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Tag: Jonathan

  • I can’t be a party to Nigeria’s disintegration, says Jonathan

    I can’t be a party to Nigeria’s disintegration, says Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday declared that he would never be involved in moves to disintegrate Nigeria.

    He spoke when he was decorated with the “Peace-Loving Global Citizen” Award by the Universal Peace Federation led by Lagos lawyer Mike Ozekhome at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, he conceded defeat in the March 28 Presidential election in the interest of Nigeria and that he could not withstand deaths of Nigerians over his political ambition.

    He said: “I took that decision because I told people around me that no matter the ambition anybody has, you must have a nation first; and I used to say that even if I should be the President for the next 25 years, I will not be a happy person if so many Nigerians are killed because of me.

    “One thing is to hold office; another thing is to be happy to satisfy your conscience. Yes there are different human beings. If you look at the behaviour of some people, even among siblings of the same family, some of them could turn to be Imams or Pastors; while some of them are armed robbers.

    “So, if persons have that characters of criminal or somebody who is very vindictive, somebody who is by nature doesn’t care that people were dying; then of course even if half your country men and women are dying, you may celebrate it.

    “But fortunately for me, God didn’t create me that way. And I cannot take it. So, I believe that for us to hold any office we want to, we must have a nation.

    “Everybody knows about the prediction of Nigeria disintegrating, and anything could have made that prediction come through; after all we fought a civil war for about three years before as a nation.”

    He reminded the gathering that his Vice-President, Namadi Sambo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also deserved the encomiums poured on him since his historic telephone call to congratulate the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari after the March 28 poll.

    The President urged the incoming government of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to appreciate the good contributions of every Nigerian towards nation-building irrespective of political party or creed.

    Jonathan made reference to the National Conference report which he was looking forward to implement before he lost the presidential poll in March.

    He was optimistic that the incoming administration would take time to appreciate such contributions of Nigerians from every part of the country in the efforts to build a greater nation.

    He said: “We have our challenges, of course, we had a national conference; the idea of the conference is to look at these weak cleavages we have in this country.

    “And we just finished that conference and we are thinking about how to implement it so that Nigeria will become more stronger and united nation. I cannot be a party to disintegration of the country.

    “But I’m quite pleased with what has happened; we have a country; country will be more united. I believe and do pray that the incoming government should appreciate the contributions of everybody and see how we run Nigeria as a country that belongs to everybody, for all citizens; irrespective of political persuasion or creed; so that is what I stand for.”

    The President advised Nigerians to strengthen the weak cleavages abound in the country and not exploit them for negative purposes.

    On the award, he said: “We are pleased with your comments and that you have come to identify with us and of course the offers and the awards are marvelous, to step into the big shoes of Chief Ernest Shonekan.

    “I hope my tiny legs will fit in, you have also given me a platform to go and interface with the world. We will look at how far  it can go.”

    Ozekhome hailed Jonathan for conceding defeat.

    He said: “Given your uncommon, almost unnatural gesture of conceding victory to your opponent, we want you to go back to Otuoke a very proud man. You are the greatest democrat we have ever had in this country. History will be fair to you,” he said.

    He described the President as a global peace ambassador as he announced the nomination of Jonathan to the Board of the Universal Peace Federation in place of former Head of State Ernest Shonekan who stepped down recently.

    He also invited Jonathan to an international conference of the Federation holding in South Korea in August.

     

  • Jonathan releases N5b to buy stoves for rural women

    Jonathan releases N5b to buy stoves for rural women

    President Goodluck Jonathan has released N5 billion to the Ministry of Environment for the purchase of clean cook stoves for rural women, a project which is expected to gulp N9.2 billion.

    Minister of Environment Laurentia Mallam, who said this yesterday, added that the President will inaugurate the project today.

    Mrs. Mallam said the stoves will be distributed to women in the rural areas through the state ministries of environment.

    According to her, the contractor, Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited, has been given N1.3 billion from the N5 billion released by the Federal Government.

    She spoke during an inspection visit to the Velodrome at the National Stadium, Abuja, where some of the 750,000 stoves were being assembled.

    The minister added that clean cook stoves will help to discourage the use of firewood for cooking, which she said is one of the causes of desertification in the North.

    She said: “We started in the northern parts of the country because of the challenges we are facing there with the desert encroaching into the country and people still cut down trees.

    “Now, the President wants it to spread throughout the country and so we have this project.

