Corruption: Mugabe Did Not Denigrate Nigeria More Than Jonathan And His Cohorts – CNPP

GEJ-MugabeDespite the protest by the Federal Government to sweeping allegations of corruption leveled against Nigerians by Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to look inward and address the message rather than castigating the messenger.

The National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Mr. Osita Okechukwu said in a statement issued Fiday in Abuja that, whereas, President Mugabe is not the moral compass or the credible messenger, however, President Jonathan should not throw away the baby with the bath water.

The CNPP recalled that, “penultimate week Mugabe while addressing his people said, ‘Are we now like Nigeria where you have to reach into your pocket to get anything done. You see, we used to go to Nigeria and every time we went there, we had to carry extra cash in our pockets to corruptly pay for everything. You get in a plane in Nigeria and you sit there and the crew keep dilly dallying without taking off as they wait for you to pay them to fly the plane’.

Mr. Okechukwu said “the CNPP is at a loss why Jonathan instead of introspection and deep reflection on the statement made by Mugabe, directed the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoihbi to issue a vitriolic query via Head of Zimbabwean Chancery, Ambassador Stanley Kunjeku to Mugabe”.

According to the CNPP spokesperson, “it is our considered view that Mugabe did not denigrate Nigeria more than Jonathan and his cohorts who have scant regard to transparency and accountability. Jonathan did not start corruption in Nigeria, but we are horrified to observe the shoeless boy dinning with robber barons and hence abandoning his core constituency of millions of shoeless Nigerian youths.

“On the last count of monumental corruption under Jonathan’s watch is the astronomical rise of fuel subsidy from less than N1 trillion in 2010 to N2.6 trillionin 2011, the purchase of two bullet proof cars at N255 million, the daily expenditure of N700 million on Kerosene subsidy, the missing $20 billion crude oil revenue and bare extortion of unemployed youths of over N700 million.

“As long as Jonathan’s regime continues with the inchoate and nebulous economic policy that government has no business in business, share the money and wait for the Chinese, Dangote and the private sector to invest in critical infrastructure, so long will the world view Nigeria with Mugabe’s mirror.

“In sum, we cannot in all honesty throw away the messenger and the message, as it is also height of corruption for Jonathan’s regime to shamelessly boast of economic growth in the midst of extreme poverty and gross unemployment”.