₦airaland Forum


No fewer than six countries have already refused to grant an asylum request by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Business Council for Africa (BCA) said in its just-released monthly report, noting that about US$ 1 trillion is the latest estimated figure of the looting of the Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 2005 alone.

The report, dated March 2015, focused extensively on Nigeria’s general elections.  It said the notorious Minister, whose impunity is known to have been closely-protected by President Goodluck Jonathan, will be coming under the microscope for the first time in her Ministerial career.

“Given her reputation, it comes as no surprise to learn that 6 countries have already refused to grant her asylum to live in their countries as she now wishes to leave Nigeria at the earliest possible opportunity,” it said.

BCA recalled President-elect Muhammadu Buhari lamenting that the rest of the world looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption, one where stealing is not corruption but a way of life, and that his administration will pursue all public offices and individuals who are believed to be guilty of corruption.

It observed that despite an earlier promise, it is now understood that Buhari’s anti-corruption fishing net will include Ministers currently serving under President Goodluck Jonathan.  Alison-Madueke’s departure from Nigeria is likely to be followed by several other PDP elders, party members and supporters as well as some former Government officials, as Buhari's anti-corruption drive will be far-reaching.

“It will be very interesting to learn in the coming months exactly how far back in Nigeria's history his administration will go in the pursuance of those who have robbed Nigeria of US$ 1 trillion, which is the latest estimated figure of theft from the Nigerian treasury between the period 1960-2005. Given that President Jonathan's administration is considered the most corrupt of any of its predecessors, that figure is going to be considerably magnified, but whether the new President will wish to pursue former Heads of State is a matter of interest and considerable debate to Nigerian observers. It is this subject that is primarily responsible for Buhari's success in winning the election as well as his campaign promises to eradicate Boko Haram, revive the economy and rebuild Nigeria to make its position as the number one country in Africa.

While BCA agreed that the March/April 2015 were “the most credible elections in Nigeria's history”, it said they could not be called the most incorruptible.

On the contrary, it referred to them as the worst because of the amount of money that the PDP so freely and openly spent on trying to secure the re-election of Mr. Jonathan.

“The stories and reports from throughout the 36 States of the amount of money distributed by the PDP to elders, rulers, church leaders, unions and youth leaders amongst others in an endeavour to favour the voters towards the PDP has backfired badly,” the report said. 

BCA said that if the 2011 elections were considered bad, the 2015 elections will undoubtedly go down as the most corrupt in Nigeria's history, certainly since 1999, as the amount of money being distributed as bribes primarily by the PDP so very openly would readily confirm.

It reported that since November when campaigning began, President Jonathan and General Buhari during their travels made no fewer than 109 promises of what they intend to achieve if given the mandate in the presidential election.

“President Jonathan's campaign continued to hinge on his party's Transformation Agenda and the achievements of his Government in the last 4 years, particularly in the agricultural sector, job creation and the empowerment of women,” the report said.  In that regard, it credited Jonathan as having achieved a great deal during his tenure.

It said it was however Jonathan’s failures - rampant corruption, insecurity, inability to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency, failure in such sectors as the economy, and power in particular, and the overall feeling that he was ruled rather than led - that have cost him his re-election bid.

The report also stated that in the 2015 elections, up to 250 Nigerians lost their lives, describing that deplorable record as speaking volumes for the control achieved by the Police at the campaign rallies by the two main candidates.

It described the cost of the campaigns of the two main parties as “simply staggering”, noting that by the first week of March, Buhari had spent some N332.58 billion as compared to the expenditure of President Jonathan which amounted to N1.05 trillion.

“This is without taking into account the cost of other expenses for such items as campaign rallies, where the PDP has spent N1.06 billion against Muhammadu Buhari's APC's N595.08 million, and clearly demonstrates the desperate lengths that the PDP have gone to in order to try and secure the re-election of President Jonathan.”

http://saharareporters.com/2015/04/14/six-countries-turn-down-petroleum-minister-alison-madueke’s-asylum-request-bca-report

Ijebu Ode: APC-10570, PDP-11381, SDP-571, UPN-832
Remo North: APC-7365, PDP-6567, SDP-923, UPN-222
Ewekoro: APC-10735, PDP-3275, SDP-400, UPN-375
Odeda: APC-10637, PDP-3633, SDP-1367, UPN-203
Obafemi Owode: APC-16333, PDP-6637, SDP-1237, UPN-414


More still coming........

Click Like for AmbodE and Share for AgbajE

Learning to cope with being humbled iڪ a great lesson too

“Igbo are not strategic in politics like other regions: They put all their eggs in one basket.”

I have heard the above statement so many times since last week’s announcement of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) as the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election that it has become ridiculous. The most annoying part is that even some Igbo repeat this vacuous statement without asking if it is true or not.

