Oshiomhole: Diezani’s trial ‘a tip of the iceberg’

Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, has described the pending trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, as the beginning of the discovery of alleged atrocities committed by the past administration.

Oshiomhole, who has been very critical of the government of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, said until the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, he was only in “government and not in power”.

He was speaking with journalists at the presidential villa in Abuja after a meeting with Buhari on Tuesday.

“I’m the happiest person because I’ve been in government for seven years without being in power. I couldn’t call a commissioner of police and talk as a security officer. I was haunted by all manners of persons,” he said.

“You kill the snake in Edo, they will put the snake on life support and start harassing you.  All those venoms are dead and buried and I am excited not just for personal benefit, but for the changes.”

On the investigation of Diezani, he said: “I don’t think anybody should be surprised because the most favourable commentator on the Nigerian condition, both the economy, the polity and society, everybody agrees that our economy was badly managed over the past several years.

“I have not seen one commentator that disagrees. Even when they talk about rebasing, and so what? Have you rebased the level of poverty? Have you rebased prosperity? Have you rebased unemployment? Have you rebased homelessness? Have you rebased hunger?

“So, I have not seen anyone that says Nigerian people are doing better. I was only a spokesman of the National Economic Council. But in this country, when you speak out, all the arrows would be fashioned to attack.

“One of the things I learnt in life at the age of 17 when I got into the leadership of labour, is that the truth does not require supporters club. It can stand on its feet any day. You can hit it. You can kick it. You can bomb it, but you can’t destroy it.

“The truth is that a lot of money was stolen and what you are seeing is just a tip of the iceberg because when you imagine what accrued to Nigeria consistently from $140 (per barrel) averaging $108 over a long period of time and yet your treasury is empty and you were running a budget deficit.

“You were devoting 85 per cent of your budget for four consecutive years on recurrent; you were borrowing and you drew the entire pensions fund.”