DEBUNKING THE A.I.T. DOCUMENTARY OF FALSEHOODS

by Ibrahim Abu

The AIT has been airing a sponsored programme called ‘The Real Buhari’ in which attempts were made to discredit General Buhari and thereby weaken the candidacy of the General in the forthcoming elections. Being a good citizen, I decided to issue this rebuttal before they mislead those who are too young to know or not fortunate to have read about these issues from authentic sources.

1: PTF WAS AN ALTERNATIVE GOVERNMENT UNDER ABACHA!
The Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) was formed In October 1994 by General Sani Abacha after hiking the pump price of petrol from N3.25 to N11.00 per litre, in furtherance of his promise to set up a fund to distribute the gains from the increase in the pump price of fuel on social and infrastructural projects. The board of the fund, led by former Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, was inaugurated in 1995. The fund had an all- encompassing mandate which covered multi-sectoral interventions such as the rehabilitation of roads and waterways, rehabilitation of educational and health institutions, provision of textbooks and stationary items, essential drugs and vaccines, provision of water supply systems, revival of the agricultural sectors, rural electrification projects, telecommunications and food supply sectoral interventions, with an initial capital of N60bn in 1996.

How can an agency with an initial capital of N60bn and spent less than N200bn in itsthree-year life, be an alternative government? Can we say that the SURE-P with a bigger budget is also an ‘alternative government’?
For those already saying that PTF intervention was lopsided in favour of the north, Waziri Adio has presented us with these statistics “It is true that out of the 13,090km roads rehabilitated, 32% in the south and 68% in the north. But that's half the story. In terms of km, 7.3% of d rehabilitated roads were in SE; 8.5% in SW;16.25 in SS; 21.1% in NW; 23.4% in NE; and 23.5% in NC. But it is also true that the landmass varies among zones and same with degree of difficulty and cost. A look at the cost of roads in different zones and the overall allocation to zones in all PTF projects show a different picture. N77. 2b was committed to roads out of the total of N187b allocated to PTF till May 99.”

“Of the N77.2b to roads, SW got N 9.7 b; SE, N14.5b; SS, N 30. 5b. This means SW got 12.6% of road budget; SE, 18.8%; SS, 39.5%. Of d N77.2b committed to roads, NE got N7.1b; NC, N7. 4b; NW, N7.9b, meaning NE got 9.2%, NC got 9.6% and NW 10.3%. This shows that in terms of cost, the variation btw north and south reversed in favour of d south. Under roads, the south got 70% in terms of amount allocated and the north got 30%. It may sound counter intuitive, but it is also an established fact that road construction costs more in the south than in the north.”

