Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Friday, countered media reports which quoted her as blaming the country’s present economic situation on the zero political will of the immediate past government, to save for the rainy day.
Okonjo-Iweala, who served under the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan from July 21 2011 to May 29, 2015, said some media organisations distorted her comments, regarding how lack of political will negatively impacted national savings over the past few years.
A statement by her Media Adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, said: “Contrary to the slant given by these loud headlines, Dr Okonjo-Iweala did not indict the Jonathan administration in which she served.
“Rather, 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.
“The governors’ criticism of Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s many calls for the country to save for the rainy day is 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.”
