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.