Nigeria’s President’s total annual take home is N30m. To say N28m or N36m or whatever is just house allowance for a political party officer is insanity.
Ignoring the justification by the party’s National Publicity Secretary of such a monumental fraud is a total deviation from the anti-corruption crusade by the Federal Government.
As a matter of fact, all the members of the PDP NWC should be arrested and investigated immediately.
According to the former President of Nigeria, the Nigerian living political legend and greatest political leader, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, “the highest political position in Nigeria is the President of Nigeria.” It is on record that the present President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari is earning about thirty million naira (N30,000,000) as a total annual salary with all allowances inclusive.
That is what the record says. So, do not tell me stories. That means the President is taking home N2,500,000 monthly. Research has it that, the Nigeria President is earning about N14,000,000 as an annual salary meaning, all the allowances combined (House, health, furniture, etc) to N16,000,000 per annum. And this N16,000,000 is not usually paid once.
The very question is, how can a political party that wants to take over the government of Nigeria justify that it is paying any of its officers (not even the highest officer) N28,000,000 or 36,000,000 as *a house allowance?* I mean, just house allowance? How can this be justified?
I feel so sad that our party the People’s Democratic Party, PDP led by Sen. Iyorchia Ayu is now an example of monumental corruption and undeniable fraud against our members and by that extension against the Nigerian people. Some members of the National Working Committee had recently returned money paid into their respective bank accounts saying, they cannot justify or explain such huge amounts of monies credited into their bank accounts.
Their action exposed the fraud and corruption being perpetuated by the Ayu-led NWC. I would have expected that others immediately return theirs which should have been the sanest thing to do but that the National Publicity Secretary saying such huge amounts are house allowances is a total disappointment that our party, the PDP has deviated from the dream of the founders of our party and by that, taking Nigerians for a ride.
In my opinion, all the members of the PDP NWC should be arrested and investigated immediately. They should all be made to explain the sources of the funds and why they were sharing them for themselves when we have a presidential or general election on our hands.
In fact, those who can give good reasons should be exonerated and those who cannot be used as scapegoats to avoid future occurrences of such monumental fraud. The money raised in the purchase of forms is not expected to be wasted or stolen by individuals when there are huge financial needs ahead of us.
As a legitimate member of the PDP who participated in the emergence of this Ayu-led National Working Committee, I am calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come and investigate this monumental fraud in our party. A political party that wants to lead Nigeria must first sanitize itself. Some of us will not want to quit PDP but cannot be looking or downplaying corruption of such magnitude that is pulling down the roof of our party in the name of in-house matter.
I strongly believe that Nigerians are watching EFCC. If the Nigerian money security body refuses to act in the best interest of everyone, it would be considered a toothless bulldog that is only being used to oppress those who cannot buy themselves over from them and who seems not to be a slave to the Buhari led Federal Government. EFCC must act now.
Engr. Dr. Michael Enahoro, a PDP chieftain sent this piece from Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria