Jonathan didn’t believe in EFCC, ICPC reports - Ex-minister

A former Minister of State for Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan never attached value to reports written by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The former minister, who served under the regime of Jonathan, said his former boss didn’t want to hear anything about the anti-graft agency including the  Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.

Gbagi stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday.

He said the former President once said if he was going to rely on the reports coming from the commission and others such as the ICPC, government would not be able to make any appointment.

He said, “I know and I say categorically, and I can tell you this today, that one thing Jonathan never wanted to hear of is EFCC and ICPC.

“I give you one single example and I won’t mention name. We were to appoint people into offices of a secretary of an educational agency.

“We went through the process and conducted an exam for them (applicants). My colleague, the Minister in the ministry, had a candidate and he (the candidate) was a thief that should not be in governance.

“The people who came first, second, third, fourth and fifth in that exam to get the big education job were all there. And I just thought that all we had to do was to forward the recommendations to the President.

“My colleague in that instance was honest to Mr. President. She said, ‘Mr. President this man is from my place, but report shows that he is a thief and a criminal.’ I was shocked with the President’s reaction.”

Gbagi said that instead of listening to the submission of the minister, the former President insisted that the indicted candidate should be appointed.

He said, “The reply of Mr. President was that ‘if you follow all these reports of EFCC of thief, thief we will not move, appoint him.’

“She told the President that this man is a thief. I gave you just one instance, out of many. But to my shock, that man was appointed and believe you me, I refused to participate in anything that had to do with that man until I left the ministry.”

Gbagi said the former President lost his re-election bid because he chose to listen to political jobbers instead of those that were genuinely interested in serving the country.

Rather than stay with him, he regretted that those political jobbers had abandoned the former President.

After the defeat, Gbagi said he was sure that Jonathan would be thinking twice now, even in his sleep.

He said, “What has caused Jonathan his job today is that he was listening  to job seekers who have no business being ministers or advisers.

“Today, they have all ran away. I am sure in his sleep today he will be remembering  Gbagi  everyday.

“Retrospectively today, I know Jonathan will think twice. I know in his toilet, he will be remembering, we ought not to run this country as if we were running a kitchen.”

He called on Nigerian leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari to realise that the country would outlive them and advised them to strive to do good things.

“Nigeria will outlive all of us. People built Britain, America, Canada and other great nations. Let leaders, including Buhari, start doing the thing right and know that the country will certainly outlive us and our children,” he added.