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Tag: Jonathan

  • Jonathan on corruption

    Jonathan on corruption

    • Contrary to the President’s view, Nigerians are not to blame for the cankerworm

    But for the fact that the statement to the effect that Nigerians are to blame for the high wave of corruption in the country has not been denied days after the media reports, we would have thought that President Goodluck Jonathan was either misquoted or that he was not the one who made the claim. Speaking while declaring open the 54th annual conference of the Nigerian Economic Society in Abuja on September 17, the President lamented that despite the institutional reforms aimed at fighting corruption in Nigeria, Nigerians kept encouraging graft through their actions.

    According to President Jonathan, “I want a society where all of us will frown upon people who come up with what they are not supposed to have. (If) a young man who just started a job and within six months or a year comes up with a car of N7m to N15m and you clap for him, then you are rewarding corruption.

    “So, for us as a nation to bring corruption down, it is not just blaming government or blaming the police. but all individuals must frown upon people who have what they are not supposed to have; who live in houses they are not supposed  to live in; who drive cars they are not supposed to drive and who wear expensive suits  they are not supposed to wear. And until Nigerians are able to do this, I don’t think we will get to where we want to go.”

    We disagree with the President that corruption thrives in the country necessarily because Nigerians encourage it. Even in some instances where Nigerian have blown the whistle, government and its agencies responsible to act have merely looked the other way. For instance, Nigerians have been clamouring for the removal of the petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke since the fuel subsidy racket broke in January last year. Many people are still wondering how such monumental fraud could take place in a ministry and the minister in charge would still sit pretty in office.

    A few weeks ago, the same minister was accused of hiring private jets with about two billion naira in just two years. Yet, she was not affected by the cabinet reshuffle carried out by the President on September 11. Isn’t this corruption? And if it isn’t, what then is it? Is this a way by which Nigerians encourage corruption? Even the President who is accusing the people of aiding and abetting corruption has refused to publicly declare his assets. How does this help the cause of transparency? And how many people want to take the risk of exposing corruption in a country where such information may not be treated with the utmost confidentiality that it deserves? Can the police keep such secrets secret?

    Even the government accusing Nigerians of abetting corruption is by far guiltier. Look at its list of heroes: Diepreye Alamieyeseigha that received presidential pardon despite the monumental fraud he committed against the people of Bayelsa State; in the same vein, the late General Sani Abacha’s son, Mohammed, has found solace in the president’s political party. When all these are happening, why won’t former Governor James Ibori’s people too celebrate their own despite being in jail abroad?

    President Jonathan should realise that human beings will always be human beings, irrespective of their colour or creed. Corruption is pervasive in Nigeria not necessarily because Nigerians encourage it; but because successive governments have not summoned the courage to deal with it frontally. When the government takes the lead, and Nigerians see a genuine intention on its part to fight corruption, they will always fall into line.

    Moreover, the government has to focus on the basic things of ensuring people have jobs to do, to keep them away from idleness. So, the ball is back in the President’s court.

  • Reappoint Ondo NDDC representative, students urge Jonathan

    Three students’ bodies have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to re-appoint the member representing Ondo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dele Omogbemi.

    The National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and National Association of Ilaje Students (NAIS) said Omogbemi had given his best.

    NANS National Financial Secretary Timileyin Ayenuro urged the President to reappoint Omogbemi because of his “laudable achievements”.

    Ayenuro said Omogbemi represented the state well in the last three years and should be recommended for reappointment.

    He praised the NDDC for its activities in the oil-producing areas, saying the commission had executed life-changing projects in Ilaje local government and other areas.

    Ayenuro said: “We expect that the interest of the oil-producing communities and that of the state should be paramount to our people. Our people should not allow their individual interest to override the collective interest of the state.

    “We recommend that Omogbemi be reappointed because he has performed very well. As students, we should not be involved in this, but we deemed it fit to endorse this man because he means well for the people of the oil-producing communities.

    “We know that anybody from the oil communities with the required pedigree has the right to vie for the position, irrespective of whether he/she had served on the board in the past or not, provided such person is credibile. We should avoid blackmailing ourselves when it comes to competition for positions.”

  • Supporting Jonathan not mandatory, says Abe

    The senator representing Rivers Southeast, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has said the people of the Southsouth geo-political zone should not be forced to support the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Abe, who spoke in Port Harcourt, also said there was no need to heat up the polity ahead of the 2015 general elections since there is freedom of association and choice of who to support under the constitution.

