Jonathan's Massive Transformation in the Critical Sectors

It is obvious that President Goodluck Jonathan is a silent performer who gets the job done without making too much noise. No matter what his opponents are telling you, there are incontrovertible FACTS to show that things have changed for the better in the critical sectors of our country from Road to Rail Infrastructure, Agriculture to Health, Trade & Investment to Aviation, Education to Youth Empowerment, etc. Anybody who tells you that Jonathan has not done anything, tell the person that he is a liar. He has done a lot of good works, especially in the last 4 years, and he is determined to do even much more. If you cast your vote for Jonathan (as the PDP presidential candidate) on February 14, he wont need to spend about two years studying what is on ground; he has already mastered the systems and no civil servant can deceive him. Don't waste your vote on someone who will come in and start learning what is on ground, vote for Jonathan so that all the good works we will show you can continue. Below are some of the great transformations President Jonathan has achieved: 6 Million: The Number of Farmers who now receive Farm Inputs directly This and other achievements by President Jonathan which has led to the availability of foods for Nigerians to eat will be covered extensively in the next Post where we shall focus on Agriculture, but we want you to have it in mind that there is no longer food scarcity in Nigeria and more jobs have been created in this all-important sector due to the intervention of President Jonathan of PDP.

Jonathan Summons Christian Leaders To Abuja

Facing the prospects of a resounding loss of the presidency in three weeks, President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend summoned Christian leaders to a meeting on Monday at the National Ecumenical Centre in Abuja. At the event, which comes after several of the Christian leaders publicly turned their backs on his campaign, sources say Jonathan will ask them what he can do differently to earn their support. A series of reports from the field reportedly shows that Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to be making progress with a lot of religious leaders, especially in the North. Several of the delegates that have arrived in Abuja said they were invited by a variety of bodies, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which is headed by President Jonathan’s friend, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

Falae cautions supporters against APC

From BAMIGBOLA GBOLAGUNTE, Akure National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and chieftain of the pan Yoruba socio cultural organization, Afenifere, Chief Olu Falae has warned the people of Ondo state not to vote for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party in the forthcoming general elections. Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of Federation who hails from Ondo state, said the people of the state should avoid APC members if they want corruption out of the country. Speaking at a rally organized by the party in Akure, Falae alleged that the leaders of the APC were corrupt, adding that the APC leaders worked against the people of the south west when the speaker’s position was zoned to the region. According to him “Bola Tinubu and his party by their activities worked against the interest of the South West when the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives was zoned to the region.” He disclosed that the leaders of the APC have no interest of the country at heart, stressing that all the blue print proposed by its presidential candidate, General Buhari was just “an acted script full of political propaganda.” He noted that, “if many of the recommendations of the National confab like decentralization of railways control, seaport establishment and control of mineral resources are implemented, the South West and Ondo State in particular would benefit immensely.”While urging SDP members to support its candidates in the forthcoming general election, Falae said a lot of employment would be created for the teeming unemployed youths in the country. Also speaking at the rally, the SDP Gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde said the people of the South West would benefit a lot if SDP candidates are voted into government. Makinde, who narrated the history of how the southwest was well governed by the Yoruba leaders in the first, second and third republic, maintained that a wheel of progress would be witnessed if the people support of the region support SDP.

