Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed that he is currently under investigation for corruption.
Jonathan disclosed this yesterday in an interview with Bloomberg in London where he also delivered a speech titled: “Civis Nigerianus Sum– I am a citizen of Nigeria.”
The former president said he would not comment on the issue until the investigations were concluded.“Of course, obviously, I would be investigated. In fact I am being investigated. Investigations are going on. I would not want to make certain comments because government is working.
“It would not be proper for immediate past president to make certain statements.
I will allow the government do the work. I wouldn’t want to make serious comments on that.
“After all the investigations, the stories will be properly documented. I have just left office and I should allow the president and his team do what they think is best for the economy.”
He described as false, the claim that he left an empty treasury for his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “It is not true; there is no way that he would have inherited an empty treasury and at the same time give bailout to the states. It’s not possible.
“Nigeria is a fairly robust economy but sometimes, we over-politicise some issues and make it look so bad. It was not that bad. Some people ask questions like I was the president of Nigeria since independence; I was the president for 5 years.
“It is routine in Nigeria from the collapse of the first republic, people blamed corruption. When the second republic collapsed, the military blamed corruption. If there is a major change in government, one political party taking over from another one, there must be issues.”
Jonathan said that his administration could not tackle graft in the oil sector because some people were frustrating it, stressing it was the same people that were currently accusing his government of corruption.
“To take just one example, we drastically reduced corruption in the agricultural sector with the help of a simple mobile phone.
“We achieved this by providing an e-wallet to farmers which grew the percentage of registered farmers receiving subsidy from 11% to 94%. And in the process we were also able to save billions of naira in fertiliser subsidies.
“In the area of fertiliser subsidy, we cleaned up and the corruption was removed. I wanted to do the same thing in the oil industry but the same people who are accusing us of corruption are the very people that were frustrating it,” he said.
Jonathan, who said consolidating democracy and the effective war against graft should be the collective responsibility of all citizens, reiterated his commitment to good governance, effective stewardship and transparency.
“For Nigeria to further develop and progress we need peace, freedom and unity. These values need to be deeply, strongly and irreversibly entrenched in Nigeria for all time,” he stated.
He said for this to happen, it was imperative that both the executive and the legislative institute a Bill of Rights.
“A Bill of Rights that will end discrimination and tribalism, and promote equality, enabling everyone to work towards the common goal for the development of the nation.
“A Bill of Rights which like the British Magna Carta, some 800 years ago, enshrined the principle of habeas corpus so that no person is deprived of his liberty without a trial of his peers.”
Jonathan also explained that he called his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari before the final collation of the results of the 2015 presidential election 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,” he said.
He said it had always been his desire to help consolidate peace and cultivate democracy in Nigeria and across the continent.
He stated: “In fact, it was the key foreign policy objective of my Administration when we were able to help broker peace and restore democracy in Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote d’Ivoire. In Niger –The first challenge that confronted ECOWAS when I was Chairman in 2010 was the military intervention there.
“We were able to resolve it through sheer determination and prudent consultations which paved the way for the country’s return to constitutional rule and democracy. In Mali – As the Co-mediator of the effort to return the nation to democracy after a surprising military take-over, I was the only sitting President to visit Mali and meet all the stakeholders in the early and difficult times of the crisis.”
He said the current focus was to uphold democratic principles, promote peaceful political transitions and support citizen entrepreneurship and intra-Africa trade.
“We will achieve this by working with African Governments, the private sector, civil society and other friends of Africa to galvanize action towards improving our societies and making a change in the lives of the ordinary people in our various countries.
“We will work for good governance by promoting credible and transparent elections, as well as peaceful power transfers. I have no doubt that this is the basic requirement we need for strengthening our institutions and enthroning stability,” he said.
The former leader contended that every Nigerian must feel at home in any part of Nigeria.
“As our country increases its equality, its cultural value will increase too. When we increase the cultural value of Nigeria and show it to the world, not only will people spend their business dollars in our country, but their vacation dollars too. You have to buy into the culture of a country before you decide to visit or invest. It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy for our beloved nation.
“As we invest in the equality of our people and strive to make ourselves more equal, the world will take notice. As our image rises in the eyes of others, we will become even prouder of our national culture. This will repeat and repeat in a positive feedback loop where both parts feed each other and grow as a result,” he added.
Jonathan left empty treasury, Presidency insists
However, the Presidency last night insisted that Jonathan left an empty treasury.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, told our correspondent on phone last night that Buhari’s claim of inheriting an empty treasury remained valid.
Adesina was reacting to a claim by Jonathan that he did not leave an empty treasury.
“I have no additional comment other than what President Muhammadu Buhari has said about it,” the presidential aide said.
President Buhari had on June 22, 2015 while meeting with State House reporters disclosed that he met a virtually empty treasury and huge debts left behind by Mr. Jonathan.
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Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/i-m-being-investigated-for-corruption-jonathan/150088.html#JGDRX7hHay1D7fQR.99
