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Tag: Goodluck Jonathan

  • Jonathan to NDDC: complete ongoing projects

    Jonathan to NDDC: complete ongoing projects

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to complete the ongoing projects before awarding new contracts.

    He gave the advice when inaugurating the new board, led by Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw, at the Presidential Villa.

    Noting that there were many uncompleted projects in the area, President Jonathan said the value of the completed projects do not reflect the huge money pumped into the commission.

    He said: “For the incoming board, you have a lot of challenges. I admonish you that there are many issues about the NDDC. The Niger Delta people feel that the NDDC is not doing what it is supposed to do. There are many ongoing projects. A body like NDDC should not just go into a voyage of contracts procurement. Ongoing projects must be completed to enable the people benefit, before new ones are awarded.

    “There are many ongoing projects and we believe you don’t even have enough manpower to manage them. You have a lot of responsibilities and for those of you from the Niger Delta, who are even there, you know that the history of intervening agencies is legion.

    “From three per cent to one intervention or the other, if you aggregate the total amount of money the Federal Government has spent on this agency, it is enormous. I don’t believe on ground we have something to show clearly.”

    The President went on: “People are inquisitive now, the society is becoming more open and of course, the freedom of press laws and so on.”

    Jonathan said the former board was dissolved because it was quarrelling over money instead of working hard to provide infrastructure for the benefit of the people.

    He said: “The money does not belong to the board members. It belongs to the people, yet they were quarrelling. If the money, which belongs to the people, is being spent the way it should, there will be no reason people should quarrel.”

    Other members of the new board include Mr. Dan Abia (Managing Director); Itotenaan Ogiri (ED, Finance and Administration), Tuoyo Omatsulu (ED Projects) from Akwa Ibom and Rivers states; Ball Oyarede (Bayelsa); Ephraim Etete (Rivers); Etim Inyang Jnr. (Akwa Ibom); Adah Andeshi (Cross River); Tom Amioku (Delta); Samuel Nwogu (Abia); Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo); Suleiman Sa’d (Northcentral); Abdumalik Mahmud (Northeast); Enikuomehin Olorungbonju (Ondo); and Mark Ward (Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS).

  • Bad example

    Bad example

    •Jonathan’s criticism of Nigerian politicians at Mandela memorial service is unpresidential

    PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan certainly ought to have sufficient experience in office by now to know that he is the chief salesman and public relations officer of the country. Like a competent Chief Executive Officer of an organisation, his primary responsibility is to project the strengths and virtues of his enterprise while working unobtrusively to deal with problems, challenges and weaknesses. A company executive who specialises in showcasing his outfit’s faults will most likely soon be out of business.

    But this was exactly what President Jonathan did in what was supposed to be his tribute to Dr Nelson Mandela at the memorial service organised in honour of the legendary freedom fighter at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on December 8.

    The President did not exhibit good example when he chose the solemn occasion to run down Nigerian politicians, claiming that they lack the virtues of the late Mandela. While rightly extolling Mandela’s widely acknowledged attributes of humility, a forgiving spirit and the ability to unite people, he described Nigerian politicians as being disposed to issuing threats, boasting and playing little gods. He put down members of Nigeria’s political class as “tiny men” who give the impression that “Nigeria is their bedroom from where they make proclamations and intimidate others”.

    For one, the occasion where the President cast aspersion on his fellow politicians was most inauspicious. In attendance were members of the diplomatic corps who must have gone away with a very bad impression of the country’s leadership class. If the President has such contempt for his fellow politicians, why should outsiders take them serious? For, it is from the political class that the country’s leadership elite are recruited. If they are as mean, conceited and frivolous as depicted by Jonathan, how can they be expected to behave responsibly and decently in public office or uphold the rule of law? Again, members of the audience must have gone away with an equally poor opinion of Dr Jonathan himself. This is because he is also a Nigerian politician and did not drop from the moon.

    Yes, Nigerian politicians have their faults just like politicians everywhere, including Mandela’s South Africa. Even then, Jonathan’s generalisation is inappropriate and indefensible, especially for a trained academic and a scientist at that. With the kind of unprincipled and irresponsible politicians he has portrayed as running the country, why should foreign investors channel their capital to Nigeria, for example? This is how weighty such careless presidential pronouncements can be.

    It is not unlikely that Dr Jonathan is unsettled by the often fierce criticisms his administration has been subjected to. But he should expect no less in a vibrant democracy. After all, members of his party also vigorously criticise the opposition in states where the latter are in power. That is how democracy can thrive and grow.

    When the President faces unfair criticism, he must have the equanimity to take it in his stride and decently put the records straight. If subjected to objective criticism, he must demonstrate the humility to admit errors and make amends. If confronted with mean and vile attacks, he must exhibit the generosity of spirit to forgive and never demean his office by throwing mud. After all, those are the virtues for which he and the rest of the world have heaped fulsome praise on Mandela.

