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Tag: Goodluck Jonathan

  • Jonathan is guilty of ethnic and religious politics – el-Rufai

    Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has  accused President Goodluck Jonathan of playing ethnic and religious politics to divert the  attention of Nigerians from the bad governance going on in the country.
    The former Minister who spoke on a Liberty radio guest of the week programme monitored in Kaduna on Saturday  also accused the president of lacking the capacity to call to order all those beating the war drums across the country.
    el-Rurai noted that  having gone through one civil war, the country may not survive another war.
    He said that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were afraid of the person of former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari and therefore will do everything humanly possible to destroy him and brand him an ethnic and religious bigot.
    ”There are many agents confronting the Nigerian nation. What is very worrying is the kind of rhetoric that is going on in this country, a lot of which are being sanctioned by the government. For example, whenever Asari Dokubo speaks, just know that a week earlier, he had been called to the villa and given some money and whenever EK Clerk speak, you know it was arranged.
    “How can a small ethnic group like the Ijaws threaten the rest of us? We have 170 million; I don’t know how many of that population makes up the Ijaw nation, but I don’t think they are more than 5 million.
    “How can 5 million people threaten us saying unless their son becomes president, there will be no Nigeria? Who are they to do that? The government keeps quit when somebody says that. Of course, the expected reaction is that you have people from the north also threatening similar thing.
    “What type of a country do we have where there is no one to call people to order? It is sad. Again, it is this political strategy of Jonathan to always use ethnicity and religion whenever there is a problem.
    “Whenever there is a big issue about Excess Crude account or subsidy issue, they bring this issue of ethnicity and religion. But I have not lost hope because I know that Nigerians can see through their pranks and their game and will vote them out in the next election. The challenge for the next president is to build trust among the various ethnic groups so that Nigeria can walk towards one direction.
    “This country has gone through one civil war; I don’t know of any country that can survive two civil wars and those that are stealing crude oil; buying and stockpiling arms should know it is not the number of arms you have that decides who wins a war. Otherwise, the USA would have won in Iraq, but they couldn’t and at the end they had to leave the Iraqi to solve their problems.
    “So, they should think very deeply about what they are doing and learn from history. I know that Nigeria will survive these bad and incompetent leaders who steal during the day and drink and womanise at night instead of working for the Nigerian people,  ” el-Rufai stated.

     

  • Condolence Visit to the President’s family

    Condolence Visit to the President’s family

  • Jonathan to Muslim youths: Imbibe Ramadan spirit at all times

    President Goodluck Jonathan has advised Muslim youths in the country to imbibe the spirit of the Ramadan at all times and not just during the holy month.

    The President said the call become necessary as the country seeks peace in the face of mounting security challenges in some parts of the country.

    Jonathan spoke on Tuesday night while breaking fast with Muslim youth leaders from across the country.

    While emphasizing the importance of peace to nation building and development, the President, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ali Ahmed Gulak, said without peace, delivering on developmental projects would be impossible.

    He, however, encouraged the Muslim youth leaders not to despair about the security challenges, saying the country would overcome its numerous challenges and emerge stronger.

    The President used the occasion to commend the patriotism of youths in Borno State, who collaborated with the military Joint Task Force (JTF) to fight the insurgency in the region.

    “The situation is now improving in the North East. The youths are emboldened as they are helping in chasing the insurgents, arresting, and handing them over to the JTF, “he said.

    On his part, Gulak called on the nation’s youths to support the administration in its quest to keep the country united and stronger.

     

  • Amnesty committee gets two-month extension

    Amnesty committee gets two-month extension

    President Goodluck Jonathan has given the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North additional two months to bring about peace in the northern part of the country.

    The Chairman of the Committee and Minister of Special Duties, Barr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

    Since the committee was inaugurated three months ago, the insurgency in the north has continued, even after the committee claimed that ceasefire agreement was signed with the Boko Haram sect.

    The group had since denied any ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government.

    Lamenting the bomb blasts in Kano on Monday, Turaki maintained that it was sad that some people who do not wish the country well were bent on pulling the hand of the clock backwards despite the serious efforts the government is putting in to resolve the crisis.

     

  • Fuel Subsidy: Minister denies award of fuel importation contracts

    Fuel Subsidy: Minister denies award of fuel importation contracts

    The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Thursday denied that some companies indicted by the House of Representatives over fuel subsidy scam were awarded new contracts to import fuel.

