Former
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday refused to comment on the various
cases of corruption so far instituted against his former ministers and aides by
the present administration.
Jonathan
evaded the question during an interview he had with State House correspondents
shortly after he met President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors inside the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The
former President said he would only speak on the corruption cases when all the
matters had been resolved in courts.
“I
don’t want to talk about that one (corruption cases) because there are too many
cases that are in court. It will not be fair to make comments. I will talk at
the appropriate time when most of these things are resolved,” Jonathan said as
he made his way to his car.
When
asked about the role he was playing to end the renewed violence in the Niger
Delta, the former President said he and other leaders in the region had been in
touch with those fomenting trouble on the need to give peace a chance.
He
reiterated his position that Nigeria could not afford to break up, saying that
the country would no longer be relevant among the comity of nations once it was
fragmented.
The
former President argued that the country’s greatness could not be attributed to
its oil but its diversity and size.
He
said, “It is not just about me but about all the traditional rulers, elders and
opinion leaders that are of Ijaw ethnic nationality. We have been in
touch to see that peace reigns in the country. Those of you that have followed
my talks when I was here (in the Presidential Villa) know that my emphasis is
that we need a united Nigeria.
“I
always emphasise that Nigeria is great not just about the oil. So many
countries produce more oil than Nigeria and nobody notices them.
“We
are great because of our size; the human resources we have; and the diversity
we have. If we fragmentise the country into small components, we will be forgotten
by the world.
“That
has been my focal position. Without peace, there cannot be development anywhere
in the world. We are all working collectively to see that the issues are
resolved.”
On
the purpose of his visit to the President, Jonathan said it was traditional for
former Nigerian leaders to brief the sitting President of their international
engagements.
He
said he seized the opportunity of the visit to brief Buhari of his past
engagements and the coming one which would see him leading the African Union
Elections Monitoring Team to Zambia.
“One
key thing is that having been a head of a government, a former President has
become a state property. That is the privilege one has but every privilege has
its corresponding responsibility.
“Once
you become a state property, most of your international engagements that have
to do with public addresses and some international assignments become a
national assignment; you have to brief the President.
“Even
when I was here, former Presidents used to do that and see me. I have been
coming, but most times I come in the night and that is why you don’t see me.
“I
came to brief the President about some of my engagements. As you are aware, I
will be leading the AU elections monitoring team to Zambia. I came to brief the
President about some of this external engagements. It is the tradition,” he
said.
The
meeting which lasted less than 20 minutes was held inside the President’s
office.
Jonathan
arrived for the meeting in a black Range Rover marked KWL 86 CN and was
received at the forecourt of the President’s office by one of Buhari’s aides at
about 1.55pm.
He
came out of the President’s office at about 2.17pm.
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