying whatever you like.
ReplyDeleteAgree with him or not but at the same time, 11months is enough time for a serious person to make changes or make meaningful impact. Afterall even fashola while he was lagos governor said any serious govt will solve power problem in 6months.
When people are outside, they say what they want, apc still thinks all these propaganda will save their inabilities, they should continue. 2019 isnt far.
No mind stella, as she dey mislead people cos of peanut wey APC dey dash her,
DeleteExactly! Those not in Nigeria are usually quick to concurr. You have to put it in your mouth to know how it tastes.One year down & NOTHING to show for it.
DeleteThis news just gave me a serious migraine headache. Stella abeg
ReplyDeleteAbeg Stella u av to be here to experience what is going on, then u can say that. They are just talking bullshit.
ReplyDeleteShame on APC. Too much talk. Common fuel, the brightest cannot solve. But the thief woman you are all accusing solved it before 2 weeks.
ReplyDeletewe are now 11 months and some days. No solutions on ground.
The only solutions i have seen APC done is blame and i am not a Magician
Anon 1046, do I agree with you? 101%. The best thing that would happen to Nigeria and Nigerians is to have a change from the old ways. It will sure be tough but would turn out better. Imagine the uncountable different ways of wasting our collective wealth in bazaars
ReplyDeleteBvn member youngman
Fan Emmanuel, the uncouth and dirty looking Ariaria Market or Ochanja Market brought up! Can't expect anything less from you!
ReplyDeleteNa wa ooh
ReplyDeleteThis apc people can lie oh.
ReplyDeleteJisos
APC is structured as an Opposition party and opposition party they still are,never a Ruling party.
ReplyDeleteThey have been Shadow boxing themselves for almost a year now.
How can you drive and Jam an electric pole then you start blaming the pole for wrong parking?
THESE PEOPLE OPEN THEIR MOUTHS AND TALK LIKE CHILDREN IN NURSERY SCHOOL. I REMEMBER CLEARLY THAT MR OJODU'S LEADER, BOLA TINUBU AND THE OTHER SAINTS VISITED ASO ROCK SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST, SO HOW MUCH DOLLARS DID THEY GO HOME WITH? YOU DO-NOTHING POLITICIANS SHOULD STOP DIVERTING THE ATTENTION OF NIGERIANS. GO TO WORK OR RESIGN. OUR PATIENT IS RUNNING OUT, FOOLISH PEOPLE
ReplyDeleteMost people in APC were in PDP, so they still have themselves to blame. BTW, I don't believe that story at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd the blame game and excuses continues. This govt is presently d worst so far, pls correct me if am wrong, clueless sycophants
ReplyDeleteOjudu is very stingy I know his yellow sisi girlfriend she is so broje all he does is fuck girls tru the anus
ReplyDelete