The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Jonathan

  • ‘Jonathan lacks skill to deal with Boko Haram’

    ‘Jonathan lacks skill to deal with Boko Haram’

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) said yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan lacked the competence, capacity and training to deal with the Boko Haram menace ravaging many parts of the Northeast.

    APCPCO added that the President, therefore, could not be taken seriously when he claimed that he would deal with the terrorists.

    Its Director of Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who said this in a statement, noted that the claim by Jonathan during his campaign visit to Maiduguri, capital of Borno State and hotbed of the insurgency, that he would deal with the menace of the terrorists looked more like a joke or mere talk designed for the occasion of the campaign event.

    The statement reads: “President Jonathan has been at the helm of affairs in Nigeria for more than five years. During this time, the Boko Haram has transformed from a group of armed delinquents to an active fighting group or movement without the government headed by President Jonathan able to contain it. It is childish for the same person to say that he would deal with a group that became a monster under his watch.

    “President Jonathan is advised to stop the careless talk about dealing with Boko Haram because he clearly has shown little appreciation and leadership in the area of national security. “Rather, he should join eager and long-suffering Boko Haram victims across the nation and other well-meaning Nigerians to ensure that General Muhammadu Buhari emerges victorious in the February 14 polls to deal with Boko Haram, as well as unemployment and widespread official corruption – two other vices ravaging our nation under his watch.

    “If President Jonathan and his party want to be true to Nigerians, it is for them to acknowledge that to deal with Boko Haram, and the wider national security issues it has thrown up over the years is within the scope of his opponent, General Buhari, because the latter has travelled similar road in the past with distinction when the nation’s security and well-being was endangered as it has been in the last four years since Boko Haram became a national security and regional security menace while Jonathan fiddled.

    “The Boko Haram terrorists are no longer a group that President Jonathan and those who work with him can handle. A new and committed leader is needed. This is made more necessary because the terrorists have been holding more than 200 Nigerian school girls hostage for several months and has taken over chunks of the nation’s territory, without a whimper from the ‘happy-go-lucky’ government of President Goodluck Jonathan.”

    It added: “If in the past five years, the Boko Haram has transformed while Jonathan made empty promises, pray, how can such a leader make any difference in another four years? The most likely scenario if Jonathan is given another four years in office is that the terrorists would effortlessly take over the entire country.”

  • Jonathan to Rivers people: Amaechi has challenged me

    Jonathan to Rivers people: Amaechi has challenged me

    President Goodluck Jonathan told supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State yesterday that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has challenged him through his comment that he had not done anything for Rivers and Bayelsa people since he became president.

    He spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital,   at the PDP presidential campaign rally held at the controversial Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Complex.

    He told the people not to worry about the comment, since it indirectly described him as a honest president, who did not use the power of his office to allocate slot for the Southsouth states.

    He added that if it was the other way round, he would have been exposed him before the world that he was only concentrating development in the Southsouth, as many people had alleged.

    The president, who came into the venue at about 4:40pm when most of the PDP supporters had left the stadium after waiting since morning, said he grew up in Port Harcourt after his secondary school education, adding that he would not abandon the state, which, he said, he took as his home state.

    He noted that his three-minute speech was not to canvass vote, but to thank Rivers people and the state PDP for the trust they reposed in him.

    Jonathan added that the crowed he saw on the television before coming down to the stadium showed that his election and that of Wike “is settled”.

    His words: ”I want to thank you and appreciate the next governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesome Wike, and his deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo.

    “Because of the time factor, I would not want to keep you here, but to use the platform to address an important issue.

    “I want everybody in this country to hear this, the Director-General of Buhari Presidential Campaign told their supporters in Bayelsa and Rivers states that the president had done nothing for the two states. But don’t worry; it is good news because the people are saying that I have concentrated development in the Southsouth.”

    He added: “Before now, Bayelsa State was part of Rivers State. Since I finished my secondary school, I relocated to Port Harcourt. When I started my first job as a young officer in the Custom, it was in Port Harcourt.

    “I attended University of Port Harcourt, before I went to Rivers State Ministry of Education and later, I started lecturing in the Rivers State College of Education.

    “I also worked at the defunct OPADEC (Oil Producing Areas Development Commission) as an assistant manager, Environmental Protection. So, I have been a part and parcel of this state. So, if the DG said I concentrated development in other states and left the Southsouth, it is good news. That shows that I am a honest and transparent man.

    “And if have concentrated on developing the Southsouth the DG would have been the one to expose me to the rest of the world. But that shows clearly that we meant well for this country.

    “When we look at the university allocation, we said the Federal Government must ensure that all Nigerian youths have the opportunity to go to university. We did not look at the North or South, but we ensured that all the states that did not have Federal universities got theirs.