Jonathan seeks Sanusi’s support for re-election

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday visited the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, in his palace in a bid to get the traditional ruler’s blessing for his re-election bid. He was in the city in continuation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential campaigns. The relationship between the two became strained last year when the President suspended Sanusi as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Jonathan had suspended Sanusi as the apex bank’s boss over what was described as financial recklessness and thereafter directed the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria to further investigate him. Shortly after his suspension, however, Sanusi became the Emir of Kano following the death of the former occupant of the stool, Alhaji Ado Bayero. There were unconfirmed reports then that the Presidency moved to ensure that Sanusi did not emerge as the Emir. During the Wednesday visit, Jonathan congratulated Sanusi on his installation and condoled with him and the people of the emirate on Bayero’s demise. He told the traditional ruler that he was in his palace to formally introduce himself, Vice President Namadi Sambo and other PDP candidates in the election. “I am here to seek your royal blessing and to reassure the people of Kano that the PDP is totally committed to developing the country,” he told the monarch. In his response, Sanusi thanked Jonathan for the visit and expressed the hope that his campaign in the state would be hitch-free. He stressed the need for all office seekers to go about their campaigns without violence. “Democracy is all about giving people the chance to make their choice and so, there is no need for violence,” he said. Sanusi urged the people to accept the verdict after the election and rally around whoever emerged as the winner. He also advised the Federal Government to intensify efforts aimed at ensuring security in all parts of the country before, during and after the elections. Sanusi prayed for the emergence of leaders that would move the country forward. Speaking at the Polo Ground venue of the campaign rally in Kano, the President said that was why his administration was committed to producing young entrepreneurs. He said, “We have said that in those days when they said Nigeria was at par with other countries, but those countries overtook us and left us behind. That will no longer be acceptable by this present leadership.” The Vice President, Namadi Sambo, told the supporters to ignore the religious campaign against Jonathan and the PDP, saying that as the vice president to Jonathan, nobody could claim to be a bigger Muslim than himself who observed all injunctions of Islam. The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who is the North-West zonal coordinator of the PDP presidential campaign, told the gathering that the All Progressives Congress government of Kano State was a government of deceit. Recalling the achievements of a former Kano governor and Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Lamido advised Kano people not give in to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso’s false pretences but to vote for all PDP candidates.

