President Goodluck Jonathan reply Obasanjo's letter

December 20th 2013

His Excellency,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR
Agbe L’Oba House, Quarry Road,
Ibara, Abeokuta.

RE: BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

I wish to formally acknowledge
your letter dated December 2, 2013
and other previous correspondence
similar to it.
You will recall that all the letters
were brought to me by hand.
Although both of us discussed
some of the issues in those letters, I
had not, before now, seen the need
for any formal reply since, to me,
they contained advice from a
former President to a serving
President. Obviously, you felt
differently because in your last
letter, you complained about my
not acknowledging or replying your
previous letters.

It is with the greatest possible
reluctance that I now write this
reply. I am most uneasy about
embarking on this unprecedented
and unconventional form of open
communication between me and a
former leader of our country
because I know that there are more
acceptable and dignified means of
doing so.

But I feel obliged to reply your letter
for a number of reasons: one, you
formally requested for a reply and
not sending you one will be
interpreted as ignoring a former
President.

Secondly, Nigerians know the role
you have played in my political life
and given the unfortunate tone of
your letter, clearly, the grapes have
gone sour. Therefore, my side of the
story also needs to be told.

The third reason why I must reply
you in writing is that your letter is
clearly a threat to national security
as it may deliberately or
inadvertently set the stage for
subversion.

The fourth reason for this reply is
that you raised very weighty issues,
and since the letter has been made
public, Nigerians are expressing
legitimate concerns. A response
from me therefore, becomes very
necessary.

The fifth reason is that this letter
may appear in biographies and
other books which political
commentators on Nigeria’s
contemporary politics may write. It
is only proper for such publications
to include my comments on the
issues raised in your letter.

Sixthly, you are very unique in
terms of the governance of this
country. You were a military Head
of State for three years and eight
months, and an elected President
for eight years. That means you
have been the Head of Government
of Nigeria for about twelve years.
This must have, presumably,
exposed you to a lot of information.
Thus when you make a statement,
there is the tendency for people to
take it seriously.

The seventh reason is that the
timing of your letter coincided with
other vicious releases. The Speaker
of the House of Representatives
spoke of my “body language”
encouraging corruption. A letter
written to me by the CBN Governor
alleging that NNPC, within a period
of 19 months did not remit the sum
of USD49.8 billion to the federation
account, was also deliberately
leaked to the public.

The eighth reason is that it appears
that your letter was designed to
incite Nigerians from other
geopolitical zones against me and
also calculated to promote ethnic
disharmony. Worse still, your letter
was designed to instigate members
of our Party, the PDP, against me.

The ninth reason is that your letter
conveys to me the feeling that
landmines have been laid for me.
Therefore, Nigerians need to have
my response to the issues raised
before the mines explode.

The tenth and final reason why my
reply is inevitable is that you have
written similar letters and made
public comments in reference to all
former Presidents and Heads of
Government starting from Alhaji
Shehu Shagari and these have
instigated different actions and
reactions. The purpose and
direction of your letter is distinctly
ominous, and before it is too late,
my clarifications on the issues need
to be placed on record.

Let me now comment on the issues
you raised. In commenting I wish to
crave your indulgence to compare
what is happening now to what
took place before. This, I believe,
will enable Nigerians see things in
better perspective because we must
know where we are coming from so
as to appreciate where we now are,
and to allow us clearly map out
where we are going.

You raised concerns about the
security situation in the country. I
assure you that I am fully aware of
the responsibility of government for
ensuring the security of the lives
and property of citizens. My
Administration is working
assiduously to overcome current
national security challenges, the
seeds of which were sown under
previous administrations. There
have been some setbacks; but
certainly there have also been great
successes in our efforts to
overcome terrorism and
insurgency.

Those who continue to down-play
our successes in this regard,
amongst whom you must now be
numbered, appear to have
conveniently forgotten the depths to
which security in our country had
plunged before now.

At a stage, almost the entire North-
East of Nigeria was under siege by
insurgents. Bombings of churches
and public buildings in the North
and the federal capital became an
almost weekly occurrence. Our
entire national security apparatus
seemed nonplussed and unable to
come to grips with the new threat
posed by the berthing of terrorism
on our shores.

But my administration has since
brought that very unacceptable
situation under significant control.
We have overhauled our entire
national security architecture,
improved intelligence gathering,
training, funding, logistical support
to our armed forces and security
agencies, and security collaboration
with friendly countries with very
visible and positive results.

The scope and impact of terrorist
operations have been significantly
reduced and efforts are underway
to restore full normalcy to the most
affected North Eastern region and
initiate a post-crisis development
agenda, including a special
intervention programme to boost
the region’s socio-economic
progress.

In doing all this, we have kept our
doors open for dialogue with the
insurgents and their supporters
through efforts such as the work of
the Presidential Committee on
Dialogue and the Peaceful
Resolution of the Security
Challenges in the North-East. You
also know that the Governor of
Borno State provided the items you
mentioned to me as carrots. Having
done all this and more, it is
interesting that you still accuse me
of not acting on your hardly original
recommendation that the carrot
and stick option be deployed to
solve the Boko Haram problem.

Your suggestion that we are
pursuing a “war against violence
without understanding the root
causes of the violence and applying
solutions to deal with all the
underlying factors” is definitely
misplaced because from the onset
of this administration, we have
been implementing a multifaceted
strategy against militancy,
insurgency and terrorism that
includes poverty alleviation,
economic development, education
and social reforms.

Even though basic education is the
constitutional responsibility of
States, my administration has, as
part of its efforts to address
ignorance and poor education
which have been identified as two
of the factors responsible for
making some of our youth easily
available for use as cannon fodder
by insurgents and terrorists,
committed huge funds to the
provision of modern basic
education schools for the Almajiri
in several Northern States. The
Federal Government under my
leadership has also set up nine
additional universities in the
Northern States and three in the
Southern States in keeping with my
belief that proper education is the
surest way of emancipating and
empowering our people.

