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Tag: Jonathan

  • Nobody can separate Jonathan and Dickson – PDP

    Nobody can separate Jonathan and Dickson – PDP

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Tuesday that despite the efforts of mischief makers, former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson remained inseparable.

    The party insisted that plot by enemies of the state to cause disaffection between the duo had hit the brick wall.

    The Chairman of the party in Bayelsa, Sir Cleopas Moses, in a statement in Yenagoa frowned at the negative interpretation of “Dickson’s patriotic statement” during the 2017 Isaac Boro Day.

    He said the governor’s statement was being misinterpreted by troublemakers, who were bent on destroying the existing cordial and enviable relationship between him (Dickson) and Jonathan.

    Referring to Jonathan as the leader of PDP, Moses noted that Dickson’s unalloyed lo‎yalty and respect for the former President remained intact.

    He said, “The governor’s remark was purely aimed at calling on Bayelsans holding public offices within and outside the state to work together and drag meaningful development to the state through effective collaboration with the state government for the collective good of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation.”

     

     

  • Rivers now a construction yard, says ex-President Jonathan

    Rivers now a construction yard, says ex-President Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said Rivers State under Governor Nyesom Wike has become a construction yard.

    Jonathan said: “Wike has shown so much commitment to infrastructural development. The whole of Rivers State is now a construction yard.”

    The former President said Wike’s performance justified the support he got from political stakeholders for his election in 2015.

    Wike assured Jonathan of the support of Rivers residents, saying he would never be abandoned.

    They spoke at the inauguration of the Second Nkpogu Bridge as part of the second year anniversary of the governor’s administration.

    Jonathan said: “Governor Wike has performed wonderfully well. I have no regrets that Wike is the governor of Rivers State. I am happy that the governor has opened up the state through projects.”

    The former President noted that the appreciation for the governor’s excellent performance was beyond party lines.

    He recalled that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, after visiting the state, also said the governor was delivering on projects.

    Jonathan expressed appreciation to Rivers State residents for supporting him during his eight years in national politics.

    Wike said the decision was taken for Dr Jonathan to inaugurate the second Nkpogu Bridge to send a message to the nation that he would not be abandoned.

    He said: “We are not politicians who, when anything is wrong, sing different songs. Rivers State is a different place. When we believe in you, we believe in you. We are different from other Niger Delta states. We can say it with all authority.

    “We cannot come out in the public and begin to castigate our own. Those of them who do that should have a rethink. For us, it doesn’t matter the blackmail against Jonathan. We will continue to back him.”

    Wike said: “Those who think that they have promises from those who think they own Nigeria should be careful. They will use you and dump you at the appropriate time.”

    Chairman of Monier Construction Company Senator John Mbata said the company built the two bridges linking Nkpogu to the business districts of Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    Works Commissioner Bathuel Harrison said the bridge would solve the traffic challenge in the area.

  • That Jonathan gaffe

    By admitting entering into an agreement to occupy the presidential seat for only one term only to repudiate it, former President Jonathan has shown he is lacking in honour

    It has been established many times that integrity is a stranger to politics and politicking in Nigeria. Instances abound of how notable politicians randomly broke promises and agreements and gleefully announced that they had “merely” exercised the fundamental right to change their minds.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has come to exemplify such a dishonourable act. Despite having previously denied knowledge of an agreement that he would only complete the Alhaji Umaru  Yar’Adua tenure and then seek one term for himself, he told the author of his book, Against the Run of Play, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, that he was not bound to honour it as it was a mere “gentleman’s agreement”.

    It is a shame that the former president could admit entering into an agreement that he was unwilling to honour. By his admission, the president has shown that a lot is wrong with our politicians. No society can grow and win the respect of other states when her leaders cannot be trusted and held to agreements. The reality of life is that all decisions are not necessarily reduced to writing. Even the constitution and other laws leave room for enforcement of the spirit, not just the letters.

    It is on record that Dr. Jonathan had earlier denied knowledge of any agreement that he would serve one term. As he did over the 2002 agreement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders that the office would rotate between the North and the South, with the 2007 candidate being a Northerner to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo, he again succumbed to the position of hawks in his camp who said the agreement he freely entered into was not binding.