The March 28, 2015 election reminds one of football in which the blame game starts once the Super Eagles lose a match. Everybody suddenly becomes an expert in seeing what went wrong and who caused it. But if the Super Eagles win a match – no matter the flaws of the match – the expert analysts praise the coach and players.

Comparing the voting pattern of the South-East and South-West in the last presidential election, these analysts have described that of the South-West as sophisticated strategy, while that of the South-East was lacking in strategy. The South-West votes were split, with more people voting for Buhari of the All Progressives Congress. Conversely, the South-East voted en-masse for President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.

What really caused these two different voting patterns? Let’s look at the voting trend between these two zones. In the First Republic, the South-West (known then as Western Region) voted en masse for the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led Action Group. Soon after, there arose a disagreement between Awolowo and his deputy, Chief Samuel Akintola, who was also the Premier of Western Region. Many issues caused this disagreement, one of which was that Akintola wanted the West to align more with the Federal Government. According to Martin Meredith in The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence, Akintola felt that the Yoruba were losing their pre-eminent position in business, university and administration in Nigeria to the Igbo people because the Igbo-controlled National Council of Nigerian Citizens had joined the government while the AG was in the opposition.

Judging by the argument of those who preach against putting one’s eggs in one basket, Akintola should have been courted by the Yoruba. But no: violence, termed “Operation Wetie,” erupted, eventually precipitating the 1966 coups and civil war.

In the Second Republic, the Unity Party of Nigeria led again by Awolowo was the dominant party of the Yoruba. But some prominent Yoruba refused to belong to the UPN, choosing rather to align with other parties. In line with the same argument of not putting one’s eggs in one basket, the action of these people should have been praised. But no. They were regarded as sell-outs in the West. Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya and Chief TOS Benson died as political outsiders in Yorubaland because they did not support Awo’s UPN. Chief MKO Abiola was also seen as a sell-out because he was in the ruling National Party of Nigeria instead of the UPN, until the June 12, 1993 election made him a hero.

On the contrary, the Igbo were always vilified for not speaking with one voice. In the First Republic, they voted massively for the NCNC led by Zik, which later aligned with the NPC to form the government. In 1979, they voted massively for Zik’s NPP. But in 1983, following the return of Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu from exile the previous year and his joining the NPN, the Igbo split their votes between the NPP and the NPN. They were blamed and told to emulate the Yoruba who always spoke with one voice (ie by putting their eggs in one basket).

Now the Igbo have spoken with one voice in the 2015 presidential election, but the goal-post has been shifted again. They are now accused of putting their eggs in one basket and acting without “political sagacity.” Na waah for this life o!

Some people speak without asking themselves how the Igbo would have won two House of Representatives’ seats in Lagos if they did not speak with one voice in this election. By speaking with one voice, the Igbo proved that they are trustworthy and reliable: they remained with Jonathan even when many people sensed that he could lose and started jumping ship.

By speaking with one voice, the South-East showed the South-South that “agbata-obi onye bu nwanne ya” (a person’s neighbour is his brother). The South-East showed that contrary to all the decades of lies about the South-East being the enemies of the South-South who seek to dominate the South-South because of crude oil, the South-Easterners are not as petty as that. They also proved to the South-South that the Igbo are not petty to seek revenge over whatever happened during the Biafran War.

The Igbo proved that they fight for the underdog if the underdog is faced with two of Nigeria’s big three ethnic groups. It would have been shameful and unfair if Nigeria’s Big Three had united against the South-South.

There is nothing like putting one’s eggs in one basket in Nigeria’s governance. It is constitutional that ministers MUST be appointed from all the states of Nigeria. It is constitutional that all federal appointments must reflect federal character. Meanwhile, appointments don’t make an area to develop. Chief Bola Tinubu led the South-West to reject the Speakership zoned to the South-West by Jonathan in 2011.

By the way, there are top Igbo figures who stood by Buhari: Governor Rochas Okorocha, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, Prof Pat Utomi, Senator Chris Ngige, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Chief Festus Odimegwu, etc.

The Igbo voted based on the prevailing circumstances. The Yoruba also voted based on the prevailing circumstances, not because of any superior strategy in politics. First, there was no Yoruba among the two candidates. Secondly, the Action Congress of Nigeria – formed in Yorubaland – is a major stakeholder in the APC. Thirdly, Buhari chose his running-mate from the South-West APC. Therefore, the majority of Yoruba felt that the APC was the party that would benefit the Yoruba better. However, the other Yoruba group, led by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Governor Ayo Fayose, the Afenifere and the O’odua People’s Congress, felt that Tinubu was leading the Yoruba into an unprofitable alliance with Buhari. They felt that the interest of the South-West would be better protected by Jonathan’s government.

