Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: Former President Jonathan Says ''No nepotism,detention of critics under me''

Advertisement

Advertisement - Mobile In-Article

Monday, October 31, 2016

Former President Jonathan Says ''No nepotism,detention of critics under me''

Former President Goodluck Jonathan said decisions taken by his administration were guided by the overall interest of the nation and not ethno-religious or personal considerations.



Jonathan said this during the Nigerian Lawyers Association’s annual dinner and merit awards ceremony held in New York, on Saturday.

He noted that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians and as such leaders must resist anything that might want to make them pursue a regional or narrow agenda.

The former President’s whose comments were tweeted on his tweeter handle @GEJonathan, also reeled out what he said were his administration’s achievements in promoting democracy and the rule of law.

Jonathan, who spoke on the theme, “Diversity as our Bridge to Tomorrow,” said in one tweet, “No matter what my critics said about me, I ensured that there was both freedom of speech and freedom after the speech.”

In other tweets he said, “Under my watch, not a single Nigerian was sent to prison because of anything they wrote or said about me or the administration. Nigeria had neither political prisoners nor political exile under my administration. We enacted the Freedom of Information Act and by that we tore the veil of secrecy covering governance.”

Perhaps in a veiled reference to the face-off between security agencies and some judges over allegations of corruption, Jonathan said, “We gave institutions unlimited freedom and ensured that the NBA (Nigerian Bar Association) and other professional institutions were devoid of any government influence, we enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to promote efficient management of criminal justice institutions in Nigeria.”

He also used the opportunity to tell his guests that he could not be accused of nepotism because “most of my principal aides in government hailed from different ethnic nationalities.”

On appointments into the nation’s electoral management body, Jonathan said, “We ensured that appointments into INEC were not based on personal relationships.”

He enjoined Nigerians in the Diaspora especially those in the United States to continue to give support to democratic governance back home. Although Jonathan did not mention any Nigerian being incarcerated for holding an opposing political view to the administration which succeeded him, it is common knowledge that several of his former aides and political associates are currently in custody on corruption related charges.

As at the last count, the nation’s former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), his spokesman, Reuben Abati, ex-National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh and a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, are being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on corruption charges.

There have been cases of bloggers and a print journalist in Kaduna who were detained on charges bordering on their views considered critical to those in power.

The Leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogor, in his reaction to the development said Nigerians had come under threat since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power.

He alleged that there was also “abuse of the judicial process,” which he said, had resulted in disobedience to court pronouncements.

However, the Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, Dr. Ibrahim Zikirulahi, expressed a different view.

He said, “Ex-President Jonathan claimed there was more freedom under his regime. Is it freedom to steal our collective wealth? Is it freedom to criminality and terror or freedom to political assassination? With the heinous crime committed against the Nigerian state under Jonathan’s watch, it is shameless on the part of the ex-President to make those provocative statements.

“There are no political detainees and no political exiles in Nigeria today. What we have are those hunted by their corrupt practices while they were in office under ex-President Jonathan.”

Attempts to get a reaction from the Presidency did not yield results. The Special Adviser to the President (Media), Mr. Femi Adesina, told one of our correspondents that he was boarding a flight and was not in a position to speak.


Calls to the mobile telephone of the Senior Assistant to the President (Media), Mallam Garba Shehu, were neither picked nor returned as of the time of filing this story.

punch reportage.





37 comments:

  1. True sir,tell 'em!.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everyone bknows you are a very peaceful man even a two month old child knows that, unlike the vindictive tyrant we have as a president.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's why we are where we are now. If you were watching what was going on under you and taking necessary action, it wouldn't have been this bad now. Everybody became a president under you, making decisions and taking and did bursting money as they like while the poor bore the brunt. God will judge all politicians past or present because the pain you inflict on the poor that vote you is too much. I pray all nigerian politicians get the electric chair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As na only buhari be president now nai make inflation n hunger don become natural to people

      Delete
  4. Oga give it up already.
    Election has come and gone.U lost!
    Revisiting the past and telling us how things were better or how u were d messiah we had only for a while is just laughable.
    We all know u were nothing but a thieving coward so pls stop all this facade.
    Oh yes! Every one had freedom alright.
    Freedom to loot d country blind.
    And your so called judges...see how the table has turned.
    No wonder none was sent to jail...when d judges themselves are fantastically corrupt.

    Thank God for buhari...slowly but surely we'd get there

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abeg leave my man alone and face buhari the tyrant during his tenure there was freedom pic speech unlike now

      Delete
    2. You see how you're insulting an elder? But ordinary doctor Eliza that i called you the other day you became offended.

      Quack doctor! Dokita azu mgbuno

      Delete
    3. @fan emmanuel,it obvious you're battling cognitive dissonance.
      If i took a swipe @you,trust me it can't be because u called me a quack.
      U think being called a quack gets to me...*scoffs* slag try harder aiit!

      Delete
    4. Hahahaha... Bia Elena,all this mumbo-jumbo are for me?
      They sent you to school to learn medicine but all you did with your school fees this medical jargons? Pathetic!

