Osita Okechukwu, director general of Voice of Nigeria (VON), says former President Goodluck Jonathan should apologise to Nigerians for failing “woefully” during his time in office.
He said he regrets demonstrating in the streets of Abuja streets in 2010 — alongside members of the Save Nigeria Group — for Jonathan to be made president.
Okechukwu said this in Abuja on Sunday while reacting to Jonathan’s comments on the performance of his administration.
Jonathan had said at the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that “though we didn’t completely plug the loopholes in the fight against corruption, we did well”.
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But Okechukwu said the former president widened the loopholes of corruption rather than tackling it.
“My own sincere assessment is that our dear ex-president rather than plugged loopholes of corruption, opened it wide. He should apologize to Nigerians whom he betrayed for being less than transparent,” he said.
“I was outraged when I heard him proclaim that the PDP will return to power in 2019 because of the hunger and poverty ravaging the country.”
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He said with the huge oil revenue under Jonathan’s regime he had a good chance of fixing the Niger Delta but didn’t.
The VON DG said the former president relied on “voodoo” economic records, adding that the nation’s economy “could have collapsed” but for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Going by the financial records, the ex-president and his party railroaded Nigerians into abject poverty, food insecurity and deficit infrastructure through lanlessness and squandermania,” Okechukwu said.
“He (Jonathan) propelled his preferred minister, Mrs Deziani Alison Madueke and other cronies to loot dry our dear countrymen.
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“Later day revelations are showing how $80 million was used by Mrs Madueke’s ally to purchase a luxury yacht, money which could have been utilized to build the best hospital in Yenogoa.
“Or is he not reminding us of the humongous foreign exchange used in buying choice estates locally and abroad?
“In sum, the biggest headache of Buhari administration is the huge local and foreign debt amassed by the PDP’s 16 years misrule.
“On bail-out fund and Paris Fund refund, Buhari has spent over N1 trillion on salary and pension arrears. He has also paid over $7 billion on obligations to international oil companies (IOC) with the little he got.”
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3 comments
Osita Okechukwu, who is the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), is a typical Nigerian occupying a public office as a political appointee. As is unfortunately the case in our clime, by virtue of the office he occupies, he must lie and defend falsehoods, and he must be blind to the truth. Only a Nigerian occupying a political office will not agree that the Buhari administration has foisted poverty and excruciating pains upon Nigerians in consequence of his abject cluelessness. This is one leader Nigeria has produced who has no iota of idea as to how to run the country he had contested elections to rule four times. He was eventually elected and he came in only to run the country for seven months without ministers, and even when he eventually formed his cabinet, members of his kitchen cabinet would not allow the ministers to exercise the full powers of their offices. His kitchen cabinet members went about dropping the name of the clueless president and ceaselessly interfered with the functions and duties of the ministers. Buhari has employed all the archaic and most outdated fiscal policies to tackle Nigeria’s macroeconomic problems. TSA was started and not implemented with human face. Indeed, Nigeria is in a one chance bus, if the truth be told. After two years in office, they’re are still blaming Jonathan and the PDP. That is to show you how mentally poor, clueless and shameless they are.
What Mr. Ostia said is the truth and nothing but the truth. The above comment is cock and bush stories, if Mr. Jonathan and PDP had continued to date I bet you Nigeria would have sunk since. What has PDP forgotten that they want to come back? It’s really unfortunate.
Good my brother,GEJ too made a lot of unfulfilling promises to Nigerian. He claimed that he had no slippers in his school days but in spite of all the wealth acquired from excess crude during his tenure he used it to acquired the shoe he is looking for and made father Xmas with his party members. May God safe us from Nigerian half educated politicians.