on NOVEMBER 26, 2011 · in NEWS
     
Paris – President Goodluck Jonathan, has said he would work with INEC, to ensure that Nigerians living abroad voted in the 2015 elections.

Jonathan said this in Paris on Friday, while fielding questions on voting, security and other issues from the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOe), French Chapter.

The president said:“During my visit to France a year and a half ago, we promised to make every Nigerian proud of a credible transition and we are glad to have accomplished that.

“We will do better in 2015. Discussions are on to ensure that Nigerians living abroad can participate in the next elections if not in everything then at least the presidential and gubernatorial elections.

“We do not want to meddle because INEC is an independent body, but we will work with INEC to see how this can be achieved,’’ the President said.

He told the organisation that their clamour for a Commission was before the National Assembly and would hopefully scale through before the end of the seventh Assembly.

On transport and infrastructure, Jonathan encouraged those with contributions to come home and invest their experiences from schooling abroad, while promising that insecurity would soon be history in Nigeria .

“All the people involved in the 2010 Independence Day and Suleja bomb blasts have been arrested. People are being arrested, but until investigations are concluded we cannot make them public.

“We commend the security agencies for being on top of the situation and God willing, terrorism will be reduced to the barest minimum.

“We know that the perpetrators are idle and we are looking at job creation t hrough agriculture to engage them to forestall future occurrence. ’’

He also condemned the sponsors of terrorism and encouraged the gathering to be the best in all their endeavours.

According to him, President Obama of the U.S said of Nigeria, “Nigerians are very fantastic people and not because of your crude but one basic resource you have are your brains”.

Jonathan said:  “There are 25,000 qualified Nigerian medical doctors living in the U.S alone and that is only in medicine.

“The main thing is to create an enabling environment back home and that is why we are working very hard on power to boost and enlarge more businesses.

“We had fruitful discussions on the just concluded meeting for investors. We mean well for the country, we are moving forward and will continue to move until we get to where we are going”.

The President NIDOe-France, Chief Sam Obiejesi,  thanked the President for his support to Nigerians abroad and pledged on behalf of the association to “deploy skills and assets to partner and work with the Federal Government to better the lives of Nigerians’’.

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, ministers, and some notable Nigerian businessmen were at the meeting.(NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/jonathan-promises-to-ensure-nigerians-abroad-vote-in-2015-elections/

In that case, nothing for the North once again.

In that case, nothing for the North once again.

Don't be too sure of yourself, according to stats there are over 1 million hausa/fulani in the Sudan, although some of these guys have been there from time memorial they are referred to as west/ africans instead of Sudanese, I bet a northern candidate would claim all one million as northern Nigerians and that would tilt the balance in favour of a core Northern Candidate in an election. It is a slippery slope we should avoid. We have not even taken the Hausa/Fulani in Niger, Chad and Cameroon into account.

Where on earth are these stats of 1 million+ Hausa in Sudan?

And how did they become "Hausa/Fulani" in Sudan?

It is only in Nigeria and certain other places in West Africa where they are considered one group. . .

I am very skeptical.

We need solution to Today's Problems - not electioneering for 3.5yrs away. Don't know what is PRIORITIES

Where on earth are these stats of 1 million+ Hausa in Sudan?

And how did they become "Hausa/Fulani" in Sudan?

It is only in Nigeria and certain other places in West Africa where they are considered one group. . .

I am very skeptical.

http://beegeagle./2010/04/09/hausa-fulani-and-kanuri-of-the-sudan/


http://www.sudantribune.com/The-Hausa-Fulani-are-Genuine,29127

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1106447


http://kanoonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=738.0;wap2

http://www.sudanforum.net/showthread.php?t=86289



Read all those articles and see for your self.

excerpts from one of the articles

Traditionally,the Kano-Bornu-Darfur-Red Sea route has been used by Hausa,Fulani and Kanuri muslim faithful on pilgrimage to Mecca.Many of these faithfuls,attracted by the similarities in culture,religious practices,weather and an abundance of fertile land in the Nile Valley,settled down to farm the land.But the greatest wave of migration lay ahead.

In the wake of the eclipse of Sokoto’s imperial glory in March 1903 on account of British imperialist aggression,the Mai Wurno,nephew of the Sultan and Protector of the caliphate’s northern frontiers fled with the Sokoto imperial standard and thousands of his followers and troops to the southernmost emirate of Adamawa, over 1000 kilometres away.

Being well acquainted with the exploits of the Mahdist forces in the Sudan and in the belief that the Mahdi was the great liberator whose coming was foretold in the Holy Book,the Mai Wurno and by some accounts,over 20,000 followers began the Hijra(flight) to the Sudan where they ultimately settled down close to the Khartoum-Omdurman area in a settlement which to this day is known as Mai Wurno and whose inhabitants retain their Hausa-Fulani heritage.

Altogether,the Hausa,Fulani and Kanuri of the Sudan today number well over a million people,serving that country in the civil service,armed forces,business and most of all,providing the bulk of the farmers who till the land in that country’s food basket,the Gezira plains

KnowAll:


http://beegeagle./2010/04/09/hausa-fulani-and-kanuri-of-the-sudan/


http://www.sudantribune.com/The-Hausa-Fulani-are-Genuine,29127

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1106447


http://kanoonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=738.0;wap2

http://www.sudanforum.net/showthread.php?t=86289



Read all those articles and see for your self.

