15th January, 2018
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC
CONDEMNS PAYMENT OF 40M CASH
TO
EX-HEADS OF STATE
The Secretary to the Government of
the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Thursday 11th January, 2018
revealed that the government paid N40 million to a former president, instead of
buying vehicles as prescribed by law. He added that the decision was adopted so
the former leaders could purchase vehicles they prefer.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly denounces this
decision. It is heartless, anti-people and capitalist-driven. The Nigerian
system makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.
How decent are we as a
people if thousands of retirees are denied their benefits for years but we
proudly present huge amounts of money to former presidents and ex-heads of
state? Where is our humanity if a whopping N40 million is paid to an
ex-president who arrogated all the honey and milk in the land to himself while
in office but we still pay a paltry N18,000 as minimum wage to workers who
grease the machines of our economy?
This socio-economic imbalance emboldens criminals,
frustrates the youth and diminishes patriotism. Worse still, it slows down the
war against corruption because the Federal Government (FG) alone cannot fight
corruption. It needs the people to join the fight. But how will an overworked,
underpaid, impoverished and oppressed people who are living witnesses to the
waste of our common wealth willingly join the fight?
The truth is that
perhaps no present ex-president or former head of state lives in penury as at
today. We can only think of just one probability and we will prefer to keep his
identity private for obvious reasons. Our ex-presidents are not in dire need of
cars from FG. Majority of them are in palatial mansions on hilltops in choice
locations all over the country.
This social order is unacceptable to MURIC. Super-rich
ex-presidents should be giving to the poor masses, not sucking from our blood
again. It adds salt to injury. Islam encourages equitable distribution of
wealth. In particular, Qur’an 59:7 condemns the concentration of resources in
the hands of a few wealthy individuals. What FG has done is unIslamic. It is
haram to take from the poor or to deny them payment for services rendered only
to give more to rich ex-presidents for doing nothing. It is haram to ignore the
cries of pensioners while buying new cars for leaders.
As we round up, we
warn President Muhammadu Buhari not to abandon poor Nigerians or to succumb to
blackmail from greedy and selfish citizens but to remain focused in his
determination to rid Nigeria of wasteful spending. Allah will ask every leader
how he conducted the affairs of his people yaom al-Qiyamah (the Day of
Resurrection).
Professor Ishaq
Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC)
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