    Alison-Madueke spoke with State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    According to her, there is no way the companies indicted will have been patronised by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

    The minister said that all successful companies penciled down for the importation of fuel were thoroughly screened before selection.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alison-Madueke was in the villa to attend the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

    “All companies were vetted carefully and only companies that were cleared were put on the list,’’ she said.

    Speaking on the Petroleum Industry Bill before the National Assembly, Alison-Madueke said the progress made in its passage was in tandem with the expectations of the executive.

    “As different stakeholders go through the bill, there will be different views.

    “There will always be different stakeholders whose views are brought to bear when there is a document of such critical importance.

    “Once it enters the purview of the legislature, it is expected that different views will be heard.

    “At the end of the day, the expectation is that the document that comes out will represent a fairly win-win situation for all stakeholders for the good of the entire economy and the entire polity,’’ she said.

    The minister said she was invited by the President to attend the meeting with the NBA, because of the importance of some of the legal policies in the oil and gas sector.

    She said the NBA, which was a critical stakeholder in the country, considered the PIB as “a very critical piece of legislation’’ because of its far reaching implications on the country’s oil and gas sector.

    “It is an amalgamation of 16 existing laws in the oil and gas sector which have now been refined and repositioned to hopefully take Nigeria in this sector into the next 30 years and beyond.

    “We will like to see it move forward,’’ she said.

    Also speaking, the NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN), said the meeting with the President discussed some issues bordering on security, economy, the rule of law, and the Judiciary.

    “We thought we should have audience with the President and express our concerns on some issues and then the President graciously took the issues and addressed them.

    “We talked about the issue of the independence and funding for the judiciary.

    “We talked about the rule of law because we believe that it is a strong issue in any civilised society and we talked about the economy,’’ Wali said.

    Wali said the NBA acknowledged and appreciated the fact that Jonathan’s administration is working.

    He, however, stressed the need for the effects of the work to trickle down and affect the common man positively.

    “The government is working because we have lots of reports, but our concern is also the impact on the average Nigerian. It is not good enough to have the statistics, but we will like it to be moved to the next level where the average Nigerian gets the impact of what the government is doing,’’ he said.

    Wali said the delegation expressed the association’s concern over the crisis in Rivers and appealed to the President to do all that he could lawfully do to ensure that peace returned to the state.

     

  • Jonathan to Saudi envoy: Remove hitches in Hajj operations

    Jonathan to Saudi envoy: Remove hitches in Hajj operations

    President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday in Abuja charged Saudi Arabia’s new Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Fuad Bin Adul-Aziz Rajih to ensure smooth participation of Nigerian pilgrims in this year Hajj operations.

    Speaking at an audience with Mr. Rajih, after receiving his letters of credence at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Jonathan urged him to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to remove the hitches that crop up during the airlifting of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

    Noting that Nigerians are a very religious people who take their religious obligations seriously, President Jonathan told the new ambassador that the Federal Government will greatly appreciate his cooperation and support in making the participation of Nigerian Moslems in the Hajj easier and free of hindrances.

    A statement signed by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the President as telling Mr. Rajih that Nigeria will welcome greater economic relations with Saudi Arabia as well.

    He also urged the new Saudi envoy to focus on expanding areas of economic cooperation between the two countries during his tenure.

    At an earlier audience with the new Ugandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Peter Kagimu Kiwanuka, President Jonathan said that African nations must make a greater effort to boost formal economic and trade relations amongst them.

     

  • N10b Cassava Trust Fund coming

    N10b Cassava Trust Fund coming

    President Goodluck Jonathan is considering approval of a N10 billion Cassava Trust Fund, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. AkinwumiAdesina, has said.

    Adesina spoke at the commencement of business in Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ) yesterday in Agbadu, Kogi State. The event also witnessed the roll out of cassava Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme at the venue.

    He said: “This will be a year of greater success for Nigeria’s agriculture. We have the support of Mr. President to turn around the cassava sector. He has graciously agreed to consider our initial request of close to N10 billion cassava fund to further explore potentials of the cassava industry.”

    Adesina said when fully approved, the fund would also be used to support research and development efforts on cassava bread, training of master bakers and support for master bakers for the acquisition of new equipment for production.

    On the GES, Adesina, who was represented by his Senior Technical Assistant, Adetunji Oredipe, said the GES will enable farmers to produce additional food because the farmers will receive their improved cuttings and fertilisers.

