The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has lamented what he described as the criminal silence of Nigerians at mind boggling revelations that about N30 trillion of Nigerian money allegedly got missing under the watch of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Aregbesola, while receiving representatives of students of Nigerian polytechnics, who visited him at the Government House on Tuesday, said it was amazing how corruption had become so entrenched in the country that the mention of N30 trillion common wealth missing under the government of President Goodluck Jonathan had not been greeted with trepidation.
He said with such mind-blowing frittering away of the nation’s resources, the future of the youths of today had been mortgaged.
Addressing the students representatives who said they were at the Government House to show solidarity with the governor, his All Progressives Congress-led government and support for the presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, Aregbesola said with the way Nigeria is now, Nigerians of the age of the students should take it upon themselves to ensure the pursuit for change is driven to a logical conclusion.
He said: “With the bomb that (Prof. Charles) Soludo (former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria) threw on the missing money, when I was in school, Jonathan would have been preparing for his exit.
“For a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor to accuse the Minister of Finance that under her watch, the country lost about N30 trillion and all of us can keep quiet?
“How much was involved in the crisis that led to the Ali Must Go protests?
“But the whole country became charged and demanded for the resignation of the Minister.”
The governor said the amount in question is enough to build several kilometres of roads, several schools and help bring back into life many of the country’s decaying infrastructure.
He said: “Look at how many roads that would build.
“Look at how many schools that would build.
“Incontrovertible facts have it that the Three Gorges Dam in China was built at a cost of $26 billion and it is generating 22,500 MW of power by July 2012.
“Now, look at our country, we have spent about $31.45 billion and we could only generate 4,000 MW.”
Aregbesola said what is made of Nigeria is a business of the youths, adding that they must join hands to ensure the needed change in the country.
He added: “What you make of Nigeria is your business.
“It’s in your interest to join in the struggle to have a new leadership in Nigeria.
“We must have a change of government to have a new beginning.
“Should this man (President Goodluck Jonathan) have another four years, the country is doomed totally.”