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Nigera Founding Fathers Should Be Blamed For Poor Job – Jonathan

Published

3 years ago

September 5, 2023

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, has said while Nigeria’s founding fathers deserve credit for the struggle for independence and victory which followed, they should share in the blame for doing a poor job at nation building subsequently.

Jonathan said this in his remarks during a national dialogue and public presentation of 21 books, held in honour of Prof. Udenta Udenta, as part of activities to mark his 60th birthday, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

The former Nigerian leader who served as chairman of the occasion, likened the celebrant who authored all of the 21 books to former Tanzanain president, Julius Nyerere, whom he said championed Tanzanaian nationhood.

He said unlike Nyerere; Nigerian founding fathers paid greater emphasis on ethnic and identity politics at the expense of building Nigeria into a cohesive nation.

Jonathan said, “Have we been able to convince ourselves whether we are a state or a nation? If we are a country and a state, how do we become a nation?

“I am not blaming our founding fathers but they failed to integrate us into a proper nation. They operated as individuals and so on.

“Of course, if you have read some of the comments of our former leaders, someone like (Obafemi) Awolowo made it very clear that there was no nation called Nigeria. That it is a geographical entity, it is a country, it is a state, it has laws but there is no nation.

“The country was so polarized especially during the early political party formation and the parties were regional parties.

“There was no sense of commitment to integrate Nigeria into an entity that you can say yes, this is a nation with core values, common philosophy and people will be patriotic to that nation.

“Most of the parties that time belonged to regions and there were no alliances for the purpose of ruling the country.

“When I compare Nigeria and a country like Tanzania, I feel that Julius Nyerere made his vision clear to make Tanzania a nation. They have different tribes, maybe not as many as Nigeria but one nation was at the height of his thoughts.”

The Nigerian President explained that like Nigeria, Tanzania is made up predominantly of Muslims and Chirstians.

He further stated that in spite of the numerical strength and popularity of the two faiths, President Nyerere was able to champion a one party state to prevent political parties dissolving into their ethnic and religious cocoons as he worked hard with other nationalists to build Tanzania into the nation is has become.

Jonathan said, “He (Nyerere) made sure that every person from Tanzania speaks that (one) language, those who go to primary, secondary and tertiary schools quickly adhered to this as Nyerere made education compulsory.

“So, you hardly see somebody who didn’t get at least basic knowledge of the language in what we call the first nine years of school education. At that level, you communicate in Swahili.”

Ex-President Jonathan recalled that his modest attempt at nation building was the driving force behind the 2014 national conference which was designed to addressed some of the fault lines that have kept Nigerians apart.

He expressed confidence that if the recommendations of the 2014 conference were not only adopted but implemented, “We will not say we have a country called Nigeria, we will not say we have a state called Nigeria, we will also say we have a nation called Nigeria.”

Former Ministet of Solid Minerals and Ex-Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, a Cheiftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, in his remarks confessed that although President Jonathan was right in his attempt to remove fuel subsidies, the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which he (Fayemi) was part of mobilised Nigerians against it for political reasons.

He said the ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protest which grounded the country was part of strategies employed by the opposition to make the ruling PDP unpopular. He describe the antics of the opposition then as part of politics.

Fayemi said, “Today, I read former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview saying our liberal democracy is not working and we need to revisit it. And I agree with him that we must move to a political alternative. I think we are almost at a dead end.

“What we need is alternative politics and my own notion of alternative politics is that you can’t have 35 per cent of the vote and take 100 per cent of the spoil. It won’t work.

“We must look at proportional representation so that the party that is said to have 21 per cent of the vote will have 21 per cent representation in government. Adversaries politics bring division and enmity.

“All political parties in the country agreed and even put in their manifestos that subsidy must be removed. We all said subsidy must be removed. But we in ACN at the time in 2012, we knew it was all politics.

“That is why we must ensure that everybody is a crucial stakeholder by stopping all these. Put the manifesto of PDP, APC, Labour Party on the table and select all those who will pilot the programme from all parties.”

Nigerians will recall that on January 1, 2012, then President Goodluck Jonathan announced the removal of fuel subsidy.

This action led to the adjustment of the pump price of petrol from N65 per litre to N141 the decision sparked mass protests across Nigeria with the economy taking a hit. The administration was literally forced to recind the decision by replacing subsidies and reducing the pump price.

Fayemi equally faulted what he described as Nigeria’ politics of the winner-takes-all. He suggested that all political parties should

be made to place their manifestos on the table for a consensus to be built while an all inclusive system should be built in such a way that parties will find a place in government at the end of elections depending on their performance at the polls.

He equally credited the Jonathan administration for making giant strides in developing Nigeria’s economy. According to him, the last time Nigeria enjoyed economic growth was during his administration.

Also speaking during the event, former Minister of Aviation and a chieftain of the PDP, Osita Chidoka, said as the nation awaits the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court on Wednesday, parties should prepare to accept the outcome.

Specifically, the PDP Cheiftain advised President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to be prepared to relocate to Lagos and prepare for the 2027 general elections if he loses at the court.