On their own part, the Igbo voted for the candidate that appealed better to them. They voted for equity by voting for a man from a place that had not produced the president, even though their oil feeds the nation. The Igbo voted for a man who, for the first time since the end of the Biafran War, treated them like first-class citizens of Nigeria. The Igbo voted for a man who showed them trust by appointing one of their own the Chief of Army Staff since 1966 when J.T.U. Aguiyi Ironsi was killed. He added some icing on the cake by appointing another Igbo from Delta State (Dele Ezeoba) the Chief of Naval Staff at the same time. That was the apogee of trust shown to the Igbo in Nigeria since 1966.

The Igbo voted for a man who made an international airport a reality in Igboland. The Igbo voted for a man who honoured their hero: Ojukwu. If Ojukwu had been buried during the regime of another president, his burial would have been an Igbo affair, because many Nigerians still viewed him as a villain and a rebel. But Jonathan moved away from that path and gave him a national burial that made every Igbo tall.

It would have been a stab in the back if the Igbo had shared their votes between Jonathan and Buhari. It would have been a betrayal if the Igbo had not stood by a man who stood by them and gave them a sense of belonging in Nigeria. One good turn, they say, deserves another. Life is not all about winning elections.

Circumstances determine the voting pattern of a zone. Neither the Igbo nor the Yoruba, nor other groups in Nigeria hold a general assembly where they reach a unanimous decision on how to vote. In the 2019 election, the voting patterns of the South-West, South-East, North-West, etc, may be totally different from that of 2015.

So, let no Igbo accept the bullying that it was a mistake to give full support to Jonathan. The Igbo rallied round a man who gave them a sense of belonging in Nigeria. Simple!

http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/ndigbo-on-the-cross-over-jonathan/

This can't be correct. You don't take leave bonus every month for instance. Recess allowance isn't taken every month...... That's not to say that they are not overfed. It iڪ possible they earn like 50% of what this report say they earn monthly, which iڪ ridiculously high and milking anyway

Geraucald:
Just because he accepted defeat, doesn't mean he is a hero.

as much as this might be true, under this present circumstance, he's the greatest hero of this election. Infact, I push him and JEGA as the Heroes while GMB iڪ granted the "Winner" Status. GEJ had the opportunity of writing his name in Gold and he seized it...... Something Babangida wanted to come back and correct about his past.....

A few minutes ago Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari declared that stealing is corruption.

In a press statement the former General said he will make all necessary arrangements to update all state documents and educational textbooks to that effect.

Buhari said, “from now on let all be notified that stealing shall be corruption and likewise acts of corruption shall be regarded and dealt with as stealing. Let there be no ambiguity.”

The General further stated that this important new legislation will be applied retroactively due to the critial needs of the broke nation

http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/update-stealing-is-now-corruption-president-elect-muhammudu-buhari/

Can you read? Can't you see that was 2013?

So many lessons learnt in the past few hours. I think it should rather be a time of sober reflections for General Buhari. President Jonathan has shown true leadership and sportsmanship spirit. If you ask me, General Buhari has to work very very hard to prove his mandate. GEJ has really raised the stakes. God bless GEJ, God bless GMB. God bless Nigeria!!!!!!!

If this iڪ. From punch, then mod should move to frontpage pls

Pls leave tambuwal out of this. Ok?

You don't know Power

Despite whatever news around this man, he still remains one of the greatest man nigeria has produced. Happy Birthday Baba Iyabo.

Ifayiose......

Do you observe that most of the people talking anyhow, both in the ruling party and the opposition are Yorubas. Perhaps we take things too far. Even from Baba, Okupe, Fani, Layi, Fayose, Abati, Mimiko, even gani adams......

The likes of Maku are out of the scene now. IBB iڪ diplomatic. Akpabio sef seem to be in his shells lately.

Yoruba......... RONU!

..... What's the difference between under estimation and shallow understanding on what was going on or perhaps negligence?

This is a simple case of using agege bread to pack away our small stew. Egbin has 6units of 220MW each totalling 1320. Unit 6 had been out. Despite, the company which iڪ the largest producer doesn't even wheel 600. The newly commissioned 220MW unit 6 won't give more than 150MW max. Note. All these commissioned projects have long ago been connected to the grid. So, no new thing

The true story.

1. We had to put phase 1 on base load when he came around.
2. Ask whether the vibration problem of ST1 has been resolved. If it wasn't resolved before he came, then I doubt if it will ever be. And if it isn't resolved, 225MW iڪ automatically shut out

They should just ban everything that has tyres from moving

I pray this iڪ not the required sacrifice

GOVERNOR Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has ordered his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, to stop attending the state executive council meetings following his defection from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

The governor also alleged that Ibeto called him a thief during one of his campaigns.

Our correspondent learnt that the governor in his opening remark before the commencement of the regular weekly state executive council meeting on Wednesday at Government House Minna, said he would not chair a meeting where the deputy was seated.

