Posted by By Bolade Omonijo, Deputy Political Editor & Dapo Akinrefon on
GOVERNOR Ali Modu Sherif of Borno State has taken a swipe at his Bayelsa State counterpart, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, for jumping bail granted him by a London court in a case of money laundry preferred against him by the Metropolitan Police.
ABUJA - GOVERNOR Ali Modu Sherif of Borno State has taken a swipe at his Bayelsa State counterpart, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, for jumping bail granted him by a London court in a case of money laundry preferred against him by the Metropolitan Police.
Sherif said by his action, Alamieyeseigha has put over 100 million Nigerians in trouble. The governor also said it was too early for people to talk about power struggle and the alleged third term plot of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
On Governor Alamieyeseigha who made a supreme return to Yenagoa, last Monday, after jumping bail in London, Sherif said 'honestly, I feel sad. I‘m not happy with what he did. Now, people will look at every Nigerian as a potential criminal. He should have waited since the case is in Court. Now his singular action will affect over 100 million Nigerians, and every Nigerian in Britain and America who commits an offence, even if it is driving offence, will not be treated with kid gloves. So, I am not happy with the action taken by Alamieyeseigha."
On the alleged third term bid of the President, he said Obasanjo, whom he regards as a father has never discussed such plan with him, saying it would however, require constitutional amendment to achieve that and that such amendment would be determined by the 36 states of the federation.
He, however, pledged to abide by the wish of the people of Borno State on such issue. According to him, 'when the constitution amendment comes, whatever the people of Borno State decide, that is my position. Whatever my people want as the position of Borno State, that is my position, whether that position is in line with my thinking of not."
The Governor also lauded the president over his performance since assuming office saying 'the President is doing very, very well."
According to him, he would not join the bandwagon to criticise the president when there was no need to do so pointing out that 'I won't say I would criticise the president because he is in PDP and I am ANPP when it is absolutely unnecessary. In fact, as a result of the debt cancellation he got, by January 2006, the N110 million which was being deducted at source as debt generated by past administration would cease and that is money for more projects in Borno State."
While rejecting the recent World Bank rating of Governors which was published by Vanguard, Sherif said 'I reject the rating totally because World Bank will not determine what we should do."
Continuing he said, 'What the World Bank is saying is transparency. On a project they want me to bring a contractor, the contractor will collect at least 15 percent, that means I will pay about N800 million for contractors."
By the time I pay contractors and embark on the project, it would be about N2 billion. Why should I pay N 800 million in the name of transparency?. I don‘t believe in that. Anything that would save me some money, I would go for it".
'How many boreholes, how many roads will N 800 million construct for me while I have a Ministry of Works with engineers, quantity surveyors, architects? So if that‘s what the rating is all about, I‘m not part of it".