Why we have not paid Ikoyi whistle blower – Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government says it has not been able to pay the
statutory 5% to the Ikoyi whistle blower due to controversy
surrounding the claim.

The minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed made
this known on Tuesday during his visit to Leadership Newspaper.

He said the issue is a bit complicated because two persons are
currently laying claims to the amount and since the identity of the
real owner cannot be disclosed, it behooves on the government to
follow due process in arriving at the true owner of the money.

‘‘It is a bit complicated because more than one person is
claiming the money and we do not want to disclose the identity of
the Whistle blower.

‘‘We have a very unique situation in our hand at the moment; it
is so complex and complicated. One said we should not pay the other
and the other one has gone to court.

‘Now we have the authentic whistle blower and fake whistle
blower, we hope to find out the real person. Ordinarily, a whistle
blower should be anonymous. However, we are working very closely to
ensure that such thing never happens again.’’

IPOB

On IPOB, he said he was certain the matter would be resolved at
the end of the day, giving that the country has a leader who is
capable of tackling the challenge.

‘‘There was propaganda around IPOB. I was very certain then that
the unity of this country is not in doubt. We have seen governments
in this country, had leaders who have gone through wars and know
what the implications are. We have at the helm of affairs, a
leadership that is capable of tackling the challenge.

‘‘Though, there was a lot of propaganda, but I knew that at the
end of the day, the matter would be resolved.’’

Housing

On housing, the minister said the administration had spent N70
billion on land acquisition and construction of housing estates
across the country in the last two years. This he said is far more
than N1.8 billion spent by the last administration in five
years.

Recovered loots

Speaking on how much recovered from looters, the Minister said
the Administration had recovered about N8 billion, $53 million from
Whistle blowers and in addition recovered 54 houses and N78 billion
from an individual.

Visit

On the visit, he said the visit was to thank the leadership of
newspaper for its support and to seek more support in the three
cardinal objectives of the government: Fighting corruption,
insecurity and revamping the economy.

Free Press

On Free Press, he said the Administration would do everything to
ensure that the press operates without any form of intimidation
from government. He also promised to assist the media industry with
some funding as soon as the economy improves.

‘‘Today, we are back. This time, it is to say thank you for all
your support. Let me put it on record: Leadership newspaper has
been very professional in its reporting of this Administration. You
have supported us and you have criticized us, and each time you
have been guided by the ethics of your profession – fairness,
accuracy, impartiality, truthfulness, and objectivity.

‘‘We have not always agreed with your editorial stance on
issues. For example, when we first raised the alarm on the dangers
of fake news and disinformation, you wrote an editorial that seemed
to have dismissed our concern at the time. I am happy to say that
you have eventually seen the light, as the issue of fake news and
disinformation, and the danger it poses to the polity, has become
topical. We hope you will write another editorial to highlight the
dangers posed by fake news and disinformation, which is now a
global problem.

‘‘I want to state clearly that we also have a success story to
tell you, especially in the three cardinal programmes that form the
plank of our Administration’s policy – Fight against insecurity,
war against corruption and the revamping of the economy.

‘‘We have put Boko Haram on the run. Occasionally, they attack
soft targets, but even that is being tackled with
intelligence-driven measures. We are tackling insecurity
comprehensively, whether it is Farmer/Herders clash, Cattle
rustling or kidnapping. Only this morning, the Federal Government
launched the ”Policy Framework and National Action Plan for
Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism,” he added

The Federal Government says it has not been able to pay the
statutory 5% to the Ikoyi whistle blower due to controversy
surrounding the claim.

The minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed made
this known on Tuesday during his visit to Leadership Newspaper.

He said the issue is a bit complicated because two persons are
currently laying claims to the amount and since the identity of the
real owner cannot be disclosed, it behooves on the government to
follow due process in arriving at the true owner of the money.

‘‘It is a bit complicated because more than one person is
claiming the money and we do not want to disclose the identity of
the Whistle blower.

‘‘We have a very unique situation in our hand at the moment; it
is so complex and complicated. One said we should not pay the other
and the other one has gone to court.

‘Now we have the authentic whistle blower and fake whistle
blower, we hope to find out the real person. Ordinarily, a whistle
blower should be anonymous. However, we are working very closely to
ensure that such thing never happens again.’’

IPOB

On IPOB, he said he was certain the matter would be resolved at
the end of the day, giving that the country has a leader who is
capable of tackling the challenge.

‘‘There was propaganda around IPOB. I was very certain then that
the unity of this country is not in doubt. We have seen governments
in this country, had leaders who have gone through wars and know
what the implications are. We have at the helm of affairs, a
leadership that is capable of tackling the challenge.

‘‘Though, there was a lot of propaganda, but I knew that at the
end of the day, the matter would be resolved.’’

Housing

On housing, the minister said the administration had spent N70
billion on land acquisition and construction of housing estates
across the country in the last two years. This he said is far more
than N1.8 billion spent by the last administration in five
years.

Recovered loots

Speaking on how much recovered from looters, the Minister said
the Administration had recovered about N8 billion, $53 million from
Whistle blowers and in addition recovered 54 houses and N78 billion
from an individual.

Visit

On the visit, he said the visit was to thank the leadership of
newspaper for its support and to seek more support in the three
cardinal objectives of the government: Fighting corruption,
insecurity and revamping the economy.

Free Press

On Free Press, he said the Administration would do everything to
ensure that the press operates without any form of intimidation
from government. He also promised to assist the media industry with
some funding as soon as the economy improves.

‘‘Today, we are back. This time, it is to say thank you for all
your support. Let me put it on record: Leadership newspaper has
been very professional in its reporting of this Administration. You
have supported us and you have criticized us, and each time you
have been guided by the ethics of your profession – fairness,
accuracy, impartiality, truthfulness, and objectivity.

‘‘We have not always agreed with your editorial stance on
issues. For example, when we first raised the alarm on the dangers
of fake news and disinformation, you wrote an editorial that seemed
to have dismissed our concern at the time. I am happy to say that
you have eventually seen the light, as the issue of fake news and
disinformation, and the danger it poses to the polity, has become
topical. We hope you will write another editorial to highlight the
dangers posed by fake news and disinformation, which is now a
global problem.

‘‘I want to state clearly that we also have a success story to
tell you, especially in the three cardinal programmes that form the
plank of our Administration’s policy – Fight against insecurity,
war against corruption and the revamping of the economy.

‘‘We have put Boko Haram on the run. Occasionally, they attack
soft targets, but even that is being tackled with
intelligence-driven measures. We are tackling insecurity
comprehensively, whether it is Farmer/Herders clash, Cattle
rustling or kidnapping. Only this morning, the Federal Government
launched the ”Policy Framework and National Action Plan for
Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism,” he added