Nigeria’s problem didn’t start with my government, says Jonathan

By The Nation: Chris Oji, Enugu

President Goodluck Jonathan  conceded yesterday that there must be a change in the country to rid it of the many vices impeding its growth.

  He said  something must have gone wrong with Nigeria since the 1914  amalgamation of the North and the South  and pleaded with the generality of Nigerians to work together to salvage the country.

 Jonathan spoke at the funeral mass for Mrs. Theresa Ekpeluchi Chime, mother of Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State at  St.Theresa’s Catholic Church,Udi.

 The president  told the congregation that  Nigeria’s problems did not start with his administration but insisted that there must be a change to get rid of the  problems.

 He traced  Nigeria’s major problems to  the gross neglect of the upbringing of children by their parents who,according to him,often put their   businesses and careers above the  care of their  wards.

 He urged parents  to emulate the qualities of the late Madam Chime saying  the key role she played in bringing up her children made it possible for all of them, including Gov Chime, to be successful in their careers 

“From what I heard from the clergy and others, it was because of the kind of life she lived, that she was able to raise her children properly. And that is why he who comes close to the ocean and our party chairman who comes close to the desert are here today to pay her respects,”  he said.

 An elated Governor Chime told the congregation that he did not expect the president at the funeral yesterday, adding that his presence with his wife,Dame Patience, was a demonstration of their love  for him.

 He added: “It  is on record that before I could officially inform the president about my mother’s demise, he had  pre-empted me by sending me a surprise condolence.”

  The funeral mass was conducted by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Bishop Callistus Onaga. 

Present at the funeral were the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; deputy Senate president, Ike Ekeremadu and wife; former vice-president Alex Ekwueme; former Senate president, Ken Nnamani; Governors Martin Elechi of Ebonyi state; Liyel Imoke of Cross River state; Theodore Orji of Abia state; Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers ; Gabriel Suswam of Benue;Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Peter Obi of Anambra . 

Also present  were the 2nd Republic  governor of the old Anambra state, Senator Jim Nwobodo; Ministers Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ( Finance) ,Barth Nnaji ( Power); Stella Oduah ( Aviation); Emeka Wogu  (Labour); Onyebuchi Chukwu  (Health); and Viola Onwuluri ( Foreign Affairs).

Others include deputy governor of Anambra State, Dame Virgy Etiaba, Senator Ayogu Eze Senator Andy Uba, Senator Emma Agboti, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze; and  the Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma.

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Explosion rocks Port Harcourt

By Agency Reporter 

 

The charred remains of an 18-passenger Toyota Hiace bus,at the scene of the blast at Rumuokoro Roundabout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday. Photo: Bisi Olaniyi.

An explosion rocked an area of the Nigerian oil hub city of Port Harcourt on Thursday, a military spokesman said, but the cause and extent of damage remained unclear.
"There was actually an explosion around Rumuokoro area of Port Harcourt," Lieutenant Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu said of the city in southern Nigeria that is home to a number of oil firm offices.
"The details are still sketchy. A number of operatives have been dispatched to that area," which includes a bus station, he said.
A spokeswoman for the government in Rivers State, where Port Harcourt is located, also confirmed the explosion but could provide no further details.
AFP news agency reported that Nigeria's north has been hit by scores of bomb blasts blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram, but the country's south has so far not been hit by such attacks.
Prior to a 2009 amnesty deal, the crude-producing Niger Delta region, where Port Harcourt is a major city, was hit by unrest by militants claiming to be fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenue.
The amnesty, however, led to a sharp decline in the unrest, which mainly targeted the oil industry.

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Jonathan Declares Air Expo Open

The Air Expo is an international event organized to exhibit Nigeria Air Force capabilities.

The event, which was held to also commemorate the 48th anniversary of the commencement Air Force operation in Nigeria, was held under a very tight security with soldiers, police and other security personnel drafted to all roads to ensure there was no attack by the Boko Haram sect that had in the past targeted military and security formations in the country.
Delivering his speech at the event Jonathan said in spite of the inability of the Federal Government to contain the dreaded Boko Haram insurgence ravaging the north, he assured of the readiness and commitment of his administration to ensure security as well as maintain law and order in country.
While accepting that the country is presently facing a serious security challenge, he promised it would soon be history as efforts have intensified to tackle the challenge.
The President commended the Air force and other military formations for their roles and efforts to provide security at what he termed “this trying period”.
After declaring the event open, the president together with Kaduna Governor, Patrick Yakowa, Emir of Zazzau and other dignitaries inspected the newly acquired fighter jets, aircraft and other weapons of war.
Men of the Airforce displayed their skills and Airforce capabilities to protect the country against any form of external aggression

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Nigeria broke; cannot pay Youth Corpers

Sources in several state governments as well as the Federal Ministry of Finance have disclosed to Sahara Reporters that Nigeria’s cash flow woes appear to be worsening. For the second month in a row, the Nigerian government was unable to meet the schedule for disbursing monthly allocations from the federation account to states.

Our sources accused President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of depleting the country’s foreign reserves and recklessly overspending budgeted funds.
One source revealed that the Federal Ministry of Finance has paid March monthly allocations only to some states. The allocations for April and May 2012 remain unpaid. As a result of what some of the sources described as a major cash flow crisis, many civil servants and National Youth Corps members have yet to receive their April salaries or allowances.
In addition, the meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has been postponed indefinitely after the secretariat said the earlier meeting scheduled for today and tomorrow was no longer feasible. SaharaReporters obtained a text message announcing the cancellation of the meeting. Sent by Philip K. Angulu, the terse message apologized to recipients for any inconveniences caused by the postponement.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has not been able to make regular payments to the federation accounts as oil marketers and corporation are now deducting their share of profit in offshore accounts to avoid dealing with local bureaucratic bottlenecks.

A source within the Presidency described Mr. Jonathan as a confused pawn in the hands of members of his security team who manipulate him to approve huge “security votes” for the so-called fight against terrorism. “Many of the president’s security advisers just keep deceiving him into releasing more and more cash to them – and they have nothing to show for it,” said the source.
Another source in the Central Bank told SaharaReporters that fuel marketers continue to defraud Nigerians with undocumented and fraudulent claims. “As we speak, I can tell you that the government has virtually spent this year’s budget for fuel subsidies – and we are only in the middle of May,” said the source. He added, “Nigerians are calling on President Jonathan to prosecute those who committed fraud in collecting fuel subsidies in the past. They don’t know that the fraud has actually increased this year.”
One of our sources accused Christopher Kolade, the chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) Committee, of deliberately misleading Nigerians when he claimed that N60 billion has been saved for the implementation of the phantom palliative program put in place by Mr. Jonathan’s government to pacify Nigerians who thronged the streets of Nigerian and foreign cities in January to protest the removal of fuel subsidy. “Dr. Kolade knows that no such fund exists,” said the source, a ranking official in the federal government.

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