I wasn’t a journalist as Jonathan’s spokesperson – Abati

A former Special Adviser on Media to the former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati, has said many journalists failed to appreciate the delicate and sensitive nature of his job, as they pestered him to react to some national issues while he held the post.

Dr Reuben Abati

He said this on Monday in Abeokuta on the sideline of the 2015 annual lecture of the Ogun State Correspondents’ chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

Abati, who had earlier spoken on the theme, ‘Media and Economic Renaissance,’ said some journalists covering the State House did complain that he would not pick their calls whenever they wanted to get his reactions.

He noted that some of them failed to realise that he was a government spokesman and not a ‘journalist’ at that point in time, as they still expected his scathing criticisms and personal conviction.

He said, “Once you are in government, you are no more a journalist. It’s just like a royal court, the king does not go out there, he sends someone to deliver his message to the people. You are an agent to a principal.

“The job of a government spokesman is delicate and sensitive. If you are a careless spokesperson, you will blow up a country. It is not everything that a hunter sees in the bush that he talks about.

“But my colleagues, the journalists, still wanted me to talk as Abati, the columnist or Abati as a panelist in Patito’s Gang. Loquacity is not an asset when you are a government spokesman.”

Dwelling on the topic of the lecture, Abati called on media owners and journalists to be abreast of the economic policies of government, since such policies would affect them and their organisations.

He said, “We must prioritise issues of economic diversification. We must be interested in economic policies, we must acquire the skills to interrogate and analyse economic policies and we must interrogate people at the helm of affairs so that we can be crusaders of good society.”

He urged journalists to put political office holders on their toes to implement viable economic policies for national development.

Abati, who was the former chairman, The Guardian Newspaper Editorial Board, noted that most of the past economic policies put up by successive governments failed due to lack of dedication and continuity on the part of public office holders.

He bemoaned the idea of a new administration wanting to start everything afresh even when the immediate past government had some viable projects and programmes that would put the country on the path of sustainable development.

He said former President Jonathan introduced over 60 economic reforms which, he claimed, had been discarded by the incumbent administration, noting such lack of continuity in economic policies would breed socio-political instability.

He noted that the agricultural policy of the Jonathan administration dwelt on the entire value chain in that sector.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, the CEO of Rock City FM and a former Commissioner for Information in Ogun State, Mr. Niran Malaolu, advised journalists to stop ‘crucifying’ their colleagues when they were appointed as commissioners, advisers, or senior special assistants.

Rather, he said, they should support them and make them succeed.

I wasn’t a journalist as Jonathan’s spokesperson – Abati

INTERVIEW: My disagreement with Tony Anenih, and why I have no regard for Reuben Abati — Obasanjo

In this concluding part of the interview with Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president speaks about the Boko Haram insurgency, his relationship with Tony Anenih, and his grouse with the Nigerian media, and people like Reuben Abati.

Olusegun Obasanjo

PT: You may not know about it, you may not have a hand in it, but it does appear, especially from reports from US investigators that some officials of your administration perhaps took bribe from Halliburton.

Obasanjo: No no no. I don’t deny that. But not me. I don’t deny their reports about Halliburton but not me. I don’t even know what Halliburton was doing here. So what’s your problem? And EFCC looked into it, you read the report of EFCC bordering on Halliburton.

PT: The only gap is that people are wondering why you didn’t take steps to bring those officials of your regime to book.

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) There’s no gap. You can make any allegation. Now EFCC you can count number of people who are taken to court. I don’t take anybody to court, Mojeed. And don’t annoy me. Now you have the system that takes them to court. I don’t take anybody to court. Because if I have to be the one to say ‘take this one to court,’ that will be witch hunting. That’s not my job. My job is, set up the system and if anybody in that system is not performing, then look for somebody to perform. So it doesn’t matter what allegation, if you read that report of EFCC, one man was hired, and he went out with all sorts of spurious allegations and EFCC took it one by one.Even Ribadu told me that when he gave that report, because he didn’t give the report to me…I said, look, carry out a critical investigation. I thought that was good. Then when he wrote his report, he gave it to Yar’Adua. And he said Yar’Adua asked him, ‘You can’t find anything at all?’ He brought Metropolitan Police here and he said whenever they are doing investigation in the past, when they get somewhere they will say ‘oh, yes, some people are interested.’ But this is the first time they had free hand to carry out investigation. So what more do you want? And what I put there is what I believe in. Has anybody working under me said to you that ‘oh, he asked me to take bribe’

PT: I don’t know if you saw the reports of the investigation that said Halliburton passed a lot of money to your party, the PDP, during that time….

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) Well, I don’t know about that.

PT: …Including using even bullion van to deliver money to the party through Gaius Obaseki.

Obasanjo: I won’t know about that. I don’t deal with the money in the party. I don’t deal with that.

PT: Sir, let’s talk about your relationship with Tony Anenih, who is known as one of your closest political allies. In fact, he was said to be fixing a lot of things for you. We don’t know what he was fixing and they kept calling him Mr. Fix-it. 

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) Fix for whom?

PT: Well, we don’t know. They call him Mr. Fix-it, and you know you seemed to have underlined the perception that he was fixing things for you when you asked him to step down from his post as Minister of Works to go anchor your campaign for second term. It was as if he was the only one who could fix that election for you.