    He slammed those who think because President Jonathan should contest the 2015 general elections, no other person from the South-South zone should seek any other position in a democracy.

    The lawmaker said the ascendancy of the South-South zone was as a result of the zoning arrangement and that the people of the region do not constitute the majority in the country, hence the need not to abuse the benefits.

    He berated those attacking Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, for not supporting the second term ambition of President Jonathan, saying while the President has a constitutional right to seek a second term in office, Amaechi also has a constitutional right to support whoever he wants to support.

    “Those who acknowledge that the President has a 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 don’t want to support. The constitution is for everybody,” Senator Abe said.

    “The best thing for us to do in this country, whether North, East, South, West or South-South, 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.”

    The senator said Governor Amaechi remains a leading light in the country as a performer “under our democracy”, adding that his developmental strides would speak for him at the appropriate time.

    He said: “Amaechi has already achieved a lot for Rivers people in different sectors. He is 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 the state through the projects of this government.”

  • Jonathan at NYSE

    Jonathan at NYSE

     As the President rings the closing bell, he should remember the NSE back home

    LATER today, President Goodluck Jonathan will step on the dais at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to ring the closing bell. Although, he will be making history as the first Nigerian leader to play that role, he merely joins the long list of celebrities, show business personalities and other global leaders that have rung either the opening or closing bell at the world’s most prestigious trading floor.

    Call it – if you may – a lifetime achievement for the Jonathan Presidency; too good to miss would be apt to describe the fleeting moment of that hyped appearance on the global stage.  If merely for the extensive media coverage, not least the opportunity afforded the leader of the most populous African nation to deliver his message to, first, the Wall Street, and then the Main Street all around the world, the platform would still have been important by any standard.

    That, however, is where the paradox lies. For much as the administration is wont to tout the outing as an achievement, it is hard to see any tangible benefits to the country or the economy, particularly as the world now has better tools to rely upon for market intelligence than the one-off marketing event of an appearance at the headquarters of global capitalism. It seems to us that the NYSE is, on balance, the ultimate beneficiary of the well-staged event through the opportunity afforded it to showcase the depth of their market and the vast accomplishments of the operators. The latter point is better appreciated in the background of the growing pressure on some companies to get listed on foreign bourses.

    The point is: we see no big deal in President Jonathan ringing the NYSE closing bell or the opening bell for that matter; that other global icons have made appearance at the bourse does not make it any more so. We understand the penchant by the Federal Government to begin its charity abroad; it is all part of the craving, or worse – the fetish – for foreign endorsements. The world surely knows the Nigerian economy better than the whitewash presented at such high-octane affairs.

    Be that as it may, we can only use today’s occasion to remind the President and his team that the NYSE did not happen by accident. That it has evolved with time, maturing in the process and now to the point of transforming into a powerful magnet – drawing stars and leaders – is because of the abiding faith of the American investor in the promise of capitalism, and the strong institution put in place by the US government to regulate its operations. The bedrock is of course technology and innovation which not only power but deliver the competitive advantage to the US economy.

    The story of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) of course presents an intriguing tale of the absurd. After the market hit the bottom in 2009, the nation’s expectation was of a revamped regulator – the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) – primed to clear the mess. None of this has happened more than three years after. Instead, the team brought in by the Federal Government to clear the mess did not come without courting its own share of controversies, which later snowballed into the extraordinary measure of defunding SEC by the National Assembly. Today’s event in New York should, hopefully, remind President Jonathan of that unfinished job of getting SEC’s appropriation restored.

    We continue to make the point that any discussion on the state of the capital market without establishing its direct linkage with the overall economy would remain superficial. One lesson from the 2009 capital market bust-up must be in the understanding that both must go pari-passu. The summary is that President Jonathan will do a far better job of fixing the critical enablers of the economy than the endless jamborees being staged in the name of courting foreign investors.

  • Jonathan, Obama to meet in New York

    President Goodluck Jonathan who arrived in New York early yesterday ahead of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will meet United States President Barack Obama today.

    The 2015 election, the energy sector and Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria will top the agenda of the meeting.

    Jonathan was received by the supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, the Nigerian Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Joy Ogwu and the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States (U.S.), Prof. Ade Adefuye.

