Politics
95% of Late President Buhari’s Ministers Should Be In Jail, Says APC Chieftain
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Alwan Hassan, has alleged that the majority of ministers who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari should be facing imprisonment over alleged corruption and abuse of office.
Hassan claimed that “95 per cent” of ministers who served during Buhari’s eight-year administration between 2015 and 2023 presided over a period of unchecked power and weak oversight.
He made the allegation on Tuesday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Reacting to increasing scrutiny of some former Buhari-era officials, including ex-Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, Hassan said the lack of supervision from the presidency created room for excesses.
“95 per cent of the ministers under Buhari should be in jail by now,” he said.
“There has never been a time when ministers got free hands without supervision like Buhari’s eight years in office,” Hassan added.
He recalled that Buhari himself once cautioned his ministers to keep their records, suggesting they might one day be called upon to account for their actions.
“You’ve heard what people are saying. The former president even told them to keep their documents ready because there will come a day when they’ll be asked to explain themselves. Maybe he has seen what they are doing,” he stated.
‘Only a few good men’
While insisting that corruption was widespread during the period, Hassan acknowledged that not all officials were culpable.
“Those good men around those years are the five per cent. There are a few good people, very few good men around,” he said.
He blamed the situation on what he described as a complete absence of oversight.
“There has never been a time when government budgets were 100 per cent released without interference by the presidency like Buhari’s time.
Ministers were given free rein. They did what they wanted,” Hassan alleged.
According to him, access to the president determined influence in government.
“Everyone was his own cabal. If you got the chance to meet Buhari and explain things, you became a cabal,” he said.
Hassan further described the Buhari years as a “free-for-all,” claiming that ministers operated independently with little accountability.
“The nation was at peace. People were doing what they wanted. If you were appointed under Buhari, your job was largely abdicated to you. There was no supervision,” he said.
Tinubu’s government ‘not business as usual’
The APC chieftain contrasted the Buhari era with the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, which he described as more hands-on and tightly controlled.
“This government is hands-on. If you’re talking about government finance, it’s Asiwaju. Everyone knows this,” Hassan said.
He claimed that even contractors were feeling the impact of stricter financial control.
“Contractors like me are still shouting about unpaid sums. He is careful; he knows his priorities. It is not business as usual,” he added.
Ex-ministers under probe
Hassan’s comments come amid heightened scrutiny of officials who served under Buhari, with several facing investigations and charges over alleged corruption and financial misconduct.
Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, is being investigated over alleged mismanagement of funds meant for social intervention programmes.
Saleh Mamman, a former Minister of Power, is accused of involvement in a money-laundering scheme, while ex-Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, is facing charges linked to the controversial Nigeria Air project and other aviation contracts.
Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, is also under investigation for alleged financial misconduct.
Similarly, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, is facing multiple charges bordering on the alleged mismanagement of public funds.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday alleged that the rising wave of terrorist attacks across Nigeria is a coordinated attempt to distract President Bola Tinubu from implementing his reforms.
Akpabio made the claim during his goodwill message at the commissioning of the Nigeria Revenue Service headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Senate President suggested that the violence is politically driven and could subside after the next election cycle.
“Believe me, Mr President, two weeks after you win the elections, the bomb blasts will stop. People are sponsoring it to distract you from your work.
“You’re doing so well despite the gang up on your administration,” he said.
Akpabio’s comments came barely 24 hours after President Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and a visiting French general at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Sources familiar with the meeting said it formed part of intensified collaboration to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
The engagement, which started around 2:00 pm on Monday, marked the President’s first official assignment after returning from Bayelsa State on Friday.
The meeting also followed Tinubu’s earlier announcement that France had agreed to provide military equipment and training to Nigerian forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.
The partnership is expected to bolster ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region.
Akpabio’s remarks come amid deteriorating security conditions nationwide, with a string of violent incidents recorded in recent days.
Among them was a controversial airstrike on Saturday by the Nigerian Air Force targeting suspected Boko Haram insurgents at Jilli market in Yobe State, near the Borno border.
The strike reportedly killed over 40 civilians, including children, according to Amnesty International, which cited survivors and hospital sources. Local reports, however, put the death toll as high as 200.
