The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has asked former president Goodluck Jonathan to refrain from making any negative commen
The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has asked former president Goodluck Jonathan to refrain from making any negative comments about the Buhari-led administration. Okechukwu asked the former president to remain quiet in his retirement or the Federal government would open the pandora box containing all the illicit activities that were carried out in his administration.
Recall that the former president had said President Buhari’s government has failed and that APC is full of lies and hi-tech propaganda. Replying the former president, 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 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.
