THE Presidency is a prize with a heavy price. As a result, when things go wrong, to use the words of Hans Morgenthau,”the virtues of the politician can easily become vices when they are brought to bear upon the statesman’s task.” This is why the burden of national unity rests heaviest on the man who holds the le- vers of power-the authority. This is why by all accounts former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan must answer questions on what he knows or doesn’t know about the current astonishing and chilling revelations on the $2.1 billion arms procurement by the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col.Sambo Dasuki (retd) under his presidency. The tate-tales that are trailing the disbursement of the money and the characters involved, sums up an incredible putrid story of how Nigeria continues to rank in the top bracket of the World’s most corrupt countries.

The hefty amounts involved are mindblowing for which nothing should be left to chances, and no individual, no matter how big, should be spared, if found remotely or directly connected with the scam. This is a scandal from which box office movie can be made. It is a rip-off of unspeakable dimension. Already, as we all know, this is a running story for which Dasuki, the star at the heart of the scandal has been taken in by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after weeks of siege to his Abuja residence by the operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS). Also in EFCC custody over the same matter, are former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, former Minister of state for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, Chairman of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, ex-Defence Minister, Haliru Mohammed and others. Many more are likely to be in EFCC net in the days and weeks ahead. From the names already fingered in the scam, and questioned by the EFCC operatives, as regards their role, is Dokpesi’s receipt of a hefty N2.1bn of the share. He didn’t deny it. And Bafarawa’s share is even bigger, N4.6bn.

That of Yuguda is put at N1.5bn from the office of the ex-NSA, for unstated purpose, and another N775m from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, also for unspecified purpose. The former Defence minister’s son, Abba is also caught in the web, having allegedly received N600m in the name of Bam Properties Limited. But these are just few of the puzzling issues in this arms scandal. But, by far the gordian knots to untie are these questions: Is it true that former President Jonathan was in full knowledge of these transanctions of $2.1bn arms purchase, and indeed, approved them for Dasuki? Dasuki had earlier said that all approvals were made by Jonathan, put differently, did Dasuki apply and received $1bn on March 27, 2014, and $200m on May 2014 and another $200m same day, up from $250m which he reportedly requested for?.

It was also alleged that Dasuki in January this year received $100m. These monies, we are told, were sourced from outside the budgetary provisions for security, in addition to the $1bn loan that Jonathan administration had secured to fight insurgency in the North. Was it also true that the former President’s senior special assistant (Administration), Matt Aikhiobere wrote the covering letter conveying the presidential approval, contrary to ex-president’s denial last month from far away Washington DC, USA?

We recall that Jonathan had said that his government never awarded any contract in the range of US$2bn. He queried:, “where did the money come from? Repeatedly he said, “I did not award any contract of $2bn for arms procurement. But the 13-man panel set up by President Buhari had found that questionable deals took place, involving a revolving door of high-profile corruption. And that extra- budgetary spending was secured by Jonathan, amounting to N643.8bn, and additional foreign component of $2.2bn, all managed and super- vised by ex-NSA were used for the illicit deals.

Only last month, Dasuki was widely quoted to have said, “I have a lot to tell Nigerians”. Now, between Jonathan and Dasuki, who do we believe? Is it not rationally difficult to believe how one man, in this case, Dasuki could have disbursed such stupendous amount of money without the approval of the President and Commander in Chief? That’s why I ask: where was Jonathan when all these were happening?

If Jonathan was unaware while all of these took place under his watch as President, that casts a big question mark on his character as president. And the following questions will logically suffice: was Jonathan as President simple-minded and naïve? Was he, in local parlance a waka just pass President who never gave attention to important things happening around him? Or was he a ‘naked man’ with no real presidential power? Better still, was Jonathan a ‘pretender to the throne’, an apprentice to a master,in this case, Dasuki? Or was he hypnotized or afraid?