    “That is our focus. I am not going to comment on development in Rivers State or any part of the state in this region.

    “What I will assure is that you should work for us; vote for me and Sambo and on February 28, vote for Wike and Ipalibo. Definitely we must leave indelible print in Rivers State. We have been challenged by Amaechi that we have done anything; we must do something.”

    Also yesterday, Jonathan urged the leaders of Ondo State Chapter of PDP to sheathe their swords and unite to make the party victorious in the general elections.

    The president, who spoke at his campaign rally in Akure, the state capital, said if the warring factions failed to resolve their differences, it might give opposition parties the upper hands in the polls.

    Jonathan, who specifically referred to the friction between Governor Olusegun Mimiko and Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, said the party’s national leaders would ensure that before the polls,  the two leaders harmonised and resolved the crisis.

    Before the PDP presidential candidate delivered his speech, there was a mild drama on the podium when the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu, was addressing the crowd.

    Some aggrieved state leaders of the party prevented Mua’zu from presenting the party flags to Mimiko’s candidates.

    Since the defection of Mimiko to PDP, the party had been battling with crises, leading to parallel primaries.

    Although, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had pasted the list of Mimiko’s candidates, while the other faction, mainly from old PDP, maintained that they were the authentic candidates since court had ruled in their favour.

    Therefore, candidates from the two factions came to the rally, waiting patiently to see which faction the national chairman would recognise.

  • 2015: Jonathan, Buhari, the rich and the poor (5)

    The Presidential election is only 16 days away… on St. Valentine’s Day. It takes nothing away from the aroma of this lovers’ day. Because an election in Nigeria is still as delicate as a chinaware shop in which bulls are running amoks, the right to free movement of persons is curtailed from 10am to 6pm on poll days. After the votes would have been counted, results declared and ballot boxes are taken away by the appropriate authorities, lovers and the love industry will have the rest of the day to themselves. The presidential election campaigns are heating up but are still below the standard expected in an election such as thus in which, arguably, the opposition is presenting the strongest showing ever. Incumbent President Ebele Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appear unwilling to let the hard nuts be cracked. These are economic questions and corruption which Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) would like to make and election issues. Accordingly, the PDP has been focussing on the person of Gen. Buhari to pool wool over these questions and distract the electorate. Incidentally, the APC would appear to still be unable to wrest control of the direction of the campaign from the PDP. But this may count in its favour as every PDP manoeuvre fails to unleash a knock-out. In fact, the goal of the PDP to destroy the person of Buhari, at all cost without informing the electorate wither it would lead Nigeria, may expose it as an empty and desperate party ridden with fear. But only time will tell if the APC can rivet through this emptiness, desperation and fear to knock out the president.

    A Presidential election such as this in which the forces are reasonably well matched paints the picture of a boxing ring and two boxers set out for a championship duet. The PDP probably believes that, by focussing attention on Buhari’s person and demolishing it, attention will be shifted from what Buhari represents and which the electorate may be yearning for. … an anti-corruption crusade which will resolve problems such as massive unemployment municipal electricity failure, and inflation, to mention a few. Poor Buhari. The PDP says he has no “O” level certificate. If he hasn’t, that will pitch him as a semi – illiterate against President Jonathan, who holds a Ph.D. But the attackers of Buhari’s person forgot that Professor Kofi Busia, an economist, couldn’t fix Ghana’s economic troubles, which hurled thousands of Ghana’s women on Nigeria’s prostitution market, and that it was flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings who did, by tackling corruption, and made his country’s economy buoyant again. Now, one after the other, Nigerian blue – chip transnational companies have relocated to Ghana. Now, Nigerian youths are invading Ghana for higher education. Now, many Nigerians who cannot find jobs in their own country, and who cannot afford the rigour of dying in the Morrocan desert on their way to Europe, are finding succour in Ghana.

    I do not know why Nigeria’s electoral law prescribe minimum certification for public office holders. But I  suspect the matter of the likes of Barkin Zuwo may have had a hand in it. He was a governor in one of the states in the north. There were so many jokes made of his cognitive deficiencies. One was that when a huge sum of public funds he was suspected to have converted to personal use was found in the Governor’s official residence and he was questioned about it, he expressed surprise that the storage of “government money in government House” was an offence. Another was that when he pressed for the creation of a new state from his state and he was asked which mineral resources” were available in the proposed state to sustain it economically, Barkin Zuwo replied the minerals present there included “coca-cola, fanta and 7-up”.

    On a more serious note, the electoral law prescribes certification. But there is confusion about this. Some people interpret it as “O” Level Certificate, which would imply at least five credit passes.

