“It is sickening to continue to regurgitate allegations of
corruption against me by people who have failed to come forward with a single
shred of evidence of my misconduct while in office,” former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar has said.
The former vice president advised “self righteous political
enemies” to either prove alleged corrupt activities, or mind the skeletons in
their own closets and keep quiet.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said
this yesterday at a facility tour of the new ultra-modern Yaliam Press Limited
in Jabi area of Abuja.
He also said, in a press statement released by his media
office in Abuja, that he would fight corruption like never before if he was
given the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the country.
He added that people who have no initiative, personal
resourcefulness and ideas about wealth creation always assumed that a man could
not build himself without stealing.
He added that it was morally offensive for people who
despised honest labour to become judges in the courts of public opinion.
The Wazirin Adamawa said though he had not been convicted of
corruption by any court in the land or elsewhere, his political enemies had
been parading a fake morality to fool gullible Nigerians.
“Despite previous desperate efforts to link me with
corruption, the William Jefferson trial in the United States ended in 2009
without indicting me or linking me to corrupt activities,” he said.
Atiku, who was responding to the welcome address by the
Chairman/CEO of Yaliam Press Limited, Yahaya Ali Amfani, recalled that he
pasted a ‘reminder’ at his bed rest during his training as a customs officer
that he would retire from any agency if he had not attained the headship of the
place at the age of 40.
He also said that he was able to attain the position of
deputy director before his exit in 1989 to chart a career in business.
Atiku told the management and staff of Yaliam Press that he
retired from the customs service with untainted record, and that if anybody had
evidence that he stole a kobo at the customs or during his tenure as vice
president, such accusers should come forward or file a petition against
him.
Atiku said he didn’t become vice president in 1999 as a
pauper because he had been a successful investor throughout his retirement life.
By Muideen Olaniyi
