TheCable

Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district, has cleared the air on the explosive statement he made about the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmaker had asked the president to fire Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance; Udoma Udoma, minister of budget, and national planning; and Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over “gross incompetence”.

Melaye had said he was afraid that his constituents could pelt him over the “failure of the current administration”.

Defending the statement when he appeared on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, Melaye said the truth has no colour, and he is not afraid of saying things the way they are.

“I want to start by saying this is not about a political party, but about the survival of democracy. It’s about the Nigerian populace, about having a just and egalitarian society,” he said.

“I am a very proud member of the APC, but what we have on hand is serious. It’s unfortunate that when the names of these ministers were sent to the red chamber, they came without portfolios that would have helped us to base our screenings on their expertise and specialisation.

“But that may not be very relevant at the moment. What is relevant is where you have been fixed or appointed; do you have the competence? For most of the ministers, I am sorry to say, it’s a matter of double jeopardy. No capacity, no capability.

“I have no personal problem with any one of them, just that the truth needs to be told. If you tell the truth, you die, if you tell lies, you will still die, so why not say the truth.”