Jonathan Left $28.6bn External Reserves, Says Aide

•Insists Nigeria had $2.2bn in excess crude account

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Reno Omokri, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has refuted claims that the latter left behind funds that could last barely for three weeks in 2015.

The claim was made by the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

Omokri who refuted the allegation through his Instagram page, argued that Amaechi had been showing desperation to be the next All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate, “a situation that has led him to be pouring lies against the Goodluck Jonathan administration.”

Reno who was a media aide to Jonathan, described Amaechi as a “liar.”

He wrote; ”This is exactly what Jonathan left behind on May 29, 2015, that Amaechi said could not sustain Nigeria for three weeks: Foreign reserve of $28.6 billion, $2.2 billion in the Excess Crude Account, $5.6 billion Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited dividends

and over $1 billion investments via the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.”

Responding further to allegation that Jonathan left government with only about three weeks money to run the country, Omokri on his part, alleged that that Amaechi had a slave mentality which he claimed makes him to do anything to please those he described as his slave masters.

He quoted Amaechi as saying in a recent interview on Channels TV that the money left behind by the Jonathan’s administration, when he left office in 2015, couldn’t have sustained Nigeria for three weeks.

“Rotimi Amaechi is just a useless liar, who thinks he can get APC’s vice presidential slot by attacking former President Jonathan. 2023 is near. The whole of Nigeria will soon see what Buhari will leave behind, apart from N40 trillion debt,” he added.

He said Amaechi begun life as Peter Odili’s aide, saying inferiority complex had refused to leave him.

“Sadly, he has a perpetual problem with self worth and Nigerians are cautioned not to take him seriousl,” Omokri added.

He explained that the matter of Amaechi being desperate for the vice-presidential ticket of the APC was based on the thinking that the APC would once more zone its presidential ticket to the north.