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Tag: President Jonathan

  • Jonathan reiterates commitment to humanitarian activities

    Jonathan reiterates commitment to humanitarian activities

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday gave assurance on the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting policies and programmes aimed at improving humanitarian activities nationwide.

    This, he said, will go a long way in assisting the helpless persons in times of emergency.

    Jonathan spoke through Vice President Nmadi Sambo at this year’s Nigeria’s commemoration of World Humanitarian day at the State House, Abuja, themed: “More people than ever before need our help.”

    He commended medical personnel who risked their lives in trying to treat the Liberian – Patrick Sawyer who brought the deadly Ebola Virus Disease to Nigeria and got some medical personnel infected and resulted in casualties.

    He regretted that despite the passion with which humanitarian workers executed their duties, they have become targets of violent attacks.

    He said: “Humanitarian workers have no other agenda than saving lives and delivering the basic necessities of life which include food, water, shelter, medical care and protection for the most vulnerable.

    “In spite of their passion to save lives, humanitarian workers have sometimes become targets of hostilities in the cause of discharging their duties.

    “Violent attacks on humanitarian personnel are increasingly becoming more frequent and brutal. In the last decade, the number of attacks on them has tripled, resulting in more than 100 deaths annually.

    “I want to assure you that government will continue to support policies and programmes that promote humanitarian activities in the country and we are very proud of your achievements by excelling to become one of the best organisations in Africa.”

    On Ebola, he said “I want to use this occasion to salute the courage of these medical personnel and condole with the families of those that lost their lives. Government is doing everything possible to ensure that those still alive get the best medical attention while praying to God to save their lives.”

  • Jonathan wants poverty eradication, energy in development agenda

    Jonathan wants poverty eradication, energy in development agenda

    To address the shortcomings of the present Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) programme, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday called for inclusion of poverty eradication, access to sustainable energy, infrastructural development, population demographics and governance in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

    Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Summit on the MDGs and Post-2015 Development Agenda in Abuja, said that the factors are essential for development of nations across the globe.

    According to him, the upcoming framework must finish the unfinished business of the current MDGs.

    He said: “In summary, for the Post-2015 Development Agenda to have the necessary impact on the development trajectory of nations across the world, the new set of goals needs to tackle the issues that were not addressed under the current framework, with poverty eradication, access to sustainable energy, infrastructural development, population demographics and governance at the center.

    “It must be understood that these areas are crucial to the process and cannot be left out. The new framework must finish the current business of the MDGs. If the current framework was the so-called ‘floor’ for development aspirations on which we set more ambitious and contextually appropriate policy aims, then the new framework must consider the most fundamental problems facing the least developed societies in the world.

    “It must tackle those problems first. The formulation process needs to continue to be inclusive so that development realities and not academic conjectures are tackled. This inclusion has the added benefit of increasing community buy-in across the world.

    “Being cognizant of these, I assure you of government’s commitment to consider the outcomes of this Summit. I wait eagerly for the output documents.”

    He noted that the MDGs framework has helped to focus international and local attention on improving the lives of those most vulnerable in society.

     

  • Presidency faults Fashola on Jonathan’s achievements

    Presidency faults Fashola on Jonathan’s achievements

    The Presidency on Thursday faulted the position of the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on performance of the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    Fashola, at a lecture in Abuja to mark the 50th birthday celebration of former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipreye Sylva, on Thursday, had scored Jonathan below average in the various sectors.

    Fashola had stated that the administration had been inactive for three years and in the fourth year intends to give the electorate kerosene, price and money for the purpose of seeking their votes

    But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, described Fashola’s statement as “blatant and obvious lies, deliberate and skillful misinformation.”

    Okuoe said: “Nothing can be further from the truth than this. We admit that Governor Fashola may have been too occupied in Lagos and that may have narrowed his vision or precluded him from appreciating lofty developments by this administration all over the country.

    “The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has never lied about its achievements, programmes, commitments and even challenges within the Nigerian context.

    “In the last three years, through the execution of its transformation agenda, this administration, contrary to the assertions of Governor Fashola, has made significant achievements in all sectors of the economy.

    “We do not disparage any of our great erstwhile leaders, but what we say is that President Jonathan operating on the solid building blocks erected by them has carried developments in Nigeria to global acclaim.”