You see, Jonathan will be doing himself a lot of harm if he fails to speak up on everything he knew about this scandal. Even though many Political leaders in a democracy are not seen as leaders of creative thought, the best of them are those who respond prudently when things go wrong, but the worst, the most unsuccessful among them don’t care because they don’t trust their own guts, and end up leaving no worthy legacy.

Let’s go back in time: Those who voiced apprehension that Jonathan was not his own man, that he was indeed “clueless” would claim they have been vindicated in the present scandal swirling around his presidency. What we are witnessing now could well be a portrait of an ex-President who got power but never knew how to exercise it. From the look of things, the impression one gets from Jonathan presidency was that of a man who couldn’t measure up in the scale of power, neither was he influenced by it. He was sim- ply a prisoner in his own presidential palace. That’s a tragedy that will be better captured by historians when the time comes.

This is a lesson to those in power now. It’s important for a president to know when and how to use power and when to put it in check. The power to achieve results is always there for any prudent president to use. But that oxygen that sustains is not every president that knows how to get it. That’s why what works for one country doesn’t seem to work for the other.

Good leadership requires human qualities beyond the conventional notion of authority. Power brings responsibility. How Dasuki became “a clearing house” of financial matters, including disbursement of funds for election campaign expenses mirrors a failure of Jonathan as President. I say this because, as every political historian will tell you, the most important decision a President makes is what he wants to do with the office he has been elected into, and what range of issues he chooses to recognize. The question here is: Did Jonathan know exactly what he wanted to do with presidential power? I don’t think he knew.

The essence of presidential leadership is to recognise the challenge of the office and believe in your own gut even when you make mistakes. It’s better that way because there are always useful lessons in failure. By that time this whole arms deal scandal is over, we will know whether Jonathan was there or a puppet imprisoned by his own inadequacies.

Seun,Lalasticlala,Mynd44

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/arms-deal-scandal-where-was-jonathan/

in ibb's voice, jonathan was inexperienced.

Naxo... make dem ask am oo or simply put make them ask ifa

Oya Jonathan over to you... We all are waiting for your side of the story

Jonathan was not in charge, not only was he incompetent (inexperienced according to IBB), he is far from being a teetotaler who his people choose when to force his hands...

Legend has it that by 8-9pm every night, when he is in the zone, that anyone could get him to sign his death warrant & he will be none the wiser till the next day's hangover is gone..

What a leader!!!!




Thank God this is coming from The Sun before people who have no rational notion of what being selfless & HEROIC entails , have no sense of purpose /sound judgement rush in to wail about Lagos/Ibadan Media houses!!

I am here to read comments and respond as appropriate.


Btw: Foolish question.

He was running from one king to the other shoelessly and cluelessly.

Only last month, Dasuki was widely quoted to have said, “I have a lot to tell Nigerians”. Now, between Jonathan and Dasuki, who do we believe?

This is in relation, to his investigations into the affairs of the now ruling party, when he was still the DSS boss. If Dasuki should open his mouth, all hell would be let loose. When Dasuki threatened to go to the press and international community to spill the beans on the plans by APC to use hackers, system engineers and software programmers to distort and change the electoral figures, it was Jonathan who changed his mind with a phone call. What do you think Dasuki went to Chatham House for. Dasuki has always been a friend of Jonathan( Jonathan hardly has enemies)

This is why by all accounts former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan must answer questions on what he knows or doesn’t know about the current astonishing and chilling revelations on the $2.1 billion arms

When the President is tired of playing propaganda, he should quietly agree to our demands
* Announce the appointment of a new minister for petroleum
* Reverse some of the tribunal judgements, which has robbed our clients of their hard earned positions
* Sign the contracts we have put at his table for weeks
* Change the sharing formular, in our favor
* Stop the media persecution of our clients
E.T.C

If he doesn't, well we have more plagues we can unleach on Nigerians. The fuel scarcity is just one-tenth of how bad it can really get. When people are hungry and frustrated, they will not care about SUPPOSED 2.1 or 200 billion dollars scam. They would rather be concerned about their next 200 naira T-fare. We will not allow anybody, I say anybody, destroy our democracy.