    It is time Nigerian people began to hold politicians to their commitments. Any politician who had failed the integrity test at any point in time is undeserving of holding important offices in the land and should be blacklisted. It is now difficult to know when Dr Jonathan speaks the truth or is merely playing games. We should learn from other countries where leaders have willingly stepped down from office on account of suspicion of lying or of having done things beneath their standing, even when they did not expressly violate any laws.

    The testimonials on Dr. Jonathan by his former colleagues in the PDP are unsavoury. Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu who was governor of Nasarawa State and chairman of the Northern Governors Forum has this to say of the former president and his reliability: “At a meeting with party leaders at the Conference Room of the Office of the First Lady, Presidential Villa, the president agreed not to seek re-election after conceding that it was the turn of the North to produce the president on the platform of the ruling party, following the demise of former President Umaru Yar’Adua.”

    Another former PDP governor, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said: “By running, he is absolutely reneging on an agreement… I am saying I was in PDP. I was part and parcel of an agreement for the power shift. I’m saying our dear president was part of that agreement.”

    And, Murtala Nyako, a retired admiral, said he was persuaded to sign the 2010 agreement by former President Obasanjo and other governors. He explained that his reluctance stemmed from Dr. Jonathan’s record of disowning pacts.

    The state of the Nigerian political parties and the polity indicate that all cannot be well with the country until politicians are held to account for promises and agreements. Repudiation of signed pacts is rampant in the land. Many governors who willingly indicated that they would not contest a second term as a means of obtaining support across communities and divisions are known to start the campaign for re-election as soon as their governments were sworn in. They use the instrumentality of the state to upturn such arrangement. This should not be allowed as the norm.

    Two years to the 2019 General Elections, we call on Nigerians to examine aspirants to political offices and sift out those whose moral standing is suspect. The words, “on my honour” should begin to count for something here.

  • Jonathan’s new song

    Jonathan’s new song

    One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are” – Cal Thomas

    The 2015 Nigerian general elections are long done and gone. Or so we thought. It was the first time in the history of Nigeria, an incumbent president or ruling party was eased out of presidential power. The then incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan made an applauded phone call to his rival, Muhammadu Buhari conceding defeat and congratulated the “winner”. It is trite to mention he subsequently went on to handover. Across Africa and the world, Jonathan was roundly commended for his “statesmanship conduct” that averted a civil breakdown and tension by his acceptance of defeat.  The African continent has witnessed an adamant sit-tight Mugabe in Zimbabwe, a defiant Jammeh in Gambia that was forced to leave power by the international community, a Kabila that has remain insistent in the Democratic Republic of Congo amongst others.  Jonathan refused to add his name to that shameful list.

    By initially admitting defeat and ensuring a rancour free political transition, Jonathan won the admiration of many and cast himself as a global reputable figure. As a result, he was invited to lecture at the prestigious Oxford Union on October 24, 2016. Jonathan had earlier attended and delivered a speech at the annual United States Presidential Precinct in December 2015. There were similar other occasions that recognized Jonathan. In spite of the general ineptitude that characterized his government and his loss at the polls, many still held the former helmsman in good esteem for his peaceful exit from office.

    All that was before the true inner mind of Jonathan was revealed in Segun Adeniyi’s new book, “Against the Run of Play”.  By Adeniyi’s account, Jonathan blamed everyone other than himself for his rejection at the polls. The many gaffes that saw bad news traumatized populace to send him packing did not matter in Jonathan’s estimation.

    It will be remembered that the loss that was finally delivered to him at the April 2015 polls was preceded by his disorganizing of his political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This was amply captured by Adeniyi on page 27 of the said book, when he said “Apparently unmindful of the fact that politics is a game of additions, Jonathan spent most of his time in office fighting many PDP members who eventually left the party for him, starting from his home state”.  The country was witness to how five serving governors on the platform of a ruling party decamped to the waiting opposition that gleefully accepted them. Little was done, by the ruling party, to placate these members that in no small measure eventually aided the unseating of Jonathan. Adeniyi pointed this out when he said “By helping to push so many people away, the handlers of Jonathan were acting in ways that suggested naivety to the politics of the time”.