  • Jonathan’s govt lacks direction, says lawmaker

    THE deputy Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, has said that the recent reduction in the pump price of petrol,  by the Federal Government from N97 to N87 per litre is a sign that the Federal Government lacks direction.

    Abiru, who spoke with reporters in Lagos said any responsive and responsible government would have done a proper analysis of the situation before taking any step.

    “A simple analysis, for instance will show that the fuel sellers/fuel importers constitute one per cent of the population, the transport operators make three per cent, passengers make ninety-three per cent and private car owners constitute five per cent.

    “With this analysis, it is clear that the transport operators and the private car owners, which constitute just eight per cent of our population will benefit. The larger per cent of 93 per cent which is the masses will not feel the impact,” Abiru said.

    Abiru queried how the government arrived at N87 per litre for petrol “when the price of crude oil has fallen by more than half. He said the reduction should have been much more than we have today, if the government is serious and really concerned about the well-being of the citizens.

    The lawmaker wondered what effect N10 reduction would have on the economy, goods and services, house rent and transportation.

  • ‘Why past leaders are not supporting Jonathan

    ‘Why past leaders are not supporting Jonathan

    Former Kogi State Acting Governor Clarence Olafemi is a member of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with JAMES AZANIA, he speaks about the chances of the party in the North Central state. 

    The APC presidential campaign rally in Kogi was a huge success. How did you achieve that?

    We have no sitting governor. So, we had to carry our cross by ourselves. The whole thing is gone, but we thank God that it was a huge success. I have never witnessed the kind of crowd that I saw in Obajana alone. What I saw in Obajana was about three times what I saw in the stadium. It is unbelievable, even those ones alone vote in Kogi and they are all of voters’ age; forget about the problem of distribution of permanent voters’ card (PVC) cards, I have no doubt that the result of election, come February 14, will be too fantastic in Kogi.

    Initially, they were saying Kogi will be only 20 per cent but I told them they should aim at 80 per cent. I have been able to prove my worth, having overseen the conduct of a governorship election in 2008, that we won massively, I have proved that I am a manager of election process, by making sure that I delivered over 80 per cent of the total vote cast to my party, PDP then. There is no assignment you give me you judge me by my result. The next thing you can use in judging me was the decamping. The decamping to APC has never been so successful.

    The records are there. The leadership of the APC were so happy. In Kogi, we can get this crowd? There was no sort of insinuation that was not made; they said we rented crowd. Even if we borrowed, we borrowed from PDP and PDP cooperated? Is that not interesting? Even if to say we rented it means that the people we rented they have agreed to be hired. But the truth of the matter was that it was a fantastic success, the decamping was also centred around me, with the likes of Baba (John) Oda who was the leader of the group. He is a leader but the engine room is somewhere, and this one now has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Clarence Olafemi is capable of managing any political activity or structure. My concern is that let Clarence Olafemi not work and some sycophants will go and take the credit somewhere. The only leader ahead of me is Prince Abubakar Audu and he was not around, he came two days to the day. I have to give the credit vintage information because you don’t value what you have until you don’t have it again. I predicted to one of my closest political friends, Barrister Haruna, that there is going to be a Tsunami two weeks to the election and it is happening now. It has not even gotten to two weeks; people are going to start moving because we are tired of the government that is inactive. Why is Ekwueme not supporting Jonathan? It’s in the papers. Why is Obasanjo not supporting Jonathan?

    It’s in the papers. Why is Shagari not supporting Jonathan? Why is Babangida saying vote wisely; not supporting Jonathan? Why is Abubakar not? All these are past leaders that are still living by the special grace of God. They know that the country is not the country they wish and whatever is responsible for what is happening today is very unfortunate, its condemnable, that Chad will now be spearheading security safety of Nigeria. Chad! A state in Nigeria is richer than that country called Chad. We have crashed and collapsed the country called Nigeria; economically, politically, militarily, every sphere of this country has collapsed and people are paying lip service.

    What were your achievements when you were Acting Governor of Kogi State?

    When Clarence got into power as Acting Governor of Kogi State, he left a legacy; he established a college of education, staff and student today over 3,000 are feeding from it. Let everyone who steps into the corridor of power be able to say this is what I have done. We voted in the state house of assembly for state fund to be deducted at source to increase electricity supply in this country. Today, where are we? The money was deducted, the electricity has not come. I was Speaker of the House. I know what I am talking, Today, I spend an average of N8, 000 per day buying fuel and I have three generators in my house, yet I can still go without light. Eight times 30 will give you 240 Today, NEPA is charging me N8, 000. I am saying, NEPA please, charge me N30, 000, charge me N40, 000, but give me regular light, it is better than the diesel I am buying. I went to UK, I spent 31 days for holiday they never took my light and my computer was working on my computer Wi-Fi. Nigeria, Obasanjo gave us a platform for IT but we cannot develop it, we are retrogressing. You go to petrol station in UK that will be manned by nobody but by yourself, you plug your card, you put the nuzzle in your car, as soon as it sells the amount you want to you it cuts off and you go, whether it is 12 midnight, whether it is 11pm, you buy your fuel and you go your house. Our people go there they see them, why are they not able to allow that thing to happen in Nigeria?

