₦airaland Forum

solomon111: 1)howard webb
2)howard webb
3)howard webb
4)howard webb
5)howard webb
6)howard webb
7)mark clattenberg
graham poll
9)mark atkinson
10)lee mason

fork adict: I am positive about the GT bank at anthony area. My chic had her bag shatched once by men riding on a bike. I read in the news sometime ago that Derenle was also robbed around that axis.

So for me, it is a hot spot.

esere826: Darn it!!!!
I'm extremely upset. Fc.uk!!!


What the heck!!!
Why was Twitter used in harvesting information for the media chat, and not NL or any other Nigerian forum??
Is this the way we intend to grow??

A55holes!!!
(*Sorry for my insults o, don't take it personal. I'm just upset *)

Common Reno, what is all this?
You guys are smarter than this

Why promote another persons own, at the expense of ours?
is this not what those before us where doing and got us into this mess?

we probably should have used foreign journalists for the presidential media chat instead of Nigerian journalists too

Common Reno, you guys really need to think global driven by local re-engineering

[size=14pt]Presidential Media Chat: Presidency officials accuse Jonathan of lying to Nigerians.[/size]

Ata Udo

Two officials of the Nigerian presidency have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of having “peddled falsehood” at Sunday’s presidential media chat.

The officials, who requested that their names be withheld so they are not victimized, rose in stout defence of presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, who made policy announcements President Jonathan denied on Sunday.

“It has just struck some of us that this President is not an honourable man,” one of the officials said this morning. “I can confirm to you, and I think I should know, that the President approves every policy statement Dr. Abati releases to the media. It is shocking that he could say something different on TV.”

“We just can’t understand what came over the president,” another official fumed. “He told barefaced lies and a lot of us are ashamed to be working for him. It means when he asks us to do stuff, he could turn around to deny us tomorrow. It is unfortunate.”

Mr. Jonathan had on Sunday contradicted some policy announcements made to the media by his spokesperson.

During the media chat that lasted two hours, the president contradicted what his aides, particularly his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said on the issue of power, the first lady’s health, and security.

Power

On Wednesday, November 14, Mr. Abati released a press statement to the media on behalf of the president in which he said the president cancelled the transmission contract awarded to Manitoba.

“Mr. President has cancelled the Manitoba power contract with immediate effect,” Mr. Abati said in the statement, a claim Mr. Jonathan has denied.

“Manitoba contract has not been revoked,” the president said Sunday, explaining that his administration observed that the company “did not follow the law strictly,” when it got the contract.

Manitoba Hydro, a Canadian state-owned firm, emerged the highest bidder, in April, to manage Nigeria’s transmission network, under the Transmission Company of Nigeria, for three years.

But Mr. Abati later announced that the contract had been cancelled.

But when the matter was raised yesterday, Mr. Jonathan said the contract was never cancelled but is being regularized as due process was not fully followed in the award.

Presidential aides however said Mr. Jonathan ordered the contract cancelled, and then instructed Mr. Abati to release a statement on the matter.

Security

After reports emerged that a man claiming to be a spokesman for the dreaded Boko Haram made a call to journalists stating the group’s willingness to negotiate with the Federal Government under some conditions, Mr. Abati again said the government was already having some form of discussion with the Boko Haram group.

On Sunday, August 26, Mr. Abati told State House correspondents that the government was in talks with the Boko Haram through “backroom channels.”

“When government says it is already talking to Boko Haram, the form of that dialogue must be properly understood.

“The form of the dialogue is that backroom channels are being used to reach across with the sole objective of understanding what exactly the grievances of these persons are,” Mr. Abati said.

Three months later, on Monday November 12, Mr. Abati again confirmed to Punch Newspapers that the government was in talks with the sect.

“I can confirm to you that talks are ongoing at the background. But the talks are not the kinds being envisaged by Nigerians,” Mr. Abati said. “The ongoing talk is a back channel one in which those who know members of the group are talking with them on behalf of the government.”

