Jonathan explains comment on Abuja blasts
News Oct 12, 2010 By Daniel Idonor
ABUJA—BARELY eight days after his comment on the twin bomb blasts in parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, which generated controversies, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said that he only meant to distance the spirit behind the bombing from the globally acclaimed Niger-Delta struggle.

President Jonathan, while reacting to the bomb attacks, had said: “Let me also use this opportunity to reassure Nigerians that what happened yesterday (October 1) had nothing, I have to repeat, had nothing to do with the Niger Delta. People just used the name of MEND to camouflage criminality and terrorism.”

He said the online “release purported to have been issued by MEND attributing the blasts to the lack of attention to the Niger Delta, is not tenable because this is the first time that somebody from the Niger Delta has the opportunity to even be the President of this country for about four months, so whatever your grievances is and you have your own here, you should have some hope. Good things do not happen overnight.”

No sooner than the President bared his mind on the bombing that Nigerians especially politicians began interpreting his comment with many expressing the view that the statement was rather too hasty as investigations were on.

But making a clarification on the controversial statement, while receiving the Northern Political Summit, G-20, during a solidarity visit to Aso Rock, Jonathan explained that it was regrettable that politicians hijacked the comment to score cheap political goal, in a much more sensitive issue such as terrorist attack.

Jonathan said: “After the incident, I spoke the following day when the ECOWAS parliament had programme and the day I visited the hospital. I believe as a nation whether you are a member of MEND or not, is not the issue.

” What I am saying is that don’t cover it up by using the name of Niger Delta or MEND. That is what I said. As at that time, they have arrested some people, some from Niger Delta some not. If we continue to do that, it will get to the time that it will travel far. From Benin to Port Harcourt and now to Abuja, it will also go to Maiduguri the next day. I believe that we must unearth those who are involved.”

The President who said that “those who bombed Nigeria on that day are more demonic than Lucifer,” adding that “those of us who are Christians, believe that there is a demon called Lucifer.

“On the issue of the October bomb blasts, I want to thank you for your encouraging statement and commitment. I know the role you have been playing to explain things to people so that people will not play politics with things that are of serious national interest”.

Jonathan who would not want to comment further on the incident said: “I did not want to comment just as you advised because if you make comment, people will then want to play politics with it. So, I have allowed the security agencies to continue with their work. At the end of the day, we will surely unearth those who are behind this.”

“And I always explain to people that look this car bombs first of all happened in Benin, Edo State, somebody even died and another in Bayelsa State, nobody made an investigation but they said it was Niger Delta crisis. It was buried under MEND, under Niger Delta crisis. Again, another one in Port Harcourt, luckily no body died in the Port Harcourt incident but it was buried”.

“Not too long ago, Vanguard Newspaper was organizing a programme in Warri, another one happened when governors and senior citizens of this country were meeting, nobody ordered an investigation and it was also buried, nobody was arrested. Then now in Abuja on the October 1, they said MEND again, I said no, we cannot continue to burry this under Niger Delta crisis or MEND. That is the sin I have committed”.

Earlier, the Senator Ibrahim Idah who was nominated by the leader of the delegation and former Governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar, to speak on behalf of the G_20, dismissed the call on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign by the leader of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), Mallam Ciroma, saying that the is not only provocative but also a calculated attempt to install anarchy in the polity.

“To our compatriots in the Northern Political Leaders Forum, we urge for a return to the path of peaceful dialogue in the resolution of our national problems. The recent resort to threats and intimidating pronouncements can only generate further heat instead of the essential light for us to see the way forward. Given their tested maturity and noble character, Nigerians expect these leaders to rise above sectional politics and proceed to promote the blessings of national unity and the security of social justice”, he said.

The group maintained that “given the serious nature of the tragic event, we denounce, in the strongest term, attempts being made by some political leaders to politicize this matter. This is outrageous in the extreme.

Matters of national security should not be politicized, for whatever political reasons”.
According to him, “most Nigerians are also outraged by new language of threats and unwarranted intimidations and ultimatums coming from leaders of Northern Political Forum. We thought leaders should do their best to find lasting solutions to national problems instead of the deliberate attempts being made to provoke further confusion and crises”.

“This has become necessary because of certain provocative statements that have tended to escalate the already tense situation in our dear country. We appeal for calm! As patriotic citizens, we must conduct our public affairs on the high plane of dignity, discipline and decorum. Surely, it is far better to work together to move Nigeria away from the quicksand of ethnicity to the solid rock of national integration, based on justice, social harmony and national security”.

Senator Idah pointed out that “most Nigerians would agree that the matter before us go far beyond the dictates of partisan politics” and “therefore appeal to all Nigerians, and especially our colleagues in politics, that we must not politicize matters that threaten the very foundations of our nation”, stressing that “in times like this we have to move to higher realms of what is best for Nigeria. This is the hour for statesmen and women who are determine to build rather than destroy”.

