President Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year Message To Nigerians
By SaharaReporters, New York
"We will give priority attention in the coming year to flood and erison control, the rehabilitation and expansion of roads," he said.
GEJ also spoke on the issues of employment and security. Nigeria has suffered numerous incidents of kinappings, armed robbers, and attacks by Boko Haram in 2012.
The Nigerian President closed by urging Nigerians to become more involved in supporting the improvement of the country.
Full Text of the President Jonathan's New Year's message
Fellow Nigerians,
1. I greet and rejoice with you all as we celebrate the advent of a new year.
2. I join you all in giving thanks to God Almighty for bringing us and our beloved nation safely through the past year to the beginning of 2013 which, by His Grace, will be a much better year for us and our country.
3. In keeping with tradition, it is usual for individuals, institutions and organizations to make resolutions and set agenda as a new year begins, to guide their actions in the coming months.
4. I have already given a clear indication of the Federal Government’s agenda for 2013 in recent pronouncements. Our objective for the year is to ensure by all possible means that more of the programmes and projects envisioned by this administration, and which are already being embarked upon are further brought on stream within the next 12 months to meet the yearnings of our people, and raise the quality of life.
5. We have in the last year achieved a lot in terms of the positive transformation of vital sectors of our national life such as public infrastructure, power supply, oil and gas, transportation, education, health and agricultural development. We will continue to work diligently in 2013 to ensure that our efforts in these areas are carried forward to full fruition in fulfillment of our promise of better public services and improved living conditions for all Nigerians.
6. We will give priority attention in the coming year to flood and erosion control, the rehabilitation and expansion of existing federal roads, improved power supply, as well as the continued rehabilitation, upgrading and reactivation of the national rail network.
7. Employment generation and wealth creation will also remain a primary objective of our socio-economic agenda for 2013. Creating more employment opportunities for our youth and graduates of our universities is an imperative that will continue to underpin our drive for massive economic growth, the rapid expansion of our manufacturing and industrial base, and the productive diversification of our national economy. In this regard, we will continue to provide the necessary enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
8. As peace and security remain pre-requisite conditions for the full realization of our objectives, we will also do more in 2013 to further empower our security agencies who are working in collaborative partnerships with our friends in the international community to stem the scourge of terrorism in our country and enhance the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria.
9. I also want to assure Nigerians that we will refuse to be discouraged by those who have taken it upon themselves to pick on every initiative and effort of this administration. We remain resolutely committed to the rule of law, due process and fair play in all circumstances. Our democracy continues to grow, and the scope for human freedom continues to expand. It is an achievement that we will continue to build upon.
10. I say it again, we are determined to continue to push forward. We will do more, not less. We will remain focused.
11.For your part, dear compatriots, I urge that you all include in your new year resolutions a commitment to do more this year to support the implementation of the Federal Government’s Agenda for National Transformation in every possible way. That is all I ask for.
12. The task of making our dear nation a much better place for present and future generations cannot be left to government alone. Leaders and followers alike have critical roles to play in our march towards the fulfillment of our great national potentials.
13. Let us all therefore resolve as we celebrate the new year to place the higher interests of national unity, peace, stability and progress above all other considerations and work harder in our particular fields of human endeavour to contribute more significantly to the attainment of our collective aspirations.
14. I wish you all a happy and rewarding 2013.
15. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
President
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Ghana president to be sworn in after disputed vote.
ACCRA (AFP) – Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama will be sworn into office on Monday following last month’s polls in a ceremony to be boycotted by the opposition, which has claimed fraud and challenged the results in court.
John Dramani Mahama Ghana’s new President
Observer groups hailed the polls as another successful election in the country viewed as a stable democracy in turbulent West Africa, but Akufo-Addo’s party has alleged the vote was stolen.
The stakes were especially high in the election, with the newly elected president in charge of a growing stream of oil revenue.
West Africa’s second-largest economy and a longtime producer of gold and cocoa, Ghana started pumping oil in 2010, and now produces 105,000 barrels per day.
With oil flowing and Ghana’s economy growing at a rate of 14.3 percent in 2011, how Mahama invests the country’s boom money will be closely watched.
While it is considered a lower middle-income country by the World Bank, Ghana continues to struggle with infrastructure development.
Rural areas are plagued with potholed roads and most people rely on fresh water sold in sachets.
Though high-rise malls and apartments are being constructed across the capital Accra, Isaac Owusu-Mensah, a lecture at the University of Ghana, says Mahama will be judged on how much he improves lives for Ghanaians in the far-flung reaches of the country.
“The primary issue that will guide everybody in the run-up to the next four years is how the economy is being managed,” Owusu-Mensah said. “If they don’t utilise (the oil revenue) quite well, there’s going to be a big problem.”
During the campaign, Akufo-Addo had proposed using revenue from oil to pay for free high school, a proposal Mahama and his National Democratic Congress said would be too costly.
Besides managing the increasing revenue, Mahama must also be mindful of the court challenge to his election.