More uncharitable persons may
even see a touch of
sanctimoniousness in your new
belief in the carrot and stick
approach to overcoming militancy
and insurgency. You have always
referred to how you hit Odi in
Bayelsa State to curb militancy in
the Niger Delta. If the invasion of
Odi by the Army was the stick, I did
not see the corresponding carrot. I
was the Deputy Governor of
Bayelsa State then, and as I have
always told you, the invasion of Odi
did not solve any militancy problem
but, to some extent, escalated it. If
it had solved it, late President
Yar’Adua would not have had to
come up with the amnesty
program. And while some elements
of the problem may still be there, in
general, the situation is reasonably
better.

In terms of general insecurity in the
country and particularly the crisis
in the Niger Delta, 2007 was one of
the worst periods in our history.
You will recall three incidents that
happened in 2007 which seemed to
have been orchestrated to achieve
sinister objectives. Here in Abuja, a
petrol tanker loaded with explosives
was to be rammed into the INEC
building. But luckily for the country,
an electric pole stopped the tanker
from hitting the INEC building. It is
clear that this incident was meant
to exploit the general sense of
insecurity in the nation at the time
to achieve the aim of stopping the
2007 elections. It is instructive that
you, on a number of occasions,
alluded to this fact.

When that incident failed, an armed
group invaded Yenagoa one
evening with the intent to
assassinate me. Luckily for me,
they could not. They again attacked
and bombed my country home on a
night when I was expected in the
village. Fortunately, as God would
have it, I did not make the trip.
I recall that immediately after both
incidents, I got calls expressing the
concern of Abuja. But Baba, you
know that despite the apparent
concern of Abuja, no single arrest
was ever made. I was then the
Governor of Bayelsa State and the
PDP Vice-Presidential candidate.

The security people ordinarily
should have unraveled the
assassination attempt on me.
You also raised the issues of
kidnapping, piracy and armed
robbery. These are issues all
Nigerians, including me are very
concerned about. While we will
continue to do our utmost best to
reduce all forms of criminality to
the barest minimum in our country,
it is just as well to remind you that
the first major case of kidnapping
for ransom took place around
2006. And the Boko Haram crisis
dates back to 2002. Goodluck
Jonathan was not the President of
the country then. Also, armed
robbery started in this country
immediately after the civil war and
since then, it has been a problem to
all succeeding governments. For a
former Head of Government, who
should know better, to present
these problems as if they were
creations of the Jonathan
Administration is most
uncharitable.

Having said that, let me remind you
of some of the things we have done
to curb violent crime in the country.
We have reorganized the Nigerian
Police Force and appointed a more
dynamic leadership to oversee its
affairs. We have also improved its
manpower levels as well as
funding, training and logistical
support.

We have also increased the
surveillance capabilities of the
Police and provided its air-wing
with thrice the number of
helicopters it had before the
inception of the present
administration. The National Civil
Defence and Security Corps has
been armed to make it a much
more effective ally of the police and
other security agencies in the war
against violent crime. At both
domestic and international levels,
we are doing everything possible to
curb the proliferation of the small
arms and light weapons with which
armed robberies, kidnappings and
piracy are perpetrated. We have
also enhanced security at our
borders to curb cross-border
crimes.

We are aggressively addressing the
challenge of crude oil theft in
collaboration with the state
Governors. In addition, the Federal
Government has engaged the
British and US governments for
their support in the tracking of the
proceeds from the purchase of
stolen crude. Similarly, a regional
Gulf of Guinea security strategy has
been initiated to curb crude oil theft
and piracy.

Perhaps the most invidious
accusation in your letter is the
allegation that I have placed over
one thousand Nigerians on a
political watch list, and that I am
training snipers and other militia to
assassinate people. Baba, I don’t
know where you got that from but
you do me grave injustice in not
only lending credence to such
baseless rumours, but also
publicizing it. You mentioned God
seventeen times in your letter. Can
you as a Christian hold the Bible
and say that you truly believe this
allegation?

Patience Jonathan Threatens PDP Governors Over Tukur

The First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan
has continued to meddle in the affairs
of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), as it has emerged that she has
been haranguing the party's governors
into sparing the embattled National
Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur.

Tukur has been blamed for much of
the crises that have bedevilled the
party, leading to calls for his removal
by the governors.
His removal was also one of the key
demands of the seven aggrieved
governors of the party, five of whom
have defected to the All Progressives
Congress (APC).
Their departure notwithstanding, the
remaining governors of PDP have
continued to push for his ouster on the
grounds that it would usher peace and
reconciliation in the party.

However, in the bid to stop his
removal, the first lady, THISDAY
learnt, has in recent days been
summoning the governors of the party
and mounting pressure on them to
drop the idea of Tukur's sack.
It was gathered that some of the
governors she has met with include
Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada,
with businesswoman, Ms. Bola
Shagaya, in attendance.

Sources said that at the meeting, the
first lady made it clear that the
governors should throw his support
behind Tukur, failing which she would
use her influence to ensure that he
does not get the ticket of the party for
a second term.

The sources also disclosed that Mrs.
Jonathan extended her campaign to
the Akwa Ibom Governor, Godswill
Akpabio, and his Abia State
counterpart, Theodore Orji.
When she met with them individually,
the source said, she informed them
that should they insist on Tukur's
ouster, she would impede their efforts
to determine who their successors will
be.

They said: "The first lady is very
determined to ensure Tukur remains
the chairman of the party, as she is of
the view that his sack could make her
husband, the president, vulnerable.
She also does not have confidence
that if Tukur is removed, there is a
guaranty that his successor will
protect the interest of the president as
the elections draw near.

