Former President Olusegun Obasanjo again threw another salvo at his estranged god-son, President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of squandering the billions of dollars saved from the sale of crude oil by his administration and that of the late Umar Yar’Adua and left behind in the government’s coffers.
Obasanjo had, for some time now, been very critical of Jonathan lambasting him at every opportunity. One of such occasions was at the presentation of his book, My Watch, where he said he decided to go public with his criticisms of Jonathan because the latter had displayed a deaf posture to all his advice and private discussions.
Such opportunity came again on Monday when Obasanjo hosted South-west women leaders in his home in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Obasanjo, who said he was neither fighting Jonathan nor was Jonathan fighting him, explained that his administration left over $25 billion and that when Umaru Yar’adua came on board, he raised the amount to $35 billion. This amount has been squandered by Jonathan, he alleged.
This amount is different from the country’s foreign reserve which Obasanjo said was $40 billion after Nigeria paid its debts.
This amount was again upped by the late Yar’adua to $67 billion. But according to Obasanjo, the foreign reserve has now been depleted, and this is apart from the huge debt hanging on the country’s neck.
Obasanjo said his criticisms and such exposition were really because he had the interest of the country at heart and would not allow anyone to destroy Nigeria.
Obasanjo said: “When I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25 billion we kept in what they called excess crude. The excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for the rainy days.
“When we left in May 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35 billion. But today, that reserve has been depleted! Today, that reserve has been depleted. The reserve we left when we finished paying all our debts, our debts that was about $40 billion, that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than $3 billion.
“Our reserve after we had paid off this debt was about $45billion. As I said, they continued till the end of 2007, I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67 billion before the end of the year. Our reserve now, I learnt is left with around only $30 billion.
“That is why the Naira has been falling against the dollar. What would now happen? I learnt if you want to buy a dollar now, it’s about N192 or N195. What it means is this, what you have been buying at N150 to a dollar, now you need N192 or N195 to buy it.
“That is the real situation. Is there any remedy? There is, but it does not come overnight because it means we have to give up all the bad things we have been doing.”
He said he was sure that God did not create Nigeria to be poor or not to be great querying:
Obasanjo added: “Is it that the people he created in Nigeria are not knowledgeable enough or not intelligent enough? Or is that they don’t know their rights?
“Our problems in Nigeria, let’s look at the foundation of our leadership. In the profession I know very well, the military, what we normally say is that there are no bad soldiers but bad officers.
“If you see a situation where the soldiers are not doing well, we need to examine the officers in charge. So it is in the family, the community, the town and the country.
“I have no grudges against Jonathan and I think Jonathan equally has no grudges against me. I’m not quarrelling with Jonathan but all I know is that whatever is good for Nigeria, that I’m ready to die for.
“I emphasise that whatever is good for Nigeria, is what I’m ready to defend with my life.
“Whoever, I emphasise, whoever says he would not do anything good to Nigeria, even if he says he’s ready to go ‘konko below’, I’m ready to square it up with such a person.
“I say again, whoever that person may be, I want you to get that correctly. If this country is going to change for the better, it would start from the top and if it’s going to be otherwise, it would start from the top, too.
“I have no apprehension over this coming elections. I have no fears over the forthcoming elections. I have had some little experience about this country. I was a military head of state and I was also a civilian president, so what is left?
“So, if I talk, I know what I’m saying. Whoever wants, should listen to me and whoever feels otherwise, may turn a deaf ear. But when I’m talking, I’m talking with my understanding and intellect.
“I’m drawing from my experience and from what I’ve learnt with others and from other countries and fellow eminent citizens of the world that I relate with. But leave all of that.
“Good governance comes from voting, from selection of leaders. It is now left to you to decide who you cast your vote for because if you throw away your votes and tomorrow you are saying good governance, once you throw away your votes you have lost out. That is one.
“Find out the track records of achievements of those you want to vote for. What have they achieved in the past and not what they have said.
“Truly, the price of crude has fallen, but anyone who is wise enough should know that since we depend on just one resource, and since we have no control over its pricing, we should be planning for this type of situation and the way out of it.
“Our inability to have reserve has brought us into this economic quagmire.”
Speaking earlier, leader of the delegation and Iyalode of Yoruba Land, Ms. Alaba Lawson, commended the former President for being a notable voice in the country and speaking out where it concerns the unity of Nigeria.
She expressed concern over the state of nation saying the country was at the height of challenges.
“The unabated nefarious activities of the insurgents which have placed us as a people on the throes of war are worrisome to us, because womenfolk are the most affected.
“Countless Nigerian women have lost their lives, husbands, children, relatives and sources of livelihood as a result of the despicable acts of killing and wanton destruction by the Boko Haram insurgents.
“We believe we are in the right place to discuss with you some knotty issues bleeding our hearts as we have seen you as a beacon of hope and lights for the nation,” she said.
