IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI DECORATING THE CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF,
MAJ.-GEN. TUKUR BURATAI WITH HIS NEW RANK CAP OF LT.-GEN, AT THE
PRESIDENTIAL VILLA IN ABUJA

 Bolaji Tunji

(Nigeria on my MIND)

Recently there was a revelation that the Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) General Tukur Buratai owned two properties in Dubai. This revelation would not have made any news if not for the fact that the COAS was an appointee of President Mohammadu Buhari, who has continued to wage a virulent war against corruption.

Not only that, it was an opportunity for Nigerians to see what would be the reaction of the federal government and by extension, President Buhari, to the allegation. Would the president overlook the allegation and confirm what a lot of people have always accused his administration of, that its war against corruption is tilted against the opposition. Reason for the accusation against the president and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is in the manner it has ignored all the petitions and allegations of corruption leveled against members of the president’s cabinet, some of who had served as state governors.
Today and understandably, most of the people facing corruption charges are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Prominent Nigerians have spoken against the lopsided investigation and prosecution of opposition figures as it was giving the President Buhari administration a bad name. A few apologists or hailers of the administration (as supporters of the present administration are called) have tried to justify the present action as being only a probe of what became of the arms fund and was not really a blanket probe of the past administration,  but most Nigerians are still largely unconvinced.
Back to the COAS, the army command immediately issued a statement to explain away the acquisition thus: “It is a fact that the Buratai family has two properties in Dubai that were paid for on installments through personal savings three years ago. This, along with other personal assets, has consistently been declared by General Buratai in his Assets Declaration Form as Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force and as Chief of Army Staff…
“In addition, Gen. Buratai was never near either (the) Defense Headquarters or Army Headquarters in 2013. It is pertinent to also note that he was never a Director of procurement in Army Head­quarters as alleged. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian Army never had a Directorate of Procurement till he established one last year when he became Chief of Army Staff”.

The federal government has equally cleared the army chief of any wrong doings as, investigation has shown that the Dubai investments were based on capital market principles of shareholding. In spite of the attempt to explain away the property acquisitions, a lot do not add up. People have asked how the army chief was able to save enough money to acquire the property. Some people even went out of their way to calculate the earnings of Gen. Buratai, based on current salary scale, since he joined the Nigerian Army and came with the verdict that there was no way the General could have acquired the property through personal savings as explained by the army high command. The apparent contradiction between what the army said and the explanation of the federal government is also too glaring to be ignored.
The army never said the property do not belong to Gen Buratai. It said the property was his and his family’s and had always been declared in his assets declaration forms. This was contrary to the federal government’s statement that the General was only a shareholder in the ownership of the property. The contradiction only goes to show that the explanation was just being put together as the issue was breaking. That only happens when there are hidden or half truth in a narrative.

Few days later, Sahara reporters equally came out with documents showing that the army chief made arrangement for the second property a few days after his appointment. He was alleged to have used fronts for these transactions. With the above, one would have expected a more thorough investigation into the affairs of the army chief if one would not believe what is being said about the anti-corruption crusade of the administration that it is selective.  But this does not seem to be the case. A clean bill of health has been given to the army chief as nobody is talking about the matter again. It is pertinent that the government revisits and does a more thorough investigation in order not to give the impression that there is a cover up somewhere. This should also include investigations into the different petitions against members of the cabinet. It is only when these are done and examples made that people would wholeheartedly accept that the anti-corruption war is an all encompassing.

Courtesy: Daily Sun, Ngr.