Connect with us

Featured

Debt Profile, Corruption Claims: Osinbajo Under Fire

Published

on

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday criticised Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo over his claim that the former President left Nigeria with debt and ruined the economy due to alleged corruption under his watch.

The Vice-President had during a lecture entitled, “Restructuring and the Nigerian federation,” delivered as part of activities marking the 40th anniversary of the Association of Friends in Lagos on Monday, accused the Jonathan administration of throwing Nigeria into untold hardship, recession and debt.

In a statement by one of his aides, Reno Omokri, the former President wondered why Osinbajo, who he claimed was recently indicted by the House of Representatives for an alleged corruption, should point fingers of suspicion at him.

The statement read, “How can Vice-President Osinbajo, a man who had just been indicted by the House of Representatives in one of the biggest corruption scams ever in Nigeria’s history, have the gall to point fingers of suspicion at Dr. Jonathan, a man that is celebrated internationally for his efforts at achieving Nigeria’s best rating in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index when Nigeria improved eight paces from 144 to 136 in 2014?

“Having read through the sordid details of Prof. Osinbajo’s corruption as revealed in the indictment by Nigeria’s House of Representatives, it is easy to understand why Nigeria made her worst ever retrogression in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions under him this year, moving 11 paces backwards from 136 to 148.

“On the issue of debt, the fact remains that in the entire 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party governed Nigeria, the total amount of money borrowed was N8.06trn. These are facts sourced directly from the Budget Office controlled by the Buhari administration.

“However, in only three years, the All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has borrowed a total of N10trn. With this fact in hand, where does Vice-President Osinbajo have the moral authority to point leprous fingers at former President Jonathan?

“The claim by Vice-President Osinbajo that former President Jonathan left $63bn in debt is also a false claim. The Jonathan administration inherited $42.23bn in debt in 2011 which were debts borrowed by the states and the Federal Government.

He claimed that the nation’s debt he increased under the present administration because the Federal Government lacked the discipline that Jonathan had.

He added, “On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, the Debt Management Office revealed that in just 2017 alone, the Buhari administration borrowed N2.4trn to fund their budget deficit. This is besides other loans that they took in 2017 alone. That money is more than the funds borrowed by the Jonathan administration in five years!

“To show to Nigerians the profligacy and ineptitude of the current administration, I draw their attention to the fact that between July and August 2018, the Buhari administration claimed it had shared $322m Abacha funds recovered by the Jonathan administration to the poor. Then a week after it made that announcement, the Buhari government borrowed $328m from China.

“The question is this, why would you share out $322m one week only to borrow the same amount the next week? Why not use the Abacha funds to fund government activities instead of adding to the already strained debt burden?

“These are questions that Vice-President Osinbajo should answer rather than making false allegations against former President Jonathan.”

Also in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP urged Osinbajo to stop ridiculing his office by always “bandying figures, peddling rumours and trending on false claims” in the attempt to cover the rot and failures of the present administration.

Ologbondiyan told Osinbajo that instead of juggling figures and making false claims about the nation’s debt profile, the Vice-President should present to Nigerians the scorecard of the present administration.

He said, “It is already a settled fact that the nation’s debt profile escalated under the profligate, uncreative and incompetent Buhari administration, which crippled our once robust economy, pushed it into recession, turned our nation from a growing economy to a debtor country and world’s poverty capital.

“Despite being busted, Vice-President Osinbajo is labouring to deceive Nigerians by converting domestic borrowings in naira, under the APC, to US dollars, so that the very high exchange rate will make it look smaller in dollars.

“This is despite verified figures even from agencies of government showing an accumulation of 29.6 per cent debt under Buhari as against the 20.14 per cent under the Yar’Adua and Jonathan administration and the 0.44 per cent under the Obasanjo administration.

The Punch

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured

Glo Partners Samsung to Offer Customers the Exclusive Galaxy S-25

Published

on

By

Digital solutions company, Globacom, has teamed up with Samsung, world’s leading manufacturer of electronic devices, to bring a new offer to Glo subscribers. This tantalising deal allows Glo customers to pre-order the highly sought-after Samsung Galaxy S-25 smartphone and enjoy unique benefits.

Samsung Electronics unveiled its newest flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S25 series which comes with cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and was designed to elevate user experience and set new standards in the industry on January 22, 2025.