    Of course, this is not to say that the office of President should not be given its deserved reverence at all times. It only stands to reason that those who seek to be respected if privileged to occupy the position must avoid doing anything to demystify its dignity.

  • PDM urges National Assembly to probe Obasanjo’s letter

    PDM urges National Assembly to probe Obasanjo’s letter

    The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has urged the National Assembly to probe the allegations in the letter by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Ahmadu Rufai Abubakar, the party said the allegations were too grievous to be ignored.

    The statement reads: “We read with consternation and disbelief the letter addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, which was released to the media last week. “The allegations contained in the letter are earth-shaking and troubling…

    “We read, with deep disappointment, the President’s response or, better still, his non-response to these allegations, through his media aide. The decision of the President to ignore these allegations, for now, is quite troubling and unfortunate. More than that, it is totally inexplicable and unacceptable that the leader of our nation can assume that the nation can wait until such a time he feels the need to explain these grave allegations.

    “By his decision not to respond to these allegations immediately, the President is keeping Nigeria and Nigerians in unnecessary and dangerous suspense. Nigerians have a right to know the truth, especially those impacting on his job as president, immediately, not when the President chooses to respond. It is not a matter of choice, it is a matter of duty for the President to respond immediately, failing which his government loses the legitimacy to continue to govern and he loses the moral right to continue to lead the country.

    “We view this decision by the President to defer a timely response seriously. We feel it is an abdication of duty and responsibility and it undermines the integrity of the office he occupies. It threatens the unity, peace and political stability of the nation.

    “The Peoples Democratic Movement calls on the National Assembly to compel the President to offer an immediate response.

    “We call on the National Assembly to probe these allegations by asking the President to explain himself, failing which it should impeach him.

    “We have noticed a familiar pattern of response from the Presidency since the letter was placed in the public domain.”

    Instead of addressing the issues, which the letter raised, the person of former President Obasanjo has come under virulent media attack. Conflating the message with the messenger will not make the message go away. This tactic belongs, in this instance, to the realm of political theatre and constitutes an assault on the intelligence of Nigerians, who can only be assuaged by a cogent response to the issues, not politicising them.

    “There is a time and place for politics and a time and place for statesmanship. The President is well advised to understand the difference. We call on the President to rise up to the occasion and not hide behind the thin wall of ambiguity and suspense.

  • Playing politics with Budget 2014

    Playing politics with Budget 2014

    President Goodluck Jonathan has postponed the presentation of the 2014 budget to the National Assembly. Correspondents VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI write on the politics of budget delay and its implications for governance.

    Anxiety is mounting as President Goodluck Jonathan prepares to present the next year’s budget to the National Assembly. The budget presentation was postponed last month, following the shifting political allegiance in the Senate and the House of Representatives triggered by the defection of many legislators from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP0 to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The presentation has been aborted on two occasions. The President may have read the handwriting on the wall. Although the government explaineed that the postponement became necessary because the House of Representatives was yet to conclude work on the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), and reconcile differences on the crude oil benchmark figure with the Senate, critics said that the delay was informed by political reasons.

    In 2011, President Jonathan presented the 2012 budget proposal before the joint sitting of the National Assembly when the House of Representatives was yet to concluded work on the MTEF and FSP. It was the other way round when the President presented the 2013 budget proposal as the Senate was still working on the document. House Spokesman Zakari Mohammed alluded to that fact when he advised the President to put up other reasons for his failure to appear before the lawmakers as promised. “It is not our fault that the budget was not presented because the House is still within the timeframe for passing the MTEF”, he said.

    Mohamed said the President was being diplomatic, recalling that the President had presented the budget in the past at a time the Senate had not passed the MTEFF.

    “Last year, the Senate was yet to pass the MTEF, but the House had passed it when the President presented the budget. But, it was not an issue then. When we look at it from another angle, the coming of the MTEF to the NASS was even belated because, according to the constitution, the MTEF is supposed to be transmitted to the NASS six moths before the end of the year. But we got this in September,” he added.

    According to Mohammed, the implementation of the budget may suffer. If this happens, he said the National Assembly will not take the blame.

    Sources said the aborted presentation may not be unconnected with the alleged plan to embarrass the President by some aggrieved lawmakers, who have sympathy for the New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was learnt that some of them wanted to demonstrate to the President that he does not command parliamentary majority support. Following the defection of five of seven aggrieved PDP governors, tension had enveloped the National Assembly. In fact, many legislators allegedly boasted that they would take a pound of flesh from the party for its culture of tyranny.

    A PDP legislator from Kano State, Aliyu Madaki, however, urged the Presidency to embrace the reality. He said that the earlier the President and the PDP accept the new political reality on ground, the better for democracy in Nigeria. He said: “For me, I see this as a way forward for our democracy and with this, the future is not only bright for our democracy, but the entirety of Nigerian people. I believe Nigerians will begin to see a more vibrant federal legislature because there is a new order in place. We will leave the PDP. The injustice is too much. We will follow our governors; there’s no doubt about it. We cannot continue to stay and face injustice. This is the moment we have been waiting for, and this will eventually change the leadership in the House”.

