I won’t fight graft by putting people in crates – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan began his re-election campaign in Lagos   on Thursday, saying he would not fight corruption by arresting and putting people in crates.

Jonathan, in his 33-minute speech that centered more on responses to criticisms of his administration by some prominent Nigerians and the opposition, faulted a recent statement credited to the APC presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, that he would send corrupt Nigerians to jail.

Although he did not mention   names, he   was indirectly making reference to   Buhari’s role in the 1984 botched attempt to smuggle a former Transport minister, the late Umaru Dikko, to Nigeria.

He said, “They said they will start fighting corruption after they have crossed the bridge. And only two days ago, somebody stood in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and said he would catch people that steal and throw them in Kirikiri(Prisons).

“I agree that we must stop corruption but I will not do so by catching people and putting them in crates and   jailing   or killing them. We can’t stop corruption that way.”

The President told the PDP chiefs, members and supporters at the carnival-like event that held at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos that “the   same mouth says something from the right and the left, making contradictory statements.”

Raising his voice, he asked rhetorically,“ Can you trust such a man ? Are they not deceiving you?

“They want power by all means. All they want to use power for is to lock up and imprison their enemies,” he claimed, eliciting thunderous applause from the gathering.

The President also said that if   Buhari had effectively fought corruption   between 1983 and 1985 when he was Head of State, Nigeria would not be grappling with graft today.

He argued that the kind of anti-graft war the APC presidential candidate was advocating had no place in today’s democracy.

The President said that instead of fighting corruption by making arrests, he would structure Nigeria in such a way that people holding public offices would no longer have direct access to funds.

Jonathan added   that his administration had   curbed corruption in the civil service and the agricultural sector through the computerisation of   payment system.