Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday backed Atiku Abubakar and other eminent Nigerians by adopting restructuring and true federalism as the way out of ethnic and religious crisis in Nigeria.

Recall that Atiku was the first recent northern politician to clamour for restructuring and true federalism as the panacea to Nigeria’s problems.

Jonathan said this during a meeting with the United States House of Representatives sub-committee on threats of religious intolerance in Nigeria and the Niger Delta question.

According to a statement by the former president’s media aide, Jonathan was invited to speak in his capacity as the chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.

He also identified impunity as a factor which had contributed to the reoccurrence of such violence, noting that if those behind previous violence were not prosecuted, people of like mind and groups would be emboldened to repeat the same act.

Jonathan talked about his efforts to end impunity, specifically citing the case of Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger state who was arrested, prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned by his administration and was the first successful prosecution of a terrorist attack on a place of worship in Nigeria’s history.

He said: “That promise was fulfilled on the 20th of December 2013 when Kabiru Umar, aka Kabiru Sokoto, was sentenced to life imprisonment after my administration investigated that crime, identified him as the mastermind, arrested him and diligently prosecuted him and some of his associates.”

Jonathan also noted that his administration’s prosecution of the perpetrators of the deadly bombing of an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission also in Madalla on April 8, 2011 was the first successful prosecution of terrorists in Nigeria.

While supporting the 2014 National Conference’s recommendation for an Independent Religious Equity Commission to be set up to apprehend and arrest perpetrators of ethnic and religious violence, Jonathan maintained that ending impunity would also mean ending the tension associated with the unending impunity in the country.

On the Niger Delta, the former President said he fully aligned with the views of the 2014 National Conference which called for true and fiscal federalism as the way out of agitation in the region and in other parts of Nigeria as interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission was not effective due to...

Credit: http://ikengachronicles.com/nigeria-should-be-restructured-jonathan/

Well done oga jona

Why did Jonathan not restructure Nigeria when he was the president? Mtcheeew

TheABOMINATION:
Why did Jonathan not restructure Nigeria when he was the president? Mtcheeew

A Presudent cannot restructure the country alone. It needs the National Assembly to pass it into law too.

GEJ kick started the process by convening the 2014 confab.

you had the opportunity to do that but you chose to ignore it so why are you saying it now.?...you see why I hate politicians?..it is clear this people brain is located in their Anu...

jonathan can't just restructure nigeria overnight or in one day, he needs others to do.it . That was he held the.national confab. He laid the foundation for buhari to at least do something about it, but buhari chose to use hiis own way which can't work, and it has sent him to medical check up.

I still love this man, I believe if he comes back He will re-position this nation to much greater height

the way this country knows its fundamental problem, but still chooses to totally ignore it makes me feel the country was predestined to split

I am beginning to like Atiku

Granted he facilitated the national confab, but he now sat on the report for several months to be used as a political bait to cover up his incompetence.
How can a good man use changes that means better life to his people as a bait for his own personal ambition of reelection?

Now that GEJ an Atiku have supported Restructuring for True Federalism, what is the NASS waiting for? The NASS should waste no more Time in implementing this. Time means money.
Also, Traditional Rulers should be made responsible to autonomous state governments for their Local Governments activities.

Very good. Keep talking. Obama ordered Bokoharam, Biafra and Fulani Herdsmen to destabilize your Government.

Campaigning after election!

zendy:


A Presudent cannot restructure the country alone. It needs the National Assembly to pass it into law too.

GEJ kick started the process by convening the 2014 confab.

If I were Jonathan then I could ve created circumstances that will severely warrant the restructuring....For e.g, I could pit one tribe against the other via preferential treatments/appointments or selectively allow the DSS to oppress dissidents from a major tribe.

zendy:


A Presudent cannot restructure the country alone. It needs the National Assembly to pass it into law too.

GEJ kick started the process by convening the 2014 confab.

Lol. You're naïve. He was president from 2010 to 2015. Does it take that long to restructure a country if you really wanted to?

If he was sincere why did he decide to withhold the implementation of the recommendations?

Instead he was threatening the Southwest, "vote for me so that I will implement this otherwise..."

The guy isn't smart at all at all. He truly is a buffoon.

peteregwu:
jonathan can't just restructure nigeria overnight or in one day, he needs others to do.it . That was he held the.national confab. He laid the foundation for buhari to at least do something about it, but buhari chose to use hiis own way which can't work, and it has sent him to medical check up.

It is a case of simple maths Mr man.

When did he assume office as president?

When did he inaugurate the confab?

How long did the confab sit for deliberations?

How long did it take for the confab report to be presented to the president?

When was the confab report presented to the president?

When was he voted out of office?

