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Tag: Jonathan

  • Home support mounts for Jonathan

    Home support mounts for Jonathan

    As expected, people are now assembling, gathering themselves into groups. Their aim: To drum support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s reelection in 2015.

    The groups are insisting that the Otuoke-born President in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, must fight to retain the juiciest seat in Aso Rock beyond 2015.

    Curiously, the Jonathan-must-contest groups appear to have chosen Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, capital as their base of operation. They are holding meetings and sweating profusely to convince people on why Jonathan whose administration is fraught with challenges should be allowed a second term.

    One of the groups, Nigerian Youth Project for Goodluck Jonathan (NYP) 2015 recently met at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa. The state Coordinator of the group, Mr. Justice Alakiri, said the forum was formed to unite the youths across the country to support Jonathan.

    “There are 101 reasons why Jonathan should come back as the President. Despite existing challenges since he assumed office, he was able to perform well”, he said.

    He claimed that Jonathan was the President to have ruled the country. He called for a united Nigeria and said there was no need for division ahead 2015.

    Alakiri delved into some of the controversies facing Jonathan’s administration. According to him, the National Conference proposed by the President was a good development. “It is an avenue to discuss ethnic differences and challenges facing us and to work for solution”, he said.

    He dwelled on the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an expected Jonathan’s platform for 2015. But he consoled his members that “there is one PDP”.

    “There is no other party known as the new PDP. There is only one party which is the PDP. It is the best party that can produce the right result for this country”, he claimed.

    The Deputy Director-General, NYP, Alhaji Aliu Suleiman, named uniting the youths across the country and drumming support for Jonathan as the two objectives of the group.

    “We have seen Jonathan’s work and all the youths should give him maximum support and allow him to come back for a second term. Even the north are in support of him”, he begged.

    Before the NYP’s gathering, another group consisting mainly of Jonathan’s kinsmen had begun to visit notable persons in the state to garner support for their kinsman.

    Wari-to-Wari (House-to-House) for Jonathan 2015 insisted that Jonathan had done a lot to merit a second term. Its Director-General, Mr. Ogidi Benjamin, said the aim of the group was to mobilise 60 per cent of Nigerian youths for Jonathan.

    While visiting the Deputy Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Tonye Esanah, in Yenagoa, Benjamin said Jonathan had done well through the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P), scholarships to indigent students, establishing new universities and building schools for Almajaris in the north.

    But, Esanah used the opportunity to deride the north and said no region or zone had the monopoly of power in the country. He reflected on the claims by Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu that Jonathan signed a single-term pact with the governors and raised some posers.

    He said: “Does power belong to one ethnic group in this country if we consider ourselves as brothers and sisters? Do we see that just one part of this country has the sole right to rule this country? If we are operating a constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law said that any other law that contradicts the constitution remains inconsistent, can a gentleman agreement supersede the Nigerian constitution?

    “Can a party agreement supersede the Nigerian constitution? Aliyu should produce a document signed by Jonathan containing an agreement that he should not come back for a second term. If he produces that we will all will campaign against Jonathan.

    “I know Jonathan so well that if he had gone into such agreement and signed a document, he would have honoured it. But do you know what we discovered, governors within themselves signed and gave him one tenure.

    “But some of those governors are no more governors. Some of them are in the Senate now. Since those governors decided to give him one tenure, other governors now can still come and decide to give him another tenure.”

    His logic attracted applauses from members of the group. But he was not doe yet. He insisted that a single term was not enough for any President to turn the fortunes of the country around considering the rot that had existed in the state for over 50 years.

    “Are we thinking that it is going to be automatic to turn round the fortunes of this country for four years? How can Nigerians think that Jonathan will turn round the fortunes of the country under four years. We should try him for another four years?” He queried.

    He added: “Power solely comes from God. In Bayelsa, if it is by population, a man from Otuoke wouldn’t have won any election. But the wisdom of God, a man from a small community was chosen to lead this country.

    “We have been so neglected for several years and God appointed a man from Otuoke to rule this country. This is a region that has been feeding this country and you are saying that a man from such place is not worthy to be our President. It is not fair.”

     

  • Jonathan, PDP chiefs storm Onitsha for Nwoye

    Jonathan, PDP chiefs storm Onitsha for Nwoye

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday stormed Onitsha in Anambra State, saying Saturday’s poll must be free and fair.