    Dr Jonathan was later received at the city centre by the Minister of State for Works and the supervising Minister, National Planning Commission, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Akinwumi Adesina and Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    He is expected to hold five bilateral meetings that will cover the EU, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and Trinidad and Tobago.

    President Jonathan will be among the four world leaders and the first African leader to address the UN General Assembly.

    He will speak after the leaders of Brazil, U.S. and Turkey.

    After the President’s address, Yuguda will chair the side event, organised by the Leading Group of Innovative Financing for Development, a global body which has 63 member-nations and several international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

  • President Jonathan must hear this!

    SIR: I recently visited Toronto, Canada.On our way from the airport, I engaged my host in a discussion about the country in general. These are some of the insights: First was the deliberate plan of the Canadian government to discourage excessive wealth acquisition. How is it done? I probed. Due to the transparency in the system, all monies earned are traceable. Therefore, the more money you make, the more the tax you pay. This made a lot of sense to me. Wealth can easily be spread and too much affluence will not reside with few as we have in Nigeria.

    As each day progressed, I learnt new things. I discovered that their housing system was well structured; my host enlightened me on their mortgage system. One deposits about 30% of the house value with interest rate of not more than 5% with credit receivable after five years. What that means is that you could sell the house after five years and use the credit to buy a bigger house if one desires. I discovered that cars are leased to buyers at interest free loan payable within 78 months.

    I also learnt that people pay heavy tax but enjoy the value in the provisions of good road, free health care and education. There is legislation for students to attend schools within a geographical axis they reside. The road network was super. All roads tarred to the inner streets. I was informed that routes are reconstructed if they observe too much traffic. Obedience to traffic law is sacrosanct as heavy penalties are paid or licence may be withdrawn. Water and electricity were working without any hitch.

    On farming, we visited a family friend for barbecue dinner and guess what, the corn we ate were all fresh and sweet from the farm nearby. When we were going to the beach about two hours drive from town, I saw farmlands running into miles operated by professional resident farmers who live on the farm with all good things of life. When we went to an eatery for lunch, I request to use the gents or toilet, the guy was lost until I explained further. He said, you mean ‘washroom’? You don’t say you want to use the gents (for men) or ladies (for women).

    The few days spent in Canada set me thinking about the real essence of leadership and why our own leaders don’t see all these when they travel or refuse to implement them in our nation.

    On my way back to Nigeria, the problem started from the airport as the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) officials could not set bars for passengers to queue on a straight line. With the air conditioners not working, there was chaos. Anyway, we grumbled our way through immigration and waited again endlessly for our baggage to roll out of the conveyor belt. The custom men too harassed what is left of the tolerance in some of us.

    By the time I got to Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the road I left bad a few weeks ago had gone worse due to rain and usage. I thought the contract for this road was awarded. Couldn’t the contractor patch the bad portions and reduce traffic on this road? On getting home, there was no light, we had to start the generator to first pump water and enjoy electricity hence polluting the environment. I was seriously depressed and felt like selling all I have acquired and relocate.

    As I was reflecting on my predicament, my friend who accompanied me from the airport said “ Agagu is dead”. Without much thought, two things about him flashed through my memory. What will Nigerians and people of Ondo State remember him for when he was minister for power and steel and governor?

    Life truly is vanity. Agagu is gone but our President is still alive and can make the necessary change. This 2015 distraction is too much. It looks like a deliberate ploy for him to fail. Obasanjo gave us GSM, President Jonathan should give us light.

    Remember, all you have is today. Tomorrow is in God’s hand.

    • Ayodele Kupoluyi

    Ogun State

  • How Jonathan sacked Emordi over Villa shouting match

    How Jonathan sacked Emordi over Villa shouting match

    *The $25,000 bribe allegation connection

    *Olagunju sacked mid-air to UN General Assembly meeting

     

     

     

    It  was learnt yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan fired his Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emordi, following a shouting match with a minister at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

    It has also emerged that Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Dr. Tunji Olagunju was sacked mid-air while in transit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

    Investigations by our correspondent show that Emordi had gone to the Villa to draw the attention of the President to a few issues including the alleged inducement of members of the House of Representatives with $25,000 each to disrupt some activities in the House.

    She was said to have advised that the Presidency should caution those behind it in order not to cause a strain in the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

    Although the Presidency denied involvement in the alleged bribery saga, a minister was alleged to have flared up and taken on Emordi.

