Expresses worry over 2011 general election

•Ciroma’s utterances provocative –Clark

Olusola Sanni and Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

The United States of America has faulted the handling of the October 1, 2010 bomb blasts in Abuja by the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonatghan.

While also expressing worry over the 2011 elections, the United States of America said the President mishandled the detonation of the bombs on the day Nigeria celebrated its 50th independence anniversary.

The position of the United States of America was contained in a document released by its foreign policy think tank, the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) on October 18, 2010.

The CFR blamed Jonathan “of mishandling the aftermath of the October 1 bomb blast in Abuja.”


The CFR, like its previous position document published on August 16, 2010, also expressed concern that the 2011 elections could lead to tension across the country.

The October 18, 2010 newsletter, authored by John Campbell, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, said, “The mishandling of the aftermath of the bombings threatens to exacerbate regional tensions.”

The document reads in full, “The car bombs detonated near Abuja’s Eagle Square on October 1 ruined a high-profile military ceremony celebrating Nigeria’s fifty years of independence and put President Goodluck Jonathan and other senior political figures at risk.

“Though the politicians were unhurt, there were sixteen deaths – including security operatives – and sixty-seven injured. President Jonathan’s mishandling of the aftermath of the bombings threatens to exacerbate regional tensions.

“It has also likely reduced Jonathan’s stature as a presidential candidate with the political elites in the run-up to the 2011 national elections either in January or April. Nevertheless, he continues to influence the security services and the electoral process, and it is premature to count him out.


Jomo Gbomo, the Internet spokesperson for the inchoate Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was part of its campaign for the Delta to benefit more from the petroleum it produces. While violence associated with MEND has been ubiquitous in the Delta, the recent attack was the first such terrorist act in Abuja, located hundreds of miles away.

“Despite MEND’s claim, Jonathan put the terrorist attack in the context of presidential rivalries, especially with Ibrahim Babangida – a Northern Muslim, former military head of state and Jonathan’s primary presidential challenger. Jonathan denied that the bombing was linked to the Delta or MEND. Ex-Delta militants now on the government payroll joined the chorus that MEND could not have been responsible.

“Instead, the security services brought in Raymond Dokpesi, Babangida’s Chief of Staff, for questioning. At the request of the Nigerians, South African authorities also arrested former gunrunner and MEND affiliate Henry Okah, who now lives there.

“Police in Nigeria attempted to link Okah to Dokpesi based on a cryptic text message about payments being made. But attempts to connect Babangida to the bombing through Dokpesi and Okah lacked credibility, not least because Babangida would have had little to gain by involvement with terrorism. Dokpesi has since been released.

“Okah alleged in an al-Jazeera interview that Jonathan’s office urged him to implicate Northern political leaders in the bombings. While Jonathan’s supporters accuse Okah of lying, in the North his al-Jazeera interview tends to be taken at face value and feeds a deepening suspicion that Jonathan is shifting the blame away from constituents in the Niger Delta for short-term political gain within the Peoples Democratic Party, whose presidential nomination he seeks.

“With no indictments to date, Jonathan’s political rivals have also sought to exploit the bombings by questioning his ability to provide even minimal security.

“Babangida and certain Northern politicians are calling for the National Assembly to impeach Jonathan based on Okah’s interview in al-Jazeera, and Dokpesi has filed a lawsuit against the State Security Services.

“Though these initiatives will certainly fail, Jonathan’s response to the bombings is nudging Nigerian politics further in a North versus South direction dangerous in a country where the line between Christians and Muslims runs east to west through the middle of the country, intermingled with hundreds of ethnic groups.

The report of British intelligence was not the only indicator. There was an email from an account associated with Jomo Gbomo that was sent at least an hour prior to the bombings, warning of an impending attack. It was apparently ignored by the security services, though the American and British delegations to the celebrations prudently stayed away. So did Babangida, who subsequently explained his absence as a protest against the excessive costs of the celebration. While the president has said that there was an “intelligence failure,” it remains baffling that the Nigerian political establishment would fail to heed the warnings and put itself at risk.

“The likelihood that the Abuja bombings were the work of Delta militants has also damaged Jonathan’s political credentials. As a Christian Ijaw from the Bayelsa State in the Delta, Jonathan often claims political credit for reducing violence in the Delta and restoring oil production. And Jonathan’s attraction to the elite kingmakers that will determine the governing Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate for 2011 is based at least in part on his alleged control of the Delta, which has been brought into question by these bombings.

“Jonathan recently appears to be backing away from his early assertion that the bombings had nothing to do with the Delta. But the damage is done. Some in the North believe Jonathan is promoting his political interests at their expense. And there are raw nerves.