    The President, who came to campaign for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) standard-bearer, Comrade Tony Nwoye, said Anambra people should honour Nigeria’s first President, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose 109th birthday coincided with the election day.

    Nwoye’s campaign was attended byAkwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, PDP’s National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, among others.

    It was held at the Basilica of Most Holy Trinity field, Onitsha.

    President Jonathan urged the electorate to vote for Comrade Nwoye, whom he described as young and vibrant, with a zeal to serve the people.

    He promised a level-playing field for all parties.

    “This poll is special in the sense that it is holding on November 16, the day one of the greatest leaders of our country, the late Dr. Azikiwe, was born.

    “It will be a very good birthday gift for the great Zik and will bring Anambra State forward if you vote for Comrade Nwoye and PDP.

    “Anambra people must work hard to ensure that the next governor is elected on the platform of the PDP.”

    “Don’t be distracted by the rumours that some people are recruiting youths from neighbouring states. We must ensure security during and after the election and ensure one-man one-vote.”

    Alhaji Tukur, who described Nwoye as a versatile young man, whose zeal to serve was unparalleled, told the people to vote for PDP for uncommon transformation.

    Tukur said: “Don’t continue to remain outside the fold. Return to your main umbrella and get your development. That was why we insisted on a free and credible primary election.”

    Governor Akpabio said the mega rally was to take over Anambra.

    Nwoye promised to revolutionise the state, if elected, assuring the people of security of life and property. He promised youth empowerment, adding that he would prioritise agriculture.

    The lawmaker representing Anambra North, Senator Maggery Okadigbo, described Nwoye as vibrant and a grassroots mobiliser, who would deliver on his campaign promises.

    One of the members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Prince Arthur Eze enjoined the indigenes to vote for Nwoye for total transformation.

  • Jonathan to present budget next week

    Jonathan to present budget next week

    Sequel to the postponement of the scheduled presentation of the 2014 budget before a joint sitting of the two chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan is now to present the 2014 budget before the National Assembly on the 19th of November.

    A letter to this effect with the short title: “Re: 2014 Budget,” from the President and addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal read in part:

    “Sequel to” my letter of 23rd October 2013 requesting that the Honourable House grant me the slot of 12:00 noon on Tuesday, 12th November 2013 to enable me formaity address a Joint Session of the National Assembly on the 2014 Budget, emergent circumstances have necessitated my having to request for a new date of Tuesday. 19th November 2013 at the same time.

    It is my hope that the Honourable Members will in your usual tradition, favourably consider my request.”

    The president has also sent a report to the National Assembly justifying the reason he asked for an extension of the State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

    In a letter dated November 5, 2013 and addressed to the Speaker with the title: “ Re: Extension of the period for the Proclamation of a state of Emergency,” Jonathan said he has attached a report by the Chief of Army Staff on the current situation in the affected areas.

  • Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal chart ways for democratic growth

    Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal chart ways for democratic growth

    President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, David Mark and Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday charged African parliaments to pursue legislations that would engender democratic growth in the continent.

    The three leaders spoke at 1st African Legislative Summit 2013 with the Theme: “Emerging Legislatures in Africa: Challenges and opportunities.”

    Jonathan, who inaugurated the summit specifically asked African parliament to legislate against issues and actions that could lead to the collapse of the current democratic arrangements in African countries.

    African parliaments, he said, should legislate to discourage political gangesterism, acts of terrorism and organised cross border crimes.

    The President described the summit as a laudable effort aimed at giving Africa a new vision and a new initiative that would further lead to rapid development.

    He said, “The summit is coming at a critical period when the African continent is in search of a means of strengthening the various democratic institutions to pave the way for an enduring democratic structure.

    “There is the need for strategy for networking and capacity building. The legislature has a critical role to play in lawmaking, oversight function to consolidate democratic practice and norms.”

    He commended Nigeria parliament for extending legislative activities and cooperation beyond the shores of the country, saying the summit is a platform for fostering legislative and executive cooperation to engender development.

    He noted that a few years ago African democratic climate was taken over by military dictatorship, a development which created a wide gap between the roles of the executive and the legislature.

    Jonathan said that due to frequent military interruption in government, Africa was denied quality legislation that could have led to growth and development.

    He added, “With the latest democratic climate being controlled by the civilians, the continent is now enjoying growth and development of parliamentary legislation, which is an integral part of constitution governance.

