Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark,
\nFinland and Norway, Ambassador Godknows Igali, has revealed that former
\npresident Goodluck Jonathan came out of the presidency not only dead
\nbroke, but in debt.<\/p>\n
Amb Igali, a close ally of the former leader said that contrary to the
\npictures being painted of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, he is one
\nof poorest former Nigerian leaders, even in Africa, in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed Jonathan is still struggling to pay some election liabilities from
\n2015 till today, he said in an interactive session with selected
\njournalists over the week-end.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite all the stories of flying billions, Jonathan borrowed money to
\nprosecute some aspects of his election and he is struggling in different
\nways to meet up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark,
\nFinland and Norway, Ambassador Godknows Igali, has revealed that former
\npresident Goodluck Jonathan came out of the presidency not only dead
\nbroke, but in debt.<\/p>\n
Amb Igali, a close ally of the former leader said that contrary to the
\npictures being painted of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, he is one
\nof poorest former Nigerian leaders, even in Africa, in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed Jonathan is still struggling to pay some election liabilities from
\n2015 till today, he said in an interactive session with selected
\njournalists over the week-end.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite all the stories of flying billions, Jonathan borrowed money to
\nprosecute some aspects of his election and he is struggling in different
\nways to meet up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ambassador Godknows Igali<\/p>\n
The former Permanent Secretary in both Ministries of Power and Water
\nResources, stated that Jonathan left government bankrupt compared to most
\nof his predecessors.<\/p>\n
He stated that even with the corruption accusations against his regime,
\nnon of the corruption cases have so far been linked directly to the former
\npresident.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm glad that some of you Journalists are privileged to know where he
\n(Jonathan) lives and where he has his private offices in this country. I
\ndo not think president Jonathan can be considered a very rich man. You
\nmust realize that none of those corruption allegations has been personally
\nlinked to him. Jonathan is not a rich man, take it from me. He may be
\ncomfortable but not rich. But l know that his pension as a former
\npresident is enough to take care of him\u201d.<\/p>\n
He described Jonathan as a \u201cmodest\u201d man whose lifestyle and background
\nwere humble.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of untruths that is being said about him, but
\nl believe history will be very fair to him. He is a very simple man. His
\nbackground and lifestyle are very simple. He is not jingoistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a former president, when Jonathan needs an aircraft, the federal
\ngovernment will give him particularly if he is going on an important
\nofficial assignment. But if it is his private trip, he has to fend for
\nhimself. He travels on commercial aircraft but when it is not convenient
\nfor him that he has to rush to somewhere, Azikel Group helps him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man is from the same Ogbia local government like him. He takes it as
\nhis duty to help him. I think we are quite grateful to Dr Iruani for
\nhelping Jonathan out all the time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank God some of you guys know where he has an office and where he lives
\nin Maitama. Which former president of Nigeria lives in that kind of place?
\nPresident Jonathan\u2019s parlour in his Maitama house can not accommodate more
\nthan ten persons.\u00a0 Look at his dinning table, it is like any other house
\nin Maitama. The only way you will know that a former president of this
\ncountry is living there is the presence of security men and which he is
\nentitled to as a former president.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igali who was also a former Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to Venezuela and Cameroon
\nat different times described as sad the way Jonathan\u2019s administration\u00a0 was
\nbeing discredited as if nothing good in terms of positive achievements for
\nthe country were done by his administration, insisting that only God and
\nhistory will vindicate Jonathan at the end of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Nigeria, people just believe all kinds of things and they believe
\nJonathan or everybody who have served in government is a billionaire.
\nSometimes when you tell them you don\u2019t have money, they will laugh and say
\nyou are deceiving people. But we leave that to God. So all these big big
\nmoney that are being mentioned is very funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Igali who is a tropical Environmentalist, a Climate Change Advocate and a
\nformer Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, however pointed out that
\nJonathan is the most abused Nigeria\u2019s president both in and out of power.
\nHe stated that some of them who are associates and officials of the former
\nleader like himself, knew that their current travails would come.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Jonathan left power, he said he is the most abused president in
\nNigeria. I agree with him. As a public figure, he knows that all kinds of
\nattacks on him will come. Like the great Winston Churchill of the United
\nKingdom whose contemporaries vilified him, history will bear him right. He
\nwill, in no distant time, be venerated and celebrated, and his memory in
\nthis country and around the world will ever be remembered as a man of
\npeace. The other day some people from the United Nations came to share
\nthoughts on his peace and conflict resolution and management matters. He
\nis a man of peace and history will remember him. The world has not seen
\nthis kind of thing in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan is the only president or major presidential candidate in the
\nhistory of this country who refused to go to court to challenge his
\nelection result. He also ordered that posters of him should be removed
\neverywhere around the country. He said his ambition is not worth anybody\u2019s
\nblood and he lived up to his words. So whatever is happening to him now
\nand to those people around him, we leave it to God because God rules in
\nthe affairs of men. No matter how dark the night is, there comes light at
\nthe end of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at Cameroon where l served as a Nigerian Consul General, one man
\n(President\u00a0 Paul Biya) has been there in power for over 40 years. The same
\nwith the case of\u00a0 Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, etc. But Jonathan peacefully
\nleft office without even a whimper. Like a sacrificial lamb, he just
\nhanded over power. How many Nigeria\u2019s sitting presidents can do that?
\nLet\u2019s leave him, he\u2019s fine. God will vindicate him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when he saw that people were going to injure themselves after the 2015
\nelection if he challenged the result, he quietly decided to step out.
\nJonathan that l know is a gentleman. This country gave him the opportunity
\nto be president. How many Nigerians enjoyed that opportunity? He came to
\nsolve problems as president of Nigeria and he did his best. History will
\njudge him accordingly, not man. If anybody thought he was giving Jonathan
\nproblem or wants to malign him now, it is between him and God.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man that avoided bloodshed in this country, you think God will forget
\nhim. Thousands of people in this country could have died if he had
\nresisted or challenged that 2015 election result, but he just saved the
\nnation all that avoidable calamity and worked away. You locked up the
\npeople that worked with him and you think God will just forget him. So let
\nus watch and see! God is the one who gives power. This country has been
\nfair to Jonathan and allowed him to rule and he has done his bits and left
\noffice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fall-outs, the attacks and the vilification of his name will be
\njudged by God Almighty. All those kind of things will come. Whoever thinks
\nhe can play God is wasting his time because only God rules in the affairs
\nof men. Any man who goes into public office should be able to fortify
\nhimself spiritually because storms will come. Lies, blackmails and
\nscandals will surely come his way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s Ambassador to the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, Ambassador Godknows Igali, has revealed that former president Goodluck Jonathan came out of the presidency not only dead…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n