Couple stranded in hospital months after child delivery

 Chinwe with the baby

Three months after Babatunde Williams’s wife, Chinwe, gave birth to a baby boy through a caesarean section; the couple has remained stranded in a private hospital in the Surulere area of Lagos State.

It was learnt that the hospital, Midas Touch Clinic, had stopped attending to the baby’s mother because the family had yet to pay about N500,000 bill incurred so far.

Our correspondent gathered that 30-year-old Chinwe, who hails from Imo State, had been on admission in the hospital since October 13, 2014.

It was learnt that after the caesarean section, the woman underwent another surgery when she continued to bleed days after the birth.

 

Rev4mation's World gathered that the hospital charged N300,000 for the two surgeries while charges for accommodation, nursing care, and discharge as of December 15, 2014 stood at N172,000.

The bills read in part, “As of October 10, 2014: Surgeries N300,000; discharge N32,000. As of November 28, 2014: Second discharge, N80,500; accommodation, N34,000 and nursing care, N25,500.”

Our correspondent learnt that the hospital, since last Saturday, stopped attending to the nursing mother when there was no sign that the bills would be settled.

Chinwe said, “As I speak with you, the wound in the aftermath of the operations is still there. I am so weak that I cannot breastfeed my baby. We used to buy baby milk for him, but we have resorted to giving him pap when we could no longer afford the milk.

“Families and friends have tried their best, but it seems they have given up on us because they are no longer coming. The doctor stopped treating me because of the debt that keeps increasing. All my capital as a trader is exhausted.”

Williams, an engineer, said he had been sacked by the company he was working for because caring for his wife took part of the company’s time. He added that Chinwe’s stomach swelled up after the surgeries.

He said, “He lost about six pints of blood, which I bought for N14,000 per pint. I am always with her to see how she fares. In fact, our first child sleeps with us here in the hospital. I lost my job when I did not show up in the office after 10 days. I am fed up. God have mercy on us.”

Williams added that although the hospital manager had been kind to him, he was now under pressure to pay the bill.

“The manager has really tried for us. But when he realised that his money was not forthcoming, he ordered his workers to stop treating her,” he added.

Speaking to PUNCH Metro on the telephone, the manager of the hospital, Dr. Tola Fasaye, said he ordered the nurses to stop treating the patient to hasten the payment.

Fasaye said he had done a lot to assist the couple, adding that he was cash-strapped.

He said “The patient was referred to this hospital when her condition was critical. We just had to save her life first even though her husband did not deposit a dime. After the caesarean section, we discovered that she had perforated uterus. Even the blood she used, I personally borrowed money to buy them before he (Williams) paid me back.

“I had to borrow money to pay the surgeons. I told nurses to stop the dressing of the wound because the husband is proving smart. I know he does not have money, but he should go out and look for money to pay the bills.

“I owe my staff salaries and I need to pay them. But now, on humanitarian ground, I will tell my staff to dress her wound.”

’ll break re-election jinx in Oyo – Ajimobi

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, in this interview with journalists, speaks about the oncoming governorship election and the chances of his party, reports TUNDE ODESOLA

In a few weeks’ time, the governorship elections will hold and you are competing against four major contenders. What makes you think you will win?

Like in all contests, we are many that are contesting but the beauty of it is that some of us already have track records that people can make reference to. Of the so-called five prominent contenders, we have three that have been in public service. Of those three, we have two that have been governors before and we have one that has been a senator and a senate leader.

I think when you look at each of our track records, you can safely say that the assessment of each of us is easier than someone who has never been in public service and I believe that the records of the former governors are there to compare with mine. And when you look at their records in the areas of physical infrastructure, peace, security and safety, which I consider to be the foundation of any meaningful development in any state or nation, you will discover that we stand out.