He thereafter asked the deputy governor to leave the council chambers because he (Ibeto) could use information gathered at such meetings against the PDP.

The deputy governor hurriedly left for his office and parked his valuables after Aliyu allegedly threatened to use the security agents against him.

But a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Israel Ebije, on Thursday said that the deputy governor was not chased out of the meeting.

Ebije said the deputy governor had sought a permission to stay away from the state executive council meetings and this was granted.

He added that apart from the permission granted, the state government also told him that he (the deputy governor) would still be enjoying all the benefits of the office.

Ebire said, “The Deputy Governor, Ahmed Musa Ibeto, asked the council to excuse him from the Wednesday meeting when issues concerning the general elections were being presented. He is now in the opposition and the right thing to do, on moral grounds, was to leave the meeting.

“The deputy governor is smart enough to realise that he cannot sit in council and listen to the political strategies of the PDP or be seen either as a mole for the APC or as an unnecessary distraction. It is clear he cannot operate within the reasoning of the PDP-led council hence he had to take the most honourable decision.”

However, the deputy governor described the statement as total falsehood. He said Ebije’s explanation did not represent the true picture of what transpired at the council.

Ibeto said “If this statement is coming from the government, let me react. It is not true that I excused myself. When I received notification for the council meeting of yesterday (Wednesday) I went as usual.

“But before the council started, the governor in his opening remarks said that people and members of the executive council were aware that I have defected from the PDP to the APC and that we had gone on campaign round the state. He said that he had the information and clips that I called him a thief and that he would not preside over the council where I am sitting.”

Ibeto said that the governor said he was no longer sure that he (Ibeto) would not use council deliberations against the PDP government.

“I objected and explained that I have never called him a thief and that everywhere we go, people always wanted to know why I defected to the APC and I have been telling them I left the PDP because of the injustice in the party,” he said.

The deputy governor said that although he quietly left the meeting as a law abiding citizen after the governor had threatened to use the security against him, he was studying the relevant provisions of the constitution to know his next line of action.

Ibeto added, “I will challenge the governor’s undemocratic action in court appropriately.”

He said that the governor had no constitutional power to stop him from attending legitimate council meetings. Ibeto added, “If I am stopped from attending council meetings, whatever decisions taken at such meetings are null and void.”

http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/defection-niger-gov-orders-deputy-out-of-council-meeting/

In case you missed that moment!

Hehehehehehehehe.

In case you missed THAT MOMENT!

On Corruption

Apparently referring to Buhari at the Lagos rally, the President said: “If they had succeeded in fighting corruption, corruption will not be with us today.”

He went ahead to apologise to civil servants who were not paid their salaries before the last Christmas and New Year celebrations, adding that the problem occurred as a result of his government’s efforts at tackling corruption.

He said that the government introduced software, to check corruption in the service and remove ghost workers, adding that the system automatically shut down upon a hint of manipulation.

He said that the development led to the delay in paying a number of workers. He also said that his opponents believe in throwing people into prisons without due process, adding that nobody can fight corruption without equipping the anti-graft agencies.

He stated that Nigerians must be wary of being taken back to the dark days, adding that the nation’s contemporaries at independence have all left her behind.

He said that he has told the anti-graft agencies to tell Nigerians what they are doing, adding that the government had arrested and prosecuted more persons than all previous administrations.

He insisted that a government can only fight corruption by preventing people from being tempted with money, adding that armed robbers were being killed by firing squad but the practice has not stopped armed robbery.

In conclusion, Jonathan restated his promise to transform Nigeria and build on the outstanding achievements of his first term.

http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/jonathan-the-man-and-his-politics/

In this report, Group Politics Editor, TAIWO ADISA, concludes the trilogy of analyses on the three most prominent actors in the 2015 election debacle by taking a deep look into the politics and character of President Goodluck Jonathan.

ONE story President Goodluck Jonathan did not tell the crowd of his supporters when he declared for the presidency in 2011 is how he became a politician. He told the crowd he was a son of fisherman, who went to school without shoes. But the story of his dramatic entry into politics was not told that day. Jonathan’s sojourn into politics was intriguing. He was a researcher at the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). Having majored in Environmental Development in his thesis, he was obviously enjoying his work aimed at revitalising the environment.

Ahead of the 1999 elections, former Governor Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha had heard of the exploits of Jonathan in OMPADEC and had found such a man worthy of flying the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside him. He sent words to ‘Researcher Jonathan’ on the prospects of running as his deputy in the election. But Jonathan resisted that quest. He wanted to be sure what force would take him away from the research into the challenges of his environment which he saw as a clear way to ending environmental degradation problem in the Niger Delta. When the situation was further broken down for him by elder statesman, Senator Melford Okilo, he joined the train. It was a divine intervention though, and since joining that train, he has never looked back. His politics has witnessed a meteoritic rise, unprecedented in the history of this nation. Within 10 years, the scientist at OMPADEC has held all political offices in the land. He was deputy governor between 1999 and 2005 when he became governor of Bayelsa State. He was just getting ready to coast home as substantive governor on his own term in 2007 when PDP announced him as running mate to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. It was another offer he would have declined, but for divine intervention again.

