http://www.thisdayonline.com/ (Can't get the direct source link, the problem is from THISDAY's website)

Did President Goodluck Jonathan describe himself as “inexperienced” at his meeting with former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Robin Sanders, in his days as acting president?

In a leaked cable sent to the US by Sanders after the February meeting, she wrote: “Jonathan noted that the Northern politicians would always be uncomfortable with him as president, and he understood the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) picked him as Yar’Adua’s running mate in 2007 because he represented the Niger Delta,  “I was not chosen to be Vice President because I had good political experience,” he said. “I did not. There were a lot more qualified people around to be Vice President, but that does not mean I am not my own man.”…

In a response yesterday, presidential spokesman, Mr. Ima Niboro, said the accounts of the meeting as published on WikiLeaks website are “largely inaccurate”.

He wrote: “The point to be made is that the accounts of meetings between President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and US diplomats are essentially third party narratives, and are largely inaccurate.

“The President, in those tempestuous days during which the nation tottered on the brink, held meetings, and then more meetings, with different groups, the diplomatic community inclusive.

“The President met with different diplomats and special envoys who offered different suggestions on a way out of the impasse that our late leader's health had imposed on the nation. We note that this account is largely silent on these suggestions.

“Instead, what is served up is an unfair account severely impacted by selective perception and individual expectations.”
He said the president had held many political and administrative positions in the past and could not have described himself as inexperienced.

The statement continued: “How can it be said that a man who had been a Deputy Governor, an Acting Governor, a governor, a Vice President, and then Acting President could have described himself as “lacking in administrative experience”. That the President holds a Ph.D, was a lecturer for 10 years, and was an Assistant Director at the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, do not make the statement less rankling.

“This only goes to show that the report itself is a souped up version of the standard conversation that takes place in such meetings. We find this account as wholly unfortunate, and we are only employing the best of diplomatic finesse in that statement!”

Meanwhile, Shell has denied a report in a British newspaper claiming the European oil giant secretly placed employees in key areas of the Nigerian government to gain intelligence about activities in the oil-rich Niger delta, where Shell has operations.

Shell’s top executive in Nigeria told U.S. diplomats that Shell had inserted employees into all the main ministries of the Nigerian government and knew “everything” that went on within each, the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper reported, citing U.S. diplomatic cables released along with a cache of other sensitive U.S. communiques by the website WikiLeaks.

According to the cables, the dispatches from Washington’s embassies in Africa also revealed the oil firm swapped intelligence with the U.S. about militant activities in Nigera, the Guardian report said.

But Shell, in a sharply worded response to Upstream Online, an oil and gas industry news publication, blasted the report as false.

A Shell spokesman also shot down the report in an e-mailed statement to FuelFix.
“The Guardian’s assertion that Shell has somehow infiltrated the government of Nigeria is absolutely untrue, false and misleading,” the spokesman said.

But he added, “We cannot comment on the alleged contents of the cable, including the correctness or incorrectness of any statements it allegedly contains.”

The Guardian also reported that Wikileaks cables show oil giants putting the squeeze on Venezuela as president Hugo Chavez tries to stave off economic catastrophe.

mr.official:

say sonething

Some of us should atleast know how to read inbetween the lines,let's try to understand what our president is trying to say by understanding what he quoted before we give our own verdict. Atimes, i beleive we are too quick to judge JEG's comments, we should take time to read and digest his comments before arriving at a conclusion.

Hating JEG or seeing what we term his weaknesses will not drive us as to be quick in judging him becouse he is still human and i beleive he is only trying to be humble as possible, you cant change his nature you know.The man should be encouraged do not expect 100% flawless in his political carrier. Regards.

GEJ has shot himself on the foot. Is he now saying the US ambassador lied? Why would she lie? The man has exposed his idiosyncracies for whoever cares to see.

reckless:

GEJ has shot himself on the foot. Is he now saying the US ambassador lied? Why would she lie? The man has exposed his idiosyncracies for whoever cares to see.

Do you worship ambassadors? What a useless comment!

In every situation, there are two sides.
GEJ says the report is innacurate. Period. If you no like as e talk am, go hang jare!

I prefer GEJ to the group of bastar'ds that sold Nigeria's soul to Shell; the fools who place pocket before country. The single pearl wikileaks has given us, is that Jonathan is sincere.

Go GEJ!!! Na you biko!!!
Nigeria must move forward, we de ya back to jam any haters enter bush.

Geskia, I prefer JEG

reckless:

GEJ has shot himself on the foot. [b]Is he now saying the US ambassador lied? [/b]Why would she lie? The man has exposed his idiosyncracies for whoever cares to see.

Lekwa arguement! So the US ambassador is now God?

Why would she lie?

Why won't she lie? Oops, she's white! White people don't lie!

Beaf:

Do you worship ambassadors? What a useless comment!

In every situation, there are two sides.
GEJ says the report is innacurate. Period. If you no like as e talk am, go hang jare!

I prefer GEJ to the group of bastar'ds that sold Nigeria's soul to Shell; the fools who place pocket before country. The single pearl wikileaks has given us, is that Jonathan is sincere.