The government of the All Progressives Congress headed by me is synonymous with peace and security. You will see that in the last few years before we came in, Oyo was considered to be unsafe but today, the records as published by the police confirmed that Oyo State is more peaceful. Apart from this, we have established agencies that support the security agencies such as the ‘Operation Boss,’ where we have been able to bring together all security agencies – the Police, Army, Department of State Service, Immigration, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and equipped them to ensure that Oyo is safe.

So, the foundation of our administration is safety and security of lives and property. And comparatively, we are far ahead in this area than any of the previous governments and the statistics are there. Prior to 2011, murder cases reported were 24. In Oyo State in the last three years, it has reduced to about four while armed robbery which was 48 has reduced to less than five. So the statistics show that Oyo State is one of the safest in Nigeria. For example, before we came in, Asejire dam and Eleyele waterworks were all producing at less than 10 per cent capacity.

Today, they are producing at 82 per cent which has translated into more water for the people. We have repaired and rehabilitated many waterworks: Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa, Oyo and others. So, in terms of the provision of water, we have done better than others. In the area of education, we have recently recruited 5,300 teachers which is unprecedented in Oyo State.

The Ministry of Finance says 2015 will be tough going by dwindling oil prices. How will your government cope with this reality?

Bayelsa State has 700,000 people and the state gets an average of about N20bn a month. So, right from the beginning, we have been at a disadvantage. In the last one year, we’ve been getting an average of about N3bn. Recently, we even got N2.8bn. Every month, we have a deficit of about N2bn or let me say an average of N1.5bn. How are we coping? Or how do we hope to cope? That is why it is essential for any government to provide an attractive environment for investors to come in. When you bring in investors to your state, then you will be able to tax and have tax gains from these investors. Not only taxation but you will also create commercial activities that will provide more employment for people. It has a multiplier effect when you are employing people and when you have investors coming into your state and businesses are developing. So, what we are saying simply is that our approach is to create, first and foremost, a safe and secure environment that will encourage people to come.

Two, we must provide physical infrastructure that will attract people to the state. Once there are infrastructure, good roads, water, electricity and peace, people will come in and once you bring them in, you have more people working but above all, today, as I speak to you, we have brought in at least, eight big international companies to Oyo State because Oyo state is now peaceful, because the infrastructure is improving, because the environment is aesthetically attractive.

The largest edible oil company in Nigeria is here in Oyo State. It just came about a few months ago. The largest soya bean and milk manufacturer in Nigeria is here in Oyo State. We brought them in during our time. The largest producer of bread in the whole of Africa is here in Oyo State. The largest ICT provider in Nigeria is now in Oyo State. We can go on and on.

The largest producer of powder milk is now in Nigeria, Kama milk. And then of course, the largest Shoprite in Nigeria is now on Ring Road. So, we are bringing in investors. The more of these companies that we have, the more opportunities of increasing our Internally Generated Revenue which I believe will go up with all these companies coming in. Also, we now have what is called Agodi Gardens which is an income-generating park, where we have international conference centres, health farms, recreational facilities like amusement parks, we have hotels. It is a centre that will develop like that of South Africa and we brought a South African company to partner with Nigerians to do it for us.

But let me now add something interesting. Do you know that we are the only government that pays 13th month salary since the creation of Oyo State? We also ensured that most of our contractors are competent and financially capable because sometimes they accuse us of not using local contractors. About 80 per cent of the jobs we give out are done by local contractors and I can name them. The major big jobs, however, are given to those who can finance the jobs so we pay them 30 per cent and when they finish, we pay within 18 months. So, we are restructuring our finances through increased IGR, through PPP and through third party participation.

There is an allegation that your government has concentrated development only in the capital, Ibadan, and neglected other zones like Oke Ogun.

I think it is just politics when people say that. This government has developed more zones than any other government before us. One, there is no government that has constructed dual carriageways into our major cities than this government. When we came in, for the first time, the government constructed a dual carriage entry into Ibadan which is the Challenge axis and the road to the Adelabu Market. What we are doing is to network our road system. Ogbomosho roads were not dual carriageways until we came. We built a modern town hall for Ogbomosho. Iseyin is the entry point into Oke Ogun. This administration, for the first time, built dual carriageways in the town.

