– Goodluck Jonathan noted
that his administration spent excess crude oil revenue because pressure from
governors was much
– He said he tried to
fight corruption but the effort was frustrated
– He said his performance
in the agricultural sector was the best in Nigeria’s history Goodluck
Jonathan has revealed how
he was forced to spend from the excess crude oil revenue account during his
administration.
The former president made
this revelation during interview programme with Bloomberg TV. Jonathan revealed
that State governors were to blame for pressurising him to spend from the
reserve fund thereby reducing the $20 billion at the inception of his
administration left by Olusegun Obasanjo to about $2 billion when he left
office on May 29, 2015.
At
any time the earnings (from oil) drop, the governors would insist that there is
no place in our laws that actually say that the federal government should keep
the reserve. They always insisted that a part of it (excess crude revenue
account) should be brought.
Jonathan
pointed out that while some argued that the crude oil reserve account was to be
used for rainy days, others said it should be used during time of financial
difficulty.
“Yes,
it is also part of our own reserves. But, when I was there, I tried to make a
special fund called a sovereign wealth fund, so that it would not be easy for
one to take from there.”
The
former president identified the agricultural sector as where he made the
biggest transformation and that it was the best in the country’s history.
He
said this achievement led to the then minister of agriculture, Akinwumi
Adesina, to be elected president of the African Development Bank.
He
however regretted that his administration did not do well in the mineral sector
industry despite all efforts to attract investors.
“The
blue print and everything was worked out. So, if somebody says I did not
diversify the economy, I will say that is not true. Of course, I was president
of Nigeria.
Sometimes,
when people ask me question, it would seem I was the president of Nigeria from
Independence till 2015. I was president for five years.” On the issue that
corruption was commonplace during his administration, Jonathan said there was
nothing new about it as it had been the case since the country’s independence.
“Perception is based on what people say. In Nigeria, somehow it has been a
routine. From the collapse of the First Republic, what the military said was
the reason for taking over was corruption.
“When
the Second Republic collapsed, the same was the story. If there is a major
change in government where one political party is taking over power from
another one, there must be issues that would be raised.
“Yes.
I cannot say the country, from beginning of independence, there was no
corruption. Yes, there was corruption. I did well to cut down on corruption. My
approach was not to make money available to anybody to touch.”
The
former president said his administration was able to eliminate corruption in
fertilizer subsidies but could not do same in the oil industry. “The very
people that have been accusing us of corruption are the very people that
frustrated it. It’s unfortunate,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Jonathan also admitted that he has
been investigated for alleged corruption during his administration by President
Muhmammadu Buhari’s government.
When
asked if he has been investigated, Jonathan replied: “Of course, obviously,
they investigated and I’ve been investigated.
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