VON DG says former President allowed corruption

The Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu has criticised former President Goodluck Jonathan for his recent comments on corruption during his administration.

At the non-elective national convention of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Saturday, August 12, 2017, the former president said that though his administration failed to plug all the loopholes in battling corruption, he did well nonetheless.

While responding on Sunday, August 13, Okechuckwu dismissed the former president's claim and accused him of allowing widespread corruption to take place under his nose.

He said, "My own sincere assessment is that our dear ex-president, rather than plug loopholes of corruption, opened it wide. He should apologize to Nigerians whom he betrayed for being less than transparent.

"I was outraged when I heard him proclaim that the PDP will return to power in 2019 because of the hunger and poverty ravaging the country.

"He propelled his preferred Minister, Mrs Deziani Alison Madueke and other cronies to loot dry our dear countrymen.

"Example, later day revelations are showing how $80 million was used by Mrs Madueke’s ally to purchase a luxury yacht, money which could have been utilized to build the best hospital in Yenogoa.

"Or is he not reminding us of the humongous foreign exchange used in buying choice estates locally and abroad?"

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Jonathan had also said at the convention that claims that the country's economy would have gotten worse if he had won reelection were false, because he had a sound economic plan in place.

In response, Okechuckwu said President Muhammadu Buhari's administration has had to battle with Jonathan's administration's practice of keeping "voodoo economic records" that wrecked the country.

According to him, "The biggest headache of Buhari administration is the huge local and foreign debt amassed by the PDP's 16 years misrule.

"On bail-out fund and Paris Fund refund, Buhari has spent over N1 trillion on salary and pension arrears. He has also paid over $7 billion on obligations to International Oil Companies (IOC) with the little he got."

He accused the former president of failing in his bid to fix the Niger Delta and concluded by saying he regretted ever backing the Bayelsa native.

"I regret demonstrating on Abuja streets in 2010, for him to be made an executive president, with others as a member of the defunct Save Nigeria Group," he said.