    A source said: “The minister did not see anything wrong and asked Emordi if she wanted loyalists of the President to keep quiet while Jonathan was being intimidated. Emordi stood her ground that lobbying on any issue in parliament could be done without inducement.”

    She also said as a Special Adviser, she owed the President a duty to say the truth. She said it was a “mistake” to introduce money into legislative issues.

    “The atmosphere became charged at the Villa with the minister saying: “Mr. President, you can see that some of your aides are not loyal at all, I don’t know why you are keeping them.”

    The source said the shouting match was a further pointer that Emordi’s days in government were numbered. Elements within the presidency have reportedly not been comfortable with her silence on the emergence of ‘New PDP’ legislative caucuses in the Senate and House of Representatives.

    They are said to have blamed her for not being proactive in frustrating a gang-up against the Presidency in the National Assembly- especially the House of Representatives.

    It is claimed that Emordi assured the Presidency that she had secured the assurances of Senate President, David Mark and Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, that the G-7 governors and the Abubakar Kawu Baraje faction would not be allowed to pay courtesy visits to the National Assembly last Tuesday.

    Her critics say her weak posture forced the pro-Bamanga Tukur forces to resort to Plan B – the disruption of the visit of G-7 governors and Baraje led PDP to Speaker Tambuwal.

    Another source, however, claimed that the situation in the National Assembly on Tuesday was beyond the control of Emordi. There was a last-minute “gentleman agreement” in order to prevent revolt in the two chambers by the New PDP and the opposition.

    He said: “The leadership’s stand not to receive the New PDP changed when it got assurance from the Baraje-led party leadership that they will give maximum support to Mark and Tambuwal leadership. This was why the Senate President and Tambuwal changed their mind and receive them.

    Prior to the resumption, Mark is said to have had private audience with Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi to get assurances that all was well and the National Assembly would not be turned into a battle ground.

    The G7 governors also reached out to the legislative leadership and gave commitment that the new PDP will not support or encourage any change at the helm. They told the Senate President and other principal officers that they should be neutral in the battle between the old and new PDP.

    Also the senators from the North-Central, where the Senate presidency was zoned to by the Peoples Democratic Party assured the Senate leadership that they remain loyal. Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki of Kwara State personally assured the leadership that their loyalty was to Mark’s leadership and promised not to sponsor any leadership change in the red chamber

    It was after receiving these assurances that the leadership agreed to receive the new PDP despite pressure not to do so from Tukur and the Presidency.

    Meanwhile, the statement on Olagunju’s sack was said to have been issued shortly after he was airborne to New York. The adviser who travelled in the First Class cabin of the British Airways, received news of his removal when he arrived London at about 3pm. There are still no clear explanations for his sudden removal.

     

  • Jonathan establishes Pension Transition Arrangement Dept, appoints DG

    Jonathan establishes Pension Transition Arrangement Dept, appoints DG

    PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has approved the establishment of a Pension Transition Arrangement Department (PTAD).

    He also approved the appointment of Ms. Nellie Mayshak as Director-General of the department.

    This was contained in a circular signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji.

    The circular was sent to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.

    According to Goni, the establishment of the new pension department is in line with Section 30, Sub Section (2a) of the Amended Pension Reform Act, 2004.

    He said the new department will take over management of three of the offices currently running the old pension scheme.

    A statement by Director of Communications, Tope Ajakaiye, listed the offices as: the Civil Service Pension Department, the Police Pension Office and the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO).

    Nellie is expected to spearhead the smooth transition of the three offices into a single pension administration and management under the supervision of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).

    PENCOM will report to the Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance for coordination and control.

     

  • Jonathan relieves Emordi, Olagunju of their appointments

    Jonathan relieves Emordi, Olagunju of their appointments

    President Goodluck Jonathan on yesterday relieved two of his special advisers of their appointments.

    They are the Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Mrs Joy Emordi, and the Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Dr Tunji Olagunju.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.

    The statement said the two were relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.

    It thanked them for their services and wished them success in their future endeavours.

    President Jonathan had last week sacked nine of his ministers.

  • Ministers: Jonathan rules out governors’ nominees

    Ministers: Jonathan rules out governors’ nominees

    The crack in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is widening, with President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision not to consult the aggrieved group of seven governors on the choice of new ministers.