The pre-ordering exercise kicked off on January 22 and closes on February 18, 2025 at Gloworld shops across the country. It gives customers the opportunity to select from the Galaxy S25 lineup, including the S25 Ultra, the top-tier and most sophisticated model, as well as the S25+ and the standard S25. They, however, come with different processors and storage options.

Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S25 or S25+ will receive complimentary gifts, including a Buds FE, a suit cover, and Samsung Care, while those opting for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, will receive a free Buds 3, a standing grip case, and Samsung Care.

Globacom is also delighting customers who purchase any model from the Galaxy S25 series with 18GB bonus data for 6 months under smartphone festival data plans, while they can also secure their pre-order at any Gloworld shop with an advance payment of ₦500,000. Pre-ordered phones will be delivered to customers from February 19 onwards.

“We are thrilled to bring this offer to our subscribers, who will enjoy unparalleled benefits, including innovative packaging. This partnership with Samsung reinforces our commitment to providing value-added services that cater to the evolving needs of our customers”.

The company advises other phone lovers who are yet to pre-order the new device to visit any Gloworld outlet close to them and join the list of the new owners of the Samsung S-25 phone before the expiry date.

Continue Reading

Featured

Another Gloworld Retail Office Opens in Maiduguri

Published

on

By

Technology company, Globacom, on Wednesday opened another Gloworld retail outlet in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

The new Gloworld shop is the latest in Globacom’s trademark customer interface shops, and is equipped with the latest technology for fast and efficient customer service and complaints resolution.

According to Mr. Augustine Mamuro, Globacom’s Regional Sales Coordinator, North East, the opening of the centre is in line with its “desire to bring its services closer to the people, create more platforms for customers to have access to Globacom’s wide range of products and services and give them more exciting experience on the network.”

He added that Globacom’s approach to customer service “is one that is underpinned by innovation and total inclusiveness. This is why we are consistently seeking innovative channels to make available our array of services to them”.

Mamuro assured the people of Maiduguri that the office is manned by well-trained, polite and customer-friendly staff who will provide first-class services and attend to customers’ enquiries as well as their service and product needs.

He also said the new shop will offer affordable Glo products, devices, smartphones and accessories, adding, that the people are assured of quick and satisfactory resolutions of all issues ranging from SIM replacement and registration to recovery of over-scratched cards, refill, unblocking of phones and laptop configurations for internet, as well as post paid bill payments and purchase of all Glo and other complementary products”.

The Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Umar Umar Kadafur, who was the Special Guest at the event, eulogised Globacom for deeming it fit to open a new Gloworld in Maiduguri for the benefit of the people.

He lauded the management of the company for its thoughtfulness in bringing its products and services close to the people of the state.

Continue Reading

Featured

I Don’t Belong to Wike’s Camp, Dakuku Peterside Declares

Published

on

By

Dakuku Peterside has publicly declared his political leaning in Rivers State, saying he does not belong to the camp of the former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Instead, Peterside, a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said he aligns with Wike’s predecessor and estranged former godfather Rotimi Amaechi.

“I am a friend to Rotimi Amaechi,” the former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship hopeful said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

“I am not on the side of Nyesom Wike,” Peterside submitted, adding that he is also not politically aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

He, however, said he was ready to provide advice for the incumbent governor on how to move the state forward.

“When Nyesom Wike was governor, recall that I was doing open letters to him consistently, giving him my advice. I did that for some time. If Governor Fubara seeks my advice, of course, I am willing to give that, like many governors,” he said.

Rivers is one of the politically charged states in Nigeria, a situation which could be attributed to the chunk votes and fat purse of the oil-rich state.

Like a coat of many colours, fragmented political camps make up the diverse and intrigue-filled state dominated by pugilists in the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where the incumbent governor belongs.

Leaders of the camps include Wike, a PDP powerbroker and two-term governor of the state from May 2015 to May 2023. Another political gladiator in the state is Amaechi, a former APC presidential hopeful and ex-transport minister who previously governed the state from May 2007 to May 2015.

There are also those loyal to Fubara and former governor Peter Odili; while former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus; Magnus Abe; and Tonye Cole; amongst others, have their die-hard followers too. For over a decade, political crises have been Siamese to the State with followers of the various camps always at loggerheads.

Continue Reading

Trending