2: BUHARI GOVERNMENT WAS THE FIRST TO SENTENCE A WOMAN TO DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD, THREE WOMEN WERE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING INCLUDING A DISABLED WOMAN.
Those women were sentenced to death for drug trafficking which at that time in Nigeria carried a capital punishment like it still does in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore! Is this the kind of story we want from Nigeria? Are satisfied with our people being notorious in various parts of the world as ‘drug mules’?
“The number of Nigerian women on drugs charges in UK jails has risen almost six-fold in three years, figures supplied to the BBC News website show. On 30 June this year, 85 of the 151 Nigerian women in custody in the UK were being held for drugs offences. In 2002 there were just 15 out of 29” – BBC
3: WOLE SOYINKA DESCRIBED BUHARI AS AN “ETHNIC BIGOT” AND WONDERING WHY NIGERIANS CAN STILL CONSIDER BUHARI AKIN TO A “MASTER-SLAVE” RELATIONSHIP.
Is there any Nigerian government that Soyinka has not had problems with? He was sent to Prison by Gowon, he had issues with military Obasanjo, he had issues with Buhari, he also had issues with IBB over June 12, he had issues also with Abacha and had to escape through the NADECO route, he had issues with civilian Obasanjo, he had issues with Yar Adua’s cabal and he recently compared Jonathan to King Nebuchadnezzar.
4: BUHARI WAS TIGHT-LIPPED DURING ABACHA.
Buhari comes from a military background and was working in PTF under Abacha who was also military. And in the military, loyalty is 100%! Buhari I suppose had the choice of either leaving PTF and criticize Abacha later or continue at PTF to do the good work he was doing to improve the lot of the ordinary man! He chose the latter!
5: BUHARI OVERTHREW A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT
The coup was done by Bako, Babangida and Abacha. Buhari was installed as the head of the state as he was the most respected officer at the time.
6: BUHARI’S SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL FULL OF NORTHERNERS, 11 WERE FROM THE NORTH WHILE 5 WERE FROM THE SOUTH. BUHARI'S CABINET WERE FULL OF MUSLIMS
The composition of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) was the way it was because the military was not preoccupied with the inanities we have imposed on ourselves today. We had 19 states at the time, the SMC had 3 officers from Niger State, 2 Officers from Bendel, 2 from Kwara and 2 Kaduna (Buhari included). It is clear that the military at that time did not promote its officers using any quota system (I hope it is still so up till now).
Buhari's Federal Executive Council had one from each of the 19 states of Nigeria (Nigeria had 19 states at the time) except Bendel and perhaps one other state. Bendel State was compensated by G Longe being appointed as the Head of Service! The powerful portfolios of Finance and Petroleum were held by Dr Soleye and Dr. (or was he a Prof at the time?) Tam David West respectively!
7. NO NORTHERN GOVERNOR EXCEPT CHRISTIAN APER AKU PUT ON TRIAL.
The documentary says only Christian and southerner governors were imprisoned by Buhari. The truth is that all the governors were tried and both northern and southern governors were imprisoned.
“GOVERNOR ABBA MUSA RIMI, KADUNA STATE - On 28 March 1985 a Special Military Tribunal sentenced Rimi to 21 years in jail for corruptly enriching 96 legslators of the State House of Assembly by N500,000. Rimi said he had given the money to the legislator "for keeping the law and order in their constituencies"
“GOVERNOR AWAAL MUHAMMED IBRAHIM, NIGER STATE - He was convicted by the military tribunal for corrupt practices in 1984. Released by IBB and barred from holding political office by the IBB regime in 1986” - Wikipedia.
GOVERNOR SABO BAKIN ZUWO, KANO STATE - He was a former Senator, elected Governor in 1983 defeating ex-Gov Rimi. Boxes full of cash ranging from $4.5 million was found in his residence. He was convicted for 21 years for accepting bribe in a property deal (along with Rimi), and was commuted to a cummulative 300 years in prison for embezzlement of Kano fund.
APER AKU, BENUE STATE - There was Aper Aku with his trade mark baldhead, looking dazed as he was sentenced to 21 years for borrowing N50,000 from Benue Breweries, a company established and run by his government. The prosecutors had argued that the Benue Breweries belong to the Benue People.
GARBA NADAMA, SOKOTO STATE – He left office after the 1983 military coup in which Major General Muhammadu Buhari took power. In July 1985 he was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to refund N4.7 million of money obtained illegally. In his defense, Garba Nadama said that N500,000 of the money had been donated to a mosque appeal fund.
ABUBAKAR BARDE, GONGOLA STATE – He was jailed by Buhari and released by Babangida.
TATARI ALI, BAUCHI STATE – He too was jailed by Buhari’s tribunal but later released by Babangida.
So now I hope it is clear to all that there was no preferential treatment for the northern governors!
8: AJASIN WAS ACQUITTED TWICE BUT STILL DETAINED.
I don’t know how true the assertion is that Ajasin was tried twice and acquitted both times.
9: TAI SOLARIN DETAINED WITHOUT ACCESS TO HIS DRUGS DESPITE COURT RULING IN HIS FAVOUR.
“The late educationist and social critic, Dr. Tai Solarin, was an enigma. He was highly critical of the military authorities. As a result, he was detained in various prisons across the country for his human rights activism right from his first major detention on October 12, 1974 by Yakubu Gowon’s regime to the last one on March 12, 1984 under the draconian Buhari/Idiagbon administration where he spent about 17 months behind the bars”.