    In place of formidable politicians that would have helped his cause, the citizenry was bemused by Transformation Agenda of Nigeria (TAN) and other similar hurriedly assembled associations that sang and danced at political rallies, giving little conviction on why Jonathan should be returned into office.

    This is just as then President Jonathan mismanaged the affair of the Chibok girls. The prevailing assumption in the presidency as was later confirmed in Adeniyi’s book was that the capture of the Chibok girls was a ruse, meant to discredit his government. The insurgents had weeks of head start before a reluctant president mobilized the ill-equipped security forces to get the girls back. – a feat that proved elusive till the lapse of Jonathan’s days in office as president.

    The toga of corruption that surrounded Jonathan and his presidency was another major setback the Jonathan presidency refused to address. The petroleum subsidy monumental fraud, the mismanagement of the Natural Resources Account in 2010 that had about N120 billion and the Stella Oduah scandal amongst numerous others brought an awareness of the magnitude of waste and mismanagement that were taking place in the presidency. Adeniyi stated “For the Jonathan’s administration, it became a case of one day, one scandal”. The president did little in tackling these issues. It shunned every entreaty to clean its stable.  Rather, the nation was told “stealing is not corruption”.

    All these were happening just as the then first lady, Patience Jonathan bestrode the Nigerian landscape with an unruly conduct. A local television station, beamed to the populace how on August 9, 2010 ‘the president’s wife” snatched the microphone from then Governor Rotimi Amaechi and lampooned him for daring to contemplate the demolition of parts of Okrika, her hometown. Mrs Jonathan would later in the heat of campaigns, despite the then obvious threat of potential loss of office for her husband, make the famous ‘born throway” utterance targeted at the north, the most populous voting bloc. Talk of political indiscretion!

    All these ignited a psychological revolt in the populace that sent Jonathan packing. The goodwill that ushered him into office in 2010 and 2011 was eroded and replaced by mass contempt that took permanent stay with him till the end of his presidency. Even places, like the North-central that voted him in 2011, turned against him in 2015.

    In “Against the Run of Play, Jonathan cited and blamed Western conspiracy for his defeat. Really? He similarly blamed the gang-up against him in Northern Nigeria. Jonathan was not done. He went on to blame civil societies and partly then chairman of Independent Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega for his failed bid at being re-elected into office. Even the opposition, he claimed engaged a malicious propaganda against him. One is left to wonder if the opposition was expected to trumpet his achievements. Everybody and everything aside himself is responsible for his failure at the polls.

    Jonathan’s “new song” typifies the “Nigerianness” in him. Nigeria is a country where accountability is low and bulk passing is the order of the day. Most public officials pass on the causes of their failures to other people and factors, absolving themselves of any wrong doing. This is symbolized in Jonathan who in spite of all the air of cluelessness that pervaded his time in office, refuses to acknowledge any short-comings. It will be assumed that a man of his intellect will at the very least reflect on his presidential days and acknowledge some of his mistakes that contributed to his failed re-election bid by an increasingly aware political nation. By not wholly admitting any shortcomings, and citing every kind of gang-up and conspiracy against him, it therefore in his estimation means the whole world assembled  to send him away from the presidency.

    Jonathan and his acolytes were mostly prodded on by the now proven false notion that an incumbent Nigerian president cannot lose. When the appearance of a loss started manifesting, they initiated an election postponement. Deliberate and enormous efforts were equally deployed to discredit the card reader. All these efforts failed to achieve its purpose as Jonathan went on to lose.

    Jonathan cannot be said to have achieved nothing in office. The federal universities his government established and revival of the comatose railway transport system, among other few will forever be remembered. But so will the many gaffes that characterized his term in office.

    It should be a time of reflections for the former president. This reflection should manifest in his utterances. The blame game is very unbefitting of him.

