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Tag: Jonathan

  • Jonathan channels Shagari

    In Nigerian politics, the more things change the more they remain the same. A cursory glance through the political scene and one could be forgiven for thinking they have been transported back to the Second Republic.

    In the place of fresh thinking, the same old tricks are being exhumed in the hope that they would deliver the same results. Back in the day, a certain Commissioner of Police named Bishop Eyitene who was deployed to Anambra State interpreted his brief as giving then Governor Jim Nwobodo and his Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) a torrid time. Until his removal, Joseph Mbu in Rivers appeared to have torn several pages out of Eyitene’s copy book.

    Another gimmick deployed by the then President Shehu Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the appointment of what were referred to as Presidential Liaison Officers (PLOs) in different states of the federation where the ruling party was in opposition. This provocative move came at a time when certain states – especially those controlled by the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in the West – refused to recognise the Shagari presidency.

    The PLOs were appointed ostensibly to monitor federal government projects and act as the president’s eyes and ears in those hostile states. In reality though, it was just another way of providing jobs for the boys. More importantly, the PLOs soon began acting as alternate governors.

    As the elections of 1983 approached, they became more openly confrontational towards governors of the opposing parties. If the governor had a convoy, they ensured theirs was evenly longer and noisier. It was the perfect recipe for raising tensions and ensuring that the periods, before and after the elections, were marred by violence and bloodshed.

    Today, the same script is being played out. Take a look at the cabinet that President Jonathan is reconstituting to lead the country into an election year. In all the states where the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is in opposition, the ministers or likely ministerial nominees are ‘alternate governors’ – politicians who can make life difficult for the incumbent. That seems to be the primary consideration for getting into the cabinet.

    That is why you have the Nyesom Wikes, Bonnie Harunas, Musiliu Obanikoros, Aminu Walis in the team. If the speculations are to be believed, very soon it would be the turn of the Gbemi Sarakis, Attahiru Baffarawas, Ibrahim Shekaraus to name just a few.

    This new breed are even more powerful now that they have the power of the federal purse to play around with in a manner that the Second Republic PLOs would never have dreamt off. Even worse, today the moral restraints that would have made 80s politicians baulk at certain things have long since disappeared. Anything goes and the scandalous has lost the power to shock.

    It is enough to make you shiver as we edge even closer to another critical election year.

  • 2015: Jonathan’s emerging re-election strategy

    2015: Jonathan’s emerging re-election strategy

    With five rallies held in six geo-political zones (and still counting) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential visits to traditional rulers and worship at carefully selected churches within Abuja and environs, the declaration of a second term ambition by President Goodluck Jonathan, it is no longer a matter of if, but when, Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo, reports

    About 11 months to the next general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is taking nothing for granted.

    Obviously jittery that the next election may not be a stroll in the park, like its previous controversial victories in elections held in the country since the return of democratic rule in 1999, the PDP now seems to be on edge in spite of the bravado of its leaders that it remains unperturbed over the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In the last one month, there was no week that the ruling party did not engage in political manoeuvres which many Nigerians have dubbed subtle political campaigns, contrary to the directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    From its control of about 22 states, post-2011 general elections, the PDP’s control has shrunk to 18, following the defection of five of its governors to the opposition APC, which currently holds sway in 16 states.

    Until mid-January this year, the PDP had battled with an internal insurrection that almost brought it to its knees. But the resignation of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the party with former Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, assuming the helm of affairs, has somehow come as a respite of sorts.

    Once Muazu settled down, the PDP quickly regained its groove and now appears poised to regain its lost ground within the political space.

    Though the ban on political campaign is still in force, there are concerns that the ruling party has had a clear head start ahead of the other political parties in the race for next year’s general elections.

    Visits to traditional rulers

    The visit was unannounced just as it took many Nigerians by surprise.

