The United States has yet to give the list of oil thieves to President Muhammadu Buhari, findings by our correspondents have shown.
Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that during Buhari’s visit to Washington in July, 2015, the United States did not give any list.
Sources at the US embassy said they were not aware of any exchange of documents between American officials and the President during the visit.
If there was such a list, a source said, it was not given to Buhari during the visit.
The source said, “Though President Buhari engaged in discussions on various issues with the US President Barack Obama, there was no exchange of documents between them.”
When contacted, the US embassy in Abuja declined comment on the issue. The Press Attaché, Sean McIntosh, said he had no comment on the issue. There had been media report that the US government had given Buhari two separate lists containing the names of corrupt Nigerians and crude oil thieves, adding that the President was taken aback when he saw the list.
The list was said to contain the names of top government officials who have been stealing the country’s oil, using their high offices to perpetrate the stealing and the other containing the names of illegal oil bunkerers.
The report further stated that the list given to the President by the US might compel him to probe the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, denied knowledge of any list of corrupt Nigerians reportedly handed over to Buhari during his visit to the US.
He said he would not be able to make further comment on the matter since he was not aware of the list.
“I have no knowledge of the list you are talking about so I can neither confirm its authenticity nor those listed therein,” he said. Punch
Of course, only idiotic and gossip mongering Nigerians would believe that the US government would indulge in such a thoughtless venture. If anything of that sort took place, it would never have been announced to the public, for it would fall under classified matters. But an idiotic empty vessel of a governor, Adams Oshiomhole, began this bushman-like and undignified rumor just to tarnish the reputation of a former Minister who blocked his depraved access to acquiring unjustifiable loans on behalf of his state. In spreading this childiish and illiteracy-induced rumor, Oshiohole actually demeaned both presidentas Buhari and Obama — by turning their conversations and interactions into a thing of childishness and unsophistication. President Buhari must never take him abroad in the future — he is a childishly-talking, rumor-mongering, petty-minded basketmouth.