BY Haroon Balogun

As the National Assembly members divided over the controversy surrounding the seizure in South Africa of $9.3 million cash, or ammunition, the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) has warned on the implication of sweeping the issue under the carpet.

To this end, the body immediately called on the federal government to exhibit transparency in the matter  by allowing an independent body to probe the alleged scandal and to come up with a punitive measure against any culprit.

CAUGHT—Lanseria Airport, Johannesburg, S-Africa. INSET: The Bombardier Challenger jet. Courtesy: Flightaware.

In a statement signed by its media consultant, Alhaj Femi Abass, it stated, “government  can only  prove that an official patronage is not being surreptitiously granted to some criminal elements in the country who are walking the streets in the cloak of religion.”

MUSWEN argued that the development is dangerous to both the image and the security of the country.

“As bona fide citizens and stake holders in Nigeria, we are neither blind nor deaf to unfolding dangerous trend aggravating insecurity in Nigeria as we have regularly pointed out and we believe that posterity will bear witness to our undeniable concern.”

It argued that the Federal Government was not telling Nigerians the truth about the security issues in the country, while wondering the reason the government chose to defend the action of those who it said smuggled the cash.

“The federal government of Nigeria admitted the ownership of the money without giving reason for bypassing the Nigerian security officials in awarding such a contract.
“Offering an official but untenable explanation on the dubious deal, the Aviation Minister, Mr. Osita Chidoka, told Nigerians that the CAN president had leased the jet to another party, thereby trying to underplay the role of CAN President in the use to which his jet was illegally put.

“That attempt to exonerate the owner of the jet in such a shady business which could not have been transacted without his knowledge and consent obviously betrayed the Minister’s knowledge of the office he occupies.

“At least we are aware of the existence of a Nigerian aviation law that bans the leasing out of a private jet for a commercial purpose. Was the Minister feigning ignorance of this law?

“The episode which came up in form of a shocking dramatic conundrum has since generated a fierce controversy as usual, either on the basis of shameless ethnic affiliation or that of religious opium. Incidentally, the main casualty in this case is the image of Nigeria which the federal government has always claimed to be concerned about.”

It therefore queried the government on who authorized the purchase of weapons for Nigerian security agencies through unofficial people with non-involvement of those who
will utilize the weapons and when the country law banning the use of private jets for commercial purposes change?

Beside, MUSWEN sought to know the relationship between clerical mission and government contract particularly in such a sensitive sector.

It therefore concluded that the explanations made so far by some government officials as well as ‘rental criers’ on the shameful and debasing deal in South Africa have rather raised further questions without answers.