Looters’ list: How is it possible for me to get N12.5bn ‘just like that’, says Jang

A former governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang, on
Wednesday distanced himself from the list of looters recently
released by the Federal Government saying he is not a thief.

According to him, the leadership of All Progressives Congress
should tell Nigerians the source of their campaign funds for the
2015 general elections and whether they got it from trees.

While describing the allegation that he got N12.5bn as
“laughable on preliminary evaluation, and pathetic when considered
on the scales of truth and reality”, he said it appeared that when
a politician joins the APC, “you become baptized into the order of
lies, falsehood, deception, and propaganda.”

Jang, representing Plateau North Senatorial District, in the
National Assembly in a statement personally signed by him and
obtained in Jos, said the Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has changed from his days of activism in the
National Democratic Coalition.

He said, “I know Lai Mohammed in our National Democratic
Coalition days when we fought for the return of democratic rule to
the country putting an end to military dictatorship. I know him to
always stand for the truth. Alas, I can finally say that he is not
that same person these days.

“In Nigeria today, it would seem that once you join the APC, you
become baptized into the order of lies, falsehood, deception, and
propaganda. Nevertheless, Lai Mohammed must make amends by
recanting the phantom allegations he made against my good person
within a reasonable timeframe or face the consequence of his
indiscretion in the foreseeable future.

“The so-called list of looters is a testament to the desperation
which holds the APC in its firm grip after what is now certainly an
infamous cameo in power considered by many to be tragic and
regrettable.

“For all those who were on the list, sources of the funds
allegedly looted were stated, but in my case, there was none. How
possible is it for me to have gotten N12.5 billion just like that
from nobody and nowhere? Unlike Lai Mohammed and the Federal
Government, I know without any shadow of doubt, that to be a
looter, one must have stolen or taken something by force.

“If their allegation is anything to go by, it falls short of the
lowest standards of believability; otherwise, they would have
noticed that the allegation of getting N12.5 billion from an
unknown source isn’t the same as looting the said amount.

Before going to the Senate, I was Governor of Plateau State from
2007-2015. For eight years, I did my best for my people. The
landmark achievements recorded within that period remain unmatched
till date. They are a legacy of diligence, service, and
accountability in governance.

“A computation of the value of the projects we executed
throughout the 17 Local Government Areas of the State reveals a
massive gulf of inequality between the insufficient resources we
got as subvention and internally generated revenue, and the
ambitious strides we were able to accomplish.”

According to him, former President Goodluck Jonathan was unable
to commission half of the projects done by him, while moving
through Plateau State by helicopter, adding that before the day was
over, “he (Jonathan) couldn’t hold back his amazement at what he
saw, wondering where we got funds considering what comes to us from
the federation account.”

A former governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang, on
Wednesday distanced himself from the list of looters recently
released by the Federal Government saying he is not a
thief.

According to him, the leadership of All Progressives Congress
should tell Nigerians the source of their campaign funds for the
2015 general elections and whether they got it from trees.

While describing the allegation that he got N12.5bn as
“laughable on preliminary evaluation, and pathetic when considered
on the scales of truth and reality”, he said it appeared that when
a politician joins the APC, “you become baptized into the order of
lies, falsehood, deception, and propaganda.”

Jang, representing Plateau North Senatorial District, in the
National Assembly in a statement personally signed by him and
obtained in Jos, said the Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has changed from his days of activism in the
National Democratic Coalition.

He said, “I know Lai Mohammed in our National Democratic
Coalition days when we fought for the return of democratic rule to
the country putting an end to military dictatorship. I know him to
always stand for the truth. Alas, I can finally say that he is not
that same person these days.

“In Nigeria today, it would seem that once you join the APC, you
become baptized into the order of lies, falsehood, deception, and
propaganda. Nevertheless, Lai Mohammed must make amends by
recanting the phantom allegations he made against my good person
within a reasonable timeframe or face the consequence of his
indiscretion in the foreseeable future.

“The so-called list of looters is a testament to the desperation
which holds the APC in its firm grip after what is now certainly an
infamous cameo in power considered by many to be tragic and
regrettable.

“For all those who were on the list, sources of the funds
allegedly looted were stated, but in my case, there was none. How
possible is it for me to have gotten N12.5 billion just like that
from nobody and nowhere? Unlike Lai Mohammed and the Federal
Government, I know without any shadow of doubt, that to be a
looter, one must have stolen or taken something by force.

“If their allegation is anything to go by, it falls short of the
lowest standards of believability; otherwise, they would have
noticed that the allegation of getting N12.5 billion from an
unknown source isn’t the same as looting the said amount.

Before going to the Senate, I was Governor of Plateau State from
2007-2015. For eight years, I did my best for my people. The
landmark achievements recorded within that period remain unmatched
till date. They are a legacy of diligence, service, and
accountability in governance.

“A computation of the value of the projects we executed
throughout the 17 Local Government Areas of the State reveals a
massive gulf of inequality between the insufficient resources we
got as subvention and internally generated revenue, and the
ambitious strides we were able to accomplish.”

According to him, former President Goodluck Jonathan was unable
to commission half of the projects done by him, while moving
through Plateau State by helicopter, adding that before the day was
over, “he (Jonathan) couldn’t hold back his amazement at what he
saw, wondering where we got funds considering what comes to us from
the federation account.”