    “The ministry has received N5 billion so far. You know when N9.2 billion was approved by the Federal Government last year, we told Nigerians that N9.2 billion has been approved by the Federal Government. But so far, N5 billion has been released to the ministry.

    “We have given the contractor 15 per cent, which is N1.3 billion. That is what we have released to the contractor and we still have N3.7 billion in the ministry’s account.”

    Mrs. Mallam added that by 2020, most women in the rural areas will have access to the stoves.

  • Jonathan, BoT members meet at Aso Rock

    Jonathan, BoT members meet at Aso Rock

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday night met with other members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting started around 9.05 p.m when Jonathan arrived the Banquet Hall of the State House venue of the meeting.

    While the agenda of the meeting was not made public, it is expected to discuss, among other issues, replacement of the BOT Chairman following the resignation of its immediate Chairman, Tony Anenih.

    Among those who attended the meeting are the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Tony Anenih, Acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus.

    Others include former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, PDP Women National Leader, Kema Chikwe, former Minister of Defence, Bello Mohammed, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu.

    Also at the meeting are the Chief of Staff to the President, Jones Arogbofa, Senator Hope Uzodinma, BOT Secretary, Walid Jibril, former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Josephine Anenih,

    The meeting was still ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

     

  • I disagreed with Jonathan on principle, says Amaechi

    I disagreed with Jonathan on principle, says Amaechi

    • ‘My records are clean’
    •Fed Govt owes Rivers N105b

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has said he disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan on principle.

    The governor said he was unhappy over the alleged overbearing attitude of First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    He promised to tell his story of a tortuous journey to power at the appropriate time.

    Amid applause, Amaechi said his records in office are clean.

    The governor said his clean mandate unsettled the Presidency from setting up any anti-graft agency against him.

    Amaechi, who spoke in Abuja at the presentation of a documentary on: The Amaechi years, said his disagreement with Jonathan was based on his belief that events in the country would not enhance good governance.

    He said: “People have asked me why am I opposed to Goodluck Jonathan. At the point the fight started, instead of receiving money from the Federal Government, we were sending money to the Federal Government.

    “Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police reports to the wife of the President? That is happening in Rivers State. Have you seen a country where a Brigade Commander reports to the wife of the President or where the Navy Commander or Air Force Commander reports to the wife of the President? This happened in Rivers State.

    “The wife of the President would come, they would go and wait for her at the airport. She would tell them to come at 9am but she would come by noon. They would escort her to her house, she would go upstairs and come down by 9pm and they would all be on ground waiting for her.

    “She would say: ‘I heard you greeted Amaechi last week. Why did you greet him? I will transfer you, and you are transferred.’ The more she did that, the more the President turned his back and the more I fought because I felt that such a system is not a system that will make Nigeria grow. Why I agree with my friends who say: ‘Forget the past because it is gone.’ I think it is a lesson.

    “Governance is about the man that has been elected. He has the responsibility to deliver services to the people. There was a time when it was everywhere that the Supreme Court would remove Amaechi.

    “That was until we defeated them at the Supreme Court. I told the Rivers people to go about their businesses because I had finished praying and that President Jonathan could not remove me.

    “We are leaving at the same time. They didn’t want me to stay till the end, but here I am staying till the end.”

    Amaechi told a large audience that his records in office are clean.

    He added: “Try to keep your books clean because if you do, you can abuse anybody. Just imagine if things were bad. Forget what they may cook up now that we are leaving office because I am also prepared to fight them, if they cook up any story.

    “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There is no way he will not have something on the governor of Rivers. So, if they cannot come out now and say Amaechi, you stole N100 million, it means they are still trying to look for facts which they don’t have yet. If you keep your records clean, you can wake up and tell anybody that this can’t continue.”

    Amaechi said his administration spent N105 billion on the repairs of federal road, adding that President Jonathan promised to refund the money.

    The governor said the President refused to pay “and will not pay because he is leaving office”.

    He said: “People have been pursuing me to write my story or allow them to write my story. I say anybody can write any story as they want. But I will not contribute because, if I tell you my story, when I am ready to write, nobody will buy it. I will tell my story at the appropriate time…”

     

     

     

     

  • Jonathan and the President’s Cup

    Even as things may not look too bright in all other sectors under his tenure, President Goodluck Jonathan has been described as the top in sports ahead of all the past Nigerian leaders.

    The Nigerian sports has been claimed to have won more trophies and laurels under his administration.