     

  • Still on Jonathan’s blues

    Abdullahi Usman was Personal Assistant to former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, and his Recorder at the National Collation Centre for both the 2011 and 2015 national elections. He was in the thick of collation of the 2015 presidential and National Assembly (NASS) poll results, and here rejoins to claims of vote disparity in the following piece titled:

    Alleged one million-vote disparity in 2015 Kano results

    In his book, Against the Run of Play: How an incumbent president was defeated in Nigeria, Olusegun Adeniyi cited former President Goodluck Jonathan alleging a huge disparity in the election results from Kano State in respect of the presidential and National Assembly elections conducted by INEC on March 28, 2015. On pages 17 and 18 of the 221-page book, reference was made to a potential disparity of one million votes, as reported inter alia: “Go and check the results from Kano. The presidential election and that of National Assembly happened on the same day and same time. The National Assembly result reflected that about 800,000 people voted but that of the presidential election reflected a vote of about 1.8million.”

    In the same introductory section, a friend and former colleague in the electoral commission described this as “nothing particularly special,” and went on to explain, amongst others, that the alleged scenario in Kano was a “general trend (across the country) as many voters were more interested in the presidential election than in other elections;” but he was not specifically recorded as having disputed that outrageous disparity. While not disagreeing with his submission, it is important to stress that the figures ascribed to each of the two elections were nowhere near the actual number of voters in the official results.

    The 2015 presidential and NASS elections held on the same day nationwide. The NASS poll was for seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, hence three separate elections were simultaneously conducted on the said date.

    To compare the number of voters in the presidential election with voter turnout in each of the two NASS elections in any state, we must first arrive at the total number of votes cast in each of the NASS elections in that state. And, to do that, the three Senatorial Districts’ vote tally must be added together to get the cumulative number in respect of the senatorial election in the entire state, while the total number of Federal Constituencies in respect of the House of Representatives seats contested (which happens to be 24 in Kano) must equally be tallied to arrive at the grand total. The three can then be compared to see if there is any disparity, before we can proffer probable reasons for such disparity – if any.

    As we may recall from our elementary school Mathematics, the part cannot be greater than the whole. Consequently, the reference to 1.8million as the total number of people that voted in the presidential election in Kano cannot logically be correct where one of the 14 presidential candidates secured over 1.9million votes in that same election. The total number of votes cast in the 2015 presidential election in Kano State was 2,172,447, as captured on INEC’s Presidential Election Summary of Results From States “Form EC 8D (A)” – a stamped and sealed copy of which was given out to agents of all political parties on the ballot, and to representatives of security agencies present at the Collation Centre following formal declaration by the Commission in the early hours of March 31, 2015.

    This figure is broken down as follows: party/candidate with the highest votes scored 1,903,999 votes; party/candidate that came second scored 215,779 votes; the remaining 12 parties/candidates cumulatively scored 9,043 votes (which made it essentially a two-horse race). Total valid votes were 2,128,821; while rejected votes stood at 43,626, representing 2.01% of total votes cast. Total number of registered voters in Kano was 4,943,862, while number accredited was 2,364,434. The difference of 191,987 between accredited voters and total votes cast owed to those that failed to show up for voting after accreditation.

    The 2.01%  rejected votes for Kano was not dissimilar to many other states that recorded large voter turnout for that election. Examples are Kaduna (total votes cast – 1,650,201), Rivers (1,584,768), Katsina (1,481,714), Delta (1,284,848) and Akwa Ibom (1,028,551) with percentages of rejected votes at 1.98%, 1.22%, 2.17%, 1.33% and 1.12% respectively. Overall rejected votes percentage nationwide stood at 2.87% of the 29,432,083 total votes cast, compared to 3.19% recorded in 2011 out of 39,469,484 total votes cast.

    For the two NASS elections, both of which also ended up as two-horse races, INEC’s official results as published in various national dailies (excluding rejected votes and the cumulative votes scored by other parties in the election) were as follows:

    Senatorial election: (1) Kano Central: Winning candidate – 758,383; Runner-up – 205,809, (2) Kano North: Winning candidate – 381,393; Runner-up – 107,845 and (3) Kano South: Winning candidate – 498,528; Runner-up – 145,923. Total votes scored by the two leading political parties were 2,097,881. These excluded rejected ballots and votes scored by other parties that contested election in each Senatorial District, which could explain the difference of 74,566 compared to total votes cast in the presidential election.

