My ministers and I’ll face persecution – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan | credits: File copy
President Goodluck Jonathan has given an insight into the fate that awaits him and his ministers   after May 29, saying he believes they will be persecuted.

He stated on Sunday during   a thanksgiving and farewell service organised in his honour at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja that the persecution would happen   because of the “ hard decisions” his administration took while in office.

Jonathan told the congregation that he understood clearly that “ hard decisions” had their own cost and was therefore   ready to pay any price for them

He   said that experience had shown him that people would at a time desert anybody who took   “hard decisions” like he did while in office.

Jonathan added   that he had always   believed that more of his friends would desert him after May 29.

The President recalled the story of the last ruler of apartheid South Africa, Frederik   de Klerk, who was divorced by his wife for accepting to abolish minority rule in the country, and said jokingly that he hoped his wife, Patience,   would not also divorce him after the end of his tenure on May 29.

Beaming with smiles, Mrs. Jonathan, who on March 16 declared that she was not ready to feed her husband in prison, replied with a shout of “Nooooo.”

Her response was greeted with a loud applause by congregation members.

The President   said, “I believe there are reasons for everything. Some hard decisions have their own cost; and there is no doubt about that.

“That I have run the government this way that stabilised certain things, the electoral process and other things that brought stability to this country. They are very costly decisions which I must be ready to pay for.

“Some people come to me and say this or that person, is he not your friend that benefitted? Is it not your government that this person benefitted from? But this is what the person is saying.

“But I used to say that worse statements will come. If you take certain decisions, you should know that those close to you will even abandon you at some point.

“And I tell them that more of my so-called friends will disappear. When de Klerk took the decision to abolish minority rule in South Africa, even his wife divorced him. I hope my wife will not divorce me. But that is the only decision that has made South Africa to be a global player now. If they still   have minority rule,   by this time, nobody will be talking about them.

“If you take certain decisions, it might be good for many but it might affect others differently. So, for ministers and   aides who served with me, I sympathise with them because they will be persecuted. They must be ready for persecution.

“Quoting Tai Solarin, may your ways be rough, I say to   my ministers, I wish you what I wish myself. They will have hard times, we will all have hard times. Our ways will be rough.”

Jonathan however said he was happy that ordinary Nigerians appreciated what he did and that, according to him, is most important.

He said it was not what the elite talk about or say about his administration that mattered to him but what the majority of the Nigerians felt about his actions and inactions.

The President expressed delight that he came to Abuja with his family peacefully and was leaving peacefully.

Jonathan also looked back at all the benefits that had came his way as a Nigerian, saying he was ready to pay the supreme price for the nation.

He said considering what God had done in his life, he wished he could dance like the biblical King David.

Jonathan said, “I want to thank God for what he has done for me and my family. I wish to dance more than David, if I tried to dance, I missed my steps.

Read more: http://www.punchng.com/news/my-ministers-and-ill-face-persecution-jonathan/

I’m going back to school after Villa – Sambo’s wife

Wife of the Vice President, Hajia Amina Sambo, on Saturday in Abuja, said she would go back to the classroom to acquire more knowledge after the expiration of her husband’s tenure on May 29.

She also advised Nigerians to pray for the incoming administration of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

According to her, she will continue to remain accessible, even though she did not disclose which institution or course of study she intends to pursue.

Hajia Sambo, a graduate of Political Science from the Bayero University, Kano, spoke at a ceremony organised in her honour by the Coalition of Nigerian Muslim Women at the National Mosque, Abuja.

The CMWIN said they were honoring Hajia Amina and the wife of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Hajia Aisha Mohammed, for their strive towards uplifting humanity.

The group also hailed them for being pious and not allowing the demands of office to sway them from the right path.

She said there could be times in future when the demand of her academic engagements would not allow her to honour invitations to public engagements.

“I will like to continue to leave my doors open in case you will call on me. In case I say I am having exams (I am going back to school); so, do not be offended, I might be studying, but be assured that I will always be with you,” Hajia Sambo stated.

She added that all was now set for the inauguration of the first Islamic Library in Nigeria, which is located in Kaduna State, urging the women to strive to donate a book each to the facility.