    Nine ministers were relieved of their jobs last week. Before then, Minister of Youth Development Inuwa Abdulkadir from Sokoto State had been sacked.

    Those disengaged last week, ostensibly for their loyalty to perceived “opponents” of the President, are: Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs); , Ruqqayatu Rufai (Education); Shamsudeen Usman.(National Planning); Amal Pepple (Land and Urban Development); Hadiza Mailafia, (Environment); Ita Ewa (Science and Technology);Olusola Obada(Defence); Zainab Kuchi(Power); and Tijani Bukar (Agriculture).

    The tradition in the PDP has been for governors to nominate candidates for minister from among whom the President picks.

    This will not apply now, a Presidency official, who pleaded not to be named, told The Nation last night. The thinking in official circles is that the governors have bungled the opportunity to have a say on the ministerial list.

    The source said: “By visiting the National Assembly on Tuesday , the Presidency felt the governors had breached an agreement reached with Jonathan on Sunday night.”

    The President, said the source, tried to bring everybody together but the governors violated the ceasefire.

    “So, the decision of the President and his strategists is that none of the G-7 governors will have input into the nomination of candidates into the vacant 10 cabinet slots,” he said, adding:

    “All the nominees will be seriously screened to prevent having moles in government.”

    The source alleged that the attitude of some of the governors and leaders of the Kawu Baraje faction of the PDP confirmed one of the reasons why some ministers were removed.

    He spoke of security reports confirming that some of the sacked ministers were leaking Federal Executive Council(FEC) papers to the aggrieved governors.

    The Rotimi Amaechi faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) demanded for the resignation of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. This, to the Presidency, confirms that the governors had some insights into a few economic policies in the offing, through the leaked council papers, and decided to harass the minister”.

    Also, there were indications yesterday that the peace talks between President Jonathan and the governors might be heading for a deadlock.

    Another government functionary, who is one of the strategists of the President, said: “With the latest twist in the House, it will be difficult for the President to return to the peace table with the G-7 governors and Baraje faction on October 7.

    “The option already tabled before the President by his strategists or think-tank is to damn the consequences of the G-7. The President loses nothing by ignoring these people.

    “With the exception of Rivers and Kwara State, the President lost in the remaining five states during the 2011 poll. So, some of the governors are not political assets in any manner.”

    Also yesterday, the Abubakar Baraje- led New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) warned against alleged attempts by certain members of the National Assembly and forces in the Presidency to impeach Senate President David Mark and House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

    The Baraje faction described the alleged move as a misadventure capable of plunging the country into a crisis of monumental proportions.

    In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Chukwuemeka Eze, yesterday, the party accused the Bamanga Tukur- led PDP of working with the Presidency to instigate the lawmakers.

    Eze said the Presidency and the Tukur group were rattled by the warm reception accorded the G7 governors and leaders of the New PDP by the leadership of the National Assembly during their visit on Tuesday.

    The statement reads: “We learnt of the sinister plot to impeach both the Senate President, Senator David Mark, and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal in connection with the visit of the progressive Governors and the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the National Assembly on Tuesday, September 17, 2013.

    “To us, this plot by the hawks in the Presidency is politics taken too far and illustrates the extent to which they are prepared to go in their determination to plunge this country into chaos.

    “We wish to warn those who are planning this coup to desist forthwith as such a misadventure is capable of plunging this nation into a crisis of monumental proportions.

    “These undemocratic elements should stop overheating the polity just because of their selfish ambitions. Those who feel that politics is better practised by way of threats and the unseating of those who do not share their unprogressive thoughts should know that there is a limit to how far they can push us”.

    The New PDP commended Mark and Tambuwal for their leadership qualities and urged them not to lose sleep over the alleged plot, adding that the visit was well intentioned and was part of the efforts to resolve the lingering crisis in the ruling party.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the progressive Governors have for the past three months been visiting past Heads of State and some other great minds in their search for a peaceful way out of the logjam in the PDP, orchestrated by the failed Tukur leadership of the party.

    “Their visit to the National Assembly was just in continuation of their nationwide tour. The aim was to brief and rub minds with members of the National Assembly on how to reposition our great party to be united and face other parties by 2015.

    “Any other motive imputed into the visit is not only mischievous but also a product of the devilish imaginations of those reaching such conclusions”, the statement added.