    Already, 57 New PDP legislators have openly reiterated their determination to oppose the President, if there is a compelling reason to do so in the national interest, and in accordance with the constitution.

    Also, there are rumours that certain principal officers of the House may be removed. The Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, is said to be working round the clock to appeal to the new power bloc to mellow down. It is believed that, when the 137 APC members and 57 new PDP members join forces, the 194 legislators may pull the rug off the feet of the PDP.

    According to sources, the APC members were initially pushing for the removal of the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, the majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, the Deputy Leader, Leo Ogor, the Chief Whip, Isiaka Mohammed Bawa, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Ahmed Mukhtar Mohammed. But, ahead of the APC’s plan to unveil the strength of its members, the Speaker moved to douse the tension generated by the proposed change in the power structure. However, the Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the unveiling is coming soon.

    Tambuwal is popular on both sides. Therefore, he was able to persuade his colleagues to avoid any action capable of creating further division in the House.

    The Presidency and the PDP have been scheming to break the ranks of the new PDP and the APC in the House. The desperation, according to a source, was borne out of the benchmark tussle and the need to give the President a soft landing in the National Assembly. It was alleged that the legislators took bribe to toe the party line. But on December 3, Deputy House Spokesman Victor Ogene debunked the allegation that each member received a 100,000 dollars to peg the benchmark of the 2014 budget at $76.5 per barrel of crude oil.

    The benchmark has been a source of contention between the Presidency and the House, with the House insisting on $79 dollars per barrel against the Senate’s adoption of $76.5 per barrel.

    The House went into a two-hour executive session on the issue of parameters to adopt on the 2014-2016 MTEF sent to the National Assembly by the President, particularly the benchmark. Ogene said members did not fight over the issue at the closed door session as alleged by some people.

    “Seriously speaking, you all saw us when we came out smiling. The issues, I told you clearly, was between those who insisted that the benchmark remains at $79 and those who feel that that it was okay at $76.5”, he clarified.

    The lawmaker while referring to the allegations of money- for- benchmark, cautioned Nigerians against glorifying rumours, adding: “If money went round in the Senate, I’m not a senator, and I’ve not read any such report. In fact, I’ve not seen any dollar. So, if money has come from anywhere, the question should be put to the person sending the money. I will be glad to get money on behalf of my people, if you have a leeway to the person sharing the money”.

    Before the defection of the five governors, the cold war was raging in the PDP. A lawmaker said that the development was not surprising, pointing out that the PDP has always been in the minority, despite being the majority party in the House. The PDP member, who pleaded anonymity, said not many were taken by surprise by the defection, noting that, since the inception of the Seventh Assembly, Executive Bills and motions have often been resented.

    She said: “PDP has always been in the monitory. It is not a new development because of the posture of those that have defected now. Though they were in the PDP, they were never sympathetic to the cause of the party. So, it is just only the few of us that have to battle every time to see that bills and motions sponsored by the executive see the light of the day and that has been a tough battle”.

    President Jonathan has not been in the good books of the Lower Chamber. The legislators often complained that he had ignored their inputs into governance. Last month, over 30 bills listed for presidential assent were allegedly ignored. Some of the bills have been with the President for more than 60 days. According to the constitution, the President ought to have assented to them within 30 days. The lawmakers believed that it was a deliberate act, especially when a presidential aide said that resolutions of the National Assembly were mere opinions.

    With the PDP on the brink of becoming the minority party, the days ahead may be difficult for the President. and vice versa for the hitherto opposition party, APC, options of muscle flexing for President Jonathan are disappearing and fast too, says a political analyst, Dr Alfred Armstrong.

    According to a critic, Dr. Alfred Armstrong, the President has two options. He said: “If he sees the office as an opportunity to serve his people and leaves the country better than he met it, then, he must tow the line of compromise. Against what any of his advisers would say, President Jonathan must be ready to make sacrifice by instilling on the PDP members in the House that fact that the nation comes first and that they must not do anything to jeopardise motions, bills and reports emanating from the APC or other parties”.

    Armstrong warned that, if compromise is jettisoned, the President and his party may lose the battle. He said that, even if the new PDP lawmakers refrain from defecting to the APC, their actions and activities would ultimately be detrimental to the interest of PDP.

    “Intimidation and revenge, which are the second option would leave the country worse off. To agree on most matters of national importance would be a Herculean task for both the lawmakers and the Presidency. The power struggle would play out during the budget debate and executive bills would find it harder to scale through. We should also expect more vigorous and targeted investigations from the lawmakers.

    “ If we put these together in another form, our democracy may be better for it, but the PDP would not find the new political equation too welcoming,” he added.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, said that the change in power structure would bring a better Nigeria. He said: “There has been a lot of alignment and realignment. There’s a whole new political current going on in the two chambers of the National Assembly. One thing that is certain is that the power configuration must change.

