Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has told the British Broadcasting Corporation he has not seen or had “sustained discussion” with ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua in about five months. Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia for treatment in November 2009 and despite returning home in February has still not been seen in public.

Jonathan gave no indication whether the president’s condition had improved. He said he had not seen the president’s doctor but said he had spoken to his wife three times. “I’ve not seen the doctor. I have on about three occasions had discussions with his wife,” he told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.

“And I’ve had discussions with some of the other aides. In terms of the last time we [Mr Jonathan and Mr Yar’Adua] really had sustained discussions, that was 26 November … I think so … yeah,” he said. Yar’Adua was flown to hospital in Saudi Arabia three days earlier, on 23 November. Jonathan said Mr Yar’Adua’s doctor had not tried to contact him. “He [the doctor] has not come to me. I don’t want to compel him,” said the acting president.

In his interview, Mr Jonathan also touched on clashes in Jos, where tensions between Muslims and Christians since the start of the year have left many dead. He promised to prosecute those behind text messages inciting the violence, which he said was ethnic, rather than religious. He explained that most of the indigenous population in Jos were Christians, while “some of the settlers not all” were Muslim. “So if anything touches a settler who is a Muslim, it will be interpreted as if they are attacking the Muslims,” he said.

“And if the settlers that are Muslims now touch the indigenous population that are Christians, it will be interpreted as the Christians are being attacked.” Jonathan thought the time for talking was over, and those responsible for committing crimes in Jos should be prosecuted. “Anybody that is remotely or directly linked up with the crisis should be prosecuted,” he said.

It would be recalled that Muslim and Christian clerics visited the ailing president recently. There was no definite report on the state of his health as the religious leaders concerned kept mute over the matter when they were asked for clarification by the press.

In what later turned out to be hoax, speculations were rife in Abuja about three weeks ago that Yar’Adua would make his first public appearance during the Jumat service at the National Mosque.
mORE!

Shocking!!! A [vice] president has only set eyes on his boss 3 times in 6 months What about other cabinet members, top ranking parliamentarians and party members?

Acting President:why didn't you allow me visit you rather you allowed clerics?
President: you know you neva can tel,if i cann't make aso rock then i should make heaven.

Infact i was very much ashame of myself watching him say this to the whole world on BBC. I began to imagin what actually is the world thinking of an average Nigerian. A president has not been seen nor spoken with for good 5months yet we see no reason to impeach him. I wonder what confidence we still have on a missing person.

princekevo:

Infact i was very much ashame of myself watching him say this to the whole world on BBC. I began to imagin what actually is the world thinking of an average Nigerian. A president has not been seen nor spoken with for good 5months yet we see no reason to impeach him. I wonder what confidence we still have on a missing person.

Round of applause

princekevo:

Infact i was very much ashame of myself watching him say this to the whole world on BBC. I began to imagin what actually is the world thinking of an average Nigerian. A president has not been seen nor spoken with for good 5months yet we see no reason to impeach him. I wonder what confidence we still have on a missing person.

snowdrops:

Shocking!!! A [vice] president has only set eyes on his boss 3 times in 6 months What about other cabinet members, top ranking parliamentarians and party members?

Pls what is there to be ashamed of or what is shocking in not seeing a man who is sick even if he is the president. Didnt you hear Jonathan when he said the family in their own thinking felt it necessary to isolate him from key officials in Govt and as a person he respects the family's wishes and I think all Nigerians really need to respect the family's wishes. Just like a good friend or employee who is sick, we would all love to see him but what can you do if his Wufe or his mother insists that no one should see him, you have to repect that mother's or wife's wishes and not because of that refuse to offer further assistance for the friend, that is what Jonathan has been doing.

I think he made a mistake here, except he was subtly making them aware of his predicament and fears,

But seriously what on earth is going on, why can pastors and imams see Yaradua but not the acting president.

Nigeria has got to be the worlds greatest real time comedy.

Quote from frosbel
But seriously what on earth is going on, why can pastors and imams see Yaradua but not the acting president.


Are pastors govt officials and those the family need approval from the Ag president to allow religious leaders see their sick father and husband.

To ur question nothing is going on, a man who can barely talk, even when he was healthy is voice had always been weak, so this man who cannot really talk, but maybe can grunt something what will Jonathan or any other seriously working govt official want to see him for, is to get budget approval or deployment of troops approval?

Lets allow this man to recover and if he cant recover pls allow him to die in peace and if he has chose to die in Aso Rock let him be at least he is a better leader than Abacha, so if Abacha could die there why not Yaradua and the only person that can stop him from dying there if he choses to die there is Goodluck Jonathan.

marvix:



Pls what is there to be ashamed of or what is shocking in not seeing a man who is sick even if he is the president. Didnt you hear Jonathan when he said the family in their own thinking felt it necessary to isolate him from key officials in Govt and as a person he respects the family's wishes and I think all Nigerians really need to respect the family's wishes. Just like a good friend or employee who is sick, we would all love to see him but what can you do if his Wufe or his mother insists that no one should see him, you have to repect that mother's or wife's wishes and not because of that refuse to offer further assistance for the friend, that is what Jonathan has been doing.