"Others, however, say that the reason
she is interferring is because she is
backing other governorship aspirants
in many states, and a Tukur
chairmanship will guaranty her
candidates a free ride.
"But her meddlesomeness in the
affairs of the party is causing anger
and disquiet among the governors who
have vowed to resist any attempt on
her part to foist her demands on
them."

The governors had at a meeting last
Friday in Abuja unanimously agreed
that Tukur should be shown the door,
but given a soft landing to facilitate his
exit from office.

They are proposing, among other
sweetners, an ambassadorial posting
for him to quit as chairman.
The sources said the governors
determination to have Tukur sent
packing was made worse following his
meeting with senators last week,
where he promised them that he will
back them against the governors and
make them full National Executive
Committee (NEC) members.

The governors are expected to meet
with the president today after the
National Economic Council (NEC)
meeting to insist on Tukur's ouster.

Irabo Obasanjo's letter to her father

It brings me no joy to have to write this
but since you started this trend of open
letters I thought I would follow suit
since you don’t listen to anyone
anyway. The only way to reach you
may be to make the public aware of
some things. As a child well brought
up by my long-suffering mother in
Yoruba tradition, I have been reluctant
to tell the truth about you but as it
seems you still continue to delude
yourself about the kind of person you
are and I think for posterity’s sake it is
time to set the records straight.

I will return to the issue of my long-
suffering mother later in this letter.
Like most Nigerians, I believe there are
very enormous issues currently
plaguing the country but I was surely
surprised that you will be the one to
publish such a treatise. I remember
clearly as if it was yesterday the day I
came over to Abuja from Abeokuta
when I was Commissioner of Health in
OgunState, specifically to ask you not
to continue to pursue the third term
issue.
I had tried to bring it up when your
sycophantic aides were present and
they brushed my comments aside and
as usual you listened to their self-
serving counsel. For you to accuse
someone else of what you so obviously
practiced yourself tells of your
narcissistic megalomaniac personality.

Everyone around for even a few
minutes knows that the only thing you
respond to is praise and worship of
you. People have learnt how to
manipulate you by giving you what
you crave. The only ones that can’t
and will not stroke your ego are family
members who you universally treat like
poo (sic) apart from the few who have
learned to manipulate you like others.

Before I continue, Nigerians are people
who see conspiracy and self-service in
everything because I think they believe
everyone is like them. This letter is not
in support of President Jonathan or
APC or any other group or person, but
an outpouring from my soul to God. I
don’t blame you for the many
atrocities you have been able to get
away with, Nigerians were your
enablers every step of the way.

People
ultimately get leaders that reflect them.
Getting back to the story, I made sure
your aides were not around and
brought up the issue, trying to deliver
the presentation of the issue as I had
practiced it in my head. I started with
the fact that we copied the US
constitution which has term limits of
two terms for a President. As is your
usual manner, you didn’t allow me to
finish my thought process and listen to
my point of view. Once I broached the
subject you sat up and said that the
US had no term limits in the past but
that it had been introduced in the
1940s after the death of President
Roosevelt, which is true.

I wanted to say to you: when you copy
something you also copy the
modifications based on the learning
from the original; only a fool starts
from scratch and does not base his
decisions on the learning of others. In
science, we use the modifications
found by others long ago to the most
recent, as the basis of new findings;
not going back to discover and learn
what others have learnt. Human
knowledge and development and
civilization will not have progressed if
each new generation and society did
not build on the knowledge of others
before them.

The American constitution itself is
based on several theories and
philosophies of governance available
in the 18th century. Democracy itself is
a governance method started by the
ancient Greeks. America’s founding
fathers used it with modifications
based on what hadn’t worked well for
the ancient Greeks and on new
theories since then.
As usual in our conversations, I kept
quiet because I know you well. You
weren’t going to change your mind
based on my intervention as you had
already made up your mind on the
persuasion of the minions working for
you who were ripping the country
blind. When I spoke to you, your
outward attitude to the people of the
country was that you were not
interested in the third term and that it
was others pushing it. Your statement
to me that day proved to me that you
were the brain behind the third term
debacle. It is therefore outrageous that
you accuse the current President of a
similar two-facedness that you
yourself used against the people of the
country.

I was on a plane trip between Abuja
and Lagos around the time of the third
term issue and I sat next to one of
your sycophants on the plane. He told
me: “Only Obasanjo can rule Nigeria”.
I replied: “God has not created a
country where only one person can
rule. If only one person can rule
Nigeria then the whole Nigeria project
is not a viable one, as it will be a non-
sustainable project”
I don’t know how you came about
Yar’Adua as the candidate for your
party as it was not my priority or job.
Unlike you, I focus on the issues I have
been given responsibility over and not
on the jobs of others. It was the day of
the PDP Presidential Campaign in
Abeokuta during the state-by-state
tour of 2007 that Yar’Adua got sick
and had to be flown abroad. The MKO
Abiola Stadium was already filled with
people by 9am when I drove by (and)
we had told people based on the
campaign schedule that the rally would
start at noon.

At 11 am I headed for the stadium on
foot; it was a short walk as there were
so many cars already parked in and
out. As I walked on with two other
people, we saw crowds of people
leaving the stadium. I recognized some
of them as politicians and I asked
them why people were leaving. They
said the Presidential candidate had
died. I was alarmed and shocked. I
walked back home and received a call
from a friend in Lagos who said the
same and added that he had died in
the plane carrying him abroad for
treatment and that the plane was on
its way to Katsina to bury him.
I called you, and told you the
information and that the stadium was
already half-empty. You told me to go
to the stadium and tell the people on
the podium to announce that the
Presidential candidate had taken ill
that morning but the rest of the team,
including you and the Vice-Presidential
candidate would arrive shortly. I did as
I was told, but even the people on the
podium at first didn’t make the
announcement because they thought it
was true that Yar’Adua had died. I had
to take the microphone and make the
announcement myself. It did little
good. People kept trooping out of the
stadium. Your team didn’t arrive until
4pm and by this time we had just a
sprinkling of people left.