“Specifically, due to his criticisms of the successive military administrations, he incurred the wrath of the Buhari/ Idiagbon regime and became a victim of its much-dreaded State Security Detention of Persons Decree No 2 of 1984. He was arrested at his Ikenne country home and incarcerated at Abeokuta Prisons, Ogun State, on March 12, 1984. Like other detainees languishing in custody at the time, his ordeal in the hands of the military junta was validated by a detention order. It was an era when the then Chief of Staff, Brig. Idiagbon, had the power to detain anyone for acts prejudicial to state security. The detention order purportedly signed by Idiagbon for Solarin’s detention, later turned out to be a subject of inquiry at the Lagos High Court.”
10: BISI ONABANJO A KIND OF SAINT WHO DID MANY GOOD PROJECTS, YET BUHARI SENTENCED HIM AND HE SPENT 20 MONTHS IN PRISON. INNOCENT JIM NWOBODO, ETC JAILED FOR 100 TO 600 YEARS.
“LAGOS, Nigeria – A military tribunal issued the first sentence imposed as part of Nigeria’s crack-down on corruption yesterday, ordering a former state governor imprisoned for 22 years for taking a $3.7million kickback. Bisi Onabanjo, former governor of Ogun, was convicted by a military tribunal of taking the kickback for his political faction, the now-defunct Unity Party of Nigeria. The money came from a $37.2million contract with the Bouygues Construction Company of France to build a 19-storey office for the Great Nigeria Insurance Company owned by Ogun, Oyo and Ondo States. Former Govs Bola Ige of Oyo and Adekunle Ajasin of Ondo, were acquitted” – Pittsburg Post Gazette of Jun 1, 1984 -
“London – A special military tribunal has sentenced the former governor of Nigeria’s Anambra state to 21 years in prison for corruption, Lagos radio reports. The radio report monitored last week in London, said Jim Nwobodo was convicted on 12 charges of corruption. Prosecutors said Nwobodo paid $5.1m into what the radio called “ghost accounts”. The radio did not elaborate on the charges. The sentence was issued in Lagos, capital of the West African nation. Nwobodo was the fourth former civilian governor sentenced to prison for corruption under the military regime of Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari. The military toppled the elected government of President Shehu Shagari in a Dec 31 coup.” - Lakeland Ledger - Aug 3, 1984 -
11: AMBROSE ALLI DID NOT HAVE ANY HOUSE AND WAS POOR YET BUHARI SENT HIM TO JAIL AND HE CAME OUT BLIND AND BDSG HAD TO BUILD A BEFITTING HOUSE FOR HIM FOR HIS BURIAL.
“Even the tribunal could not find him guilty of corruptly enriching himself or any other individual. Rather, he was found guilty of ‘corruptly enriching his political party’ – and, unlike what some think, he didn’t give state funds to the UPN. Rather, a campaign contribution was given to the UPN treasurer in Bendel State by a contractor to the Bendel State Government. Dad accepted that as UPN chairman in the state and the chief executive of the state he was responsible, even though he himself did not personally accept or disburse the money. Dad described the tribunal as a ‘Kangaroo Court,’ which is what it was.” – Daily Independent October 2013
12: OFFICIAL PASSPORT OF AWOLOWO WAS SEIZED AND ONLY RETURNED WITH APOLOGY BY IBB.
The context of the above was that this was done by a military regime in the early eighties before the collapse of the Soviet Union, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and before Malone v United Kingdom (1984), where even in many developed countries, civil liberties were not as developed as they are today.
13: EKWUEME CAME OUT WHITE AS SNOW THOUGH HE WAS IN PRISON FOR 20 MONTHS WITHOUT BEING CHARGED EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ACCUSED OF PETROLEUM AND ABUJA PROJECTS WHILE SHAGARI WAS KEPT IN PRESIDENTIAL VILLA.
“LAGOS, Sunday – Nigeria military ruler Mohammed Buhari was quoted as saying that former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was corruptly involved in government contracts. Major General Buhari who took power on December 31 after overthrowing President Shehu Shagari, has pledged to crack down on corruption and bad economic management. Ekwueme, one of more than 80 former politicians held at a maximum security jail in Lagos, was “consistently involved in contract deals on the new projected capital of Abuja, Petroleum and certain sectors of the economy,” General Buhari said in an interview with the Sunday Concord. General Buhari also said former Transport Minister Umaru Dikko and Adisa Akinloye, chairman of Shagari’s political party, consistently appeared along with Ekwueme in major government contract deals, But he said nothing has been found against Shagari himself. In disclosing the corruption charges, Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon, Chief of Staff in Buhari’s government, implicated the national chairman of Nigeria’s former leading political party in a scheme intended to “siphon away” GBP14m through a secret bank account. In London, the Observer reported that British Aerospace has agreed topay a GBP22m commission on a contract for the sale of 18 Jaguar fighter aircraft to Nigeria, agreed prior to the recent coup.” - The Glasgow Herald - Feb 13, 1984 -
14: AWWAL IBRAHIM WAS ARRESTED WITH GBP14M IN LONDON BUT WAS SHIELDED BY BUHARI.
