Jonathan Denies Favouring N’delta At Expense Of Other Geo-political Zones
From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja
Wednesday, October 12, 2011


Jonathan
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/oct/12/national-12-10-2011-004.html


President Goodluck Jonathan has denied allegation in the media (not Daily Sun) that his government is favouring his region, the Niger Delta in terms of approval for infrastrcutural development to the detriment of other regions.
He said contrary to the claims, the North-Central Zone had ongoing Federal Government projects valued at over N1trillion.

The report had quoted documents published by the Bureau for Public Procurement that at least 86 percent of projects approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) between March and August, amounting to over N760 billion out of N883 billion contracts awarded during the period was to the  Niger Delta region.

But a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described the report as regrettable and misleading, insisting that there was no truth in the report.
“Having noted with regret, the very misleading lead report of the Daily Trust of Monday, October 10, 2011 titled: “Niger Delta Gets 86% of FG Projects”, the Presidency wishes to state that there is absolutely no truth to the insinuation that the Jonathan administration is favouring the Niger Delta region at the expense of other geo-political zones in the distribution of developmental projects.

“It is a verifiable fact that the Niger Delta projects listed in the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) publication which formed the basis of Daily Trust’s mischievous report were initiated, not by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan but by his late predecessor, President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“Furthermore, the projects, which were envisioned by late President Yar’Adua to give full effect to his admirable commitment to redressing the under-development of the Niger Delta, are all contained in the Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly which represents all sections of the country.   
“These projects and the ongoing amnesty programme for repentant militants in the Niger Delta are indeed a most worthy legacy of the truly visionary and nationalistic leadership of late President Yar’Adua who was fully committed to peace, stability and the equal development of all parts of the country.

“Instead of being pilloried and assailed by mischievous insinuations of regional favouritism, President Jonathan ought to be commended for keeping faith with his predecessor’s vision of equity in national development  and for implementing the budget as passed by the National Assembly.
“Also, the misleading analysis of Federal Government projects by Daily Trust deliberately excluded data from January and February, and from September to the end of the year, thereby ignoring the fact that while a region may appear to dominate project awards in quarterly or half-year reports, other regions may ultimately record higher figures at the end of the year.

“It should be recalled that the 2010 fiscal year ran from January 2010 to March 2011. A holistic review of the BPP publication quoted by the Daily Trust will show that sections of the country got projects in relation to their needs and projections at different times and circumstances.
“It is also a fact that the projects listed in the publication were from MDAs which had concluded project procurement process and made requests for approval to the Federal Executive Council.

“The Trust analysis conveniently ignored the fact that other MDAs with a high volume of projects for other regions are still sending their procurement proposals to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
“In furtherance of its unjustifiable attacks on the Jonathan administration, Daily Trust falsely claims that no project was assigned to the North Central geo-political zone. This is patently false. Currently, the North Central Zone has ongoing Federal Government projects valued at over N1 trillion!
“President Jonathan remains fully committed to ensuring equity in the allocation of national resources for development and all his actions as president testify to this unwavering commitment.”

The daily trust is a syte rag only good for selling groundnut. We need to do something about them.

southern media houses are worst when it comes to bias, rediculing, spite and instigation to hate the govts of the day.

Daily trust is the most useless and bigoted paper in Nigeria. Its editors even publish stories to support boko haram.

Beaf:

Daily trust is the most useless and bigoted paper in Nigeria. Its editors even publish stories to support boko haram.

And the sun newspaper is not bigoted abi ?

Where is ur objectivity ?

alj_harem:

And the sun newspaper is not bigoted abi ?

Where is your objectivity ?

You always talk as if there is akanmu and sand in your head. What has the Sun got to do with this story?

I said it on the thread that Daily trust just wanted to heat up the polity with tribalism against GEJ.

Beaf:

You always talk as if there is akanmu and sand in your head. What has the Sun got to do with this story?

Then it has nothing to do with daily trust.

you see why i dont believe all these fabricated nigerian news .

Is he saying that the #s are wrong? Or just being misinterpreted?

If the former, then what are the correct ones? If the latter, then how?

htajz:

you see why i dont believe all these fabricated nigerian news .

The press is just getting worse and worse. It will come to a time when nobody believes what they say anymore, in fact that time is quite near if not already here.
Papers like Daily Trust especially promote everything from total lies to boko haram, just because the core-North lost the elections. Its all about bigotry these days.

The presidency shouldn't have even tried to refute these false stories, because when the president, finance minister, economic affairs minister, budget director, CBN governor, and economic adviser all happened to come from Kano/Katsina what did the Daily misTrust say?
Nothing

Beaf:

The press is just getting worse and worse. It will come to a time when nobody believes what they say anymore, in fact that time is quite near if not already here.
Papers like Daily Trust especially promote everything from total lies to boko haram, just because the core-North lost the elections. Its all about bigotry these days.