While the military defended the operation as a precision strike on a terrorist logistics hub, Amnesty International condemned it as a “reckless use of deadly force” and called for an independent investigation.
The Presidency also justified the operation, insisting that the location had been taken over by insurgents.
“The market was a legitimate military target because it has been turned into a logistics and trading hub by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists,” the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Civilian casualties raise concerns
Reports indicate that military air operations have led to significant civilian casualties in recent years, with at least 500 deaths recorded since 2017.
Analysts have attributed such incidents to lapses in intelligence gathering and coordination between ground forces and air operations.
The worsening security situation has also drawn international attention.
On April 8, the United States Department of State authorised the voluntary departure of non-essential staff and their families from its embassy in Abuja, citing security concerns.
The advisory also elevated 23 Nigerian states to a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” category, the highest risk classification, including Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba states.
The US cited threats from insurgents in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North-Central, and violence in parts of the South and South-East.
Visa services in Abuja have since been suspended, although the Lagos consulate continues to offer routine and emergency services.
Reacting, the Federal Government said the advisory was based on internal US protocols and did not reflect the overall security reality in Nigeria.
“While we acknowledge isolated security challenges in some areas, there is no general breakdown of law and order, and the vast majority of the country remains stable,” the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has conducted ward congresses in Ahoada East and Khana Local Government Areas of Rivers State to elect delegates for its primaries ahead of the February 21 House of Assembly bye-elections.
The congresses were organised to select delegates who will vote for the party’s candidates in the bye-elections for Ahoada East State Constituency II and Khana State Constituency II.
In Ahoada East State Constituency II, the exercise was monitored by the party’s congress and primary election committee, chaired by Shehu Dange, with Smart Iheanazor serving as secretary.
Members of the party’s appeal committee were also part of the monitoring team.
The committee toured the six wards in the constituency to observe the process and ensure strict compliance with the party’s guidelines.
Observers from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by the Assistant Electoral Officer in charge of Operations for the local government area, Okogbule Emilia, were present at the congress.
Security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force, were equally deployed to monitor the exercise and maintain order.
The congress was conducted peacefully across the wards, with party members participating in an orderly manner through a voice vote.
At the end of the exercise, five delegates emerged from each ward.
Similarly, the APC congress in Khana Local Government Area took place concurrently, with party officials supervising the selection of delegates in line with the party’s constitution.
The party’s delegate congress and primary election committee in the area was headed by Oyoala Peter.
INEC officials and security operatives from the DSS and the Nigeria Police Force were also present to observe the process.
As in Ahoada East, five delegates were elected from each ward in Khana State Constituency II.
The elected delegates from both constituencies are expected to participate in the APC primaries to determine the party’s candidates for the February 21 House of Assembly bye-elections in Ahoada East II and Khana II.
Party officials expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the congresses, describing the exercise as a crucial step towards the APC’s successful participation in the forthcoming polls.
The Ahoada East II seat became vacant following the resignation of its former occupant, Edison Ehie, who was appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Khana II seat, on the other hand, has remained vacant since the death of its lawmaker, Dinebari Loolo, in September 2023.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday, January 5, 2026, reshuffled his cabinet, relieving the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo, of her appointment with immediate effect.
The development was contained in a statement issued in Ibadan, the state capital, by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju.
Following Adeyemo’s removal, the governor appointed Prof Musibau Babatunde as the new Secretary to the State Government.
The statement, however, did not disclose the reasons behind the change, but noted that the decision takes immediate effect.
As part of the cabinet reshuffle, Governor Makinde also approved the redeployment of Mrs Temilolu Ashamu from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
Ashamu’s redeployment is expected to strengthen planning and fiscal coordination in the state, according to government sources.
In another key decision, the governor announced his Senior Special Assistant on Public Works, Mr Ademola Aderinto, as a commissioner-designate.
Aderinto will be presented to the Oyo State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.
Makinde also made fresh appointments to strengthen his administration.
He appointed Mr Abiodun Adedoja as Special Adviser on Energy Security, while Mr Kolawole Elijah Akanmu was named Senior Special Assistant on Budget and Economic Planning.
The latest shake-up comes as part of ongoing efforts by the governor to reposition his cabinet for improved service delivery and effective governance in Oyo State.