Go GEJ!!! Na you biko!!!
Nigeria must move forward, we de ya back to jam any haters enter bush.

OK lets see. When it concerns GEJ the reports are inaccurate but when it comes to Shell they are correct? Yes?
Nice one

slap1:

Lekwa arguement! So the US ambassador is now God?Why won't she lie? Oops, she's white! White people don't lie!

she's black

appletango:

she's black

I wasn't referring to her skin.

Bawss1:


OK lets see. When it concerns GEJ the reports are inaccurate but when it comes to Shell they are correct? Yes?
Nice one

Do you need wikileaks to tell you Shell has been milking this country?

slap1:

I wasn't referring to her skin.

then what, pray tell, were you referring to??

[size=15pt]whats the big deal about all these electric cables on Nigeria, why the uproar?  there's nothing new here, these are things Nigerians already know from way back. Must we wait for America to corroborate it before we believe it?   [/size]

Beaf,
i dey laugh at u and GEJ.  

We dnt need wikileaks to tell us that GEJ does not believe in himself,We know that already and we voting him out,Wikileaks tell us something new,  

slap1:

I wasn't referring to her skin.Do you need wikileaks to tell you Shell has been milking this country?

slap1:

I wasn't referring to her skin.D[b]o you need wikileaks to tell you Shell has been milking this country?[/b]

Hmmm. Do we need Wikileaks to tell us that GEJ is incompetent?  

appletango:

then what, pray tell, were you referring to??

Her nationality, sir!

Bawss1:

Hmmm. Do we need Wikileaks to tell us that GEJ is incompetent?

I dey laugh

slap1:

Her nationality, sir!

i see. then next time you should pick your words with consideration, otherwise you run the risk of being considered ignorant and foolish. kinda like gej.

appletango:

i see. then next time you should pick your words with consideration, otherwise you run the risk of being considered ignorant and foolish. kinda like gej.

Neither did he say he will leave a legacy of credible elections. Abi?

Some of us should atleast know how to read inbetween the lines,let's try to understand what our president is trying to say by understanding what he quoted before we give our own verdict. Atimes, i beleive we are too quick to judge JEG's comments, we should take time to read and digest his comments before arriving at a conclusion.

Hating JEG or seeing what we term his weaknesses will not drive us as to be quick in judging him becouse he is still human and i beleive he is only trying to be humble as possible, you cant change his nature you know.The man should be encouraged do not expect 100% flawless in his political carrier. Regards.

@cyril10,
in view of the uncountable problems facing this dying country, do u think jonathan is been fair to these suffering citizens of nigeria by making himself the press president?
we have to look at the president who is always saying this or that. if he did not talk to the press, he will write on facebook. visit his facebook site and ask urself if a president shld be like this.
the way things are in nigeria, we need someone with burning zeal and actions to back that up.
the rate of death in this country is getting out of hands.
something needs to be done. we have more than enough speakers in nigeria so all we lack here is an action packed president who will put these words in action.
when jonathan was the acting president, a friend of mine told me to wait till he becomes a president but 7 months on, jonathan is yet to make any tangible change in this country.
uncle, do we wait till he win elections in 2011?

GEJ just doesn't seem to know when to keep shut. Since this whole wikileaks started Obama and other world leaders have refused to give a direct reply to the allegations but our SO COMPETENT GEJ as his apologists want us to believe is quick to deny his own story. Even where the story is false his reply gives credence to the story and there is definitely no smoke without fire.

GEJ surely needs some tutorials on how to be a president.

In 2011 someone will either be VOTED IN or VOTED OUT. Nobody will be RETURNED IN.

appletango:

i see. then next time you should pick your words with consideration, otherwise you run the risk of being considered ignorant and foolish. kinda like gej.

Yes, sir. And you, too.

squeeky:

GEJ just doesn't seem to know when to keep shut. Since this whole wikileaks started Obama and other world leaders have refused to give a direct reply to the allegations but our SO COMPETENT GEJ as his apologists want us to believe is quick to deny his own story. Even where the story is false his reply gives credence to the story and there is definitely no smoke without fire.

GEJ surely needs some tutorials on how to be a president.

wat u said is true,but guy u ar very hilarious i swear.

Wikileak! Who said it was leaked? Bunch on stale report the US sure wanted everyone to know about. Julian Assang is just a puppet, i wonder how much he was paid

seriosly ba, Fello house members, i am at this point saying NO to GEJ.

i dont like someone who gives me bread today and tomorrow will say he was not the one that gave me,

^^^^ Please don't go na, lol!

That Dan Sanda abi una call am Robin Sanders is a very good spy who was able to miss and infiltrate Nigerians of all levels garnering a lot of information for US interests. Mind you, she was in the US armed forces before being appointed an ambassador. Appearance can really be deceptive. You need to have watched her dancing with Gwari traditional dancers in an Abuja suburb with her African Rasta hair style.

SHELL appointed our current Petroleum Minister Diezani Madueke who was until her appointment as a minister a director in Shell. They are everywhere holding us to ransome and asking GEJ to do their bidding. Kai, we are getting confused about the situation on whom to vote for. Maybe a govt of ACN can give us a new direction. Just tot!!