The best National Youth Service Corps camp in Nigeria was built by us in Iseyin, Oke Ogun. Then, in education, all satellite campuses have been upgraded to a full-fledged polytechnic, and, you know, education has a multiplier effect on development.

There are cities and towns in the United States known as university towns which attract development once they are built. So, when you talk of Oke Ogun, we have done that; we’ve built roads and schools. We have about 15 roads some of which include: Saki, Otu Alaga Road in Itesiwaju, we have Ogboro-Saki Road in Saki-West, there’s Town Hall Road in Saki. We have just awarded the contract for the construction of a dual carriageway along Saki-Polytechnic road in Saki.

In Oke Ogun, more than anyone else, we have developed their roads. We have done dual carriageways, water works and radio station at Ibara. So, I want to know which other government has developed these zones. I challenge anybody to tell me who has developed these areas like us.

What is your assessment of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s preparation in view of the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards?

I think everybody knows that INEC has not performed creditably. INEC is a reflection of the Nigerian situation. It is like electricity and water; you hardly see any institution that is performing well. They are trying their best but it is not good enough. You can’t give them more that 50 per cent pass mark.

But doesn’t this pose a serious threat to your re-election bid given the fact that these people have some electoral value and have teamed up with your fiercest rivals?

I think if we begin to assess, to you, the outsider, it might seem like a serious threat but it is not a threat to us. When they came, who did they bring? Also, when they left, who did they take? As far as we are concerned, elections are coming and we will see the result. I don’t see them as a threat at all.

In Oyo State, no governor has ever won a second term in office. Are you not jittery of this jinx?

No. There is no jinx. Since Nigeria was created, no Jonathan ever became President but today, a Jonathan is President. Since I was born, no one ever became a governor in my family but I became the governor. I don’t believe there is any jinx. I think it was Chief Dejo Raimi that said governors don’t do two terms in Oyo State and that is why we are not developing, our development is not consistent. Lagos State is doing well today because there has been consistency of good governance. And I honestly believe I will break the so-called jinx. Oyo State people are seeing what we have done and they are seeing through the propaganda.

Are you afraid that the elections might be rigged?

The only thing that we are competing against is rigging. I honestly believe that the major party that is our contender has been divided into four. I have participated in elections three times in Oyo State. I won three and was denied one and I challenged the one that I was denied in court. In the contentious election, the result showed that the number of votes were more than the number of voters. So, what we are saying is if INEC provides a level playing field, I believe that we will win. I believe that I will win because I have analysed those competing with me. For instance, one of them, a former governor, returned N500m to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The money he refunded is what we are using to build new schools. It is only in Nigeria that people with questionable character, people that have been accused and have not cleared their names, people that have cases with security agencies still have the audacity to campaign. But this is Nigeria where anything is possible. So, on the issue of defection, many of them are joining us, people with huge supporters. When I was in the Senate, I wasn’t a senate leader but I passed four bills. We need competent people; governance is not a tea party. Oyo State indigenes are wiser. In agriculture, we bought more than 430 tractors and graders; no one has done it before. Now we have graders grading rural areas instead of getting contractors. We employed over 20,000 youths.

World Bank seeks more investments in Nigeria, others

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim

The World Bank Group has asked Nigeria and other developing countries to ensure the growth of the private sector investments this year.

It said that following another disappointing year in 2014, developing countries should see an uptick in growth this year by removing any unnecessary roadblocks to private sector investments.

According to the World Bank Group’s Global Economic Prospects report released on Tuesday, soft oil prices, stronger United States economy, continued low global interest rates, and receding domestic headwinds in several large emerging markets should boost growth in developing countries this year.

After growing by an estimated 2.6 per cent in 2014, the global economy is projected to expand by three per cent this year, 3.3 per cent in 2016 and 3.2 per cent in 2017, the bank’s twice-yearly flagship report predicts.