The group however urged Federal authorities and our security Agencies to do their best by ensuring that a thorough and transparent investigation is carried to reveal all those involved in this dastardly act of terror, saying that “the process of investigations must be kept purely professional, devoid of politics; and indeed we fell moved to appeal to all our leaders to resolve to observe a period of moratorium on press comments on these sensitive matters until the investigations are completed”.

http://nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

Is the President suggesting that MEND have some kind of immunity and thus above investigation?

Is he saying that anyone can bomb Aso Rock and if it is proved to be MEND no need for investigation and trial in court?

We have an amnesty in place and amnesties come with responsibility. MEND may claim to be fighting a just course but I can not believe that the President of any country will openly suggest that some organisations or some group of people have immunity from prosecution if they destroy properties and kill Nigerians no matter what agenda they have.

The President is even dumber than I think he is. I think he should stop talking, don't wanna hear anymore.

But I warned you all. And I was accussed on here by some of being Ijaw hater. I love Niger Delta people, but I love Nigeria more, and we must all e prepared to speak the truth even if it is not a popular choice.

This man is absolutely not the change we await in Nigeria!
Danger are ahead if he climb the seat of power 2011. His deperation is something else that one will continue to doubt the credible of next coming election.

His supporters should have a rethink b4 regrets!

Oh please, !!!!

“And I always explain to people
that look this car bombs first of
all happened in Benin, Edo State,
somebody even died and
another in Bayelsa State,
nobody  made an investigation
but they said it was Niger Delta
crisis. It was buried under MEND,
under Niger Delta crisis. Again,
another one in Port Harcourt,
luckily no body died in the Port
Harcourt incident but it was
buried ”.
“Not too long ago, Vanguard
Newspaper was organizing a
programme in Warri, another
one happened when governors
and senior citizens of this
country were meeting, nobody
ordered an investigation and it
was also buried, nobody was
arrested.  Then now in Abuja on
the October 1, they said MEND
again, I said no, we cannot
continue to burry this under
Niger Delta crisis or MEND. That
is the sin I have committed”.

Jonathan didn't have to say this, especially the bolded part. He shot himself in the foot with a defeatist statement like this.

My advice to him is that he gets rid of the bunch of people who are currently advicing him. I'm begining to get a feeling now that there seems to some kind of conspiracy to ensure his downfall.

This probably why good leaders like Ribadu dumped him. I mean think about it the more he talks, the more people are distancing themselves from him.

Did he actually say this?

The statements are not contradictory. They mean the same thing and I don't see anything wrong with them

Ujujoan:

Did he actually say this?

Yes, the dude was on TV yesterday.

I had to read the article a few times to establish the difference, if any .

All i can say is, SAME DIFFERENCE! Same view, different words

let me reinvent this saying for GEJ -

speech is radioactive

silence is platinum

by now the man should know that his advisers or himself are not it when comes to speaking

shut up and try to let your actions do the talking

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what he has said. The same people that had a problem with the first statement are obviously those still faulting what he just said and their problem still remains thesame - Simple Comprehension!

wesley80:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what he has said. The same people that had a problem with the first statement are obviously those still faulting what he just said and their problem still remains thesame - Simple Comprehension!

Really I can't find what seem to be the problem with GEJ speech clarifications.
May be it is the mindset of people that are bent on twisting whatever he says to score some cheap points, or like someone suggested - simple lack of comprehension

Honestly I don't see anything wrong with his statement.Seems some of us are bent on tarnishing his reputation.

Please what is not wrong about Goodluck Jonathan's comments above

The President of Nigeria lists a number of bombings that have gone on in different parts of Nigeria and decries the fact that no investigation was ordered!!!!! Please who was he expecting to order the investigations? I thought he was the President? If nobody else under him ordered them why did'nt the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria order one?

Point number 2, he went on to suggest that these bombings that happened in Benin, Warri, PH were allowed to die a Natural death because MEND was associated with the Bombing. Is there any part of our constitution that says MEND is permitted to bomb fascilities in Nigeria and go scot free even when there are casualties. I don't even believe the Nigerian Army have the right to kill anyone and go scot free let alone MEND.

Point 3 he went on to suggest that the Abuja bombing was once again associated with MEND and the reason he has now ordered an investigation is because he does not believe or no longer want to believe MEND are responsible.

I recognise that Jonathan is an Ijaw man and thus may sympathise with MEND or have some sentiments, but he is also the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and no President should be speaking like this. If anybody does not find it troubling that the President of Nigeria is actually suggesting the above then may be that explains some of your attitudes towards Jonathan.