That evening after the disaster of a
rally, you said you had insisted that
the Presidential candidate fly to
Germany for a check-up although you
said he only had a cold. I asked why
would anyone fly to Germany to treat a
cold? And you said “I would rather die
than have the man die at this time.” I
thought of this profound statement as
things later unfolded against me.

Then
I thought it a silly statement but as
usual I kept quiet, little did I know how
your machinations for a person would
be used against me. When Yar’Adua
eventually died, you stayed alive, I
would have expected you to jump into
his grave.

I left Nigeria in 1989 right after youth
service to study in the US and I visited
in 1994 for a week and didn’t visit
again until your inauguration in 1999.
In between, you had been arrested by
Abacha and jailed. We, your children,
had no one who stood with us. Stella
famously went around collecting
money on your behalf but we had no
one. We survived. I was the only one of
the children working then as a post-
doctoral fellow when I got the call
from a friend informing me of your
arrest.

A week before your arrest, you had
called me from Denmark and I had
told you that you should be careful
that the government was very offended
by some of your statements and
actions and may be planning to arrest
or kill you as was occurring to many at
the time. The source of my information
was my mother who, agitated, had
called me, saying I should warn you as
this was the rumour in the country.

As
usual you brushed aside my
comments, shouting on the phone that
they cannot try anything and you will
do and say as you please. The
consequence of your bravado is
history.
We, your family, have borne the brunt
of your direct cruelty and also suffered
the consequences of your stupidity but
got none of the benefits of your
successes. Of course, anyone around
you knows how little respect you have
for your children.

You think our existence on earth is
about you. By the way, how many are
we? 19, 20, 21? Do you even know? In
the last five years, how many of these
children have you spoken to? How
many grandchildren do you have and
when did you last see each of them?
As President you would listen to advice
of people that never finished high
school who would say anything to
keep having access to you so as to
make money over your children who
loved you and genuinely wished you
well.

At your first inauguration in 1999, I
and my brothers and sisters told you
we were coming from the US. As is
usual with you, you made no
arrangements for our trip, instead our
mom organized to meet each of us
and provided accommodation. At the
actual swearing-in at Eagle Square,
the others decided to watch it on TV.
Instead I went to the square and I was
pushed and tossed by the crowd.
I managed to get in front of the crowd
where I waved and shouted at you as
you and General Abdulsalam
Abubakar walked past to go back to
the VIP seating area. I saw you mouth
‘my daughter’ to General Abdullahi
who was the one who pulled me out of
the crowd and gave me a seat. As I
looked around I saw Stella and Stella’s
family prominently seated but none of
your children. I am sure General
Abdullahi would remember this
incident and I am eternally grateful to
him.

Jonathan Remains PDP's Candidate For 2015 Elections - Tukur

The national chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has declared
that President Goodluck Jonathan
is the party’s presidential candidate
in 2015 general elections.

Bamanga
Tukur disclosed this during the
inauguration of National PDP
Councillors’ Forum in Abuja. He
further told the party faithful not to
be deterred by people leaving for
other parties saying that even if
they leave the PDP the party
remains.

He further maintained that
PDP remains the strongest and
biggest party in Nigeria and Africa
insisting that the party is
insurmountable.

He said, “Don’t be deterred by
some people saying they are
leaving the party. People leaving
the party are individuals not the
party. It doesn’t mean if they leave
the party the party leaves. No, the
party remains. PDP is the only
party in Nigeria that fields a
candidate in every election that is
held. Don’t be deterred; don’t be
afraid, you are part of the ruling
party.”

He further tasked the councillors on
the role they have to play in making
sure that Jonathan wins the 2015
election.

In his remarks the former
governorship candidate of the PDP
in Edo State Major General Charles
Arhiavbere(rtd) said the
inauguration showed that the
members of PDP are solidly behind
President Goodluck Jonathan even
as he advised the executives to
reach out to the 13 states including
Edo State that is not under PDP
and bring them under the umbrella
of the party.

Speaking on the letter written to
President Jonathan by former
president Olusegun Obasanjo, the
former governor of Bayelsa State,
Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha said
that Obasanjo should play a
fatherly role and stop acting the
way he was doing. He maintained
that Obasanjo’s present style was
what made the former head of state
late General Sani Abacha to put
him in prison.

He said, “That was exactly what he
was doing till Abacha put him in
prison, the same style, he has
started again. Anyway I don’t think
he has advisers. If he has advisers
they will call him to order . He is
not the only statesman we have in
this country. Yes, I respect him as
former president. He has
contributed also to the sustenance
of democracy even in the military,
he played a significant role. We
acknowledge all that but power is
transit. When you finish your tenure
you hand over the baton to others
and support the person in power
and not to pull him down,” he
added.

Jonathan Replies Obasanjo, Says letter Is Self-Serving, Provocative

Angry Jonathan replies Obasanjo, says
letter is self-serving, provocative

President Goodluck Jonathan has
dismissed as “most reckless” and
“unjustifiable” a fiercely scathing letter
he received from former President
Olusegun Obasanjo, in which Mr.
Obasanjo accused him of lying,
condoning corruption, and leading
Nigeria to the brink of collapse.

A statement by the president’s aide,
Reuben Abati, said the allegations by
the former president were “baseless
and indecorous.”

The statement said Mr. Jonathan has
directed his aides not to respond to the
barrage of attacks and allegations from
Mr. Obasanjo, listed in an 18-page
letter exclusively published by
PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Jonathan will personally respond to
the charges at the “appropriate time”,
the statement said.
“While many patriotic, objective and
well-meaning Nigerians have already
condemned the leaked letter as self-
serving, hypocritical, malicious,
indecent, and very disrespectful of the
highest office in the land, President
Jonathan has directed that none of his
aides or any government official should
join issues with Chief Obasanjo over
it,” Mr. Abati said.