    ”We now have elected government in African states. The democratic tradition is gaining ground. Parliamentary and presidential elections had been held in many African countries including Nigeria.

    “Leaders of our parliaments have great roles to play in ensuring the sustainability of the current democratic governance through vibrant and robust legislation.

    Mark in his remarks noted that the summit is most desirable at this point that African democracy is at the crossroads, with mixed results of consolidation in some countries and regression in others.

    Tambuwal on his part decried under development of the parliament in many African countries.

     

  • Fani-Kayode: Jonathan must go by 2015

    FORMER Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has told Nigerians not to give President Goodluck Jonathan a second term in 2015.

    The former minister spoke in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, when he visited Governor Sule Lamido.

    Fani-Kayode said Jonathan’s stay beyond 2015 would be a threat to the nation’s stability and unity, adding that “he is incompetent to lead the most populous black nation.”

    He called on stakeholders to join forces to save democracy and economy.

    The former minister called on members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) to fight the PDP to a standstill.

    He said: “As long as the President continues to run the party and the country the way he is doing then we need to ensure that he doesn’t come back.

    “The way to do that is to leave and fight from outside. I feel that when those who are fighting from inside are subjected to this kind of thing it vindicates our position. The other thing is that regardless of the party we belong we really do need the change.

    “It doesn’t matter which party you are in. Everyone is invited to the nPDP, which I call the original PDP.”

    Fani-Kayode decried the high handedness of the Jonathan administration, which has no respect for founding fathers of the party like Lamido.

    He said Lamido, one of the foremost founders of the party from G9 to G34, had sacrificed so much for the country, adding that the governor should not be subjected to the humiliation being metted out to the G7 governors.

    The former minister said it was time Nigerians started thinking of positive change in leadership.

    “I have nothing against Jonathan; he is a gentleman but he is incompetent to lead Nigeria so we still need effective change in leadership.”

    The former minister said it was the “tyranny” in the PDP that led to his dumping the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) about seven months ago, adding that PDP’s implosion was a vindication of his action.

  • Controversy trails Jonathan’s appointment of NAUTH CMD

    Controversy trails Jonathan’s appointment of NAUTH CMD

    THE appointment and approval of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), by President Goodluck Jonathan has been enmeshed in controversy in Anambra State. A lawyer, Chuka Obele Chuka has threatened to take the CMD, Dr. Anthony Igwegbe to court if after seven days he failed to furnish his office with the documents that authenticated his appointment by the President. But in a quick reaction yesterday, the CMD of NAUTH, Dr. Igwegbe told reporters that his appointment followed due process, adding that it was there for anybody to verify. According to Igwegbe “in the first instance, the Ministry of Health has the duty to appoint, while it is the duty of the President to approve, the President does not appoint. “Moreover, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) was involved in the exercise, people applied for the position as I did and we were screened, after which three of us made the final shortlist and the lot fell on me. That was how I became the CMD of this institution” “An individual cannot tell me to furnish my documents to him, the person has the right to visit the Ministry of Health both at the state and the national level to look for what he wants, all I know is that one cannot become (CMD) of a big institution like this without due process,” he said. Also, the Director of Administration of (NAUTH), B.O Chukwuma who was also petitioned by the lawyer because he was the person who announced the appointment, told The Nation yesterday that the President approved the appointment, while he relayed to the public. He, however, refused to talk further on the issue because according to him, he was on his way to Abuja. The letter, to the duo by Obele Chuka was entitled: “Your appointment as the Chief Medical Director of Nnewi, Request for issuance of certified true copies of your letters of appointment pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 and section 104 of the evidence Act 2011.” According to Obele, “I was confronted with a document circulating in your hospital, which showed that the issue of your appointment as the Chief Medical Director is at the heart of the crisis brewing in the hospital. “My further enquiries revealed a lot more controversies, some bordering on irregularity, and others on patent illegality” “From the totality of my findings, it does appear clearly that you were not appointed the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the NAUTH by the appropriate authorities either in acting capacity when you did “act” or in substantive capacity as you presently act.” “If, however, I do not get the documents within seven days, you would be leaving me with no other option than to believe that you were never appointed by the appropriate authorities for any of the two positions you have occupied since February this year.”

  • Jonathan’s best legacy

    Jonathan’s best legacy

    Everyone will like to be remembered for something. For Dr Goodluck Jonathan, that may well be the president who was no Nebuchadnezzar, no Pharaoh, no lion, and no tiger. In fact, he would like to be remembered as the one who changed Nigeria.

