Buhari did not inherit empty treasury- Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan,
yesterday, defended his government’s record on
fighting corruption and denied his successor’s
assertion that the country’s Treasury was left
empty when he handed over power last
year. Jonathan, 58, was succeeded in May 2015
by President Muhammadu Buhari, who accused
the previous administration of looting billions of
dollars and leaving the country’s finances
“virtually empty."

[caption id="attachment_2420" align="aligncenter" width="412"] Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan
handing over reports of the 2014 National
Conference to President Muhammadu Buhari[/caption]

“There’s no way he would have inherited an
empty Treasury,” Jonathan said in an interview
with Bloomberg Television in London, adding “It’s
not possible.” Nigeria’s economy is contracting
after a decline in the price of Brent by about half
since the middle of 2014.

Crude exports accounted in 2014 for as much as
two-thirds of government revenue, with most
state budgets relying on monthly handouts from
the federal administration.

Kemi Adeosun and implementation of 2016
budget
Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, said last month
that a long-delayed 2016 budget might not be
fully implemented. The cash crunch has
dampened optimism around the election of
Buhari who campaigned on an anti-corruption
platform, beating Jonathan in the first election
victory by an opposition candidate in the nation’s
history.

In a bid to plug the gap in the finances of Africa’s
biggest economy, Nigerian authorities have gone
after corrupt officials, recovering more than
$500 million in cash so far. Investigations by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, have brought top officials of Jonathan’s
government under scrutiny, such as his National
Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and then-
spokesman of his political party, Olisa Metuh.
Asked if he was being investigated for
corruption, Jonathan said, “of course, obviously,
they investigated and I’ve been investigated.”

My administration did very well —Jonathan
He declined to say what those investigations
might reveal. Jonathan said his administration
did “very well” in the fight against
corruption. Former President Goodluck Jonathan
expressed confidence that the authorities could
reach an agreement with militants in the Niger
Delta to stop their attacks that had slashed
production of Africa’s biggest oil producer.

“Definitely, it will be resolved,” Jonathan, said in
an interview at Bloomberg’s offices in London on
Monday. “Yes, government can always overcome
restive movements and so on, but the Niger
Delta is too delicate. The level of damage will
be too much for the government to bear. We
used dialogue.” Jonathan was vice-president
when Nigeria’s government offered an amnesty
and monthly stipends to militants to end years of
instability, which had cut oil output.

Councellation of security contracts by
President Buhari
In February, Jonathan’s successor Muhammadu
Buhari reduced the stipends and canceled
security contracts with former military leaders. A
militant group known as Niger Delta Avengers
has claimed attacks on facilities belonging to
companies, including Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch
Shell Plc and Agip Oil Co., causing Nigeria’s
output to drop to an almost 30-year low of about
1.4 million barrels per day.

The violence has deepened the crisis facing
Africa’s largest economy, which is already reeling
from a slump in crude prices. Nigeria gets as
much as two-thirds of its revenue and more than
90 percent of foreign income from oil.

On why he conceded defeat in the elections,
Jonathan said that having helped to stabilise
democracy in four other West African countries,
including Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote
d’Ivoire, he decided to leave a stable country by
ensuring peaceful transition of power in his
belief that his “political ambition was not worth
the blood of one Nigerian.”

Refecting on Nigeria's future
His words: “Since leaving office one year and
one week ago, I have had the luxury of time to
reflect on the future of my great country,
Nigeria. ‘’So, today (yesterday) is not about my
personal memories or a litany of ‘what ifs’. No!
Today I would like to share with you what I
believe are the key lessons from my experiences
for the future of democracy not only in Nigeria
but also across the entire continent of Africa.
Conceding defeat and congratulating
President Buhari

“I said before the last election that my political
ambition was not worth the blood of one
Nigerian. I was true to my word when on March
16, 2015, just after the election, when the
results were still being collated by the
Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, I called my opponent, General
Muhammadu Buhari, retd, to concede, in order
to avoid any conflict and ensure a peaceful
transition of power.

“This was without precedent in my country and I
am proud that it achieved my goal of no conflict
arising from the result of the election. “Some
may think, it is ironic that perhaps my proudest
achievement was not winning the 2015
presidential election .

“By being the first elected Nigerian leader to
willingly hand over power via the ballot box, to
the opposition party; without contesting the
election outcome, I proved to the ordinary man
or woman in the country that I was his or her
equal.

“That his or her vote was equal to mine and
that democracy is the government by the will of
the people, and that Nigeria, and indeed Africa is
ripe for democracy. It is my sincerest wish that
democracy is being consolidated in the continent
of Africa and it will even get better."