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Jonathan’s My Transition Hours an Elementary Book of Fiction – Borno Gov

Published

5 years ago

November 22, 2018

Eric

Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday dismissed the book former President Goodluck Jonathan launched on Tuesday as an “elementary book of fictions,” that lacks courage.

He said the book, ‘My Transition Hours,’ by the former president was a clever attempt to sweep incontrovertible facts on the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls under the carpet.

He also tongue-lashed the former president, who in the book among other allegations, says Shettima and the rest of the All Progressives Congress conspired in the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls.

Shettima said it was clear to him after reading the former president’s book, that “he still lives with poor understanding of issues under his presidency.”

Shettima, who said he read through the book Tuesday’s night, argued that Jonathan’s claim on page 31 that Boko Haram wanted a Muslim president was laughable because the insurgents actually began their deadliest attacks in Borno under the regime of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a Muslim from northern Nigeria.

He said the former president deliberately omitted in chapter four of his book, an investigative report submitted to him in June 2014 by the presidential facts-finding committee he constituted in May 2014, which was mandated to gather evidence-based facts and circumstances on the abduction.

Shettima, also in his reaction to the book, contained in a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, criticised the allegations contained in chapter four titled ‘The Chibok Schoolgirls Affair”, adding that Jonathan was wrong to have indicated that the schoolgirls’ abduction was a product of conspiracy by the then opposition All Progressives Congress and the Borno State Government.

He said that contrary to the claim by the former President that the Borno State Government and a former United States President Barack Obama undermined efforts to rescue the Chibok girls in 2014, the truth is that Jonathan never believed there was ever an abduction until rescue efforts were late.

“The former President’s elementary book of tales fell short of the courage required of him to publish findings by his own panel in chapter four of his book.

“The whole of Tuesday night, I took the pains of reading His Excellency, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s book, ‘My Transition Hours,’ from the first to the 177th page. I took particular interest in chapter four (the Chibok schoolgirls affair) which has 42 paragraphs written from pages 27 to 36. I was amused that despite admitting in paragraph 15 that he had (in May 2014) constituted a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee under Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo and many others “to investigate” the Chibok abduction, former President Jonathan refused to mention any part or whole of the findings by that panel which had submitted a highly investigative report to him on Friday, June 20, 2014, after the panel held investigative meetings with the then Chiefs of Defence Staff; Army Staff; Air Staff; the Director-General, Department of State Services and Inspector General of Police, met all security heads in Borno, visited Chibok, met with parents of abducted schoolgirls, met surviving students, interrogated officials of the school and the supervising ministry of education, interrogated officials of West African Examinations Council and analysed all correspondences.

“What has become very clear is that the former President decided to sit on facts in his custody while he published, in an elementary standard, a book of fictions designed to pass guilty verdicts to anyone but himself, with respect to the open failures of his administration to rescue our daughters and in tackling the Boko Haram challenges,” Shettima was quoted by his spokesman.

The governor declared that by refusing to publish any part of his own panel’s findings on the Chibok abduction, Jonathan’s book was nothing short of a presidential tale by midday.”

Shettima said, “For the records, on Tuesday, the 6th of May, 2014, President Jonathan had inaugurated multi-agency/stakeholder fact-finding panel under the chairmanship of Brig.-General Ibrahim Sabo (retd), a one-time director of military intelligence and also appointed a secretary from the Niger Delta. President Jonathan single-handedly selected all members of that committee which included his trustees amongst serving and retired security officers from the army, DSS and police; representatives of the United Nations and Economic Community of West African states, representatives of the Chibok community, local and international civil rights organisations, representatives of the National Council on Women Societies, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, among other persons he trusted.

“For almost two months, the probe panel undertook forensic assessment of all documents on the entire issues, held investigative meetings with parents of the schoolgirls during a visit to Chibok. The panel held separate one-on-one investigative meetings with myself, the then Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chiefs of Air and Naval Staff, met the then Director General of the DSS and the Inspector General of Police, all of whom were appointees of President Jonathan.

“The panel interrogated officials of Borno State Government including the Commissioner of Education and the school principal. The panel also held investigative meetings with heads of all security agencies in Borno State including security formations in charge of Chibok. At the end, the panel submitted its report directly to President Jonathan on Friday, the 20th of June, 2014 in Abuja. President Jonathan has refused to make public the findings submitted to him. I was expecting the findings in his book but he has deliberately swept that report under the carpet.

“However, I remember that on June 24, 2014, the ThisDay Newspaper claimed to have obtained a copy of the panel’s report and published as its lead, that painstaking findings by the presidential panel had indicted the military under Jonathan’s watch and completely absolved the Borno State Government of any blame regarding the Chibok abduction. The newspaper went further to say that panel actually commended efforts of the Borno State Government in its commitment to the fight against Boko Haram as testified by heads of security establishments.”