    Back in September, 2011, he inspired one of the most memorable headlines in the print media when he declared that he was neither like the maximum rulers of biblical times nor the king of the jungle nor its striped rival, the tiger, who commands considerable respect in the wild. The president had gone into an Abuja church not only prepared to discharge his duties there but also to reply some of his critics, some of whom dismissed his approach to the nation’s challenges. They questioned Jonathan’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency. They queried his response to corruption, Nigeria’s enduring and crippling headache. Most of the president’s critics concluded that he was too circumspect, too indecisive and unable to whip errant government officials into line.

    When he replied, he chose his words carefully, his analogies even more advisedly. Distancing himself from despots who ruled with fists of fury and spoke through clenched teeth, Jonathan conjured up the dreaded memory of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Pharaohs of Egypt, all of whom left their subjects cowering and whimpering, and the rest of the world in utter disgust even to this day. Who loves Pharaoh? Who will name their child after the Babylonian king? Turning to the terrors of the jungle, Jonathan said he was no lion, the carnivore king dreaded more than admired by preys. The president duly explained that he had no desire to be likened to such rulers or beasts because he had no such traits. He would prefer to be seen and remembered as the president with a human face and heart. In fact, recently, the matter came up again when Jonathan shocked his Aso Rock audience when he said he also would not like to be addressed as the commander-in-chief, another term that conveys the image of force of arm. Rather than be a powerful president ruling with the force of arm, Jonathan said he was content to create institutions.

    I respect the president’s preferences, in fact, even applaud them. Maximum rulers like Gen Sani Abacha and swashbuckling presidents like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in my reckoning, did us little good. While their regimes lasted, many Nigerians largely wished their reign would end quickly, although some still seemed to favour Obasanjo’s sometimes quick-draw approach. But there are lots of fundamental errors, which need to be corrected. A few weeks ago, reports said one of Jonathan’s powerful female ministers was wasting hard-earned cash in hired jets on which she shuttled round the world with almost as many hangers-on as she pleased. I wrote in this space, saying that the error may not simply lie in her travel interests but in what the law allowed. In other words, I favoured things being spelt out so that a minister, for instance, will know when not to take their preferences beyond the line drawn by the laws of the land.

    Right now, two unflattering developments have imposed themselves on the print media’s front pages: the ASUU strike and what has been styled the Oduahgate. The university teachers say they want an old agreement with federal government to be implemented so they can fix the dilapidated infrastructure on the campuses and bring back the lost glory of the ivory towers. Some say, though, that the lecturers want nothing more than what will swell their bank accounts. After months of fighting, the university teachers have held talks with the president, and some are hopeful that the five-month industrial action which has crippled the university system will soon come to an end. It is not clear, though, what sort of settlement both parties are reaching or have reached. Is the government paying up the outstanding billions ASUU seeks or is it meeting the lecturers only half way just to see academic business resume on the campuses? Are the lecturers settling for partial payment in order not to be seen as sponsored enemies of the Jonathan administration? Whatever the case, one thing is clear: the universities as well all other tertiary institutions need comprehensive revamping. And you cannot turn the collapsed university system around simply by paying money to the teachers, much as that is necessary. We need to evaluate the system, ascertain what has gone wrong and determine how to correct it. This is as much about money as it is about admitting that things are no longer what they used to be in the ivory tower and working hard to correct the imbalance. It is about standards. It is about institutions. Teachers and students have been fleeing abroad. This must stop. It is only standards that can stop it.

    Oduahgate brings no sweetness to either Jonathan or the country. Again, we also need standards to shut this gate. We need standards to curb the unhealthy tastes of government officials, and we need a transparently anti-corruption government as much as we need strong agencies with a mind of their own to deter corruption. We need to redefine the word ‘scandal’. We need to rediscover our sense of shame.

    We do not need a Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar to do that. All that is required is standards or, if you like, institutions. If Jonathan can deliver that, he will leave the best legacy Nigerians have seen.

  • Jonathan to visit Guinea Bissau, Gambia

    Jonathan to visit Guinea Bissau, Gambia

    President Goodluck Jonathan will, today, begin a two-day diplomatic shuttle to Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.

    He will, in continuation of his duties as chairman of the ECOWAS Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau, fly to the country to meet with its Armed Forces and visit the Nigerian contingent to the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau at Camp Bras, Bissau.