She commended the Muslims for their support for the current administration, and called on them to extend the same hand of fellowship to the incoming administration of Buhari.

The vice president’s wife however begged the women to forgive any real or imagined shortcomings of the outgoing administration, assuring them of her continued support even as a private citizen.

“I want to assure you that on my part, in my own little way, I will continue to be of service to humanity. I will continue to help the less-privileged in the society, the downtrodden, the physically challenged, and most importantly, to my Deen. Please, always pray for the incoming administration,” she said.

Source: The PUNCH

Ebola may be sexually transmitted, WHO warns

The World Health Organisation has issued an interim advice on the possibility of Ebola Virus of being sexually transmitted.

The WHO had directed all Ebola survivors and their sexual partners to receive counselling to guard against possible transmission of the disease.

This is contained in a statement made available by WHO to newsmen in Lagos on Saturday.

It indicated that the sexual transmission of the Ebola Virus had yet to be established.

WHO said, “The sexual transmission of the Ebola Virus from males to females is a strong possibility, but has not yet been proven; less probable, but theoretically possible.

“Studies have shown that Ebola virus can be isolated from semen up to 82 days after symptom onset.

“A recent case investigation identified genetic material (RNA) from the virus by nucleic acid amplification tests (such as RT-PCR) 199 days after symptom onset.

“This is well beyond the period of virus detecting ability in the blood of survivors and long after recovery from illness.

“The detection of virus genetic material many months after symptom onset is assumed to reflect the continuing, or at least very recent, presence of live and potentially transmissible Ebola virus.”

More surveillance data and research are needed on the risks of sexual transmission and particularly on the prevalence of viable and transmissible virus in semen over time, WHO said.

WHO recommends that, in the interim, all Ebola survivors and their sexual partners should receive counselling.

It added that this is to ensure safe sexual practices until their semen has twice tested negative; and survivors should be provided with condoms.

“Ebola survivors and their sexual partners should either abstain from all types of sex or observe safe sex through correct and consistent condom use until their semen has twice tested negative.

“Having tested negative, survivors can safely resume normal sexual practices without fear of Ebola virus transmission,” the statement added.

Source: NAN

If Buhari does not step on toes he will fail – Nkire

Though he belongs to the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the euphoria from the party’s victory at the last general elections is not lost on him to close his eyes on key issues the incoming government should do to be different from the outgoing People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

To this end, Chief Sam Nkire, former a National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Alliance, PPA in this interview asked the president-elect, General Mohmmadu Buhari to step on toes if he wants to succeed. Amongst other things, he warns him against abandoning the common man who voted for him.

What does General Mohammadu Buhari’s electoral victory mean to you?

First of all, as a Nigerian, not just as a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, I am overjoyed. I am so happy that Nigeria has got an emancipator, emancipator because, for me, the PDP government of 16 years was heading to running Nigeria aground. It was heading to disaster, heading to ruining the economy of Nigeria.

It took actions that would have led to dismembering of Nigeria. If for instance APC didn’t win, maybe by now, many people especially Igbos in the North would have been sacked from all parts of northern Nigeria. Even northerners in the east would have been sacked from the eastern part of Nigeria and so on and forth. And I also believe that most of the problems President Goodluck Jonathan had were in the last 8 years when government took no responsibility for the protection of lives and property.

Government didn’t see its role as key to the development of both human and natural resources. At a point, it became a cliché for the police, for instance, to say security is every man’s business. You go to the Ministries, the civil servants tell you that administration is every man’s business. You go to the average soldier, he says soldiering is every man’s business. A government like that doesn’t take responsibility. It means that a policeman expects a civilian that is barehanded to fight the armed robber.

The soldier wants help from the civilian. In fact, there were civilian JTFs because the soldiers were overwhelmed. They couldn’t perform. Why couldn’t they perform? They lacked equipment and they shouted give us equipment. We can’t match Boko Haram. But the outgoing government preferred to change and buy new presidential jets for the President. Some governors preferred to knock down the old government houses and build new ones whereas building a new government house to my mind is not a sign of development. You are just providing luxury for one man, one family. Oh! This car is not befitting for the Senate president.

