This serve as an informal warning coming after
ex-President Goodluck Jonathan talked about an alleged hypocrisy in Buhari’s
government and how he has failed woefully to deliver his promises,
Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu in an
interview, told Jonathan to refrain from making comments about the Buhari-led
Government or they will open the pandora box containing all the illicit
activities that were carried out in his administration.
In a chat with
The Nation, Okechukwu said;
“Mr President
was very clear that the man left almost an empty treasury, consequent unpinned
which we have a huge infrastructure deficit. The world knows that almost all
infrastructure that Jonathan inherited went bad. We are challenging him to show
us one project he completed. Is it the Green Field refineries. He told us on
May 13, 2010, that he is going g to build three greenfield refineries at $23
billion. The contract was awarded to the Chinese under Public Private Partnership.
One was to be located in Bayelsa, one in Lagos and the other in Kogi state.
“We challenge
him to show us the three greenfield refineries or tell us where the money he
voted for the project is. I am talking at a time when our Excess Crude Account
was in the excess of short $17 billion. The Chinese came back and told him they
were going to contribute about 80 percent of the three greenfield refineries.
We have not seen any of them. If we had seen the three greenfield refineries
which he publicly announced, the billions we lost in the importation of refined
petroleum products and the gross unemployment engendered by the looting of that
fund would have been avoided and that is what we are talking about.
“Before and
during his regime, there was money voted for the cleaning of Ogoni environment
that was degraded by oil spill. It is The Buhari regime that started that
project now. Did Jonathan do anything there, did he complete the East/West
road? That is a road that covers the nerve Centre of the Niger Delta where he
comes from. If there is any project that he promised to implement that he has
done, he should tell us. Don’t forget that the average price then was about
$100 per barrel.
I don’t see how he can be calling for a public debate because
I am talking of just one region. Even the development he did in the Nigerian
Airports, is it commensurate with the amount of money voted or the amount of
money borrowed? He said he did this or that. Is it commensurate with the amount
of money voted?
“If I am in
his shoes, I should retire back to the village or any city of my choice and
keep my cool because if he talks of a debate, we will bring out what happened
during his time. The fact that his wife was coming to claim $15 million saying
it was out of her handwork borne out of being the First Lady and a Permanent
Secretary in Bayelsa state. Is it that other Nigerians are not working hard to
be worth $15 million.
So, let us not go into Jonathan ‘s matter. We are not
talking of Dizeani who was Minister of Petroleum under his government who
failed to do anything to develop the Niger Delta, rather resorted to an illegal
accumulation of wealth. I have great respect for him as a former President and
being gracious enough to accept his defeat. But if he wants to open the vault,
then we can go back and open the pandora box for him. So, let us leave it at
that.” he said.
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