Reno Omokri, a former aide of
ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has cautioned Rotimi Amaechi, minister of
transportation, against dragging the former president into the controversy on
the loans obtained by the federal government from China.
A house of representatives panel
had recently raised the alarm over clauses conceding Nigeria’s sovereignty to
China in a loan agreement.
The clause, described as “lethal”
by the panel, is in article 8(1) of the commercial loan agreement between
Nigeria and Export-Import Bank of China.
The section of the agreement has
triggered controversy and strengthened claims about Nigeria’s reliance on
Chinese loans.
While reacting to a call for his
resignation by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amaechi had
said some earlier loans from China were signed during Jonathan’s era.
“By the way, he said he is PDP;
that loan was taken under President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. The loan
he’s talking about — the Kaduna-Abuja railway — was signed by the President
Goodluck Jonathan government,” the minister said.
“Don’t forget that we told the
whole world when commissioning that project, that 80 percent of that project
was executed by President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
“The loan was taken by President
Goodluck Jonathan’s government, and for that reason we had to name the train
station and infrastructure in Agbor after President Goodluck Jonathan’s
government for that laudable achievement.”
Reacting to the minister’s remark
in a statement on Wednesday, Omokri said although Jonathan took loans from
China, the former president did not sign away the country’s sovereignty.
Omokri said the loan agreement
which included the controversial clause was signed between the federal ministry
of finance and the Export-Import Bank of China in 2018.
“Rotimi Amaechi is as usual,
being deceptive. It is his stock in trade. For the avoidance of doubt, it is
true that the Jonathan administration also took loans from China. However, it
is false that that government signed away Nigeria’s sovereignty to China while
taking those loans,” the statement read.
“The loans which were suspected
to have surrendered Nigeria’s sovereignty away were taken by the Buhari
administration.
“The specific loan in question,
which is suspected of signing away Nigeria’s sovereignty to China was signed on
September 5, 2018, between the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Finance and the
Export-Import Bank of China.
“It may be recalled that
Nigeria’s total foreign debt on May 29, 2015, when then President Goodluck Jonathan
handed over power to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, was ₦12 trillion, of
which a total of $7.02 billion out of the ₦12 trillion was foreign debt.
“As at June 2020, Nigeria’s total
debt was ₦28.63 trillion, of which a total of $22 billion out of the ₦28.63
trillion is foreign debt.
“Rotimi Amaechi is therefore
counselled to defend himself and his government, without dragging past
administrations into the matter.”
Meanwhile, Amaechi had clarified
that the immunity referred to in the loan agreement does not relate to the
country’s sovereignty as a nation but to Nigeria’s immunity from arbitration.
He said the clause is only a
diplomatic agreement between both parties to ensure payment is made
accordingly.
its a pity that He want to divert the act of shame, Nigerians kindly watch Nas daily on you tube "The Chinese money trap" then judge for yourself, what this government is trying to do, we better start learning Chinese language.
ReplyDelete