Many of the Nigerians in Sudan are also southerners.

Many of the Nigerians in Sudan are also southerners.

where did you get that stats from?

Very interesting.

http://countrystudies.us/sudan/38.htm

Your estimate of 1 million I guess is pretty reasonable.

But they've lived there for a really long time. Not really clear if they are Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri any more, per se?

I also found a pretty interesting doc on JSTOR (www.jstor.org/stable/3998056).

I'll share it in a second for others to read.

I won't be surprise this Boko Haram nonsense that has bedevilled us recently might have started by returnees from Sudan. The Sudanese do not recognise them as full citizens only when they need them for their various militias and co. I believe some dis-illusioned ones would have come back to Nigeria and lay claim to their rights which of course includes enforcing a more stringent Islamic practise.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/40560748/3998056.pdf

(i'll keep this online for a few hrs but delete after that.)

KnowAll:


where did you get that stats from?

I know a few Igbos personally. Some of them are also football players there.

I reckon too that being one of the transit centers for Nigerians seeking greener pastures in Europe, there will be a number of Edo, Igbo and Yoruba migrants there who are stuck. I agree though they are far less than northerners there but would those hausas/fulani in sudan still be considered Nigerian after migrating there even before the early 20th century?

ekt_bear:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/40560748/3998056.pdf

(i'll keep this online for a few hrs but delete after that.)

^Thanks for this. But, you do realize on matters pertaining to Nigerian history. . .you shouldn't be too hasty to conclude.

Hehe, true.

1 million in Sudan sounded like a really high # to me. Like, why would it happen? What would have caused it? But anyway the pdf answers some of the whys.

Btw I didn't conclude definitively yay or nay, it just seemed implausible to me at first.

Waste of time! This foolish Jonidiot will not do anything only mouthing off his usual BS.

the big question is . will the votes count? we've been voting all these years. or you think foreign votes can't be doctored?

Let this fool finish his tenure first before thinkin of the next vote.

Rigging extraordinaire in the making

Why should i care Who will they vote for ? Another idiota from PDP ?

Is this guy still making promises?

pls i have i question for mr president,
1: what is the important of them voting from there?
2: where did something like that ever happen in this world?
3: will that change the situation of this country?
Advice
1: forget those outside this country participating in nigeria's election despise they are nigerian
2: any one who one to vote should come back and vote in nigeria
3: focus on giving us light, water, better skool
4: do away with corruption to the best of your ability
thanks

talk is cheap, it is not feasible

KnowAll:


Don't be too sure of yourself, according to stats there are over 1 million hausa/fulani in the Sudan, although some of these guys have been there from time memorial they are referred to as west/ africans instead of Sudanese, I bet a northern candidate would claim all one million as northern Nigerians and that would tilt the balance in favour of a core Northern Candidate in an election. It is a slippery slope we should avoid. We have not even taken the Hausa/Fulani in Niger, Chad and Cameroon into account.

That is, if they're still having Nigerian passports.

ekt_bear:

Hehe, true.

1 million in Sudan sounded like a really high # to me. Like, why would it happen? What would have caused it? But anyway the pdf answers some of the whys.

Btw I didn't conclude definitively yay or nay, it just seemed implausible to me at first.

Don't mind them jare.

If the "1 Million" pre-colonial Hausa Fulani in Sudan and Chad can vote in Nigeria come 2015, then we must allow diasporan Yorubas and Igbo descendants in South America from Brazil to Cuba to vote too.

I Foreee a lot of Antonio Gustavs in the INEC register in 2015, maybe they should throw in a few Fon, Dahomehians and Akans for good measure.

It's only fair


@topic, I hope they allow Nigerians living abroad, if tiny guinea and heavily populated Philippines can do it, then we surely can.

hassymo5:

pls i have i question for mr president,
1: what is the important of them voting from there?
2: where did something like that ever happen in this world?
3: will that change the situation of this country?
Advice
1: forget those outside this country participating in nigeria's election despise they are nigerian
2: any one who one to vote should come back and vote in nigeria
3: focus on giving us light, water, better skool
4: do away with corruption to the best of your ability
thanks

I provided answers to a few of the questions you asked during the April elections. Read this link:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-586413.0.html#msg7545713

You can search NL or google around for more explanation.

But I must stress again that the points in your "advice list" does not nullify diaspora voting, rather, it strengthens it. Fighting corruption/providing infrastructure and diaspora voting is not mutually exclusive. All these things can be easily achieved when there is political will.

As a matter of fact, the WorldBank and Official Nigerian Data puts annual Diaspora contribution to the Nigerian Economy at $10 Billion, one of the highest of any country on earth.

$10Billion or over 1.5 Trillion Naira, is a huge chunk of our economy.

That is not counting the other value they add to this country, it is supremely Dumb to deny them a voice in the political process.

And d promises continues,

My God will help you fulfill your good intentions for the country, mr president.

Promises,promises,promises.

He still has 3yrs more. Lets see what will happen