Do you honestly believe that after openly glorifying MEND like this, Jonathan will have both the authority or moral right to attack Boko Harram if they do begin to engage in brazen maiming and killing fo fellow Nigerians? Jonathan has no clue about his responsibilities as a leader.

mikeansy:

Is the President suggesting that MEND have some kind of immunity and thus above investigation?

Is he saying that anyone can bomb Aso Rock and if it is proved to be MEND no need for investigation and trial in court?

We have an amnesty in place and amnesties come with responsibility. MEND may claim to be fighting a just course but I can not believe that the President of any country will openly suggest that some organisations or some group of people have immunity from prosecution if they destroy properties and kill Nigerians no matter what agenda they have.

The President is even dumber than I think he is. I think he should stop talking, don't wanna hear anymore.

you seem not to understand.
The movement of the emancipation of the niger delta, is a movement made up of not only militants but of every one seeking the emancipation of the niger delta, whether they are from ND or not, they were never ever categorized as criminals or terrorist and the whole world consider their aims and vision to be just.
Mend is an idea that is fully ascribed by every niger deltan whether openly or secretly, no niger delta person whether private or public, has ever spoken out against mend, we may say we condemn violence, but in no way do we condemn mend.
In other for the government to achieve any headway, a truce had to be called during the height of the insurgency last year, an amnesty was given within a period of time, and some weapons were turned in.
Now if there are activities contrary to the agreements btw government and militants ala mend and co, is it not right for the president to call these activities terror based?
is it not right that he come out in public with the various stake holders in the emancipation of the niger delta and dissociate the niger delta and mend from such activities? because as it is, the whole bombing episode is totally in contrary to the aspiration of every niger delta person, we dissociate ourselves and our organizations from it.
this is what Gej has been trying to say since, but unfortuately you people fail to see this or you just don,t want to see it, just to get cheap political point, and create more chaos.

^^^^^

But it is also true that the very e-mail from which Jomo Gbomo and MEND threatened of attacks and claimed responsibility for attacks in the last few years is the very e-mail from which those who bombed Abuja warned of the attacks and also claimed responsibility for the attack.

So a responsible Government regardless of its sentiments will order investigations keeping all options on the table until a clear and concise findings are reached from the investigation.

But to absolve the very name that claimed responsibility hours after the bombing only to immediadiately arrest the campaign manager of your opponents and then go in retrospect to find evidence to nail the "campaign manager" does not sound like investigation to me. It is simply a bungled and clandestine attempt at slander.

How many times have we seen MEND commanders accept amnesty only for their subordinates to carry on fighting because they believe they have not been settled appropriately. By the way why is the MEND fight over if it is all about ND well being? is Yenegoa or PH as wonderful as New York already.

mikeansy:

Jonathan has no clue about his responsibilities as a leader.

Obviously neither do you have a clue about what it takes to be a responsible leader in your own country, your naivety is shocking to say the least and see how infectious it is with people queuing up to follow your lead

mikeansy:

^^^^^

But it is also true that the very e-mail from which Jomo Gbomo and MEND threatened of attacks and claimed responsibility for attacks in the last few years is the very e-mail from which those who bombed Abuja warned of the attacks and also claimed responsibility for the attack.

So a responsible Government regardless of its sentiments will order investigations keeping all options on the table until a clear and concise findings are reached from the investigation.

But to absolve the very name that claimed responsibility hours after the bombing only to immediadiately arrest the campaign manager of your opponents and then go in retrospect to find evidence to nail the "campaign manager" does not sound like investigation to me. It is simply a bungled and clandestine attempt at slander.

How many times have we seen MEND commanders accept amnesty only for their subordinates to carry on fighting because they believe they have not been settled appropriately. By the way why is the MEND fight over if it is all about ND well being? is Yenegoa or PH as wonderful as New York already.

Good God!, I just dont know where to start replying.

wesley80:

Obviously neither do you have a clue about what it takes to be a responsible leader in your own country, your naivety is shocking to say the least and see how infectious it is with people queuing up to follow your lead

Good God!, I just dont know where to start replying.

Trust me you are yet to understand the meaning of the word naivety? I do not know what your playing at but it is clearly not smart and not for anybody's interest. Not even Jonathan's, Ijaws or South-South and clearly not in the interest of Nigeria.

PR disaster.

tpiah:

PR disaster.

very good, but not national disaster some people are hell bent on wanting it to be.

mikeansy:

Trust me you are yet to understand the meaning of the word naivety?

