I Never Told Anyone Buhari’s Anti-Corruption War Is Selective — Prof. Itse Sagay

Legal luminary, Prof. Itse Sagay, has stated categorically that he never granting an interview to the Nigerian Tribune or any other media to deride President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption efforts.

Speaking with SR from Lagos, Prof. Sagay, a professor of law, well known constitutional lawyer and head of President Buhari’s advisory committee on anti-corruption, said he was shocked to read a report concocted by the newspaper, crediting him with sharp criticism of the current administration’s anti-corruption strategy.

Prof. Sagay said the fake newspaper report on his purported interview represented a desperate attempt to discredit President Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

Sagay said he had stopped granting interviews to the Tribune after their editors had twisted an interview he granted them in August. According to him, the paper’s account of his August interview was tailored to suit the devious agenda of its editors hence his rejection of all efforts by the newspaper to speak with him on record for an interview.

The Nigerian Tribune is one of the newspapers named as beneficiaries of a payout from funds that were meant for the purchase of weapons to fight Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram. The revelation of a widespread dole-out of cash to media groups, including the Tribune, has emerged as part of a scandal involving ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki, who is standing trial for diverting $2.1billion.

Investigators have revealed that several Nigerian newspapers received N10 million each from the slush fund overseen by Dasuki. At least 12 newspapers were paid from the fund through Nduka Obaigbena, owner of Thisday Newspaper.

In dismissing the opinion attributed to him by the Tribune, Mr. Sagay said he had never met or spoken to the journalist who wrote the report, insisting that the interview was made up. He challenged the reporter and paper’s editors to provide the public with a tape recording of the so-called interview.