Advocates of disunity want to be rulers of ‘tiny islands’ – Jonathan
On September 20, 2012 · In News 9:35 pm

BY Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—President Goodluck Jonathan declared, Thursday, that he will not be cowed into submission by people he referred to as militants, noting that those who were promoting the balkanisation of the country along ethnic lines only want to be leaders in their proposed territories, which he described as ‘tiny islands.’

The President, who spoke in Abuja at a national summit and rally entitled Labour for Peace, Unity and Development, organised by the national leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said Nigeria must be jealously protected to remain one and indivisible.

He added that anything to the contrary would be a major threat to, not only the unity of people, but the African continent.

President Jonathan admitted that Nigeria was passing through turbulent period in its history, but expressed optimism that the development would not translate into disintegration.

President Jonathan said: “For you to move a modern society, there must be peace. Even in those days, for a king to move a kingdom forward, there must be peace. I listened to the guest lecturer, who talked about balkanising and cannibalising Nigeria and I think those who are thinking that way want to be kings in tiny Islands.

“Those saying they want their own nation, which is Igbo nation, Yoruba nation and the rest are people who want to be kings in a tiny island, and they will not get it because Nigeria will not divide. I am committed to moving Nigeria forward and will not submit to any antics.”

Insisting that Nigeria must remain one indivisible entity in spite of the multi-dimensional problems it was going through, the president said it was only when every citizen commits himself to the Nigerian project by giving peace a chance that development can take place.

He decried the latest attacks on telecommunication masts in some parts of the country, saying “no matter what we think has been eroded, in contemporary society, there must be peace for development. For a nation to develop, the first thing you talk about is communication power.

“Now, in the Northern parts, communication power has been threatened because of insecurity; there is no way that will not impact on the economy. For us to move with the modern society there must be peace.”

We need peace if we must develop this country.

“No matter what we feel might be our modest achievements, without peace, development would not be possible. We must put in place strategies to win this economic war: by paying special attention to home-grown strategies of confronting our challenges. This gathering should provide a refreshed thinking to Nigeria unity.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/09/advocates-of-disunity-want-to-be-rulers-of-tiny-islands-jonathan/

Ogogoro Man what have we gained from this your "massive" island?

@Post

I'm sorry but until we have an SNC where all Nigerian ethnic groups will have an equal opportunity to lay their concerns and grievances on the table, Nigeria will continue to face problems and remain stagnant. We need to encourage an open dialogue and discuss the way forward as a nation. If those ethnic groups who are clamoring for secession from Nigeria were happy and content with being part of the country, would they ask to secede?

And so what if people want to be rulers of their respective 'tiny islands'? Is Jamaica that GEJ visited not long ago not a tiny island with less than 3 million people? Yet, Jamaicans were able to bring home a couple of medals from the Olympics. How many medals did Nigeria a country with a population of 160 million people bring home? The bottom line is that you cannot force people to stay together if they don't want to. This is like asking a couple who can no longer stand each other to remain married. That will be a sure recipe for disaster because one person might just kill the other. It is either we dialogue on the way forward or go our separate ways. We can't continue the way we're going please.

Those saying they want their own nation, which is Igbo nation, Yoruba nation and the rest are people who want to be kings in a tiny island, and they will not get it because Nigeria will not divide.

Jonathan Jonathan Jonathan how many times did i call you.

Kings in a tiny island? Oh my word.

GEJ can not move Nigeria forward. Simple as abc.

Kings in Tiny Islands? Must be referring to his Niger Delta ppl

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Agree or not,the man is just an eediioot.What a DOOMED country.

Jonathan is right......but once again, he makes his point wrongly and in a way that is only likely to infuriate others because he is a man entirely focused on "enemies" ,real or perceived, to the extent they influence how he talks.

Issues are really simple. Everything should be about providing a modern, competitive and genuinely enabling environment that allows States and regions to develop optimally and totally free of the impediment the FG has now constituted itself into.

Nigeria is about the size of Texas. Yet Texas is one of the many States America has. States of America are essentially like Countries within a Country because of the freedom to fashion local solutions to suit local problem. Yet States still enjoy the benefit that being part of America brings. Nigeria is not really a massive Country and division is not the answer because no leader in the modern era , post 1999, has pursued the obvious solution with sincerity - i.e dismantle the negative and regressive concentration of power, wealth and processes in a corrupt centre and put it where people live. States and regions !!!

