President, Governors Should Not Answer 'His Excellency' - Senator Melaye

“In this regard, I recommend that henceforth no President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor should answer the name ‘His Excellency’ until the material condition of ordinary Nigerians has also become ‘Excellent’.

Senator Dino Melaye has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant amnesty to public officials who stole the country’s money but are willing to return the looted funds.
Melaye further recommended that the looters in question be given six months to return the money.

He made the call via a statement issued on Sunday, October 2, 2016. The statement reads in part:

“Though an unrepentant advocate for integrity and forthrightness especially from public office holders, I however sincerely want to recommend that Mr. President grant Presidential Amnesty/Pardon to all those who looted our treasury provided they return all proceeds of their loot to the government within six (6) months of the declaration of the Amnesty.”

“This, I believe will encourage the voluntary return of the looted funds, empower the government financially to immediately commence the implementation of projects and programmes that will stimulate the economy and raise the peoples’ standard of living, and save the judiciary and other law enforcement agencies the agony of fruitlessly pursuing the looters in and out of the courtrooms. In the long run, this would be a win-win situation for both the government and people of Nigeria.

“At the expiration of the six months’ ‘Moratorium’, all those who failed to comply would then be made to face the reality of aggressive and expeditious prosecution and eventual jail terms for convicts in accordance with the laws of the land.

“In this regard, I recommend that henceforth no President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor should answer the name ‘His Excellency’ until the material condition of ordinary Nigerians has also become ‘Excellent’.

“No Senator should continue to answer ‘Distinguished’ until the masses of the people begin to experience a distinguished existence and no Federal or state Legislator should wear the badge of ‘Honourable Member’ until the ordinary citizen is himself living a life that can be classified Honourable in every material particular.”

Senator Bassey Akpan, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas, made a similar call on Monday, May 23, 2016, while speaking to journalists in Abuja.