  • Chibok: Presidency, Igbo group fault Northern elders’ position

    Chibok: Presidency, Igbo group fault Northern elders’ position

    The Presidency on Tuesday flayed the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) for demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan rescue the over 200 Chibok school girls or forfeit his 2015 re-election bid.

    The NEF had given Jonathan a two-month ultimatum within which to rescue the girls.

    The over 200 Chibok school girls were abducted by the Boko Haram sect since April 14 and have since been in the sect captivity.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, retorted that the President did not require such threat or ultimatum to be alive to his responsibilities.

    “The issue of insurgency, especially those ideologically based on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based counter insurgency programmes to ensure success,” Okupe stated.

    The presidential aide said the administration was doing everything possible to ensure that the girls are rescued alive, adding that the various measures adopted by the government would soon yield positive result.

    “We are improving on our operational capabilities and efficiencies by acquiring more advanced weapons and technologies for our military and security agencies.

    “We have drafted more military personnel to the region to strengthen the fighting power of our armed forces.

    “We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to assist in identifying key locations.

    “We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.

    “We are deploying more resources to maximize operational efficiency, acquire more advanced and relevant weaponry and boost the general morale of our combatants. This is why the government recently requested for an additional funding of $1billion.

    “And the last piece in the puzzle is targeting the domestic and international funding, and stopping the money flows into the coffers of the terrorists.

    “With all these efforts and the support of our allies, these steps will help fight the threat of the Boko haram and move us closer to bringing the girls back safely,” the statement added.

    Also on Tuesday, a pro Igbo group, the Igbo Redemption Group (IRG) joined issues with the northern elders over the matter, saying their position was unreasonable, unpatriotic, divisive and unfortunate.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja, the leader the IRG, Chief Delly Ajufo, said the northern elders’ position had confirmed the suspicion that the kidnap of the girls was meant to prevent President Jonathan from seeking re-election.

    “Statements like these coming from people who cannot lay claim to any significant contribution to the growth and development of Northern Nigeria is nothing but a mark of desperation which we hopefully assume does not represent the views of right thinking leaders of the North,” Ajufo said.

  • Ebola: Jonathan seeks ‘greater cooperation’ among West Africans

    Ebola: Jonathan seeks ‘greater cooperation’ among West Africans

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday called for strategic collaboration among West African countries to control and contain the Ebola Virus Disease.

    The President made the call, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, while receiving the new Ambassador of Guinea to Nigeria, Mr. Gaoussou Toure, who presented his letters of credence to the President at the State House, Abuja.

    Jonathan commended the containment measures so far taken by West African countries that have been affected by the disease, stressing that more concerted intra-regional cooperation and action needs to be developed.

    He said: “A problem that affects one of us affects all. We may need to come together as a region to strengthen our containment measures. I am however pleased that serious measures are being taken to control the spread of the disease.”

    Ambassador Toure had earlier thanked President Jonathan for the financial assistance given to Guinea by Nigeria for tackling the (Ebola) disease and assured him that Guinea is deploying containment measures to combat the outbreak.

    He reaffirmed Guinea’s commitment to strengthening the country’s cordial relations with Nigeria.

    Also speaking at separate audiences with the new Ambassador of Germany, Michael Peter Zenner and that of Denmark, Torben Antonio Gettermann, President Jonathan said the days of electoral violence in Nigeria are over and that the 2015 general elections will be free and fair.

    He called on the two Ambassadors to use their positions to strengthen the existing trade relations between their countries and Nigeria.

  • Ebola: Jonathan summons governors, health commissioners

    Ebola: Jonathan summons governors, health commissioners

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday summoned all state governors and their health commissioners for a meeting on Wednesday in Abuja to fashion out ways of curbing spread of the Ebola Virus disease.

    The President spoke at the second Interfaith Dialogue held in Abuja.

    The programme was organised by the Interfaith Initiative for Peace.

    He cautioned Nigerians against celebrating burials, stressing that 60 percents of Ebola virus is spread during such burial ceremony.

    The Federal Government, he said, will continue to secure its borders and airports against the disease.

    Promising to do everything possible to fight the disease, the President said that he will support state governments that do not have the financial capacity to fight the scourge.