Shettima added, “We know for a fact that as vicious cycle of evil, Boko Haram fighters do not care about the religion of their targeted victims. They attack mosques and churches; they are lunatics who regard anyone who doesn’t share their ideology as an infidel. So, I wonder how the former President didn’t take time to understand the biggest challenge under his presidency.”

The governor advised Jonathan to write a second book on account of his presidency which should contain the facts as have been presented to him, regarding the Chibok abduction rather than the fiction he made public on Tuesday.

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I’ll Resign If Yaya Bello Eacapes Prosecution, EFCC Chair Vows

Published

12 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Eric

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has sworn to follow the prosecution of the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to a logical conclusion.

In a chat with journalists at the EFCC Headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja on Tuesday, the anti-graft crusader vowed to resign as EFCC chairman if Bello is not prosecuted.

He added that all those who obstructed the arrest of the former governor would be brought to justice.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

He said that no matter what anyone does or the amount of attack against the anti-graft agency, he and his men will not relent in helping to sanitise the country.

Olukoyede said the EFCC needs the support of Nigerians to succeed, emphasizing that if the agency fails, Nigeria fails. He stated that the efforts made currently have helped the value of the Naira and the foreign market.

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Kwibuka 30: Nigerian Community In Rwanda Visits Kigali Genocide Memorial

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Eric

By Dolapo Aina

The 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi commenced in Rwanda on Sunday, April 7, 2024. The commemoration is called Kwibuka which in Kinyarwanda means “to remember.”
For clarity and context, April 7th 2024 marked the start of Kwibuka 30, the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, which began on April 7th 1994. As with other commemorations, the Kigali Genocide Memorial was a focal point as the flame of remembrance was lit and global dignitaries placed wreaths at the mass graves. The memorial is normally closed to the public for part of the day on April 7th, with attendance at the lighting of the flame by invitation only.
In and around Kigali during the first week of the commemoration, a plethora of commemorations took place to mark Kwibuka 30 and different events took place during its first week in particular. Bars, clubs and public leisure facilities are usually closed for the week and this was so, this year.
The Nigerian Community in Rwanda marked Kwibuka 30 with a walk to the Kigali Genocide Memorial on Saturday, the 13th of April 2024. The walk had members (old, new and friends) of the Nigerian Community who gathered in the rain and walked to the location of the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi where the remains of over 250,000 people are interred.
A tour of the memorial complex ensued and the members of the Nigerian community watched a documentary in the viewing room. The documentary featured survivors of the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi who usually visit the memorial to pay their silent respect and reflections to loved ones who are buried in the burial grounds of the Genocide Memorial.
Walking through the hallways and rooms, Nigerians read the stories on the hallways and discussed amongst themselves. For some, it was their first time at the memorial, for others, it was the umpteenth visit. For Dolapo Aina, I have been visiting the memorial since April 2014 and for each visit (numbering close to 70 visits), I come out with a newer and clearer understanding. It was a sombre period going through the hallways and rooms as some people could not go through the emotions of going into the children’s room. Wreaths were laid at the grave site section and the members of the Nigerian community proceeded to a serene area of the complex facing the amphitheatre where there was a deep hour conversation with one of the officials of the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
Mr Jean Claude Mugisha (an official of the memorial in Gisozi) practically took the Nigerian community through the genesis of the history of Rwanda and the beginning of pogroms from the 1950s culminating in the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi. In Mr Mugabe words; “I have been able to forgive. Also, I am involved in unity and reconciliation activities and learning from the power of forgiveness.” Discussions also centred on justice systems, the role of Gacaca court system, reconciliation and nation building. Members of the Nigerian Community asked questions which were answered. Some of the questions triggered areas of collaboration.
Dolapo Aina got the thoughts of some Nigerians resident in Rwanda and who took part in the walk to the Genocide Memorial. Their responses were based on the following questions. Why did you partake in the walk organised by the Nigerian Community in Rwanda to commemorate Kwibuka 30? What was the experience like? Do describe your thoughts when you visited the Genocide Memorial? What stood out to you from the conversation the Nigerian Community had with officials of the Kigali Genocide Memorial? What lessons did you learn from the visit of the Nigerian Community to the Genocide Memorial?
Mr David Oboh in his words; “I partook in the walk to identify with a nation that experienced one of the worst crimes to humanity but today has become a beacon of hope to African nations that things can actually turn around for the better if you decide to. It was heart-wrenching seeing the bones and pictures of the victims murdered in cold blood by family members, neighbours and long-time friends.” On the third question about what stood out during the conversation, Mr Oboh said; “That a man after 15 years in jail came out and still committed murder because he thought he had killed everyone in a family. His mind had not left the past.” He also stated that; “The memorial is a reminder to all that history not forgotten cannot be repeated.”
In Ms. Mercy Odebode’s words: “It not my first time visiting the memorial but this was a different experience for me because it made me realise why Rwandans tend to certain things and also don’t do certain things. For example, viewing religions especially religious institutions like the church differently from the way Nigerians would view it.” She stated that what stood out for her was: “The peace education stood out for me.” On lessons learnt from the visit by the Nigerian community; “First spread peace and not hate. Secondly, forgiveness is not an obligation, you choose to forgive. However, it is good to educate people about forgiveness, educate to forgive and then you proceed with reconciliation.”
Mr. Ogah Ogbole stated that: “The walk by the Nigerian community is something I would not want to miss anytime. I have the opportunity to do so with my fellow countrymen. My experience visiting the memorial and my thoughts can be summed up as ⁠heartbreaking to see fellow Africans killed in cold blood, by their own brothers. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. What stood out for me during the conversation with the officials of the memorial was that Rwandans understand history; they know how to resolve conflict and they know how to move forward. And I learnt to love my brother and my neighbour. More especially, seeing the Rwandans committed to remain one despite the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi blows my mind.”
Another Nigerian, Mr Kelechi Anyanwu stated that: “Partaking in the walk organised by Nigerian Community in Rwanda to commemorate Kwibuka 30 is a civic responsibility which I owe the host country; to stand in solidarity with them at this time of remembrance and in all times. I have visited the genocide memorial site more than 20 times within the short period that I’ve lived here in Rwanda. And every time I visit, I weep. Never will I stop visiting because it offers and brings me close to the reality of sober reflection that one day we shall all be gone and will only be remembered by those we left behind and how we left, will matter. Did we impact their lives positively or negatively? What will you be remembered for?”
On the experience and thoughts about visiting, Mr Anyanwu went thus: “It is also a constant reminder of how desperately wicked people’s hearts can be. With few exceptions. Lions, the king of the jungle don’t kill lions even as animals. Howbeit human beings with 6th sense got to the level of committing such crime against humanity! Therefore, visiting the Genocide memorial site is to provoke the whys and hows and arrive at a conclusion of never again should we condole or tolerate the killing of each other. Let’s love and not hate. The tour and the speech by the officials were quite insightful and significant as it left us with a better understanding of the effects of genocidal damage to humanity. The process of restoration. restitution, rehabilitation and reuniting to rebuild a nation for all; are the testaments of genocide survivors.”

