The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said available evidence shows that the live radio interview of Senate
President Bukola Saraki on Christmas Day was doctored before it was re-broadcast to remove any reference to the claimed donation of 10 million Naira to victims of the armed robbery in Offa, Kwara State.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister said he is presenting to the public both the unedited version of the live radio interview as well as the doctored, re-broadcast version so the people can see the extent to which some ‘leaders’ can go to deceive the people and peddle lies just to shore up their dwindling fortunes.
”In the unedited live version, Dr. Saraki, speaking in Yoruba, said categorically that he donated 10 million Naira when he visited Offa to commiserate with the victims of the armed robbery, when (he said) in actual fact about 7 million Naira was stolen from the vaults of the banks that were robbed during the attack.
”However, the version for re-broadcast did not contain any reference to the Offa robbery. Whereas they claimed to have re-broadcast the interview due to popular demand, the truth is that they decided to re-air it without the claim of 10 million Naira donation due to the widespread derision that greeted that phantom claim. These people have a chronic disdain for the truth,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed challenged the Senate President to answer three critical questions or learn to keep his peace:
– The first one is did he not say, during the live interview, that that the money in the vault was N7 million and that he dropped 10 million Naira when he went to Offa on a condolence visit?
– The second question is did he really drop any money on that occasion?
– And the third, did he or did he not doctor the original broadcast?
He said while he would not want to exchange words with Dr. Saraki on who is truly on ground in Kwara, it is important to let him know that six weeks from now, the people of Kwara will answer that question.
”On Nov. 17 2018, the people of Kwara gave a hint of their determination to sack the rapacious leaders who have dominated their lives when they voted for the APC in the by-election for the Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero federal constituency. That crushing defeat
so devastated the political warlords, who hitherto claimed invincibility, that they started doing what they have never done before: going from ward to ward to campaign!
”Unfortunately, the game is up for them, as they will soon learn, because the people have resolved that ‘O to ge’ (enough is enough). In the meantime, they are free to continue to revel in self-deceit,” the Minister said
Segun Adeyemi
SA To Hon Minister of Information and Culture
Abuja
2 Jan. 2019
NB: Please click on the link below to access both the original and edited versions of the radio interview by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
