Name those who want to compromise you, Presidency challenges Ribadu

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

THE Presidency, on Thursday, challenged chairman of the Task Force on Petroleum Revenue, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to expose those he claimed made overtures to him to compromise the report submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of encouraging “negativism” over the report.The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, who gave the position at a press briefing in Abuja, also said the report had become over-politicised.
Similarly, he accused the committee of failing to carry out a critical part of its mandate to verify data used, which would, therefore, make it impossible to indict or punish anyone that may be found culpable.
The presidency noted that there was a major public disinformation deliberately calculated to overheat the polity and cause disaffection and opprobrium against the president “for doing what is right, needful and profitable for the nation.”
According to Okupe, “his claim of an overture to him to compromise the report is perfidious and false. We respectfully enjoin him to be patriotic enough to name the proponents of this compromise.
“If Ribadu claims that by serving on the committee, he is on the side of the Nigerian people, on whose side is President Jonathan whose idea it was in the first place to set up the task force and approved the appointment of Mallam Ribadu as chairman of the committee?”
The presidency also questioned the leakage to foreign media of a version of the report.