Akufo-Addo, who lost to Mills by less than one percentage point in 2008, has yet to concede defeat.
He has filed a challenge with the supreme court alleging an array of voting improprieties and asking he be declared the winner. Hearings are expected to be held soon.
The NPP is boycotting the swearing-in, and some members of the party called upon former president John Kufuor, a member of the party, to stay away from the ceremony. His office said he plans to attend.
“We are challenging the legitimacy of that election and the winner of which is being sworn-in tomorrow,” said Perry Okudzeto, a spokesman for the opposition party.
“We don’t see why we should be part of the swearing of an ill-elected president.”
The inauguration has attracted at least 12 African heads of state, including heavy-hitters Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Jacob Zuma of South Africa, as well as delegations of diplomats from the United States and European countries.
Street sweepers are busy picking up trash from Accra’s bustling streets, posters of Mahama’s portrait line major thoroughfares and the seaside Black Star Square, the venue for the swearing-in known for its iconic arches, is being decked out in the Ghanaian flag’s red, green and gold.
Ghana police spokesman Freeman Tetty said police will deploy about 4,000 officers, along with the military, to help control crowds and traffic during the ceremony.
“We’ll put all the measures in place to make sure that (Monday’s) event is a successful one,” Tetty said. “We are not taking security for granted at all.”
Jonathan means well for Nigerians – Abati
By Ben AgandeIn this interview, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, contends that contrary to the position of the opposition that President Goodluck Jonathan administration has failed in meeting the expectations of Nigerians, the president has actually carried the art of governance to a higher level.
He also speaks on what the government is doing about the security challenge, especially the issue of Boko Haram. According to him, government is winning the war on terrorism. He comments on the controversy surrounding the building of the banquet hall in Aso Rock Villa, the vice president’s residence, war against corruption and other national issues. Excerpts:
What has been the most challenging experience since you took this appointment?
I would say that the biggest challenge I have faced is disinformation by the opposition, by mischief makers and evil minded persons. Disinformation is black propaganda. People who take a position just to rubbish government, discredit it with the aim of embarrassing President Goodluck Jonathan. We have seen a lot of that happening. I have been on this job for a while now and I can do an intelligent analysis of the territory and the demands of what is expected. If there is anything that I have gained on this job, it is knowledge. How disinformation works is that Nigerians like to believe the worst about their leaders.
It is unfortunate that many Nigerians like to be attracted by sensational news. I appeal to Nigerians that as we enter the new year, we should listen to the truth because all of us are children of God and, somewhere in each person’s constitution, there is a conscience. People should listen more to their hearts. President Jonathan is the man they have voted for because they believe in him.
People have argued that the same goodwill that followed the president’s election has been dissipated because of what people see as his inability to meet the expectation of the people.
I have just identified the problem for you: disinformation and it means those of us who manage the president’s information process, we need to do more. As a spokesman, it means that I have to do more. It means that in 2013, we will do a lot more because maybe people are not getting the message; so we will do a lot more in explaining because a lot has been done, a lot has been achieved in the aviation sector, in the agricultural sector, in education, in the power sector. This is what Nigerians should be talking about because this country is not about one individual; it is not about President Jonathan; it is about Nigeria; it is about all of us and if we voted thus man to be our president.
The least we can do for him is to support him. What we are asking for is that support. Those who have committed themselves to disinforming the public, we have a duty also to show that they are liars, they are mischief makers, they are people who do not mean well, they are people who are personalizing leadership. They want President Jonathan’s position which is normal. But when a man has won in an election free and fair; fair and squarely, that man should be supported because, ultimately, what is important is the country.
People like to quote the United States of America as a model but they are not learning the right lessons from those examples that they quote. If you look at the United States, the politicians, those who are in power and those in opposition, once the election is over, they all rally round in the defense of the country.
Dr Abati
I put it to you that this is all about the disinformation that I have spoken of. What this president has not done is to abuse the rule of law. What he has not done is to abuse due process. I have made it clear before that Nigerians still have this military hang-over that whoever is their president should be a bully. But they have as president a man who is an epitome of decency and a gentleman. There is a difference in terms of approach and style. What people must get used to is the fact that it is possible for a decent, disciplined, gentlemanly person to lead Nigeria. This president is fighting corruption. Those who are saying he is not fighting corruption are looking at big headlines. But they should use their intellect more positively.
Take this whole furore, this whole filibuster, this whole drama over fuel subsidy. The man that made it possible is President Jonathan. As far back as 2010, he had made it possible, under the leadership of Olusegun Aganga as the Finance Minister, to probe what was going on in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. By 2012, it is this same President Jonathan who ordered a disciplined probe of the NNPC and the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry, and that is what is responsible for all these discussion. Unfortunately people are refusing to give him credit for that. Other administrations before him tried to pry into this sector but they drew blank. I think people should acknowledge that under President Jonathan, he is looking at these issues. Consequential action would be taken.
