President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday held a media chat with select journalists to discuss among other things, insecurity in the North-East, the economy, elections, corruption, and other challenges being faced by Nigeria as a nation.
The journalists on the panel were Ibanga Isine of Premium Times, Adesuwa Onyenokwe of Today’s Woman Magazine (TW), Deji Badmus of China Central Television (CCTV) & Ibrahim Sheme of Blue Print Newspaper.
Read below:
On elections postponement:
The president sought the understanding of the international community over the postponed elections. He said the kind of scenarios where elections are postponed for the sake of perpetuating power is not the case in Nigeria.
Boko Haram:
The president was asked why he thinks the war against Boko Haram can be won in six weeks even though the war had raged for six years. He responded saying, the government has just acquired new weapons, and gotten support of neigbhouring countries to fight Boko Haram. He mentioned that Chad waited for African Union approval, which they recently got too. He also mentioned that the issue of security is beyond Boko Haram. The president said it runs into dangerous signals of youth restiveness. In the next four weeks Nigerians will see the difference in the security intervention in the North, he said.
The president is asked which country sold arms to Nigeria. He said they managed to get from other sources other than America.
Do you have confidence in Jega to conduct the 2015 elections?
The president said he wished Jega was seated by his side to answer the question.
“I wish Jega was here, I would have asked him to answer whether I have confidence in him. Yes those who called for his sack may be close to me, but they expressed their own opinion. More than 80 per cent of those who sponsor messages on our behalf we don’t even know them. People use the rescheduling of the elections to misinform Nigerians.
I have never thought about removing INEC Chairman, though I have the constitutional power to do so.”
Jonathan blamed his supporters for rumours about Jega’s resignation. “I have not told anybody that I will remove Jega,” he said. He explained that if there are obvious reasons to remove Jega, he would rely on constitutional provisions that gives him powers to sack whoever he appoints.
On the attacks on his convoy in the North:
”The level of misinformation, especially from young people is high. Attempting to attack the president is treasonable offence.The president is protected by soldiers, not just the police. People get carried away and make some provocative statements.
Those who pelted my convoy during my campaigns in the Northern part of the country were ignorant. If INEC conducts the election poorly, it will be on my head.”
Hate speeches and political violence by both opposition and ruling party members.
The president explained that “some people get carried away” by the political play and exude these violence. He blamed aides and associates of key political actors for the hate speeches and political violence. He did not categorically condemn the hate speeches or war threats or politically-motivated violence.
“We will make sure things are done so that nobody goes to war,” the president said when he pressed for categorical stance on the war threats by ex-militants should he lose the elections. He argues journalists have responsibility to ensure the unity of the country.
On why he frequents churches for campaign but never visited mosques:
He responded by saying he does not receive invitations from Muslims like from the churches.
If election would hold should the military fails to eliminate Boko Haram in six weeks:
The presidents said the new dates are sacrosanct and a new president would be sworn in by May 29. He argued that the goal is not to totally eliminate Boko Haram but to make adequate security arrangement for the election.
Missing Chibok girls:
Questioning moves to the issue of the president’s perceived weak support especially as it relates to the missing Chibok girls. “Just give us some time,” he said, responding to questions seeking the state of the girls at the moment. The president is optimistic the girls would be rescued with the new military collaboration with neighbouring countries. “I believe the story would be different in a few weeks,” the president said. “We would recover them alive.”
I believe the story of Chibok Girls will get better in the next few weeks, but don’t quote me. We are working with our neighbours, we will comb the whole of that place after abduction? It’s unfortunate that people play politics with the issue of Chibok girls. It’s not like that elsewhere. In other countries, political boundaries collapse in the face of terror attacks, not so in Nigeria.
With regards to his weakened political base, the president said “in politics, there are only permanent interests.”
The president is asked to clarify his previous comments that “stealing is not corruption”:
He said he made that statement quoting the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Dahiru Mustafa, who explained to him that his analysis of corruption cases in Nigeria showed that most of such cases were theft. He argued that referring to stealing as corruption minimizes the crime. “Ole (thief in Yoruba) should be called Ole and given that treatment,” the president said.
“Let us communicate properly. The word corruption, we have abused it.
“It is not actually my quotation. I quoted the former Chief Justice,” as he continues to defend his previous comments on corruption and stealing.
“We have convicted more corrupt people than ever. It is just that Nigerians are confused on what the difference is between stealing and corruption”.
The state of the N1 billion security loan and funds confiscated in South Africa.
He said the government have not started disbursing the N1 billion loan. With regards to the .3 million arms money seized in South Africa, he said the money does not belong to Nigeria, technically, that it belonged to the company, since Nigeria has paid the company. He also explained that the government had to come in because it was now a diplomatic issue. He added that the matter was in court.
The president is asked if he would hand over if he loses the next election.
“If the elections are conducted and I lose, of course, another president would be sworn in,” the president said. He argued that Nigeria is more important than any individual.
The president is asked what he will do differently if he wins.
He said most of the problem he had in the past is related to perception and not concrete. He did not really say what he would do differently.
The president is asked to describe his opponent in the forthcoming election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
The president responded saying, it was an unfair question. He however mentioned that he has received more criticism than Buhari on social media.
The president is asked if he has confidence in INEC as presidently constituted.
He answered saying he appointed everyone at the management level of INEC.
Closing Remarks:
In his closing remarks, president Jonathan assured Nigerians that elections would be conducted and a new president sworn in on May 29. He argued that it is better for INEC to conduct an election everyone would be happy with.
No comments:
Post a Comment