    My ticket is what make me to enter the airport. I put it on something, once it picks the ticket it opens the gate for me I pass. These are IT and technology base that could revolutionize Nigeria.

    How do you respond to allegations by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode that the APC presidential candidate is batting serious health challenges?

    Let me just tell you, my problem with Fani-Kayode is that he is the most inconsistent Yoruba politician that we have in Nigeria. He’s the ‘jeun jeun’ kind of politician, he moves by the current. I will not be surprised if tomorrow the good people of Nigeria decide Buhari should be the president and he won that election, he will criticise Goodluck Jonathan as the worst president Nigeria has ever had. So, for you people that are taking Fani-Kayode serious, I don’t take Fani-Kayode serious. I don’t see him as a politician of substance. He knows how to make noise. What has Fani-Kayode been able to electorally change in this country? Nothing. Since 2003 that I have come home to come and play politics are you not able to tell the story of Clarence Olafemi politically? Are you not able to say how he has impacted on the life of the average Kogite? I have a list here, which my lawyer was talking about, of how I have been able to transform the live of Kogites. Fani is an opportunist. Full stop. Is he a medical doctor? Which hospital diagnosed Buhari of cancer? And who told him that the law of nature cannot even make him to be sick tomorrow? Anybody, no matter who the person is, can fall sick. The man who owns the body has said that he only has cold, and in this changing of weather, catarrh and all these things, it is natural in African, in a tropical country. Even my little kid, Princess Tinu Olafemi, she has cold now. Are you going to say she has cancer? Can you be more Catholic than the pope? Anybody who is reckoning with Fani is wasting his time. He is an unnecessary distractions at these age of our election. He cannot gain any vote for Jonathan.

    There was a time the Kogi Elders Forum wrote a letter to the President that if something is not done to right, there will be repercussions. Your decamping with others, is this part of the repercussions you talked of?

    You have mentioned Chief John Oda, you mentioned others, the three of us were part of the six that signed the letter and in fact, they even took us to court that we are not elders from this state and the court ruled that we are elders. You know we did not come back to tell you the end of that judgment? We won. How will you say Clarence Olafemi, who is 64, who has been governor of this state, who has been Speaker of this state, is not a stakeholder of Kogi State? And, how do you define elders? Baba Oda is about 70.

    I saw long time ago that the PDP was going to crash. When you see an umbrella that the cyclone is blowing and you say you are looking for cover, I will not stay under the umbrella that is torn. We saw this thing coming and more will come. PDP has collapsed due to mismanagement.

    The impression is that you are nursing gubernatorial ambition. Is this true?

    Is it a crime for somebody of my age, who has acted as governor of the state to want to contest? Even if I say I will not, you will say I should and do so. Let me tell you, I am going to contest. Look at what is happening in Kogi, where nothing is working and you say that you are happy.  Kwara gets about N200 million per month less than Kogi in terms of allocation but go to Ilorin and see what they have done. The other state you should be thinking about is Nasarawa, go to Nasarawa, go to Niger, go to Plateau; don’t go and talk of Rivers, don’t go and talk of Akwa Ibom; they will say they have oil advantage. My brother, what we have here is a desert, and if some of us do not stand up, our children, children yet unborn will ask us, ‘they said your father was very prominent’, prominent doing what? Looking for what he will come into his pocket. I remain the only Acting Governor that returned over N3.7 billion back to government purse. If I’m looking for how to make millions, I would have made two out of it to my private pocket and leave 1.7 and they would still have praised me. Or, I could have attempt to transform to become the governor.

  • Jonathan does not deserve re-election’

    Jonathan does not deserve re-election’

    In the First Republic, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, an Awoist, was the President of the Action Group (AG) Youth Association. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 1964. Between 1979 and 1983, he served as a senator. In 1999, the ‘revolutionary chemist’, as he is fondly called by admirers, was the National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). In this piece, the nonagenarian elder statesman warns about the danger of re-electing President Goodluck Jonathan for another term. In his view, the enthronement of a people-oriented government headed by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will herald a brighter future for the beleaguered country.