Rivers: Peterside’s support base widens

BY NKIRU ODINKEMELU Honourable Dakuku Peterside, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Con­gress (APC), in Rivers State, is from the riverine area of the state. It is the axis that has not produced a governor since the inception of the cur­rent dispensation in 1999 inspite of the rotational mantra of various political parties. And with the political configu­ration of the state, the Ikwerre clan, which is, unarguably, in the majority has been having field day in the last 15 and a half years of the current democ­racy. This must have informed his endorse­ment by the outgoing Governor, Chibuike Rotim Amaechi, an Ikwerre son, for the sake of equality, fair play and sense of be­longing. But in a situation where people abide by the common syndrome of ‘our son,’ Peterside should not expect support from the Ikwerre axis of the state. The reason is not farfetched. The governor­ship candidate of the opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, who is from Ikwerre. But a new trend has however been established with the reported endorsement of Peterside by the traditional rulers in Ikwerre, a factor that is already chang­ing the campaign and political discourse across River State. Quite padoxically, the Ikwerre Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers in Isiokpo must have pitched their tents with Peterside, a riverine man against their Ikwerre son for the sake of equity and justice. The Rivers State 2015 governorship candidate of the APC, Dakuku Peter­side, it was reported to have visited the traditional rulers to seek their blessing in an election that is expected to be hotly contested between him and one of their son, Nyesom Wike. Wike, the candidate of the PDP, who is believed to be well connected in the presi­dency, is also said to have the support of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, whose wish to return the State to the PDP. Recall that Governor Rotimi Amaechi contested on the PDP platform before defecting to the APC. But Royal Fathers in Wike’s catchment areas, were said to have endorsed Peter­side instead, a son from the riverine area of the State. Not only that, the council of traditional rulers, which comprises first class and all government-recognised traditional rulers in the four Ikwerre local government areas of Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City, Emohua and Ikwerre, were also said to have declared Peterside the sole governorship candidate for the Ikw­erres in the coming February 28 election. The council members were said to have endorsed Peterside to allow the riverine area produce the next governor. By their action, they said no other governorship candidate would receive the council’s endorsement. To this end, they have urged all Ikwerre persons to support Peterside. Peterside, was reported to have ad­dressed the council thus: “Ikwere as an ethnic nationality has a very critical role to play at this point in time in the life of Rivers State. As custodians of Ikwere cul­ture, Ikwerre values, at a time of national morale crisis, we expect the custodians of our culture and value system as tradition­al rulers and fathers to lend their voices of reason so that the people can take the right path.” The riverine people in the state had sustained their agitation for the governor­ship to be shifted to their area. This was the path Peterside had also asked the kingmakers to take. It is on record that, Rivers State com­prises of the upland and riverine area. In the present democratic dispensation since 1999, the upland people have been ruling and they would have done so for 16 years by the time Governor Rotimi Amaechi completes his second term in May, this year. Thus, a Peterside victory, many observe, is expected to be a victory for fairness, equity and justice. According to a source who doesn’t want his name mentioned, Rivers was initially carved out for the people of the riverine area. According to him, “because we wanted the upland people not to feel marginalised, we decided that there was going to be a rotation of the governorship seat.” Just recently, Fafaa Dan-princewill, a PDP governorship aspirant, in an interview with a national daily, gave perspective to how the current agitation for power shift began. “In 1999, I was a founding member of the PDP. I could not contest for governor in 1999 because it was zoned outside the riverine area. Chief Odili became gov­ernor and it was expected that after eight years of his rule that it would revert to the riverine area. “But that again didn’t happen and we had Celestine Omehia for a short period and now Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Which means at the end of this tenure, it would have been 16 years for the upland group,” Dan-princewill said. He substantiated the claim that a ma­jority of the riverine area were keen on ensuring that power rotated to them and any party that failed to recognise this agi­tation would likely pay greatly at the poll. “Presently, the agitation to have a riverine governor is great.” On what the outcome would be for his party if it turned deaf to the people’s de­sire, Dan-princewill said: “I cannot speak for what the Ijaws or riverine people would do, but I would not be surprised if the backlash is heavy because it is a very controversial issue. The level of agitation today indicates that it could lead to seri­ous backlash for the party.” The supposed possible backlash was partly the reason Governor Amaechi settled for Peterside. Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya explained the choice of Peterside. “Rivers State APC was divinely set up to address three principal injustices visited on some sections of Rivers State. One of them is addressing the unjust situ­ation of the riverine areas of the state not occupying the seat of power since 1999, after the eight years of Dr. Peter Odili and the eight years of the incumbent governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi – all from the upland section of the state,” Ikanya said. On why Peterside was chosen from amongst Senator Magnus Abe, Mr. Tele Ikuru, and Mr. George Feyi, Ikanya argued that although all of the four aspirants were qualified being from the riverine area, the choice of Peterside was “a symbol of unity of both the Ogoni people and the riverine and upland sec­tions of the state.” There is a concerted effort by the APC to assuage what normally could snowball into a state crisis by fielding the gover­norship to the riverine people. On the PDP side, without regards to the people’s agitation, Wike is said to have assured his party that has capacity to deliver the State for PDP. But with support base of Peterside encroaching Wike’s territory, Wike might be losing the little grassroots support that he once had. While endorsing Peterside, one of those who was said to have spoken at the meet­ing was the Vice Chairman and traditional ruler of Akpor kingdom, Eze A.A Orlu Oriebe, who represented Eze Iriebe of Nye Weli Akpor kingdom. According to Oriebe, no candidate, aside Peterside, felt it wise to visit the kingmakers. “You are the only person (governorship candidate) who saw the need to visit the Traditional Council, and that you cannot go out there to tell our people anything without paying homage.” As it stands, there are several factors working in Peterside’s favour. Having been first endorsed by Governor Amae­chi, he indirectly enjoys the power of incumbency. Amaechi’s insistence on power rotation has proven to be an added advantage to Peterside’s aspiration. But of all the factors, is Peterside’s own personality. An analyst once dissected the character of the man the Supreme Council of Ikw­erre Traditional Rulers referred to as “His Excellency-in-waiting,” and noted that Peterside ordinarily doesn’t cut across as a regular politician and carries “no air of self-importance common with everyday politician.” According to the analyst, Adeola Akin­remi: “As one of the most presentable, high-profile members of the APC front row leaders in the House of Representa­tives with capacity to reach out beyond his party ranks, Peterside arrived on the political landscape prepared. “Just four years in the parliament, Peterside’s strengths are well-known. He is seen as focused, forthright, studious, urbane and a superb communicator. At a time politicians are reviled, people actu­ally like listening to him, making him a man who cuts across party lines.” Endorsed by his opponent’s kinsmen, Peterside, armed with the love of his people, whose deep agitation for equity and justice would greatly play a role in how the electorate would vote in the com­ing governorship election in the State, many reckon is the man to beat. He is the man favoured by the times and endorsed by all those who genuinely seek justice, equity and fairness.

