The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Muhammadu Buhari presidency to lead by example by publishing details of its spending and financial transactions, as an impetus to enforce its financial reporting directives on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The party made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, a week after the Federal Government launched the Open Treasury Portal.
President Buhari had directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to issue a daily treasury statement of government’s transactions.
Welcoming the directive, the PDP challenged the Presidency to publish the details, including the beneficiaries, the purpose, and the amount of each payment, in line with the mandate to the MDAs.
According to it, it is not enough for the President to issue spending directives to MDAs without his Presidency, which received billions of naira in budgetary allocation, leading by example.
“Nigerians deserve to know how much is allocated to the Presidency, the various expenditure subheads, process of award of contracts, the contractors, the beneficiaries, amounts paid and payment system,” the party said.
It claimed, “Perhaps such would explain why certain individuals who are close to the Presidency live in ostentatious opulence and flaunt very expensive lifestyle in the same country where millions of citizens wallow in abject poverty, hunger, homelessness and disease.
“It is worrisome that the Buhari Presidency has failed to make details of its yearly budget and expenditure public, despite several demands for openness, which raises anxieties and allegations of huge sleazes and corrupt concealment against certain officials and cabal in the Presidency.”
The PDP noted the arrest of a suspected fraudster, Abdulrauf Illyasu, and one Nasir Danu who was accused of international passport scam and money laundering.
It also recalled the case of a former aide to Mrs Aisha Buhari, Mr Sani Baba-Inna, arrested for alleged fraud and the arrest of a suspect who paraded herself as the first lady of Kogi State to gain access into the Presidential Villa to defraud people.
“The PDP, therefore, challenges the Presidency to clear these anxieties by opening up and publishing details of its budget and expenditure for Nigerians to see,” the party said.
