Nigeria in 2014: Fact Versus Fiction - Written by Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri is Special Assistant (New Media) to

President Jonathan. Read his article below.

I was about to write this piece detailing the

positive effects of the Transformation Agenda

when I was confronted with a hypocrisy which

could possibly pass for the mother of all

hypocrisies.

On the 18th of December 2013 several

newspapers carried the statement from the All

Progressive Congress, APC. While the different

papers gave their own slant to the story, I

particularly liked the headline from a major

newspaper which said “Jonathan Must Respond

to Obasanjo – APC”. Continue…

Now, imagine my surprise that after President

Goodluck Jonathan did exactly what the APC

recommended, they changed their tune and on the

26th of December 2013 the headline changed to

“APC berates Jonathan’s response to Obasanjo’s

letter”.

The story in fact was more telling with the Vanguard

Newspapers writing that “The All Progressives

Congress (APC) says the presidency has been greatly

diminished by its decision to throw decorum to the

wind and engage former President Olusegun Obasanjo”.

With the above, it should now be obvious to objective

citizen that the APC stands for nothing and is only

against anything President Goodluck Jonathan does.

For instance, Senator Bola Tinubu had been one of the

most vociferous champions for the convocation of a

National Conference. He had championed this cause for

years and many had come to think of the idea as his

pet project.

At the first Anthony Enahoro Memorial Lecture in Benin

City, Edo State which held on the 24th of November

2011, Bola Tinubu had said “I submit to you today that

because of the multiple issues surrounding our skewed

federalism and constitutional flaws, the Nigerian nation

is weak…The 21-member Presidential Committee on

the Review of Outstanding Constitutional Issues

(PCROCI) recently set up by President Goodluck

Jonathan falls short. It is a backdoor approach to the

issue of national conference. In memory of Chief

Enahoro we must convoke a national conference.”

And when on October 1st 2013, President Jonathan

listened to the cries of Nigerians and decided to

convoke the very National Conference that Bola Tinubu

advocated, the Asiwaju made a characteristic 360

degree turn and went on attack mode saying on

October 6th 2013 “The national conference is by whom,

for whom, and at what stage? How many levels of

deception? I see a contradiction. I see diversion. I see

deception, lack of honesty and integrity.”

If you think this is a case of multiple personality

syndrome, you may have a point.

On the 25th of March 2013 after a birthday party that

was reported in the media to have cost 1 billion Naira,

Bola Tinubu gave an interview to The Sun Newspaper

and said “There are so many news items that are

seriously more newsworthy than to be looking for

Obasanjo’s congratulatory messages in the newspaper.

A man who had great opportunity to put Nigeria on the

right path and failed to do so; failed to do even the

Otta road, not Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. What am I

celebrating about him? That’s the truth. He deceptively

dealt with the country and he handed over to a man

who knew he was ill. Obasanjo is a leader that could

not find another successor capable of driving through

his vision for the country”.

Imagine my surprise when nine months later on

December the 22nd of 2013 the same Bola Tinubu was

at former President Obasanjo’s residence at Ota and

told the same man whom he had hitherto said “had

great opportunity to put Nigeria on the right path and

failed to do so” that “We’re resolved and determined to

rescue Nigeria. We want you as navigator”.

How can these two statements be reconciled?

It is glaring to objective minds that the APC is a party

without ideology, and a vision for Nigeria cobbled

together by people without scruples who would be

willing to work with anybody no matter how odious as

long as that person has a grudge against President

Goodluck Jonathan.

This is why they cannot argue with facts and figures

against President Jonathan and must therefore conjure

up lies, innuendo and propaganda.

The APC’s attention is focused on the short term goal

of securing political power by whatever means

necessary. They have no long term focus of

transforming the lives of Nigerians. Who has been to

an APC rally, or heard an APC chief or chieftain being

interviewed and heard them talk about their plans for

the transformation of Nigeria?

Over the past year, as if choreographed, APC leaders

have talked about 2015 in terms of doom, soaking

people in blood, civil war, destruction and such militant

language. Politicians ought to think in terms of welfare

for the people not warfare for them. Talks of blood/war

in 2015 are a result of poverty of vision. They have no

vision so they feel must use scare tactics.

What makes these yesterday’s men bitter enough to

call for blood and gore? I posit that it is the misuse of

the opportunities God gave them and the refusal to

accept that it has shifted to others.

While the President stays on point talking about his

vision for the future, their focus is on insulting and

disparaging him. A persuasive leader is not weak and a

coercive leader is not strong. Anyone can compel

obedience by force but only the strong get it by non

violent persuasion.

I often encounter people on Social Media telling me

that the President and his team do not fight fire with

fire and insults with insults. Insults are available to

everyone but they are overlooked by those who want to

rise but embraced by those who want to pull the risers

down.

The Jonathan presidency is run on ideas because at

the helm is a PhD leader who has voiced out severally

that he believes in transforming lives rather than

conforming to the status quo. Ideas are the building

blocks of the Transformation Agenda. Ideas lead to

cooperation thus expanding our sense of what is

possible. Insults leads to isolation thus limiting our

sense of what’s possible. This is the basic difference

between President Jonathan and the current

opposition.

They have called the President a “clueless” leader who

is running a “kindergarten presidency”, but do the facts

support what they claim.

