Reuben Abati
The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on media and publicity, Reuben Abati, has distanced the President from the Thursday fracas at the national assembly where lawmakers were teargased by the police.
In a recent interview with selected journalists, Abati said the determination of President Jonathan’s administration, if re-elected, is to continue to take Nigeria forward.
He stated that in four years, the President had been able to transform the economy and the people’s lives in many ways.
According to him, “President Jonathan stated that in his speech. If you look at that speech, he indeed spoke like a statesman. He focused on issues unlike some other persons who have indicated interest in the office of the President. He did not use his speech to insult anybody and a lot of people have praised the maturity and the statesmanship that the President demonstrated. He thanked Nigerians for the opportunity that they have given him. He went on to outline what his administration has done in various sectors of the economy, how this administration has been able to turn Nigeria into a favourite investment destination and the largest economy in Africa and how, under his watch, the scope for human expression and freedom have been very well expanded.
“That is why in the later part of his speech, you will find key words about his vision for the future: it is a vision of continual progress, it is a vision of expanded opportunities, it is a vision that will further empower Nigerian youths, it is a vision of a country that will remain a leading country and a top nation in various aspects including sports, science, communications and technology. It is about looking forward. The whole of that speech is a continuation of his conversation with Nigerians”.
The presidential spokesman frowned at the recent advice by Muslim cleric, Sheikh Gumi who advised the president and Buhari to back out of the race.
He said, “Sheikh Gumi is completely wrong in terms of his advice to President Jonathan. I read the interview too but he did not say categorically that the President has not done well in terms of performance. He alleged that the President is divisive but anyone in this country will know that that allegation is completely incorrect. The bulk of his comment is based on the challenge of Boko Haram, that is the insecurity in the country. He did not deny the fact that this administration has been able to transform the country in many ways, but he was alleging that this administration is aiding and abetting Boko Haram and that the administration is divisive. Anybody who is objective will see that President Jonathan cannot be blamed for the challenges of insecurity in the North Eastern part of the country. It is an inherited problem.”
Speaking on the recent show of shame at the national assembly, Abati said, “The matter is being investigated; we should await the outcome of the investigations and so I urge that we should all refrain from saying anything that may be prejudicial, partisan or uninformed as some people are already doing, which may then turn out to be incorrect. But I can tell you that President Jonathan did not authorise any form of assault on the National Assembly. He did not. He has no hand in it. The police authorities themselves have said that they acted on their own, based on information that some thugs were planning to cause mayhem and compromise the safety of lawmakers”.
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