Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the money ex-President Goodluck Jonathan left behind could not last Nigeria for three weeks.
Amaechi said this when he featured on ‘Hard Copy’, a Channels Television’s programme.
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Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, the anchor had asked the minister if the issue of security is discussed during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and he replied that the issue is not raised there.
Asked further if the president understands the problem, the minister jokingly said even the journalist does not understand it.
He then went further to respond to the question, attributing poverty as the main cause of banditry and some of the challenges confronting Nigeria.
“When you talk about bandits and all these people that kill. It is a question about poverty. And that poverty didn’t start in this regime. Don’t forget that oil was sold at $110, $114, $115 per barrel. When this government came into power, oil fell to $28 per barrel and since then it has not gone above $80 per barrel.”
“As former Chairman of the Governors’ Forum (Amaechi was a two-time governor of Rivers), I was told by the security in a meeting chaired by the former President including the former minister of finance that at every point in time, the government must leave money behind in case Nigeria goes to war that would last for six months.
“By the time we came, they didn’t leave money behind that could last us for three weeks. And I was speaking at that time as the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum.”
Daily Trust contacted Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan’s spokesman, for comments but he had not reacted as of the time this report was filed.
