President Muhammadu Buhari’s aides and ministers have been accused of sponsoring over 100 family members to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan with public funds.
This was stated in a tweet made on Friday morning by a former lawmaker, Shehu Sani on his verified Twitter handle, adding that the revelation was made by a popular public speaker in Kano, Dan Bilki.
Mr Sani who condemned such conduct by Buhari’s aides and ministers, described it as squandering the country’s limited resources.
“The revelation made by a Kano based public commentator Dan Bilki that over a hundred family members of Presidential aides and ministers escorted the President to Saudi Arabia with public funds is a serious allegations of profligacy that must not be ignored,” the former Kaduna lawmaker tweeted.
On April 17, 2023, SaharaReporters reported how Buhari, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), two Northern governors, Katsina State governor-elect and some other top government officials moved critical meetings on national issues from Nigeria to Mecca in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The chairman of the anti-graft commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Katsina State governor-elect, Dr Dikko Radda, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and a past Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (Rtd), met with President Buhari at the Makkah Guest Palace on the fifth day of his official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It was reported that during the meeting, the EFCC chairman, the governors and the other officials had extensive discussions with President Buhari on the ongoing situations in Nigeria, including the conclusion of outstanding elections in the country.
The EFCC Chairman also briefed President Buhari on efforts to conclude ongoing court cases and the plan to prosecute more offenders. Bawa further briefed President Buhari on the arrests of several suspects in connection with election fraud and the plan to prosecute them.
Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari said whatever the country had achieved was due to the power of its democracy and the power of the country’s institutions, which according to him, must continue to be strengthened.
However, despite a series of reports on the progressive terrorists’ activities in their states, the governors of Borno and Yobe states who spoke separately after the meetings, said they remained appreciative of the efforts of President Buhari in curbing the threats of Boko Haram terrorists in their states and that they were happy that peace had been restored.