“The president himself will, at the
appropriate time, offer a full personal
response to the most reckless,
baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous
charges levelled against him and his
administration by the former Head of
State.”

In the highly acerbic letter, Mr.
Obasanjo laid out a series of
allegations against Mr. Jonathan,
accusing him of corruption and
ineptitude.

Mr. Obasanjo lamented that Mr.
Jonathan had become terribly divisive
and clannish, destroying his own party,
polarizing the country along regional
and religious lines and ridiculing
Nigeria in the comity of nations.
He blamed Mr. Jonathan for the crises
tearing the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, apart, and accused him of
lacking in personal integrity by
consistently lying about his ambition
for a new term of office.

Mr. Obasanjo also tackled Mr.
Jonathan for allegedly being clannish.
“For you to allow yourself to be
“possessed”, so to say, to the exclusion
of most of the rest of Nigerians as an
“Ijaw man” is a mistake that should
never have been allowed to happen.
Yes, you have to be born in one part of
Nigeria to be Nigerian if not naturalized
but the Nigerian President must be
above ethnic factionalism. And those
who prop you up as of, and for ‘Ijaw
nation’ are not your friends genuinely,
not friends of Nigeria nor friends of
‘Ijaw nation’ they tout about.

“To allow or tacitly encourage people of
‘Ijaw nation’ to throw insults on other
Nigerians from other parts of the
country and threaten fire and
brimstone to protect your interest as an
Ijaw man is myopic and your not
openly quieting them is even more
unfortunate.”

The former president also accused Mr.
Jonathan of placing over 1000
Nigerians on political watch list and
“training snipers and other armed
personnel secretly and clandestinely
acquiring weapons to match for
political purposes like Abacha and
training them where Abacha trained his
killers”.

The former President also called on the
National Assembly to rise up and take
decisive action over the allegation that
the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation failed to remit billions of
dollars in proceed of crude oil sales to
the federation account.

“This allegation will not fly away by
non-action, cover-up, denial or bribing
possible investigators,” Mr. Obasanjo
told the President. “Please deal with
this allegation transparently and let the
truth be known.”

The Senate on Wednesday ordered an
investigation. The senate committee on
finance is to probe the allegation and
make its findings known in seven days.
The presidency did not respond to any
of the issues specifically beyond
dismissing them as “provocative and
unjustifiable.”

Mr. Abati said President Jonathan will
respond personally. But the statement
criticised the leakage of the letter to the
media.
“We however find it highly unbecoming,
mischievous and provocative that a
letter written by a former Head of State
and respected elder statesman to
President Jonathan has been
deliberately leaked to the mass media
in a deplorable effort to impugn the
integrity of the president and denigrate
his commitment to giving Nigeria the
best possible leadership,” the
statement said.

Read the statement by the president’s
spokesperson, Reuben Abati, below.

OBASANJO’S LETTER UNBECOMING,
SELF-SERVING AND HIGHLY
PROVOCATIVE

We have noted the publication on
several websites today of a letter
recently written by Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo to President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan.

The Presidency acknowledges that it
has indeed received the said letter from
Chief Obasanjo.

We however find it highly unbecoming,
mischievous and provocative that a
letter written by a former Head of State
and respected elder statesman to
President Jonathan has been
deliberately leaked to the mass media
in a deplorable effort to impugn the
integrity of the President and denigrate
his commitment to giving Nigeria the
best possible leadership.

While many patriotic, objective and
well-meaning Nigerians have already
condemned the leaked letter as self-
serving, hypocritical, malicious,
indecent, and very disrespectful of the
highest office in the land, President
Jonathan has directed that none of his
aides or any government official should
join issues with Chief Obasanjo over it.

The President himself will, at the
appropriate time, offer a full personal
response to the most reckless,
baseless, unjustifiable and indecorous
charges levied against him and his
administration by the former Head of
State.

Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 11, 2013

PHOTO: Angel Appear During Worship In Redeemed Church

Strange things are really happening
these days. It is left for you to
believe them or doubt...
According to the story, a Lagos-based
Christian band, The Perfected
Praise Singers, were doing their thing at
a Redeemed Church branch
in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, and some
people were taking pictures with
their Ipads as the praise and worship
went on inside the church.
A young boy used his parent Ipad to
take pictures too and when they
got home the picture above of an Angel
was among the clips they saw
in the Ipad. Wow! If this is true, then
you all need to be careful when
next you are in church, especially during
praise and worship session.
You never know who could be around.

A solitary Demba Ba goal wins for Chelsea

Summary
A steady if unspectacular victory courtesy
of Demba Ba 's early goal means Chelsea
finish group stage winners for the ninth
time in our 12 Champions League
campaigns.

Opportunities for more goals were few,
although Branislav Ivanovic was denied
by good goalkeeping and Ba another goal
by wayward finishing. Steaua, who set a
new record tonight for most consecutive
Champions League games without a
victory, wasted one gilt-edged chance
shortly after the goal but that apart did
not look likely to get back into the match.

Team News
Jose Mourinho spoke before the game of
the need to rest players but still win the
game and he set out to do that by making
seven changes from the defeat at Stoke.

Mark Schwarzer at 41 years of age played
the first Champions League game of his
career and ahead of the goalkeeper,
Ashley Cole returned to defence, as did
David Luiz who was over injury, just like
his countryman Oscar who was also
back. Willian , ill and unavailable at the
weekend, and Eden Hazard were the wide
players with Ba leading the attack.

First half
Prior to kick off, and in common with
other European games this week, a
banner was displayed in front of the two
teams before kick-off in tribute to Nelson
Mandela, with applause around the
stadium greeting it.

Two minutes into the game, there was
almost a positive start manufactured in
Brazil but David Luiz didn't connect
cleanly enough when Willian 's corner
dropped at his feet. Then Willian fed Oscar
through the middle but his shot bent the
wrong way and went wide.

