My problem with Buhari’s government —Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday in Abuja revealed the problem he had been suffering since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed power in 2015.

Jonathan spoke at the presentation of a book entitled “Dear President Goodluck Jonathan”, written in his honour by Bonaventure Melah, a journalist.

He revealed in his remarks at the event that the problem he and some of his cabinet members had continued to suffer under the current government was being tagged corrupt.

He added that but for God who had been on his side, he would have been killed politically by the allegations.

Jonathan was defeated as incumbent president in 2015 by President Buhari.

His wife Patience Jonathan and some of his relatives as well as many of his cabinet members were accused of one form of corruption or the other by the current administration.

Some of them had been sent to prison, some acquitted and many of them still undergoing trial.

Read also: Why Nigeria’s unity is questionable – Jonathan

In his remarks, Jonathan said, “That is the problem myself and some members of my cabinet are still suffering since the beginning of this administration when we were all tagged corrupt people.

“But I thank God that people can come together to celebrate me today. It is God. Otherwise, I would have been completely buried (politically).”

The former president said he disregarded advice from his close political allies to sack Aruma Oteh as then Director-General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2012.

“When my close political allies advised me to sacrifice Arunma Oteh so that I don’t have problems with the house of representatives I said I won’t sacrifice any Nigerian just for me to be in the good books of the lawmakers. Rather, I would sacrifice myself. I took that decision because I was convinced she was not corrupt.

“If I had sacked her undeservedly that may have been the end of her career with the World Bank.”

Jonathan also denied the claim that pressure from northerners made him sack Azubuike Ihejirika as the chief of army staff.

“If somebody is doing the right thing, even if you want to split my head, I would not sack the person,” he said.

On how he had planned to change Nigeria, he said, “My interest was to change the society through education. No matter what we do to elevate Nigeria, without education, society would find it difficult to change. That was my personal view,” he said.

“That was also why I intervened in the almajirai case. We needed to elevate them above that level, because of the many social problems they were causing.

“I strongly believe that if there must be a change in Nigeria, we must be competent scientifically and technologically, because technology rules the world today.”

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