I Need Your Prayers To Be Able To Choose Rightly- President Jonathan Tells Nigerians

President Jonathan today at the 2014 Christmas Carol organized by the Aso Villa Chapel at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa has said he needs the prayers of Nigerians to be able to make right decisions on matters brought before him. According to him, for every issue he had to take a decision on, multiple suggestions that were most times contradictory, were always made available to him which mostly makes it difficult to choose. He also prayed that God will give them the grace to have his fear in mind.

OAU students reportedly boo, stone Jonathan; call president ‘ole' (Thief)

President Goodluck Jonathan got more than he bargained yesterday when he visited the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU).

The students who were apparently tired of Jonathan’s government could not hold back their anger as they stoned and booed the president chanting “Ole, Ole, Ole,Ole” which in Yoruba means thief.

Jonathan, who was at the OAU to attend a summit by a Yoruba group, had used the occasion to identify with the Yorubas as the 2015 general election approaches, praising the achievements of the Yoruba leaders in Nigerian history.

But the students of the university were not touched by his visit, as they displayed placards with inscription such as: “we are not responsible for Jonathan’s ineptitude”, “Don’t sell education like you sold electricity”, “We demand total reversal of 2014 hiked school fees” etc..

The students, who were later chased by security men also booed Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, who tried to calm them down.

Obasanjo never wanted me as Oba therefore PDP will not rule Lagos – Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will never produce a governor in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

The monarch is known to have a cordial relationship with former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, incumbent Babatunde Fashola among other chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Speaking as the chief launcher of the autobiography of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Mustapha Akanbi, at the Sheraton Hotels in Abuja on Wednesday, Oba Akiolu said Lagos would remain an APC state.

“Recently, I told Bode George, Koro (Musiliu) and Ogunlewe (Adeseye) that “Look at me o! You will never win Lagos. God will give us another APC governor”.

Jonathan’s performance is below average – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday described the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan as below average.

Obasanjo spoke during an encounter with book writers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as part of activities marking the popular Ake Festival.

When asked of his view on Jonathan’s administration, he said, “His performance is below average. I will not accept responsibility for his performance. There is nobody that gets such a position without being helped.”

The former President also debunked the insinuations that he had selected Jonathan as the running mate to the late President Musa Yar’Adua because he knew the latter was sick.

“Yar’Adua told me he was well. He showed me his medical report and I even consulted experts,” he said.

He said he had only supported the idea of a South-Southerner succeeding Yar’Adua to extend the sense of belonging that the emergence of a Southern President in 1999 represented.

When the former President was also asked on why he preferred Jonathan to the former governor of Rivers State, Donald Duke, he said, “In my own life, I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. Duke was young enough to be in the reserve.

“He did not agree with me. Donald Duke is my friend but he needs a little of toning down. He needs to get his feet on the ground.”

The former President had, in a December 2, 2013 18-page letter to Jonathan titled: “Before it is too late” raised many issues concerning Jonathan’s administration.

120 Lawmakers Sign Jonathan’s Impeachment Notice As Deputy House Leader Pleads

More than 120 lawmakers have appended their signatures for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan, immediately House reconvenes in December, Vanguard reports.

Mohammed Zakari, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, while reacting on it said “the notice of impeachment was not on the order paper today but I’m not foreclosing that some other things took place.”

On his part, Leo Ogor, deputy House Leader who urged members to jettison such plans, argued that the notice of impeachment is inconsequential, as the President had no hand in what transpired at the National Assembly.

                      

“The President is unaware so bringing it (impeachment) up is going to be defeated. The President has done no wrong, impeachment should not even be part of the issue,” he pleaded.

The lawmakers Vanguard further gathered that appended their signatures are of the APC extraction

Hmmm! Let's wait and see. 

Source; Vanguard

“FG is Winning the War against Boko Haram” – Reuben Abati on Al-Jazeera’s The Stream

                               

It’s been a bloody year in northern Nigeria after series of fatal attacks, allegedly by Boko Haram, that have killed more than 300 Nigerians this year alone.

And while on Al-Jazeera's widely watched interactive programme, "The Stream" tonight, Nigeria's Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati defended FG's activities against Boko Haram, saying the Federal Government is winning the war against terrorism.

 Abati was on the programme with:

• Aminu Gamawa @AminuGamawa (Coordinator, Harvard Law School Graduate Forum aminugamawa.com)
• Ahmad Zannah Khalifa (Senator, Borno State)
• Michael Sodipo, Founder, Peace Initiative Network
• and Babatunde Rosanwo

According to Abati: 

  “The government is winning the war against Boko Haram. The violence has reduced compared to the situation a year ago. Nigerians go to church with fear and trepidation every Sunday but that does not happen anymore.”

However, reacting to Reuben Abati’s statement, Rosanwo said

“the government must come down to the level of its citizens; they are the ones that are being killed. The government is definitely not winning the war against Boko Haram.”

Senator Khalifa agreed with Rosanwo saying the government has failed in protecting the lives and property of citizens in the affected areas. He put holes in Abati’s argument saying the insurgents are within the community, a notion  which is contrary to the official stance of the government which suggests that the Islamic militant sect adopts a cross-border attack strategy.

Rosanwo stated that the president needs to show some empathy to the victims of Boko Haram in Yobe, Borno and Bauchi by paying them a visit instead of sitting put in Abuja.

“You need to stop this centenary nonsense,” he said. “How can you celebrate when forty three kids were killed? What stops Mr. President from visiting Borno,” he asked rhetorically.

 Abati, however, countered saying citizens, especially a serving senator should be careful not to make statements that are capable of demoralising the troops fighting against insurgents, he assured Nigerians of President Jonathan's commitment to the security of every citizen.

Will bring you the video once The Stream publishes it.