    A statement yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said the President would also participate in a programme at the National Peoples’ Assembly and meet Nigerians in Guinea-Bissau.

    He will leave the country for Banjul, The Gambian capital city, where he will confer with President Yahya Jammeh on bilateral and multilateral issues.

  • ‘Southsouth should not be forced to support Jonathan’

    ‘Southsouth should not be forced to support Jonathan’

    The representative of the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that the people of the Southsouth zone should not be forced to support the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Abe, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said there was no need to heat up the polity ahead of 2015 general elections, since there is freedom of association and choice of who to support, as guaranteed by Nigeria’s constitution.

    He expressed displeasure over the utterances of some politicians, who claimed that with President Jonathan seeking re-election in 2015, no other person from his geopolitical zone should aspire to be the nation’s President.

    Abe, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), is an ally of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), but had been at loggerheads with President Jonathan over 2015.

    The President is from Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, while his wife, Dame Patience, hails from Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika LGA of Rivers State, both in the Southsouth and Niger Delta.

    It is being speculated that Amaechi, an Ikwerre, who is a former Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, is nursing vice-presidential ambition, which he has been denying.

    Abe also stated that the ascendancy of the Southsouth zone was as a result of the zoning arrangement in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that the people of the crude oil and gas-rich zone did not constitute majority in the country, hence the need not to abuse the benefit.

    The senator berated persons attacking Amaechi for not supporting the second term ambition of President Jonathan, declaring that while the President had the constitutional right to seek re-election, the Rivers governor also had the constitutional right to support whoever he wanted to support.

    He said: “The best thing for us to do in this country, whether North, East, South, West or Southsouth, is to allow our politics to be driven by ideas.

    “Those who feel strongly enough about something, regardless of where they come from, must be allowed to canvass their opinions and express their feelings.

    “Those who acknowledge that President Jonathan has the constitutional right to contest, must also acknowledge the constitutional right of others to support whoever they want to support or refuse to support who they do not want to support. The constitution is for everybody.”

    Abe also stated that the NGF chairman remained a leading light in the country, especially as a performer, noting that his developmental strides would speak for him at the appropriate time.

    The senator added: “Governor Amaechi has already achieved a lot for Rivers people in different sectors. A leader with a focus and we will continue to support him under rain or sun. We must leave a legacy for the people of Rivers State, through the projects of this government.”

     

  • APC to President Jonathan: Compensate Boko Haram victims

    APC to President Jonathan: Compensate Boko Haram victims

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement that the Federal Government would not compensate the victims of the Boko Haram killings.

    Dr. Jonathan stated this on Monday while receiving the report of the Boko Haram panel.

    But yesterday, APC’s Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande said the victims of the ‘ongoing mindless and callous killings” which started in 2009 deserved to be compensated.

    He said: “This is because such a decision, if upheld, will amount to double failure on the part of the Federal Government and double jeopardy for the victims.

    In the first instance, the killings and maiming have occurred because the Federal Government failed in its most important task of ensuring the security of lives and property.

    “Secondly, the same government that failed to live up to the main reason for its existence, which is the security and welfare of the citizenry, is now failing to provide succour for the victims of its own failure.

    “This constitutes double irresponsibility on the part of the government, and double jeopardy for the thousands of victims who have been killed and wounded by the insurgents.

    “After the people were victimized by Boko Haram, they are now being victimised by their government.

    “This is unacceptable, and President Jonathan must have a rethink.

    “The APC believes that the issue of compensation for victims of Boko Haram should not be subject to any debate.

    “All victims of the Boko Haram insurgency must be compensated without delay. They must be given succour. They must be made to feel that their government cares for them.

    “Compensation cannot bring back the thousands who have been killed. But it can provide succour for the children, parents, brothers, sisters and other family members they left behind.

    “Compensation cannot remove the scars on those who have lost limbs or become blinded due to the effect of gunshots or bombs, but it can help them to restart their lives and to know that they are not alone in their ordeal.

    “These people cut across religions, ethnicity and gender. They include Christians and Muslims, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and people of other ethnic groups, as well as men and women, the old and the young.

    “President Jonathan must not only ensure that the victims of Boko Haram insurgency are compensated, he must strengthen his resolve to ensure that Nigerians are well protected and catered for, irrespective of where they reside in the country.”