Nigeria will not disintegrate - Jonathan

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan

Nigeria will not disintegrate - Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the country would not disintegrate in spite of the challenges confronting it.

Jonathan was speaking at the State House Abuja, on the maiden edition of the Presidential Media Chat since he assumed office on May 29 this year.

He said it was not the first time people would express fears about the nation’s unity, but that the country, despite its differences and problems, has always survived as one entity.

“I, as the President of this country, I don’t agree with that assertion about Nigeria. Nigeria will not disintegrate. This is not the first time people have come out with such ideas. It is not because people are detonating bombs here and there with some level of agitation that we will begin to predict disintegration. The ship of the state is on course and I can assure you that I will not preside over a nation that will disintegrate. From now till 2015, Nigeria will remain united’’, Jonathan said.

He recalled that the country had survived the two secession moves declared respectively by Adaka Boro for the Niger Delta in 1966 and Biafra for the Igbo in 1967.

 Jonathan argued that the level of economic and social integration achieved by the people did not indicate that the country would disintegrate.

The media chat, broadcast live on national television, was introduced by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, to afford media representatives the opportunity to engage the President on national issues.

Support for dialogue

On the issue of a national conference, being clamoured for by some groups and individuals, President Jonathan expressed his support for dialogue among Nigerians as a way of resolving observed contradictions, but ruled out the possibility of his administration organising any national conference.

He stated that government would rather set up a body to review past conferences and reduce issues which have been agreed upon to a bill for consideration by the National Assembly.

Single term proposal

Jonathan said he had no regret for proposing the contentious constitutional amendment of seven years single tenure for the President and Governors.

“I said seven years actually; I did not talk about six years. My thinking is seven years for President and governors, but for the National Assembly, I said six years. The feeling that probably you have hidden agenda makes people to oppose it, but one day Nigerians will decide. Now it is like a rumour”, he explained.
  
He said it was aimed at stabilising the country’s polity, and argued that without political stability, the economy would not grow. He also justified the proposal with the high cost of running elections. He said Nigerians would one day decide on the issue and stressed that it had nothing to do with personal gains.

Jonathan chided those commenting on the proposal when it was yet to be submitted to the National Assembly.

Power supply

The President assured Nigerians of his government’s commitment to improving power supply. He said the government was working on ways of ensuring enhanced private sector involvement in all power production efforts, including generation and distribution.

Food security and the economy

President Jonathan underscored the role of large scale agriculture in ensuring food security and employment generation. He expressed his confidence in the ability of the Minister of Agriculture, a world-renowned agricultural expert, to turn around the sector.

He also justified the constitution of an economic management team, headed by former World Bank Managing Director and Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, saying that the team would coordinate the activities of all critical sectors of the economy to bring about rapid transformation.

Security challenge

The President gave the assurance that the country’s security agencies were on top of the security situation.

“We are working on changing the security architecture of the country. We know we have challenges, but I can assure Nigerians that the security challenges will be brought under control”, he added.

Plateau crisis

Speaking on the crisis in the north central state of Plateau, Jonathan said coercive law enforcement would not solve the crisis.

“But I can assure you of government’s resolve to carry the inhabitants of the area along in the peaceful resolution of the crisis. I however appeal to the people to give peace a chance."

He said Nigerians should not expect miracles in resolving the crisis in view of the fact that it involves intelligence-gathering which often takes time to accomplish.

Jonathan said that peace in Plateau State should be a function of the people’s resolve to bring about peace.

“No matter the number of soldiers deployed in the state, except the people resolve to have peace, it could be difficult”, he said.

On Wikileaks reports

President Jonathan also dismissed the Wikileaks reports of the purported arrest of his wife Patience, with 13.5million dollars at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in 2006, saying it was not possible for his wife to have attempted ferrying the said amount less than four months of his administration as the Governor of Bayelsa State.

He said he was not in a position to verify the authenticity of reports by Wikileaks about Nigerians and others but likened most of the reports to “beer parlour gossip”

NP/NAN/Shakira/Ekata