Chidoka said, “If the court says Tinubu is no longer the President, he should pack his things and go to Lagos and prepare for the next election. If they say he is the president, we will continue our agitation for the reform of the electoral management system.”

VANGUARD

Headline

Judge Orders Trump White House To Restore Access To Banned Media Outlets

Published

6 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations challenged their exclusion from the presidential complex.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, directing the White House to immediately return, reinstate and restore the press credentials of journalists from the three outlets.

The ruling followed a lawsuit filed on Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to bar their reporters from the White House.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing what he described as “FAKE NEWS” and negative coverage of his administration.

The three organisations argued that the administration’s action violated their First Amendment rights and deprived their journalists of due process under the Fifth Amendment.

In his ruling, Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the restrictions.

“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote.

He also noted that Trump had focused on the outlets’ reporting when announcing the ban rather than national security concerns.

“Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of plaintiffs’ reporting,” the judge wrote.

The administration had argued in court that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a right and that the outlets’ reporting raised concerns about national security and professionalism.

The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling.

Trump had previously said he would probably allow the three organisations back into the White House if a court ruled against his decision.

The dispute began when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House after their press credentials were revoked.

The decision also affected the White House television pool. CNN had been scheduled to travel with Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly as part of the pool, but its removal led the other participating television networks to suspend the pool in solidarity.

Other media organisations also joined the legal challenge indirectly by filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the three outlets.

The case now moves forward with the temporary restraining order in place for 14 days. During that period, the court is expected to consider whether longer-lasting relief should be granted.

The ruling comes as Trump faces a series of high-profile events at the White House, including his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The administration and the three news organisations are expected to continue their legal arguments as the court considers the broader dispute over press access and the constitutional rights of journalists covering the president.

(TimeMagazine)

Headline

Man Charged After Fatal Southall Collision

Published

7 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A 20-year-old man has been charged after a fatal road collision in Southall, west London, which claimed the life of a 17-year-old passenger.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, following reports of a collision involving a Ford Mustang on South Road, Southall.

Officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.

Despite efforts by emergency responders, 17-year-old passenger Ranbir Singh died at the scene.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Another passenger, a 26-year-old man, sustained serious injuries in the collision and remains in hospital, according to police.

The driver of the vehicle, Sukhveer Singh, 20, of Townsend Road, Southall, was arrested at the scene.

He was subsequently charged on Sunday, September 20, with causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

He was also charged with driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a vehicle without insurance.

Singh appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21, and was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday, October 19.

Detective Inspector Fiaz Janjua, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a truly tragic incident in which a young man has lost his life and another remains in hospital with serious injuries.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with Ranbir’s family and friends, who continue to be supported by specially trained officers. during this extremely difficult time.

“While a man has now been charged in connection with this collision, our investigation remains ongoing and we are continuing to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident.

“I would ask anyone who witnessed the collision, the manner of driving beforehand, or the movements of the Ford Mustang in the Southall area during the early hours of Saturday, 19 September, to come forward.”

Police are particularly appealing to anyone who may have CCTV footage, doorbell recordings, mobile phone footage or dashcam recordings that could assist the investigation.

The Met urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference 01/8080469/26.

The force said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision.

(MetPolice)

Headline

Four Nations Back Permanent African Seat On UN Security Council

Published

10 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

Four nations, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, have backed a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling for urgent reform of the Council to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.

The four countries, under the Group of Four (G4), made their position known in a joint statement issued after their foreign ministers met in New York on Tuesday on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The ministers said reform of the Security Council had become more necessary than ever, given the increasingly challenging global geopolitical environment.

They said the Council was currently unable to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, with its representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy in question.

According to them, the Council’s eight-decade-old structure was “not reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities” and had become an impediment to addressing present and future challenges to international peace and security.

The ministers stressed that expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories was central to meaningful reform.

They called for greater representation of under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, particularly Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The four nations also welcomed the reform model presented by the African Group during the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform in the 80th session of the General Assembly.

They reaffirmed their support for Africa’s case for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category.

The ministers, however, expressed concern over the slow pace of negotiations, noting that the IGN process had produced no concrete outcome towards substantive Security Council reform despite 18 years of discussions.

They also expressed reservations over the presentation of what they described as a “bridging proposal” before the commencement of text-based negotiations.

According to them, the proposal failed to take into account the position of a clear majority of UN member states in favour of expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.

The ministers further maintained that consensus should not be the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform, citing the UN Charter and the mandate of the IGN.

They said Brazil, Germany, India and Japan would work with other reform-oriented groups to develop a consolidated model that reflects the views of the majority of UN member states.

The four countries said commencing text-based negotiations should be treated as a priority towards achieving substantive reform of the Security Council.

They said this would help restore the Council’s representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness, while strengthening the multilateral system with the UN at its centre.

The ministers also said discussions on reform should not be restricted to the IGN, expressing willingness to engage the wider UN membership through other platforms, including the General Assembly.

They pledged to continue coordinating closely during the 81st session of the General Assembly and directed their officials to follow up on the discussions.

Progress on the issue is expected to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.