    “This year we are taking cassava GES programme to scale, we have designed different levels of support to different categories of farmers, and we are committed to making this work,” he said, adding that this marks a major milestone in the drive to ensure that the modern cassava farmers adopt the best available agricultural practices, starting with the use of improved inputs; cuttings and fertilisers.

    In doing this, he stressed, “we will ensure that our farmers, the real cassava farmers who should be the real beneficiaries of government policy, are well targeted by government programme.”

    He said about 14million farmers have been registered and have benefited from the scheme in the last two years, stressing that it will add up to the nation’s drive towards food security.

    Adesina said to assure sustainable supply of high quality cassava flour, the Ministry has secured low interest and long term financing from the China Exim Bank for the importation of 18 large scale high quality cassava flour processing plants, to be owned and operated by the private sector.

    In his address, Commissioner for Agriculture, Olufemi Bolarin, noted that Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, has keyed into the ATA by encouraging the state peasant farmers in all facets of agricultural production.

    He said the state government has subsidised agro chemicals and fertilizers to the farmers, to enable them participate fully in agricultural production, stressing that the government has earmarked huge areas of land for agricultural activities, such as cassava and maize to employ the services of the teeming youth.

    He said cassava has been discovered to play a vital role in the Federal Government’s ATA in the agricultural sub-sector, adding that there are various sectors, such as fisheries, that should be encouraged and developed to accomodate the teaming educated youths who are currently roaming the streets in search of jobs .

    He however advised youths to take interest in agriculture, saying that the emergence of mechanised agriculture has made it easy and condusive for the graduates to imbibe the culture of farming in order to be self reliant and drastically reduce unemployment enveloping the whole world today.

  • Jonathan’s Investiture as the Grand Patron of the West African Insurance Institute

    Jonathan’s Investiture as the Grand Patron of the West African Insurance Institute

  • Nigeria to achieve global commitments on HIV/AIDS – Jonathan

    Nigeria to achieve global commitments on HIV/AIDS – Jonathan

    Nigeria’s Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV/AIDS presents a unique opportunity to put her back on track towards achieving global commitments, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Tuesday.

    The President made this statement during the AIDS Watch Africa Champions Breakfast Meeting in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the breakfast was on the fifth day of the Abuja +12 Special Summit of the African Union on HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    According to the President, Nigeria’s commitment in the past decade was to halt and reverse HIV and AIDS in the country.

    He said that through local and international partners, the nation had succeeded in significantly impacting the disease.

    He, however, noted that the overall gaps in access to HIV and AIDS service still remained a great challenge, particularly for Nigeria, which according to a 2012 report has the world’s second highest burden.

    “Of the estimated 3.4 million people living with HIV in the country, only 491,021 HIV positive persons are accessing Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

    “Furthermore 1.6 million people are eligible for ART, meaning that an estimated 30 per cent of the HIV populace are in need.’’

    Jonathan said the country regarded the statistics as a wake- up call for rededication.

    He said rededication was the reason behind the development of the President’s Comprehensive Response Plan (PCRP) for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, which was unveiled on Monday.

     

  • Rivers’ lawless five

    Rivers’ lawless five

    The President should call his goons to order instead of denying things that even angels cannot convince Nigerians about 

    How will former President Olusegun Obasanjo be feeling now, seeing the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency struggling to surpass his (Obasanjo’s) record in infamy? That is the question on the lips of many Nigerians who have been watching the nauseating developments in Rivers State. At the speed the presidency of his estranged political godson is travelling on the highway of impunity, it may beat his (Obasanjo’s) record before the 2015 election. President Jonathan has told us he is not Pharaoh; he said he is not Nebuchadnezzar either; but what he has not told us is who the son of man is. Perhaps he wants us to find out.

    Many of us are yet to know him; the best we can say of him is that he is a president who does not give a damn! At least that came, as they say, from the horse’s mouth. We also know him as a president who exalts figure 16 over and above figure 19. That is also a statement of fact. Till tomorrow, many of the our primary school pupils keep asking their parents and teachers about this jigsaw puzzle because, in their innocence, they want to take anything and everything coming from the president as the gospel truth. Poor kids! They are learning fast; even if it is the wrong values that they are being taught by those who should be transforming the country.

    By now, it is clear that the enemies of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State will stop at nothing to remove him. Many times they had missed the ball and went for the leg. Such was the situation on Tuesday when the state house of assembly was thrown into chaos when five members of the house wanted to impeach the Speaker, Otelemaba Amachree, and 26 others who are Amaechi’s loyalists. The personal intervention of the governor prevented the ‘lawless five’ from concluding their illegal mission.

