Saraki lied about donating N10m to victims of Offa bank robbery - Lai Mohammed
- Alhaji Lai Mohammed accused Bukola Saraki of lying to Kwara people
- The minister of information said Saraki did not donate money to Offa robbery victims as he claimed
- Mohammed said the people of Kwara are tired of Saraki
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has accused Senate president, Bukola Saraki of lying to victims of the Offa bank robbery by saying he donated N10 million to them when he did not.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, December 31 by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi, and made available to Legit.ng, the minister repeated his earlier warning against playing politics with the unfortunate incident, after Dr. Saraki said in a radio interview that he donated 10 million Naira when he visited Offa to commiserate with the people in the aftermath of the robbery, even when (he said) the amount that was stolen from the robbed banks' vaults was 7 million Naira.
READ ALSO: PDP governor says Atiku may lose 2019 presidential election
Alhaji Mohammed said that in the wake of his warning, the apparently embarrassing radio interview was hurriedly edited to remove all references to the Offa robbery and then re-aired across Kwara state.
He said: ''Instead of stopping at that, which in itself constitutes an acceptance of wrong-doing, Dr. Saraki went ahead to hurl insults at me, even when I have been largely restrained in issuing my earlier warning. Had I not been restrained, I would have gone ahead to divulge what actually transpired.
''For example, the claim by Dr. Saraki that he donated 10 million Naira to care for the victims of the Offa robbery is patently false.
He did not! The 10 million he referred to was donated when the Offa market got burnt, and it was made in Ilorin, not Offa. When Dr Saraki visited Offa to commiserate with the community in the aftermath of the robbery, he did not donate a dime! I challenge him to prove me wrong.
''But with politics in the air, the truth becomes the first casualty. Realizing that he goofed, Dr. Bukola apparently caused the radio interview in question to be edited to remove the donation reference, and then re-aired. Is it not an irony that the people who engaged in this egregious act of dishonesty are the same ones calling others names?''.
PAY ATTENTION: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda
He said he will continue to steer the debate on the political developments in Kwara State to issues rather than exchange of personal insults, which he has always been averse to.
''The people of Kwara, who are bone-tired of the long years of 'bolekaja' governance in the state, are all saying in one voice, 'O to ge' (enough is enough), and will soon have the opportunity to express their frustration with their votes.”
Meanwhile, no fewer than 500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti local government area of Kwara state at the weekend reportedly defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Kwara state chairman of the APC, Bashir Bolarinwa, while receiving the former PDP members in Obo-Aiyegunle, assured them that they would be accorded equal rights and privileges being enjoyed by old members, The Punch reports.
Bolarinwa urged them to add value to the party both in the state and at the national level, adding that the task ahead was enormous.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.
Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
