Former governors, ministers, businessmen, public servants and bankers stole approximately N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013 in the country, minister for information and culture, Lai Mohammed said on Monday.
He said the embezzlement of the funds, an amount that is more than a quarter of the 2015 national budget, was carried out by 55 five persons.
Mohammed revealed this at a press conference in Abuja organised to mark the beginning of the National Sensitization Campaign Against Corruption.
Without being specific about the identities of the perpetrators of the alleged crime, Mohammed said, “Out of the stolen funds, 15 former Governors allegedly stole 146.84 billion naira; 4 former Ministers allegedly stole 7 billion naira; 12 former Public Servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over 14 billion Naira; 8 people in the Banking Industry allegedly stole 524 billion naira; while 11 businessmen allegedly stole 653 billion naira.
“Using World Bank Rates and Costs, one third of the stolen funds could have provided 635.18 kilometres of road; built 36 ultra modern hospitals, that is one ultra modern hospital per state; built 183 schools; educated 3,974 children from primary to tertiary level at 25.24 million per child; and built 20,062 units of 2-bedroom houses. This is the money that a few people, just 55 in number, allegedly stole within a period of just eight years. And instead of a national outrage, all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the Government is fighting only the opposition, or that the government is engaging in vendetta,” he said.
Commenting on the issue of the 2.1 billion-dollar arms deal, the Minister said irrespective of what anyone might say, there is no doubt that funds meant to fight terrorism were deployed to another ‘fight’, the fight to keep then President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the PDP, in power at all cost.
