Saraki, Shettima take turns to condemn Jonathan’s administration
The governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima and the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, have taken turns in condemning the administration of former head of states of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Shettima and Saraki slammed the former president during the unveiling ceremony of a book titled On a Platter of Gold – How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria authored by the then minister of youths and sports in the Jonathan administration, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The grand event, attended by many dignitaries in the country, took place in Abuja on Wednesday, June 13.
Commenting on the Jonathan-led regime, Shetimma stated: “Jonathan’s fairytale rise to power, his sheer display of bad governance, lack of political sagacity and will power, he squandered the array of goodwill he commanded and subsequently got humiliated out of office.”
The governor also faulted Jonathan for allegedly surrounding himself at the time with corrupt persons such as religious bigots and tribal warlords most of whom influenced his views of the abducted Chibok girls as imaginary or false.
Shettima further said: “Sadly, Borno was the epicentre of the crisis that engulfed the Jonathan administration. This is the second book I am reading on the Jonathan saga. ‘’I think President Jonathan is essentially a decent person, an unsophisticated country politician caught up in the vortex of power politics in Nigeria.
“When the Chibok girls saga started, they made the president to believe that there was no abduction; that the Chibok girls were kidnapped by the governor of Borno State ostensibly to embarrass the Jonathan administration and he believed that line of story.”
Alleging that Jonathan wanted to oust him out of office, the governor said: “There was a time he wanted to remove me at all costs. In the Federal Executive Council, they were all speaking in the same tone that this Borno governor must be removed for embarrassing the government; that I was the problem.
“Two Nigerians stood out. He sought the opinion of Mohammed Adoke Bello, the then Attorney General. Adoke told him that ‘Mr President, you have no power to remove even an elected councillor.”
“Then he sought the opinion of another Senior Advocate Of Nigeria SAN, in his team, the Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki. And Turaki also told him that ‘Mr President, you have no power to remove a sitting governor’. And that was how the matter died.”
On his part, Saraki recounted case of corruption he witnessed firsthand during the past administration. The Senate president said: “I like to share one or two things that will probably summarize the former President Jonathan. I remember when I was then senator and I came across this issue of fuel subsidy and the way the country was losing close to N1.3 trillion.
“In the history of this country, I don’t think of any singular kind of level of corruption as huge as that. I had a motion already that I wanted to present on the floor of the Senate but I felt as a member of the ruling party at that time, it was only proper I discussed it with the President (first) maybe some action could be taken so that I could step down the motion.
‘’I booked an appointment to see Mr. President. I went with my paper and I started with the background of how people bring in petroleum products. I said Mr. President, in the past people used to get award letters from NNPC to bring in PMS, DPK, and make 10, 20 per cent profit.
‘’I said sir, they have taken it to another level, now; they get an order to bring in products, they do not want to make 10, 20 per cent any more. They will get an offer to bring in a cargo of 20,000 litres they will bring in 5,000 to be stamped for 20,000 and instead of making 10 per cent, they make ten times the amount.
“I was telling the President, thinking the President will get very agitated, but he said, ‘Senator Saraki, you know, this oil business is very oily. I was stunned and taken aback but in a way, that was Jonathan; in a sad way that was who he is.” VANGUARD
