Bolaji Abdullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary has revealed that former President Jonathan’s decision to remove subsidy on January 1, 2012 was undisclosed to any cabinet member including Petroleum & Finance Ministers; Diezani Madueke and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala respectively.
“Every member of the federal executive council was surprised, we were taken by surprise, we knew it was coming but the agreement was that we will come back in the new year and continue the conversation and the best possible way to do it”
Speaking on the Gatefield TV interview programme, #ConversationswithAbangMercy, Mr. Abdullahi explained, “If you recall, even the minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Madueke, who people like to hold for these things, she was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia,” he said at the event she made a commitment that subsidy will not go at the time. He also added that the Finance Minister was also out of the country.
He said he has been unable to find out who advised or what motivated the President to make that decision at the time he did.
Abdullahi in the book also gave an account of what transpired between Akinwumi Adesina, former agriculture minister and Jonathan’s Chief Economist during the Federal Executive Council over false claims made by the minister to have created over a million jobs through the activities of his ministry.
He said: “There was a time he came to FEC to say that his ministry has created 1.2 million jobs, the President’s national economic adviser took him up and said No, I don’t have any evidence that 1.2 million jobs were created through your ministry. The National Bureau of Statistics did not report to me.”
He says it got rowdy till President Jonathan had to stop the arguments.
“But I think he was one of the best ministers of agriculture we have ever had in this country,” he added in defence of his former colleague. He also revealed that many of Jonathan’s ministers, and fellow colleagues in government felt that his (Adesina’s) achievements were being exaggerated.