This car is not befitting to the speaker. Oh, he needs pension. It is all about public servants and civil servants. So, with the coming of Buhari I believe the government is going to be lean and smaller and less expensive. With what we heard about the national assembly or the legislative arm of the government gulping 25 percent of the annual budget, I don’t think Buhari will approve of that because that is too big. Nigeria’s elder statesman, one of the forefathers still living, Alhaji Maitama Sule said that when he was in parliament, Nigeria ran the parliament with less 5 percent of the annual budget. Today, we are using 25 percent.

Oh, the Distinguish Senator must have seven cars, he must travel to every seminar called in South Africa, Mali, anywhere. They will make claims even when they go there to sleep. Those things are unnecessary. They bloat the government and reduce the money required to do projects, to cater for the health of the people, education and to make Nigerians secure by equipping the security organs.

The president-elect penultimate week said he would reopen the books of NNPC. Do you buy that idea of probing NNPC?

Why not? Well, whatever the president-elect will do to make scapegoat of offenders who have defrauded Nigerians, I support him in doing it. My little disagreement is that he shouldn’t have said it now. He should have kept it to his chest and then when he assumes office he does that. He can go back to any date as far as I am concerned to make people pay back the money they have stolen. I have no quarrel with that.

Before the last General elections,  media was awash with reports of contracts to OPC and all that for pipeline surveillance and protection, the kind of contract they awarded to ex militant Tompolo and his company. Do you see the incoming government working with such organisations?

Well, once a government has been swept away, it ceases to exist. The new government takes charge and whatever it decides to do, that becomes the way. If the government or presidency of Mohammadu Buhari thinks those contracts were not properly given out, were not given to qualified people, of course, the government will cancel those contracts.

And from what I know of the incoming president, he will not waste a day to cancel those contracts because these are the reasons why Nigerians rejected the PDP government. Because, they did things that shouldn’t be done. They did things without recourse to the law. They did things with impunity and knowing Buhari as a man who abhors impunity, a man we can say is one of the incorruptible persons, I will be surprised if doesn’t revoke the contracts that were wrongly awarded .

Your party has had issues finding which zones to produce the next senate president and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Do you think APC will eventually find a mutual ground on the positions considering the intrigues?

I have a different opinion about zoning. Zoning, yes, can be applied. But it should be applied to balance deficiencies. I will like APC to do things differently. We talk about change in our party, APC. We must change from the ways of the PDP. The emphasis must not be zoning at all cost. We must look at people who participated, core APC members.

We must look at qualified people. If we don’t get qualified people, our government may not be better than PDP. Nigerians must see a difference. Nigerians must see that change has come. I am disturbed that we are almost singing PDP songs in may aspects. “Oh, this is for us. Share this, share that”. That’s not the way to go. We must look at the people who will deliver the goods. I don’t say that amongst the politicians in APC, you don’t have experts or honest people who can drive the agenda. We have surplus of manpower. But we have just got to look inwards and not be driven by zoning only and get people to drive the cart.

If we make a mistake, what happened during the Tambuwal era will happen. In the south east, APC has 3 members in the House of Reps. We don’t have any senators. The party should be able to make compromises and not rely on the rules of the House. And let the Igbo nation produce the Speaker at least. Or at worse, produce the deputy Speaker from these new members. If you don’t do it, the people of the zone will feel unwanted. That is a personal opinion. But as a true party man who believes in democracy, our party even though zoning is not engraved in our constitution, the culture of our party allows for zoning.

What do you crave for the south-east?

SGF is zoned to the south east. I will crave also that the deputy speaker at least should also be given to the people of the south east. That will bring more members to the party. The reason the zone didn’t do well was because we just had only one Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha covering 5 states. If we had a deputy speaker at least, and SGF from APC, of course our party would have done a lot better than we did at the last election.

What agenda would you set for the incoming government?

The first thing is to tackle insecurity and go ahead to tackle corruption. The down trodden voted for Buhari because they wanted him to fight corruption, to do something about poverty.

Do you see Buhari stepping on toes to achieve all these?