    Introduction

    Nigeria is at crossroads. The February 2015 elections provide Nigerians the opportunity to choose between progress and light or darkness and backwardness. The All Progressives Congress (APC) represents light and advancement while the other party is the party of corruption and darkness. The symbol of the APC, the broom, is meant to sweep away the Peoples Deception Party. A party which in the last sixteen years but especially in the last years has eaten Nigeria to its bones; a party that has brought ill luck to Nigeria; a party which is drenched in corruption, deception and incompetence.

    Nigerians face numerous difficulties daily and PDP is unconcerned; it caters for only the rich, privileged and well connected. I shall enumerate some of the problems facing all Nigerians which the PDP has either ignored or it has not handled well.

    Security

    The foremost issue confronting Nigeria is security. No Nigerian is safe anywhere. Nigerians are killed daily by Boko Haram, armed robbers, kidnappers, ritual murderers, and murderous drivers on our highways. According to Nigeria Stabilty and Reconciliation Programme, a British research group, about 60,558 Nigerians died due to violence between 2006-2014. Add to this the killing by the nihilistic Boko Haram which murdered 2,000 Nigerians and razed the Baga community of Borno State to the ground. Another independent research body, the well known Mo Ibrahim Foundation rank Nigeria poorly in safety and rule of law.

    The response of the Jonathan Administration to the crime against humanity is to deny the number of those killed in Baga; rather it was more concerned with the regrettable death of French journalists at the hand of deranged men. The reaction of the Jonathan Administration follows previous pattern which is to ignore or down play the crimes against Nigerians. Despite his oath of office to defend the territorial integrity and unity of Nigeria, he has watched helplessly as Boko Haram seized 20 percent of Nigeria land mass in the North East of Nigeria.

    The unchecked violence of Boko Haram and other conflicts in Nigeria has displaced about 3.3 million Nigerians almost 2 percent of our population.

    We therefore have the unenviable record of having the highest number of refugees in Africa.

    In five years of governing Nigeria, the PDP, despite spending over five billion dollars on security in the 2014 budget, has not provided security for Nigerians. It is time to change the President that has failed to secure Nigeria.

    Nigerians should elect Buhari, a man who understands security issues. He will end the state of insecurity and siege on Nigeria.

    The APC solution to insecurity will be dual. It will deal with security as well as socio-economic issues that undrlie insecurity. Briefly, the military will be well equipped, disciplined and provided with incentives to confront and defeat Boko Haram. Equally, communities will be engaged in policing their communities.

    Regarding socio-economic issues, we shall provide a master-plan to develop the North East and areas affected by violence. In addition, there will be  programmes to provide employment, de-radicalize our youths, and promote religious moderation and tolerance.

    Economy

    Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product of 510 billion dollars. Yet, 60 per cent of Nigerians live in poverty. A reason for the poverty is corruption and mismanagement. According to Afrobarometer, a well respected research organization, 81 percent of Nigerians surveyed said that President Jonathan management of the economy is poor. Under Dr. Jonathan, Nigeria has lost trillions of naira due to corruption. The looters go unpunished under his watch. For instance, some PDP former Ministers and governors indicted by EFCC for corruption are his campaign managers and advisors. Nigerians should ask President Jonathan what has happened to EFCC trial for all these people. Not one high political official of government under Jonathan has been convicted of corruption. He is indeed an accomplice as he has condoned corruption His campaign promise to fight corruption is a promise which like those he made in 2011 will not be fulfilled

    Another source of financial leakage is import waivers. The waiver cost the economy billions of naira. For instance, an engineering company granted import waiver turned around to use it to import rice. A former PDP governor, who was issued 500 million naira import license to import vehicles for his state for a cultural festival, turned around to sell the license to a motor vehicle dealer.

    A research done by another group, ‘Nigeria politico’, listed some of the beneficiaries of import waivers. The list is made up of politically connected Nigerians, including PDP big wigs and businessmen from two Asian countries. These are the ones who donated 21 billion naira to PDP campaign chest. There is no doubt that the donation is a bribe to the PDP so that the donors could continue to rob Nigerians. According to Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria lost 1.4 trillion naira to import waivers. This is the money that could have been used to repair refineries, upgrade and maintain infrastructure, create employment, and pay salaries to government workers.

    A vote for Jonathan is approval of corruption. It is also support for financial ruin of Nigeria and its continued underdevelopment.

    The Jonathan Administration must therefore, be voted out office for Nigeria to make progress under the APC. We urge Nigerians to use their vote to bring the APC to power.

    Buhari as President will ensure that anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and the ICPC do their work. Under APC, those who engage in corruption will face the full weight of the law.