Omiswit: Jonathan’s Government Is The Most Corrupt Since 19...

Omiswit: Jonathan’s Government Is The Most Corrupt Since 19...: “The Nigerian Status Quo” was written by Adewale Maja-Pearce for the New York Times on November 16th. The current Nigerian government is ...

Jonathan’s Government Is The Most Corrupt Since 1960

“The Nigerian Status Quo” was written by Adewale Maja-Pearce for the New York Times on November 16th. The current Nigerian government is widely seen as the most corrupt since independence from Britain in 1960. Ordinarily, this would be a huge problem for President Goodluck Jonathan and his People’s Democratic Party, which has been continuously in power since the end of military rule in 1999. But things are unlikely to change. To many Nigerians, it sometimes seems as if we merely swapped military dictatorship for a one-party state.Mr. Jonathan’s name will be on the ballot this February, when Nigerians, many of them fed up with government corruption and incompetence, go to the polls. Yet events percolating across the country that could come to a boil within the next three months might actually work to the president’s advantage. Two grave problems — the Boko Haram insurgency and tensions in the oil-rich Niger Delta — hang over the land. A third, West Africa’s Ebola crisis, seems to have been contained so far, and though this has little to do with Mr. Jonathan’s leadership, the people responsible for it are unlikely to gain any political capital at his expense. The incompetence of Mr. Jonathan’s government is most clearly seen in its inability to rescue the 276 schoolgirls, most of them believed to be Christians, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in the largely Islamic north last April. Even at the time, the president, himself a Christian from the largely Christian south, didn’t seem much concerned about their fate. It took him almost three weeks to officially acknowledge what had happened, whereupon he belatedly invited their relatives to lunch at the presidential villa in Abuja, an event which one journalist likened to “a wedding reception,” complete with bunting and a band. What Mr. Jonathan didn’t count upon was the international furor over the kidnappings or the powerful worldwide publicity, negative in his case, of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Seven months later, most of the girls are still missing (though dozens have managed to escape). A report by Human Rights Watch catalogued the “physical and psychological abuse they were subjected to: forced labor, forced participation in military operations, including carrying ammunition or luring men into ambush; forced marriage to their captors; and sexual abuse, including rape.” Meanwhile, sporadic violence continues. Last week, a suicide bomber killed at least 48 students at a boys’ high school in the northeast. Rescuing the girls — or putting an end to the insurgency altogether — would certainly help Mr. Jonathan’s ambitions, but his government’s ability to do so seems most unlikely. Corruption and low morale have hobbled the military. Even so, the government announced last month that the extremists had agreed to a cease-fire, though Boko Haram has denied it. Although the extremists have been widely condemned by leading Muslim clerics and politicians, the insurgency contributes to Christian suspicions of their Muslim compatriots, and this may well play into Mr. Jonathan’s hands come election time. But in an effort to bridge sectarian divisions and garner votes across the religious divide, the country’s leading opposition parties, one from the largely Muslim northeast, the other from the mostly Christian southwest, have joined forces with other groups to form the All Progressives Congress. In theory, this gives the opposition a fighting chance of wresting control of the Senate and House of Representatives from the People’s Democratic Party. Unfortunately, efforts to make common cause in Nigeria are invariably sacrificed upon the altars of religion and ethnicity. The alliance’s likely presidential candidate is a Muslim northerner, Muhammadu Buhari. He also happens to be a former dictator, who ruled Nigeria for 20 months in the mid-1980s. His administration came to an abrupt end in August 1985, when members of his cabinet, alienated by his efforts to root out corruption, forced him out. Though widely unpopular, many Nigerians feel he has the credentials to tackle corruption. Moreover, one potential running mate is Babatunde Raji Fashola, the two-term governor of Lagos State who has distinguished himself by successfully tackling the incipient Ebola crisis with the same energy and efficiency that he brought to modernizing the infrastructure of Lagos, the biggest port in West Africa. But there are also doubts about his commitment to clean government, fueled by the fact that he is a protègé of Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the same state and a founding member of the All Progressives Congress whose reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals, even though he has never been convicted of corruption. Though Mr. Fashola is a Muslim with a Catholic wife, few Christians (or for that matter even the generally more-liberally minded Muslims of the south) would be inclined to vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Religious differences are a key factor in voting, but perhaps patronage plays a greater role, a lesson Mr. Jonathan learned in the Niger Delta, where he taught school and gained political prominence. Like any savvy politician, he knows that patronage is a two-way street, and he has been careful to keep the money flowing in a region plagued by resentment over oil rights, piracy and periodic unrest. Oil is Nigeria’s greatest source of wealth, providing about 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, but many people among the delta’s diverse ethnic groups feel that the central government has seized control of their oil without adequate compensation. The government says it loses about $3 billion a year due to piracy, widely seen as aided and abetted by the military. Local gangs also take what they can by tapping pipelines. In the past, anger over corruption and the unfair redistribution of wealth has fueled a dangerous political militancy. Everyone knows that if the militants want to, they can easily stop oil production, which would bankrupt the country. Thus Mr. Jonathan takes care to ensure that the region is well looked after, and this contributes to his enormous popularity there. Indeed, he is widely seen as crucial to keeping the lid on potential unrest. In the words of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a former leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force who is now a key supporter, if Mr. Jonathan is not re-elected next year, there will be “blood in the streets.” – New York Times