    A few weeks ago, the president had paid a one-day whistle-stop visit to Kano, Oyo, Osun and Lagos States. In Kano, the president conferred with the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, from where he headed to Ile Ife in Osun State to see the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade. The president held a closed-door session with the traditional ruler which reportedly lasted for about 45 minutes.

    From Ile Ife, the president proceeded to the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in the ancient Oyo town. From Oyo, the president’s next port of call was Lagos, where the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, also played host to him in his Iga Iduganran palace.

    And 24 hours later, the president was the guest of the Akran of Badagry, Oba Aholu Menu Toyi. The purpose of what opposition politicians have called ‘belated visits’, according to the president, was to express his appreciation for the support of the people of the South West towards his election in 2011.

    In the last one week, the president has also visited the Sultan of Sokoto and the Obi of Onitsha, Alhaji Saad Abubakar and Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe respectively.

    The Nation, however, gathered that the visits to the monarchs was the beginning of a series of consultations the president will embark on preparatory to his formal declaration to contest for a second term in office in the next two months.

    Rallies in six geo-political zones

    In spite of repeated denials that it has not started its 2015 campaign, the PDP has, in the last three weeks, held what it called ‘unity rallies’ in five state capitals covering five geo-political zones of the country.

    The first of such rallies, with all the trappings of a full-fledged campaign, took place in Yola, the Adamawa State capital in the North East zone in February. Next point was Sokoto (North-West) during which the president formally received the former governor of the state, Alhaji Attaihiru Bafarawa, from the APC to the PDP.

    The PDP train, led by the President, his deputy, Namadi Sambo, and other top party and government officials, moved to the Imo State (South-East) on February 18 to receive new defectors from the APC, which included former governor, Achike Udenwa, Senators Ifeanyi Araraume and Chris Anyanwu.

    After Imo, came the turn of PDP members in Kwara State (North-Central) to host the president on the 3rd of this month. The rally, which held at the Metropolitan Square in Ilorin, the state capital, witnessed the official defection of the former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dele Belgore and Senator Gbemi Saraki, to the PDP.

    Kaduna State in the North-West zone was the next to play host to the president about two weeks ago, followed by Minna, the Niger State capital in the North-Central zone, last weekend. The next ‘unity rally,’ according to reports, will hold in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on May 10.

    Composition of a ‘war’ cabinet

    Part of the strategies to ensure the re-election of the president, according to reports, may be the sacking/resignation of some ministers in recent times.

    Brought on board to replace the sacked ministers are Gen. Aliyu Gusau, Musiliu Obanikoro, Ambassador Aminu Wali, with fresh faces, including Attahiru Bafarawa, Ibrahim Shekarau, Gbemi Saraki, to mention but a few, likely to be made ministers in the next few weeks.

    Gusau’s appointment as the Minister of Defence is particularly strategic. According to sources, he is expected to serve as a bridge builder between the president and key northern power brokers who are fiercely antagonistic of the president’s re-election next year.

    Obanikoro, Bafarawa and Shekarau, in the calculations of the president’s strategists, will serve as counter-forces to the APC machinery in their home states of Lagos, Sokoto and Kano respectively.

    The ‘restructuring’ of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), The Nation gathered, will be a continuous exercise as, according to a source, “Nobody is too big to be sacrificed by the president if that will ensure his re-election in 2015.”

    Pilgrimage to churches

    In what many have described as a thinly veiled strategy to mobilise Nigerian Christians behind his likely candidature in next year’s election, the president recently revealed his plan to worship at selected churches outside the Aso Rock Chapel at least once every month.

    The reason for this, according to the president, is to thank his Christian brethren for their prayers in the maintenance of peace in the country.

    And in the last two months, the president has made good this promise by worshipping at different religious centres, including Our Lady of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Apostolic Faith Church in Jabi area and the Dunamis Gospel Centre in Area 1 also in the Federal Capital City.

    Many readily recall the president’s well publicised visit to the Holy Ghost Congress organised by Pastor Enoch Adeboye-led Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) prior to his election in 2011.

