In what appeared to be a counter-offensive, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday berated the progressives when he personally opened verbal fire on critics of his administration, including the opposition and some governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. They criticise without thinking, he said.

According to him, there is nothing progressive about those who claim to be progressives.

On the occasion – a solidarity visit by the north-west PDP to the presidential villa – speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal and Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido were conspicuously absent.

The president said, “At times when they come to me with some of these things, I smile and say: from 1959 down, the story has not changed. Some people call themselves progressives. They have done that before; did they change the system? Today, if you can abuse Jonathan, you are a progressive; if you can attack the federal government you are progressive; even if nothing is happening in your state, you are progressive. We have seen the progressives.”

In the past few weeks, critics of the Jonathan administration have grown, with the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and a host of others scoring the president very low in terms of leadership competence and direction.

The APC and Kwankwaso, among other critics, had specifically declared that Jonathan was practically bereft of the competence to move the country forward, even as the governor accused the president of anti-north activities as well as sectionalism.

But Jonathan yesterday rose up to the occasion, dismissing criticisms against him as mere “noise in the media, whether it’s electronic or newspapers or even social media” by those who want to make it seem as if “the world is coming to an end”.

The president regretted that instead of collectively exploiting areas of the country’s unity and diverse areas that would enable it to develop economically and socially, some politicians were over-exploiting “weak areas and continue to hit them for political reasons”.

He wondered why people kept talking about his administration as if it was 10 years old when it was just two years, eight months old.

“By May this year we will be three years old and by May 2014 we will be four years old. And I challenge some of those who criticise without thinking to compare what we have done in the two years, eight months with that of any other administration in this country and outside,” he said.

He noted that there was no shaking as his party, the PDP, remained dam dam, despite the plethora of ill talk against his government.

“But just like the vice president said, PDP is still the number-one party and it will continue to be the number-one party. Yes, people may have access to the media and use it robustly to their own advantage or disadvantage. But as long as we are united — we will do everything possible to keep the party together — PDP will continue to dey dam dam. No shaking! Nobody should come and deceive you to cross over to the other side that you don’t know what is there.”

Apparently referring to an allegation by Governor Kwankwaso that he was running an anti-north government, Jonathan claimed he had also approved N14bn as intervention fund for the region, saying it was not N2bn as recently reported.

He said: “The ministers have told you about our commitment to education. And sometimes people say ‘Jonathan is anti-north; he does not want to develop the north’, and sometimes they sell these ideas to people from outside especially those from the United States of America. You Nigerians believe the West must say something for us to listen. And I have spoken to one or two envoys and I said, look if I am anti-north, agreed I am from south-south minority, if I had established three universities in the north and three in the south because there is no money, nobody will castigate me.

“In the south there were only two universities before we established the new universities; there were only three states without university: Ekiti, Ebonyi and Bayelsa. All the others have federal university. As at that time nine states in the north did not have university. And I believe that the very first thing you use to emancipate people is education.”

The president further described the governor’s tirade against him as political blackmail, even as he said: “So if I am against them would I have done that? The issue of almajiri education — if I am against the north, would I have encouraged that we work with the governors to provide quite a number of children who are out of school?

“We can go on and on, but this is not the time for that because all these are blackmail, political blackmail. As a nation, without fixing the rail system you cannot talk about mass transit. And that is why we are committed; it is expensive; we are talking about different ways of funding and so on to make sure the rail moves across the whole country and that will even make our roads last longer.”

Jonathan also chided the G5 governors who defected to the APC, saying the action was not worth it, as they didn’t even know where they decamped to.

He said, “Some people are crossing to where they don’t know. Well, we will know as we progress, but collectively all of us working together with other members across the country, we will still be the leading party.

“There is no ward, no voting unit that you don’t have PDP members. In fact, if you go to some areas they don’t even know this new name yet; even where to thumb-print on the ballot paper they don’t even know. So be rest assured our party will continue to work together to strengthen the party and it will continue to be the number-one party in this country.”