Wonder when the fake change would take effect.


Running from pillar to post to keep the 100MM mumus busy, just to hide their ineptitude about governance in the 21st century.

Awon oniranu bi ogbon awe, chasing 'shadowssssssssssssssss'

Tunami:
in ibb's voice, jonathan was inexperienced.

This is what Inexperience looks like

One thing about Gej is that he stays calm in the face of trouble.

He will talk with facts and figures after the "agboroish" and silly APC members must have made fool of themselves.

I've began to suspect that these same folks infiltrated Gej's cabinet with the bad bloods who held this country to ransom only to achieve this witch-hunt later but the God that has led him this far will ensure they all get trapped in the dungeon they dug for that peaceful man.

I read a news and am fascinated by a different thing all together

The conclusion of the matter is a given in the light of Jonathan's antecedents as President. May the likes of him and his bull-in-a-China shop of a wife never come our way again. Indeed, "some mothers do have them"!

Firefire:
Wonder when the fake change would take effect.


Running from pillar to post to keep the 100MM mumus busy, just to hide their ineptitude about governance in the 21st century.

Awon oniranu bi ogbon awe, chasing 'shadowssssssssssssssss'

WoW! So you mean it's all just to distract Nigerians. Make Nigerians focus on this 2.1 billion dollars issue that would die out with no one held responsible and sent to jail while Nigerians forget the main issue of good governance and cleaning the rot in the system to avoid loopholes for future looting just like that e-payment firm REMITA just did with the TSA thing? Who even own Remita sef? Bros I think you got a point there.

O our Lord, never again may we have a President like Dr. Goodluck Eberle Jonathan in this country. In your mighty name we pray. Aameen.

hinwazaka:

This is in relation, to his investigations into the affairs of the now ruling party, when he was still the DSS boss. If Dasuki should open his mouth, all hell would be let loose. When Dasuki threatened to go to the press and international community to spill the beans on the plans by APC to use hackers, system engineers and software programmers to distort and change the electoral figures, it was Jonathan who changed his mind with a phone call. What do you think Dasuki went to Chatham House for. Dasuki has always been a friend of Jonathan( Jonathan hardly has enemies)

When the President is tired of playing propaganda, he should quietly agree to our demands
* Announce the appointment of a new minister for petroleum
* Reverse some of the tribunal judgements, which has robbed our clients of their hard earned positions
* Sign the contracts we have put at his table for weeks
* Change the sharing formular, in our favor
* Stop the media persecution of our clients
E.T.C

If he doesn't, well we have more plagues we can unleach on Nigerians. The fuel scarcity is just one-tenth of how bad it can really get. When people are hungry and frustrated, they will not care about SUPPOSED 2.1 or 200 billion dollars scam. They would rather be concerned about their next 200 naira T-fare. We will not allow anybody, I say anybody, destroy our democracy.

Your comment is even longer than the post...


In summary, what were you saying...?

Firefire:
Wonder when the fake change would take effect.


Running from pillar to post to keep the 100MM mumus busy, just to hide their ineptitude about governance in the 21st century.

Awon oniranu bi ogbon awe, chasing 'shadowssssssssssssssss'

Be rest assured that it wont take 5+yrs of transformation & fresh air that never happened..

BTW, you have been dodging making any comment about this Dasuki debacle... which I've gradually come to realise is your modus operandi... You hardly make submission beyond your usual..

The question asked, you waka pass & claim you are only here to read comments, you try well well!!

One thing i give you credit for is hiding in plain sight, apart from your "change" spam on threads, you just agree with posts that align with your bias & K.I.M

How Ya doing ?

NigLasPresident:


WoW! So you mean it's all just to distract Nigerians. Make Nigerians focus on this 2.1 billion dollars issue that would die out with no one held responsible and sent to jail while Nigerians forget the main issue of good governance and cleaning the rot in the system to avoid loopholes for future looting just like that e-payment firm REMITA just did with the TSA thing? Who even own Remita sef? Bros I think you got a point there.