    “Now, the change in power configuration will come with consequences and implications. It might affect the leadership of the parties in the National Assembly, and again, it will also affect the way the NASS relates with the executive arm of government. It might be negative or positive, but ultimately, it will be for the good of the Nigerian people. “For the first time, there will be effective checks and balances. It will no longer be family affairs. The days of family affairs are gone and gone for good. The politics of Nigeria will never be the same again.”

  • Wike: I never betrayed Amaechi

    Wike: I never betrayed Amaechi

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, spoke with reporters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on the protracted feud between him and Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis and his 2015 governorship ambition. BISI OLANIYI was there.

    You and Governor Amaechi were very good friends. What went wrong?

    The Rivers State governor and I were not good friends. We worked together. Working together does not make you to be friends. I worked for him seriously.

    I cannot leave my party (the PDP). It is not done anywhere. If I quarreled with the governor, would that have been enough to make him to leave the same party that produced him? The Supreme Court said on October 25, 2007 that it was the party that won the election.

    I am not the issue. Am I trying to be President of Nigeria? Am I trying to be the Vice-President?

    What of your 2015 governorship ambition?

    So what? Who told you I would not want to be the President of Nigeria? You are a Christian and you want to go to heaven. Does it mean that you will go to heaven? If I say I want to be the Secretary-General of the United Nations, does it mean that I will be?

    When has ambition become a criminal offence? Assuming I want to be Rivers governor in 2015, so what? Is it because I want to be governor, that is why Amaechi is quarrelling with President Goodluck Jonathan? Governorship is an ambition.

    If you are working hard, people will suspect you. You are working hard because you want to be somewhere. If you do not want to work hard, they will say he is not intelligent. Is there anybody that was born to be governor? Are we running emirate system, where when the emir dies, they know who will be the next emir?

    Governor Amaechi and you are from Ikwerre. He wants his successor to come from another ethnic group or senatorial district. Don’t you believe in the zoning agreement?

    Zoning in which of the political parties? Amaechi ran on the PDP platform, while Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the former Transport Minister, ran on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). So, the PDP zoned it to where? The ACN zoned it to where? If it was the turn of Ikwerre people to run, why did the ACN produce a governorship candidate outside Ikwerre?

    Since Amaechi’s friend wants to be governor, then it is Ogoni turn. If I want to be the governor, it is Ikwerre turn. If Okrika person wants to be governor, it is Okrika turn. If you are from Opobo, it is Opobo turn. Such things do not intimidate me. If I want to run for the governorship of Rivers state, nothing will stop me.

     

    The situation is tense in Rivers State. Can the House of Assembly resume now?

    The police is also in a dilemma. Who presides between Bipi and Amachree/Kwanee? Is it for the police to decide who will preside? If the police envisage that there will be breakdown of law and order, they know what to do. The business of the police is to ensure that there is law and order.

    I watched on television, where Dakuku Peterside, a member of the House of Representatives from Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Constituency, decided to join the so-called lawmakers to sit on bare ground at the centre of Moscow Road (opposite the Rivers House of Assembly) in Port Harcourt. It is clear that he has taken sides and you want the members of the National Assembly to again take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    If Bipi says he is the speaker, you will challenge him in court. All they are doing now by sitting on the road is to go back to the National Assembly and say they are unable to sit, for their functions to still be taken over. Rivers people will resist it. We have resisted it before and we will continue to resist it.

    Amaechi has defected from the PDP to the APC. Are you not worried?

    For you to survive in life, you must take risk and overcome fear. I will never disappoint my supporters. Let nobody worry about what is happening. The PDP is one. Let us keep ourselves together. We will achieve what we intend to achieve.

    In the House of Assembly, there are pro and anti-Amaechi lawmakers. What do you have to say about the face-off?

    The truth of the matter is that the Federal High Court, Abuja, on December 11, gave a judgment. Prior to the judgment, there were issues in contention. Those who went to court, why did they go to court? What issues were raised?

    Those who went to court sued the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation. The National Assembly took over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly and they went to court to challenge it. I do know that, even when the members of the House of Representatives met on July 10, after the July 9 fracas, there was already a pending matter at the Federal High Court, even before the National Assembly took the decision.

    Nobody can stop the members of the National Assembly from performing their functions, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, but the way and manner the members of the National Assembly took over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly, were they right?

    The Rivers State Government and the Rivers State House of Assembly were never sued. While the matter was going on, the Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice (Worgu Boms) filed and joined. The so-called Speaker (Otelemaba Dan Amachree) and lawmakers supporting him, filed to join in the suit, led by Mr. Ahmed Raji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). They were never sued. The Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly were sued.

    When they joined, what did they do? For the first time in the history of this country, that the Attorney-General of a state said it was proper for the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The so-called Speaker said the National Assembly should take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    The same people who said they were unable to sit passed the supplementary budget that same day. If they passed the supplementary budget on July 9, how were they unable to sit?

