A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Alwan Hassan, has claimed that the majority of ministers who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari abused their offices and should face prosecution if government records were thoroughly reviewed.
Hassan made the assertion during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme anchored by Seun Okinbaloye, where he faulted the Buhari administration for what he described as weak oversight and excessive freedom granted to ministers in the management of public funds.
According to him, the lack of supervision during Buhari’s eight-year tenure allowed widespread abuse, insisting that as many as 95 per cent of the ministers should be in jail if proper scrutiny were applied.
“There has never been a time when ministers were given free rein without supervision like during Buhari’s administration. Their capital budgets were released 100 per cent, and nobody questioned what they did with the funds. If we open the books, 95 per cent of those people should be in jail by now. Only about five per cent were good,” Hassan said.
He further claimed that Buhari was not completely unaware of the alleged misconduct within his cabinet, noting that the former president had reportedly advised some ministers to keep their records in anticipation of future accountability.
“Maybe he had seen what they were doing,” he said.
Hassan also alleged that the absence of effective oversight turned ministers into independent power centers within the government.
“Everyone was his own cabal. If you got the chance to meet Buhari and explain things to him, you became a cabal. Once you were appointed, your job was abdicated to you,” he noted.
Comparing the previous administration with the current one, Hassan described President Bola Tinubu as more hands-on, particularly in financial management, arguing that this approach explains complaints from contractors over delayed payments.
“If you’re talking about a president who is hands-on with finance, it is Asiwaju. You’ve seen contractors like me complaining that we have not been paid. He knows his priorities and he enforces them,” he said.
He maintained that criticism of Tinubu’s policies is expected, stressing that opposition is a normal feature of governance.
“There is always opposition to every good government. This one is no exception,” he said.
On security, Hassan defended the Tinubu administration, saying the president closely monitors security situations and takes decisive action when necessary, including suspending official trips.
He dismissed claims that insecurity has worsened, urging Nigerians to compare current conditions with the peak of violent attacks between 2012 and 2014.
“People drive to Kaduna. People drive from Abuja to Borno at night,” he said.
Hassan attributed much of the internal criticism within the APC to envy and rivalry, particularly among party members in northern Nigeria.
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“Our problem is envy. People from the same party cook up lies and call for sackings. It’s dog-eat-dog,” he said.
He cited the recent rescue of kidnapped secondary school students in Kebbi State as evidence of improved coordination under the current administration, praising the efforts of the National Security Adviser and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
According to him, Matawalle has become a target because of his perceived effectiveness.
“Anybody the president sends who delivers becomes a punching bag,” he said.
Addressing the crisis within the APC in Kano State, Hassan blamed leadership failure for the party’s divisions, arguing that the most senior party office holder in the state had not provided effective direction.
He added that internal disunity has weakened the APC’s ability to challenge the influence of former Kano governor and NNPP leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
“If we want to win Kano, we must either bring back Kwankwaso or negotiate with him. Without an alliance, the APC will not win Kano for the presidency,” Hassan said.