    An APC government will also work to reduce unemployment through creation of a public works administration that will hire Nigerians to work in the repair and construction of infrastructure projects.

    We shall also train youths to make them employable.

    We shall also promote entrepreneurship.

    The APC government will promote an environment to encourage investment flows into Nigeria. The taxation system will be revised to streamline multiple taxation. States will be allowed to have more revenue at their disposal.

    Electricity

    On January 3, 2011, Dr. Jonathan declared “If I am voted into power, within the next four years (2015), the issue of power will become a thing of the past…” adding that “If I cannot improve on power within the period, it means I can do nothing.” Of course, till date Nigeria is still essentially a land of literal darkness in the night despite expenditure of over 50 billion dollars on power. Nigerians spend about 80 billion naira annually to buy and fuel their generators. The privatization of power has not led to the promised improvement in power as the companies that bought the transmission lines neither have the capacity nor the capital to run the power lines. Whilst we do not intend to reverse the privatization already done, we shall ensure that the interest of the Nigerian public is protected. We shall also encourage investment in other power sources especially renewable energy such as solar, wind and thermal energy.

    Nigerians should send Dr. Jonathan into retirement in February as he has not fulfilled his promise on electricity and neither has he fulfilled several other promises.

     Petroleum and the Nigerian Economy

    We all know that the mainstay of  the Nigerian economy is oil generating over 90 percent of our foreign exchange. We are all practically dependent on oil and the industry has made us very lazy suffering as we are from what economists call resource-curse. Oil while benefiting us has also led to massive corruption, and violence in oil- producing areas. Yet while we produce crude oil, we import refined oil products while our refineries are either idle or under produce refined petroleum.

    The APC will ensure that the problems of the oil industry are resolved and that Nigerians on whose land drilling takes place are well compensated. We shall also ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company follows the best global practices.

    Agriculture

    Agriculture is very important to us all. It provides our food and is a major contributor to our gross domestic product, about 41 percent. It also employs about 70 percent of our population.

    Problems of Nigerian agriculture are several including soil erosion, post harvest loss and importation of food and insufficient investment in the sector. The Jonathan Administration has been telling us of the so-called progress in agriculture such as increased food production. Nigerians are yet to feel this increase as they still buy rice imported from Asia at inflated price We can and should produce enough rice to feed our selves.

    Our solution to our agricultural problems will include incentives to farmers to produce more food including rice. We will work with farmers to reduce post-harvest loss, provide and ensure that fertilisers reach the end-users and not middle- men who become rich by hijacking and selling the fertilisers at inflated prices. We shall also deal with the problem of soil erosion and encourage states to place priority on agriculture as part of an aggressive policy of the federal government to increase food production. We shall also  diversify our economy so that agriculture and industries related to it will thrive.

    We urge all Nigerians to turn out on February 14 and 28 to vote out the PDP whose rule is ruining Nigeria.

    As your President, I will obey the constitution of Nigeria, Promote the rule of law, Respect the rights of all Nigerians, Ensure equity and fairness to all irrespective of region, religion, state, ethnic group or gender.

  • Osinbajo: Buhari ’ll accord security top priority

    Osinbajo: Buhari ’ll accord security top priority

     •‘Jonathan playing politics with Boko Haram’

    Insurgency in the Northeast took a dangerous dimension because the President Goodluck Jonathan administration failed to prioritise security of lives and property, the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, said yesterday.

    He promised that the issue of insecurity would be of top priority to APC presidential standard-bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, if elected.

    Osinbajo said the Jonathan administration failed to equip the military even when it was obvious that the security situation was getting worse.

    He also said soldiers, who were court-martialed for alleged mutiny, complained that they were not given weapons, but were asked to go to war against insurgents.

    The APC vice presidential candidate, who spoke at a Town Hall meeting with young professionals under the auspices of Act Now Professionals in Abuja, said as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the president ought to have shown an example by leading from the front and not the back.

    He accused Jonathan of reneging on his oath of office and his promise to protect Nigerians, stressing that even though the government claimed to have spent about N4 trillion on defence, evidence on ground suggested the contrary.

    He said: “From what we are seeing on ground and with the complain by soldiers that they are not given weapons to fight the insurgents, it is either that money was not spent at all or somebody is telling lies.”

    Osinbajo assured that an APC government will equip the military and give them a true sense of belonging.

    He said: “When you have a situation like this, you do not point to the opposition and say it was the opposition that is sponsoring it, until General Buhari almost lost his life when Boko Haram attacked him.

    “We must start by understanding that there is a war going on in that part of the country and what the government need to do is to get the nation behind it, not pointing accusing fingers at wrong places.

    “Secondly, we need to look at the whole question of funding and equipping the military. The military at the moment is not equipped.