Obasanjo: No no no. I took (Ahmadu) Ali as Chairman (of the PDP). Who is more important as far as the party is concerned?

PT: And most of the money you gave him to build roads, people say he didn’t build the roads. And you didn’t get him to render account.

Obasanjo: No, no. If he didn’t build roads and there is evidence that he didn’t build roads, I will deal with him. You see, you people you just start your imagination to run riot. You make up your mind. I don’t say Tony Anenih is the best human being on earth. I will also not say he’s the worst. He’s probably in between, like most of us. But I will not chastise anybody or condemn anybody unless I have evidence. People make allegation. Anybody can call you and say ‘hey, Mojeed, you are a rogue’. But for what reason should I join him to call you a rogue if he doesn’t show me evidence.

PT: But how did you two fall apart? To the extent, you narrated in your book, he teamed up with Yar’Adua and Ibori to plot your downfall.

Obasanjo: I wouldn’t have put it that way. Because my memory is not that short, I wouldn’t have put it that way.

PT: When Yar’Adua wanted to move against you. That’s what the book says.

Obasanjo: No. Show me where the book said that.

PT: (Reaches for the book) I’m going to read the full paragraph: “There was also an attack on me from the party front. The amendment to the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s Constitution which put a former president who is is a product of PDP as the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees was spearheaded by then Governor James Ibori, Makarfi, and Chief Tony Anenih. Whatever their reason for that constitutional amendment, I was the one available to occupy the post. But when Umaru and members of his cabal, along with their associates, set about pulling down Obasanjo, they pursued it to the Board of Trustees. Chief Tony Anenih and James Ibori were fellow travellers.”

That’s the point I was trying to make.

Obasanjo: Yes. That’s true. They actually spearheaded the…

PT:  So how did it get to that?

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) Well, you should ask them.

PT: That’s what I’m asking you.

Obasanjo: I don’t know. What I saw is what I’ve told you. But why they did it, I don’t know.

PT: Because you were pretty close. You gave him one of the biggest cabinet positions.
Obasanjo: Come off it. You are behaving like a child and a broken bottle. You have friends today. You may not be friends tomorrow. I believe there are things that probably Tony Anenih wanted which he didn’t get. What it is, I don’t know.

PT: I remember that meeting in 2007 when Tony Anenih and you were to meet at Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, shortly before you took over as Board of Trustees chairman, after you stepped down as President. I was there when Tony Anenih, stormed out. Is it in protest against you becoming Board of Trustees chairman and him stepping down or something?

Obasanjo: Not at all. Because the Constitution of the party is clear. I didn’t make the Constitution.

PT: So why has it been difficult to make up with him since then?

Obasanjo: Well, he comes here…. You see… Look, I will walk out on you‎. You see, these are not issues. You are making issues out of nothing. I go on principle, I don’t go on persons. And I will walk out on you. Look, Tony Anenih, whatever he has done he has done that. That’s not an issue to me. It’s not a personal issue…

PT: (Cuts in) It’s just the way…

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) No no no. Yes. You can see the way I put it. It’s not a personal issue. Tony Anenih has come here. And if he comes here tomorrow…. Jonathan has sent message to me and if he comes here tomorrow I will receive him. It’s not anything personal. In the interest of Nigeria, and that’s all. So what is making up? Making up to do what? Because he will give me a wife or I will give him a wife? Making up for what? It’s not a personal issue. So you are not getting it right and that’s part of the problem of Nigeria. Look, I stood for what I believe is in the best interest of Nigeria. So whether you agree with me on that or not is your own issue. What is personal? What is making up about?

PT: You wrote a full chapter about the media in your book…

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) Yes. That’s part of you now.

PT: You wrote extensively about bad journalism, although you also agreed that there are a few good journalists…

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) And I mentioned some of them. I don’t know whether you will fall into that group. (Laughter).‎

‎
‎PT: But you said the media found you too cold‎, too unappetising, and not enamoured with dramatic and sensational news. You were very critical. And, you said sometimes they printed interviews they never had with you.

Obasanjo: That was true. And I sent it to the (Nigerian Press Council).

PT: Do you want to give us examples of those interviews?

Obasanjo: That’s what I’m telling you now. I even reported it to the Nigerian Press Council. Now what is your problem with that? But that’s true.

PT: This is a critical assessment, which is good. We all need to read it and learn.

Obasanjo: You ask Taye (his aide), Taye can fish it out. I wrote… The man wrote interview…  Look, you see what I hate about the media? Look, you don’t ‎want any criticism about you. You are not perfect. No.

PT: As far as I’m concerned, the criticisms you offered are my own criticisms of the media.

Obasanjo: Ok. So what is your problem? Now if a media… and I have a case against one. You can ask Tunji Abayomi. A paper wrote (a libel against me) since 1983. I criticise the judiciary as well. And that case has been there since 1983. Since that time I have gone to prison and back. I’ve been president and out. Tunji Abayomi is the one who’s handling it, since 1983. When I mentioned it to (Muhammadu) Uwais, Uwais said he would look into it. Look, we are not going to make progress unless we admit and accept what we are doing wrong, either individually or collectively.

