By Valentine Amanze, Lagos
Nigeria’s immediate past Finance Minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala, has denied indicting ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration in which she served for the current economic woes.
In a statement by her Media Adviser, Paul C Nwabuikwu, the former finance minister said that she was misinterpreted.
Rather, she explained that she was referring to what many Nigerians already know: the strong opposition by some governors to the Jonathan government’s efforts to save in the Excess Crude Account and the Sovereign Wealth Fund sabotaged this important national priority.
According to her, the governors’ criticism of her many calls for the country to save for the rainy day are still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
“It will be recalled that this opposition culminated in the governors taking the Jonathan government to the Supreme Court in furtherance of their position that the Federal Government had no right to “compel” them to save.
“Several knowledgeable persons including former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi, have confirmed these facts. So the issue of Okonjo-Iweala indicting the Jonathan administration over this very public issue simply does not arise,” she said.
Besides, she urged the media to always consult for clarification whenever the need arises.
It would be recalled that it was in the news that Okonjo-Iweala said that lack of political will negatively impacted national savings over the past few years.