During a live radio programme on Raypower FM, the minister of finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, rejected the debate offer made by the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Professor Charles Soludo on the state of the economy and her tenure in office.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Okonjo-Iweala said she would not join issues with the former central bank governor as she was constrained to reply to Prof Soludo over allegations that N30 trillion had been stolen under her watch as the minister of finance.
Replying to her comments last week, in which she described him as the worst CBN governor the country had ever had, Soludo on Sunday said the nation was in for a very turbulent time this year because the economy had been grossly mismanaged under her.
Former CBN governor, Professor Charles Soludo
Okonjo-Iweala’s statement on the radio programme, as quoted by Daily Trust, is as follows. She said Soludo’s claim was “part of the misinformation that I want Nigerians to avoid. I don’t want to enter that debate. We have answered him, I don’t want to join issues and you don’t join issues when things don’t make any sense.”
On the forensic investigation into allegations of unremitted oil funds by the NNPC whose report was submitted to the president on Monday, the minister said the claims that she delayed the forensic investigation were baseless.
“There has been a lot of misinformation that is being put out and it is sad for me because people said in November I talked to the Financial Times (FT) in London and that the report will be ready in a few weeks and that is true. I have not been controlling this audit, it has been with the Auditor General because Pricewaterhouse actually said that the Ministry of Finance has a position on the issue and they would also need to interview us.
“Therefore, there is no way that the minister could be responsible for this report and the neutral party whose job it is in government was appointed to take over and control, which is the Auditor General and I said that at the FT but conveniently as has persistently been the case, Nigerians have been misinformed, they left out the part that I said the Auditor General is in charge.
“I am one of the people being interviewed for it so there is no way I could be in charge. They tried to paint it as if I am responsible for that report. It is part of the packaging and misinformation in this politics and it has to stop.”
Asked about the state of the economy and if the country is broke, the minister said the opposition want the country broke and also said that, since the economy is running it is not broke.
“People have tried in the opposition to package this, they have been saying it. Three years ago they said the economy was broke, two years ago it was broke, now it is broke, they just wish the economy to be broke, they want to get Nigerians alarmed…Has the country not been running?”
The minister has not only been embroiled in a war of words with Charles Soludo, but also with former minister of education and ex World Bank vice-president, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, over her stalling on the debate and her criticism of Charles Soludo.
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