Without stepping on toes, Buhari can do nothing. He can not succeed. Do you know the majority of people that voted for Buhari are the poor people? If Buhari comes to power and decides to align with the rich, then his government will fail. He has to do something to ameliorate the suffering of the common man.

We are ready for handover don’t panic, Amaechi tells Wike

The Rivers State Governor, Mr Chibuike Amaechi, has expressed the readiness of his Administration to handover on May 29. Amaechi who dismissed rumours he would not be handing over the reign of governance on the date, wondered what he would be doing in office after May 29. The Rivers state Governor averred that the entire cabinet has made ready their notes preparatory to the terminal date of his regime.

“We are ready for handover unlike the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the centre that is busy making new appointments and sacking people. They have refused to brief the Muhammadu Buhari Transition Team and All Progressives Congress, APC, is not screaming blue murder. Rather, the APC at the centre is meeting and planning and preparing for government”.

Painting an ugly scenario in Rivers State, Gov. Amaechi stated that rather than support democracy, PDP has been busy doctoring election results and Voter Register.

“Unfortunately in Rivers State, the PDP is busy doctoring election results, doctoring Voter Register as to cover their stolen mandate, and crying wolf to cover their mischief”.

Amaechi who spoke through the Rivers State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari, added that whoever would take over from him has no reason to panic.

In a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday, Semenitari dismissed insinuations the outgoing regime had shown no co-operation with the man the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared winner of the April 11 governorship election in Rivers State. While dismissing reports the outgoing Administration has been un-co-operative with the PDP, Semenitari allayed such fears saying that PDP already has everything going for it.

“They stole the outcome of the April 11 election and gave no hoot; they declared their candidates winners with the criminal connivance of INEC and cared less about local, national and international opinion that what took place in Rivers state on April 11 was everything but an election. The more APC had pushed for electoral materials which are statutory demands of an electoral litigation, the farther PDP and INEC had kept it, and seemingly, they have had their way. So, they have all going for them. They have nothing to worry about. If and when Mr. Ezebuwon Nyesom Wike, will be sworn in, the issue of handover notes and other statutory briefings should not be any worry to him. Already Wike has as part of his transition team the State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Renner Ikuru, who is ViceChairman of the Rivers Stare Executive Council, and who is abreast of all projects and Programmes of the current administration, having chaired many sensitive state government committees as well as state cabinet meetings.” Semenitari said.

“After all, PDP has constituted Inauguration and Transition Committees, respectively”.

The Information and Communications Commissioner who insisted PDP stole the mandate it is parading, reasoned that with the pair of Ikuru and Wike, PDP should have no difficulty with any briefings that they might need from the current administration. She advised PDP to learn from APC which has not raised any hairs despite what are deliberate steps at the centre to provokethe party. “Governor Amaechi has not made any new appointment as he knows he is leaving office, unlike what PDP is doing at the centre. They are busy sacking and making appointments, functions that should be entirely left for the in-coming Administration. Provocative as it is, APC has rather, concerned itself with continued preparations to give Nigerians good governance. APC has refused to dance to PDP’s evil drumbeats, choosing to show maturity.

“Let PDP in Rivers state leave Governor Amaechi alone. He is a busy man and did not contest any elections. Governor Amaechi is known for committing his all into any worthy assignment or duty he is State for close to eight years, Amaechi cannot be happier that history and posterity will judge him fairly. A fact a million PDPs cannot obliterate”.

APC Amaechi Wike called to do. Having governed Rivers

House Speakership: Tinubu’s candidate faces fierce battle with Dogara

Twenty days to the   inauguration of the new government of All Progressives Congress, APC, there is still no sign that the party has reached a compromise on which geopolitical zone of the country that will produce the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Instead, the matter has so rattled the party that two different committees have emerged to broker a ruse amongst zones and forces contending for the position.

It has also thrown up at least two zones and two candidates who are now on a hot race for the position.

They are north east and the south west zones. While Hon. Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State jostles from the north east, the south west through the National leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is insisting on the candidacy of the outgoing minority leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State.

It will be recalled that the party had on May 22 at the Party’s leadership meeting in Abuja appointed a two man committee comprising the president-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Oyegun to resolve the issue when it became obvious that the two zones were at each other’s throat for the office.