For you there is nothing to be ashame of with the yesterday's bbc headline that says 'where is Nigerian president'? People do get sick and president do get sick. Egyption president jst came from a surgery and many other countries I dont care whatever the family want to do with yaradua, neither do i care who ever they allow to see him and who they do not. My problem remain he should be impeached since we dont his whereabout for months. BBC did not ask yesterday on the world broadcast, where is Yaradua? They asked where is the Nigerian president? That is my beef. If you think is not something to be ashame of then you must be just one of those Nigerians. If he is being impeached and he gets his sick and secret a.ss off as the president of Nigeria who cares what the family does even with his dead body? If they like they can eat him in their closet that is their own cup of coffee.

Am not complaining abt the family hiding yaradua from the top government officials and the status of health, am complaining becoz the same government officials still want a missing person to remain our president. That is a very shameful thing if you dont know. Yaradua still recieves all his benefits monthly as the president of the country for these months you and i have not seen nor heard anything abt him. This benefits come from my resources, your resources, yet you see nothing wrong with such a conspiracy.

Inasmuch as it is great that he is speaking out, i think being the man in power now, and people has been asking for the condition of the President, he could ave requested to wanna see the doctor, request to wanna see the president, or talk to Turai, he cant just sit there and assume that they will come to him with answers.

Yes, they ought to have told him what is happening, and since that aint happening, let him make the initiative as well

If true, it is shameful!

Infact, he should not have said it out too loud

Fhemmmy:

Infact, he should not have said it out too loud

Exactly!!

And his recent interviews seem to reveal that his not seeing Yar adua is NOT Yar adua's wife's fault -- this is for all those cowardly beings out there who are willing to paint the woman black and blame her for all their shortcomings. Yar adua's wife is NOT the reason why Jonathan has not seen Yar adua. It seems Jonathan himself is NOT CONCERNED much with seeing the man .

Kobojunkie:

Exactly!!

I guess the guy see camera of BBC and CNN and was tickled and cld not hold his excitement . . . .

I doubt Jonathan wants to see the guy anyways.

It is obvious Yar Adua isn't returning. So why bother himself?

@princekevo
There's nothin 2 be sentimental abt, wen did our leaders have 2 start copyin other leaders, dat d egyptian president just came out of surgery nd d press or whoeva can c him does not mean dat we must emulate him, if dat president has decided otherwise wld we hav xpected our president 2 behave dat way nd d circumstances surroundin both ailments are not d same so I stick 2 d sch of thot that we don't have 2 copy others hook line nd sinker.


What kind of person are u to complain dat they pay his med bills frm d resources of d nation, whoelse does he work for? I tink d hatred u hav 4 d man is just blindin ur sense of reasonin nd human sympathy.


What is d big deal abt a headline, they are only doin their job which is 2 mak sensational headlines, if u say where is Yaradua nd u say where is d president of Nigeria there is no difference nd it is not an issue.

The man believes dat he can recover Jonathan believes dat he can recover his family blives dat he can recover so y not just allow d man, where was BBC wen Babaginda was runin d nation down.

OMO IBO:

I doubt Jonathan wants to see the guy anyways.

It is obvious Yar Adua isn't returning. So why bother himself?

As the acting president, he ought to be able to tell the people the state of the health of the president, it is nice to be informed, even if you wont do anything with the information.

OMO IBO:

I doubt Jonathan wants to see the guy anyways.

It is obvious Yar Adua isn't returning. So why bother himself?

That i ridiculous! What do you mean why bother himself? We are still talking of the president here!

^^^ Lol

Fhemmmy:

As the acting president, he ought to be able to tell the people the state of the health of the president, it is nice to be informed, even if you wont do anything with the information.

Agreed! 110%

Could it be that Yar Adua's health is so bad that Joe boy is doing all he can to defect attention to himself

I agree Joe Boy is yet to see Yar Adua but it doesnt't mean he is not aware of Yar Adua's 'vegetative state'.
Joe Boy's actions smacks of someone that is in CHARGE.

Kobojunkie:

That i ridiculous! What do you mean why bother himself? We are still talking of the president here!

What president are we talking about here? . . . . . . . Yar Adua??

OMO IBO:

Agreed! 110%

Could it be that Yar Adua's health is so bad that Joe boy is doing all he can to defect attention to himself

I agree Joe Boy is yet to see Yar Adua but it doesnt't mean he is not aware of Yar Adua's 'vegetative state'.
Joe Boy's actions smacks of someone THAT is in CHARGE.

Nigerians 150M people needed to be respected rather than just one person.
the vegetative thing is all assumption, cos we all dont have a real info to suggest anything.