    His close exit from power has not diminished his love for sports as he is supporting the ongoing President Cup holding in Abuja.

    The President Cup is an annual football competition aimed at discovering new talents to feed the various Nigeria’s national football teams.

    Jonathan through the Minister of Sports, Tammy Daminagogo  kicked-off the opening football match of the maiden President Cup competition between Kano and Kaduna teams at the main bowl of the National Stadium, Abuja last week Monday.

    Total of sixteen teams in four groups are slugging it out in four venues in Abuja including the National Stadium, Old Parade Ground Area 10, FIFA Goal Project and Sports centre Area 3.

    Other states featuring in the competition are Lagos, Plateau, FCT, Imo, Abia, Oyo, Benue, Ondo.

    Also featuring in the competition are Zamfara, Bauchi, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Enugu.

    President Jonathan, who will be busy with preparations for the handover and inauguration of the incoming government, is again expected to be represented at the final match of the competition billed for the main bowl of the National Stadium, Abuja by 3.00 p.m tomorrow, 27th of May.

    There is no doubt that the football competition has offered the youths some fun and some level of exposure towards selling them to the world.

    Besides picking some injuries during the competition, some of the players may get the opportunity to sign up for some local football clubs as many football coaches throng the venues of the competition, scouting for young, talented players.

    Some of them might even get luckier to be called up to any of the national teams at the end of the competition.

    But with the Jonathan’s administration ending in the next three days, there is anxiety among the players if the competition will go beyond this first edition.

     

    When Jonathan, Aso Villa worshipers part ways

     

    Last week Sunday was not only the last church service President Goodluck Jonathan attended at the Aso Villa Chapel under his tenure, but it was the last service to be conducted by the Anglican Communion under the leadership of the Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba.

    This is because Sunday service was not held at the Chapel two days ago as May 24 has been scheduled for an interdenominational service at the National Christian Centre as part of programme for the inauguration of the incoming government.

    To say that the service in the Chapel last week Sunday was emotion-filled is understatement as the key players managed to keep tears away from the thanksgiving and farewell service.

    Apart from friends and well-wishers of the first family attending the service in large number which warranted an extension outside the hall with canopies and chairs, the choir, ushers and other members of the chapel were colorfully dressed for the day.

    While Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan confessed that they were going to miss the Chapel, the choir and other departments in the church, every minister who handled the microphone during the service also did not hide their feelings that they were going to miss the first family.

    The ministers recalled that the first family had never failed them any time they were embarking on any project in the church.

    What even excited the church most was the fact that Jonathan and the wife were leaving the State House, Abuja healthy and alive against evil predictions.

    Their safety and divine protection to the end of their tenure, some of the ministers noted, contrasted the experiences of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who lost his wife, Stella Obasanjo in office and former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who died in office in 2010.

    Highlight of the service was presentation of gifts to the first family by the Aso Villa Chapel Committee and the children department.

    After May 29, the Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is the highest Christian public office holder in the incoming government, is going to be the political leader of the Chapel.

    He is expected to take over the Chapel and move in clergy men from the Penticostal segment of the Christiandom to provide spiritual leadership.

    Being a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), he may also try to provide the leadership himself.

     

    Villa set for Buhari

     

    With three days to the handover of governance from President Goodluck Jonathan to the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, the seat of power seems set to receive Buhari and his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Apart from various repairs, cleaning and paintings done to some of the facilities in the State House in preparation for the new government, there is a mixed expectations from the staff in the Villa.

    Some of the key presidential aides closed to the out-going President, who have really enjoyed the tenure, are not too happy that the administration is coming to an end.

    Those among them, who are yet to fully clear their tables, have almost removed all their personal belongings from their offices as they are leaving the Villa with the President.

    Some top management civil servants, who have also enjoyed the outgoing government, have hoped that the administration will never come to an end. They are not too sure of what the future holds for them.

    But majority of the State House staff are in high spirit as May 29 draws near. They are full of expectation that the coming change of government will change their fortunes for good in no distant time.

    Most of the residents surrounding the Presidential Villa, who happen to come from the northern part of the country, are also excited with the coming change.

    To inspect and familiarize themselves with what is on ground before the handover date, President Jonathan is billed to lead Buhari and Osinbajo on tour of the Presidential Villa on Thursday 28th May.

  • I disagreed with Jonathan on principle – Amaechi

    I disagreed with Jonathan on principle – Amaechi

    The Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday said he disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan on principle.

