The Deputy National Leader of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Paul Unongo, has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan should be probed over the $2.1bn arms deal.
Unongo, who was power and steel minister in the Second Republic, said the former President should be jailed if found to have corruptly enriched himself in the $2.1bn arms deal and refuses to refund his share of the loot.
Unongo, however, said the former President deserved consideration for conceding defeat in the last general elections and by helping the country to avert an impending national crisis.
These two facts, according to him, should make his punishments mild if found guilty of stolen funds.
Unongo, who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview on with PUNCH on Monday, he said, “There are three points to make on the arms probe. The first is that Jonathan deserves a special consideration for his contribution to democratic culture in Nigeria and for enabling us to avert a national crisis by conceding defeat during the general elections. He also mobilised support for the present government. Jonathan was great in defeat. He is a hero for doing this.
“Secondly, if the anti-graft agency can prove beyond reasonable doubt that he diverted public funds and if Jonathan agrees to return the stolen funds, he should not be humiliated but he should be given due consideration.
“Thirdly, if it is proved by a transparent process that he stole the country’s money and he refuses to return it, then the law should take its course, whether he is a former President or not. He should be prosecuted and jailed. This is important in order to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Unongo slammed Jonathan’s advisers who have been justifying their roles in the alleged diversion of the arms funds based on the excuse that they acted under instructions from the Presidency.
He said Jonathan’s advisers should be held liable for their actions because they had the opportunity to advise the President against any form of illegality.
According to him, Jonathan’s advisers and ministers who were uncomfortable with his style of governance should have resigned their appointments if the President did not follow their advice.
“I was a minister in this country and that did not stop me from speaking the truth to the President. Jonathan’s advisers who are claiming they acted under instructions to justify their alleged theft are lying.
“Jonathan paid them to advise him so they are liable for their actions. If you advised Jonathan rightly and he said no, you should have resigned your appointment,” he stressed.
Mr. Paul Unongo, as a Gboko/Benue/Plateau indigent should be expected to be fearless to say the truth than persecuting in partiality by insinuating that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan be sent to jail if found guilty of the alleged corruption as deterrent to others.
You are flagrantly looking for scapegoat in the region manner of wolves crying wolves. In the lump decades of Northern governments when the supremacy wrecked the economy spending lavishly the nation’s treasury unaccounted for. Under what authority did they ruin the economy by reckless spending,mismanagement/incompetent administrstions and sit-tight-to-ruin with shutting down newspaper companies, jailed editors to the extent of the parcel bomb that killed Dele Giwa without ever tried? Why were the whole bunch of the Northern Heads of State /Presidents not tried and jailed with their acute stewards-in-aids-and-abetting prevalence to the present height of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan? Had it been justice has ever been maintained fairly without favour till date it would have served as deterrent. Therefore, the deterrent word sounds irrelevant and obsolete to the matter at stake if it cannot be done retrospectively to eschewing partiality or playing North/South dichotomy.