President Buhari’s new book, The challenges of leadership in Nigeria , written by Prof. John Paden was presented to the public on Monday.
The President it seems, is in possession of some letters written by former President Goodluck Jonathan to request “off-budget funds. ” This is contained in Buhari’s authorized biography written in the book.
The word ‘ off-budget fund’ means funds not provided for or included in the regular Federal government budget; funded by sources other than the Federal budget.
Buhari ‘s administration, which has been fighting against corruption through the Economic and financial crimes commission, had arrested and interrogated many of Jonathan’s former ministers and aides for alleged diversion of funds.
It is believed that most of the former Government officials who were taken into custody would not have spent the funds in question without authorisation from the ex-president.
The author of the book captured the travails of the former office holders in Goodluck’s administration in chapter 20 of the book, which is titled ‘Corruption and Law in military procurement. ”
Under the subheading; The role of PDP leaders in the diversion of funds’, Paden said although the letters written by the former president were in Buhari’s possession, the president’s purpose of waging the corruption war was not to jail the former top government officials rather, to retrieve stolen funds.
He said the stability of the nation’s political system seemed to be at stake if the EFCC should go after Jonathan or any former president
He however, said such former leaders could trade their knowledge for immunity and help the government identify sources of corruption.
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