    The governor said he was unhappy over the overbearing attitude of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    He promised to tell his story of a tortuous journey in power at the appropriate time.

    Amidst applause, Amaechi boasted that his records in office are clean.

    The All Progress Congress chieftain said the clean mandate disabled the Presidency from setting the anti-graft agency against him.

    Amaechi, who spoke at the presentation of a documentary on “The Amaechi years” said his disagreement with the President was based on the belief that events going on in the country were not good for governance.

    He said: “People have asked me why I opposed President Goodluck Jonathan. When the fight started, instead of receiving money from the Federal government, we were sending money to the Federal Government.

    “Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police reports to the wife of the President? That is happening in Rivers State. Have you seen a country where a Brigade Commander reports to the wife of the President or where the Navy Commander or Air force Commander reports to the wife of the President? This happened in Rivers State.

    “The wife of the President will come, they will go and wait for her at the airport. She will tell them to come there at 9.00am, she will come by 12noon. They will escort her to her house, she will go upstairs and come down by 9.00pm and they will all be on ground waiting for her.

    “She will say, I heard you greeted Amaechi last week. Why did you greet him? I will transfer you and you are transferred. The more she did that, the more the President turned his back, and the more I fought because I felt that such a system is not a system that will make Nigeria grow. Why I agree with my friends who says forget the past because it is gone, I think it is a lesson.

    “Governance is about the man that has been elected and he has the responsibility to deliver services to the people. There was a time when it was everywhere that the Supreme Court will remove Amaechi.

    “That was on until we defeated them at the Supreme Court. I told the Rivers people to go about their business because I have finished praying and that President Jonathan cannot remove me. We are leaving at the same time. They didn’t want me to stay to the end, but here I am staying till the end.”

  • Jonathan signs two bills into law

    Jonathan signs two bills into law

    President Goodluck Jonathan has signed two bills – Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) bill 2015 and the Immigration bill 2015, into law.

    The two bills had earlier been passed by the National Assembly.

    With the assent of the President, the two bills have now become Acts.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed the assent to the bills to State House correspondents, on Monday.

    The Senate passed the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) bill 2015 on May 4.

    The Act seeks to prohibit female circumcision or genital mutilation, forceful ejection from home and harmful widowhood practices.

    It also prohibits abandoning of spouse, children and other dependents without sustenance, battery and harmful traditional practices.

     

  • Jonathan handing over nation in deep crises, says APC

    Jonathan handing over nation in deep crises, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Goodluck Jonathan is handing over a nation in a deep crisis. It alleged that the administration continues to contrive more crises without making any effort to solve any of them.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged Nigerians not to lose hope, despite the daunting challenges they are facing in this atmosphere of contrived chaos, saying “help is on the way”.

    ‘’In a few days’ time, President Jonathan will hand over to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari. Never in the history of our country has any government handed over to another a more distressed country: No electricity, no fuel, workers are on strike, billions are owed to state and federal workers, 60 billion dollars are owed in national debt and the economy is virtually grounded.

    ‘’Today, Nigerians are roaming the streets, jerry cans in hand, searching for everything from kerosene to fuel to diesel to power their homes, keep their vehicles on the road and keep their businesses going. They are paying as much as N300 per litre for fuel, if at all they can get it. Yet their government is not saying a word about the situation,’’ it said.

    APC said while the Jonathan Administration had arrogantly told Nigerians that it remains in office and in power till May 29, all it has been doing is sacking people and making new appointments as if it had been deprived of the opportunity to do so in the past six years.

    ‘’They are not interested in how to end the fuel scarcity that has paralysed the socio-economic lives of Nigerians, they are not interested in how to raise electricity production from its unprecedentedly-low level of 1,327 megawatts, they are not doing anything to end the strike by blue and while collar oil workers, or to stop the impending one.

    ‘’They say they are in office till May 29th, but they do not care how workers in 18 states, who are owed a total of N300 billion in salaries under their watch, or federal workers who are owed N400 billion, will be paid. Yet they are running a budget of N1 trillion deficit.

    ‘’They have deliberately stopped meeting their obligations to oil marketers, which is now around 200 billion Naira, hence no one is lifting petroleum products anymore. If the current energy crisis is not solved soonest, the telecommunications sector could even be grounded in a matter of days as service providers will have neither electricity nor fuel to power their base stations. Of course the aviation sector has already been left comatose by the fuel crisis. The whole scenario reeks of sabotage!,’’ the party said.