He accepted the decision, even when he had the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP in Bayelsa State in the kitty. The sojourn began for him in Aso Rock in 2007 and today, he has held positions including vice-presidential, acting presidential and presidential.

In February 2010, Jonathan was named acting president through the invocation of the Doctrine of Necessity which was ratified by the National Assembly. Following the death of his boss, Alhaji Yar’Adua, in May 2010, he was sworn in as president of Nigeria. On May 29, 2011, he was sworn in as Nigeria’s president, after he won that year’s presidential election on the ticket of the PDP.

Thus, from a relatively obscure corner of his research office in OMPADEC, Jonathan has become the quintessential politician, who has traversed all the political positions and emerged a colossus of some sorts in the arena. What earned him the strong recommendation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, even when he was not in contention for the seat, was said to include his humility and loyalty. Obasanjo was impressed that despite the open opportunity to make Jonathan work against his former boss, Alamieyeseigha, in 2005, the then deputy governor resisted the push and remained loyal to him. The man, Jonathan, even at a stage, disappeared from the radar and it took Obasanjo’s frantic search to dig him out. Jonathan’s resolve was to ensure he remained loyal to his boss, while not doing anything to orchestrate the removal bid of Alamieyeseigha.

Having been fully recommended to Obasanjo, Jonathan assumed the nation’s number two position in Aso Rock under Yar’Adua and the rest, as they say, is now history.

Starting out with Yar’Adua

Not many knew that Jonathan had a wide reach; he had, as deputy governor of Bayelsa State. While holding forth, largely in the shadows of Alamieyeseigha, Jonathan made friends across the states of the federation. Some of the politicians he had links with included governors and deputy governors of the 2007 class. At one point, long before he was nominated for the position of vice-president, it was learnt that the late Yar’Adua made a brisk visit to the Bayelsa Government House at one stage.

It was expected that the friendship would continue into their tenure as number one and number two citizens of the country. But the situation in Aso Rock was different. Shortly after the duo was sworn in, Yar’Adua became the boss, but Jonathan inherited an empty vice-presidency. It was learnt that as a result of the bitter feud between former President Obasanjo and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, the power of the office had been taken away. Jonathan was said to have requested for a reversal of that situation and was asked to present a memo to that effect. The vice-president did, but it was gathered that the manifestation of the cabal that later reigned in the wee days of Yar’Adua frustrated the actualisation of that memo and Jonathan was practically reduced to a newspaper reader.

Such a development was to dog the relationship between Jonathan and Yar’Adua throughout. It was learnt that Yar’Adua’s immediate associates believed that Jonathan should be kept at arm’s length, in order not to have a repeat of the acrimonious situation that obtained between Obasanjo and Atiku. Sources had also said that when the militants of Niger Delta crippled oil production around the area, the then vice-president prepared a position paper which was aimed at tackling the double edged sword. Militancy in the Niger Delta area had crippled oil production and reduced the nation’s oil earnings to nothing. Jonathan’s proposal was said to have dwelt on engaging the youth and women.

But then, the likes of former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, and other power brokers in the administration were said to have scuttled the proposal. The document was said to have been kept in abeyance, following claims by the Yar’Adua insiders that a better strategy would be put in place to end the Niger Delta militancy. While Jonathan had proposed engagement of the militants, Ibori and others were said to have asked Yar’Adua to leave the matter to them to resolve. Notwithstanding that development, Jonathan was said to have kept his cool, even in the face of the effrontery from outside the seat of power.

As Jonathan was fast becoming a stranger in power, things were also happening fast. A cabal had taken over the structure of government, following the illness of the late Yar’Adua in late 2009. The late former president left the country without leaving a letter for the National Assembly to intimate the lawmakers of his trip. That meant that state function would suffer as the vice-president could not act on the president’s behalf. Jonathan kept his cool. At a stage, reports were rife that the then president had fixed his mind on picking Ibori as vice-president in the 2011 election. But the prolonged sickness which took him out of the country kept things in favour of Jonathan. The manipulations and machinations of the Yar’Adua cabal would not suffice, as notwithstanding the decision to smuggle the ailing president into the country to maintain a proxy presidency, the cold hands of death snatched him away in May 2010, changing the power equation in favour of Jonathan.