PT: I think your criticism of the media is something we should print and distribute to all…

Obasanjo: (Cuts in) You saw what I wrote about…no, not Tola Adeniyi. I think I wrote about Tola Adeniyi in my book. But in this one, it’s Segun Adeniyi. And he told somebody that what I wrote is true. Or Reuben Abati, the one who said “ehhnn‎, he too wants to build a house”. Can anybody say that to me and you then think I will have regard for him? Or for the profession he claims he belongs?

And you know it. You know it. That you can write anything in any paper and if the price is right, it will be published. Do you know that?

(CONTEXT: Mr. Obasanjo had, without mentioning name, written on Page 107, Volume 2 of his book: “A close young colleague of mine within the civil society had a friend in the media who rose to become media adviser to a Nigerian President. In the early days of this media man, who, by virtue of his friendship with my colleague became close to me as well, he was, or so I assumed by his utterances, a paragon of uprightness and integrity. When I received definite information of his falling prey to a governor who allocated to him a plot of land and who regularly fuelled him with cash, I asked his friend to find out the reason for the sudden change in his disposition. I was told his reply was, ‘I want to build a house and live well.’ What a pity! All his integrity, morality and ethics were sacrificed. It got me thinking not only about media practitioners and the media, but also about humanity in general.”)

And let me give you an example. When I left government in 1979, I lived in my house in Ibadan, in ‎ Bodija, while attending a course. But a paper wrote that I dislodged a family from their apartment, leaving them stranded. It was front page, with a photograph of the purportedly stranded family. My cousin, who was catering for me was shocked by the falsehood. That was when my cousin said “Nigeria media, never again.”

PT: These issues you raised are part of the reforms‎ we seek.

Obasanjo: The point is you should accept these things. I won’t say the military is perfect. And today somebody told me “oh, what Badeh said.” I said what did Badeh say? So he sent it to me‎. I said Badeh is looking for excuses. Badeh must be looking for excuses. Anybody who is a trained officer knows that the military is trained to fight a war, not insurgency. You may have a course of training on insurgency or counter-insurgency and all of that. But when you have to deal with insurgency, that’s a different ball game altogether. You have to be trained for it, you have to be equipped for it. And then to say you don’t have… Look, the people you are dealing are among the people, that’s why they are insurgents. That’s why it’s not a set war. Because in a set war, you know where the enemy  is, you know how to approach it. This one, it might even be someone on a motorcycle who has a gun in his pocket. That’s a different thing. And they say there’s no motivation. How can there be motivation? When the upper echelon of the military was riddled with corruption. The political leadership, riddled with corruption. The soldiers are no fool.

PT: Reading about internal conflict in the book, I think that’s in the Volume 2, you listed cases that were brought to your attention and efforts made by the federal government to resolve them. From the Ife-Modakeke crisis to the Sharia riot in Kaduna to Osama bin Laden protest in Kano, Miss World protest, Jos crisis, to Borno riots. But strikingly there is no mention, even in the index, of the budding activities of Boko Haram…
‎
Obasanjo: Because there was no Boko Haram then‎. Oh! Come off it. You are mad!. There was no Boko Haram then. No!

PT‎: Just let me finish.

Obasanjo: Ok. Finish. There was no Boko Haram then. There was no Boko Haram when I was in office.

PT: (Cuts in) The reason I’m asking you this is because there are suggestions that the sect started building up even before you left office.

Obasanjo: No. What happened was this, they were part of… You know (Ahmad) Yerima went and started this thing. That was when they also became their own thing‎. I went to them. You heard the other day, they said they would have killed me but when I was there they were doing their Sharia and I was doing my own thing.

PT: They said they had no problem with you?

Obasanjo: They had no problem with me. And they said that after I left, they started killing their people and hunting them.

PT: You wrote a letter to Mr. Jonathan advising him to form a committee of former Heads of State, to be coordinated by General Gowon. If that were done at that time, do you think ‎we’ll still be where we are today?

‎Obasanjo: They were turning Boko Haram to a religious issue, it is not a religious issue. He was seeing it as a northern plan, it wasn’t. It was a menace waiting to happen, and he didn’t see it that way, which was unfortunate…

PT: You even pointed out that if Gowon were allowed to head the group, it would assuage the feelings of Christians‎ who believed that Boko Haram was a religious issue…
‎
Obasanjo: I did everything I could to help him.‎ Look, mine is to give what I believe is genuine advice from the position that I see things and I understand. Now any leader can then decide what to do. You see, the thing is that no leader can say he is short of advice in Nigeria. Unless he doesn’t want to listen. But then, when you get the advice, you do whatever you like with it.

PT: Do you think that can still be done?

Obasanjo: You know, there is always time for a thing. The time that I went to Maiduguri, and it was after that time. Actually, my advice to Jonathan, if he had acted then, I don’t believe that Boko Haram would have gone against him. Jonathan had a problem. He believed that Boko Haram was a device of the north to prevent him from having a second term. That’s all. That is what… any other thing, forget it. How is it that Jonathan was told by 8 o’clock in the morning after the night that Chibok girls were abducted, and there was no reaction. As I said in my book, I called one Philip Madu to come and brief me on what happened. And if there had been reaction within 72 hours, they would have got, if not all, most of those girls. At what stage did Jonathan and the Governor of Borno speak about Chibok?

