Obasanjo Blasts Jonathan Again

Again, former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday knocked President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing his government of depleting the nation’s foreign reserves and Excess Crude Account to an all-time low.

He accused Jonathan of squandering $US25billion his administration left in the Excess Crude Account. Also, he  said the $US45billion his administration left as foreign reserves and increased to about $US67billion by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, had been depleted by the Jonathan administration.

The former president said he was ready to take up anybody whose activities would afect the fortunes of Nigeria, while enjoining women to look vey well before deciding who to vote for in next month’s presidential election.

Speaking at  a meeting with the Iyalodes (market women leaders) and eminent women leaders from the six South-West states, led by the Iyalode of Egbaland, who also doubles as the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs.) Alaba Lawson,  in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo, said he had no personal grudges against President Jonathan.

The former president, who was surrounded by his wife, Bola; Lawson; the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Folashade Tinubu-Ojo and the Ekefa Iyalode of Ibadanland, Chief (Mrs.) Grace Adegbite, said that the reserve, which stood at $US67billion at the end of 2007, when he left office, has now been depleted to $US30billion under the Jonathan administration.

Obasanjo blamed the current economic quagmire ravaging the country on the government’s inability to plan ahead, regarding its reserve.

He said: “If our economy is not good, it would affect those of you in the market everywhere. It takes us back to what we said earlier that if the head is rotten, it will affect the entire body because if there is no good governance, it would affect the economy. Our economy should not have been this bad. When I was leaving office about eight years ago,we left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. We kept almost 25billion dollars 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 dollars.

“But today, that reserve has been depleted. The reserve we left when we finished paying all our debts, our debt that was about 40billion dollars, that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than 3billion dollars. Our reserve, after we had paid off this debt, was about 45billion dollars. As I said, they continued till the end of 2007. I heard that the reserve increased to almost 67billion dollars before the end of the year. Our reserve now, I learnt, is left with around only 30billion dollars.

“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.

“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.”

The former president stressed that he had no problem with President Jonathan but warned that he was ready to take up anyone whose activities or actions could affect the Nigerian nation negatively.

Obasanjo also bemoaned the various problems bedevilling the country, saying he was constrained because of the current situation to withdraw his active participation in the affairs of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

According to him, “it is because of what I saw that I can’t defend before man and God, that is why I refrained from PDP a bit. The attitude and characters that I have seen, I don’t think I can defend it before man and God, but that ‘ll be for a few period.

“I explain most of these things in my new book, but we must all pray that God should change our condition for better because Nigeria doesn’t deserve the position it found itself today‎; that is what you are saying. Our nation is plagued with insecurity, economic downturn, increase in poverty, corruption and impunity in doing things. People do things because no man can do anything to them, but God ‘ll catch them.”

He vowed to lay down his life for the good of the Nigerian nation, blaming bad leadership for all the woes being experienced.

“Now you said this year is an election year, I have no apprehension over these coming elections. I have no fears over the forthcoming elections. I was reading it in one paper today, where they said  why they became jittery when they heard you were coming to visit me, is that Jonathan and I are not in good terms. There is nothing as such. I have no grudges against Jonathan and I think Jonathan equally has no grudges against me. I’m not quarelling 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.

“I know that God did not create Nigeria not to be rich or great. Was 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.

The former president also warned the womenfolk against casting their votes in this year’s general elections for the wrong candidates, stressing that they would live to regret any mistake they made in that regard.

“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,” Obasanjo said.

Earlier, the Iyalode of Yorubaland, who led the women leaders told Obasanjo that they were in his house to discuss “some knotty issues bleeding our hearts, as we have seen you as a beacon of hope and light for the nation.”

SUN NEWS ONLINE