Awwal Ibrahim was not jailed because he was Buhari's friend. The truth is that Awwal Ibrahim was convicted of abuse of office and corruption like most of the northern state governors, it was Babangida's government that commuted his sentence to a ban from holding political office as was done to some of the other political prisoners of the time!
15: SHEHU KANGIWA WHO SUPERVISED BAKOLORI MASSACRE WAS SHIELDED AND PROTECTED BY BUHARI.
The truth is that Shehu Kangiwa, governor of Sokoto State died in1981 after falling from a horse while playing polo atleast two years before Buhari came into power in 1983 so I don’t know which Kangiwa the documentary was referring to.
16: METROLINE PROJECT WHICH WAS TO BE FINANCED 10% EQUITY AND 90% BY A CONSORTIUM OF 19 CONTRACTOR FIRMS WAS TERMINATED AND $60M ADVANCE LOST.
“The cost of the metro line at that time, by our negotiation, was N700 million. The terms of agreement were advance payment by Lagos State government, 10 per cent, and the balance was to be paid by the French consortium, all the 19 companies. Ninety per cent of the cost was to be borrowed. We had actually determined the corridors and appointed a French General Manager. But, suddenly, Buhari, even against the wish of Lagos State government- cancelled the metro line.” – Lateef Jakande.
“Explaining how Shagari and Buhari worked against the metro-rail project, Jakande said there was delay after the N700 million metro-line project was awarded to a French firm with the arrangement to first pay N70 million and pay the rest in the space of two years”.
He said the delay compelled him to ask "my commissioner for works to investigate why the N70 million mobilisation fund was not released. The commissioner investigated and discovered that it was President who asked the Central Bank of Nigeria not to release the money. President Shagari said it was because there was fuel (oil) crisis. He said the CBN governor would visit him that evening and that he would get back to me after talking to him on the metro-line project fund. I quickly replied that I would wait for him since I considered him paramount to undo the knots on the release of the fund," Jakande said.
"The CBN governor finally arrived, and President Shagari raised the issue of N70 million metro-line project fund. But the CBN governor said the fund cannot be released (returned) at once. He asked me to withdraw as many times as possible citing the reasons of bad economy and increasing fuel crisis at the period."
Is this not clear from the above that the guarantee had already been turned down by Shagari even before Buhari took over.
This loan had to be guaranteed by the Federal government as is required for foreign loans to be taken by state government. It looks so sweet that 90% of the finance was to be provided by debt-financing. The next question will be what are the terms? Any moratorium? Interest rate? Tenure? What was the capacity of Nigeria to honour this guarantee with our depleted foreign reserves, our debt burden and unwillingness of IFIs to deal with Nigeria until we submitted to IMF conditionalities?
If the Metroline was easy for any government, why hasn’t any government after Buhari done it until now. Fashola was able to start the Lagos Rail Project because we succeeded in exiting our Paris Club and London Club debts as a result of improved oil prices of 2004 and 2005.
17: EXTRA-JUDICIAL MURDER OF OWOH, OGEDENGBE AND OJUOLAPE THROUGH A PENALTY THAT DID NOT EXIST AT THE TIME. BUHARI STILL HAS NO REGRETS OVER THE KILLINGS.
The three were convicted for drug-trafficking under Decree 20 which imposed capital punishment for drug-trafficking. The issue here concerns ex-post facto laws (i.e. a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law. In criminal law, it may criminalize actions that were legal when committed; it may aggravate a crime by bringing it into a more severe category than it was in when it was committed; it may change the punishment prescribed for a crime, as by adding new penalties or extending sentences; or it may alter the rules of evidence in order to make conviction for a crime likelier than it would have been when the deed was committed).
The Nuremberg trials were based on ex-post facto legislation. Adolf Eichmann was tried in Israel using ex-post facto legislation.
Most countries did not ban ex-post facto legislation until the 80s, 90s and 2000s.
18: SUBSIDIES IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES STOPPED AND FREE-MEAL TICKETS ABOLISHED.
But if free-meal tickets were affordable, why hasn’t any of the subsequent governments reinstated the policy.
19: THE HIGH-HANDEDNESS OF THE NSO AND ARREST AND DETENTION UNDER DECREE NO 2.BEKO RANSOME-KUTI, TAI SOLARIN AND HAROUN ADAMU JAILED.
NSO was a mistake so were many of the intelligence agencies of the 80s all over the world.
It was this same Haroun Adamu that Obasanjo appointed to wind-down the PTF, no wonder his report was more like a hatchet job against Buhari.
20: VARIOUS ASSOCIATIONS PROSCRIBED AND 200,000 NIGERIANS IN DETENTION.
Only NANS and NMA were banned while NLC was barred from having any strike in view of the structural reforms the government was about to undertake example being removal of meal subsidies in Universities and retrenchment of workers.
21: 700,000 FOREIGNERS DEPORTED.
Buhari’s government was not the first to deport foreigners and would not be the last. Every country considers deportation of aliens to create job openings for its citizens when faced with unemployment of its nationals and in the case of Nigeria, aliens coming with dubious religious doctrines like that of Maitatsine!

That means the documentary is true!