    The House of Representatives immediately took over. The court said the way and manner you took over the functions were not in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. We know the National Assembly members have the right to take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly, but there are processes or procedures to follow, which they did not follow.

    What the Rivers governor wants to achieve now is that even if it means to sit at the gate of the House of Assembly, the lawmakers supporting him must sit and pass the budget.

    Is it not true that your group wants to impeach Amaechi at all costs?

    If you want to impeach, where is the Chief Judge? Will you not serve the governor a notice? Will the governor not reply you? If they raise allegations against the governor, he will respond within a specified time. If he responds and you feel that the response is not enough, the Chief Judge must set up a panel. Where is the Chief Judge to set up a panel? People are telling lies.

    Don’t you know how ex-Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was impeached?

    In the case of Dariye, there was a chief judge. When the impeachment notice is served, a panel will be set up by the chief judge. If there is no chief judge, who will set up the panel? In Dariye’s case, the day the House of Assembly members met, was it the day he was impeached?

    We must face the reality. The court judgment was given on December 11. Have you seen the order? On December 12, they said they wanted to sit, but police did not allow them to sit. On December 12, were police served with the order? So, police would hear on radio or television.

    Even if police receive the order, there are contending factions. Evans Bipi (who represents Ogu/Bolo constituency) is the speaker. Amachree, who was impeached on July 9, following due process, is still claiming to be the speaker. Amachree is overseas, but his deputy (Leyii Kwanee) is saying he is the acting speaker and he and the so called lawmakers want to sit. What do you want the police to do? What is the business of the police to interpret the law on impeachment of a House officer?

    Is it possible for anybody to have sat? Bipi is speaker. Amaechree and Kwanee are saying they are the Speaker. What do you want police to do? What Amaechi wants is for the 2014 budget to be passed today and that is the end of the matter. He needs the money to spend by 2014.

    You and the six anti-Amaechi lawmakers, how do you intend to stop Governor Amaechi?

    Who tells you that Amaechi has 25 lawmakers on his side? We are talking about politics. Some people do not know how politics works. Who tells you that everybody who appears with you is with you? It is clear that what Amaechi wants is for the so-called lawmakers to pass the budget for him. That is why he asked them to go and sit inside Government House, Port Harcourt.

    How can the crisis in the Obio/Akpor Council be resolved?

    The Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra, declared the Chikordi Dike-led Caretaker Committee illegal and that nothing should be done again. That will affect the tenure of the Timothy Nsirim-led executive. Amaechi declared a one week holiday, claiming they were for Port Harcourt City Centenary Celebration, just to prevent the Obio/Akpor judgment from being delivered.

    Nigeria will do well, if we stand by the truth. Amaechi is a tyrant and he can be likened to Adolf Hitler. Amaechi is the worst tyrant I have ever known. If you do not know, know it now. I worked there at the Government House, Port Harcourt, as Chief of Staff. So, I can tell you. Amaechi is the only one that God wants to have an ambition. No other person can have an ambition. It is a criminal offence for you to have an ambition, but it is constitutional for Amaechi to have an ambition.

    The man the Supreme Court brought to power has refused to obey the court judgment.

    Let Amaechi go and remove Nsirim. What he is doing is because he wants to seize the money. They are signing Obio/Akpor cheques outside the council secretariat. Those who are doing that should be ready to sew their prison uniforms. Where are they sitting to work to sign cheques? They will go somewhere to sign cheques and say that the governor told them. No problem, go ahead, because that same governor will not be there.

    Amaechi feels he can buy over everybody. He has seen it now.

    You have just said that Governor Amaechi is a tyrant. But people say you have betrayed the governor who recommended you to President Goodluck Jonathan for a ministerial appointment. Can you be trusted?

    When Amaechi was in Ghana, I had everything in my hands to betray him. Go and ask Celestine Omehia what he offered me. How many commissioners I was asked to bring? I said no.

    Go and ask Amaechi what he said at the St. Peters Anglican Church, Rumueprikom, Port Harcourt, when he said Nyesom Wike is a man of character; you can go home and sleep, if he is with you. When did betrayal come in? My local government got the highest votes. What vote did he get in during governorship poll? Everybody, including Magnus Abe, also a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, was always in my house, asking me how it would be. It is not in my character to betray people.

    There is nobody who is working with Amaechi that I do not know. There is none of them that can talk face to face with me. Tony Okocha was the Obio/Akpor LG chairman. He was in the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), when I became the chairman. Because he is from my ethnic clan, I decided to play politics of inclusion and I brought everybody together to work as a team after my election. Okocha worked with the late Eric Asoh.

    That Amaechi made me the Chief of Staff, no. I had choice, to choose where and what. I was the man whom God used. I will not take the glory of God. Amaechi was in Ghana. I had the choice to be the commissioner of finance. I said I would not take. All those who are now talking as commissioners were coming around me and asking of what to do to be made commissioners.