    The picture of the president kneeling down before Adeboye for prayers, no doubt, resonated among the Christendom across the country who voted massively for him at the polls.

    Regardless of the concerns raised by the APC that the president’s visit to churches is a ‘dangerous ploy to divide Nigerians along religious lines,’ there are no indications that the president will put a stop to this anytime soon.

    Interesting times, indeed, lie ahead as preparations for the 2015 elections steadily gather momentum.

  • But for Yar’Adua I might have remained Bayelsa Governor, says Jonathan

    But for Yar’Adua I might have remained Bayelsa Governor, says Jonathan

    Recalling the lifetime of the former President, the late Umoru Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he might have remained the Governor of Bayelsa State, but for the good role played by Yar’Adua.

    He spoke in Katsina State on Thursday night during the state banquet organized in his honour by the Katsina State Government.

    Without Yar’Adua, he went further to say that he might not have become President of Nigeria.

    He said: “My visits to Katsina are always a kind of homecoming. As you all know, without the role played by your great son, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in my political career, I would probably still be in Yenagoa as Governor of Bayelsa State.

    “Without him, I probably wouldn’t have been President of Nigeria today. He was a very good boss. He was honest, forthright and patriotic. He had a great vision for Nigeria and set out to do things in a different and original manner. We all take consolation in the fact that he gave his best during the short period that he served our country.

    “If he were here today, I have no doubts that he would be impressed with the visible transformation that is taking place throughout the length and breadth of this state. Governor Shema and his able team deserve commendation not only for initiating new projects, but also for ensuring the completion of all the projects initiated by our late beloved President Umaru Yar’Adua who, by providence, was his, and also my own predecessor in office,” he added.

    Commending the state governor, Ibrahim Shema, he said: “Since our arrival this morning, we have gone round parts of the state to inspect and commission projects, and the projects that I have seen, are quite inspiring and highly commendable. They confirm what well-meaning indigenes of the state have often told me about the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the people.

    “Let me use this unique opportunity to specially commend Governor Ibrahim Shema for the outstanding work that he is doing. He has shown with his commitment that what matters most in governance are the people, not politics. By justifying the trust that the people have reposed in him, he has also made the Peoples Democratic Party, our great party which he once served as Deputy National Chairman, very proud indeed.”

    He extended his condolences to the government of Katsina State, people of the state and families that lost loved ones in the attacks on innocent villagers in Faskari and Sabuwa local government areas.

    “We totally condemn the attacks which were carried out by unidentified gunmen,” he said.

    He also noted that Katsina State is an important beneficiary of his administration’s nationwide road construction and rehabilitation drive.

    “In Katsina, our administration has already completed the following roads: the Jibia – Kaura Namoda Road with a length of 97.10Km and the 97-kilometre Katsina-Daura Road at the total cost of N11 billion and the Funtua-Dayi – Yashi-Charanchi Junction of 166 kilometres at the total cost of N5.6bilion.

    “Apart from the completion of these roads, the Federal Government has also awarded the contract for the dualisation of the first phase of the Kano-Katsina Road to terminate at Yankamaye, the border village between Kano and Katsina states.

    “The construction of another 10 kilometres road from Kankara to Gurbi, with a long span bridge which will provide a short-cut from southern Katsina State to neighbouring Zamfara State, has also been contracted,” he added.

    The President also assured the people of the state that the contract for the 2nd phase of the dualisation of the Katsina-Kano Road from Yankamaye to Katsina metropolis will soon be awarded.

    “The Federal Ministry of Transport has also initiated discussions with the Katsina State government for the construction of a dry port in Daura.

    “We are also doing a lot in agriculture. As I pointed out at the palace of His Majesty, the Emir of Katsina, we are intervening in the agriculture sector, not as a rural development programme, but as a business with emphasis on growth across the value-chains.

    “Here in Katsina State, in 2013, 210,000 farmers benefited from the Federal Government Growth Enhancement Scheme, in partnership with the Katsina State Government.

