Nigerians have started reacting to a book launched on Monday by the controversial Senator, Dino Melaye who represents Kogi West Federal Constituency at the Upper Chamber of the National assembly.
At the launching of the 600 page book entitled: “Antidotes for Corruption: The Nigerian Story,” The New Diplomat gathered that though the representatives of EFCC and ICPC were conspicuously absent, the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, and Minister of Labour Chris Ngige were all made special guests of honour.
Also present were Ghali Na’aba, a former Speaker of the House; Anyim Pius Anyim, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Idris Wada, a former Kogi State Governor; Attahiru Bafarawa, a former Sokoto State governor; and several senators.
In a speech, Saraki, who is on trial for corruption at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for false declaration of assets, described the “sensationalization” of corruption fight as ‘unnecessary and counter-productive.’
In a dig at the government and the EFCC, he said that corruption must be fought to its roots and foundation,rather than blowing it out of proportion on the pages of newspapers.
The Senate President argued that the justice system provides for forensic investigation, which, according to him, is lacking in Nigeria. He commended the resilience of Senator Melaye for writing such a voluminous book despite his busy schedule.
Some Nigerians, however, have continued to react to the said anti-corruption book by the motor mouthed Senator as a diversionary tactic aimed at undermining this current administration’s anti-corruption fight, considering Melaye’s antecedent and that of the special guests who graced the event with many of them with known moral questions and high profile cases in court regarding pilfering away of public funds.
Here are some reactions from Twitter:
Melaye has got many Nigerians talking over how he became astoundingly rich, almost overnight, owning a multi-billion Naira home in Abuja, and routinely flaunting a fleet of exotic cars.
He has refused to answer any questions about the source of his wealth. Only recently, there was a national uproar about whether Melaye actually earned an undergraduate degree at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. At least two foreign universities he had claimed he earned higher degrees in have since announced he was never a student there.
In sevreal past developments, Senator Melaye has also emerged as one of the critics of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the EFCC, helping to inflict a major setback upon his confirmation in the Senate.