Get to Know God ---------------1/1/15 Devotion

Thursday 1st January 2015 'Let him...boast...that he understands and knows Me.' Jeremiah 9:24 NIV God says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me' (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV). The truth is, if you don't know God it doesn't matter how much money you have in your bank account, or what diplomas hang on your wall, or what position you hold in the company. Until you have a relationship with God, you haven't really begun to live! And part of getting to know Him is learning the truth about yourself. After witnessing the miracle-working power of Christ, Peter acknowledged, 'I am a sinful man' (Luke 5:8 NIV)! When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, he cried, 'Woe is me' (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV)! But God doesn't tell you the truth about yourself and then leave you that way. No, like a good doctor, He tells you you're sick so that you can get the proper treatment. And the proper treatment for sin is salvation through the blood of Jesus. You will never know God until you are related to Him through Jesus Christ. So if you've never accepted Him as your Saviour, start this New Year by praying: 'Lord, I repent and turn from my sin. I place my life in Your hands, trusting You as my Lord and Saviour. By faith I receive the gift of eternal life. Starting today, I ask You to lead and guide me and fulfil Your will through me. In Jesus' name I pray: Amen.' Happy New Year!

RCCG Prophecies For 2015 by Pastor Adeboye

PROPHECIES FOR YEAR 2015

CATEGORY 1 FOR INDIVIDUALS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO FASTED DURING THE 100 DAYS FASTING AND PRAYER 1. THE HARVEST OF THE 100 DAYS FAST WILL BE GIVEN THIS YEAR. 2. THIS YEAR WILL BE FULL OF TESTIMONIES; THOSE WHO HAVE NONE BEFORE WILL HAVE SOME. 3. SOME PERSONS WILL SWIM IN THE RIVER OF ABUNDANCE THIS YEAR. 4. THERE WILL BE MIRACULOUS COMPLETION OF PROJECT. 5. THERE WILL BE FULFILLMENT OF DREAMS. 6. THERE WILL BE MIRACULOUS RESTORATIONS. 7. THE SONG OF MANY WILL BE "THE LORD HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME". CATEGORY 2 INTERNATIONAL. 1. SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS WILL BE MANY; PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS OF INSOMNIA, DREAMS AND BRAIN DIS-ORDER. 2. EBOLA WILL DIE OUT. 3. ALL OVER THE WORLD. INSURGENCY WILL BE CONSIDERABLY WEAKENED. 4. PRAY AGAINST MASSIVE CALAMITIES. 5. PRAY AGAINST MASSIVE EARTH QUAKES, STRONG HURRICANES AND TYPHOONS. CATEGORY 3 FOR RCCG THIS YEAR, ALL YOU NEED IS TO CHARGE UP YOUR BATTERIES BY FASTING FOR FORTY DAYS ONLY. CATEGORY 4 FOR NIGERIA; 1. BY THE END OF THE YEAR, MANY WILL SAY "ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL" For Nigeria All is well that ends well