Jonathan ran Nigeria’s economy aground – Presidency

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — The Presidency past nighttime accused erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan of lacking a wide economical docket during his medication of implicit 5 years, alleging that helium ran the country’s system aground.

According to the Presidency, Nigeria’s existent economical woes began nether Jonathan’s government.

In a connection issued by the Special Adviser to the President connected Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency besides warned Jonathan — described arsenic a man — to beryllium wary of those urging him to contention the 2027 statesmanlike election.

The informing follows a caller remark credited to Professor Jerry Gana, who said the erstwhile President would contention the 2027 predetermination and nonstop President Bola Tinubu “back to Lagos.”

While stating that Jonathan was escaped to articulation the race, the Presidency maintained that Nigerians would not hide what it described arsenic his “abysmal show successful office.”

The connection read:“As we statesman the march towards the 2027 elections prematurely foisted connected the federation by the desperation of the absorption ganging up against President Bola Tinubu contempt his glaring economical strides, we are erstwhile again regaled with a cacophony of voices, astir of them afloat of dependable and fury, signifying thing — to paraphrase inimitable William Shakespeare successful 1 of his classical works, Macbeth.

One caller connection that stands retired successful its absurdity is Professor Jerry Gana’s. The erstwhile Minister of Information and National Orientation, moving to draught erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan into the 2027 statesmanlike race, affirmed that the erstwhile President would contention connected the level of the discredited Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which near down a bequest of economical ruin aft 16 years of atrocious governance.”

The Presidency further dismissed Gana’s claims that Jonathan could decision Tinubu, describing them arsenic delusional.

It added:“We should caution erstwhile President Jonathan to beryllium wary of the PDP’s sugar-coated cheerleaders. Politicians of Jerry Gana’s ilk simply privation to lure him into the contention to fulfill their personal, political, religious, and taste interests. They volition wantonness him midstream, arsenic they did successful 2015, and permission Gentleman Jonathan successful the lurch.

Don’t get america wrong: President Jonathan reserves the close to tally if helium wishes. It is his inalienable right. President Tinubu volition wholeheartedly invited him if helium decides to participate the race. But Jonathan volition person his time successful tribunal to find whether, having been sworn successful doubly arsenic president, helium is constitutionally eligible to contention and, if successful, beryllium sworn successful for a 3rd term.”

Onanuga stressed that Jonathan’s grounds would besides beryllium enactment to trial earlier Nigerians:

“We cannot hide successful a hurry however his regime, devoid of immoderate wide economical agenda, engaged successful frivolous spending, ran the system aground, and enactment the state successful dire straits. The downturn that President Tinubu is moving precise hard to flooded really began nether Jonathan.

In 2010, Jonathan inherited $66 cardinal — $46 cardinal successful overseas reserves and $20 cardinal successful the Excess Crude Account. By 2015, erstwhile helium was voted out, reserves had fallen beneath $30 billion, and the Excess Crude Account was depleted to $2 billion, contempt grounds lipid revenues.

By December 2014, the Federal Government could nary longer wage salaries, portion astatine slightest 28 states owed workers immense arrears.”

The Presidency contrasted this with what it called Tinubu’s “bold reforms” successful office: “In conscionable implicit 2 years, President Tinubu has removed the ruinous substance subsidy, unified the speech rate, and stabilised the economy. GDP grew by 4.23% successful Q2 2025, ostentation dropped to 20.12% successful August 2025 — the lowest successful 3 years — and overseas reserves present basal astatine $42.03 billion. Investor assurance has returned, the Naira has stabilised, and captious infrastructure projects specified arsenic the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are underway.

In plain language, the federation has turned the corner. Nigerians are opening to reap the gains of Tinubu’s reforms. The PDP broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it. Jonathan and others are invited to the 2027 race, but Nigerians volition not let them to instrumentality and tally it down again.”

The station Jonathan ran Nigeria’s ec...