    When Amaechi was in Ghana, ask him what he was calling me. I was taking final decisions. When he won the case, he felt he had become God, no problem. How did Amaechi make me minister? Which recommendation? Your Chief of Staff and Director-General of your campaign organisation was made a minister of state. People forget that there is tomorrow. The problem is that Amaechi underrated me. That is what he is suffering now.

    Amaechi is the former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). He has power. If Amaechi had the party structure, would he have run away from the PDP? Let us go to the field for elections.

    Since I left their government, what has happened? Who is the person who is thinking now? If I was there, would anybody have challenged Amaechi? Will he be having this type of problem? He is now asking lawmakers to go and sit on the road.

    Amaechi will say he has built roads for N100 billion and that the Federal Government has not paid him. Ask Amaechi, if you oppose him in Rivers state, does he pay your money? All those who are opposing Amaechi, ask them, if he has paid them their monies. He said he would not pay them stating that they would use the funds to fight him. After Amaechi abuses President Jonathan from morning till night, he should now sign for you. Nobody has even audited what he (Amaechi) claimed to have spent on the Federal Government projects in Rivers State.

    What you are seeing in Rivers State is that Amaechi has lost touch. APC cannot win Rivers state.

    In 2015, let us go for elections. Let Amaechi perform his magic. Whether they like it or not, Rivers will be a PDP state.

  • Dawn ‘impeachment’ drama in Rivers

    Dawn ‘impeachment’ drama in Rivers

    •APC warns against move by anti-Amaechi lawmakers to sit at PDP secretariat

    There was a mild drama yesterday morning in Port Harcourt, Rivers State over a plot to impeach Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    Supporters of the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, gathered at 5:30 am at the Marine Base Junction, near the House of Assembly. They were confronted by the governor’s loyalists.

    Their early morning mobilisation was to enable the six anti-Amaechi lawmakers to sit at 6am in the chambers to begin impeachment proceedings against Amaechi.

    The Wike supporters and Amaechi loyalists, who mobilised to the Marine Base Junction, were mostly from Okrika, the hometown of Dame Patience, wife of President Goodluck Jonathan and the ex-leader of the Niger Delta Vigilance Movement, Ateke Tom.

    Initially, Amaechi’s supporters were always gathering around the Workers’ Square, near the main gate of the state secretariat, while the youth backing Wike would assemble in front of the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, with the barricaded House of Assembly in the middle.

    It became difficult for Wike’s supporters to access the main gate of the Assembly, thereby changing strategy, by moving to Marine Base Junction, but they were surprisingly confronted by thousands of Amaechi’s loyalists.

    It was learnt in Port Harcourt last night that the self-acclaimed Speaker Evans Bipi, who represents Ogu/Bolo Constituency and the five other lawmakers would sit at 6am today.

    Investigation also showed that attempts were being made to induce the 25 pro-Amaechi lawmakers with millions.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State yesterday warned the anti-Amaechi lawmakers against their plan to sit at the state secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remove Amaechi.

    The main opposition party, through the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, to the Interim State Chairman, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, described the information on the planned sitting at the PDP’s secretariat as credible.

     

    APC said: “This warning is necessitated by the credible information at our disposal, to the effect that this inconsequential minority in a state House of Assembly of 32 members, after failing this (yesterday) morning to be smuggled into the state House of Assembly by some hoodlums.”

    “The hoodlums will be dressed in police uniform by 6 am, through the Eastern By-pass and guided by some Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) (with Wike as grand patron) officials, has changed their line of action, by concluding to sit at the Rivers State PDP Secretariat within the week, starting from 17th December, 2013 to impeach the Governor and announce the self-proclaimed Speaker, Hon. Evans Bipi, as the acting Governor of the State.

    “The imaginary crimes would be used as an excuse by the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) to arrest Governor Amaechi. The resort to sitting at the PDP Secretariat, we understand, is occasioned by the failure of the rebel lawmakers to gain access to the State House of Assembly, to which the police have also denied the majority 25 lawmakers access.”

    The APC chairman also admonished the supervising minister of education to reflect on the good deeds of Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), towards him and allow peace to prevail in Rivers state, in the interest of the common man and the development of the state.

  • Jonathan launches 2014 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem

    Jonathan launches 2014 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem

    •Babangida, Abdulsalami, Buhari, Obasanjo absent

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday launched the 2014 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem and Appeal Fund at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    Over N105 million was donated by individuals and corporate bodies to the fund.

    Series of events on the emblem and the fund will end on January 15.

    The yearly event is for remembering and appreciating Nigerian military men who died in the service of the nation and their surviving colleagues who have retired from active service.

    Jonathan urged Nigerians to always show appreciation to ex-servicemen (Nigerian Legion) because the country survived many security challenges and emerged united because of their sacrifices and heroic roles.

    According to him, some other countries are united and secure today because of the peace-keeping role of Nigerian armed forces. He said such sacrifices must not be forgotten.

