Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has slammed the management of Nigeria’s economy by his successors.“When I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost 25 billion dollars was kept in what they called excess crude.”
The former president’s remark is believe to be a direct attack once again on the Goodluck Jonathan presidency.He has repeatedly criticized the incumbent for failing to arrest the insecurity oin the ountry and the downward slide in the economy.
Said Obasanjo who was addressing some Women in Ogun State. The former president who laced his address with Yoruba language said further.“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! Today, that reserve has been depleted. The reserve we left when we finished paying all our debts, our debts that was about 40 billion dollars that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than 3 billion 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 30 billion dollars. That is why the Naira has been falling against the dollar.”
“With my experience, I know what I am talking about. I’m talking with my understanding and intellect. I’m drawing from my experience and from what I’ve learnt with others and from other countries and fellow eminent citizens of the world that I relate with.”
He insists the survival of Nigeria is his primary interest.“I emphasise that whatever is good for Nigeria, is what I’m ready to defend with my life. Whoever, I emphasise, whoever says he would not do anything good to Nigeria, even if he says he’s ready to go ‘koko bellow’, I’m ready to square it up with such a person. I say again, whoever that person may be. I want you to get that correctly. If this country is going to change for the better, it would start from the top and if it’s going to be otherwise, it would start from the top, too.”
Obasanjo also gave some insight into how the military reasons. “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.”
He advised Nigerians to vote wisely: “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.”
