Jonathan Shades Buhari Over Railway Achievement Using A 2015 Article Written By The President’s Aide

Former President Goodluck Jonathan disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari over claims that he inherited no light, bad roads and no railway.

While briefing Nigerians in the United States of America last week, President Muhammadu Buhari, had said he met nothing on the ground after he took over as the president.

 

“We got into trouble as a country because we did not save for the rainy day. For example, between 1999 and 2015 when we produced an average of 2.1 million barrels of oil per day, and oil prices stood at an average of $100 per barrel, we did not save, neither did we develop infrastructure. Suddenly, when we came in 2015, oil prices fell to about $30 per barrel.

“I asked, ‘Where are the savings?’ There were none. ‘Where are the railways, the roads, the power?’ None. I further asked, ‘What did we do with billions of dollars that we made over the years?’ They said we bought food. Food with billions of dollars? I did not believe, and still do not believe,” Buhari was quoted as saying.

 

In a Facebook post on his official page, former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, disagreed with President Buhari over claims that he inherited “no light, bad roads and no railway.”

 

According to Punch Newspaper, while making an indirect reference to Buhari’s claims using an opinion editorial piece written by a former a columnist, Tolu Ogunlesi, which was published on January 12, 2015, Jonathan said he was proud of his achievements, especially in the area of rail construction.

 

“I am grateful to God and my team for what we were able to achieve with our railways, among other things,” the ex-President said.

 

Ogunlesi, who now serves as the Special Assistant on Digital/New Media to President Buhari, had praised Jonathan’s achievements in a piece entitled, "The case for and against President Jonathan."

 

In his Facebook post, Jonathan lifted the quote from Ogunlesi’s piece which reads, “Let’s start with infrastructure. On the railways, the Jonathan government scores high marks. The railway line between Lagos and Kano has been revived after about two decades of inactivity.

“The Enugu-Port Harcourt line has just been launched; Abuja-Kaduna is almost finished. There was a determined push to upgrade airports across the country, for which we are grateful.”