Jonathan Left Me A Virtually Empty Treasury – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday said the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan left behind a “‎virtually empty treasury”. He said debts owed by the government was running into hundreds of millions of Dollars and urged the media to explain the true position to Nigerians so as to avoid protests.

“It is not by accident that I got the best of you to be the special adviser, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate‎. He is one of the best President of the guild that I can have as special advisers. I brought one of the best of you so that he can consistently defend me against you,” Buhari said at a meeting with members of the State House Press Corps.

“Whether my job is a difficult one or easy it is up to him, but I’m here to thank you in advance for ‎what good and ill you are going to do to me.

“I have to quickly come and see you and welcome you to this place. I hope ‎what happened of recent between the former president and one of you (the seizure of the accreditation of the Radio Germany reporter) will not happen between me and you.

“I hope we are starting and this culture developed, of 100 days is bringing so much pressure with treasury virtually empty, with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries. It is such a disgrace for Nigeria. I think Nigeria should be in a position to even pay its workers. This bad management that we find ourselves in, we really need your help to protect us from people before they match on us,” he said.

Chairman of the State House Press Corps, Kehinde Amodu who spoke on behalf of members of the Corps pledged to work with the government in the interest of Nigeria.

The meeting was the first of such between members of the State House Press Corps and a sitting President since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.