Looters List: ‘Sign Of APC Desperation, Getting N12.5b From Nobody And Nowhere Is Unbelievable’ – Sen. Jang
The Oasis Reporters
April 6, 2018
Former governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang has reacted to the list of looters recently released by the Federal Government saying he is not a thief.
He said on Wednesday that the leadership of All Progressives Congress should tell Nigerians how they sourced for their campaign funds in the 2015 general elections and whether they got it from trees.
Jang has described the allegation that he got N12.5bn as “laughable on preliminary evaluation, and pathetic when considered on the scales of truth and reality”.
Former governor Jang, who now represents Plateau North in Nigeria’s upper legislative chambers, signed the statement personally and wondered how the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed could have so transformed from his days of activism in the National Democratic Coalition into someone peddling falsehood.
He said, “I know Lai Mohammed in our National Democratic Coalition days when we fought for the return of democratic rule to the country putting an end to military dictatorship. I know him to always stand for the truth. Alas, I can finally say that he is not that same person these days.
“In Nigeria today, it would seem that once you join the APC, you become baptized into the order of lies, falsehood, deception, and propaganda. Nevertheless, Lai Mohammed must make amends by recanting the phantom allegations he made against my good person within a reasonable timeframe or face the consequence of his indiscretion in the foreseeable future.
“The so-called list of looters is a testament to the desperation which holds the APC in its firm grip after what is now certainly an infamous cameo in power considered by many to be tragic and regrettable.
“For all those who were on the list, sources of the funds allegedly looted were stated, but in my case, there was none. How possible is it for me to have gotten N12.5 billion just like that from nobody and nowhere? Unlike Lai Mohammed and the Federal Government, I know without any shadow of doubt, that to be a looter, one must have stolen or taken something by force.
“If their allegation is anything to go by, it falls short of the lowest standards of believability; otherwise, they would have noticed that the allegation of getting N12.5 billion from an unknown source isn’t the same as looting the said amount.
Before going to the Senate, I was Governor of Plateau State from 2007-2015. For eight years, I did my best for my people. The landmark achievements recorded within that period remain unmatched till date. They are a legacy of diligence, service, and accountability in governance.
“A computation of the value of the projects we executed throughout the 17 Local Government Areas of the State reveals a massive gulf of inequality between the insufficient resources we got as subvention and internally generated revenue, and the ambitious strides we were able to accomplish.”
According to him, former President Goodluck Jonathan was unable to commission half of the projects done by him, while moving through Plateau State by helicopter, adding that before the day was over, “he (Jonathan) couldn’t hold back his amazement at what he saw, wondering where we got funds considering what comes to us from the federation account.”
Plateau State is in North Central Nigeria.