    House of Representatives election: (1) Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure: Winner – 66,091; Runner-up – 30,129. (2) Karaye/Rogo: Winner – 54,907; Runner-up – 30,129. (3) Dala: Winner – 91,616; Runner-up – 4,740. (4) Nasarawa: Winner – 111,473; Runner-up – 12, 608. (5) Fagge: Winner – 44,226; Runner-up – 12,700. (6) Dawakin Tofa/Tofa/Rimin Gado: Winner – 79,473; Runner-up – 21,490. (7) Kura/Madobi/Garun-Mallan: Winner – 82,555; Runner-up – 30,708. (8) Ungogo/Minjibir: Winner – 89,945; Runner-up – 23,993. (9) Bagwai/Shanono: Winner – 48,548; Runner-up – 18,864. (10) Gwarzo/Kabo: Winner – 67,770; Runner-up – 17,610. (11) Kunchi/Tsanyawa: Winner – 53,250; Runner-up – 9,550. (12) Takai/Sumaila: Winner – 79,486; Runner-up – 21,521. (13) Tarauni: Winner – 55,221; Runner-up – 14,013. (14) Gezawa/Gabasawa: Winner – 65,114; Runner-up – 17,553. (15) Bichi: Winner – 39,408; Runner-up – 11,862. (16) Danbatta/Makoda: Winner – 52,871; Runner-up – 17,988. (17) Tudun Wada/Doguwa: Winner – 67,350; Runner-up – 16,844. (18) Dawakin Kudu/Warawa: Winner – 57,528; Runner-up – 21,338. (19) Kano Municipal Council: Winner – 81,104; Runner-up – 14,804. (20) Kumbotso: Winner – 50,549; 1st Runner-up – 14,239; 2nd Runner-up – 6,762. (21) Gwale: Winner – 47,179; Runner-up -13,382. (22) Kiru/Bebeji: Winner – 55,589; Runner-up – 22,674. (23) Wudil/Garko: Winner – 65,905; Runner-up – 11,169 and (24) Gaya/Ajingi/Albasu: Winner – 94,782; Runner-up – 13,862. Total votes scored by the two leading parties in the House of Representatives election across the state amounted to 2,032,472. These excluded rejected ballots and votes scored by other political parties, which could also explain the shortfall of 139,975 votes compared to the presidential votes tally.

    From the foregoing breakdown, it should be evident that any allusion to a probable disparity of one million votes between the number of people that voted in the presidential election and those that voted in either of the two NASS elections is nothing but an illusion.

     

    • Abdullahi Usman writes from usmanabd@gmail.com
  • Jonathan caused own downfall, says ex-IGP Coomassie

    Jonathan caused own downfall, says ex-IGP Coomassie

    •He ignored our warnings

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) hit back yesterday at former President Goodluck Jonathan for saying the North betrayed him in the 2015 elections, and caused his defeat.

    Chairman of the ACF, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, said Jonathan has only himself to blame for the fate that befell him in the election.

    The retired Inspector General of Police told The Nation in Abuja that contrary to the former President’s view about the North, the region actually wanted him to rise to the stature of a national hero.

    It was for this reason, he said, that Northern leaders made many pleas and sent warnings to him to “guide him away from failure.”

    Coomassie, said Jonathan ignored them all and chose the path of failure.

    “Who betrayed him? Surely, the north did not!” he said.

    “This man was in office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for six years. During that period, Boko Haram was flagrantly ravaging the North-East, killing people, destroying property, including schools and kidnapping school children.

    “As chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, I know that we warned him and I even addressed an open letter to him; he did not respond and he did nothing even though the Constitution says that the purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people.

    “For that alone, he failed to carry so many Nigerians along.

    “So, how could he then feel morally justified to contest for re-election as President? I still stand on my point: I have said it before, I do not mince words and I keep on saying it: why should he now, two years afterwards, say that he was betrayed by northerners. Which northerners?

    “What about the issue of all these monies that we are now discovering here and there? From where did they come?