President Jonathan dismissed Mr. Abati’s claims.

“There is no dialogue between the Boko Haram and government,” Mr. Jonathan said during the media chat.

“Boko Haram is still operating under cover, they wear masks, there is no face. They operate under cover. No dialogue that is going on anywhere,” Mr. Jonathan said.

Patience’s illness

The President also confirmed that the first lady, Patience Jonathan, was ill and treated abroad contrary to presidential aides’ claims that she only travelled abroad to rest.

Ayo Osinlu, a media aide to Mrs. Jonathan, told journalists on September 3 that the First Lady was not sick but travelled out of the country to take a “moment’s rest.”

“If you look at her itinerary in August, you would be wondering how she was able to accomplish that. In the course of this week, she will be back home. But remember, it all depends on her plans,” Mr. Osinlu told Punch Newspapers.

Mr. Abati also denied the first lady’s illness describing it as a rumour.

“(Illness story) was a rumour and there is nothing like that,” Mr. Abati said.

During the presidential media chat on Sunday, Mr. Jonathan refuted the claims by both officials.

“She was ill, she received treatment,” Mr. Jonathan said of his wife’s trip to Germany.

“When she returned, she had to further recuperate,” the president said while explaining the first lady’s seeming absence from public glare since her arrival in the country on October 17.

But presidential officials who spoke to us said it was the same Mr. Jonathan who instructed Messrs Osinlu and Abati not to confirm his wife’s illness to the media.

Shollypopz: I know mile 2, I've been through that route before but I don't know what mile 2 oke is, is it the same thing as the regular mile 2??

tarryT: This is not Bayelsa flag.

tarryT: Thank you Naptu2.

naptu2: They interviewed the winner of the competition on NTA Newsline just now. They also interviewed her mum.

GenBuhari: Note of correction third mainland bridge was opened in October 1980 by President Shagari, Babangida only finished off an a small annex to it that was left unfinished after he had overthrown Buhari.

[size=18pt]3rd October 1980 - ITN News
President Shagari opens the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos[/size]
The third major road bridge from the Nigerian mainland to the Island of Lagos was opened by President Alhaji Shehu Shagari (on Tuesday 30 September), as part of the country's independence celebrations. It's designed to relieve the growing pressure on the two existing bridges which span the Lagos Lagoon.

SYNOPSIS: Since 1975 the growing number of vehicles driving in and out of Lagos have put the existing road system under considerable strain. So the completion of the Third Mainland Bridge is a welcome addition to tackle the problem. The first vehicles to travel along the bridge formed the official opening motorcade. It's the third in successive Government's efforts to link Lagos with the mainland.

Present Shehu Shagari was introduced to the officials who've co-ordinated construction since the bridge was merely a drawing on an architect's board. Then he was called on to officially declare the bridge open. He'd earlier paid glowing tributes to the contractors.

In contrast to the few vehicles in the official motorcade, the two original bridges were full, as usual, with heavy traffic. The problem's been evident since the early 1970s, and the first plans for the Third Mainland Bridge were discussed in 1975. Its design in comparable with the best in the world, according to Nigeria's Director of Federal Highways. It consists of two separate carriageways, each providing three traffic lanes and an emergency shoulder.

It's cost nearly one hundred and twenty two million pounds (Sterling).

https://www.nairaland.com/693700/chinua-achebe-blames-president-obasanjo/1

debosky: Fantastic thread naptu2. . . .just went through the entire thing. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Billyonaire: I am impressed with the introduction of the media chat, now I feel that the Government is answering to the people. Past Presidents didnt care enough to have such a medium. But I expected the President to remove this subsidy from Petroleum products so that the private sector can start investing in refineries building. For Nigerians who think government should offer free food and roads etc, my question is, do you pay your tax, do you carry out your own little civic responsibilities ? Have you held your state governor accountable for the basic responsibilities after receiving state allocations ?