But the Buhari/Oyegun committee has not met and if it had, the outcome of the meeting is yet to be made public. But an authentic party source who also shares an affinity with the House of Representatives confided in Saturday Vanguard yesterday that the committee’s willingness to meet for the purpose was poor.

According to him, the president-elect may have since taken a position on the matter which is that the incoming members of the National Assembly should be given the liberty to choose who become their leader without external interferences.

APC yet to formerly zone the slot

The issue of zoning offices in APC has a faint recognition and may even be jettisoned. This is even why another member of the House, Hon. Abdulmumini Jubril from Kano State recorded first in launching his interest before any other person.

But his interest could not fly die to the simple reason that he came from the same zone with the president-elect even though he is subtly pushing.

As at yesterday, the party has not officially ceded the slot to any zone and most people believe that is the springboard of the clash of interest currently going on in the party.

With this, the race has almost assumed the dimension of “do-or-die” affair between Dogara and Gbajabiamila who have intensified lobbying among the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s members in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly.

A source also told Saturday Vanguard that Tinubu, Gbajabiamila’s backbone is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the south west emerges victorious in the contest.

APC Governors-elect float a peace committee

Meanwhile, to broker a ruse in the imbroglio surrounding the speakership, the newly-elected governors of APC last week set up a 5-man Committee.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that the Committee which was obviously a voluntary one was however parallel to Buhari/Oyegun Committee.

The incoming Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai is the Head of the committee with the outgoing House of Representatives Speaker and Governor-elect of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal and the Governor-elect of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong as members.

Though, the mandate of the committee was not specifically mentioned as to whether it would take sides with either of the candidates, it was learnt that its objective was not however unconnected with finding a middle ground so that the looming crisis in the party would be nibbed in the bud.

But unfortunately, the committee’s first outing which took place last week Tuesday, Saturday Vanguard gathered ended in deadlock.

It was not ascertained whether they met again this week but expectations are high that the Committee would meet next week.

Dogara’s support base gathers momentum with 286 members on the queue

Meanwhile, while, the intrigues intensified last week, Saturday Vanguard gathered that Dogara’s support base witnessed a rise.

At the moment, 143 members from both APC and PDP have pencilled down their names in support of Dogara. Bulk of the members came from the PDP’s 139 figure.

It was learnt that irrespective of any apparent future pressure, the people have sworn to swim and sink with him.

In addition to this number, Saturday Vanguard source hinted that the camp is also playing a smart game, using the members to bring more to the camp.

To this end, each person among the 143 persons has the mandate of bringing at least one more person.

Should this strategy pay off, it means that the Bauchi State born parliamentarian could becoasting home with 286 votes out of 360 votes of the House’s numerical strength. But nobody is sure.

“If the permutations work out and members return to camp with at least one more member, it then becomes obvious that Dogara has already won Gbaja”, the source said in confidence.

Gbajabiamila seriously networking

Even with Dogara’s game plan, Saturday Vanguard also gathered that his opponent, Gbajabiamila is not relenting.

He is seriously reaching out to both camps as well.

Sources from the national assembly said he wasn’t doing badly in his strategies but according to them, it would be a fierce battle between them.

It was further learnt that no one was had any serious qualms with his candidacy but those behind him.

“Gbaja may be a better candidate but the fear that he may be subservient to one person is a very serious factor many people are considering. He may have the support of the south west lawmakers but I can guarantee him the votes of most PDP members. Anyway, this depends on future developments,” a source said.

I DON’T NEED A FAKE RELATIONSHIP AGAIN -QUEEN URE

Nigeria’s singer, Queen Ure Okezie, is sure having a nice time with God and her family members who have showed her tremendous support since having a failed marriage with her singer hubby, Soul E.

The singer in an interview with YES Magazine, stated that considering her past experience in relationship, she would gladly give love another chance.

According to her, “Definitely, I would. This world would be incomplete without love. We would continue to love until our dying days! That’s the essence of our existence now.”

Speaking about her kind of man, the daughter of one time Minister of Agriculture, Chief JOJ Okezie, stated that she would like to fall in love with a man who is honest not deceptive or act fake and knows the true definition of love .