    “As part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, I launched the dry season farm support programme to increase our food production and stimulate job creation for the youth. In 2013, over 3,300 rice farmers from Katsina State benefited from the dry season rice farming support of the Federal Government, with free seeds and subsidized fertilizers. The impact was dramatic, as Katsina State rice farmers produced a record 13,000 MT of paddy rice which added an estimated N1bn to the local economy and created over 6,000 jobs.

    “Katsina State is the largest producer of cotton in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were supporting the revival of cotton production in partnership with the Katsina State government. Over 65,000 cotton farmers in Katsina State received improved cotton seeds and fertilizers. Four ginneries in Katsina State were revived with financial support of the Federal Government.”

    President Jonathan assured the people of the state that the Wind Mill power project located in the Rimi Local Government Area of the state will soon be completed.

    He gave the assurance when he inspected the 10 megawatts power project during his two-day official visit to the state.

    The Federal Government, he said, would work with the state government to ensure the project is completed and put to use as soon as possible.

    The Ministry of Power officials who conducted President Jonathan round the project told the President that the wind power project, the first of its kind in West Africa, was 90 per cent completed and would be ready for commissioning in three months.

    The funds for its completion were said to have been captured in the 2014 budget.

    The project was stalled for some months in 2012, following the kidnap of one of the consultants.

  • Presidential aide linked to smear campaign against Sanusi

    Presidential aide linked to smear campaign against Sanusi

    An aide to President Goodluck Jonathan is believed to be the brains behind a smear campaign linking the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to the recent upsurge in violence by Boko Haram.

    Sanusi was suspended by the president last month after exposing a multibillion-dollar hole in the oil accounts.

    Mr Sanusi’s allies say he is the target of a campaign to tarnish his credibility as a whistleblower, the most outlandish claims being from a certain “Wendell Simlin”.

    A group of Lagos cyber sleuths set out to track the identity of the mysterious Mr Simlin behind the slur and after a painstaking examination of the properties of the word document concluded that the smear campaign was the handiwork of the presidential aide.

    Gbenga Sesan, a member of Paradigm Initiative, an internet advocacy group, said the mail came via the government internet service provider in Abuja.

    Other metadata matched previous emails sent under the presidential aide’s name.

    An internet search showed his photograph on his Facebook page and threads revealing a connection between the two going back to 2010.

    “All of these things individually are maybe not enough to be conclusive, but when you combine the email header, the Facebook page, the threads and the word document properties it is very compelling,” said Feyi Fawehinmi, another member of the group investigating.

    Neither the man nor Mr Simlin could be reached for comment and neither replied to emails.

    A senior government official said: “If he did something, he is on his own.”

