The Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria HURIWA has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the former President Buhari’s nephew, Tunde Sabiu, for his alleged involvement in the recent naira redesign without proper authorization.
HURIWA in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, condemned the reported approval for the naira redesign, asserting that it came from Sabiu Tunde ‘Yusuf’ rather than former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The association expressed concern over what they perceive as a breach of legal protocols and insisted on Sabiu’s accountability for his role in the currency redesign.
According to the association, the Special Investigator on the Central Bank of Nigeria and Related Entities, Jim Obazee, revealed in his final report that the approval for the naira redesign did not come from the former president but rather from Buhari’s aide, Sabiu Tunde ‘Yusuf.’
“Recall that in a letter dated July 28th, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu nominated Obazee as CBN special investigator. According to the report by HURIWA, Sabiu worked with Godwin Emefiele to implement the naira redesign,”
HURIWA also expressed serious concern over the actions of the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, concerning the Nigeria Air project. HURIWA alleged that Sirika perpetrated a scam by presenting a hastily repainted, chartered aircraft as the national carrier, deceiving the public.
HURIWA highlighted previous financial irregularities associated with Sirika, including the controversial spending of $600,000 on logo design and the questionable purchase of fire trucks at exorbitant prices.
“Sirika is accused of orchestrating the presentation of a chartered aircraft, hastily repainted and still bearing Ethiopian registration marks, as the national carrier on May 26, 2023. The audacity of such a blatant last-minute scam is seen as a challenge for the public to demand accountability.
“The Nigeria Air controversy is just one of the significant scandals linked to Sirika. In 2017, there were rumors that he spent $600,000 on logo design with a Bahraini company for the project, then named Air Nigeria, before it was halted. Sirika denied the specified amount but did not disclose the actual expenditure. Subsequently, between 2017 and 2018, the Federal Government allocated up to N800 million for the project’s revival.
“Sirika also faced criticism for allocating N12 billion to procure 10 fire trucks, translating to a staggering N1.2 billion per truck. These issues collectively contribute to a growing discontent with Sirika’s actions, prompting widespread demands for accountability.” The association therefore called for the arrest and thorough investigation of Hadi Sirika to address these allegations.
In addition, HURIWA called for accountability from Sadiya Umar Farouq regarding expenditure during her tenure at Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management particularly school feeding programs where she was allegedly involved in corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of office.
The right group emphasized the need for respect of constitutional rights to fair trial while urging the EFCC and DSS to act swiftly and impartially when investigating allegations against those found culpable facing full consequences their actions.