The major leaders of the coalition of the desperate

otherwise known as the APC have at one time or the

other governed the whole of Nigeria or a major part of

it, so they should be able to compare their record side

by side the president and establish by such facts

whether or not their claims of a clueless leader has any

basis in fact.

Since they cannot do it, I will help them by bringing out

facts about the Jonathan administration vis a vis what

existed before this administration came to power.

They have said that the Nigerian Economy Under

President Jonathan has Retrogressed. Is this true?

Here are the Facts with web based evidence so that

my readers may trust what I write but verify for

themselves:

Under President Jonathan Nigeria’s Economy Has

Grown To Become The Largest Economy in Africa.

( tinyurl.com/pbbld8r )

In 2009 Nigeria’s Per Capita Income Was $1091.Today

it is $1721 and increase of almost 70% ( tinyurl.com/

y5tfwwd )

In 2007 Average Life Expectancy in Nigeria Was 47

Years. Today it is 52 Years ( tinyurl.com/yyl5xy2 )

In 2010 Inflation in Nigeria Was 15.60%. Today it is

7.9% ( tinyurl.com/6pyhylf )

In 2007 Maternal Mortality Rate Was 750 per 100,000

Births. Today It Is 580 ( tinyurl.com/lfr4jjb )

They have said that President Jonathan Does Not Fulfill

His Promises. Is this true?

Here are the Facts with web based evidence so that

my readers may trust what I write but verify for

themselves:

On August 26, 2010, President Jonathan Promised to

Privatize Nigeria’s Power Sector After Heavily Investing

in Improving It’s Infrastructure. On November 1, 2013,

That Promise Was Fulfilled After Successful Bidders

Took Delivery Nigeria’s Power Generation and

Distribution Companies.

Before President Jonathan Ascended to Power The

Southeast Had no International Airport. He Promised

The Southeast One in 2011. On the 24th of August

2013, The First International Flight Operated by

Ethiopian Airlines Landed at the New Akanu Ibiam

International Airport Enugu. ( tinyurl.com/ovodpla )

In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Revive the

Railways. By 2012 The Nigerian Railways Corporation

Began Operating a Lagos to Kano Service at the Cost

of Just 1500 Naira. In 2013 Rail lines Were Revived

From Lagos Port Direct to Kaduna. ( tinyurl.com/

dytx484 )

In 2010, President Jonathan promised to Build at Least

One Federal University in 12 States of The Federation

That Had No Federal Universities. These Include

Bayelsa State, Katsina State, Jigawa State, Taraba,

Kogi State, Nasarawa, Ekiti State, Ebony State, Gombe

State, Kebbi State, Yobe State and Zamfara States.

Today, ALL of These States Have One Federal

University Each.

In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Build Schools

for Itinerant Scholars in The North Known as Almajiri.

As at Today, 123 Almajiri Model Schools Equipped With

Malam’s Quarters, Hostels, Qu’ranic Recitation Hall

and Science Laboratories Have Been Completed While

277 Are Awaited.

In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Rebuild or

Repair Nigeria’s Roads. This Advert From ABC

Transport Company (a Private Company) Is Proof He Is

Fulfilling This Promise

In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Revive

Nigeria’s Health Sector. By 2013 His Administration

Has Built 3389 Heath Centers Nationwide. This

Administration Built National Cancer Screening Centers

nationwide, including at the Federal Medical Centre,

Gusau in Zamfara, The University of Port-Harcourt

Teaching Hospital and the National Obstetric Fistula

Centre in Abakaliki. The Jonathan Led FG By 2013 Has

Modernized the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching

Hospital, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital

(UBTH) and the University College Hospital (UCH),

Ibadan and Built National Trauma Centers at the

University of Abuja and the National Hospital also in

Abuja.

These Investments in the Health Sector Led to the First

Stem Cell Transplant Surgery Ever in Nigeria at UBTH

in 2012. By October 2013 UCH Performed the First

Open Heart Surgery in Nigeria.

In 2010 President Jonathan Promised to Overhaul

Nigeria’s Football and Sports Administration for Better

Service Delivery. In 2013 Nigeria are the African

Champions after Winning the 2013 African Cup of

Nations in South Africa. We are Also the World Under

17 Champions After winning The 2013 U-17

Tournament in The UAE. Nigeria Also Became the First

African Nation to Qualify for the 2014 World Cup in

Brazil.

In 2010 President Jonathan Promised That Agriculture

Would Be Revived. In 2011 Nigeria Imported $11 Billion

Worth of Food Especially Rice and Wheat. In 2013,

After the Introduction of Cassava Flour and The Duty

on Imported Rice Which Led to Massive Local

Production, Nigeria’s food Import Bill Has Been

Reduced by 77%.

3 Million Jobs Have Been Created in the Agriculture

Value Chain Since 2011. And Nigeria is amongst only a

handful of countries that improved over the previous

year I. The 2013 Global Hunger Index.

Fiction: Educational Standards are Falling in Nigeria.

Fact: In 2009 only 25.99 per cent of candidates had

credits in English and Mathematics in the WASSCE

examinations. By 2013 70% of students had credits in

at least 5 subjects.

Conclusion: Don’t Judge President Goodluck Jonathan

and This Administration on the Fiction That Opposition

Linked Propagandist Media Publish. Learn to Separate

Facts From Fiction.

Rega

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