  • ‘Religionalisation’ of presidential politics: A bad precedent

    ‘Religionalisation’ of presidential politics: A bad precedent

    IN the past few months, Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has embarked on a church visitation exercise some have now humorously christened ‘church tourism.’ It started with a trip to Jerusalem, the Holy Land. Nineteen governors, as well as some serving ministers and key government functionaries including the ever voluble President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, accompanied the Nigerian President on a pilgrimage of sorts to Israel on what could be termed a spiritual sojourn of discovery. At the end of the spiritual odyssey, hands were laid on the President and prayers offered for his success. Perhaps still energized by the spiritual rebirth he experienced after the trip bankrolled by public funds, the president embarked on a church voyage with the usual array of top government functionaries and spiritual leaders in tow. In the last few months, the president has visited over six churches and still counting. The Dunamis church has played host to the new found love of the number one citizen who worshipped there a few weeks ago. The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Living Faith Church and the Apostolic Church, Utako, including some notable churches in Lagos have also opened their doors to the President who has more or less used their hallowed pulpit to advocate what many have tagged, ‘the political patronage of the average church goer.’ The Nigerian Constitution clearly grants the President freedom of association, religious affiliation and worship. But it must be noted firmly that he also holds a unique position as an embodiment of the ethno-religious diversities of over 160 million Nigerians. Therefore, President Jonathan should pursue his religious belief mindful of his status so that he’s not seen as politicizing religion or religionizing politics or further polarizing an already fractured nation dangerously along ethno-religious cleavages. The President has been criticized severely in the past for being a master at playing the ethnic and religious card whenever it suits him best politically. His recent visits to churches filled with Nigerians who more or less share his religious beliefs, while harmless on the surface, undoubtedly gives credence to this school of thought. Given the vehement defence by the President’s handlers, Nigerians are to expect more of such visits in coming weeks as Jonathan has vowed to worship at least once every month at churches outside the presidential chapel. By using the intimidating paraphernalia of office to sway a religious segment of the society to his side, President Jonathan has taken the manipulative exploitation of religion for partisan political gains to a level unbecoming of a statesman. This desperate deployment of faith as a tool for political eligibility or qualification for election or reelection into office is a dangerous precedent. In retrospect, the President must be urged by well meaning Nigerians to learn to separate the pulpit from politics even if he banks on the voting strength of the church in his mission to succeed himself in the face of mounting opposition within and outside his party. History has shown that when politics is brought into the church, or the church into politics, society is worse off in the end. The suppression and manipulation of the society by the state, through the church and religion, dates back to medieval Britain and 20th century pre-revolution Russia where some of the worst atrocities mankind has experienced took place. A multiethnic and multi-religious society like ours is certainly not immune to the dangers awaiting a nation which allows power and politics to lie comfortably on the shoulders of its religious institutions. The fragility of Nigeria will be further exacerbated by heightened religious and ethnic tension which is indirectly being stirred by the President’s ‘church tourism.’ Many across religious and even political divides agree that these politicized church visits are harmful on the long run to the president’s score card which is dismal at best and his warped political calculations. The question must be asked: why has GEJ allowed religion to take the centre stage of his campaign rather than corruption, jobs, security, defence spending, education etc? As a political analyst puts it succinctly, church or not, issues of performance with measurable indices are what would define the next elections. Therefore, the President should refrain from using the pulpit to make policy statements of government. Like every other Nigerian, the President is free to worship in churches or mosques if he so chooses, but pulpits and sacred altars should not be platforms for partisan political statements by presidential aspirants. The president’s speeches from the pulpits of prominent churches have begun to attract disparagement from a large segment of society and sadly are perceived as a subtle campaign for votes from the altar. Many say that this is not the first time the President would play the religious card in his political voyage. In 2010, before the 2011 presidential election, he visited the RCCG to secure the votes of Christians. Two years after that presidential electioneering, he paid another widely publicized visit to Redeemed Camp to give thanks to God and asked for prayers to enable him rule the country. The President has the freedom to decide his religious leaning and worship in any Christian denomination of his preference. However Nigerians, including those of other faiths, also own the inalienable liberty to express their dissatisfaction at a situation where the nation’s Chief Security Officer and number one citizen makes sensitive political pronouncements in churches. The President needs to be called to order quickly in order to avert a potentially divisive situation in the ever tense ethno-religious country like Nigeria. As canvassed by no less a religious figure than President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Ignatius Kaigama, the President needs to stop forthwith his politically motivated visits to churches and the usage of church pulpits to indirectly request for votes of Christians. Bishop Kaigama is not just a lone voice in this call. A prominent clergyman, George Ehusani, puts it succinctly “I think that the current President is mixing politics with religion. He is the President of the whole Nigeria; he is not only the president of Christians. He is a Christian who is President but while a Christian is President in a country that is 50% Christian and 50% Muslim, you have to be careful.” For the church, it is time to take up the gauntlet against this subtle presidential onslaught on its age-long independence. It is wrong for the President to bring the soapbox into the church. I also don’t think pastors should allow their pulpits to become public policy platforms for politicians, it contaminates the gospel. The sanctuary is a hallowed chamber and should not be debased by politics of transient power. This is a desperate bid of a Christian politician to use the church for a subtle endorsement without reference to the capacity to perform and deliver welfare to the people as Jesus Christ did by feeding the multitude, healing the sick and giving hope. The President should be encouraged and advised to rise above partisanship and religious bigotry and scale up to the status of a statesman. The burden of personal desires and the clamour for power is real and it takes the grace of God to rise above these. The President should ask God for this exceeding grace to overcome self and all primordial desires that do not edify him, the church and the nation. No one should commit the error that my views are ‘anti-Christian.’ No! Far from it! I am a confessed believer in the Person and the Divinity of Jesus Christ and He constitutes the centre of my being and hope for eternal life. I, therefore, consider it degrading to the status of Christ to be dragged into the politics of temporal power in a manner that excludes people of other faiths that Jesus gave His life for. And if Mr. President feels he must continue on his religious trail, I enjoin him to visit Pastor Tunde Bakare’s Latter Rain Assembly, he should also extend his worship to churches in Yobe, Adamawa, Borno and Benue states. If Mr. President cannot worship with the Christian community in these volatile states, then he should stop henceforth this obnoxious religious campaign. On a final note, from the accounts in the Holy Bible, priests took messages of God to kings of nations and read riot acts to them through the famous quote, ‘Thus sayeth the Lord God.’ Ironically, we are now faced with the situation where an un-ordained person climbs the altar of God to say “Thus sayeth the President”. This is a reversal of spiritual protocol as we know it in the Holy Bible and this is a subordination of spiritual authority of priesthood to the temporal powers of the President. Indeed the President needs to be careful in his new found vocation. His decision in the coming weeks will determine if Nigerians have a President who shares the yearnings and aspirations of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religion or a leader who quickly retreats into his religious or ethnic enclave to achieve transient political gains. This is not exemplary leadership and clearly not the mind of Christ.

