'I am honored to be a cabal in Buhari's govt'.... See Details

SGF-Babachir Lawal

'I am honored to be a cabal in Buhari's govt' - Babachir Lawal

– Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), says he is honored to be a member of a cabal in the presidency.

– The SGF says the anti-corruption fight is not a witch hunt but targeted at those responsible for Nigeria’s economic woes.

Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), has said he is honored to be a member of a cabal in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The SGF in an interview with Channels TV reacting to claims that a cabal has hijacked the Buhari-led administration, said he his honoured to be a cabal in the present administration.

He said: “I am honored to be a cabal in this presidency. I have no apologies to make. If the President decides that he wants a secretary to the government who is going to work with him, coordinate the activities of his government, who will give him advise, obviously that man should be able to have unfettered access to the president. He is supposed to be able to give advise to the president because he is with the president on a daily basis in a manner that others might not have.” 

Babachir also dismissed claims that the anti-corruption fight of this government is a witch hunt, saying the anti-corruption fight is not a witch hunt but targeted at those responsible for Nigeria’s economic woes. 

“Could we have known for example, that somebody can walk into Central bank, reverse his boot and leave with $2.2 billion raw cash. Could we have known that somebody will sit down and embezzle 40 billion. Look at the type of money they were dispatching. So we should keep quiet and let Nigerians think that everything is ok? That there was no looting. We are in the position we are in because people that came before us preferred to carry our common patrimony and put it in their deposit accounts for their wives and children. 

What type of country are we if we decide to play the Ostrich. Nigerians most be told what we inherited and majority of Nigerians I can assure you are in favor of what the government is doing. Of course quite a few that were beneficiaries of this looting will make noise. Majority of them have access to papers, internet. We are chasing thieves. We are chasing people who took away government money, our money. People who impoverished us” he said.

The wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, in her recent interview granted to the BBC Hausa, claimed that the government of her husband has been hijacked by the unknown cabals. 

Aisha Buhari did not give names, but some Nigerians suppose that among these cabals are Chief Abba Kyari and Mamman Daura, Buhari’s uncle, who allegedly stands behind many presidents’ decisions. Meanwhile, John Paden, the authorised biographer of President Buhari, in his last book gives insight how Chief Kyari appeared in the incumbent government.

According to the biographer, the decision to appoint a chief of staff came to Buhari when the officials the officials who had served under President Jonathan undermining Buhari’s efforts to reengage with the international community.