Chelsea were quickly on top and Lampard
blasted a ball from wide into the crowded
goalmouth but didn't get the favourable
touch he was seeking,
There was corner after corner in the
opening stages, and it was Demba Ba
who made one count after just nine
minutes for his second Champions
League goal of the season. Willian took it
from the right and Oscar headed on
towards the target, with Ba able to bundle
it over the line having reacted better than
Daniel Georgievski. There was a suspicion
the Steaua defender might have scored
himself which would have added to the
own-goal he netted when the two teams
met in Romania in October, but it was
confirmed by UEFA as belonging to the
Chelsea striker before half-time.

One goal to the good in the quest for top
spot, Chelsea should have been punished
by Gabriel Iancu soon after but the
midfielder shot wide with only Schwarzer
to beat, our defence having been opened
up too easily by a simple pass down the
middle.

Mikel was booked for pulling back Iancu
inside the opening 20 minutes as the
Romanian again slipped in goal-side, but
from that point on until the interval, there
was nothing more to worry about, apart
from getting the insurance of a second
goal given what had happened in recent
games.

It took lightning reactions from Steaua
keeper Tatarusanu to prevent Ivanovic
celebrating his 50 th Chelsea European
game with a goal, when the right-back
got a firm header onto a Hazard ball in.

After a spell of midfield combat, Chelsea
next advanced with a chip into the middle
from Willian , much involved in this
opening half, but Ba had strayed
marginally offside. Then Lampard took a
pop from 35 yards but cleared the bar by
a couple.

Ba was again causing chaos inside the
six-yard box on 37 minutes as another
corner came in, but amongst the
scramble the ref spotted a foul. Cole then
warmed the keeper's hands on a chilly
night with a grasscutter of a shot.

Second half
Dan Petrescu, a hero for both sets of
fans, was given a fitting reception as he
was walked round the pitch at half-time
as special guest, and it was a successor
to the Chelsea no. 2 shirt, Ivanovic, who
was booked soon after the restart for a
late tackle. That looked a little harsh,
unlike the card given to Georgievski
moments later for sliding in on Cole.
Ba should have doubled the lead and his
tally on 51 minutes as he ran onto Willian
's good pass into the six-yard box, but
half-volleyed over.

Two-thirds of the way through the game,
Georgievski took his turn to win a contest
with Ba as Hazard fired the ball in from
wide from an attack started by Mikel .
Ba
was certainly getting into dangerous
positions.
There was a low intensity to this half. The
Blues tried to stretch the opposition by
moving the ball wide when the chance
was there, and Hazard headed over from
close range after Schurrle, recently
introduced into the action for Oscar , had
caused panic in the Steaua defensive
ranks.

Schwarzer dealt comfortably with a
Steaua shot from an angle soon after -
the first opposition shot on target in four
games that hadn't resulted in a goal. It
was proving a gentle introduction to
Champions League football for the
Australian.

Ramires and Kevin De Bruyne were
introduced in place of Mikel and Willian
for the closing stages. The Belgian almost
found Ba in front of the target but a
sliding defender intervened, and then the
Chelsea centre-forward had the ball in the
net seconds later, only for the offside rule
to frustrate him again.

Chelsea conceded our first corner of the
night in stoppage time at the end. It was
safely negotiated and the ref ended the
match soon after.

With Schalke beating Basel in the other
game in Group E, a draw at Stamford
Bridge would have been enough for top
spot but the win looked likely throughout
tonight's match, and we will find out our
next opponents in this competition when
the draw is made on Monday.

Imoke wins best Governor award

Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River
State has emerged the winner of the
Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies’
Best Governor Award for 2013.

The award for transformational
leadership was bestowed on Imoke for
facilitating rapid infrastructural and
human development in Cross River
State.

At the 4th Annual CEOs Dinner/Awards
Nite, held at the Golden Gate
Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos, President of
AES, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu, said Imoke
emerged winner after a verification
exercise involving visitation to the 36
states to assess developmental strides
of the governors.

The governor, who delivered a lecture
on the theme: “Peace as a Panacea for
national development”, thanked the
organizers for the award.
He said he was particularly surprised
to have been singled out for the
recognition.

ASUU declares three day prayer and fasting

Following several failed attempt at
resolving the on-going strike, the
Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) decided to go spiritual on
Tuesday by declaring a three day
fasting and prayer as they seek divine
intervention to resolve the dispute
between the union and the Nigerian
government.
Here's how The Nation reports the new
development:
The decision to embark on spiritual
intervention came during the union
congress held at the Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan.
The congress which was presided
over by the Chairman of University
of Ibadan (UI) chapter of ASUU, Dr.
Olusegun Ajiboye, stressed the need
for God to help Nigerian leaders to
do the needful and document the
resolutions of their meeting with the
President.
The congress which expressed
optimism that the strike will end
soon listed three prayer points to
include: “the need for God to touch
the heart of the Federal government
to be committed towards funding
public education and develop the
nation.
They also asked God to protect the
leadership of ASUU as they travel
and that the purpose of the strike is
actualized by placing universities in
the league of world class
institutions.”
Speaking after the congress, Dr.
Ajiboye said the union does not
need newspaper confirmation from
the president that N200billion has
been deposited with the Central
Bank of Nigeria.
He said it was impossible for
anybody who has not opened an
account with a bank to request the
bank for a balance.
While urging the federal government
to be serious about the future of the
country, the don accused the
government of “still keeping the
students at home.”
He said the union has the
machinery to suspend the strike
within 24 hours once the grey areas
in the resolutions have been sorted
out by the federal government.
This is an unfortunate situation. The
strike, which began on July 1, is yet to
be resolved and students are delayed
unnecessarily. Unfortunately, the
Nigerian job market is very age-
conscious; if you are not within a
certain age bracket, chances of getting
an entry-level job after graduation is
slim.
Let's hope both parties resolve their
differences sooner than later.