  • I may not have been president but for Yar’Adua, says Jonathan

    I may not have been president but for Yar’Adua, says Jonathan

    Recalling the lifetime of the former President, Late Umoru Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he might have remained the Governor of Bayelsa State but for the good role played by Yar’Adua.

    He spoke in Katsina State on Thursday night during the State Banquet organized in his honour by the Katsina State Government.

    Without Yar’Adua, he went further to say that he might not have become President of Nigeria.

    He said: “My visits to Katsina are always a kind of homecoming. As you all know, without the role played by your great son of blessed memory, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in my political career, I would probably still be in Yenagoa as Governor of Bayelsa State.”

    “Without him, I probably wouldn’t have been President of Nigeria today. He was a very good boss. He was honest, forthright, and patriotic. He had a great vision for Nigeria and set out to do things in a different and original manner. We all take consolation in the fact that he gave his best during the short period that he served our country.”

    “If he were here today, I have no doubts that he would be impressed with the visible transformation that is taking place throughout the length and breadth of this state. Governor Shema and his able team deserve commendation not only for initiating new projects, but also for ensuring the completion of all the projects initiated by our late beloved President Umaru Yar’Adua who by providence was his, and also my own predecessor in office,” He added

    Commending the State governor, Ibrahim Shema, he said: “Since our arrival this morning, we have gone round parts of the state to inspect and commission projects; and the projects that I have seen, are quite inspiring and highly commendable. They confirm what well-meaning indigenes of the State have often told me about the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the people.”

    “Let me use this unique opportunity to specially commend Governor Ibrahim Shema, for the outstanding work that he is doing. He has shown with his commitment, that what matters most in governance are the people, not politics. By justifying the trust that the people have reposed in him, he has also made the Peoples Democratic Party, our great party which he once served as Deputy National Chairman, very proud indeed.”

    He extended his condolences to the government and people of Katsina State, the families that lost loved ones in the attacks on innocent villagers in Faskari and Sabuwa local government areas.

