Litigation Threat: Publisher Of African President’s Wealth Deletes Jonathan’s Name From List

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, October 9th, 2014

Ayo Balogun

Apparently due to threat of litigation, the RichestLifestyle.com, a US based online website which included President Goodluck Jonathan in its publication on the richest African Presidents 2014 has deleted Jonathan from its listing.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan

The Wednesday publication which ranked Jonathan the sixth richest African President with a $100 million net worth, after the Cameroonian President Paul Biya (with $200 Million Net Worth) as at Thursday, has removed the name on the sixth ranking.

The Presidency in a statement Wednesday by Dr. Reuben Abati condemned the 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 the public against him.

The statement asserted that there was no factual basis for ranking President Jonathan as the sixth richest African Head of State with a net worth of about $100 Million U.S. Dollars.

It indicated that President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant, adding that he has held public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws.

Abati also defended that Mr. President had no personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as Deputy Governor, Vice President, Acting President and President which he stated were matters of public record.

The President argued that 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 very far cry from the $100 million figure now being bandied about by Richest Lifestyle.com and “other irresponsible, copy-cat publications.”