 

Developing countries grew by 4.4 per cent in 2014 and are expected to edge up to 4.8 per cent in 2015, strengthening to 5.3 and 5.4 per cent in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The report quoted the World Bank Group’s President, Mr. Jim Yong Kim, as saying, “In this uncertain economic environment, developing countries need to judiciously deploy their resources to support social programmes with a laser-like focus on the poor and undertake structural reforms that invest in people.

“It is also critical for countries to remove any unnecessary roadblocks for private sector investment. The private sector is by far the greatest source of jobs and that can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

The naira eased against the dollar on Tuesday despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s selling of more dollars on Monday at its forex auction, due to strong demand for the greenback, dealers said.

The central bank sold $249m at N168 to the dollar, at its twice-weekly auction on Monday, dealers said higher than the $200m it earlier offered. The bank has been selling the dollar at N168 since after it devalued the currency. But the interbank market has traded lower.

The naira, which opened at 182 to the dollar, hit 184.50 shortly after the interbank market opened. The naira closed at 181.20 to the greenback on Monday.

On Tuesday, however, the naira closed at 183.70 to the dollar at the interbank market.

The CBN had on Monday asked commercial banks to hold 0.1 per cent of their shareholders’ funds in foreign currency, reversing a directive enforced last month to stop lenders from dealing in hard currency on their account.

The move was intended to curb speculation in the naira, which has been hit hard in the past few months by falling oil prices.

“The market re-opened two-way quotes today with the central bank allowing banks to hold some dollars against their position, (but) there was no liquidity,” one dealer told Reuters.

The central bank devalued the naira two months ago, and in December tightened trading rules to try to curb speculation against the currency, slowing trading to a trickle.

The devaluation of its target band by eight per cent to N160-N176 against the dollar was meant to halt the slide in foreign reserves. But the naira has traded well outside that band, and reserves are still falling.

Budget: Reps suggest $40-$45 oil benchmark

 Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

Some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday suggested that the crude oil benchmark price for the 2015 budget should be between $40 and $45.

However, they were hesitant to elaborate on the issue as they reasoned that this was a difficult time to make realistic projections on the price of crude.

The members spoke as the House rescheduled the debate on the budget for Wednesday (today).

President Goodluck Jonathan had proposed $65 per barrel as the oil benchmark for the N4.3tn budget proposals he sent to the National Assembly on December 17, 2014.

The $65 was a drop from the $78 the Federal Government initially proposed for the budget in the first Medium Term Expenditure Framework it submitted to the National Assembly for 2015-2017.

Between the date of the submission of the proposals and now, global oil prices have further crashed to around $46, heightening tension in the country because of its almost total dependence on crude oil export for government revenue.

As a result of the slump in oil prices, attention has been shifted to the National Assembly, especially on the possible benchmark the lawmakers will base the budget on.

Members of the House, who spoke with our correspondent ahead of today’s (Wednesday) debate, suggested $40 to $45 as the benchmark.

A number of the lawmakers chose to speak off the record on the grounds that the issue was a really difficult one to comment on authoritatively right now.

But, Mr. Eddie Mbadiwe, a member from Imo State, said he would go for $40.

Mbadiwe said he did not see the oil price settling at $45 or $46, adding that it could “go down further.”

“We are nearing the end of winter, meaning that the demand for fuel for heating will fall more. For me, $40 will be ideal; the price will possibly drop down from $46 and may stop somewhere before $40,” he added.

Several lawmakers also suggested $40, saying that they were likely to go with a similar proposal made by some senators.

On his part, a member from Rivers State, Mr. Adrew Uchendu, proposed $45.

When reminded that the price of oil was already in the neighbourhood of $45, Uchendu said $45 would stop the government from misusing any excess that would have accrued from $40.

He said, “I would have said $40, but I won’t do so. My reason is simple. Government will play around with any excess from $40. So, I go for $45; in that way, there will be little to play around with.