  • Jonathan inaugurates N8b Katsina Govt House

    Jonathan inaugurates N8b Katsina Govt House

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated the N8bilion Katsina State Government House.

    He praised Governor Ibrahim Shema for his selfless service in completing the project, a year to the end of his administration.

    Shema said politics should be about service to humanity and not about personal interest.

    He urged President Jonathan to continue with his programme and not be distracted by the challenges facing the nation.

    Schema said: “Mr. President, you have offered yourself for the service of this country and you are doing the best in human capacity development.

    “In human endeavour, there must be some challenges, so yours is not peculiar and Nigeria is facing its own challenges like the other nations of the world.”

    “There is no part of the world today that can claim that it is 100 per cent in peace and harmony but deliberate and sincere work from leaders must be put in place to address the issue,” he said.

    According to him, the N8 billion spent on the edifice was not sourced from federal allocation or Internally generated revenue, but done from interest accruing from bank savings.

    Shema also said the proceeds from the bank interest were used to construct the N400 million Katsina Government Liaison office in Abuja.

    Shema said his administration built 200 secondary schools and 38 primary schools. Education from primary to secondary is free, he said.

    He said his administration had sent 600 students to various higher schools of learning to study specialised courses, such as medicine, engineering and environmental sciences, among others.

    He said that the State built 2000 houses which were sold to indigenes at 50 per cent discount with instalmental payment in 15 years.

    The Government House complex include the governor’s office, governor’s lodge, office complex for the governor’s wife and additional offices for principal staff of the governor.

    The edifice also includes, the Presidential Lodge and chalets for presidential aides, 200-capacity banquet hall and an indoor games and fitness centre.

  • Jonathan: politics is about development, not trading words

    Jonathan: politics is about development, not trading words

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday advised politicians to focus their attention on development rather than engaging in insults and abuses.

    The President spoke yesterday at the inauguration of the 3- lane 48 kilometers long Katsina Ring road in Katsina State.

    According to him, politics is about infrastructural development and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and not about shouting on the pages of newspapers.

    Jonathan, who is in Katsina on a two-day state visit, hailed the foresight and infrastructural drive of the Ibrahim Shema- led administration in the state.

    He said: “Shema is a great supporter of the administration. He is also a great member of the party. This project is being commissioned at a time most states and even the Federal Government are lacking funds to carry out big projects.”

    “I commend you for your efforts. Politics is all about development. It’s not about insulting ourselves and shouting in newspapers. Politics is about providing infrastructure for the people and creating the enabling environment for business to thrive,” he said.

    He thanked the people of the state for the love they have extended to him since he became President.

    Speaking earlier, Governor Ibrahim Shema commended the President’s efforts in developing power, railway and water, stressing that his administration has done so much to transform the state.

    His administration, he said, since inception constructed 49 roads across the state and dualized 7 local government roads, while many jobs were also created during implementation of the projects.

    According to him, his administration has spent N74 billion on road construction since inception.

    The Commissioner for Works in the state, Abdulaziz Isa Kaita noted that the 3- lane 48 kilometers ring road was started in 2009 and completed in 2013 by the state government without borrowing any money.

    The road project, he said, contained a drainage system, independent water system and solar powered lighting.

    The President’s plane landed at the Umaru Yara’adua Airport by 10:30am and was received by the host governor, the Minister of Mines and Steel, Musa Sada, Information, Labaran Maku, State for Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina as well as former Minister of State for finance, Dr Yerima Ngama

    Former Governors Ibrahim Ahmed Shekarau (Kano), Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (Sokoto) and Abdulkadir Kure (Niger) were also at the airport to receive the President.

  • Politics is about development, not trading words, Jonathan insists

    Politics is about development, not trading words, Jonathan insists

    President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday again advised politicians in the country to focus their attention on development rather than engaging in insults and abuses.

    Jonathan had recently made similar remarks when Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi and other delegates from the state paid a courtesy call on him at the State House, Abuja.