Ronaldo set new champions leaque record

The Portugal attacker was thrilled to
score his ninth goal of the
Champions League group stage but
warned he is not yet back to his
best
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo
admits it was "special" for him to set a
new goalscoring record in the Champions
League group stages.
The Portugal captain scored his ninth
goal in just five appearances in Tuesday's
win over Copenhagen - a game in which
he also missed a penalty - but the 28-
year-old has warned he is not yet back to
his best following injury.
"The objective is complete, the team
played very well on a field that was very
bad. I've broken a record in the
Champions League and I'm very happy,"
he was quoted as saying by the club's
official website.
"The team is very good, confident, and
playing attractive football.
"I'm coming back bit by bit. I'm at a good
level, but not my best. I feel good and
eager to help the team.
"All goals are important for the team and
it was special to break the record today,
but I don't think about records. The main
goal is to win."
Defender Alvaro Arbeloa admitted
Ronaldo was annoyed to have missed his
spot-kick but felt his side performed well
on a difficult surface in Denmark.
"This is not an easy stadium, especially if
we consider how the pitch was," he told
TVE.
"We look to Cristiano every day,
regardless of records. He left the pitch
angry because he missed the penalty and
does not like to fail, but the important
thing is the victory.
"The team has gone from strength to
strength. He's doing better every day and
the proof is the great group stage".

Mandela dead

South African President Jacob Zuma
has confirmed the death of former
South African President Nelson
Mandela.
FrontiersNews was the first medium
globally to confirm the death of the
antiapartheid icon.
In his nationwide broadcast, on
Thursday night, President Zuma's said
"He is now resting. He is now at peace.
Our nation has lost its greatest son.
Our people have lost a father."

Read more: http://
www.frontiersnews.com/index.php/
news/6799-breaking-news-mandela-
passes-on

Real Madrid & Chelsea to be involved in €100m transfer swap Two stars could effectively swap places in January, if reports are to be believed

Chelsea and Real Madrid could see their
transfer plans intertwined in the
January transfer window, due to Jose
Mourinho's apparent plans to recruit
Sergio Ramos.
French newspaper Le 10 Sport, citing
sources in Spain, suggests that if
Chelsea's pursuit of Ramos comes to a
successful conclusion Madrid may in
turn then target David Luiz as his
replacement.
Such speculation follows and interesting
few days concerning the availability of
both Ramos and Luiz, who each have
reason to wonder where they might be
playing their football come the end of
the winter transfer window.
It is believed that Ramos has been
targeted by Chelsea as Mourinho looks
to improve his back-line, and comments
made by Bernabeu president Florentino
Perez highlighted a potential €65million
move did little to quell the rumours.
On the other hand Luiz is said to be
considered surplus to requirements at
Stamford Bridge by the Blues boss, and
has been tipped to join Barcelona in a
deal worth around €35million.
However now the Spanish press is
claiming that alternatively it could be
Real Madrid who seize the initiative in
order to replace the man who will
ultimately replace the Brazilian himself,
which would bring the total amount of
money exchanged in the two deals to a
whopping €100million.
Ramos is also wanted by Chelsea's
Premier League rivals Manchester City,
whilst Luiz could spark a battle between
Spanish giants Barca and Madrid.

Newsnow. Com

MOURINHO: ENVY OF EUROPE

This Barclays Premier League season will
be more difficult to win than any other he
has managed in, according to Jose
Mourinho .
League leaders Arsenal are four points
clear, but with just a further four points
separating second and ninth, there is no
doubt this top flight is shaping up to be
one of the tightest ever.
Mourinho assessed the strength of
England's domestic league now
compared to his first spell in charge,
before giving his verdict on whether a title
triumph in 2013/14 would rank higher
than the one his Chelsea team managed
in 2004/05.
'The competition is different now, the
teams are different now. Before there
were just three teams fighting for the title,
now there are six,' the manager pointed
out.
'Nobody knows what can happen. Maybe
the difference will be whether teams are
in or out of Europe. Maybe the difference
will be a couple of points.
'It will be good fun. We have the
competition that every country in Europe
wants to have, but nobody has. We have a
fantastic league and we should enjoy it.
'To win the title this season would be
more impressive than winning it in 2005,'
Mourinho judged. 'History plays a role. To
win when the club is not historically a
winner is a hard step to take, so to win
the first time was hard, but to win the title
this season would be a bigger
achievement.'
Ahead of a busy week of action, during
which we will play three crucial league
games, the Portuguese has been
discussing how he plans to utilise his
squad with nine precious domestic points
up for grabs.
Following the loss to Basel on Tuesday
night, the manager noted that a number
of his players were feeling the effects of
fatigue, with many having recently
returned from an international break that
had taken them all over the world.
Mourinho explained how he plans to
manage his players over the busy period
ahead, with a particular focus on Juan
Mata and Frank Lampard .
'I have to think about the week and not
just about this match.
'Of course, this match (against
Southampton) is the most important one
because it's the next one, but in some
positions I have the conditions to make
rotations and to put fresh legs from
match to match. I will try not to give three
matches to anybody. This is a week for
everybody.
'Juan will play at least a couple of
matches. In relation to him I keep saying
the same thing. He's a very good player
and he's a very good professional. When
he's not playing I am not happy. It hurts
me. It is just a question of an option.
'Some players play a lot of matches but
in a certain way. The way Lampard plays
is not a certain way, it's his way - the 200
per cent way,' Mourinho said of the all-
time record goalscorer. 'We have to
control him, support him and understand
the best way to get the best out of him.'
Mourinho sees no reason to add to his
squad before the end of the season, and
is happy he can bring a new man into his
Champions League list ahead of the
knockout stages, with a like-for-like
replacement bolstering his midfield
options.
'We start the season with this group and
most probably we are going to end the
season with this group. At the end of the
season we will be in a better condition to
analyse our squad, to analyse the market
and to make a couple of changes to
improve the team for next season.
'We have a plan, we have a board and we
have financial rules that we have to obey
and we have to follow, so we don't think
an investment for players that cannot play
in the Champions League is the correct
one. We are ready to go to the end with
the same people.
'I will change Marco van Ginkel with
Essien in the Champions League squad
list. We are going to try to find balances.
Our squad is our squad. Instead of
thinking about the market, we will think
about trying to work and trying to
improve the team.'

