TheCable

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the former president, says he is currently under investigation for corruption.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Jonathan said that he could not make comments about the investigations.

“Of course, obviously, I would be investigated. In fact I am being investigated. Investigations are going on. I would not want to make certain comments because government is working.

“It would not be proper for immediate past president to make certain statements. I will allow the government do the work. I wouldn’t want to make serious comments on that.

“After all the investigations, the stories will be properly documented. I have just left office and I should allow the president and his team do what they think is best for the economy.”

Jonathan, first incumbent of a ruling party to lose an election since 1999, disagreed with claims that his successor inherited an empty treasury.

“It is not true; there is no way that he would have inherited an empty treasury and at the same time give bailout to the states. It’s not possible.

“Nigeria is a fairly robust economy but sometimes, we overpoliticise some issues and make it look so bad. It was not that bad. Some people ask questions like I was the president of Nigeria since independence; I was the president for 5 years.

“It is routine in Nigeria from the collapse of the first republic, people blamed corruption. When the second republic collapsed, the military blamed corruption. If there is a major change in government, one political party taking over from another one, there must be issues.”

He said that his government could not tackle the corruption in the oil sector because of certain people.

“In the area of fertilizer subsidy, we cleaned up and the corruption was removed. I wanted to do the same thing in the oil industry but the same people who are accusing us of corruption are the very people that were frustrating it.”