I am amazed at how you can read that what was published was lies. Reuben Abati only claims that the skewed numbers of projects approved for the ND, were not initiated by him but by Yar'adua. Now does the fact that they were initiated by Yar'adua mean that the statistics was wrong or a fabricated?

We do need to start reasoning very well while reading this stories. The Daily Trust reports talked about projects approved during a specific time scale and Abati was referring to projects that are still being considered as reasons to dispute the statistics.

Anyway, I think the politicians take us for a ride cos, we seem to enjoy the ride as we do not use our wisdom to read betweeen the lines.

Daily trust are not doing enough, they are just learning. We need more from them, it keeps the balance.

is that not the 'reason' why different ethnic groups want their own man to be president?

Until they start charging these guys for libel, they will never learn

Even if there is any shred of truth in the story and in spite of my misgivings towards GEJ due to his lethargic nature,what could possibly be wrong with that?The Niger Delta remains the most underdeveloped region in the country & ironically remains the spine holding the rest of the country together.If GEJ's sole achievement is turning the fortunes of the Niger Deltans around he would have achieved a great deal

our media ain't helping the situation rather they'r displacing idiocity of the highest order.coming up with stories like this is a clear evidence.

After 50 years - the golden hen that lays the golden eggs, that shld hv bn an industrialised region!

The NigerDelta deserves much more!

So what if he favors Niger Delta? Didn't abokis up north do the same? Nonsense!!

Bialegend:

So what if he favors Niger Delta? Didn't abokis up north do the same? Nonsense!!

Guy how u take enter my mind? I was about asking same question.

what of. the nation newspaper about the Obasanjo letters and the other lies about different reports.Na today!!!! Anyway the only thing i can say is people should start taking media houses to court to get cash o!That issue of libel! if Buhari carry am go court alone, he would be richer for it.If alot of Northerners could simply sue must of the southern papers trying to depict elders/people with tonnes of lies and numerous exaggerations.Its time for people to sue for damages abeg not just counter with mere talk and all that bullshit.Lies lies lies yet people believe it when its against persons or people or tribe to dislike and only dispute same when it has to do with them.

For the guys shouting if GEJ did that what is wrong with it!! for me its okay but why say the north has done same.Where even in the presidential response, it has being stated that the projects were contracted under yar'adua.The same northerner that you claim did nothing.You people are just so self centred and filled with crap.na your man dey there yet he is trying to maintain a project initiated by a northerner.

Where else do where here about FG projects going on outside of the Niger Delta, the "Real Niger Delta". We all no of course those major ND projects don't go to Imo,Abia, Edo, or Ondo just areas where there are losts of Ijaws.

“Also, the misleading analysis of Federal Government projects by Daily Trust deliberately excluded data from January and February, and from September to the end of the year, thereby ignoring the fact that while a region may appear to dominate project awards in quarterly or half-year reports, other regions may ultimately record higher figures at the end of the year.

^^^If this is the case why not release your proof?

Daily Trust is the most useless newspaper in Nigeria today. It never pretended to be a purveyor of truth but rather a promoter of primordial sentiments and anti-progressive positions. From the Yar'Adua-is-drinking-kunnu era to Boko-Haram-is-fighting-injustice and now to Post-election-riots-due-to-governance-failure.
I would have tolerated this newspaper if they had been anti-Yar'Adua when the guy was leading us to nowhere and then transfer that criticism over to Jonathan. At least, no one can accuse Saharareporters of ethnic bias; they are simply anti-government whether Obasanjo, Yar'adua or Jonathan. For Daily Trust  to celebrate the ineffectual Umaru even when he was  half-dead while mounting relentless attacks on Jonathan from Day One simply because they think he took what rightly belongs to them shows anything but objectivity.

What a paradox. Daily Trust with NO Trust Daily. "A man without conscience is like a writer without concept".

i don't expect someone of his caliber to showcase such an annoy character, if its true, Goodluck fileee!, am D'bande,  dont do that again.
how do you expect NIGERIA to unit,  each tribe will want nominate her candidate and this won't make us grow,

[size=20pt]stop it GEJ, you hear!!!!!!!! GOOD BOY[/size]


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And if this turns out to be true, is he not better than OBJ who never favoured even his own zone but his 'tif tif' comrades?

Daily trust is the only newspaper in the North and it is the best newspaper in Nigeria.GO HUG TRANSFORMER IF YOU DONT LYK THEM

Retardeen is a hopeless liar.

He denied agreeing to zoning So why is it a surprise he is denying this as well.

Denial and memory loss are signs of Retardation

So what If He doesn't do it, who will??

If he is favouring Niger Delta then, he would be the doing the correct and proper thing.

This is because it is a region that needs to be given priority for infrastructural development and environmental clean, as it is a region that has been unreasonably neglected for several decades.

If this is true, then he has my blessing on that policy.