FG Didnt Give ASUU Ultimatum – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has
weekend, said his government did
not give the Academic Staff Union
of Universities, ASUU, an ultimatum
to resume work or be sacked.
Fielding questions from newsmen
at the expanded caucus meeting of
the Bayelsa State Peoples
Democratic Party held at
Government House, Yenagoa, the
President said, the Supervising
Minister of Education only passed
on the decision of the Committee of
Vice Chancellors.
“We didn’t give them ultimatum; it
was the Committee of Vice
Chancellors that took that decision.
The Supervising Minister of
Education only passed on the
decision.”
Jonathan also said the strike
embarked upon by the ASUU was
no longer a trade dispute , but a
subversive action.
He said, “What ASUU is doing is no
longer trade union. I have
intervened in other labour issues
before now, once I invite them they
respond and after the meeting they
take decision and call off the strike.
“At times we don’t even give them a
long notice,unlike, in the case of
ASUU that was given four days
notice before the meeting. As you
are meeting to resolve trade
disputes, you expect the trade
unions to get their officials ready.
“What was expected having met
with the highest authorities in the
land for long hours, was for ASUU
to immediately issue statement
within 12 or latest 24 hours , to
state their position whether they
were accepting government’s offer
or not. And if they are not accepting
they should state the reason for
that.”
“But despite the fact that I had the
longest meeting with ASUU in my
political history, we did not start
that meeting until around 2:00pm
and the meeting ended the next day
in the early hours. As far as the
government of Nigeria was
concerned, all the critical people
that should be in a meeting were
there, so what else do they want?
“After that they didn’t meet until
one week, despite the fact that you
met with the highest authority. It
was unfortunate one of them, Prof.
Iyayi died.
“The way ASUU has conducted the
matter shows they are extreme and
when Iyayi died, they now said the
strike was now indefinite, our
children have been at home for
over five months.”

Top 10 Premier League flops of the 2013/14 season so far, with Tottenham & Chelsea summer signings

Manchester City and Manchester United
players also feature in this top 10 let
down list...
10) Danny Graham - Hull City
No goals, no assists, and not much very
good whatsoever. In fact, the last time
Graham scored a goal, Margaret thatcher
was still alive, Aaron Ramsey was still
rubbish and people were still incessantly
doing the Gangnam Style dance.
9) Willian - Chelsea
Has Willian been especially awful?
Probably not, no... But if a player arrives
for over £30m, football fans should
rightly be expecting something special,
and the Brazilian (one super strike against
Norwich apart) has simply not delivered.
To be fair, he hasn't rally been given
many chances to do so anyway...
8) Papiss Cisse - Newcastle
Whatever happened to the goal-hungry
fans' favourite that stepped out at St.
James' Park under two years ago...?
Nowadays, Cisse can't get in the Magpies
starting lineup, and hasn't scored a goal
all season. Dear me.
7) Marouane Fellaini - Manchester United
For £27.5m on deadline day, Fellaini is
increasingly looking like a very expensive
panic buy. He doesn't seem to fit into
United's passing style, and his technical
weaknesses have been clear for everyone
to see.
6) Roberto Soldado - Tottenham
For £26m, quite frankly, Spurs fan were
hoping for an awful lot more - especially
when you see how well the slightly
cheaper Alvaro Negredo is doing at
Manchester City. Soldado has only scored
once in the league from open play, and
could well lose his starting spot to
Jermain Defoe if his barren spell
continues.
5) Jozy Altidore - Sunderland
The American forward hasn't scored a
single Premier League goal since his £8m
move from Holland in the summer. 'Nuff
said.
4) Ricky Van Wolfswinkel - Norwich
When the Dutchman signed, many fans
from opposing sides were congratulating
the Canaries for snapping up the
previously prolific striker. After just one
Premier League goal, these same fans
are just grateful their clubs didn't take a
punt on the totally out of form forward.
3) Erik Lamela - Tottenham
The silky Argentine has had a total
shocker. Signed as Gareth Bale's long-
term replacement for a club record fee,
Lamela has ludicrously only made one
Premier League start so far. Whenever he
has got on the field, he's been pretty
drab, too.
2) Joe Hart - Manchester City
During the 2011/12 season, when City
won the Premier League, Hart was widely
regarded as 'head and shoulders' above
every other keeper in the country. A
succession of error-strewn performances
though, have led to Hart being dropped by
new coach Manuel Pellegrini. The word is
that the Chilean boss is so disappointed
with Hart's form, he'll look to replace him
in January.
1) Juan Mata - Chelsea
Last season, Mata was comfortably one
of the best players in the country. Now, he
can't even get game time with the Blues,
and is at risk of losing his World Cup spot
with Spain next summer. He'll almost
definitely demand a move away from
Stamford Bridge come January.

I Will Join APC if ASUU Calls Off Strike- President Jonathan

A source close to the presidency told
Hot Swen media this morning, that
President Jonathan has promised to
abandon the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) for the newly established All
Progressives Congress (APC) if the
ASUU strike is called off next week.
According to the source, President
Jonathan held a closed door meeting
with the leadership of the APC and
appealed to them to intervene in the
over four months old strike which the
academic staff union of Universities
(ASUU) have refused to end.
Our source told Hot Swen media that
when the APC party national
chairman , Chief Adebisi Oganga, asked
what the president was willing to give
in return if they made the lecturers call
of the strike, President Jonathan said, he will join APC.