Intervention
I have already stated the intervention of the president in the petroleum sector. Look at the port sector reforms. It is this president that has made an effort to sanitize the ports which were hitherto regarded as centres of corruption and headquarters of scam. This president has cleaned it up. He has reduced the number of toll gates in the ports. The delivery time is now faster.
The agricultural sector used to be defined by fertilizer scam. That has not happened under this administration. It has been positioned strictly as business. The private sector has been empowered. People should talk about that. That was a major corruption centre that the president has transformed. Also look at the normal run of business. This government is the one that set up a committee to rationalize government departments and agencies. Actions would be taken. It is also this same president that ordered the audit and biometric registration of staff so that those workers in the federal civil service who used to make money by just being mischievous have been driven out of business.
When you fight corruption, it fights you back. We have a situation in this country where corruption is fighting back but President Jonathan is determined, he has the political will and he will do all in his powers to take on this challenge. People who say the judicial system is slow, the president cannot dictate to the judiciary. What we do at the executive end is to continue to advertise this message and to say that we expect other departments to key into this process and everything is being done to ensure that the justice delivery and administration system is quickened and made more effective than it is.
Critics have argued that one of the most glaring failures of this administration is the inability to fix the East-West Road the contract for which was awarded more than ten years ago. Does the president feel proud that he cannot fix the most important road for his people in the Niger Delta region?
What the president planned to achieve by December was sabotaged by the flood which was a natural accident. The president’s mandate was that by December he wanted people to travel on good roads to their communities. The flood occurred and it affected the East-West Road. The president talks about the East-West Road again and again. He has taken action on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway to say that no individual can hold this country to ransom and that, if there are issues, government has a duty to stand on the side of the people of Nigeria. That is the principle coming out of the handling of the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
President Goodluck Jonathan
Look at the railways. Contracts were awarded in the past before and nothing happened. Under President Jonathan, the railways are coming alive. In the North, in the south-west, people are travelling by rail. The president has promised that in terms of infrastructural provisions, what the government has achieved, it will not go back. It will only move forward.
Government’s claim that the economy is growing is not been felt by majority of Nigerians. What are the indices that this economy is really growing?
The government is providing jobs, the government is creating jobs. The power sector has improved tremendously and this has a knock on effect on the economy because small and medium scale enterprises are able to function and provide opportunities for people. The executive of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria came to President Jonathan to express their appreciation for the improvement in the power generation.
Of course we need more. Once you transform the power sector, you create opportunities for job creation. What is being done in the agricultural sector which has not been done before is also providing opportunities for people. What is being done in aviation provides opportunities. What is being done in the Information Communication Technology sector is providing opportunities. Teledensity has improved. More Internet facilities are available.
And beyond this, the president is mopping up the riotous population of idle children through the Almajiri programme. Schools are being built; more children are being put into school to secure the future of Nigeria. One thing people must note is that all of these is a process. Transformation does not happen overnight. President Jonathan inherited a riotous, chaotic problem-ridden system. He is trying to clean it up. People must give him time.
Despite the assurance by the president that the Boko Haram menace is being tackled, attacks have continued unabated. Does government have the capacity to end this security challenge?
The Boko Haram challenge was worse two years ago. Where we are now, what is clear is that the Jonathan administration has shown the determination to confront this matter headlong; it has gained the required knowledge to expand the capacity to deal with the problem and has become proactive in dealing with the problem. Every honest Nigerian will tell you that the situation is not as bad as it was. The issue of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians is non-negotiable. This president has the political will, the determination and the commitment to the interest of Nigerians.
The president talks about a slim government yet it is expending so much money on building a banquet hall. Is that not contradictory?
This has again to do with disinformation by certain parties. The government is building a multipurpose hall which will be used to serve the purpose of even the media. When I send journalists to the residence of the president, they don’t have anywhere to stay. They stay in the sun. This proposed building is going to include a communication centre where the press can stay, monitoring the president from the residence. When we host diplomats in the residence, there is no space. When the president has a presidential media chat, we use the tea-room adjacent the Council Chambers. There is no space. When the president receives people who are coming to pay homage, people sit on top of each other.
The purpose of the multi-purpose hall is to accommodate all of these and to create better convenience. When the president completes his tour of duty, he will not carry the building to his village. This is why I said disinformation is the major challenge that we face.
People are also talking about the residence of the vice president. Effectively, the vice president of the does not have a residence. Where he stays is supposed to be a guest house for visiting heads of state. Previous governments, not this government, started building an effective residence for the vice president and Nigerians are saying so much money. That project is on-going; if Nigerians want it abandoned, it can be abandoned. The residence of the vice president is not just one house. It is a whole environment. There would be guest houses. The building would be used for other purposes of state. It is about Nigeria, it is about the institution of the Presidency.
What does the president mean when he said 2013 would be better? What should we expect?
The president has made it clear that we will make more progress and Nigerians should resist the temptation to listen to those who are dis-informing the public, those who are spewing black propaganda and all hunters of fortunes and rent collectors who are trying to discredit this administration. Nigerians should see through them and focus on the good things that this administration is doing.
IT IS WELL WITH US NIGERIANS
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