Jonathan blasts critics over their past privatisation records
President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday made a succinct reply to his avid critics, especially those whowere involved in the past privitisation exercise.
He said they are now 'opening their mouth wide' to attack his administration, when they implemented a shoddy privatization programme.
Addressing Nigerian professionals in New York, United States, on Monday, Jonathan said the privatisation of public utilities by his administration was being done in a transparent manner.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported the President saying that so far $3bn had been realised without any form of corruption compared to the privatisation that took place in the past.
Though he did not mention the critics by name, some of the visible critics of Jonathan's administration that that played significant role in the past privatisation included former Prresidetn Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and an ex-minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
The president said, 'In the country's past privatisation, we know what happened there and yet those who sat over the exercise are the same people who are opening their mouths wide to attack this administration.'
On security, Jonathan said that in the past, the major security challenge facing the nation was armed robbery. He said that terrorism had emerged as the major challenge in the country now.
Jonathan, however, stressed that the challenge of terrorism was being seriously tackled by the government.
He stated, 'I appreciate that we have a serious security challenge with Boko Haram insurgency. This is the area where the government is being blackmailed, but by the grace of God this will soon be a thing of the past.
'Before now it was robbery, until terrorism took us by surprise. Soon it will be a thing of the past.'
On Nigerians in Diaspora, the president acknowledged that they had excelled in their respective professions in the US.
He stressed 'Nigerians in Diaspora are an important group particularly those in the US.'
According to him, the administration needs them to work in different areas of the Nigerian economy.
'You do not have to relocate to Nigeria to make the necessary impact, you can come and establish businesses to create jobs for your brothers and sisters at home,' Jonathan said.
The coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in her remarks said that the country's economy was growing stronger, noting that the Jonathan's transformation agenda was helping the economy.