Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof Tam David-West, has recalled how former Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) sent him to jail because he “drank a cup of tea with a white man”.
David-West, said this when asked his opinion on what he considers President Muhammadu Buhari’s greatest challenge.
According to the elder statesman, corruption was a bigger challenge not insecurity.
“The greatest challenge is not security, because we have very effective security agencies. The greatest challenge of this government is corruption and he is fighting it very well, and expectedly, corruption is fighting back.
“If Nigeria doesn’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria, because it has a lot of money to fight back”, he told The Sun.
“Corruption is two sides, why should somebody give you money to corrupt your conscience? The corrupt people know that most Nigerians are buyable. Corruption can never be fought from one side, and it has always been the problem of successive governments.
“Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida sent me to jail, because he said I drank a cup of tea with a white man and received a gift of wristwatch. I have challenged him to make a public declaration of his assets as I have done mine three times.
“I’m not trying to be self-righteous, if you have personal or self-worth, there is no need for you to be corrupt; how much money would be given to kill your conscience, most of the corrupt people are victims of inferiority complex, that is why they loot to please their egos.
“Buhari is fighting corruption very well, because if you are corrupt, you can’t fight corruption. Buhari has brought out the best characters of Nigerians and the worst aspect of Nigerians.
“The best aspect of Nigerians he has brought out is that he has shown that most Nigerians don’t like corruption”.
