Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said
available evidence shows that the live radio interview of Senate
President Bukola Saraki on Christmas Day was doctored before it was
re-broadcast to remove any reference to the claimed donation of N10
million to victims of the armed robbery in Offa, Kwara State.
In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister said he is
presenting to the public both the unedited version of the live radio
interview as well as the doctored, re-broadcast version so the people
can see the extent to which some ‘leaders’ can go to deceive the
people and peddle lies just to shore up their dwindling fortunes.
”In the unedited live version, Dr. Saraki, speaking in Yoruba, said
categorically that he donated N10 million when he visited Offa to
commiserate with the victims of the armed robbery, when (he said) in
actual fact about N7 million was stolen from the vaults of the
banks that were robbed during the attack.
”However, the version for re-broadcast did not contain any reference
to the Offa robbery. Whereas they claimed to have re-broadcast the
interview due to popular demand, the truth is that they decided to
re-air it without the claim of 10 million Naira donation due to the
widespread derision that greeted that phantom claim. These people have
a chronic disdain for the truth,” he said.
Mohammed challenged the Senate President to answer three
critical questions or learn to keep his peace:
– The first one is did he not say, during the live interview, that
that the money in the vault was N7 million and that he dropped 10
million Naira when he went to Offa on a condolence visit?
– The second question is did he really drop any money on that occasion?
– And the third, did he or did he not doctor the original broadcast?
He said while he would not want to exchange words with Saraki on
who is truly on ground in Kwara, it is important to let him know that
six weeks from now, the people of Kwara will answer that question.
”On Nov. 17 2018, the people of Kwara gave a hint of their
determination to sack the rapacious leaders who have dominated their
lives when they voted for the APC in the by-election for the
Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero federal constituency. That crushing defeat
so devastated the political warlords, who hitherto claimed
invincibility, that they started doing what they have never done
before: going from ward to ward to campaign!
”Unfortunately, the game is up for them, as they will soon learn,
because the people have resolved that ‘O to ge’ (enough is enough). In
the meantime, they are free to continue to revel in self-deceit,” the
Minister said