    “I worked with Femi Falana on the mutiny of some soldiers and what is the complaint of those soldiers who are charged for mutiny? Their complaint is that they are not given equipments and they want them to go to battle.

    “So, how do you say that? How does anybody think that you can fight insurgents without ammunitions?

    “The first priority is security and to question what has gone wrong in the military. Then funding the military adequately and ensuring that the commander-in-chief leads from the front.”

  • U.S. to Jonathan, Buhari: Feb. elections must go on

    U.S. to Jonathan, Buhari: Feb. elections must go on

    Kerry talks tough against violence

    May 29 handover sancrosant, says President 

    Next month’s elections must go on as scheduled, theUnited States (U.S.) said yesterday.

    There have been unpopular suggestions of a shift in some circles,  with the tacit support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The position of the U.S was conveyed in Lagos yesterday by Secretary of State John Kerry after separate meetings with President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the top contenders in the February 14 presidential election.

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) gave the clearest hint yet of the interest of the Federal Government in shifting the elections when he declared at a lecture in Chatham House in London last Thursday that there was nothing wrong in postponing the polls to enable eligible Nigerians collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    The statement has attracted outrage from many Nigerians, who likened it to a coup against the Constitution.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) condemned the “advice”, saying it is a ploy to enable the ruling party regain its breath. But the PDP has not said anything on it.

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega has, however, said a change in date is not contemplated by the agency.

    Yesterday, Kerry declared: “It is imperative these elections happen on time and as scheduled and must be improvements over past elections.”

    He added: “They must set a new standard for this democracy. That means, Nigerians must not only reject violence,  they have to actually promote peace.”

    Kerry met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House in Marina, Lagos before meeting with General Buhari at the U.S. Consulate House in Ikoyi.

    Gen. Buhari was accompanied by APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Campaign Director and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

    The delegation arrived at the venue at about 2.41pm and immediately went into the closed door session, which lasted about two hours.

    Kerry also cautioned against violence.

    He said any politician who organised a widespread “systematic violence” against civilian population will be held accountable, including placing them on diplomatic sanction.

    A source said Buhari told Kerry that the APC was against violence, adding that unruly behaviours occurred in PDP states.

    He said: “I came here today to deliver a very simple message and I have met with both major candidates to underscore that international community has paid a very close attention into this election and we are deeply committed to working with Nigerians with the hope that they will have an election that is free of violence and capable of instilling confidence in the future.”

    The U.S. envoy said there was need for a long-term and comprehensive global effort to combat violent extremism and to address its underlying causes. Nigeria, he said, knows how such global effort is desperately needed.

    He said the U.S was concerned about the effrontery of Boko Haram, which, he said, daily visits its bloody campaign on innocent civilians, and attacks villages and military installations in places like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. He said the U.S. government deeply regretted the toll, which insurgency was taking on the people.

    Kerry dismissed the notion that there was an alliance between Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and Boko Haram, saying intelligence before the U.S. government showed the latter sprang up independently.

    He said President Barack Obama pledged his support for the Nigerian troops in fighting Boko Haram insurgency. He said there was need for a multi-national strategy that would not only crush Boko Haram and Al-qaeda, but which would also address the environment from where violent extremism grows.

    He said: “This is why President Obama announced an international summit next month in Washington on combating violent extremism around the world. It will be held at the White House and it will be at the ministerial level and we hope to bring people together; they will be engaged on the fight against Boko Haram and other entities. So, we can share best practices and we can hear from people about what they need and what they think is necessary to summon stronger global response.”

    The envoy said the best way to combat Boko Haram is by organising peaceful, credible and transparent election, which he said is essential for any thriving democracy. Nigeria, which he described as the largest thriving democracy in Africa, cannot afford to miss the opportunity.

    “I met with President Jonathan earlier today (yesterday) and separately with Gen. (Muhammadu) Buhari. I was encouraged to hear once again from both men that, this is exactly what they intend to do; to try to press for election that would be held with credibility, which people of Nigeria want and deserve.

    “As President Jonathan said in his New Year’s message, ‘none of our political ambitions is worth the blood of any of our countrymen, women and children’. And as Gen. Buhari recently twitted, ‘electoral violence is unacceptable and every Nigerian life is sacred’. Both candidates have also signed on to the so-called Abuja Accord, which commits them to running exclusively issue-based campaigns, refraining from violence before during and after election day;  And speaking out against violence.

    “This is a commitment we need to see from everyone. And they are commitments that need to be kept. Many people are stepping out. For example, Comrade (Attahiru) Jega, chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the commission’s employees are taking concrete steps to guarantee these elections are successful. We also urge all Nigerian governors to call for peaceful democratic engagements. We ask all parties, candidates to do the same.”

