Okonjo-Iweala Is a Professional And She Guarded Herself –Ahmed Joda

Erstwhile ‘super permanent secretary’ and Chairman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Transition Committee, Ahmed Joda has described former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as a professional who guarded herself effectively while she served as Minister of Finance.

Joda’s 18-member committee scrutinized the books and hand-over notes passed on to Buhari by the government of President Goodluck Jonathan. Many of the corruption-related investigations and accusations which have painted the Jonathan government in bad light were spurred by the work of the Transition Committee.

Some Nigerians, taking a clue from the reports of the committee had even called for the investigation and possible prosecution of Okonjo-Iweala who was also the Supervising Minister of the Economy under Jonathan. Even so, the woman who has a tall academic and managerial reputation around the globe has since moved on with important appointments and engagements from the Western world.

Said Joda, who recently spoke to journalists in Yola: “Okonjo-Iweala is a professional and she guarded herself, if you look at what she did. Whenever they said this happened and this happened, she was able to produce papers to say, ‘Look oh!’ We had a meeting presided over by the President and attended by the National Security Adviser and others and we agreed.”

Shedding more light on how Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala operated as Finance Minister, he said: “Anytime she received a request, she would go back and write the President and say, ‘I have received a request to release so many billions in accordance with our minutes. Your Excellency, if you will approve.’ And His Excellency would approve it. So, she covered herself, thus you can’t pin anything on her.”

Ahmed Joda also threw some light on former President Jonathan’s culpability or otherwise in corruption allegations. He revealed that Jonathan would take blame so far as it relates to the presidential approval he gave to “virtually everything his aides come to seek from him.” He also disclosed that Jonathan gave approval to things which ordinarily should have been handled without his consent.