Labaran Maku, Minister of Information under former President Goodluck Jonathan, has said he would speak concerning the $2.1 billion arms scandal that is currently rocking the administration which he served, but that he would wait for Nigerians to air their opinions first.
Maku said his decision to remain silent over the issue for now was to respect the views of all Nigerians and watch how events unfolded, adding that since he was part of the former government and was even the spokesman for that government, it would just be right to be silent for now.
Former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) and a host of other Nigerians are currently facing charges for allegedly turning the amount into a bazaar.
Maku said: “I don’t want to comment on this administration now because I was in the previous government as minister of Information and our voice was all over the nation. Decency requires that I keep quiet and let Nigerians hear other voices.
“That doesn’t mean I will not say anything, but it is virtually too early for me as a former minister of Information to begin to talk about what is going on at the moment.
“So it is not correct; when you have spoken so long and people have heard your voice, you also withdraw and hear others. I have my views about everything that is going on now.
“When the time is due, when I have respected public decency, waited and have heard some other Nigerians, I will make my views known.
“But for now, it is too early for me to say
anything. The processes that are going on are in the full glare of Nigerians and what I will say is that the media should be very careful.
“That’s my advice and I will not say anything else.
“What happened in Nasarawa State between April 11 and 13, 2015 was worse than June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“The situation is now worse that even admission into Nasarawa State University was conducted on ethno-religious grounds. Ironically, this is a state where Muslims, Christians and traditional worshippers are equal in number.”
While faulting the planned N17 billion airport project by Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, Maku, who contested against Al-Makura in the 2015 general election, said the project would provide the governor an avenue to steal public funds.
Warning commercial banks not to give N26 billion loan to the governor, he added that if the governor insists on an airport, what Nasarawa State’s people need now is an airstrip and not an airport of N17 billion.
