BillyGraham Abel Yola

A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, has condemned the recent anti-corruption summit organised by the Adamawa State Government as a stage-managed lies by the state government and a great misfortune for the country.

Dr. Ardo said it was appalling that a state government would bring together the entire Federal structure led by the president himself and three governors and make them applaud to total lies about happenings in the state.

He noted that staging an anti-corruption campaign on lies and bringing the president to clap to it was perhaps the biggest misfortune for the country.

Ardo also criticised the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government’s presentation at the summit, saying everything said in that was a total lie and an absolute fabrication.

Ardo, making reference to issues in the presentation, observed that it was gross insincerity for the SSG to claim that as at 2015 there were only 15 keke NAPEPS in Adamawa state, with five in Yola north, five in Yola south and five in the mechanic garage; and a pathetic indecency for those who know the truth to clap to that.

Every claim in that presentation from beginning to the end was a lie, and I can prove it. It was only a day before the president’s visit that teachers and civil servants in the state took to the streets demonstrating against nonpayment of salaries, yet the SSG claimed that Adamawa state government wasn’t owing a single Kobo in salary, and the audience clapped to that.

The SSG also claimed that the state government had successfully invented a digital Islamic IPAD on a local elate for the Almajiris in Adamawa State was a lie too.

“It is worrisome how low our leaders can go to deceive the led. What is even more pathetic is that in a state where internecine communal killings have become the order of the day, yet our leaders, including the president, will be clapping to lies that a so-called Public-Traditional-Partnership created by the government has effectively secured the state.

“No wonder not even a mention was made of the mass genocidal killings of hundreds of our people that the state witnessed in just a matter of days ago. I sympathise with the relatives of those who lost their loved ones in those gruesome killings.

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“Even as the leadership lies, claps and laughs, the wounded in those crises are still lying half dead and half alive in our hospitals in the state with no adequate treatments. Yet our so-called leaders are seemingly celebrating of so-called successes of their so-called leadership.

“It’s is even more disheartening that the president who failed to visit the state when those killings took place, did not think it appropriate to seize the opportunity of his ‘anti-corruption’ visit to the state to at least visit the hospitals and see the injured. This is most sad. I feel so sorry for this country. Where are we heading to,” Ardo lamented.

Reacting to Dr. Ardo’s statement, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Jubrilla Bindow, Yohanna Mathias rubbished all that Ardo said, saying: “There are politicians that criticise just because they want to get  noticed.

“We have some specific goals we intended to achieve from this summit and we have achieved it. We have shown to the world that prudent utilization of resources is a critical aspect of dealing with corruption.

“We have raised awareness among our public office holders towards adopting new culture which is a complete departure from what used to be in the state.

“As a Nigerian, it is important  that we begin to promote a new culture of probity, accountability, transparency and integrity for public office holders.

“We have successfully acquaint our people with the tools of government and how to put the interest of the public above our personal interest.

“That was the message this government was sending and I think we are on course, so, his criticism is just an attempt to get noticed.”