    The President noted that the soldiers in service deserved honour for their courage and efforts in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

    Jonathan urged Nigerians and corporate bodies to support the Legion and wear the emblem in appreciation of its efforts and to encourage soldiers in active service to rekindle their hope of a decent life after retirement or death.

    The President advised his ministers and senior public officials to always wear the emblem to public functions till January 15.

    He warned that any visitor wishing to see him at Aso Rock Villa without wearing the emblem could be turned back.

    Jonathan said: “I will like to encourage all Nigerians to procure and wear the emblem with pride throughout this period. In fact, for those who have the opportunity to have interaction with me within this period, if you do not wear it, please do not feel embarrassed if they turn you back.”

    “It will be a requirement for all our staff and visitors to wear the emblem to gain access to all government establishments. I personally will put on the emblem from today till the end of the remembrance period; that is, January 15 of next year.”

    Minister of Information and Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku, decried the plight of the dependants of fallen heroes, whose family heads laid their lives for the unity and well-being of Nigeria and the world.

    He thanked Jonathan for his generous contribution and support to the Legion and urged the private sector to do same as a morale booster to retired and serving soldiers.

    The Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Micah Gaya, a retired army colonel, decorated President Jonathan with the emblem.

  • Jonathan, product of Obasanjo School

    SIR: I am not holding brief for President Goodluck Jonathan, but the truth must be told. Even though most of the observations made by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his 18 page letter may be true, it doesn’t exonerate him for his own actions while he was in power. He is also guilty of most of the acts he accused the Goodluck administration of. History will not forget how he chased d founding fathers away from PDP and hijacked the party structures and machineries.

    In 2007 election, Obasanjo also supported the opposition candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) Ikedi Ohakim in the Imo gubernatorial election against Ifeanyi Araraume of his own PDP – the same thing he claimed Jonathan did. History will not forget his proposed constitutional amendment mission which he embarked upon solely to realise his third term agenda.

    History will not forget how 16 billion US dollars was spent cumulatively on power throughout his eight years rule with no result achieved. The EFCC was used as an attack dog to go after perceived enemies who refuse to dance to the tune of the government while other corrupt officials who were in good books were allowed to walk free.

    Court judgments were influenced by the powers that be. Human Rights were violated; worthy of note is the Odi and Zaki Biam saga. Corruption also existed.

    In summary, most of what he pointed out also existed in his government only that it is in an improved form in this present government. Besides Jonathan has always referred to Obasanjo as his mentor. This may have prompted him to act like his master.

    •Halilu Hassan,

    haliluhassan@yahoo.com

  • Obasanjo’s belated blast

    Obasanjo’s belated blast

    Although former president Olusegun Obasanjo stated 10 grounds for his publicised 18-page letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, the decisive justification remains highly speculative. What was the final straw that broke the camel’s back? Whatever it was, Obasanjo’s staggering decision to publicly embarrass Jonathan by his extensive communication not only raised serious concern about the apparent deterioration of their rapport; more disturbing, it also delivered a dreadful signal about the country’s dire circumstances.

    Interestingly, Obasanjo’s epistle had elements of political science, history, sociology, psychology, economics, and even theology. It was a revealing roller coaster, exposing Jonathan’s dark underbelly as well as Obasanjo’s self-righteousness. It would appear that the essential objective of Obasanjo’s correspondence was to nail the coffin of Jonathan’s possible desire for a second four-year term in office. After taking self-flattering credit for the actualisation of the Jonathan presidency, Obasanjo accused him of “deceit and deception” concerning his denial of interest in a second term and indicated that there was an understanding that Jonathan, who became president in 2011, would govern for only one term and shun the 2015 presidential election.

    Even if such a deal was sealed, which Jonathan has consistently contradicted, it is perceptible that the conditions are different now and a review is on the cards. As Obasanjo rightly pointed out, “the signs and measures on the ground” do not support Jonathan’s alleged disinterest. However, his recommendation that Jonathan should “pursue a more credible and more honourable path,” suggested that Obasanjo might be living in a fool’s paradise. His counsel was evidently incongruous, given the litany of complaints signifying an irredeemable rot and the possibility that Jonathan is already at the proverbial point of no return.

    Not surprisingly, Obasanjo located the responsibility for the probable implosion of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) within Jonathan’s realm, a weighty denunciation coming from an overwhelmingly influential voice in the party. However, it is a measure of Obasanjo’s delusions that he expressed the obviously objectionable belief that his party, known for its abject vacuity and lack of vision, is good for the country. His words: “I believe strongly that a united and strong PDP at all costs is in the best interest of Nigeria.” What a misguided sentiment!

    Prominent among the centrifugal forces, according to Obasanjo, are Jonathan’s control tactics, ethnicity-driven insularity and politics of exclusion to the disadvantage of “most of the rest of Nigerians.” In the country’s pluralistic space, there is no doubt that the extreme promotion of Ijaw identity on account of Jonathan’s leadership has exacerbated the national question, quite apart from worsening power relations within PDP.

