Senate President Bukola Saraki on Thursday, said former President Goodluck Jonathan was not prepared for leadership.
Saraki also described him as a man who never wanted to unnecessarily cling on to power.
He spoke in Abuja at the public presentation of the book: “On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan won and lost Nigeria,” written by a former Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi.
“I like to share one or two things that will probably summarise the former President Jonathan. I remember when I was then Senator and I came across this issue of fuel subsidy and the way the country was losing close to about N1.3trillion.
“In the history of this country, I don’t think of any singular kind of level of corruption as huge as that. I had a motion already, I wanted to present on the floor of the Senate. I felt as a member of the ruling party at that time, it was only proper I discussed it with the President (first) maybe some action can be taken so that I could step down the motion. I booked an appointment to see Mr President, I went with my paper, I started with the background of how people brought in petroleum products. I said Mr President, in the past, people used to get award letters from NNPC to bring in PMS, DPK, and make 10, 20 percent profit.
“I said sir, they’ve taken it to another level. Now, they get an order to bring in products they don’t want to make 10 or 20 percent anymore. They will get an offer to bring in a cargo of 20,000 litres, they will bring in 5,000 litres to be stamped for 20,000 litres and instead of making 10 percent, they make ten times the amount. I was telling the President, thinking the President would get very agitated. But Jonathan said: ‘Senator Saraki, you know this oil business is very oily.’
“I was stunned and taken aback but in a way, that was Jonathan in a way; that was who he is. And if you look at the second encounter … I felt that I didn’t want Jonathan to hear it as news, I booked an appointment to go and see him – I didn’t know what I was thinking that day. I went to the Villa. He said ‘come in, come in, how can I help you?’ I looked at the President of a third world country and said, Mr President, I came to tell you that I am going to be contesting for your seat. Jonathan looked at me and said ‘oh, okay, good luck, good luck.’
“If it were any other person, maybe I would not have left the Villa but that again sums up Goodluck Jonathan. I think it is Nigerians that produce the kind of leaders we get. No matter what you say about him, I don’t think he was someone who was desperate for power. He was not someone that was prepared for leadership. Yes by misfortune or fortune, I keep on saying, we all know the right things but we don’t do it. We find ourselves sometimes blaming individuals and blaming others than ourselves,” Saraki said.
