Corruption: UK Paper Hammers Buhari Ahead Of Visit

A British newspaper this morning questioned President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption credentials.

The Mail Online said President Buhari who is typecast as the People’s President may be waging a war against corruption but that his critics have described the war as a witch hunt.

The paper said Buhari sends his daughter to a £26,000-a-year English school and that in April the opposition PDP party unearthed a ticket stub showing Hanan, 16, had flown first-class from London to Nigeria, despite her father’s ban on officials using premium travel.

The report quoted a Nigerian newspaper alleging Buhari had spent £150,000 on educating his daughter Zahra, a Surrey University student.

The paper also reported Buhari’s failure to give a full account of his worth, and that even his partial admission included more than £1million in the bank, five houses and two plots of land.

The publication comes 72 hours before President Buhari’s scheduled arrival in London for a world anti-corruption summit, to be hosted by UK’s prime minister, David Cameron. In his company, will be the attorney-general, Abubakar Malami and EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu.

But to the Mail Online, “The presence of Nigeria’s president at David Cameron’s anti-corruption summit this week may surprise many in his nation – which receives vast amounts of UK aid.

“Self-proclaimed ‘People’s President’ Muhammadu Buhari began a war on corruption after taking power last year, but critics allege it is a political witch-hunt.

“The Government is giving nearly £250million in the coming year to oil-rich Nigeria..

“Supporters say 49 arrests of members of the previous regime show the anti-corruption war is genuine, but opponents say it is politically driven.

“Nigeria has the highest-paid government officials in the world but is one of the largest beneficiaries of UK foreign aid.

“The president of its senate, Bukola Saraki, is due to face trial on corruption charges after it emerged he has a £6million London property in his wife’s name.

“The Nigerian Embassy did not comment”, it said.

Source: PMNEWS