The immediate past Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning
Commission (NPC), Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman has faulted President Buhari's
claim that the immediate past government left behind an empty treasury.Pres. Buhari had in a media parley with state House correspondents on
Monday June 22nd calimed that his administration met 'virtually an empty
treasury'. In a statement released yesterday June 23rd, Dr Suleiman
said the Good luck administration left behind $30 billion in the
national treasury.He argued that saying the past government did not
leave behind any money implies that revenue generating agencies of the
government seized to work before and after the Goodluck administration
ended on May 29th .
“Government can’t tell us that there is no Excess Crude Account (ECA),
Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) or are we saying the Federal Inland Revenue
Service (FIR) and related agencies had not in the last one month been
generating revenue? Until they are able to prove they had no receipts
from these government agencies in the last one month before Nigerians
can now buy into Mr. President’s claims of an empty treasury. Money made
by government is meant to be spent, and this the immediate past
administration did responsibly. Every government operates on deficit
even in the so-called western world, including the US which today
remains one of the largest debtor nations in the world. Is it not on
record that President Obama inherited $3 trillion debt, a collapsed
banking sector and mortgage industry, yet he never raised any alarm.
None of these has happened in Nigeria under Jonathan. Under Jonathan,
Nigeria became the largest Africa economy and 26th in the world amidst
deadly security challenges and dwindling international prices of oil. In
spite of all these, the Federal Government never owed salary. Upon
inception of Jonathan’s administration, it is on record that the price
of oil at the global stage was over $100 per barrel and at the close of
the administration, it dropped to $46. Yet, there wasn’t collapse of
government and federal civil servants were paid as at when due. It will
be misleading, therefore, for our respected President Muhammadu Buhari
and indeed the ruling APC to claim to have met an empty treasury.
Aspiration to governance is a call to meeting and confronting challenges
headlong. So, we urge the APC-led government to hit the ground running
as promised Nigerians by confronting the challenges. We are not in doubt
of the capability of Mr. President to do it. He should, therefore, get
to business, put in place structures and personnel to redeem the pledges
made to Nigerians.”.
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