Controversies
Malabu Oil Deal Corruption
In 2011 Goodluck Jonathan's government
facilitated the transfer of payment of $1.1bn
to a fake company set up by a controversial
former Petroleum Minister under Sani
Abacha's corrupt regime, Dan Etete . The fake
company, Malabu Oil and Gas was set up in
1998 by Etete using a false identity so as to
award himself a lucrative oil block, OPL245,
[33] for which he paid only $2m of the $20m
legally required by the state. At the time of
Jonathan's government helping to facilitate
the transfer of payment from Shell and Eni to
the fake company, Etete was already a
convicted felon of money laundering in France.
The Economist reports that only $800m out of
the $1.1bn meant for Malabu Oil and Gas was
ever remitted by the Nigerian government. The
Nigerian Attorney General, Mohammed Bello
Adoke , who signed the documents involved in
facilitating the payments, denied the rest was
shared by public officials. [34] The transfer to
convicted felon, Etete, only came to public
light when a Russian lawyer that claimed to
have helped Malabu negotiate a deal with the
Jonathan's government sued in New York for
a $66m unpaid commission. [35] Both Shell
and Eni, as of September 2014, are under
investigation for corruption by the UK and
Italy authorities for the incidence. [36][37]
Undeclared Monies Flown on Private Jet to
South Africa
On September 5th, 2014, South African
customs officers at Lanseria Airport seized
undisclosed and undeclared $9.3m stuffed in
three suitcases carried on a private jet by 2
Nigerians and an Israeli. [38] Afterwards,
Jonathan's government admitted to ownership
of the funds and claimed it was intended for
procurement of arms and ammunition. The
money was not declared as required by law
upon leaving Nigeria or arriving at South
Africa. [39] It was later revealed the private jet
used to transport the money was owned by
the head of Christians Association of Nigeria,
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.[40] Jonathan's
government progressed to avoid going through
the South African judiciary system to reclaim
the money and instead preferring to employ
diplomatic and political channels directly
through Jacob Zuma, the South African
President, to get the money back. [41] On 25
October 2014, it was announced by the South
African Ambassador to Nigeria that the money
has been released to the Nigerian government.
[42] So far, Jonathan's government have
refused to name the Nigerians on the plane
but the Israeli has been identified by
investigation of the press as Eyal Mesika.
World Cup 2010
In 2010 after the Nigerian football team failed
to progress beyond the group stage at FIFA
World Cup in South Africa, Jonathan declared
a two-year ban on the country's national
football team from all international
competitions. FIFA, the world football
governing body, objected and stated that it
would expel Nigeria from world football if the
government interfered. Subsequently Jonathan
bowed to pressure and lifted the ban. [43]
Removal of fuel subsidy
Main article: Occupy Nigeria
On 13 December 2011, the 2012 fiscal year's
budget removed any provisions for the existing
fuel subsidy. [44] According to a poll carried
out by the Alliance for Credible Elections
(ACE- Nigeria), 80% of Nigerians opposed the
plan to remove the fuel subsidy. [45]
On 1 January 2012, the Jonathan
administration announced the start of a
controversial plan to end fuel subsidies.[46]
Many prominent Nigerians spoke out against
the removal of fuel subsidy by the Jonathan
administration. Former Petroleum Minister
Professor Tam David-West has spoken out
and expressed concern that the planned
removal of the fuel subsidy will squeeze the
economy, increase inflation, and hurt both
businesses and the public. [47]
A former military Head of State and a former
Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources,
General Buhari, urged President Jonathan not
to remove the fuel subsidy and to tackle
corruption.[48]
General Yakubu Gowon, another former
military Head of State, warned the government
that the country's infrastructure should be
revived before fuel subsidy removal steps were
taken. [49]
Former military president Gen. Ibrahim
Babangida joined millions of Nigerians
protesting against the removal of the fuel
subsidy by the Jonathan administration,
saying that the action is ill-timed. [50]
Following the The Nigeria Labour Congress'
warning that the country faces many strikes,
the country unions followed up with strikes
that were matched with civil protests from 9–
13 January 2012. Protesters and groups
called for President Jonathan to resign over
the removal of fuel subsidies. [51][52] After five
days of national protests and strikes, on 16
January, Jonathan announced that the pump
price of petroleum would be 97 naira per litre
as against the 147 naira the planned
government's removal of subsidies would have
taken the price to. [53]
1 October 2010 Independence Day bomb
During his South African magistrate court trial
on 2 May 2012, MEND's (Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta) former leader
Henry Okah came out and insisted that
President Jonathan masterminded the 1
October 2010 independence day bomb attacks.
He told the court that President Jonathan and
his aides organised the attacks in Abuja in a
desperate political strategy to demonise
political opponents, including the former
military President General Ibrahim Babangida,
and to win popular sympathy ahead of the
2011 elections. [54]
The Nigerian Presidency has denied the
allegations of terrorism leveled against
President Jonathan. A media statement was
issued on 2 May 2012, acknowledging the
accusations from Okah. The statement went
on to say that: “The Presidency categorically
affirms that these allegations are false in their
entirety and without any factual foundation."
The Presidency also expressed no interest in
commenting further for the time being, but
planned to "make a full representation on the
matter to the court when the trial opens." [55]
[56]
Renaming of the University of Lagos
In May 2012, President Jonathan changed the
name of the University of Lagos to the
Moshood Abiola University in honour of the
late MKO Abiola . The action drew attention
from critics; among them were pro-Abiola
advocates and parties involved with the
university. [57][58][59] Some critics cited that
the President did not submit an appropriate
bill to the legislature for the change; that the
University's brand name should not be
tampered with. The UNILAG Alumni
Association commented that although they do
not have prejudice against MKO Abiola, they
were concerned "that neither the Governing
Council nor the University Senate nor any
other stakeholder was consulted before the
change was announced." [60] Bola Tinubu
congratulated Jonathan for taking action, but
urged him to "do it right", adding that "we
must be careful not to localise or sectionalise
MKO". The President has attempted to
regularise the renaming of the school by
submitting a bill for an amendment of the
University's establishing law to the legislature.
[63]
Security challenges
On 26 August 2011, after the UN building in
Abuja was bombed by Boko Haram , Jonathan
announced that it was not merely an attack
on Nigeria, but on the international
community. He told reporters that "we would
work together with the UN and other world
leaders to ensure that terrorism is brought
under control." [64]
In response to the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta
's attack on an oil pipeline on 4 February
2012 in Bayelsa, [65] the Senate President
David Mark stated that the security situation
in the country is "intolerable". [66]
On 14 May 2013, Jonathan declared a state of
emergency in three northeastern Nigerian
states, Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa to curtail
the activities of Boko Haram. [67] Although
initially offering amnesty, by June 2013 he
ordered for 20-year jail terms for anyone
found to be in support of Boko Haram. [68]
On 16 January 2014, it was reported that
Jonathan had sacked his military high
command in response to their inability to end
the Islamist-led insurgency in Northern
Nigeria. [69]
Jonathan's administration has been pressured
to bring back the over 200 schoolgirls
abducted by Boko Haram. There have been
several demonstrations calling for the
government to be more responsive, and
Jonathan has asked that demonstrators focus
on blaming Boko Haram itself for the
abductions. [70] Jonathan at one stage
signaled his government would do a prisoner
release in exchange for the kidnapped girls.
Discussions then took place in Paris with
foreign ministers from France , Britain , the
United States and Israel, where he agreed no
deals should be struck with terrorists. He then
called off the exchange at the last minute on
24 May 2014. This about-turn reportedly
enraged Boko Haram leaders.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodluck_Jonathan

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