Indeed, we would essentially be the same 'Country' with our West African neigbhours if erstwhile ambitious plans for Ecowas are on course i.e single currency the Eco. We would have the same currency as others and they would move freely into Nigeria to work as per the tenets of economic and monetary union. This currently obtains in the UK , minus the single currency, and we have all gotten used to employing polish builders who carry out good standard of work for less money than British builders. This is not the time and age to talk of division or tediously hold on to it as the panacea. The world has moved on and sincere and emancipating policy-making can easily provide the solution that will quickly drown the noise of "separation".

GEJ should simply begin providing brave policies that will make our federal structure more effective and more fair to all. I fear he has no plan to do this and this is why he talks bullishly in a veiled reprimand of his 'enemies'. This is why we continue to have this silly cat-and-mouse and distracting talk of separation.

musiwa5:

it is not the size of a nation that determine but the quality of life of the people who live in it. ]

Words on marble.For the first time in my Nairaland history I'm quoting the legendary Becomerich.

up GEJ up Nigeria. I agree with jonathan. Those freedom fighters are mere opportunist

musiwa5:

it is not the size of a nation that determine but the quality of life of the people who live in it.

WORD...

Vinzz:


WORD...

Quality of life of a nation lies with the wealth a nation possess and how they use,mind you.

Size is could mean wealth,when use adequately.

redsun:

Quality of life of a nation lies with the wealth a nation possess and how they use,mind you.

Size is could mean wealth,when use adequately.

Precisely. The problem for Nigeria is that the commonwealth of the entire Nation has been hijacked by a few who pretend to be leading when they are actually looting. Our federal system has been bastardized to accommodate this looting. Accelerated devolution of power away from the centre is needed otherwise the clamour for separation will grow louder. Leaders should move away from parochial interests and deliver real changes instead of parroting the tired rhetoric that "Nigeria's unity not negotiable".

Gbawe:


Precisely. The problem for Nigeria is that the commonwealth of the entire Nation has been hijacked by a few who pretend to be leading when they are actually looting. Our federal system has been bastardized to accommodate this looting. Accelerated devolution of power away from the centre is needed otherwise the clamour for separation will grow louder. Leaders should move away from parochial interests and deliver real changes instead of parroting the tired rhetoric that "Nigeria's unity not negotiable".

That is why the people have to get them out of the way and set nigeria on the right.But unfortunately,it seems there are no "people" in nigeria that reasons otherwise,the whole populace seems to be same as the leaders.

One big giant "nightmare".

musiwa comes to mind

Rather a Singapore than an India!

My president,it is better to rule a tiny island where lives are respected and people can actualize their potentials than being in a big nation where death is a norm.Who will not prefer Botswana to your..........

Tiny island or not, we shouldn't continue like this. There is serious problem in the current system.

I'm still laughing at tiny islands. Will an Igbo republic or Yoruba republic break off and suddenly be surrounded by water? That is what an island is after all lmao.

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I would rather have republic of igboland where no federal character/quota system would be in place,than a dead nigeria with little hope of ressurection.

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The tiny island of Singapore is far superior to the huge country Indonesia

ROFLMAO!!!!


These days I laugh whenever I read what this man has to say. It is almost independence day, more than 2 years since this man has been "King" of Nigeria . I . . . .

Thank God GEJ had the benefit of getting free educatkon under the Western region education system and ended in civil service, without it he might have ended up a creek terrorist serving in one of Tompolo's ambush boats running the mangroves in hunt for white man.

Dude's comments and speeches are uninspiring and uninsightful.

For the present contraption called Nigeria to endure will be a complete travesty. Nigeria and nigerians(sensable) have been making supposedly frantic effort round the clock to take this country to its rightful place but all effort prove futile. why u may ask? and the answers will not be far fetched, the divisive forces way outweigh the uniting factor....so we are left with a dilemma to countinue to thread this present path and hoping to attain our full potential. the present concept is overwhelmingly counter productive to say the least.

But in the face of these myraid of challenges, do we simply throw the towel and go our seperate ways? That will amount to towing the tracks of camel as against fast cars. The world is now a global village and therefore forming a bigger front is more advantagous. We need each other but in a way that will allow growth that suits regional interest rather than the present system that drains the gaint effort of one to nothingness.

Better said, federating unit with nationalistic identity will spur development and lead to healthy competition for development under the higher taxonomy called Nigeria.

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