President does not understand the concept of ‘progressive’ – APC

But the APC has faulted the claim of Jonathan, saying that it is regrettable that the president does not understand the concept of progressive.

Speaking through its interim national secretary, Alhaji Tijjani Musa Tumsah, the APC said: “The merger which culminated in the emergence of the APC is the first of its kind in Africa.

“The intention of the like minds in the APC is change which is inevitable in 2015. What the president does not understand is the concept of progressives. It is a pity that Mr President does not understand that Nigerians want to change.

“The aim of the APC is to move the country forward as we want Nigeria to be among the comity of the world progressives. Come 2015, APC will usher in a change as we mean business to change the government at the centre.”

Source: http://www.newswatch24.com/politics/item/2792-jonathan-hits-back-at-apc-kwankwaso-others

ok space boooked in case it makes front page

GEJ is such a calm understanding and humble man...


@ajas baby...mehn u beat me to it walahi...

RUBISHED!

Dis man is rili my mentor seriously.. Let dose progressive come and compare wat he has done in 3yrs in office wit der own and see d huge difference.. He is 5yrs ahead of dem including Fashola. Amaechi, kwakwa watever, and all relevant retar.ds dat calls himself a progressive shuld come and learn leadership skills from him joor.. GEJ 2019. Am igbo so u ar free to Go and die!

deshclones:
GEJ is such a calm understanding and humble man...


@ajas baby...mehn u beat me to it walahi...

As old as you are, you are fighting to get 1st to comment!
Smh for you.
Last Bullet:
We don hear, GEJ.
But remember, try your best to develop Nigeria to an applaudable state in 2015. Or else!
A blind begger ll win a councillorship election under APC in 2015.
That's to show how much Nigerians ll vote out anyone PDP present.
GEJ is PDP's only joker, hope.
Do wonder in PHCN.
Ibadan Distribution Company has started like a tortoise, giving electricity at the rate of a snail's movement.
Enough said!

Jonathan is doing all he can to bring Ibori back so that he can offer him a pardon.

geJ till 2019...who are dey to point at Gej such an accusing fingers but I guess d milk has been taken away frm d sucker dats y there is cry of babies here and there. The cry is never 4 progress but 4 milk...wen did these politicians gave their lives to Christ or why d sudden change

Toktee: RUBISHED!

yea,u need APC or have u taken it already.

why is this OP posting a February 2013 article and claiming as though what GEJ spoke was about a week ago.
Did anyone read where GEJ said 'by May this year we will be 3yrs and by May 2014 we will be 4yrs in Aso rock?' (paraphrased).
We heard that the Forty man laptop GEJ team has been upgraded to 300 man laptop GEJ team.
No amount of media propaganda can change Nigerians present perception of GEJ only real and visible democracy dividends can.

Mehn like seriously when would all these APC e-diots stop all these nonsense?i cant fathom such sheer statements of lies said by kwakwa whatever,jonathan is anti-north?apc should just shut up,its making me hate them the more,with the way they insult our sitting president makes them no different from the uncouth tout shouting "owo mi da"in lag. Motor parks,they say jona's govt. is the most clueless and pdp is corrupt(mind u am never and would never be pdp fan) yet the yearn and call for pdp defectors,is this not what Our Lord Jesus calls "an old wine in a new bottle"?bringing the same pple who makes pdp corrupt and lumping together with the polithiefcians,known for their theivery makes apc a joke and a party with a hidden agenda of kleptomania,btw why would a sane sitting gov. insult presido?abi him don tire to collect allocation ni?why is it that sane gov.s like fashola,fayemi,okorocha,etc dont go insulting the presido.?only some incompetent ones,how is kwakwanso competent in his state?what good comes out from there?and how is jona anti-north and anti-west as some pple like ffk would say?morever the apc party is a hegemony sitting on a time BOMB.