    One might then ask: why didn’t Amaechi and the majority other lawmakers in the House allow the five members to luxuriate in their illegality and then go to court after to challenge their action? The answer is simple: we must have lost our sense of history to do that. Rashidi Ladoja did that and he regretted it; ditto Ayo Fayose, among others. I guess that must have been the reckoning of the five and their sponsors; unfortunately, again, they miscalculated. By now, the authentic speaker would have become history if they had trod that path; perhaps Amaechi too would have ceased to be governor. He would now be busy assembling a retinue of senior advocates that would fight the matter in court; mind you, not in his capacity as governor again but as ‘Simply Mr’. By the time the case is over, elections would have fallen due. Of course, if you remember the case of the two women that threw up King Solomon as a very wise king, you will also see that Amaechi’s opponents have nothing to lose if the five law breakers had been allowed to have their way; as a matter of fact, they would be profiting from their illegality now. And, you know what? They would have gone to church today to celebrate the ‘impeachment’, with some men of God blessing them too, apparently after being ‘blessed’ to conduct the thanksgiving service. The PDP is notorious for such celebrations and thanksgivings.

    That is what the Obasanjo presidency has taught us; and it is what the Jonathan presidency too wants to bequeath to us as legacy. A chip off the old block, you would say? But when a child has learnt the art of dying, the parents too must master the art of burial. That was what has happened in this case. Both Obasanjo and Jonathan have taught governors whose guts they do not like that they (governors) must get wise before and not after the illegal act. So, we are now having a culture of impunity begetting impunity.

    This is rather unfortunate. And to think that the presidency is being (even if remotely) associated with this makes it the more disheartening. The office of the president is an exalted one. But that office cannot be dignified more than the occupier wants it to be. It is sad that everything happening in the state now had been predicted; that is people want to cause enough chaos to warrant the imposition of a state of emergency in Rivers. This is a reflection of the desperation of people who truly do not give a damn. What is most annoying is the Presidency’s serial denial of involvement in the developments. Perhaps it is apt to let the presidency know that Nigerians feel more and more insulted when such denials are made; and this in turn diminishes the prestige of the presidency.

    Those who have ears and know that they hear with them should listen to the voice of wisdom. The crisis in Rivers State is one (as I have always said since it became a public issue) no one can predict its end. Those who are after the state governor and think they can remove him by hook or crook might all end up rendering themselves jobless and throwing the entire country into crisis, if history is to be our guide. We all know how governors can be removed because it is stated expressly in our constitution, which is the grund norm. Jonathan’s presidency is culpable in this matter because it provided the impetus for the ‘lawless five’ who wanted to impeach a lawful speaker and replace him illegally. They would not have been that emboldened to embark on such a shameful voyage if the president himself had not given his failed candidate in the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) election, Jonah Jang, a heroic welcome after the defeat. If the president said 16 is greater than 19, how come those who see themselves as doing his bidding will not take the joke too far by wanting to impeach their speaker with only five in a 32-member house of assembly?

    This Rivers matter is particularly distressing because the common man cannot reap any tangible benefit from all the troubles being caused in the state. Here was a state where all manner of hoodlums once held sway but Amaechi reined them in. Now, in Port Harcourt, the ancien regime has returned, with people now having to raise their hands on the streets to show they are no criminals. If lives have not been lost yet, it is certain lives will still be lost in the course of this crisis with the audacity of the desperadoes to have their way, backed by the ‘federal might’. How then are they and their sponsors different from the ‘political’ Boko Haram that the government is fighting, because the fight in Rivers is all about political power just like that of the ‘political’ Boko Haram?

    Rivers State is sitting majestically atop enormous resources. The PDP, because of the way it has mishandled the crisis is probably afraid Amaechi might dump the party and is therefore bent on being in charge of the resources, with the 2015 election in view. Whatever PDP spent to prosecute the 2011 election is going to be a child’s play with what it would require to prosecute the 2015 polls. The election that brought President Jonathan in in 2011 was a walk-over; for sure, the next won’t be. That much is clear with the handwriting on the wall.

    But the president must be careful. It is a powerful statement that his side could not muster the simple majority required to win the 36-member NGF election, even though that was none of its business until he joined the fray. How then can a presidential side which lost at the national level hope to make it at the state level? The president should resist the temptation to use brawn where brain would have been sufficient because the result may be catastrophic. The fact that Obasanjo got away with that is no guarantee that President Jonathan will.