Ex president, Jonathan’s men battle Buhari •Ex-ministers write battle letter to president

Firstclass newsline gathered that some ministers who served under
former President Goodluck Jonathan have warned President Muhammadu
Buhari to give the former president his "due respect."
The former ministers said they had observed that the Buhari
administration and members of the All Progressives Congress had been
condemning, ridiculing and undermining the efforts of the Jonathan
administration.
Jonathan's ministers said both the President and his party had also
been rubbishing the integrity of the individual members of the past
administration.
A former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman, said
this on Sunday in a statement on behalf of other ministers who served
under Jonathan.
But the Presidency, while reacting to the Jonathan's minsters'
statement, on Sunday said Buhari's war against corruption was not
negotiable.
Suleiman said the efforts of the Buhari government had been to portray
all members of the Jonathan administration "as corrupt and
irresponsible, in an orchestrated and vicious trial by the media,"
which he said had created "a lynch mentality that discredits our
honest contributions to the growth and development of our beloved
nation."
He said while he and his colleagues believed that each administration
had the right to chart its own path, the Kwara State-born former
university lecturer said the alleged vilification of the Jonathan
administration was ill-intentioned.
The Buhari administration has alleged several fraudulent practices
against Jonatha's ministers, including a recent allegation that the
former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke,
illegally took $6.9m from the coffers of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation to fund the bogus purchase of three mobile
stages for Jonathan's public appearances.
The Suleiman statement partly read, "We, the ministers who served
under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, have watched
with increasing alarm and concern the concerted effort by the Buhari
administration and members of the APC to condemn, ridicule and
undermine the efforts of that administration, in addition to impugning
the integrity of its individual members.
"While we concede that every administration has the right to chart its
own path as it deems fit, we nevertheless consider the vilification of
the Jonathan administration, to be ill-intentioned, unduly partisan,
and in bad faith.
"We are proud to have served Nigeria and we boldly affirm that we did
so diligently and to the best of our abilities. The improvements that
have been noticed today in the power sector, in national security and
in social services and other sectors did not occur overnight.
"They are products of solid foundations laid by the same Jonathan
administration."
He said that contrary to what the APC and its agents would want the
public to believe, the Jonathan administration did not encourage
corruption, "rather it fought corruption vigorously, within the
context of the rule of law and due process."
"For the benefit of those who may have forgotten so soon, it was the
Jonathan administration that got rid of the fraud in fertiliser
subsidies, which had plagued the country for decades. This helped to
unleash a revolution in agricultural production and productivity," he
added.
Suleiman added that it was also the Jonathan administration that
supported the institutional development of strong systems and
mechanisms to curb corruption in the public service and plug revenue
leakages.
He listed these to include the development of the Government
Integrated Financial Management Platform, The Single Treasury Account,
and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management Systems, in
addition to the biometric registration of civil servants and
pensioners which he said saved the country over N100bn paid to ghost
workers and ghost pensioners.
Apart from that, he said that the Jonathan administration equally
ensured greater transparency and integrity in the oil and gas sector
by ordering investigations and put mechanisms in place to check the
theft of Nigeria's crude oil.
He said, "It was also under the Jonathan administration that a
Nigerian Content policy was introduced, which opened up that sector to
Nigerians in a manner that was not previously the case.
"It was also the Jonathan administration that mobilised and secured
the support of our neighbouring countries to ensure a robust
multinational response to the menace of terrorism and insurgency,
resulting in notable advancements in the fight against terror.
"President Jonathan personally initiated the collaboration that led to
this advancement and ensured that Nigeria provided the needed
financial support for the Multinational Joint Task Force.
"It was the Jonathan administration that repaired and rehabilitated
over 25, 000 kilometres of our nation's roads.
"Nigeria also became a profitable and preferred investment-friendly destination.
"It was under President Jonathan, for example, that Nigeria's electric
power sector became more competitive and attractive to local and
foreign investments."
Suleiman added that the same administration promoted the rule of law,
free speech, fundamental human rights, and a robust freedom of
information regime.
Apart from that, he said women's rights to participate in public life
and the Federal Character principle as well as other constitutional
principles were also respected.
"No administration can be either completely bad or completely good.
President Jonathan's achievements in moving this country to greater
heights deserve to be duly acknowledged.
"We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to build on these achievements," he argued.
He challenged Buhari to be fair and non-partisan in his anti-corruption crusade.
Suleiman added that "the various lies and fabrications being peddled
by some self-appointed spokespersons of the administration may
entertain the unwary" but added that such sensationalism may achieve
the unintended effect of de-marketing the country within the
international community.
Suleiman said that he and his colleagues had reserved their comments
until now in the hope that the euphoria that inspired the various
attacks on the past administration would wear off and that reason
would prevail.
"But we are constrained to speak up in defence of the legacy of the
Jonathan administration, and shall do so again, for as long as those
who are determined to rubbish that legacy, are unrelenting in their
usual deployment of blackmail, persecution and similar tactics," he
warned.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, reacting to the Jonathan's ministers asked the affected
persons who he described as "members of the country's latest trade
union formation, the Association of Ex-Jonathan Ministers" to do a bit
of self-reflection on the sort of government they handed over to
Buhari on May 29.
He said such self-reflection would make the former ministers decide
for themselves if it would have been right for any incoming government
to ignore the issue of the brazen theft of public assets, which he
said appeared to be the first of its kind in the country,
He said, "This war against corruption knows no friend nor foe. There
is no intention to deny anyone of their good name where they are
entitled to it and President Buhari reserves the highest regards for
the country's former leaders, including Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who he
continues to praise to the high heavens for the way and manner in
which he accepted defeat in the last election.
"That singular action remains a feat that has earned the former
President and Nigeria as country befitting commendations all over the
world, the latest coming from Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General
of the United Nations, who visited a week ago.
"For the purpose of emphasis, the issue of fighting corruption by
President Buhari is not negotiable.
"It is sine qua non to the overall reconstruction of the economy and
social systems, which suffered destruction and severe denigration
under the last administration.
"President Buhari will not be deterred or blackmailed into retreat and
surrender.
Firstclassnewsline.net