Let me tell you something that happened during my time. I heard on a Friday‎, I think we were to have an election on the Saturday. I can’t remember which election, and in Kano, one man was leading his sect in the mosque, 5:30 a.m., he was shot dead. IGP (Inspector General of Police) told me. I phoned the governor immediately, and said ‘what are you doing? Have you heard this?’ He said ‘yes, when the day breaks.’ I said ‘when day breaks? You? Out now.’

Now, on a Friday, a Muslim cleric leading his own flock being shot? It’s incendiary for anything in Kano. And you know, they would have gone into Sabon Gari. That is the way reactions to incidents should take place. And because of that reaction, we didn’t have any incident.

There wasn’t Boko Haram as Boko Haram. It was after I left‎ that Muhammadu Yusuf actually called… and that’s how they got the name Boko Haram. He called some of his followers. Because he had following. Some of them graduates. And then he said, ‘Look, bring your certificates. When did you leave university?’ He himself he’s not an illiterate. He had college education. ‘When did you finish university? ‘Three years ago.’ ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘Your education is useless, tear your certificate.’ Some of them did, some didn’t. That’s how the name Boko Haram came, they don’t call themselves Boko Haram.

PT: Is that not gullibility on the part of those he invited to tear their certificates?

Obasanjo: Gullibility? Is it true that you left university for years? Is it true that you don’t have a job? Is it true that you went to university so that you could have education, and have a job? And if that is what to‎ok you to university and four years after you have left university you haven’t got a job, what is gullibility?

PT: Sir, it came out in your book that your leaked December 2013 letter was not your first letter to Jonathan. You wrote like three or four. You published the letters here…

Obasanjo: (Cuts in)‎ They are more.

PT: How many letters did you write to President Jonathan?

Obasanjo: I don’t know. I don’t count.

PT: You published a few. So is that the way you write to Nigerian leaders  before and after you?

Obasanjo: If I think there is something I should point out to them, yes I do. I do.

PT: Maybe your letters can even form a book at a point.

Obasanjo: That’s entirely up to you. (Laughter). But did you read the letter I wrote to Margaret Thatcher?

PT: No, I haven’t read that.

PT: Months back, you said bye bye to politics. Are you still maintaining that stance?

Obasanjo: Partisan politics. Now if politics is welfare of the people, in a way, then you cannot say politics no way until you die. But partisan politics? No.

PT: So no more partisan politics for you?

Obasanjo: Oh yes. I won’t belong to any political party. ‎I won’t.

PT: Even if they decide to woo you?

Obasanjo: What nonsense? Any fool that comes here… behaves like a fool, I ‎will walk him out.

PT: As one of the fathers of our nation, what do you think of the direction our country is heading now?

Obasanjo: Well, we are better than where we were. We are not where we should be, but we are better than where we were.

PT: Thank you so much, Baba.

Obasanjo: Thank you

INTERVIEW: My disagreement with Tony Anenih, and why I have no regard for Reuben Abati — Obasanjo

FG stripped Abati, 11 other Jonathan"s aides of official passports

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

TWO months after leaving power,  no fewer than 12 close aides of former President Goodluck Jonathan have been stripped of their official passports.

Dr Reuben Abati

A competent source told Saturday Vanguard that the decision to withdraw the official passports of the former aides of Dr Jonathan was to prevent misuse and conflict with new aides and officials of President Muhammadu Buhari, who assumed duties on May 29, 2015.

It could not be established last night whether the affected officials were ordered by the Presidency to surrender the passports or whether they did so voluntarily.

But Saturday Vanguard learned that the affected former aides of Jonathan had already returned the passports to the Presidential Villa preparatory to being handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS.

Abati, Adegbe, Obua, 9 others affected

Among those whose passports have been retrieved are former Special Adviser to the President on Media Reuben Abati; former Aide-de-Camp, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe and former Chief Security Officer, Gordon Obua, who is currently hospitalised over poor health arising from his recent incarceration by security agents.

Nine other key officials of the Jonathan Presidency who were also issued with official passports have also been stripped of the travel documents.

It was gathered that the former officials had been asked by the Presidency to relinquish their official passports to the Villa within a stipulated time-frame for onward return to the NIS, which issued them.

Questions to answer

However, another source hinted that the withdrawal of the former president’s henchmen’s travel documents was to prevent some of them who have some issues to explain to the new administration from leaving the country and being given preferential treatment at their destinations.

“Don’t forget that some of these officials may be needed here to answer some questions relating to their tenure,” the source said.

No ill-motive –NIS

However, the Nigerian Immigration Service said last night that there was no ill-motive in withdrawing the official passports of  government officials who had completed their assignments.

NIS Public Relations Officer, Mr.  Joachim Obua, explained that it was normal for officials of government to surrender their official passports at the end of their tenure.

“It is important for the position to be made clear that official passports are not the property of anyone holding it. Once you complete your assignment you have to return it to the NIS,” he explained.