OMO IBO:

Agreed! 110%

Could it be that Yar Adua's health is so bad that Joe boy is doing all he can to defect attention to himself

I agree Joe Boy is yet to see Yar Adua but it doesnt't mean he is not aware of Yar Adua's 'vegetative state'.
Joe Boy's actions smacks of someone THAT is in CHARGE.

Please STOP!!! Now come back to the real world please.

The man tells you he has not seen Yar adua, and he goes a step further to inform you that he is not in a rush to. He even informs you that he does not know what the ailment is or the situation is. Are you afraid of trusting the Jonathan's own words that you feel you need to REPLACE them with logic, generated by you, to make YOU feel better about this?

There is no law saying Jonathan must see Yar'Adua. He has already stated publicly in the Amanpour interview that he would love to see Yar'Adua; unfortunately, the path to Yar'Adua's bed is strewn with boo'by traps, tribalism and misplaced religious sentiment. Best to make it a side show.

In time, Jonathan will see Yar'Adua, but its not wise to push right away.

Fhemmmy:

Nigerians 150M people needed to be respected rather than just one person.
the vegetative thing is all assumption, cos we all dont have a real info to suggest anything.

You don't have to think hard or look too far. Yar Adua is not returning.

Jonathan's actions speak voulmes.

OMO IBO:

You don't have to think hard or look too far. Yar Adua is not returning.

Jonathan's actions speak voulmes.

What actions would that be? Refusing to push for IMPEACHMENT? Stating Yar adua can continue to go for treatment and return to office when he is OK?

Kobojunkie:

Please STOP!!! Now come back to the real world please.

The man tells you he has not seen Yar adua, and he goes a step further to inform you that he is not in a rush to. He even informs you that he does not know what the ailment is or the situation is. Are you afraid of trusting the Jonathan's own words that you feel you need to REPLACE them with logic, generated by you, to make YOU feel better about this?

Vintage Kobojunkie!

You honestly think Jonathan knows absolutely nothing of Yar Adua's health?

Believe that, believe anything.

OMO IBO:

Vintage Kobojunkie!

You honestly think Jonathan knows absolutely nothing of Yar Adua's health?

Believe that, believe anything.

This has nothing to do with what I believe dude, this is about your own claims CONTRADICTING what the man has so far said on the issue.

Are you saying we should not believe anything Jonathan himself says, even on record on the issue? Remember the interview with CNN's Christiana Amanpour ?

Kobojunkie:

What actions would that be? Refusing to push for IMPEACHMENT? Stating Yar adua can continue to go for treatment and return to office when he is OK?

Retaining Dora.
Humiliating Aodoakaa, then sacking him afterwards
Sacking the CSO

What did you expect Jonathan to do? Act like Yar-Adua no longer exists?
Breaking news missy, Yar Adua is still the president of Nigeria by word of mouth.

Kobojunkie:

This has nothing to do with what I believe dude, this is about your own claims CONTRADICTING what the man has so far said on the issue.

Are you saying we should not believe anything Jonathan himself says, even on record on the issue? Remember the interview with CNN's Christiana Amanpour ?

C'mon Kobo,

Jonathan was as diplomatic as can be on CNN with Amanpour.

The fact that he said he hasn't seen the president speak volumes.
Again Jonathan is in CHARGE

OMO IBO:

Retaining Dora.

Dora was the one who released a memo on MAKING sure Yar adua remains president  rather than pursuing impeachment for him but rather Jonathan be made Acting President constitutional or not.

OMO IBO:

Humiliating Aodoakaa, then sacking him afterwards
Sacking the CSO

So, from your understanding, the above were INDISPOSABLE when Yar adua was up there?

OMO IBO:

What did you expect Jonathan to do? Act like Yar-Adua no longer exists?
Breaking news missy, Yar Adua is still the president of Nigeria by word of mouth.

uumm . . . YOU are the one who posted that bit on acting like Yar adua no longer exists. Remember this . . .

OMO IBO:

I doubt Jonathan wants to see the guy anyways.

It is obvious Yar Adua isn't returning. So why bother himself?

Also correction, read your constitution . . . Yar adua is CONSTITUTIONALLY still the president, you don't need someone to tell you tell or do you?

OMO IBO:

C'mon Kobo,

Jonathan was as diplomatic as can be on CNN with Amanpour.

The fact that he said he hasn't seen the president speak volumes.
Again Jonathan is in CHARGE

What is diplomatic about his statement? Enlighten us please!

Are you accusing Jonathan of lying on CNN, and to Nigerians? Are you saying he LIED to CNN? Again, are you saying he LIED about not haven seen the president or NOT? Which one? Stop trying to play both sides of the story here and STATE your stance. Do you believe Jonathan is speaking the truth or NOT? It's really that simple. You either believe him and state it or You do not and state it.

Jonathan is Acting President and it makes sense to believe that since the president is indisposed, the Acting President will be in Charge. But that does not change the fact that Yar adua remains President and that is according to our constitution, and not word of mouth or whatever it is you want to call it.