A former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has described the Minister/Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as ignorant.
Ezekwesili said this following a statement by Suleiman on Tuesday that Jonathan left $30 billion for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Suleiman’s statement followed the accusation by Buhari that Jonathan left him an empty treasury.
Reacting to the development on Wednesday, Ezekwesili requested to know who the ex-minister is that does not understand the $30 billion is no longer available for spending.
She said it should have been obvious to Suleiman that the $30 billion in question was no longer available to Buhari to spend as Jonathan had already utilised it in Naira.
Writing on her Twitter handle, Ezekwesili said: “Who’s this ex-Minister that doesn’t know $30 Billion CBN Reserve IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE to FG cos it ALREADY collected & SPENT it as Naira?
“FG earns Oil Revenue Dollars but spends in Naira. So it hands the dollars it earns to its Banker- CBN which then gives FG Naira for BUDGETS.
“The $30 Billion is CBN’s Dollar Reserves and should FG ever ask for any part of it again, it will result in double dipping & PRINTING MONEY.
“When FG earns Oil Revenue Dollars it MAY NOT immediately hand over EVERYTHING to CBN to give FG Naira value. Such Balance is SAVINGS-ECA.
“It is the BALANCE of whatever Oil Revenue Dollars, FG did not ‘sell’ to CBN to get Naira that it SAVES as ECA and right now it is $2B only.”