 

FG stripped Abati, 11 other Jonathan"s aides of official passports

Jonathan has not abandoned projects despite losing election - Abati

The Presidency on Sunday said despite losing the March 28 presidential election to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress, President Goodluck Jonathan is still working for Nigerians.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the clarification in a message he posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Abati was reacting to some reports that claimed that the present administration which winds down on May 29 had abandoned some of its ongoing projects because of Jonathan’s electoral loss.

The presidential spokesman said there was no truth in the reports.

He said contrary to the reports, Jonathan was still busy working for Nigerians as their President.

He said evidence that Jonathan was still working abound at the site of the second Niger Bridge which is currently under construction, the ongoing work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as well as the Abuja-Kaduna Railways.

While thanking Nigerians for allowing Jonathan to serve them, he expressed the hope that the transformation being witnessed under the current administration would continue under Buhari’s leadership from May 29.

He said the President maintained that he remained committed to service and sacrifices for Nigeria in whatever capacity he finds himself.

Abati, who attached a video of ongoing work on the second Niger Bridge, wrote, “A short video from the site of the second Niger Bridge which is currently under construction according to project schedule.

“Our projects have not been deserted as some reports give.

“From Lagos-Ibadan Road to Abuja-Kaduna Railways and Kashimbilla Dam, which are set for inauguration, we are still working for you.

“President Jonathan prays for the incoming administration led by General Buhari to achieve even as we hope that this transformation continues.

“We thank you for letting us serve you.

“President Jonathan maintains that service and necessary sacrifices will be his lifelong commitment to Nigeria in whatever capacity.”

Jonathan has not abandoned projects despite losing election - Abati

President Jonathan orders removal of his campaign posters

Ahead of the May 29 Presidential inauguration, President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday ordered the removal of the campaign billboards, banners and posters with Jonathan/Sambo inscriptions.

The order is contained in a release issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja.

The release said that the order was because the 2015 Presidential Election had been concluded and the country preparing for the inauguration of a new administration on May 29.

It said Jonathan believed that it was appropriate that steps be taken to restore the environment in Nigerian cities, towns and villages to their pre-elections campaign state.

“Accordingly, President Jonathan directs that the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation and the various associations that coalesced into the Jonathan/Sambo Support Group immediately begin the process of removing the posters, billboards and banners.

The release noted that the signs and other campaign materials in support of Jonathan’s re-election bid still adorned the landscape in major cities across the country.

“The president thanks all individuals and organisations who made sincere contributions and worked with immense dedication for the Jonathan/ Sambo Campaign.

“He applauds his supporters and other Nigerians for the disciplined, patriotic and democratic manner in which they comported themselves before, during and after the elections.

“Now that the elections are over except for re-runs in a few states, President Jonathan urges Nigerians to put the recent political campaigns behind them,” the release said.

It called on Nigerians to “join hands with the incoming administration in working for a more united, peaceful, stable and progressive nation.”

President Jonathan orders removal of his campaign posters

Obasanjo claims on Jonathan odious and repugnant - Presidency

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The Presidency on Saturday said it was aware of a plot by Obasanjo and some unnamed persons within and outside the country to thwart the forthcoming general elections and foist an unconstitutional Interim National Government, which Obasanjo hopes to head, on the nation.

Dr Reuben Abatio

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.

Abati said, “We find the false claims and allegations reportedly made against President Goodluck Jonathan by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday in Abeokuta very odious and repugnant.

“As we have had cause to say before, it is most regrettable indeed that a man like Chief Obasanjo, who should know better, chooses to repeatedly, wantonly, and maliciously impugn the integrity of a sitting President of his country for the primary purpose of self-promotion.

“It is obvious from Chief Obasanjo’s serial vituperations against President Jonathan who is doing his best to positively transform Nigeria for the benefit of all of its people that he has willfully chosen to close his eyes to the present administration’s good works and intentions. For reasons best known to him, Chief Obasanjo has set his mind on regime change by fair or foul means.

“Otherwise, it would be completely senseless, irrational and out of place for Chief Obasanjo, who still claims to belong to the same party as the President, to accuse President Jonathan of plotting to win the rescheduled presidential elections by ‘hook or crook’ and planning to plunge the nation into crisis if he loses the election.

“For the record, President Jonathan has no such intention and will continue to give the greatest possible support to INEC and other relevant federal agencies to ensure that the rescheduled elections are successfully conducted.

“Chief Obasanjo’s plot with others within and outside the country to thwart the general elections and foist an unconstitutional Interim National Government, which he hopes to head, on the nation is well known to us, but by the Grace of God Almighty, his odious plan to return to power through the backdoor will fail woefully.”

 

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Obasanjo claims on Jonathan odious and repugnant - Presidency

Kano threatens to sue Presidency, Abati for fraud

The Kano State government has threatened to prosecute the spokesperson to the Nigerian president, Reuben Abati, for advanced fee fraud, 419, and the Presidency, the agency he represents, over the use of the state’s project photographs to promote President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid.

President Jonathan

Mr. Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, had, in a 10-part series of tweets on Sunday, used photographs of the 10-storey Northwestern University and students of the Kano State Institute of Informatics to illustrate key projects he claimed the President Jonathan administration executed in the six North-West states of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.