“Past experiences have taught us a lot of lessons.”

A member from Plateau State, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, said there was no guarantee that either $40 or $45 was realistic.

“Nothing is certain for now. You can pass any figure but it is not a guarantee that the price will not fall further. We can also not deny the fact that oil will climb back to over $100 in another few weeks from today. So, for me, whether you say $40, $45, $65 or $70, there is no guarantee that it will be so,” he added.

Efforts by our correspondent to get the views of the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. John Enoh, and his counterpart in Finance, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, failed on Tuesday.

The two members made brief appearances in the chamber but hurriedly left before the close of sitting.

Repeated calls to their mobile telephone lines were not answered, neither were text messages replied.

The House had initially tabled the budget proposal for debate on Tuesday (yesterday), but suddenly rescheduled it for today.

When the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, called on the Majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, to open the debate, she made excuses that enough copies had not been circulated to members yet.

As a result, Tambuwal rescheduled the debate for today (Wednesday) to allow all the members to get their copies of the budget.

B’Haram captures another Borno town, Cameroon kills 143 terrorists

Boko Haram sect

The Boko Haram sect has attacked another town, Askira in Borno State, some fleeing residents of the town told journalists in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

According to one of the residents of the town, Yusuf Mohammed, who fled to Maiduguri, the insurgents attacked the town in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles at about 3.35 pm on Monday.

He said the terrorists, who were armed with Improvised Explosive Devices and petrol-bombs, torched several public buildings, including a secondary school, the Divisional Police Station and telecom masts.

Mohammed, who arrived Maiduguri on Tuesday morning in a pickup van with some other passengers, said, “As we were about to depart the motor park yesterday (Monday) afternoon, we saw some insurgents chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great) in Arabic.

“They burnt down a school in the town. They did not stop there they proceeded to the police station and a health centre and threw IEDs at the buildings.”

The residents of the town who, he said, were shocked, fled into the bush and nearby communities.

Inuwa said their vehicles were mounted with Rapid Propelled Grenades and they shot sporadically and chanted Allahu Akbar (God is great, in Arabic).

He narrated that he had to flee along with six passengers in the taxi to Maiduguri through Mbalala-Chibok Road.

On casualties, he said, “I cannot give you the number of casualities but we saw some bodies on the road, while we were fleeing towards Mbalala.”

Askira is a predominantly farming community bordering Adamawa State, and 252 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the birthplace of the Boko Haram insurgency.

A police source told our correspondent that there was a report of insurgents’ attacks on one of the towns in Southern Borno Senatorial District.

He said, “I cannot give you the casualty figure, but some public buildings were burnt, including our station in Askira town, 60 kilometres west of Uba near Mubi town in Adamawa State.”

Meanwhile, about 143 Boko Haram fighters were reportedly killed in an attack on a military camp in Cameroon on Monday.

The Cameroonian Minister of Communications, Issa Bakary, who said this in a statement on Monday, added that it was the heaviest loss sustained by the Boko Haram sect in the country.

He said, “The terrorists lost 143 members and important warfare equipment made up of assault rifles of various brands, heavy weapons and bullets of all calibres.

“On the Cameroon side, we lost one life, Corporal-Chef Bela Onana, while four other soldiers were wounded.”

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the toll from the fighting near the northern town of Kolofata.

Buhari had his chance but failed, says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) had his chance as military head of state but failed to transform the country.

Jonathan therefore asked Nigerians not to allow Buhari to come back to power by stopping him from winning the February 14 presidential election.

The President, who spoke in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, at the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party said that Buhari would unleash more hardship and unnecessary punishment on Nigerians if he won the poll.

He said Buhari had the opportunity to ensure an effective mass transit system in the country but he did not do anything about it.

He said, “We have done reasonably well despite the challenges before us. All of you saw the train that just passed through this place now. We promised to resuscitate railway and we did it. All of you saw the train; we can even end the campaign with that.

