Punchng:
Jonathan hasn’t stolen public funds, Abati insists
President Goodluck Jonathan
The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media
and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, has insisted that the
President has not stolen any public funds since the beginning
of his tenure.
Abati said on Sunday while responding to questions on the
listing of President Jonathan as one of the richest African
presidents, during a programme on Channels Television.
The presidential spokesperson, who earlier issued a
statement on the matter, said the website which claimed that
Jonathan was worth $100m, mischievously wanted to portray
the President as corrupt.
Abati stated that President Jonathan had not stolen any public
fund since he came into office and described him as an
honest man.
He said, “What that Internet site and those copy-cat media
houses tried to do was to give the impression that the
President is corrupt. The site even said the leaders they had
listed stole their people’s wealth. It’s absolutely untrue.
President Jonathan has not stolen anybody’s wealth.
“He is a very honest and decent man. Those who know him
knows that he is not in office to amass wealth but to serve
Nigerians to the best of his ability and to leave a legacy that
the present and the next generation would be proud of.”
In a response to demands by some Nigerians for the
President to publicly declare his asset, Abati said Jonathan
would not go against the law to declare his assets publicly.
He said, “President Jonathan has dutifully complied with
regulations and has declared his assets, every year and at all
occasions. If anyone wants to find out, President Jonathan
does not have $100m either in cash or in assets.
“He has always declared his assets but the law does not
require any public official to declare his asset publicly. The
body that is in charge of declaration of assets is the Code of
Conduct Bureau.
“The President has done what is required, anybody who is
looking for information on his assets should know that the
appropriate place to go is the Code of Conduct Bureau. You
don’t expect the President to go against the law and do a
public declaration.”
Abati noted that there was still a possibility that the President
will go ahead and sue the website for libel.
He added that what the website did was not a retraction and
said its management had also not apologised to the
President.
“Before the statement that was issued went out, President
Jonathan briefed his lawyers. It’s for the lawyers to take it
from there,” Abati said.