The 10-storey building in Mr. Abati’s illustration was a long-standing project of the Kano State government, which was only completed and made a campus by the state’s current governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso. The Kano Informatics Institute was also established in 2011, by the current governor.

Using the hashtags #DidYouKnow? #TransformationintheNorthWest #ForwardNigeria#UpJonathan #UpNigeria, Mr. Abati deployed images and graphics to illustrate what he called the president’s transformation of the North-West zone.

Mr. Abati’s tweets angered the Kano state government. It accused Mr. Abati of lying, deception and plagiarism and demanded the deletion of the tweet and a public apology. The current Kano state governor, who is claiming credits for the brandished projects, is also a presidential aspirant and member of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

The deceptive tweets also drew heavy public criticism against Mr. Abati and the presidency.

The presidential spokesperson has since deleted the tweet and replaced it with an infographic where the president’s achievements were illustrated with words scribbled in colourful speech bubbles.

Ahead of the February 15 general elections, Nigerian politicians with ambitions are desperate to brandish concrete achievements to convince the voting public they performed well in their current position, a prerequisite for public support.

419

More than 24 hours after the tweet was deleted, the Kano government said Mr. Abati is yet to apologise to it.

“We are giving him seven days to tender a public apology or we will sue him,” Jaafar Jaafar, the Special Assistant on Media to Governor Kwankwaso, told PREMIUM TIMES.

He said the state government was approaching its lawyers to kickstart plagiarism and advance fee fraud, aka 419, charges if Mr. Abati failed to apologise.

He argued that in addition to using the images without permission, the presidential spokesperson intended to deceive the public with those images and make pecuniary gains. He said Mr. Abati’s action was planned to “hoodwink” Nigerians into believing President Jonathan’s administration was effective in the region.

Mr. Jaafar argued that such assumptions could have misled voters to re-elect the president in the forthcoming election and in turn make Mr. Abati richer.

“That is obtaining money under false pretence,” Mr. Jaafar said.

If Mr. Abati is charged, it would be the first time an aide of the President is tried for deception.

Mr. Abati could not be reached for comments.

Telephone calls rang out and were not returned.

Text messages were not replied.

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Kano threatens to sue Presidency, Abati for fraud

BBOG activists are APC chieftains planning to unseat Jonathan - Presidency

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News.

The Presidential Spokesperson, Reuben Abati has lambasted the BringBackOurGirls group for playing politics with the lives of the abducted girls in Chibok, Borno State.

Abati disclosed this, following the role the BBOG played during the declaration of the former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari at Eagles Square in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a series of tweets by the spokesperson, he said “Our longstanding view of BBOG movement’s hidden agenda to unseat the Jonathan administration received full Justification yesterday

“Roles played by Dino Melaye & presence of BBOG’s Initiator Hadiza Bala Usman at Buhari’s Declaration is proof of their true aim of politicizing the agony of the Chibok girls & their families. This is now fully apparent, the true agenda & prime movers of BBOG movement”

Abati advised Patriotic Nigerians to open their eyes and reject the movement’s political partisanship and unjustifiable Jonathan bashing.

Following the special recognition for Hadiza Bala Usman, the leader of the BBOG, the Presidency noted that the BBOG activists who he also referred as APC chieftains, have partisan interest but masquerading as altruism, adding that the mask is off.

He added “Politicizing collective agony to score cheap political points. How sad?”

He reassured that “President Jonathan remains fully committed to doing all possible to BBOG. He will not be deterred by political hustlers&Agents provocateurs”

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BBOG activists are APC chieftains planning to unseat Jonathan - Presidency

Jonathan’s critics should come up with good ideas – Abati

In this interview with ANULE EMMANUEL, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, speaks on the Jonathan administration’s efforts at addressing security challenges in the country as well as its reforms.

As one of the President’s handlers, does it worry you the way some persons attack the President?

We are in a political dispensation and we have an opposition that is hyper active and likes to pick on the government and the President on a regular basis. My position is that in a democracy and under an administration that encourages the freedom of expression, you cannot rule out a situation where people will insist on their freedom of expression and say whatever they like, as long as the media encourages them and gives them the platform to express themselves.

The thing to note nonetheless is that this administration has nothing against the freedom of expression. It welcomes the opposition’s right to express its views but what we have complained about regularly is that the President while welcoming criticism would also want to see constructive criticism. The President is the President of every Nigerian. He has repeatedly made it very clear that whether you are a Muslim, Christian or animist, atheist, a Northerner or Southerner, he as President is the President of everybody. If the opposition says that their duty is to play politics with everything and to condemn government, what the government is asking for is that at least let it be constructive. The opposition in other parts of the world doesn’t play politics of abuse.

They come up with ideas, so when you see us engaging in any kind of altercation with the opposition, check it out. Two statements have always come out of my office. The first is: don’t abuse the President, respect his office, you may not like that office, but respect the fact that it is a special institution at the heart of our democracy. We all have a duty as Nigerians to protect it, so don’t engage in the politics of abuse, don’t pull it down.

Second, be constructive and being constructive means, come up with ideas. If there is something that you disagree with, that the government is doing and you don’t want, give us an alternative.

Part of your duty is to say, we think government is going in this direction, we think government should go in this direction. That will be the politics of ideas, but unfortunately, if you check the content of opposition politics in Nigeria, it is devoted to the politics of abuse.