    It is intriguing and tragic that Obasanjo tried to establish a parallelism between the Jonathan presidency and perhaps the country’s most murderous administration symbolised by the late Gen Sani Abacha who ruled with an iron fist from 1993 to 1998. Obasanjo’s allegation about an existing killer squad designed by Jonathan for “political purposes” and the surveillance of presumed opponents is so brutally unsettling and sadly cements the suspicion that the 2015 elections hold a promise of bloodshed. It is most unlikely that Obasanjo would flippantly make claims of such malevolent magnitude without a shred of evidence because that would be reprehensibly irresponsible.

    It was predictable that Obasanjo would mention the unconscionable heights of official corruption, and he didn’t disappoint, specifically highlighting the sleaze associated with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). It is a mighty wonder that this particular organisation, which operates at the heart of the country’s oil-based economy, has been the butt of scandalous publicity over the years; yet successive administrations have failed to carry out any thorough cleaning of the Augean stable, which makes a penetrating statement about the hypocrisy of the powerful.

    Shockingly, Obasanjo displayed double standards in his offensive against Jonathan, seeming to conveniently overlook his own role in originally backing an individual who, in his reviewed estimation, has turned out to be inappropriate for the presidency after all. His misjudgement, if that was indeed the case, is loudly damning, particularly on account of the fact that his support controversially defied an alleged party zoning formula which excluded Jonathan. It is revealing of his sense of personal infallibility that there was no hint of shame in Obasanjo’s blame game. The logical truth is that if Obasanjo enjoys the image of kingmaker, he should also appreciate the idea of vicarious blameworthiness. He crowed in his letter, “Mr. President, you have on a number of occasions acknowledged the role God enabled me to play in your ascension to power. You put me third after God and your parents among those that have impacted most in your life.”

    However, with the benefit of hindsight and the picture of the critical path not taken, it is apt to contemplate the country’s trajectory had PDP in 2011 been faithful to its said informal arrangement in determining who should be its presidential candidate. The negative consequences of that great betrayal of decency are regrettably evident in the party, and by extension, in the polity.

    Two apocalyptic images deserve particular attention in Obasanjo’s missive. His reference to a possible military intervention based on opportunism amounted to a subtle sowing of seeds of subversion, which is highly condemnable. Then he pronounced magisterially and with unbecoming posturing, “May it not be the wish of majority of Nigerians that Goodluck Jonathan, by his acts of omission and commission, would be the first and last Nigerian President ever to come from Ijaw tribe.”

    In reacting to Obasanjo’s blast, it certainly won’t be enough to argue ad hominem, that is, just attacking his character rather than responding strictly to the contentions. Such an unproductive approach would be too easy, for there are clearly multiple charges that Obasanjo is open to, perhaps even weightier than the ones he has tried to pin on Jonathan.

    It is food for thought that Jonathan reportedly directed his spokesmen to keep mute while he prepares to “at the appropriate time, offer a full personal response,” according to his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who nevertheless described the letter as “highly provocative.”

    Although the title of Obasanjo’s letter, Before it is too late, carries some optimism, it is ironically a sad reminder that Jonathan has advanced far in the course of unravelling. Indeed, it would appear belated, and only the miraculous can mediate.

  • Jonathan challenges Obasanjo to prove sniper claims

    The Presidency on Sunday  challenged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to provide evidence backing his claims that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is training secret snipers towards 2015 general election.

    An  18-page letter written by Obasanjo was released to the media on Wednesday claiming the existence of the snipers towards eliminating perceived opponents as he leveled other grave allegations against Jonathan.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the Presidency asked the former President to prove his claims or forever remain silent.

    The statement reads: “President Jonathan is running a people’s government. He does not need any snipers. His legitimacy comes from the people. Those who are alleging the existence of snipers should step forward and provide the evidence or shut up forever and go down in history as spineless cowards, driven by sheer greed and indecency.”

    The Presidency also described the call by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Jonathan’s impeachment as reckless and irresponsible.

    “We have noted with utter disdain, the reckless and irresponsible call by the APC on Sunday for the National Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan.”

    “Ordinarily, we would not have dignified Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s latest vituperation in the service of his paymasters with a response, but we thought it necessary to warn that the Federal Government will not standby idly and let the nation be plunged into unnecessary crises and political instability because of the desperation and apparent readiness of the APC spokesman and his gang of power-seeking desperadoes to sacrifice the well-being of the country on the altar of their selfish personal ambitions.”

    “The Presidency totally condemns the decision by Alhaji Mohammed and his party to move further beyond the bounds of honourable and acceptable political conduct with the senseless call for the impeachment of a President who continues to sincerely devote himself to the discharge of the sacred mandate freely given to him by Nigerians.”

    “The APC, which remains a minority party with doubtful credentials in the National Assembly, knows fully well that its attempt to hector and blackmail a Parliament dominated by loyal members of the President’s party, the PDP, into an impeachment process, will come to nothing.”