We’re All Guilty of Past Mistakes – Saraki

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday reiterated that all public office holders in the country from 1999 till date are guilty of being involved in creating the situation that has plunged the country to the present political and economic morass. While responding to the allegation on the secrecy of the National Assembly budget and corruption leveled against it by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Saraki said that it was wrong for anyone to claim that an individual or group of persons are solely responsible for the mess of the past. It would be recalled that former president Obasanjo had addressed the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in a letter accusing members of the National Assembly of corruption and extravagant wastage of the nation’s resources, despite the harsh economic reality confronting the nation. But Saraki, while speaking to newsmen yesterday, said instead of trading blames on the woes afflicting the country now, what the country needs is a collective participation for the good of all Nigerians. He further assured the public that details of the N115 billion National Assembly budget would be transparent. He added that he will make sure it is put into the public domain section by section this year, as against the practice of one item of the past. “We’ve all been here since 1999 up to the recent past when things were not done right, we are all part of it.  I was there, you were there, every other political office holder in different capacities were there as well,” Saraki said.