Believe me sincerely speaking, we are all Nigerians, we would all appreciate that all looters be brought to justice, I recommend death by firing squad to all looters of our common wealth across the country. (LG, State, FG & where possible private companies), when there are empirical evidences that cannot be denied against them.

We do not need all this unnecessary and deafening noises from Buhary & APC about fighting corruption when our basic need of good governance is at stake.

Buhary & APC can fight the looters silently without any media propaganda.

Imagine, Nigeria economy is going down, industries no longer have access to FX to pay their foreign partners.

Companies are closing up due to unavailability of raw materials, workers losing their jobs.

Fuel scarcity across the country

Power generation have dropped below target

6 Month into the CHNAGE era, nothing has change, we are not moving forward, we are not even stagnant, we are making back-flipping.

Please make a check and see who has been convicted yet upon all this daily media propaganda and newspaper publication with 'sources who does not want his name in print' ?

APC already won the election with media propaganda, they cannot go far to run a dynamic country like Nigeria with another set of media propaganda, it will surely boomerang.


Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way. - Jean Anouilh


Shalom!

modath:



Be rest assured that it wont take 5+yrs of transformation & fresh air that never happened..

BTW, you have been dodging making any comment about this Dasuki debacle... which I've gradually come to realise is your modus operandi... You hardly make submission beyond your usual..

The question asked, you waka pass & claim you are only here to read comments, you try well well!!

One thing i give you credit for is hiding in plain sight, apart from your "change" spam on threads, you just agree with posts that align with your bias & K.I.M

How Ya doing ?

Spot on.

A very intelligent observation,SALUTE.

GEJ believed he had competent officers. Not knowing that they were his great undoing..

IBB said it, he is Inexperience else he would know way to checkmate excesses of his officers..

Now see how some children Whose parents stole to feed them now ve mouth to insult GEJ..

Hmmmm....

modath:



Be rest assured that it wont take 5+yrs of transformation & fresh air that never happened..

BTW, you have been dodging making any comment about this Dasuki debacle... which I've gradually come to realise is your modus operandi... You hardly make submission beyond your usual..

The question asked, you waka pass & claim you are only here to read comments, you try well well!!

One thing i give you credit for is hiding in plain sight, apart from your "change" spam on threads, you just agree with posts that align with your bias & K.I.M

How Ya doing ?

Please read my submission above and let me know what else you require I add.

My position about looters remains, let all looters face firing squad irrespective of how highly placed.

My gross about APC is the holier than thou attitude, pointing to a fragment of wood in another man's eye while a full production line of WOOD has blocked their vision.

Let start to call a spade a spade, all looters across the 36 states of the federation MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

Let stop all this media caricature, is becoming outdated.

If Dansuki abi wetin dem call his name is found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, not APC media crucifixion, I recommend him for firing squad without any parole.

Finito!

Btw: I am fine and trust you too ?

Make una leave Jonathan alone... Why is nobody asking after OBJ the king of thieves, ? Jona Jona Jona everywhere

This is an unbiased publication. Jonathan cannot keep quiet to all these allegations. He must speak specifically to each and every claim.

One annoying fact is the exploitation of our Banking system in laundering funds. This has been going on for decades. Where is the Banking confidence promised by the CBN, when the CBN literally supports money laundering. How can billions of transactions pass through our financial institutions without being detected. What is the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) doing? Where is the Financial Reporting Council in identifying bad directors who set up companies to launder funds?

When a President can actually dip his hands into national treasury or verbally inform the CBN to transfer funds without any unlying economic transaction to show, it shows you how useless we are as a country. What we have is a banana republic and not a country. It sets a bad precedence and what will stop the current President or his aides from not doing same. It appears the rule in Nigeria is act but don't get caught and when you are eventually caught, exploit the weak justice system to your advantage.

SirJeffry:
One thing about Gej is that he stays calm in the face of trouble.