It is always easy to abuse people and throw words around. It is always convenient to talk and not think, because it takes some effort to think. Our appeal is that the opposition should please play the politics of reason and ideas and we will continue to appeal to them. We will not be discouraged by their refusal to toe the path of reason.

Would you say that the President is winning the war on terrorism?

Yes. Absolutely, yes.

In this matter, the forces of good will prevail over the forces of evil and the agents of darkness. Nigeria will prevail and it is our conviction that we will all be here to witness that moment of triumph. In addition, President Jonathan has made it clear on many occasions that what Nigerians are confronted with is an unconventional war, which requires collective effort to resolve.

This is a type of war in which you can even say that the enemy is faceless or that you don’t know who the enemy is. The enemy can be anywhere, the enemy is a hidden one, without a defined uniform or location and who can strike anywhere at any time. This kind of warfare challenges even the training of the security forces who have been trained to deal with conventional warfare.

It is a kind of warfare in which the issues involved are nebulous and perpetually mutating. We are facing a kind of nihilistic warfare in which the enemy is even prepared to commit suicide to achieve whatever ideological or criminal objectives. What that means therefore is that this being an unusual war, nobody can effectively put a date to the end of it. We recognise this special challenge.

Nigeria is not the first country that will face the scourge of terror. The British fought the IRA terrorists for so many years. It took the United States almost 10 years to track down Osama Bin Laden. And even that has not ended the threat of terrorism in the world. But you can look at the situation in Nigeria in terms of specific milestones.

So, what are these milestones?

The first major challenge of terrorism in Nigeria started in 2002 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, so it is something that this administration inherited. By 2009, it was already getting worse, but this administration came in and began to confront it. What we are witnessing at the moment is a resurgence; a desperate effort by terrorists to assert themselves.

When President Jonathan declared a state of emergency 18 months ago, after a few months, the security forces were able to restrict the terrorists to just about a forest. They destroyed their enclaves, mobilised ordinary people to take ownership of counter-terrorism initiatives and effectively put the terrorists on the run. For close to a year, there was peace and stability in the affected areas.

Before the first declaration of a state of emergency, the terrorists had carved out enclaves, they had hoisted their own flags and had threatened to take over the entire Nigerian state. But the military with the capacity that they acquired, pushed them back, took over these three states (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe) and even began to enjoy the confidence of the local communities, with even the people themselves taking ownership of the fight against terrorism.

But now, the agents of Lucifer are back with greater fury and vengeance. I have no doubt in my mind that the Nigerian security forces, even if they are fighting an unconventional warfare, have been able to acquire capacity and experience and are showing real determination in dealing with the challenge.

With the support that they are receiving from the international community and with the solidarity and partnership that has been forged with neighbouring countries and other countries on the continent and elsewhere, there can be no doubt that through concerted effort, the war will be won. But nobody can put a specific date to it; nevertheless the will of government to win the war is stronger than the determination of the terrorists.

What specifically should Nigerians expect from the current support of America, Britain and others in the war against Boko Haram?

Interestingly, the countries offering support and partnership have also spoken about the nature of their intervention. Principally, it is not about the deployment of troops on the ground. The job will still be done by Nigerian soldiers; what we are receiving is support in terms of logistics, surveillance, satellite imaging, intelligence gathering and information sharing.

All of this will help to strengthen the capacity of the troops to be able to do the job more efficiently. I think it is important that that we have this international solidarity on the matter of terrorism which is a threat not only to Nigeria, but the whole of the human race.

The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Boko Haram; the United States and others have classified Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation; meetings have been held in Paris, South Africa and Ghana under the auspices of international organisations which have taken decisions to demonise, isolate and criminalise Boko Haram. So, I think that the international solidarity is important; the support that has been offered is also crucial.

The message that has been sent across is that the international community stands as one family to put an end to this assault on the human community, its members and its values.

But will America and others stay back in Nigeria even when the over 200 pupils of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State have been rescued?

I don’t think so. The various countries offering to help are not coming here as neo-colonial forces; they are here as friends, motivated by human values and united with us to solve a problem that affects the human race.

You must take note of the fact that the United States and other countries have always cooperated with Nigeria. We have ongoing relationships with many countries of the world. The cooperation did not start with the issue of the Chibok girls and that is why when people say that the President did not respond on time, I always insist that it is not true.

The partnership between us and our neighbours, the United States and others on the issue of terrorism has been a long-standing one.

President Jonathan has been in touch with world leaders and other stakeholders from other parts of the world, to address the issue of terrorism. Security chiefs from Nigeria and neighbouring countries met on a regular basis and shared intelligence; other countries of the world have on-going relationships with Nigeria covering peace and security matters.

What has happened with this issue of the abduction of the girls is just a turning point which has resulted in the deepening of existing cooperation and partnership between Nigeria and other countries of the world. So that is the thing to note. I think people should know that this cooperation that we are talking about is not an overnight thing.

It’s been long and enduring because it is well recognised that international terrorism has incubation centres in different parts of the world. What has happened in our case is that Nigeria also became an incubation centre for terrorists. These terrorists have built a network involving Al Qaeda and other groups with operational bases across the sub-region and continent.

