Amaechi says Jonathan wasted $65bn excess crude fund, PDP kicks

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said he
left the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015 due to the gross
mismanagement of the country’s resources by the former ruling
party.

According to him, the wastage of the country’s resources was so
much during the PDP reign that a total of $65bn left in the Excess
Crude Account by ex-President Olusegun Obansajo was squandered by
his successor, Goodluck Jonathan.

Amaechi said he left the PDP because he was desirous of change
and he saw a change agent in the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari.

Amaechi said this in Lagos on the sidelines of the Future Awards
Africa held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island.

According to Amaechi, Buhari, who eventually defeated Jonathan,
inherited an empty treasury when he came into office as
President.

The transportation minister lamented that had the Jonathan
government saved rather than squandered the country’s resources,
getting money to fund some major railway projects in the country
would have been easy.

Amaechi said, “When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about $65bn in
the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we
wonder where the money is.

“As at then, the price of crude oil during the President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration hovered around $140, with this,
they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

“With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting
Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would
have been completed.

“Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and
Lagos to Calabar would have been completed, but all the excess
crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions.’’

Amaechi said as the then Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum,
he was influential and could have stayed and used his position to
force the former ruling party to do the right thing, but he was
simply fed up.

“My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable
alternative; I believe in the change mantra because it is the only
way to improve on what is on the ground.

“He (Buhari) has not disappointed (the country) because the
economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the
current prices of food items because it’s getting lower.”

Efforts to get Jonathan’s reaction did not succeed, as phone
calls placed to the mobile line of the former President’s
spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, did not go through.

Eze had also not responded to both a text message and an email
sent to him as of press time.

But the PDP has accused Amaechi of leading the governors against
the Jonathan administration in its bid to save money.

The former ruling party said that Amaechi, as the Chairman of
the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, was also asking the Federal
Government to share all of the money in the Excess Crude
Account.

It wondered why the former governor of Rivers State would now
turn around to accuse the former President and his administration
of not saving money.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola
Ologbondiyan, spoke on behalf of the PDP in an interview with one
of our correspondents.

He said, “Nigerians won’t take Amaechi serious because they know
the roles he led the governors to play in frustrating the
government to share every kobo in the ECA.

“It was Amaechi who was leading the governors against the
Federal Government. Nigerians are aware that Amaechi is merely
playing to the gallery. “

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said he
left the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015 due to the gross
mismanagement of the country’s resources by the former ruling
party.

According to him, the wastage of the country’s resources was so
much during the PDP reign that a total of $65bn left in the Excess
Crude Account by ex-President Olusegun Obansajo was squandered by
his successor, Goodluck Jonathan.

Amaechi said he left the PDP because he was desirous of change
and he saw a change agent in the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari.

Amaechi said this in Lagos on the sidelines of the Future Awards
Africa held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island.

According to Amaechi, Buhari, who eventually defeated Jonathan,
inherited an empty treasury when he came into office as
President.

The transportation minister lamented that had the Jonathan
government saved rather than squandered the country’s resources,
getting money to fund some major railway projects in the country
would have been easy.

Amaechi said, “When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about $65bn in
the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we
wonder where the money is.

“As at then, the price of crude oil during the President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration hovered around $140, with this,
they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

“With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting
Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would
have been completed.

“Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and
Lagos to Calabar would have been completed, but all the excess
crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions.’’

Amaechi said as the then Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum,
he was influential and could have stayed and used his position to
force the former ruling party to do the right thing, but he was
simply fed up.

“My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable
alternative; I believe in the change mantra because it is the only
way to improve on what is on the ground.

“He (Buhari) has not disappointed (the country) because the
economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the
current prices of food items because it’s getting lower.”

Efforts to get Jonathan’s reaction did not succeed, as phone
calls placed to the mobile line of the former President’s
spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, did not go through.

Eze had also not responded to both a text message and an email
sent to him as of press time.

But the PDP has accused Amaechi of leading the governors against
the Jonathan administration in its bid to save money.

The former ruling party said that Amaechi, as the Chairman of
the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, was also asking the Federal
Government to share all of the money in the Excess Crude
Account.

It wondered why the former governor of Rivers State would now
turn around to accuse the former President and his administration
of not saving money.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola
Ologbondiyan, spoke on behalf of the PDP in an interview with one
of our correspondents.

He said, “Nigerians won’t take Amaechi serious because they know
the roles he led the governors to play in frustrating the
government to share every kobo in the ECA.

“It was Amaechi who was leading the governors against the
Federal Government. Nigerians are aware that Amaechi is merely
playing to the gallery. “