Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Monday launched another vitriolic attack on his one time protégée President Goodluck Jonathan flaying the administration’s waste of more than $45 billion and poor economic management. According to the former president the poor value of the naira is a direct outcome of the government’s failure to protect the economy.

Speaking to women market leaders Iyalodes and Iyalojas from the Southwest, the former president nevertheless affirmed that he did not have a personal issue with Dr. Jonathan saying all his comments on him were generally based on the poor leadership he said was a threat to the well being of the nation.

The senior market women and leaders were led to the meeting in Obasanjo’s Abeokuta Hill Top mansion by the Iyalode of Yorubaland , Chief (Mrs.) Alaba Lawson, Iyalode Ibadan, Alhaja Aminat Abiodun represented by Eketa Iyalode, Mrs. Adedeji among others.

Also among the coordinators of the market women was the Iyaloja-General of Lagos, Mrs, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, a daughter of All Progressives Congress, APC national leader, Senator Ahmed Tinubu.

Noting the downward slide of the economy, Obasanjo told the gathering:

“Our economy should not have been this bad. When I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25billion we kept in what they called excess crude. The excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for the rainy days. When we left in May 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35billion.”

“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 40billion dollars, that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than $3billion. Our reserve after we had paid off this debt was about $45billion. As I said, they continued till the end of 2007, I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67billion before the end of the year. Our reserve now, learnt is left with around only $30billion.”

“That is why the Naira has been falling against the dollar. What would now happen, I learnt if you want to buy a dollar now, it’s about N192 or N195. What it means is this, what you have been buying at N150 to a dollar, now you need N192 or N195 to buy it. That is the real situation. Is there any remedy? There is, but it does not come overnight because it means we have to give up all the bad things we have been doing.”

Putting the blame squarely on the president, he said:
“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 was, however, quick to dismiss any personal issue with the president.

“I have no grudges against Jonathan and I think Jonathan equally has no grudges against me. I’m not quarrelling with Jonathan but all I know is that whatever is good for Nigeria, that I’m ready to die for.”

“I emphasize that whatever is good for Nigeria, is what I’m ready to defend with my life. Whoever, I emphasize, whoever says he would not do anything good to Nigeria, even if he says he’s ready to go ‘konko below’, 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,” the former president stressed.

“I have no apprehension over this coming elections. I have no fears over the forthcoming elections. I have had some little experience about this country. I was a military head of state and I was also a civilian president, so what is left?’

“So, if I talk, I know what I’m saying. Whoever wants, should listen to me and whoever feels otherwise, may turn a deaf ear. But when I’m talking, 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. But leave all of that.

“Good governance comes from voting, from selection of leaders. It is now left to you to decide who you cast your vote for because 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’.

“Truly, the price of crude has fallen, but anyone who is wise enough should know that since we depend on just one resources, and since we have no control over its pricing, we should be planning for this type of situation and the way out of it. Our inability to have reserve has brought us into this economic quagmire,” he said.

http://www.politicong.com/2015/01/05/obasanjo-says-jonathans-squander-of-45-billion-reserves-responsible-for-naira-crash/

GEJ has always been a thief..

when someone's plans fail what do u expect.well i hope d electorates will vote wisely

Baba OBJ ...... strong Man

Whether it is GEJ till 2019 or GMB 2015, it is our individual vote that would decide, think deeply because four years is a very long time to waste, vote for who you feel has your best interest at heart.

Fr. Mbaka wept!

I like this old troll .

charix:
I like this old troll .

You do this automatically on all his threads?

The anger of a dethroned God father. This old man is going insane day by day. Gej gave him something to think about, hope he dies after Gej wins the election this time

If only wole soyinka could be the president, individuals like this would have been long gone

ayukdaboss:

I am [url=cramjones]his[/url] lost conscience.