“Since 1999, Nigeria appears to have been well-served by an informal power sharing understanding among elites to reduce religious, ethnic, and regional conflict by rotating the presidency regionally – and, in effect, religiously – between North and South, and their Muslim and Christian majorities, every eight years.

“Elected vice president, Jonathan is president now only because of the death of Umaru Yar’Adua, a Muslim from the North who was elected President in 2007. As it is the North’s turn for the presidency until 2015, many Nigerians expected that Jonathan would not run in 2011 and bide his time. However, Jonathan announced in September that he would be a presidential candidate in 2011, thereby suspending power-sharing.

“Still, the Abuja bombings and the controversies surrounding them have not knocked Jonathan out of the presidential race.

“As the incumbent and through his influence over the security services and the electoral machinery, his chances of emerging as the PDP presidential candidate remain strong. Still, his willingness to cast aside a power-sharing mechanism and his apparent effort to play on regional differences do not bode well for the future.

“Beyond presidential politics, Nigeria’s friends hope the Abuja bombings do not signal a new round of violence as the election season approaches. While remaining scrupulously neutral among the candidates, Nigeria’s friends should also continue to encourage Nigerian civil organisations working for free, fair, and credible elections conducted according to the rule of law.”

Why are you people hell bent on carrying false stories and rubbish conclusions?

When has the council for foreign relations become the US government?

Some people do think that everyone on NairaLand is a dullard.

CFR - http://www.cfr.org/about/

Does not represent America, the American government nor her people.

Duh.

LouisThoro:

Why are you people hell bent on carrying false stories and rubbish conclusions?

When has the council for foreign relations become the US government?

Some people do think that everyone on NairaLand is a dullard.

CFR - http://www.cfr.org/about/

Does not represent America, the American government nor her people.

Duh.

Hi Louis,
[list]
[li]The Council on Foreign Relations is not the US government. Neither is the Nigerian Institute of international Affairs the Nigerian Government [/li]
[li]The CFR is saying nothing new[/li]
[list]
Nairalanders are not dullards. (Don't start a fight here. You may not like the turn)

^^^^^

You should say that to the person who started the thread.

I was merely correcting him. Did you read his title?

Talk to the poster - not me.

You probably need to read the whole thread from the start and correct your mistake.

OK agreed, the title is misleading. The position of the CFR in issues on Africa is highly respected by the US govt; though I have to confess that Amb John Campbell is somehow less objective in matters concerning Nigeria these days. I share most of the sentiments expressed by the CFR in the article.

I hope we understand each others position now.

this is just a scrap, it contain nothing but a propaganda from the IBB boys. Yeye write up.

Though GEJ messed information control up in the bombing aftermath this cfr report smells of bias guided by john campbell yrs of cronying with ibb. Campbel is an ibb boy.

I also share the same sentiments, this group is biased as is evident from the write up.

After receiving a warning from terrorists what did they actually expect Jonathan to do, cancel the celebrations?

Are the americans known for negotiating with terrorists? why do they expect jonathan to back down because of the bomb scare?

The security agencies knew that the Eagle square was safe and secured and must have assured Jonathan of this, the threat originally waqs to blow up the venue of the celebrations Eagle square and disrupt the celebrations but this was a massive failure.

The attacks surely had nothing to do with agitations in the delta this is obvious.

Nigerians deserve a President for all Nigerians and not some Militant impostor.

krendo:

Nigerians deserve a President for all Nigerians and not some Militant impostor.

And who could that be? IBB or Atiku or Almajari imposters?

prints:


And who could that be? IBB or Atiku or Almajari imposters?

The person could come from bayelsa as Jonathan, they just have to be someoone who realise they are President of Nigeria not President of Ijaw National Congress or MEND

globalaid:

this is just a scrap, it contain nothing but a propaganda from the IBB boys. Yeye write up.

dis is wer most Nigerians begin to display der stupidity, i got this write up from Compass newspaper nad hu d heck owns the Media org other OGD, hu is a key player in jonathans campaign, use ur head bruv before u speak, wer talking Nigeria er nd nt jonathan or bllody IBB, dis is bout this country

Poster

Your title is very deceptive. US is not the same as CFR.

youngmonie:

dis is wer most Nigerians begin to display der stupidity, i got this write up from Compass newspaper nad hu d heck owns the Media org other OGD, hu is a key player in jonathans campaign, use your head bruv before u speak, wer talking Nigeria er nd nt jonathan or bllody IBB, dis is bout this country

Are you really that defective at constructing even the simplest sentences or has the lazy sms styled writing made a mess of your basic construction skills?

violent:

Are you really that defective at constructing even the simplest sentences or has the lazy sms styled writing made a mess of your basic construction skills?

dats nt wht wer r talking err, lets address d main point, aw i choose to write is no ones concern nd besides, d last time I checked, Nairaland is a forum or more unless a blog sooooooooooo