Confronting the zoning war

Immediately Jonathan emerged president in May 2010, it was obvious he had a battle to fight, confronting the zoning question. The thinking and letters of the constitution of the PDP appears to fail to recognise man as a human being. The constitution indicates that power would rotate between North and South. Thus, in the belief of PDP power brokers, an elected president would be entitled to two terms on behalf of his zone after which power would return to another geopolitical zone. This, however, is in conflict with the intent and thinking of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides that a vice-president would take over the reins of power, if the president dies in office.

Agitators from the Northern states rented the air with cries of zoning as the 2011 election drew close. Many commentators insisted that Jonathan should not contest the election, but should only conduct it and await the return of power to his own region.  The PDP had to address the issues at different meetings before eventually clearing the way for Jonathan to contest the election. A number of court cases also emanated as forces moved to stop the president from contesting. Eventually, the president won the election, scoring nearly double the votes of his closest rival.

Single tenure controversy

Shortly after his victory in 2011, Jonathan was quoted as saying that he would not seek re-election in 2015. Though the message was contentious, many who heard the president speak at an event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, claimed that he actually spoke in favour of being a one-term President. But Jonathan was to clarify that when he met the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Alain Juppe, in Abuja. He told the French diplomat that no government could clear a nation’s problems in four years.

“My proposal for a single seven-year tenure is anchored on the need for an incumbent president to focus maximum attention on the execution of his development programmes, instead of expending vital energy on re-election issues, though this has been misunderstood to mean I want additional seven years,” he said.

But then, another controversy had reared its head when the president proposed a seven-year single tenure for president and governors. The president had believed that with single term tenure of seven-years, an office holder would be able to focus on his projects and deliver without the usual distractions of second term election. Even at that, the proposal was mistaken to be a Jonathan tenure elongation agenda, which he vehemently denied.

Early signs of opposition coalition

Unlike the situation after every election, when politicians go on a sort of holiday after elections, the 2011 situation was different. Immediately after that election, politicians of the opposition parties swung into action and started reactivating the merger plans. Leaders of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) continued to traverse the land with meetings aimed at consolidating the planned merger.

Unlike the PDP, the opposition was coalescing, while the PDP government decided to concentrate on delivery of dividends of democracy. Thus, from 2011, the opposition had started its campaign against the PDP and the Jonathan-led administration, whereas the government of President Jonathan insisted that it would avoid distractions, so as to be able to showcase its achievements when the election would be due. Somehow, the intensity paid off for the opposition and today, it has succeeded in creating a two-party structure in the country, attempting to provide a veritable challenge to the PDP.

As the 2015 elections draw close, Jonathan is finding himself faced with a formidable opposition, which many see as a product of his own making. Not a few politicians, even within the PDP, had queried the decision to allow the opposition to thrive in the face of a ruling party. They had proposed a theory of scuttling the merger plans of the opposition to guarantee PDP a continued easy reign in the land.

But those close to Jonathan said that man remained an apostle of non-violence and politics without bitterness. He had often said that his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian. He has also said he had no enemy to fight and that his supporters should not fight dirty, even in the face of provocation. To his credit, the political space has regained its vibrancy with freedom of speech gaining ascendancy more than any time before. The president, in the process, has been ruffled. Some sources have described him as one of the most abused presidents in the world, in view of many unprintable names some call him and get away with it.

His record of service and the 2015 elections

One of President Jonathan’s close associates told a story of his experience with the man shortly after his emergence as acting president in 2010. The man said he had gone to present a document to the president and expected him to endorse same in no time. But after perusing the document, the president was said to have exclaimed, “ah, this is about Nigeria, we have to study it carefully.”

It is such meticulous attributes that Jonathan, according to close associates, display at all times in any given task, especially on issues relating to Nigeria’s growth and development.  On all issues that affect the country, Jonathan is said to exhibit such caution as the mother hen while crossing a road.

In line with such thinking, the man had warned his aides to steer clear of politics immediately after winning power in 2011. His refrain, according to sources, was that “our achievements will speak for us”. He was said to have resisted attempts to drag him early into politicking all through the three years of his stewardship.

But somehow, his handlers overlooked the need to communicate the extent of his transformational activities across the country, as well as his record of achievements. The Organised Private sector was shocked when its members were confronted with the quantum of the success the Jonathan government had recorded, such that they were forced to condemn the president’s media handlers’ shoddy way of reporting the Jonathan’s administration’s  achievements.

One of the planks of achievements of his administration is the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) which is an intervention programme launched after the removal of part of the fuel subsidy in 2012. The interventionist agency spearheads major projects ranging from roads to rail. Such strategic interventions help the administration lift a chunk of the budget constraints those projects usually experience.

Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih in a document he released last week, said that the records of achievements of Dr. Jonathan have projected him the best presidential material on parade.

Anenih said:”Fellow compatriots across Nigeria, with your support and a renewed mandate at the polls, President Jonathan who is the best candidate in the forthcoming presidential election”.

