By JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, ABUJA

President Goodluck Jonathan has described as baseless and libellous, his inclusion as one of the richest presidents in Africa by a website – RichestLifestyle.com and has demanded immediate apology and retraction.

The President who said he has had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president which are matters of public record, is set to drag those behind the report and those who reproduced it to court to clear his name.

The website had named the President as the sixth richest African President with an estimated net worth of $100 million.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described the write up as another attempt to unjustifiably portray the President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection against him.

He said the President has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant and everything concerning him are matters of public record:

“We have noted with consternation the listing of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by a website – RichestLifestyle.com – as the sixth richest African President with an estimated net worth of $100 million.

“The Presidency condemns the totally unwarranted inclusion of President Jonathan in the publication titled Africa’s Richest Presidents 2014 as another attempt to unjustifiably portray the President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection against him.

“We categorically assert that there is no factual basis for ranking President Jonathan as the sixth richest African Head of State with a net worth of about $100 million.

“As is well known, President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant. The President has held public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws. He has had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president which are matters of public record.

“There has been no significant variation in the totality of his personal assets as contained in his last declaration to the Nigerian Code of Conduct Bureau in 2011 which, as can be verified, was a very, very far cry from the $100 million figure now being bandied about by Richest Lifestyle.com and other irresponsible, copy-cat publications.

“The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President Jonathan is now worth about $100 Million is that the President has corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the case.

“We therefore demand a retraction and an unreserved apology from Richest Lifestyle. com and all those who have reproduced the offensive article.

“Otherwise, they should be prepared to substantiate their libelous claims against the President in courts of law within and outside Nigeria.”


Source: Sun