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Goodluck Jonathan Denied Spending 64billion To Celebrate Independence by Phemostiga(m): 9:58am On Oct 05, 2015 |
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor
ABUJA—Immediate past President, Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan, has denied claims by
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State that
his administration spent N64 billion to
organize Nigeria’s independence
celebrations for three years.
According to the governor, Jonathan spent
N13 billion in 2011, N15 billion in 2012 and
N14 billion in 2013 and N22 billion in 2011,
bringing the total to N64 billion.
However, Jonathan denied the claim, saying
only N332.6 million was spent during the
three-year period and chided el-Rufai for
deliberately lying to confuse the public and
give his administration a bad name.
Jonathan, who responded to the allegation
yesterday, described the huge figure as
figment of el-Rufai’s imagination and a
fabricated lie by a favour-seeker.
In a statement in Abuja, through his former
Minister of National Planning, Minister/
Deputy Chairman, National Planning
Commission, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman,
Jonathan said: “For the record, a breakdown
of our anniversary spending between 2012
to 2014 amounted to N332.6 million.
“We challenge the Office of the Government
of the Federation to publish these details for
the consumption of the public.
“A breakdown of our spending for this
event between 2012 and 2104 goes thus:
2012, N107.6 million; 2013, N45 million and
2014, 180 million. So, the question here is
where did the billions, as claimed by el-Rufai,
emanate from?”
The former President said though he did not
have the figures for 2010 and 2011,
expenditure for the two years fell within the
threshold of what was spent in the last
three years and there was no attempt to
overspend the country’s resources as
claimed by the governor.
He said his administration never budgeted
nor spent the outrageous amount alleged by
el-Rufai and pointed out that the increment
in the 2010 celebration budget was due to
the fact that the nation celebrated its golden
anniversary that year.
Jonathan also explained that the increase in
the 2013 anniversary spending to N174.8
million was due to the incorporation of the
National Honours Award Investiture into the
event, making it a two-in-one celebration,
which was actually done in 2014.
‘Don’t destroy history’
The former President warned government
functionaries to desist from abusing the
immunity enjoyed by them by destroying
history and trading lies just to earn cheap
popularity or curry favour from certain
quarters.
He said: “It is high time government
functionaries desisted from abusing their
immunity by destroying history and trading
on lies just to gain cheap popularity or curry
one favour or the other from certain
quarters.
“Perhaps former President, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo, was right in his assessment of el-
Rufai when he said in his latest memoirs, My
Watch, that his vivid recollection of el-Rufai
is his penchant for lying, unfair embe-
llishment of stories and inability to sustain
loyalty for long.
“That exactly is what el-Rufai has done with
his ungodly fabrication of lies against
Jonathan’s government.
“One hopes that President Buhari would be
on guard against being misled by the likes
of el-Rufai, who are hell bent on
misinforming Nigerians.”
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