So it is a local challenge, an international challenge, a cross-border threat and a continental challenge. Nigeria, the United States and other countries have been working together to deal with this issue. That is why the President always raises the point that this is not about governance, this is all about an evil force that seeks to overwhelm our country and also pose a threat to the whole world.

Is government investigating any issues of alleged negligence on the part on the Borno State Government or the security forces over the abduction of the Chibok school girls?

Government’s commitment is to get the girls back and safely too. The Federal Government and particularly President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the President of everybody, is not engaged in blaming A or B. There is a problem that has occurred and the problem needs to be addressed and solved. For now, that is the focus of Mr. President.

Nigerians do express concern that persons arrested over this issue of insecurity are hardly being prosecuted. Why is this so?

The legal prosecution of suspects in any matter whatsoever does not take place on the pages of newspapers; it takes place in the law courts. What is known is that government has made it clear that it will not condone impunity of any sort.

There are persons in detention centres, there are those who are being prosecuted and convicted almost on a daily basis in the law courts. But you know how these things work, so many of the people who are making those statements are speaking out of ignorance because they do not know what exactly is happening. I mean, this government will not condone criminality or promote any kind of barbaric indulgence.

And the judiciary has remained a very strong institution under this administration. You can be sure that the security agencies will continue to function, and those cases that can be established for the purposes of prosecution, will go through due process. It is not standard practice for the judiciary to be conducting its business on the pages of newspapers.

So those making such allegations, they probably need to do a little more home work to find out the truth rather than just condemn the government on the basis of their own ignorance. Amid the current insecurity challenge, the Federal Government recently hosted world leaders in Abuja to the World Economic Forum for Africa. What does this mean for Nigeria? The successful hosting of the WEFA is significant because it means that the world has expressed great confidence in Nigeria.

You will note that the hosting of that event came against the background of the bombing in Nyanya and the abduction of the Chibok girls. At the time, many in fact expressed the view that the calculation of the terrorists was to frustrate the conference delegates who were meant to attend the World Economic Forum and to create the impression that Nigeria is not safe.

Nigeria was hosting WEFA against the background of the rebasing of the economy and the declaration of Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa. The terrorists and their sponsors wanted to ruin all that. But the good news is that the international community refused to be discouraged.

Everybody descended on Nigeria. They were all here: heads of state, heads of corporations, diplomats, professionals, resource persons and so on; about 4, 000 of them or moer. Apart from the hosting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which is the traditional home of the WEF, Nigeria recorded the second largest record in terms of attendance in the history of the event.

They were all here to identify with Nigeria and to express solidarity with us. It was a very successful event, which at the end of the day, attracted an estimated huge inflow of Foreign Direct Investments to the tune of about $68 billion over the next few years. Since then, we have continued to witness the expression of even greater investor confidence in the Nigerian economy.

So, the terrorists failed. And what it means is that the world recognises Nigeria as a preferred investment destination and that whatever problem Nigeria may have with terrorists, terrorism does not define the identity of Nigeria, it does not define the economic space of Nigeria and I think that the hosting of WEFA and its outcomes will be remembered for long as one of the major achievements of this administration because it translated into greater progress both for the government and for the Nigerian people.

When do we see the rationalisation of the civil service in force?

Institutional reform is one of the major pillars of the transformational agenda of the Jonathan administration and the reform has been ongoing in different regards. The main focus of the White Paper on the Report of the Steve Oronsaye-led committee on the rationalisation of MDAs is to reduce bureaucracy, eliminate the duplication and replication of functions and make government more accountable and efficient. The White Paper having been issued represents the position of government and once government has taken a position, then it will implement the White Paper.

But some recommendations in the Oronsanye report were dropped?

If government sets up a committee, it is the job of the committee to make recommendations. You don’t set up a committee especially on a strategic issue as reforming the bureaucracy and you assume that government must take all the recommendations. People in that committee are just a few persons who have been given terms of reference but at the end of the day, government and critical stakeholders will take final decisions.

So, the focus should be on the White Paper and what is done subsequently. I believe that the implementation of the document will make significant impact because the White Paper speaks for itself. Institutional reform is a continuous process.

The 2014 budget is coming at the end of the second quarter. Does it bother government if it can really implement fully this fiscal document?

You will recall that after the back and forth over the 2013 budget, President Jonathan promised that the 2014 budget will surely go to the National Assembly very early and government did precisely that. The budget estimates were submitted to the National Assembly as early as November/December 2013.

The expectation from the meetings held between both the executive and legislature was that the passage of the Appropriation Bill would be fast-tracked so that very early in the year, we would start with the Budget on the table. But the legislative arm of government took such a long time to come to a decision so you cannot blame the executive for any delay, if that is what you are trying to do. In any case, members of the National Assembly, of course, would also tell you, they had to do thorough oversight to come up with a quality Appropriation Act.

The good news, however, is that the law allows government to implement within the level of the previous budget up to six months in the new year. I think that there was no significant departure from that. Nothing suffered at all. Besides, the National Assembly was able to pass the 2014 budget within this period. I have no fears about budget performance at all in 2014.

Jonathan’s critics should come up with good ideas – Abati