    He said: “Let me appreciate our children who have performed wonderfully well in their presentation and have also raised the issue of Ebola, calling on our religious leaders to stop the Ebola problem. They called on the Sultan of Sokoto,  Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and John Cardinal Onaiyekan to stop the problem. So both the Sultan and Cardinal Onaiyekan now have challenges but we will help you.”

    “As a government, we promise we will do everything possible to contain Ebola. We are doing our best. On Wednesday I am going to meet with all the governors of the states, they will come with their commissioners on health, and we must make sure that every state is prepared, where they lack, federal government will support the state to make sure that they have what it takes to contain the Ebola virus.”

    “It is unfortunate that one mad man brought the Ebola to us, but we have to contain it. But this is a good forum that we will use to also plead with our religious leaders because people listen to you more than they listen to politicians.”

    “So in our various preaching in the mosques and in the churches, we should communicate clearly. I have been having discussions with people outside and within the country since this incident happened. My conversation with the Director General of the World Health Organisation was quite instructive.”

    “She said that the spread of Ebola from analysis so far, 60 per cent of spread is during burials. That’s you will recall that in our announcement, we pleaded that we must be mindful of burials. We are pleading that our people who believe in some kind of ceremonies and so on, this is not the best period for those ceremonies.”

     

     

  • Sovereignty of Nigeria will not be compromised – Jonathan

    Sovereignty of Nigeria will not be compromised – Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that Nigeria will not compromise its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of current security challenges.

    Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, said this at the graduation ceremony of Course 22 Participants of the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja.

    He said that government had x-rayed the fletching position and environment of terrorism in the country because of its extreme destructive and socio-economic impact.

    Consequently, he said government had initiated a number of programmes and dedicated platform to the suffering of the people in the aid recovery.

    “We have made some gains against the adversary, we face an unspeakable evil and we must confront it with all our national endowment.

    “As government we will not compromise the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria and we will not allow the authority of Nigerian state to be challenged.

    “Education is a human right which is invaluable transformational value and is the basis of our developmental progress.

    “We shall not give up that right for some faceless, misguided and self-styled people using the means of terror,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the President as saying at the forum.

    Jonathan said that the government was evolving a broad base national security strategy anchored on the holistic wellbeing of the Nigerian people.

    “We will actively promote and hold on to societal goal and security that optimise our collective national strength.’’

    He, therefore, called on all Nigerians across partisan, ethnic, religious and cultural divide to close ranks with government to end insurgency, saying “there is no challenge that can divide the collective will of Nigerians.”

    “May I also use this opportunity to assure all Nigerians that we are committed to bringing back the Chibok girls alive,’’ Jonathan declared.

     

  • Nigeria, U.S seal pact on Ebola

    Nigeria, U.S seal pact on Ebola

    President Goodluck Jonathan and United States Vice President, Joe Biden, have agreed that Nigeria and the U.S would work together to urgently curtail the outbreak of Ebola virus.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Jonathan and Biden met in Washington D.C on Tuesday on the sideline of the on- going U.S-Africa African leader’s summit.

    NAN reports that Ebola virus has killed two people in Nigeria since a 40-year old Liberian and American citizen Patrick Sawyer died of the disease in Lagos.

    According to the World Health Organisation, over 800 persons have died from the Ebola virus from the three main hit West African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    Meanwhile, the White House statement said Biden reiterated the U.S partnership in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

    The U.S vice president stressed the need to pursue holistic approaches that respect and protect human rights

     

  • Jonathan hails Nigeria’s performance at Commonwealth Games

    Jonathan hails Nigeria’s performance at Commonwealth Games

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday congratulated members of the Nigerian team to the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, for their sterling performance at the games.

    Jonathan, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. ReubenAbati, particularly applauded the elating accomplishment of Blessing Okagbare who dominated the female sprint events, and other athletes who won medals for the country at the games.

    According to him, the athletes’ impressive performance at the games which resulted in Nigeria placing 8th out of 71 participating countries  is a further demonstration of the indomitable spirit of Nigerians and the great heights they can attain with hard work, commitment, dedication, courage and patriotism.

    He assured the athletes and their handlers that his administration will continue to do its best to encourage them and support sports development in the country.

    The President looked forward to receiving and honouring the medal winners and their coaches at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

     

  • President Jonathan in US

    President Jonathan in US