October 01, (THEWILL) — Former presidential spokesman, Ima Niboro, has declared that “Jonathan’s legacy cannot be erased”, as he took strong exception to remarks by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, who recently described the former president’s administration as “dismal”.
Amid speculations about a Jonathan presidency in 2027, Onanuga had, on Monday, urged Nigerians to reject the former Bayelsa governor.
Niboro, who served as spokesman to Jonathan, questioned the motive of the outburst, noting that the former president has neither declared interest nor hinted at a return.
“Why this attack, and why now? Jonathan has not declared any ambition to return. To dismiss his tenure as ruin is unfair. By the time he left office in 2015, Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $42 billion, the Sovereign Wealth Fund had $1 billion, and the Excess Crude Account was $2.2 billion. Are these numbers of collapse or careful stewardship?” Niboro asked.
Niboro, a card-carrying member of the APC and former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, reeled out Jonathan’s achievements: the 2014 rebasing of Nigeria’s economy that made it Africa’s largest, agricultural reforms that boosted food security under then Minister Akinwumi Adesina, revival of rail transport, modernization of airports, and establishment of 14 new federal universities and 166 Almajiri schools.
He said Jonathan’s administration also introduced key governance reforms like the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), while his peaceful concession of defeat in 2015 deepened Nigeria’s democracy.
“Jonathan’s record cannot be erased by the flourish of any pen. Nigerians lived them. Nigerians remember,” he insisted.
Taking a swipe at Onanuga’s praise of Tinubu’s subsidy removal, Niboro reminded Nigerians that Tinubu and other opposition leaders had opposed Jonathan’s attempt to remove fuel subsidy in 2012.
“To now blame Jonathan for allowing the economy to bleed is disingenuous. He sought to fix it; they stopped him. Now they accuse him of failure? No, Sir,” he said.
While stressing that Tinubu’s administration should be judged on its own merit, Niboro cautioned against attempts to rewrite history for political advantage.
“Whether Jonathan runs in 2027 or not, his legacy stands. The economy’s expansion, agricultural reform, infrastructure projects, health gains, and deepened democracy remain part of Nigeria’s story”, he declared.
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