Another Nigerian, Mr Cosmas Anakwue stated; “I took part in the walk to support the Nigerian community and to support Rwanda’s commemoration of Kwibuka 30. My experience at the memorial was good as it was an eye opener; it was informative and educational. What stood out for me was the attention given to the Genocide events and how we can relate it to our history as Nigerians. And one of the lessons I learnt was that we should use our bad history as a building block for our various nations in unity, peace and progress.
According to Kwibuka Rwanda, Kwibuka marks a generational cycle since The Genocide Against The Tutsi was put to an end. And it is a time to reflect on Rwanda’s journey of rebuilding strength, resilience, and unity. It now falls to new generations to sustain and carry forward this progress, adapting to today’s global challenges to achieve Rwanda’s aspirations.
The Nigerian Community in Rwanda commenced commemorating Kwibuka with a walk to the Genocide memorial in 2019.

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Connect Initiative To Celebrate Gov. Umo Eno’s 60th Birthday With Empowerment Programme

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2024

Eric

Connect Initiative, a socio-political group of entrepreneurs and professionals is set to commemorate the 60th birthday of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno by empowering 60 vulnerable people from across the 31 Local Government Areas of the state.

The empowerment programme scheduled to hold in Uyo, the State capital on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 would witness the group presenting financial support to the beneficiaries.

According to a statement by the Connect Council“ Knowing full well His Excellency’s modest and humble disposition, we totally agree with his decision not to throw any huge party when many of our people are struggling to meet their basic needs, which has led the state government to establish the Bulk Purchase Agency and introduce a Food Sufficiency Intervention Programme which involves the distribution of free staple foodstuff: rice, beans and garri.

“For us at Connect Initiative, we believe we should support this noble vision of giving a boost to people at the grassroots. We believe that by helping these people develop, the beneficiaries can gain the power to sustain their livelihoods, achieve self-sufficiency and also contribute their quota to the development of our dear state.

The Council further stated “Governor Umo Eno has been in the forefront of efforts engendering business and economic growth with the creation of different initiatives including the establishment of the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Centre (Ibom-LED) aimed at cutting down poverty figures and providing unique opportunities for youths interested in making a career of their talents, thus his idea of not feeding them fish but teaching them how to fish is commendable.

Connect Initiative which was one of the groups that campaigned vigorously for Governor Umo Eno at the last gubernatorial election noted that in line with its pay-off line “connecting the dots”, it would henceforth be linking government’s programmes to the people at the grassroots with innovative and value-added projects that would have direct impact on the people.