He will talk with facts and figures after the "agboroish" and silly APC members must have made fool of themselves.

I've began to suspect that these same folks infiltrated Gej's cabinet with the bad bloods who held this country to ransom only to achieve this witch-hunt later but the God that has led him this far will ensure they all get trapped in the dungeon they dug for that peaceful man.

I don't really get what you, and some of your folks on this forum, are driving at, honestly I don't. Are you guys saying all this revelations are just a hoax, after someone has already admitted getting 2.1billion for campaigns. I don't really get you guys.

Are you so blind folded by ethnic affinity to the extent that a brilliant mind like yours can't decipher when things go wrong?

Jonathan's presidency was the worst that could have happened to Nigeria. We will never get that low under any administration.

mbhs139:


I don't really get what you, and some of your folks on this forum, are driving at, honestly I don't. Are you guys saying all this revelations are just a hoax, after someone has already admitted getting 2.1billion for campaigns. I don't really get you guys.

Are you so blind folded by ethnic affinity to the extent that a your brilliant mind like you can't decipher when things go wrong?

I think he is entitled to his opinion. However, his opinion shows why politicians continue to steal our resources. They steal these funds and oppress the public by displaying it to our faces. We even sing and clap for them to continue.

We, Nigerians, pride ourselves to be smart and intelligent. We travel abroad to rub it on the faces of our host countries, but what an Irony. I see no smartness nor intelligence if our political leaders continue to steal from us and we sit down to observe. Politicians in Kenya cannot steal and rub it off the faces their citizens, they will be stoned to death.

In the fight against corruption, we have a role to play too. Apart from whistle blowing against corrupt officials, there is the need to leave this stupid passive observation and e-fighting to an active support against corrupt public officers.

hinwazaka:

This is in relation, to his investigations into the affairs of the now ruling party, when he was still the DSS boss. If Dasuki should open his mouth, all hell would be let loose. When Dasuki threatened to go to the press and international community to spill the beans on the plans by APC to use hackers, system engineers and software programmers to distort and change the electoral figures, it was Jonathan who changed his mind with a phone call. What do you think Dasuki went to Chatham House for. Dasuki has always been a friend of Jonathan( Jonathan hardly has enemies)

When the President is tired of playing propaganda, he should quietly agree to our demands
* Announce the appointment of a new minister for petroleum
* Reverse some of the tribunal judgements, which has robbed our clients of their hard earned positions
* Sign the contracts we have put at his table for weeks
* Change the sharing formular, in our favor
* Stop the media persecution of our clients
E.T.C

If he doesn't, well we have more plagues we can unleach on Nigerians. The fuel scarcity is just one-tenth of how bad it can really get. When people are hungry and frustrated, they will not care about SUPPOSED 2.1 or 200 billion dollars scam. They would rather be concerned about their next 200 naira T-fare. We will not allow anybody, I say anybody, destroy our democracy.

What is ds one saying? Ogbeni u need to go learn how to wail. U ain't making any sense

Thank goodness this isn't coming from any other source but The Sun. Least we expect from the Wailers and IPOD blabbermouths is to be spared their usual tantrums whenever presented with such stories.

Aint no chance in hell Jonathan didn't have his own piece of the pie- it is just IMPOSSIBLE. If he thinks he'd wave all queries aside by simply saying "I never awarded any $2.1billion contract", then he's got another thing coming. The man is so daft he doesn't realize the amount being talked about is "cumulative".

From the word go, Jonathan opened the floodgates to all and sundry who are attracted to anything sleazy- he told them stealing is not corruption, goats would always eat yams in preference to grasses, a corrupt man is not an "ole", and corruption is exaggerated- thereby absolving, in advance, all those who wish to steal and bleed the country dry.

I hope we are never again cursed with such an immoral man to chart the course of our experience as a nation.

Is OBJ clean.?

Where is OBJ on Transcorp ..


Before you can hold Jonathan , you must hold OBJ