The statement further enumerated Jonathan’s achievements as follows:

“It is a matter of verifiable fact that the PDP, besides faithfully discharging its foremost duty to Nigeria of sustaining a stable, functional state, has recorded many achievements in Agriculture, Aviation, Education, Roads, Railways, Industrialisation, Women and Youth Empowerment and many other areas. At the same time, I readily concede that we need to build more on what we’ve already begun.

“Indeed, it is precisely because we need to build more on what we’ve already done that we seek the support and mandate of Nigerians from the North, South, East and West to once again vote President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for a second term in office and the PDP in order to keep moving Nigeria forward in unity.

“In the heat of this campaign period, it is easy for significant accomplishments recorded by the President Jonathan-led PDP government to go unremarked. For instance, very few speak about the revolution in Almajiri Education in the North brought about by President Jonathan, which has so far seen the completion and commencement of more than 150 purpose-built schools integrating Almajiris into the regular education scheme. Many more of these schools are under construction.

“Additionally, even fewer people speak about how President Jonathan has completed the dredging of the lower River Niger from Baro in Niger State to Warri in Delta State. Indeed, over 6.7 million passengers and over 1.6 million tons of cargo have been moved through this channel in less than three years, proving that Nigerians from the North and South are travelling and trading with one another and we should stand together to ensure that we keep our country moving forward in unity.

“Lest we forget, fellow Nigerians, let me remind us that the PDP has successfully carried out a strategic restructuring of what was largely a state-run economy to a free-market economy, thereby engendering greater human development, free enterprise and irreversible economic expansion. These policies have created new jobs and empowered Nigerians from the North, South, East and West, thereby fostering more inclusive economic growth, especially in Agriculture and the Small and Medium Enterprises sector through programmes such as SURE-P and YouWin.

“It is a universally-acknowledged principle that inclusive economic growth for the populace is the best guarantee that we have not only for our political and democratic stability, but also in ensuring that Nigeria keeps moving forward in unity.”

Security and anti-corruption

The inauguration of Jonathan’s 2015 campaign in Lagos early January afforded him the opportunity to speak for himself. He gave a piece of his mind on the two key issues the opposition had always hammered on, which are:  insecurity and corruption

On insecurity, Jonathan said that his opponents have accused him of failing to tackle insecurity bust asked the citizens to ask those of them who have been Heads of State before to account for what they did with security funds in their administration.

According to him, his main challenger in the February election, General Muhammadu Buhari did not add a single rifle to the military all through his 18 months in the saddle.

The president said: “Those who say they want to take over power now have said we have insecurity. Ask them what they did with security funds during their tenure. Why did they refuse to build capacity of the military? It takes years to equip the military. Even if you spend $10 billion today, you will need to equip the Army, equip the Navy and equip the Air Force.

“Somebody who wakes up and tell you he wants to fight insecurity, ask him, when he was in government, did he buy one rifle for the Nigerian soldiers. He didn’t buy anything for the Nigerian soldiers. Ask them what they did with finance budget when they were in office. No country equips the armed forces overnight because what they use is quite expensive. Armed forces are built over the years. Ask them and they will answer. They created crisis and now they say they want to come and fight insurgency,” Jonathan had challenged, just as he explained the milestone his government had recorded in the war against terrorists.

His party has consistently accused  some  members of the opposition of being behind the insurgency in the North-East, especially by their constant refrain of war if they should lose the 2015 elections. The president, therefore, urged his opponent and members of the opposition to tread with caution and consider Nigeria and poor Nigerians always in their actions.

http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/jonathan-the-man-and-his-politics/

If this is true, then where did the word 'hell' come from?

Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the President and founder of the Living Faith Church worldwide, also Known as Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, which has gone viral. He was reported to have made the statement last Sunday when the President of the federal republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan came to worship at Faith Tabernacle, which is the headquarters of the ministry.

The falsehood that is being spread around by mischief makers is that the Bishop, while praying for the President, said, “I will open the gates of hell to anyone who oppose you.” A little later, some others who in an attempt to “defend” the Bishop, came up with another quote purportedly said by Dr. Oyedepo, which is: “I will open the gates of hell to those who oppose the peace of this nation.”

Well, let’s set the records straight: The Press and Publicity Unit of the church, publishers of Faith Tabernacle News, was at the 3rd service and recorded (on tape), the President’s 6-minute speech, the congregational prayer for him and the Bishop’s blessing on the President.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the presidential candidate of the ruling party – the PDP, came to the church as the President of this country, not as a candidate in the forthcoming elections. And Bishop Oyedepo prayed for him, as instructed in the Bible book of 1 Timothy 2:1-2, as the President of Nigeria not as a PDP standard-bearer.