“Those who have the opportunity to do it but did not do anything about it and they want to come back now. Don’t allow them. Mass transit cannot work by using small buses, you need train which will be cheaper.”

The President said that his administration was planning the railway line that would link Lagos State with the eastern part of the nation to make transportation of people and goods safer and cheaper.

Jonathan said that the Federal Government was also working on Ilesa Dam and Ife Dam and that he would do more if he given the opportunity to steer the ship of the nation for another four years.

He thanked the people of Osun State for the support they showed him in the 2011 presidential election while asking the people to show him and the PDP candidates much more support in the 2015 poll.

While further enumerating the achievements of his administration, he said that higher institutions in the state and in other states had been equipped through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

The President said that his administration had been working hard to tackle the problem of insecurity created by the insurgents, saying the problem would soon be over.

“We will win the war against terror very soon; terror cannot continue forever. In the next administration terror attacks will be minimal.” he said.

Jonathan failed, not his generation – Fashola

Governor Babatunde Fashola

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday said President Goodluck Jonathan’s comment that his generation had failed Nigerians was personal to him.

He told the President to accept responsibility for his failure to address the challenges confronting the nation.

Fashola spoke at a town hall meeting organised by the State Ministry of Transportation which had transport unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers’ in attendance.

The governor said the president should summon courage and own up to his government’s failures in the last six years rather than point accusing fingers to past leaders.

He said, “He (Jonathan) said his generation has failed; he should account for himself. I refuse to be part of the generation the President is referring to.

“He is in his 50s, I am also in my 50s. But I don’t want to join that generation because my own generation has not failed; I have done well on my job and I am proud to say so. If he has failed, let him account for himself, he should not include us.”

The governor said the issues that would form the basis of debate for the elections would be how well the citizens of the nation had fared under the present administration.

Fashola said he was pained about the situation in the North East region of the country where citizens had become refugees in their country due to the inability of the government to tame Boko Haram.

He said, “Instead of telling you how he plans to secure the nation, our president was telling you they tried to kill him four years ago and we did not know. That is a serious national security issue because nobody wants our Commander-in-Chief dead. If anybody tries to kill him, we should have known. And if I was Commander-in-Chief, and the person who tries to kill me is in a South African jail, I will ask that he should be repatriated to Nigeria to face punishment.”

Fashola accused President Jonathan of looking for sympathy to woo voters ahead of the presidential election.

Earlier, the heads of the transport unions present took turns to endorse the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was present at the occasion along with his deputy, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule.

Ambode assured the transport workers of his commitment to further growth of the transport sector if elected into office.

PDP loses nine senators to APC, others

Senator Barnabas Gemade

The outcome of last month’s Peoples Democratic Party primary election across the country has further led to depletion in the membership strength of the party in the upper chamber. This week, additional nine members of the PDP have defected to the opposition parties.

The affected senators are Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi Central); Bassey Otu (Cross River South); Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East); Mohammed Magoro ( Kebbi South); Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman ( Kogi Central); Helen Esuene (Akwa Ibom); and Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East ). Others are Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central) and Saidu Alkali (Gombe North).

Enang told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that he would campaign for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan but would work for the electoral victory of all candidates of his new party, the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming elections in Akwa Ibom State.

He said, “I am working for the APC to ensure that it wins governorship election down to any other position. I will only work for Jonathan for presidency.”

With the development, the membership of the PDP crashed to 64 in the red chamber which has a total number of 109 senators. The APC now has 41 members while other parties constitute the remaining five.

The defecting senators attributed their action to the aftermath of the PDP primary which they alleged was hijacked by the governors in collaboration with the national leadership of the party.

They dumped the PDP after being denied the party’s tickets to return to the Senate. The opposition parties had willingly accepted them and handed over the tickets to them.

Otu was denied the party’s ticket for a re-election in Cross River South which was given to Chief Geshom Bassey, the Chairman of the state Water Board.