A MATURE RESPONSE FROM GEJ.

Very good response. Very presidential. He needs more political operatives around him.

Always looking for excuses.

deshclones: GEJ is such a calm understanding and humble man...


@ajas baby...mehn u beat me to it walahi...

BROS YOU BE GAY

hillsate: why is this OP posting a February 2013 article and claiming as though what GEJ spoke was about a week ago.
Did anyone read where GEJ said 'by May this year we will be 3yrs and by May 2014 we will be 4yrs in Aso rock?' (paraphrased).
We heard that the Forty man laptop GEJ team has been upgraded to 300 man laptop GEJ team.
No amount of media propaganda can change Nigerians present perception of GEJ only real and visible democracy dividends can.

Liar you are... Dumb Bleep who will not read news... Did you watch nta yesterday.

ihhhhkhi

morgist:
President does not understand the concept of ‘progressive’ – APC

But the APC has faulted the claim of Jonathan, saying that it is regrettable that the president does not understand the concept of progressive.

Speaking through its interim national secretary, Alhaji Tijjani Musa Tumsah, the APC said: “The merger which culminated in the emergence of the APC is the first of its kind in Africa.

“The intention of the like minds in the APC is change which is inevitable in 2015. What the president does not understand is the concept of progressives. It is a pity that Mr President does not understand that Nigerians want to change.

“The aim of the APC is to move the country forward as we want Nigeria to be among the comity of the world progressives. Come 2015, APC will usher in a change as we mean business to change the government at the centre.”

Source: http://www.newswatch24.com/politics/item/2792-jonathan-hits-back-at-apc-kwankwaso-others

So is the fact that the merger is the first of its kind in Africa the reason why it is "progressive"? I thought that by saying the President does not know the meaning of "progressive", the dumb Alhaji would try to define the term.

APC will usher in what change precisely?....all talks and no substance. They can't even mention one thing that they would change apart from wanting power at all cost and making noise all over the place.

That is my Presidoo

hmmmmmmm. Na them sabi. I no even know who Jonathan be..

Gej shut ur trap. Convince the millions of us who stood in d sun to vote for u that ur administration has zero tolerance for corruption, wanton waste of public funds, shielding and forgiving criminals, promoting tribalism etc. I have already started regret voting u. Convince me otherwise.

Very humble man, any fool that does not like GEJ should GO and Die. Gej till 2019.

MEILYN: hmmmmmmm. Na them sabi. I no even know who Jonathan be..

That only goes to show how low ur brain functions, and don't even give us the crap that u not Nigerian else u explain what u doing on a Nigerian forum.

No need being boisterous, just continue to echo your achievements. lt Will sinks in the conscience of these maniacally delusioned opposition by whatever acronym. Kwankwaso is pushing his luck to far. Publicly insulting your president and making unfounded allegation to arouse sentiments is the height of desperation. Desperados hardly succeeds

egift: Jonathan is doing all he can to bring Ibori back so that he can offer him a pardon.

My word!! Which Zombie Ate Your Brain??

Ranting of a desperate politician...

Good one mr president, we need of more this sometimes. Fact Apc should know, Peddling lies and propaganda is never a political strategy.
Pdp remains dam dam. Gej till 2019.

Akshow: Gej shut ur trap. Convince the millions of us who stood in d sun to vote for u that ur administration has zero tolerance for corruption, wanton waste of public funds, shielding and forgiving criminals, promoting tribalism etc. I have already started regret voting u. Convince me otherwise.

bro u too shut ur trap!!!,does inec even recognise ur vote?smh.

jjcbuthot: Ranting of a desperate politician...

words of an oily-soup eating creature.

IGBO_1ST_SON: bro u too shut ur trap!!!,does inec even recognise ur vote?smh.

y are u shaking ur head? U be agama lizard? Anuohia!!!

He should call their names and address them.


I like GEJ but the auto policy vex me no be small