A spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, has alleged that some ministers pay billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently seek to recover their investments after assuming office.

Hassan made the allegation during an interview with Charles Aniagolu on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday night, while defending President Bola Tinubu’s approach to managing government revenue and expenditure.

During the interview, Hassan questioned the effectiveness of budgetary allocations to ministries, arguing that the President’s direct involvement in spending decisions was preferable to allowing ministers greater control over government expenditure.

He also accused successive administrations of failing to address corruption among public officials, particularly ministers.

“Whatever it is a budget is supposed to do in this country in the last three and a half years, Asiwaju (President Bola Tinubu) has done it by himself. Why do we need ministers? Why do we need budget to be given to ministers?” Hassan asked.

Defending Tinubu’s approach, he said: “The way Asiwaju is hands-on on the expenditure of our revenue is fantastic, and I love it.”

Hassan subsequently alleged that some ministers paid huge sums to secure their appointments, entering government with the intention of recouping the money.

“Charles, a lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” he said.

He further claimed that the alleged practice was not peculiar to the APC, arguing that ministers had featured prominently among individuals accused of financial wrongdoing under successive administrations.

“The biggest fraudulent people you arrest after every government are ministers,” Hassan said.

The allegations have prompted questions about the appointment process and the possibility of financial inducements influencing access to public office.

Reacting to the interview in a post on X, Aniagolu said Hassan’s claims raised serious questions about who allegedly paid and received the money and whether public appointments were being traded for financial gain.

The presenter noted that the ministers in question were appointed under the APC-led administration, while Hassan maintained that the alleged practice predated the party’s emergence into government.

“Who allegedly collects these billions? Who pays? Who is selling public appointments? And are Nigerians ultimately made to pay for it through corruption?” Aniagolu asked.

He called for a credible investigation if the allegations were true, adding that Hassan owed Nigerians a clear explanation if they could not be substantiated.

“If these claims are true, they demand a credible investigation. If not, Mr Hassan owes Nigerians a clear explanation,” he said.

Aniagolu stressed that public office should be treated as a public trust rather than a private investment to be recovered at taxpayers’ expense.