Naïve (sometimes spelled naive) is a French loanword (adjective, form of naïf) indicating having or showing a lack of experience, understanding or sophistication; in early use, it meant natural or innocent, and did not connote ineptitude. - Now it does.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve

For someone that posted a topic with a grammatical error that would embarass a 10 year Old, I feel insulted to have my English questioned by you.

mikeansy:

I do not know what your playing at but it is clearly not smart and not for anybody's interest. Not even Jonathan's, Ijaws or South-South and clearly not in the interest of Nigeria.

wish I had the time or patience like df2006 but I've got a bus to catch

mikeansy:

^^^^^

But it is also true that the very e-mail from which Jomo Gbomo and MEND threatened of attacks and claimed responsibility for attacks in the last few years is the very e-mail from which those who bombed Abuja warned of the attacks and also claimed responsibility for the attack.

So a responsible Government regardless of its sentiments will order investigations keeping all options on the table until a clear and concise findings are reached from the investigation.

But to absolve the very name that claimed responsibility hours after the bombing only to immediadiately arrest the campaign manager of your opponents and then go in retrospect to find evidence to nail the "campaign manager" does not sound like investigation to me. It is simply a bungled and clandestine attempt at slander.

now that is why investigations have been ongoing but let it be stated and clarified that this  is not  a niger delta issue, and that it will not die a sudden death.
i will refer you to this thread, there is a wonderful saying in it that i like," it is very hard to take the microphone from somebody who has been talking"
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-529054.0.html

How many times have we seen MEND commanders accept amnesty only for their subordinates to carry on fighting because they believe they have not been settled appropriately. By the way why is the MEND fight over if it is all about ND well being? is Yenegoa or PH as wonderful as New York already.

my brother why the rush? rome or new york was not built in a day.

wesley80:

Naïve (sometimes spelled naive) is a French loanword (adjective, form of naïf) indicating having or showing a lack of experience, understanding or sophistication; in early use, it meant natural or innocent, and did not connote ineptitude. - Now it does.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve

For someone that posted a topic with a grammatical error that would embarass a 10 year Old, I feel insulted to have my English questioned by you.

wish I had the time or patience like df2006 but I've got a bus to catch

I do not question your literary understanding of the meaning of the word naivety. I am simply saying you may be accusing me of being naive when you are the one actually naive. If you want to get into some English class goodluck to you.

monkeyleg:

But I warned you all. And I was accussed on here by some of being Ijaw hater. I love Niger Delta people, but I love Nigeria more, and we must all e prepared to speak the truth even if it is not a popular choice.

and you really wonder?!! why they accuse you of being an ijaw hater!! what does the above statement imply?

I am sure that Alhaji Tafida and co will be gearing up to interpret this latest statement as they did with the first. It has become somewhat funny that our Presido can't drive home his point these days without interpreters.

mikeansy:

I do not question your literary understanding of the meaning of the word naivety. I am simply saying you may be accusing me of being naive when you are the one actually naive. If you want to get into some English class goodluck to you.

Did you use that word literally or otherwise?

Mikeansy and Gbawe seem to be taking turns now on who comes up with sensational  threads laden with  lots of misinterpretations these days, all to discredit Gej .

Just two days ago he created one thread "That Igbo Summit: Goodluck Jonathan Once Again Refuses To Uphold The Law". I saw the thread  and was shocked that something new had happened, then i opened the thread and alas , this is what i saw:

Now that the Presidency is denying responsibility for using the police to illegaly disrupt what is a lawful gathering by Igbos in Owerri.

Has President Jonathan ordered IG or anyone to investigate who gave those orders and bring whoever is responsible for such criminal order to justice?

This is a criminal use of the Nigerian Police and the least the Nigerian President can do is uphold the laws of the land or take responsibility for the criminality that went on.

Mere denial is not enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was simply stunned, that this same issue that Ohakim had taken responsibility for , two weeks ago, is now being escavated and linked to GEJ.

i believe every candidate running for the presidency has his own baggage, but when people create threads and shout without the requisite logic backing their claims it just makes me understand what politics can do to ones rationality.

^^^^

I think it is fair to say that I am proud of my previous posts so reproducing it is of no consequence.

Do you have anything to say about Jonathan's latest ridiculous attempt to explain the oct 1 gaffe?

But it is also true that the very e-mail from which Jomo Gbomo and MEND threatened of attacks and claimed responsibility for attacks in the last few years is the very e-mail from which those who bombed Abuja warned of the attacks and also claimed responsibility for the attack.

So a responsible Government regardless of its sentiments will order investigations keeping all options on the table until a clear and concise findings are reached from the investigation.

@ mikeansy i notice you actually posted in the financial times thread i gave above, meaning you read and digested it  and you still went ahead to ask the above questions.
Now i don,t know what other investigations need to be done that Gej has not ordered to be done.
what i think wesley80 was trying to say is, you do not read btw the lines, of an article, pls try, cos  you won,t get all the information literally.
i do read most of your post and i would want to call them unbiased but at the rate you are going with this bombing issue, it is not really clear if you are not biased, but none the less we are all here to get the full gist, which will unfold soon.