    If any candidate had reason to doubt the outcome of the election, Kerry said such a person should explore the legal channel, which he said is the most viable option and fundamental to the democratic process.

    He said Nigeria remained a strategic partner of the United States and has critical roles to play in development of Africa. The envoy said U.S. government was committed to ensuring the general elections are successful, noting that President Obama, last week, sent an Electoral Security Adviser to advise INEC on security and risk for any violence that might emerge.

    Kerry said: “Let me be clear. Anyone who participates in widespread systematic violence against the civilian population must be held accountable, including ineligibility for American visa. Violence has no place in democratic elections and I guarantee you that the perpetrators of such violence will not be welcomed in the United States of America.”

    The U.S. Secretary also spoke on telephone with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, wishing him well “on the onerous task of conducting an election that will be acceptable to all Nigerians and deemed credible by international community.”

  • Jonathan calls for prayers at Winners Chapel

    Jonathan calls for prayers at Winners Chapel

    President Goodluck Jonathan worshipped at the Winners Chapel, Ota in Ogun State yesterday, urging Christians to continue to pray for the success and peaceful conduct of next month’s general elections.

    In a brief speech at the service, Jonathan admitted that the country was going through some challenges.

    He noted that the situation would have been worse, but for the prayers of Nigerians.

    Despite fears and predictions of doom about the coming elections, he said he was sure that God would take control.

    He hailed the founder of the Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, for his commitment to God’s work and education in the country.

    “It is very commendable that the church has two universities, which have contributed to the development of education in the country. I am from a humble background and know the value of education,” Jonathan said.

    Bishop Oyedepo led a prayer session for the president during which the congregation prayed for grace to meet the demands of his office.

    “It is our duty to make intercession for Kings. Our prayer is that God will lift His countenance upon the President and grant the nation peace,” Oyedepo said.

  • Call ex-militants to order, Buhari’s campaign team tells Jonathan

    Call ex-militants to order, Buhari’s campaign team tells Jonathan

    •Kuku defends Bayelsa meeting

    The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call to order ex-militants, who have declared war on the nation on his behalf.

    The ex-militants last Saturday at a meeting in Bayelsa State, the president’s home state, threatened to go to war, if Jonathan did not win the February 14 presidential election.

    In a statement, APCPCO’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the ultimatum from the ex-militants was irresponsible and a barbaric threat to the sovereignty of the nation and against the spirit and letter of the non-violence pact to which the president was a signatory.

    The APC presidential campaign said the declaration of war against the state was causing panic and concern among Nigerians who are already embattled by so many challenges, particularly insecurity.

    Shehu reminded Jonathan that as commander-in-chief, it was his primary responsibility to ensure the protection of the citizens and their property.

    He added that such open declaration of war by the ex-militants and several other acts of violence must be denounced by the president in the interest of democracy, unity and stability of nation.

    Shehu said those beating the drums of war needed to change to peace beats so that the citizens, especially the youth, would be encouraged to show that the sustenance of the country’s democracy “is better achieved through the ballot and not the bullet”.

    The APC campaign called on Jonathan to make good on his declaration that his “re-election is not worth the blood of any Nigerian by calling these war-mongers in his domain to order”.

    The organisation maintained that the latest threat was not an isolated act, adding that the threat on General Muhammadu Buhari by Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and the attacks on the party’s offices and rally in Rivers State were pointers of a coordinated insurrection against the APC ahead of next month’s general elections.

    According to him, “it is disconcerting that the president has not immediately addressed such treasonable actions by persons, who in the past, have taken up arms against the nation, “and whose amnesty is dependent on their good behaviour and complete disarmament.”

    “The president needs to remember that he took an oath, as commander-in-chief, to protect Nigeria against all threats, external and internal. In this case, his silence could be misconstrued as an implicit approval of this declaration of war, seeing as the meeting of the warlords and subsequent declaration of war were from his own backyard, his home state.

    ”The first step the President needs to take, to show seriousness in dealing with this issue is to dismiss from his government, his Special Adviser on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku who presided at the meeting at which this obnoxious resolution to dismember Nigeria was taken,” the statement said.

    But, defending Kuku’s presence at the meeting, his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Daniel Alabra, said: “It was a peace meeting called by Bayelsa State and held at the Government House. Kuku was only invited to that meeting just as Asari. Whatever Asari said after the meeting was his own opinion.

    “The meeting was not called to threaten anybody or section of the country or the country.

    “It was called in respect of the tension rising in the Niger Delta concerning the attack on the president in the North during his campaign. His campaign buses have been burnt; he has been stoned.”