    The President gave the new advise Thursday while speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the 3- lane 48 kilometers long Katsina Ring road in Katsina State.

    According to him, politics is about infrastructural development and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and not about shouting on the pages of newspapers.

    Jonathan, who is in Katsina on a two-day state visit, hailed the foresight and infrastructural drive of the Ibrahim Shema- led administration in the state.

    He said: “Shema is a great supporter of the administration. He is also a great member of the party. This project is being commissioned at a time most states and even the Federal Government are lacking funds to carry out big projects.”

    “I commend you for your efforts. Politics is all about development. It’s not about insulting ourselves and shouting in newspapers. Politics is about providing infrastructure for the people and creating the enabling environment for business to thrive,” he said.

    He thanked the people of the state for the love they have extended to him since he became President.

    Speaking earlier, Governor Ibrahim Shema commended the President’s efforts in developing power, railway and water, stressing that his administration has done so much to transform the state.

    His administration, he said, since inception constructed 49 roads across the state and dualised 7 local government roads, while many jobs were also created during implementation of the projects.

    According to him, his administration has spent N74 billion on road construction since inception.

    The Commissioner for Works in the state, Abdulaziz Isa Kaita noted that the 3- lane 48 kilometers ring road was started in 2009 and completed in 2013 by the state government without borrowing any money.

    The road project, he said, contained a drainage system, independent water system and solar powered lighting.

    The President’s plane landed at the Umaru Yara’adua Airport by 10:30am and was received by the host governor, the Minister of Mines and Steel, Musa Sada, Information, Labaran Maku, State for Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina as well as former Minister of State for finance, Dr Yerima Ngama

    Former governors, Ibrahim Ahmed Shekarau (Kano), Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa (Sokoto) and Abdulkadir Kure (Niger) were also at the airport to receive the President.

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  • Politics of Second Niger Bridge

    SIR: The immaterial controls the material; a people’s circumstance is largely influenced by their philosophy. Other continents of the world have advanced so farther than Africa that it is often wondered if the African is less endowed (intellectually and otherwise) than the rest of humanity. Experience, however, shows the contrary for we see individual Africans across the globe proving that they are equally as good. The pitiable state of the continent and Nigeria in particular is therefore largely a consequence of defective philosophies of the people.

    One of these wrong orientations is in our concept of development. While in most other parts of the world development (especially as it pertains to basic amenities) is largely seen as a matter of necessity, here, politicians see them as luxuries, as favours to be bestowed as they wished. Sometimes due to malice or ethnicity, infrastructure which would benefit not just the host community/part of the country but also contribute to the overall growth of the country is left undone. A community/part of the country is subtly given crude conditions under which necessary amenities will be provided for them. Generally, politicians still play politics with matters of development, provision of basic amenities.

    One necessary project that has been the subject of so much politicking is the second Niger Bridge. Former President Obasanjo used it to canvass for Igbo vote, so did Yar’Adua. President Jonathan during his 2011 election campaign promised Ndigbo that he will construct the bridge during his first tenure if elected. Well, the tenure is almost up and the bridge is nowhere to be seen. This did not come as a surprise. I knew the same bridge would be used to woo Ndigbo ahead of the 2015 election; it was all too predictable.

    On March 10, the president performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the construction of the bridge. Only the hopelessly naïve will not see the politics behind the ceremony and its timing. It holds both promise and threat –vote me in and you get the bridge, fail to vote me and forget the bridge. It is so unfortunate that we cultivated such deplorable culture of politicizing development.

    The ground-breaking ceremony has come and gone, yet that is no guarantee that the project would be done –we still have a culture of abandoning projects. In fact some ‘smart devils’ would still prefer to have the project delayed for future political purposes. That would be very unfortunate indeed. I sincerely hope this is the last time a politician will ask Ndigbo for votes using the second Niger Bridge.

    • Nnoli Chidiebere

    Aba, Abia State.