Otu, however, settled down with the Labour Party where he had become the party’s candidate for the February 14 senatorial election for Cross River South.

Gemade lost the PDP ticket in his senatorial district to Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State and decided to join the APC, which had subsequently given him the ticket for the second term in the Senate.

Senator Mohammed Magoro representing Kebbi South on the platform of the PDP also joined his colleague, Senator Bagudu, of the APC.

Esuene, who was one of the aggrieved 22 governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State that rejected the outcome of the primary that handed the governorship party ticket to Emmanuel Udom, had also defected to the APC.

Abatemi-Usman, who lost the ticket to return on the platform of the PDP, has picked the ticket of the Progressive Peoples Party.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday said his administration probed the accounts of the Petroleum Trust Fund headed by the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and found nothing unpleasant.

Buhari headed the PTF, inaugurated in March 1995, under the regime of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha. The PTF was established to manage the fund accruable from the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise know as petrol, from N3.25 to N11.

The PTF was scrapped by Obasanjo on assumption of the Presidency in 1999. The ex-President also set up a committee to investigate the accounts of the PTF following allegations of N25bn fraud in the agency.

Obasanjo’s fresh revelation was made in Ogun State when Buhari and other national leaders of the APC visited the ex-President at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta.

On the Buhari’s entourage were the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; the party’s former interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; a former governor of Lagos State and a national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, and the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, among others.

Obasanjo said when he looked into the report submitted to him on the alleged fraud in the PTF he did not see anything incriminating concerning Buhari.

He said, “When you were going to become the manager of PTF. We talked about it and when you finished and I took over, we looked into it.

“I haven’t said this publicly, I would say it publicly now. When we looked into it, there was really nothing amiss except that that organisation went from road building to mosquito net-buying and all sorts of things.

“And what the investigation discovered is a bit of inconsistency in prices and all that. In one area, mosquito net might have been given for N50; in another, N45. And I then remarked that this is fishy. We should look into it.

“And I called my brother and colleague (Buhari), I said see this and he said ‘look we are managing billions of Naira and I tried to make sure I see everything.But I will not say that what they have said about this is correct or not correct. But I can assure you, I tried to see everything.’

“I said okay Muhammadu, between me, you and God, was there any personal benefit for you? And you said ‘no.’ I said that is the end of the matter.

“Although there was that investigation, its report was not of any material importance.”

Obasanjo asked Buhari and other presidential candidates to address the nagging issues of insecurity, economy and deficit in infrastructure.

He implored the presidential candidates to focus on issues rather than trivialities.

He said, “I hope people will face issues rather than trivialities. On occasions like this, issues are very important. And you have mentioned three areas which are demanding issues in Nigeria today.

“I will just beg all of you who are contesting to add one to it; you mentioned economy, you mentioned corruption, and you mentioned security.

“I will beg of you to add infrastructure. It’s very important. You may take it as part of economy but I will take infrastructure as special and give it special attention.”

While he described a political party as a microcosm of a nation, which would consist of near saints, devils, rapists, and armed robbers, Obasanjo warned that when the party wanted to go into government, it must look for men and women of integrity.

Speaking earlier, Buhari said he would tackle corruption while the resources would be used to address infrastructural deficit.

He said if elected, his administration would also give priority to security and fix the economy, stressing that Obasanjo had more experience than him and others in governance.

He said, “It’s a fact that you know more than all we know about the problem that we are in. But what we’ll do is try to convince you to believe us that we are going to do better.

“We have been going around three fundamental issues: security, economy, corruption. This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break.

“Because without security, there is no way the country can settle down not to talk of living in it. So many people, educated and uneducated, some said up to 60 per cent, will say Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder.

“We believe that if we are able to stop corruption, a lot of resources will be available to invest in infrastructure, get the factories to reopen, get jobs and get goods and services. So security, economy, in terms of employment, production, manufacturing, goods and services, and then agriculture will again be given impetus to employment.”