CITIZENS COMPASS— Some Nigerians allegedly pay billions of Naira to secure appointments as ministers.
A spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, made the allegation during a television programme.
He said the commissioners seek to recoup the money whenever they are sworn in.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise News’ Prime Time, where he discussed budget implementation and President Bola Tinubu’s approach to managing government projects.
During the programme, the APC campaign spokesman argued that some ministers enter public office with the intention of recovering the money allegedly spent to secure their positions rather than prioritising public service.
“A lot of ministers pay billions to be appointed,” he said. “The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money after being appointed.”
Hassan’s comments raise questions about the process of appointing public officials and the possible consequences of financial inducements for government positions. He did not identify the ministers he was referring to or provide evidence to substantiate the allegation.
The APC spokesman also defended Tinubu’s reported approach of exercising direct control over major capital expenditure and revenue-generating projects rather than relying entirely on ministers to execute government plans.
According to Hassan, the president has personally directed major projects over the past three and a half years because of concerns about how ministers handle public funds.
He questioned the need to entrust budgets to ministers if they could not be trusted to manage public resources responsibly.
“Why do we need ministers?” he asked. “Why do we need budgets to be given to ministers?”
Hassan went further by describing ministers as “the most criminal elements in government”, alleging that some spend billions securing appointments before attempting to recover their investments through public allocations.
He maintained that the problem was not limited to the APC or the current administration, arguing that it had existed before the party came to power.
“It is the truth about our country and not just APC ministers,” he said. “It started before the APC.”