    “We want explanations; we want the current government to find out all those involved in allowing the taking and the hiding of these monies. From where did they get the money, what was it meant for?

    “We had even been told of how he (the former President) was going around by himself and distributing money before the election; so why should he say he was betrayed by northerners?

    “He should name them (those that betrayed him) and tell us what they did to deceive him. We go by the law and we had told him many things in writing.”

    Coomassie stopped short of calling for Jonathan’s prosecution for alleged corruption.

    He said there is no reason why the searchlight of the security and anti-graft agencies should not be beamed on anyone who has occupied public office.

    “We are waiting for the government agencies that are responsible for investigations and prosecution in this country to do their job,” he said.

    “We have seen the efforts being made by the current government through certain recoveries and arrests; we are waiting for the outcome of ongoing investigations and prosecution – anybody who is culpable or found liable must be dealt with, according to the provisions of the law.”

    He further said that it was shocking and disappointing that President Jonathan ignored the warning of the north and well-meaning Nigerians from other parts of the country who warned him against seeking re-election.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • UN youths appoint Jonathan BoT co-chairman

    UN youths appoint Jonathan BoT co-chairman

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been appointed co-chairman, Board of Trustee (BoT) of World Youth United Nations Organisation (WYUNO) alongside Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres,
    WYUNO President-General Ambassador AdeniyiAdeyemi, disclosed this in a statement at his office in Geneva, Switzerland signed by his spokesman Adeola Badru.
    He said: “The duo is to support the office of WYUNO President-General in its efforts at generating momentum and commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and to empower youths across the globe.
    “The SDGs was adopted by world leaders at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015.
    “It represented a commitment by all nations to work together to end poverty, achieve shared prosperity, build peace, and secure a life of dignity and a healthy planet for present and future generations.”
    He said that the appointment would last for a period of 10 years, leveraging their unique standing and leadership to promote the SDGs as part of an ambitious and global agenda.
    Adeyemi said that there would be a continuous focus on youths in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, employment, civic engagement, peace and security as well as promotion of youth policies.
    He also said that they would ensure the integration of gender perspective across all workable areas.

  • Jonathan eulogises Yar’Adua on death’s anniversary

    Jonathan eulogises Yar’Adua on death’s anniversary

    Former president Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday  hailed his predecessor, the late Umaru Yar’Adua as a democrat, peacemaker and gift to Nigeria.

    Jonathan, in a tribute on the seventh anniversary of Yar’Adua’s death, said the late President “left  this world leaving behind a legacy of detribalized leadership and a soil that was fertile enough to grow trees.”

    The tribute was posted on the social media.

    His words: “Seven years ago, you left this world, leaving behind a legacy of detribalized leadership and a soil that was fertile enough to grow trees whose shade you would never enjoy.

    “As a peacemaker, you helped bring peace to the Niger Delta and that singular act brought manifold benefits to Nigeria.

    “As a democrat, you promoted due process in government and equity in public administration.

    “Umar Musa Yar’adua, a friend and brother, a great gift to the nation and people of Nigeria. Seven years gone but never forgotten.

    “May you rest in peace even as we hope and believe that you made al-Jannah firdaus. Miyetti Allah for the life of service you lived and May Almighty God care for the family you left behind.”

    Jonathan served as Yar’Adua’s deputy between May 29, 2007 and May 5, 2010.

    His death paved the way for Jonathan to be sworn-in as President.

  • Yar’Adua, a detribalized leader – Jonathan

    Yar’Adua, a detribalized leader – Jonathan

    Former president Goodluck Jonathan on Friday hailed his predecessor, the late Umaru Yar’Adua as a democrat, peacemaker and gift to Nigeria.

    Jonathan, in a tribute on the seventh anniversary of Yar’Adua’s death, said the late President “left this world leaving behind a legacy of detribalized leadership and a soil that was fertile enough to grow trees.”

    The tribute was posted the social media.