HOW THE BISHOP AND THE CONGREGATION PRAYED FOR THE PRESIDENT

Even though we have published it on this platform, for those who are yet to read it, these were the exact words spoken by the Bishop while he was leading the congregational prayers for the President. As always, he took his bearing from the Word of God:

“1st Timothy 2:1-2: I exhort you therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers and intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” Then on the priority list is “For kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."

"I only had an idea of the President’s visit just yesterday. It wasn't there last Friday when we had the One Night with The king. So we are going to be praying for our President. Let prayers and supplications and intercessions be made for all men; first of all, for kings, and for them that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

And after that I will do what the priests are asked to do. It says “Speak to Aaron, that after this manner shall ye bless.” Proclaim blessings as a priest of God over our President, and the blessings will answer, in the name of Jesus Christ.

In Numbers 6:23-26, The Lord said to Moses and the children of Israel saying “On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel saying: The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”

When that blessing comes to stay, something happens. You see, the generation of the Old Testament knew the value of blessings; they would even cry for it. Every blessing proclaimed upon you today must answer on your life.

I like us to be on our feet and lift the President up to God. Whatever you desire to see God bring about in his life; bring about in our nation, begin to pray that prayer right now.

Father, release your grace upon the President to manage the demands of his office.

Release unusual grace in increasing dimensions, to manage the demands of his office.

Cause your face to shine upon him.

Lord, grant the desires of his heart.

Grant Nigeria peace.

Under him, grant Nigeria greater advancement.

Thank you father, in Jesus’ name we pray.”

THEN THE BISHOP ALONE PRAYED FOR THE PRESIDENT

“This entire church proclaims the President blessed today

Blessed with divine wisdom to manage the demands of his office

Blessed with keys to see the miraculous in his life

Blessed with grace that will advance His cause in our nation

Every time we pray here, God hears. The Bible says “Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered, I’m there in their midst, and if we agree concerning anything, it’s done for us." Therefore, in the name of Jesus, our President is declared blessed.

His going out is blessed, his coming in is blessed.

The will of God is blessed in his life.

Thank you father, blessed be your name, in Jesus precious name.”

And the whole congregation shouted “Amen.” That was it!

NOTE:

1. There was no mention of “hell” in the prayer

2. There was no mention of “the gates of hell” in the prayer

3. There was no mention of “opposition” or “oppose” in that prayer

4. It is very clear that these mischief makers where waiting for an opportunity, which presented itself in President Jonathan’s visit to the church in the heat of the campaigns. And with what we have seen, most politicians can do just anything to whip up sentiments and score cheap political points.

5. The church has never been involved in partisan politics but has been prayerfully active in ensuring that the Nigerian ship doesn't sink

6. The church has always obeyed the biblical injunction to pray for those in authority and the “peace of Jerusalem.”

7. This is not an attempt to defend the church or Bishop Oyedepo, as we already know that no matter how far a lie has travelled, the truth will definitely overtake it.

8. This is also not an attempt to defend God, because the Almighty God is more than able to defend himself.

9. As you read this, no one has even called to confirm from the ministry the veracity of this claim and a video recording of the service which is equally online has been labeled “doctored” by those who are bent on dragging the name of the church into partisan politics.

10. For the record, this is exactly what happened; whatever is being peddled was obviously created by those who want to benefit politically from the controversy; and promoted by bloggers who want to drive traffic to their sites; and spread by those who already think they have an axe to grind with their perceived lifestyle of Bishop Oyedepo.

Jesus is Lord!


http://livingfaithmedia..com/2015/01/just-for-record-what-do-you-gain-by.html

Mr Dennis Idahosa, Commissioner for Investment and Public/Private Partnership in Edo, on Friday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Idahosa joined the PDP along with some leaders of the APC in Ovia South West Local Government Area of the State.

Idahosa, who was received into the PDP by the state Chairman, Mr Dan Orbih, said his defection was a prelude to his resignation as commissioner, which he said would follow soon.

He explained that he left the APC because of incessant abuse of President Goodluck Jonathan and Edo elders by Gov. Adams Oshiomhole.

The commissioner noted that he would immediately join forces with PDP in the state to galvanise support for the re-election of President Jonathan.

“The reason I am joining PDP is that I don’t agree with the way Oshiomhole abuses our elders and President Jonathan. I stand to support President Jonathan for the presidency.”

Idahosa said more serving commissioners in Oshiomhole’s cabinet have expressed willingness to join the PDP.

He noted that the PDP would harness the failures of Oshiomhole’s administration to the benefit of the party.

Idahosa appealed for tolerance among PDP supporters in the state, urging them to take the messages of political tolerance to every parts of the state.


http://247nigerianewsupdate.co/oshiomholes-commissioner-defects-to-pdp/

When will this man start accepting defeat gallantly?

This exterior looks like my house. How do you prove its not mine?

Ki la ti ma saye yii si o, ko ye mi..........