Get the answers to this questions and maybe you'll see the light.

peteregwu:
jonathan can't just restructure nigeria overnight or in one day, he needs others to do.it . That was he held the.national confab. He laid the foundation for buhari to at least do something about it, but buhari chose to use hiis own way which can't work, and it has sent him to medical check up.

How

And the present government is the total disgrace to this question

Tifemide2017:
Someone knew quite well he might leave office by 2015 when he sponsored a national in 2014(a very busy pre-election year) just to waste money.

Now he is recommending the restructuring the PDP was not, in 16 good years, serious about to a new party which has its own manifestoes

Some gullible hypocrites will still believe he meant well.

Interesting he feels this way now. I agree with above. He should have advocated more for this when he was president. Better late than never but wow this is telling.

Ioannes:


Lol. You're naïve. He was president from 2010 to 2015. Does it take that long to restructure a country if you really wanted to?

If he was sincere why did he decide to withhold the implementation of the recommendations?

Instead he was threatening the Southwest, "vote for me so that I will implement this otherwise..."

The guy isn't smart at all at all. He truly is a buffoon.

The point here is that GEJ did more for the restructuring of Nigeria than anyone has done since the Aburi Accord of 1967. He convened a confab which priduced a report. GEJ does not have the power to implement the report without changing the constitution and only the National Assembly can do that. However, GEJ is just one man. What are your senators doing? Why us no one moving a bill for restructuring at the National Assembly? What did presidents before GEJ and the present Buhari doing about it?

At least GEJ did something, everyone else did nothing

Indeed your wisdom has gone higher ever since you left office..... Maybe Nigerians need to make all ex-heads of state the only advisors to current Naija President

zendy:



The point here is that GEJ did more for the restructuring of Nigeria than anyone has done since the Aburi Accord of 1967. He convened a confab which priduced a report. GEJ does not have the power to implement the report without changing the constitution and only the National Assembly can do that. However, GEJ is just one man. What are your senators doing? Why us no one moving a bill for restructuring at the National Assembly? What did presidents before GEJ and the present Buhari doing about it?

At least GEJ did something, everyone else did nothing

GEJ did nothing for the restructuring of Nigeria. He only convened a conference so as to use the confab report to strong arm the south west into voting for him. If you didn't watch his first campaign speech in Lagos, please visit YouTube asap.

Double post

Ioannes:


GEJ did nothing for the restructuring of Nigeria. He only convened a conference so as to use the confab report to strong arm the south west into voting for him. If you didn't watch his first campaign speech in Lagos, please visit YouTube asap.

Well, considering that the Buhari you people voted for has since thrown the confab report into the dustbin and went further to tell everyone that Nigeria does not need restructuring, GEJ is still the man.

This is not surprising to us in the East. It is not today you Yorubas have colluded with your Northern friends to fight anyone who is serious restructuring.

You guys did it with Aburi accord and Ojukwu same way you guys did it with GEJ and confab report.

zendy:


Well, considering that the Buhari you people voted for has since thrown the confab report into the dustbin and went further to tell everyone that Nigeria does not need restructuring, GEJ is still the man.

This is not surprising to us in the East. It is not today you Yorubas have colluded with your Northern friends to fight anyone who is serious restructuring.

You guys did it with Aburi accord and Ojukwu same way you guys did it with GEJ and confab report.

There you go again with your tribalistic slur.

You guys are clannish. Did the representatives from the east at the conference demand for a restructuring? You better check your facts about those championing for the restructuring of the country at the confab.

Why do you think Jonathan decided to use the confab report as a weapon to garner the votes of the Yorubas?

jona my man, must you talk? i always try to rationalize your talking and that of pmb, i no just understand una two, ur image makers come make am worse

Ioannes:


There you go again with your tribalistic slur.

You guys are clannish. Did the representatives from the east at the conference demand for a restructuring? You better check your facts about those championing for the restructuring of the country at the confab.

Why do you think Jonathan decided to use the confab report as a weapon to garner the votes of the Yorubas?

bros abeg you no get work? i get egusi here wey you fit peel for me

zendy:


Well, considering that the Buhari you people voted for has since thrown the confab report into the dustbin and went further to tell everyone that Nigeria does not need restructuring, GEJ is still the man.

This is not surprising to us in the East. It is not today you Yorubas have colluded with your Northern friends to fight anyone who is serious restructuring.

You guys did it with Aburi accord and Ojukwu same way you guys did it with GEJ and confab report.

My brother, the level of treachery in this people's behavior and culture is appalling. Now they themselves are beginning to shout regionalism because buharrry has failed them. Very soon they will start shouting southern unity. Why did luggard do this to us ndigbo?

OlujobaSamuel:
bros abeg you no get work? i get egusi here wey you fit peel for me

Aren't your parents home to help you with that?