      Delete
    5. Elena you might not like him but to be honest, he is saying the truth. The worst part is that it is not only past leaders that are being targeted by this government, but civilians too. It's almost like we are in a dictatorship. Buhari, I was a loud voice for you, but now I am on shaky ground where you are concerned.

      Delete
  5. Two different people, different background, different orientation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly the point!
      One raised in a home the other raised in the bush.

      Delete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. I thought you were advised to remove don from your name?

      Delete
    2. Good Morning OkpoMayor!Nte

      Delete
  8. Jonathan is talking. There is a motive behind it.He has alligned with other forces.

    Vuharia is finally going down.😋

    ReplyDelete
  9. My Jonathan, the best president not this bag of bones

    ReplyDelete
  10. First of all if every appointment from North West, North East and North central are grouped together as one region and regarded as "northern" appointments then all appointments from the south West, south East and south south should equally be grouped together and labeled as southern appointments.

    With that being said, jonathan gave some of the most powerful and influential positions to people from his own region, south south.

    1). Minister of finance - okonjo iweala (south south)
    2). Minister of petroleum - diezeani (south south)
    3). CBN governor - Emefiele (south south)
    4). Chief of police - Solomon arase (south south)

    ...and so on. They came together to loot the country to their satisfaction. And if you did not go along with their planned looting then you'll just get sacked and replaced just like he did to sanusi for saying $20 billion was looted.

    In all honesty, the guy has no shame.

    -He said dasuki never stole $2.2 billion but non of those accused of receiving money from dasuki have denied it, instead they all claimed it was for one purpose or the other.

    -He has not said anything about the billions he gave to fayoshe through obanikoro for elections.

    -No one was prosecuted during your administration because you came out to boldly say "stealing is not corruption".

    -Stella odua wasn't prosecuted even though she was sacked for corruption and Abba moro was allowed to continue as minister even though he scammed the unemployed and some people even lost their lives.

    -Why won't you comment on the situation with your wife's millions of dollars under several company names?

    Only God knows the pit we'll be today had you continued as president.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go and sit down!.,
      And you think things will be like this if he is still in power?...
      No it won't because him and Ngozi Iweala are competent!...
      Go and tell your Vuharia to change his nonsense policies cos it's not working!...

      Delete
    2. U see ursef since when south east become south south

      Delete
  11. Lol,

    Only Tompolo, your friend, became a billionaire.
    Asari, your friend, made enough money to build a university.
    Madam Pepe's, "saved" millions in Dollars.
    Your daughter got 83 vehicles as gift from Govt people.
    Your "babe" Diezani made billions.
    Your cronies became overnight billionaires too.


    Come, might it be because most of your immediate folks do not possess the requisite "credentials" to enable you put them in positions thus you resorted to "friends", "associates" and "paddy-paddy" ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the people in Vuharia's government are not his paddy abi?...
      Dumb ass!..

      Delete
    2. And it was his tenure bag of rice was cheap transportation was OK airlines were operating fine in Nigeria bag of cement was cheap states paid salaries

      Delete
  12. Jona Jona
    Chaiiiiiiiiii I missed that YouWin programme

    ReplyDelete
  13. Has he forgotten how he tormented Amaechi, got Amaechi stranded by seizing his private jet at akure?? Has he forgotten how he made 16 greater than 19 in a bid to halt Amaechi from becoming NGF president??? Has he also forgotten how he harassed Tambuwal cos he switched to APC?? Or how he ordered them withdraw police escorts from the then speaker cos he switched party?? What about Admiral mural a nyako, a sitting governor that was investigated, tried, impeached and persecuted throwing his immunity to the dust?? What about Sanusi Lamido that was relieved off his duties for alleging money was missing?? Timi pre sylva nko?? Let's not forget the ministers he also relieved for not dancing to his tunes, minister of education, minister of state for defence, to mention a few. let's not forget what you did to General Andrew Azazi for speaking to truth. Lastly we all know you incarcerated the Okah brothers for having a different political view from you. If you're having selective amnesia, we aren't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm abeg make I hear if there is anyone having amnesia then its u

      Delete
  14. PREACH IT!!! I love you more everyday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Here we go again.....
    "By the Rivers of Babylon......

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ndi APC BVs, can a bag of rice come down to N8,000? Na question I ask before una insult Jona?

    Baba no clue can't stand Jona....politics aside

    ReplyDelete

Disclaimer: Comments And Opinions On Any Part Of This Website Are Opinions Of The Blog Commenters Or Anonymous Persons And They Do Not Represent The Opinion Of StellaDimokoKorkus.com

Pictures and culled stories posted on this site are given credit and if a story is yours but credited to the wrong source,Please contact Stelladimokokorkus.com and corrections will be made..

If you have a complaint or a story,Please Contact StellaDimokoKorkus.com Via

Sdimokokorkus@gmail.com
Mobile Phone +4915210724141