Jonathan Slams Ethnic Bigots

From Thisday;s Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja, 06.25.2010

In what may be a veiled swipe at proponents of zoning, Pres-ident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said those who could not compete favourably for positions were the ones playing up all manner of sentiments for selfish motives.

“We are a country where our leaders tend to play tribal sentiments, saying I am from the South-South; I am from North-west; I am North, I am South, I am a Muslim and I am a Christian.

“All these are selfish motives to make people who probably cannot compete with others…to use these sentiments,” Jonathan said in his address to the Nigerian community and friends of Nigeria at the Marriot Easton Centre in Downtown, Toronto, Canada.
The video of the address was sourced by THISDAY, courtesy of the Nigerian Abroad News Magazine.

Proponents of zoning including the 150 Northern Leaders who met last week in Abuja have been insisting that power should return to the North in 2011 based on the zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which they claimed power had been ceded to the region till 2015.

Among those who attended the meeting were former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Finance Minister Adamu Ciroma and former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu.
But only two days ago, former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, said in a statement that Nigerians should be allowed to make their choice of president freely in 2011 and that zoning is a PDP affair and should not be misconstrued as a position of the entire North.

Jonathan’s meeting with the Nigerian Community came ahead of his attendance of the G-8 Outreach Programme for Heads of States who were invited to the G-8 Summit holding at the Deerhurst Resort, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.
The President assured Nigerians in the Diaspora that his administration would conduct credible elections next year and that votes of Nigerians at home would indeed count.

He said that the process must begin from within the parties, stressing that “we must present the best candidate as there is no room for manipulation because if you try that, you will lose out at the general elections because there will be no compromise in any way.”

He assured Nigerians that his administration “will begin to sanitize the society because one thing is that how people get into office matters so much and the character of people that come to be governors, presidents and parliamentarians matter so much.”
He warned that if the wrong method was used to get into office, the country would be doomed, stressing “the only way we can sanitize that is to make sure that electoral processes are the ones that can bring out persons that people want and the votes of people must count.”

He lamented that Nigeria was yet to develop to the level where Nigerians in the Diaspora could vote in their countries of domicile, but promised that immediately the country sanitized the electoral process for the 2011 elections, voting by Nigerians in the Diaspora would be the next agenda for the 2015 elections.

According to him, “Immediately we sanitize what is going on at home, we will, at least, come up with a method where Nigerians can go to the embassies and vote.

“For the 2011 elections, it will not be possible. We will sanitize the electoral process but before 2015 polls, the conviction is that Nigerians should be able to vote outside Nigeria .”
Jonathan told the gathering that Nigeria has now stabilized politically; pointing out that the next thing to achieve “is to jump-start technological development.”

He said: “That is why one of the things we are trying to do is to upgrade the department in the Foreign Ministry that deals with Diaspora issues to a full-fledged commission so that we will be able to liaise properly with the Diaspora population, harnessing their talents.”

He said the Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora were the people who would come and jump-start the process of technological development, even as he expressed hope that Nigeria should be able to play a big role in the year 2020.

But he said that would not be possible without first building the power infrastructure that would provide electricity round the clock.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan has told participants at the G20 Business Leaders Conference that private sector and international investment is needed in Nigeria’s energy, banking and agricultural sectors.

He also used the opportunity of attending the back-to-back G8 and G20 summits brief the members on a raft of reform initiatives in energy and banking sectors aimed at making the private sector the major economic drivers, AFP reported.

"What is required is massive investment by the private sector within Nigeria and internationally," said Jonathan, who is visiting North America for the first time in his less than two months in office, told the business leaders from North Africa, Europe and Asia.
"This is not the time to sit back and await further development because you may lose the opportunity of being a pioneer investor," Jonathan said.

On his arrival Wednesday, Jonathan said he would seize the opportunity to "share with the G8 leaders his vision and plans for the consolidation of democracy and the revitalization of the Nigerian economy."

The G20 talks will focus more on shoring up recovery as the world economy emerges from its worst crisis in decades.
"Today, we are faced with challenges that are equally serious and we will need such bold and friendly partners who will stand with the people of Nigeria in our determined effort to bring happiness to our people," Jonathan said at yesterday’s session.

However, a statement by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ima Niboro, said the President’s meeting with the Nigerian community in Canada witnessed an unprecedented gathering of Nigerian professionals in that country.
The statement said that Jonathan, accompanied by Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State, and his Osun State counterpart, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, arrived at the Infield Terminal of Lester Pearson International Airport, Toronto at 6.00p.m (local time) (10.45p.m Nigerian time).

The 32-man delegation was received on arrival by Minister of State, Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mr. Peter Kent alongside the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, and the Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Prof. Iyowuese Hagher.
The statement said that Jonathan was expected later yesterday to hold working dinners with Presidents Eduardo-Dos-Santos of Angola and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

The trio would hold a tripartite-meeting that would help promote the mutual and bi-lateral relations between and among the three countries.
According to the statement, “He (president) will on Friday 25th June (today) attend a combined outreach programme with the G-8 leaders.

“The President will on arrival at the venue be welcomed by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He will thereafter proceed to meet with other invited leaders and proceed to meet with the G-8 leaders for the outreach programme.
“The meeting will end with the traditional family photos usually taken by the G-8 leaders and the invited Heads of State.”
The statement said the President would return to Abuja tomorrow.