Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
former minister of finance, says her statement blaming the lack of
political will to save funds under the administration of former
President Goodluck Jonathan has been taken out of context.
Speaking
on the Chilean saving example at the George Washington University on
Thursday, the former minister had said “zero political will to save in
the last administration” was responsible for some of the challenges
facing the country.
But in a statement issued on Friday, Paul Nwabuikwu, media aide of the two-time minister, said Okonjo-Iweala
was referring to the opposition of some governors to the efforts of the
immediate past administration to save in the excess crude account (ECA)
and in sovereign wealth fund (SWF).
“Some recent media reports have distorted comments made by former Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala regarding how lack of political will negatively impacted national savings over the past few years,” the statement read.
“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.”
No comments
Post a Comment