    APC said before PDP’s and Jonathan Administration’s spin doctors distort its message, it is important to let Nigerians know that the party (APC) is not engaging in lamentations but simply keeping the citizenry informed of the situation on the ground, with just five days to handover date.

    ‘’If we thought the nation was being well managed and there was no problem, we would not have embarked on a campaign of change. While we are ready, willing and able to begin to address the mammoth challenges facing us as a nation as soon as we assume office at the centre in a few days’ time, we will not hesitate for a second to keep Nigerians informed of how we have been brought to this sorry pass, with a view to avoiding such a tragic turn in the future,’’ the party said.

    It expressed sadness that the nation has been on auto pilot for the past several weeks, as the outgoing administration has shown neither the capacity nor the willingness to resolve any of the crises it has contrived and foisted on the nation.

    ‘’This is the most vivid manifestation of the old saying that literally translates to a departing office holder defecating on the chair he is vacating,’’ APC said.

  • Jonathan seeks prayer for Buhari ‘not to make mistakes’

    Jonathan seeks prayer for Buhari ‘not to make mistakes’

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday  urged Nigerians to pray for the success of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and the incoming government.

    He said the prayer was necessary so that the incoming government does not make costly mistakes that could adversely impact on Nigerians.

    He spoke during the 2015 Presidential Thanksgiving and Inauguration Interdenominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

    It was attended by Vice-President elect Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and his wife Dolapo, First Lady Patience, Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Senate President David Mark, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim, President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and  Deputy Speaker House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha.

    Jonathan said: “I thank you for the support and I will call on you to pray for us who are leaving, because probably today is the last day I will speak to you here as the President of Nigeria.

    “But you should even pray more for the incoming government because we are now trying to manage our private businesses while they are coming to manage the whole country.

    “So they require more prayers because I can make a mistake and it will affect me, but if they make a mistake it will affect the whole nation. So I call on all of you and all religious bodies to pray for the incoming government to succeed because all what we want as a nation, both Nigerians at home and abroad, is for good government, prosperity, unity and peace. We cannot achieve that without the help of God.

    “I am quite please today we are here not to celebrate disintegration of this country, but we are celebrating the unity of this country. We are here not for service for mass burial, but we are here having service to inaugurate the incoming government.”

    “This being possible because of men and women like you who have been here praying for the country. God has designed everything.” He said

    Recalling that he was in the same church in 2007 as the Vice-President-elect.

    In his message Anglican Primate Archbishop Nicholas Okoh noted that the thanksgiving and praises on behalf of the first family and the incoming government was a period for counting their blessings and give thanks to God like David did in the Holy Bible in Psalm 103.

    He said: “It is the privilege of God that you are going home younger, in good health and with gratitude.”

    “As you leave office, you are leaving behind a new political attitude that no one’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

    He urged Jonathan and the first family to continue to trust in the Lord as the global stage now becomes his jurisdiction for peace promotion.

    Okoh called on Jonathan and all Nigerians to forgive all those who have offended them especially in the campaigns and elections period.

    He said: “How many times in this country have we come to a hedge as if the country was going to break up and somehow we come out of it.

    “Nigerians also rejoice because we are not running helter skelter.

    “God saved our country from the prophesy of doom. God saved us. The prophets of doom have been disappointed.” He added

    He said that even though Nigeria lacks some basic infrastructure, Nigerians are not hungry.

    Stressing that peace is an essential ingredient for development, he urged Nigerians to properly manage the present peace in the country.

    He also urged Nigerians to be patient with the incoming government as it takes time to build anything that will endure.

    “And so, we appeal to Nigerians to avoid the syndrome of ‘hossana’ today, ‘crucify’ him tomorrow.”

    The vice President-elect sang praises to God in Igbo, Delta, Hausa, and Yoruba languages when invited to the podium.

    He prayed for God’s mercy, compassion, peace, joy, strength and long life for President Jonathan and his family as they leave office.

    He also prayed that God will make Nigeria what He has promised it to be.

    Scripture Reading 1 was taken by the Senate President from Isaiah 62: 1-7, while the Scripture Reading 2 was taken by Prof. Osinbajo from Luke 17: 11-19.

    An award and two Holy Bibles were given by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to President Jonathan and his wife for his outstanding Christian humility in public service, especially conceding defeat after the 2015 presidential election for the sake of peace.

    Two Holy Bibles were also given to Osinbajo and his wife by CAN.

