Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has said the arrest and detention of Prof. Usman Yusuf will not deter the struggle for good governance.
In a piece titled ‘No retreat, no surrender, freedom come by struggle’, posted on his official Facebook page, Dalung described the arrest as an attempt to suppress dissenting voices.
He however insisted that the movement for justice and accountability would continue unabated.
The comments followed his visit to Kuje Prison where Yusuf was remanded.
“On the 4th February, myself and Comrade Mahdi Shehu visited Comrade Professor Usman Yusuf at the KuJe Correctional facility Abuja.
“He was arrested by men of EFCC, arraigned before FCT High Court Kuje and remanded on charges of corruption.
“We met him in good health and high spirit. He was even more concerned about the situation in the country than even his detention.
“His character strength was not only consoling but it also strengthen the struggle for good governance. I also used the opportunity to inspect our potential accommodation in view of the current crackdown on voices of dissent.
“There’s no amount of intimidation and state harassment that can deter us.
“With the current threats to our defiant Comrade Na’ajaratu Mohammed by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Tinubu’s NSA, the battle line is drawn for the defence of freedom.
“This is a clarion call to the struggle community to buckle up for challenges of civilian dictatorship. We must rally round the #freeprofusman struggle by availing yourselves to all court sessions if you can afford.
“We shall return to the streets if justice remains elusive. An injury to one is an injury to all, therefore we are all prisoners of conscience only waiting to be picked.
“However we are resolute in our conviction that every struggle has a price and a new Nigeria is attainable,” Dalung said.
Prof. Usman Yusuf, a former executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, was arrested for allegedly inflating the scheme’s ICT budget from N4.975 billion to N8.7 billion and approving payments beyond his approval limit.
Prof Yusuf’s arrest will not stop our struggle for good governance – Solomon Dalung