    He said: “Seven years ago you left this world leaving behind a legacy of detribalized leadership and a soil that was fertile enough to grow trees whose shade you would never enjoy. As a peacemaker, you helped bring peace to the Niger Delta and that singular act brought manifold benefits to Nigeria. As a democrat, you promoted due process in government and equity in public administration. Umar Musa Yar’adua, a friend and brother, a great gift to the nation and people of Nigeria. Seven years gone but never forgotten. May you Rest In Peace even as we hope and believe that you made al-Jannah firdaus. Miyetti Allah for the life of service you lived and May Almighty God care for the family you left behind.”

    Jonathan served as Yar’Adua’s deputy between May 29, 2007 and May 5, 2010.

    His death paved the way for Jonathan to be sworn-in as the country’s President.

     

  • Amaechi: Jonathan govt blew N34b on River Niger

    Amaechi: Jonathan govt blew N34b on River Niger

    AFTER paying a contractor N34 billion for the dredging of the River Niger,  former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration failed to get the job done.

    The Muhammadu Buhari administration is spending N100m on the job, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi said yesterday in Lagos. It was at the opening of a conference on Fast-tracking Port Reforms hosted by The Nation in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Epsilon Limited.

    The minister said: ”When the River Niger was first approved for dredging by the previous administration, it was approved for N47billion and N34billion was paid to the contractor. Dancers were called in and there was a party.

    “We are not dredging the River Niger with billions of naira; we are dredging the River Niger with just N100m. When we flagged it off recently, did you see us dancing? Was there a party? I just went to see the governor and told him that the project will start today and will be finished in one month.

    “The governor said he will accompany me, and I said ‘ok’. So, I asked the governor to flag it off since it’s located in his state.”

    Amaechi went on: “People are wondering how on earth we are going to dredge the River Niger for N100m when the previous government awarded same contract for N47billion? But we are going to dredge the River Niger, using dredgers owned by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

    “NIWA has dredgers, but the previous government preferred to give contractors money to dredge the river with private dredgers while NIWA’s dredgers were lying idle somewhere in Port Harcourt.

    “The NIWA MD told me the agency has dredgers, but it’s been hired out to somebody in Port Harcourt. So, we had dredgers, but the previous administration hired them out to some persons in Port Harcourt while paying a contractor billions of naira to use privately owned dredgers at a very high cost.

    “I told the NIWA MD that I will look for money to fuel their dredgers, and work has started. That is why we are dredging the River Niger with just N100m,” Amaechi said.

    In 2011, the Jonathan administration approved the Lower River Niger Dredging Project from Warri, in Delta State, to Baro, in Niger State, to four contractors — Fung Tai Eng Company Nigeria Limited, Dredging International Service Nigeria Limited, Van Oord Nigeria Limited and Williams Lloyds Technology Company Limited.

    Last year, the Nigerian Indigenous Ship-Owners Association (NISA)  accused NIWA of bungling the dredging contract of the Lower River Niger.

    NISA President Aminu Umar  told a national daily:  ”We keep hearing that the River Niger has been dredged down to Warri, but how has that improved the traffic of vessels along that route? I don’t think that river was dredged.

    “If truly NIWA dredged that River, then there ought to have been increase in movement of goods along that route. Nothing has changed before and after the so-called dredging that they claimed to have done.

    “To be honest with you, from the shipping community, we don’t think any dredging has taken place on that river.

    ”How can the Federal Government approve N43 billion for the dredging of the River Niger and nothing would have changed? How can such money have been spent on that river and it still looks like that?

    “Please help us ask NIWA to make public the draft of the River Niger before and after the dredging. We need to know what such money was used for because we are talking of hundreds of millions of dollars if it is converted into foreign currency.

    “NIWA should come out with details of what they did with N43  billion on that river between 2011 and 2015.”

    Addressing over 800 participants at the forum,  Amaechi said $186m had been approved by President Buhari for the fight against piracy and other criminalities on the waterways.

    Part of the money, the Minister said, would be spent on three helicopters and three other aircraft, among others.

    His words: “Mr. President has approved $186million to fight piracy in our waters. The funds will be used to buy  three helicopters, three aircraft, 12 vessels stationed in the water. In the next three months, all of them would  be deployed to fight piracy on our waters.

    “We promised change. Change is not talked about; it is felt. That is why we asked that the people should give us time.”

