Chief Richard Akinjide, the second republic minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation has taken a swipe at state governors.
In an interview on Galaxy television yesterday, August 2, 2015, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), accused state governors of corruption, calling them “the biggest thieves.”
Contrary to the cries of state governors about inheriting empty treasuries in their states, Akinjide insisted that states are broke because governors are stealing money.
He said states are not able to pay salaries because “they are stealing,” stating categorically that “the biggest thieves are the governors because states get billions of naira allocation, but in the end, the money is taken away,” The Sun reports.
According to Akinjide, most of those who find themselves in government lack honour, just as he also blamed poverty for the corruption in government.
Chief Richard Akinjide
On leadership crisis in the country, the former attorney general said: “We have always had it. We had it in the First Republic. That’s why there was civil war, which was bloody.”
He, however, played down claims that the election which saw Bukola Saraki emerge as Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker House of Representatives was an act of treachery.
“The sentiment on treachery is nonsense,” he said.
Akinjide said there was nothing wrong with the emergence of Senators Bukola Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively, as they were duly elected.
He, however, opposed the proposal for part-time legislators as widely rumoured, saying that the job at the National Assembly should be full-time.
Chief Richard Akinjide, is one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Minister in the first and second Republics.
In an interview on Galaxy television yesterday, August 2, 2015, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), accused state governors of corruption, calling them “the biggest thieves.”
Contrary to the cries of state governors about inheriting empty treasuries in their states, Akinjide insisted that states are broke because governors are stealing money.
He said states are not able to pay salaries because “they are stealing,” stating categorically that “the biggest thieves are the governors because states get billions of naira allocation, but in the end, the money is taken away,” The Sun reports.
According to Akinjide, most of those who find themselves in government lack honour, just as he also blamed poverty for the corruption in government.
Chief Richard Akinjide
On leadership crisis in the country, the former attorney general said: “We have always had it. We had it in the First Republic. That’s why there was civil war, which was bloody.”
He, however, played down claims that the election which saw Bukola Saraki emerge as Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker House of Representatives was an act of treachery.
“The sentiment on treachery is nonsense,” he said.
Akinjide said there was nothing wrong with the emergence of Senators Bukola Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively, as they were duly elected.
He, however, opposed the proposal for part-time legislators as widely rumoured, saying that the job at the National Assembly should be full-time.
Chief Richard Akinjide, is one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Minister in the first and second Republics.
