Commission (NPC) Dr. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, Tuesday faulted
claims by President Muhammadu Buhari that his administration met an
empty treasury.
Suleiman said the former administration as at May 29 left behind the
sum of US$2billion, adding that the sum would have been higher if not
the governors insistence on sharing the fund.
President Goodluck Jonathan presenting his hand over notes to the
President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari during the official
presentation of Handover notes to the President-Elect at the Aso
Chambers, State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida
He warned that the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan must not be
criminalized and painted a plunderer and looter of the nation's
treasury before the generality of Nigerians.
The clarification was in response to the President's statement during
an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, where he was quoted
to have said that his government met "virtually an empty treasury."
President Buhari reportedly said that it was adding a disgrace that
Nigeria cannot pay salaries of its workforce.
Expressing his dismay over the President's statement, Sulaiman in a
statement in Abuja described the report as "unscientific and unfair",
stressing that the immediate past administration "left behind close to
US$30billion."
He said, "Government can't tell us that there is no Excess Crude
Account(ECA), Sovereign Wealth Fund(SWF) or are we saying the Federal
Inland Revenue Service(FIR) and related agencies had not in the last
one month been generating revenue?
"Until they are able to prove they had no receipts from these
government agencies in the last one month before Nigerians can now buy
into Mr. President's claims of an empty treasury."
He recalled that under the Jonathan's administration,Nigeria was rated
the largest economy in Africa and 26th largest in the world, querying
how come such a government would leave behind an empty treasury.
He said"Money made by government is meant to be spent, and this the
immediate past administration did responsibly. Every government, even
in the so-called western world, including the US which today remains
one of the largest debtor nations in the world, government operates on
deficit.
"Is it not on record that President Obama inherited US$3 triillion
debt, a collapsed banking sector and mortgage industry,yet he never
raised any alarm. None of these has happened in Nigeria under
Jonathan.
"Under Jonathan,Nigeria became the largest Africa economy and 26th in
the world amidst deadly security challenges and dwindling
international prices of oil. In spite of all these, the FG never owed
salary.
"Upon inception of Jonatha's administration, it is on record that the
price of oil at the global stage was over 100 dollars per barrel and
at the close of the administration, it dropped to 46dollars. Yet,
there wasn't collapse of government and federal civil servants were
paid as at when due.
"It will be misleading therefore for our respected President Muhammadu
Buhari and indeed the ruling APC to claim to have met an empty
treasury."
He further reminded the new government that "aspiration to governance
is a call of meeting and confronting challenges headlong. So, we urge
the APC-led government to hit the ground running as promised Nigerians
by confronting the challenges.
"We are not in doubt of the capability of Mr. President to do it. He
should therefore get to business, put in place structures and
personnel to redeem the pledges made to the Nigeria."
—Vanguard
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