    Intercessory prayers were said for the first family, the executive, legislature and judiciary arms of government, the President-elect and his family, the Vice President-elect, the church and the nation.

  • Pray more for Buhari, Jonathan urges Nigerians

    Pray more for Buhari, Jonathan urges Nigerians

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday urged Nigerians to pray more for the success of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and the incoming government.

    The prayers of Nigerians, he said, will ensure that the incoming government does not make costly mistakes that could adversely impact on Nigerians.

    He spoke during the 2015 Presidential Thanksgiving and Inauguration Interdenominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

    Jonathan said that when he came on board in 2007, he similarly called for prayers from Nigerians as there were little he could achieve as a mere mortal.

    “I thank you for the support and I will call on you to pray for us who are leaving, because probably today is the last day I will speak to you here as the President of Nigeria.

    “But you should even pray more for the incoming government because we are now trying to manage our private businesses while they are coming to manage the whole country.

    “So they require more prayers because I can make a mistake and it will affect me, but if they make a mistake, it will affect the whole nation. So I call on all of you and all religious bodies to pray for the incoming government to succeed because all what we want as a nation, both Nigerians at home and abroad, is for good government, prosperity, unity and peace. We cannot achieve that without the help of God,” Jonathan stated.

    Continuing, he said: “I am quite please today we are here not to celebrate disintegration of this country, but we are celebrating the unity of this country. We are here not for service for mass burial, but we are here having service to inaugurate the new incoming government.

    “This being possible because of men and women like you who have been here praying for the country. God has designed everything, ” he said.

    He noted that the nation has many reasons to thank God despite some challenges it has faced since amalgamation and independence times.

    Recalling that he was in the same church by this period in 2007 as the new Vice President elect under late President Umaru Yar’Adua, he pointed out that the only difference was that then was transition from PDP to PDP government while now is from PDP to APC government.

    In his message, the Anglican Primate, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh noted that the thanksgiving and praises on behalf of the first family and the incoming government was a period for counting their blessings and give thanks to God like David did in the Holy Bible in Psalm 103.

    According to him, God protected and guided Jonathan throughout his tenure.

    He said: “It is the privilege of God that you are going home younger, in good health and with gratitude.

    “As you leave office, you are leaving behind a new political attitude that no one’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

    He urged Jonathan and the first family to continue to trust in the Lord as the global stage now becomes his jurisdiction for peace promotion.

    Okoh called on Jonathan and all Nigerians to forgive all those who have offended them especially in the campaigns and elections period.

    He urged Nigerians to thank God for saving the country from evil predictions.

    He said: “How many times in this country have we come to a edge as if the country was going to break up and somehow we come out of it.

    “Nigerians also rejoice because we are not running helter skelter.

    “God saved our country from the prophesy of doom. God saved us. The prophets of doom have been disappointed.” He added

    He said that even though Nigeria lacks some basic infrastructure, Nigerians are not hungry.

    Stressing that peace is an essential ingredient for development, he urged Nigerians to properly manage the present peace in the country.

    He also urged Nigerians to be patient with the incoming government as it takes time to build anything that will endure.
    “And so, we appeal to Nigerians to avoid the syndrome of ‘hossana’ today, ‘crucify’ him tomorrow.” He advised

    He also appealed to the incoming government to complete all good projects of the outgoing government for the benefit of Nigerians.

    Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who attended the service with his wife Dolapo, thanked God and sang praises to God in Igbo, Delta, Hausa, and Yoruba languages when invited to the podium.

    Stressing that CAN has said all that needs to be said, he prayed for God’s mercy, compassion, peace, joy, strength and long life for President Jonathan and his family as they leave office.

    He also prayed that God will make Nigeria what He has promised it to be.

    Scripture Reading 1 was read by the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, from Isaiah 62: 1-7, while the Scripture Reading 2 was taken by Prof. Osinbajo from Luke 17: 11-19.

    An award and two Holy Bibles were given by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to President Jonathan and his wife for his outstanding Christian humility in public service, especially conceding defeat after the 2015 presidential election for the sake of peace.

    Two Holy Bibles were also given to Osinbajo and his wife by CAN.

    Intercessory prayers were said for the first family, the executive, legislature and judiciary arms of government, the President-elect and his family, the Vice President-elect, the church and the nation.

    Among those who attended the service include former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.), National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie, First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor.

    Also at the service were the Service chiefs, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and many cabinet members.