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman spoke of  gateways to international trade as major accelerators of local economic development.

    Said Ms. Usman: “According to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Netherlands has been able to sustain a relatively high economic growth rate because of the Port of Rotterdam, in spite of the intensely competitive environment in Europe.  The success of Singapore is equally attributed to the Port of Singapore, which has developed a transport logistic centre and has successfully been able to attract foreign investment.

    “It is thereby acknowledged that the maritime sector, an essential component of the transportation system, is crucial for wealth creation.

    “However, a port becomes an active wheel of an economy only if it is run efficiently. One of the key areas of efficiency that our ports require is the national single window .I am pleased to announce that the Authority and the Nigerian Customs Service have concluded the operational model for establishing the national single window and will in the next few months commence with the public tender process of selecting the vendors that will deploy the required information technology infrastructure.”

    “Presently, the function of a port is not only limited to traditional activities but has expanded to a logistical platform.  Ports not only perform the basic operations (embarking, disembarking and transferring of passengers and crew, loading, unloading and transhipment of cargo to and from the vessels, storage and warehousing of merchandise on land and stevedoring to and from vessels), they provide inland access and intermodal connections as well as complementary services to shipping carriers,” she said.

    Given the abundant mineral and agricultural resources available in most regions of Nigeria and the desire of the Federal Government to diversify the economy, Ms Usman said there was the need to explore opportunities to boost economic development.

    The President Buhari administration, she said, has identified agriculture and solid minerals as upbeat and that the maritime Industry will play a major role in the movement of the produce and minerals to international market.

    “ In February this year, all terminal operators and shipping companies were mandated by the Nigerian Ports Authority to set up fast-track desks for export of solid minerals and agricultural produce.  Process of review of associated existing procedures and protocols has been commenced to ensure efficiency and intended results are achieved.

    For the Nigerian ports to play this key role in the economy an efficient rail system will be needed  in moving agricultural produce and solid mineral from the locations of production that are usually in the hinterlands  to the seaports for export.  The Federal Ministry of Transportation has embarked on a $2 billion concession rail project to be handled by General Electric which will provide the needed intermodal support.  It will cover about 3,500km (2,200 miles) of existing narrow gauge lines from the Southwestern commercial capital, Lagos to Kano in the North and Southeastern oil hub, Port Harcourt, to Maiduguri in the Northeast.

    “We are already recording increase in export of agricultural produce. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in its Trade Intensity Index Report for the Q3, 2016, export of frozen shrimps and prawns for the period July to September were worth over N5billion; Sasame seed export was worth over N4.8billion in the same period; income from cashew export exceeded N2billion; soya beans yielded over N4billion; ginger contributed over $30million.

    “Developing the ports is very crucial for realising the lofty but achievable development objectives of the Federal Government,” she said.

    The Managing Director and Editor -in-Chief  of The Nation Mr Victor Ifijeh, thanked Amaechi for acceding to the request to collaborate with the paper on the summit.

    “ This clearly attests to his willingness to make himself available for all initiatives that can move the mariime sector forward and help fast-track the Nigerian economy.

    “We all know the problems of the Nigerian sea ports; they have been well-documented. They have also been the subject of various talks. Nevertheless, until the problems are adequately addressed, the need for more engagements like we are having now cannot be overemphasised.”

    For the Federal Government’s plans for the sector to succeed, the Editor-in-Chief said the port agencies need to integrate their plans and carry along not only the stakeholders but the public.

    He urged the forum to create  a peer-facilitated platform which can be used to make the agencies accountable to the goal jointly agreed.

    “Considering the presence of maritime experts at this forum, we are confident that lasting solutions will be provided to the challenges bedeviling smooth ports operation.,” he said.

    Ifijeh thanked the Chief Executives of NPA, NIMASA, NIWA, the Nigerian Shippers Council, the participants and other stakeholders for supporting the forum.

    Others who spoke include:  Spokesperson and Director, Public Enlightenment, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related Offences Commission (ICPC) Rasheedat Okoduwa and Senior Special Assistant to the National President on Technical Matters, Research, and Training, Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agents, Francis Omotosho.