On Jonathan, Dame Patience and online news agencies
The heap of rubbish they have unleashed have also extended to his immediate family and acquaintances, friends, even serving ministers and all those perceived to be close to Jonathan. Among the various headlines were that the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, checked into Dubai Hospital; Stella Odua, minister’s wife, is a face of a discredited Lebanese […]
The heap of rubbish they have unleashed have also extended to his immediate family and acquaintances, friends, even serving ministers and all those perceived to be close to Jonathan. Among the various headlines were that the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, checked into Dubai Hospital; Stella Odua, minister’s wife, is a face of a discredited Lebanese firm with $1 billion Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) contracts, amongst others. These articles were, at best, the concoctions of mischievous minds aiming to lead the public wrongly or alter the positive synergy between the President and the Nigerian people.
The person of Dame Patience Jonathan and Mrs. Stella Odua Ogiemwonyi have not been found wanting of any wrongdoing bad behaviour to warrant such callous, misguided and misplaced castigation against them. It is clear that these articles are a product of gross conspiracy to stop the now emerging Goodluck Jonathan project of 2011.
It will suffice for Nigerians to know that Dame Patience Jonathan does not need to go to Dubai or Lebanon to buy gold. Without being modest, Nigeria boasts as one of the countries in the world where one can get the highest quality of gold delivered to your home without having to accumulate unnecessary travelling expenses and hotel bills. It is also a well-known fact that gold merchants in Nigeria parade better quality of gold and diamond than most of what is obtainable in the shops in Dubai and Lebanon.
The issue of Her Excellency travelling to buy gold and diamond is totally out of place and does not hold water. Rather, it is also on record that Dubai as at today, parades very good physioterapists who are specialized in the kind of leg pains that Mrs Jonathan complained about. That the First Lady, is having severe trouble with her legs and went on a private visit to a specialist in Dubai is nothing criminal. That she was in company of the Bola Shagaya does not mean she is insensitive to the feelings of the people. The decision to visit a specialist in Dubai was to reduce cost. Mrs Jonathan is mindful of the current socio-economic situation prevailing in the country and will not want to engage in spending thousands of dollars in an American hospital when she can get the same quality and value of treatment much cheaper in Dubai.
One cannot understand how accepting the call to national duty exposes one to intimidation, harassment and blackmail. The writer went on to insinuate that the president was having an indecent affair. Her Excellency, Dame Patience Jonathan is, perhaps, a First Lady with an attitude of lying low in the background and giving moral support to her husband. It is malicious to subject her to such pains like the writer did over the past few days, accusing her husband of immorality and trying to bring his image into disrepute.
Like the title, “those whom the gods want to kill, they first make mad, “the writer went on in their livid state of madness to further attack and denigrate the name of an illustrious daughter. One would wonder on an ordinary day the motive behind such criticism. In their delirious mind, they accused Mrs. Stella Odua Ogiemwonyi of facilitating Zakhem to get NNPC contracts in Nigeria. What they failed to tell their readers was that Zakhem is an internationally reputable company with 36 years of experience in the petrochemical and oil industry. That Zakhem is a major oil servicing company the world over cannot be over emphasized. That the company operates out of London and Houston, with best global practices is well-known to all and sundry. That they have built a high reputation for efficiency and delivery in the West African region is a testament to the hardwork they put into the oil industry in West Africa.
We are also aware of the machinations and agenda of fifth columnists to saturate the media with lies and propaganda against the person of the president in the weeks and months leading up to the 2011 Presidential elections. Their strategy of smear campaign against the president, his family and close friends-cum-supporters have shown their cowardice in facing real issues, at a time when elections are fought and won on real and objective issues. One wonders why they will not move beyond narrow interests and place the interest of Nigeria first. If they were unclear what Her Excellency, Dame Patience Jonathan,went to Dubai to do, they have the duty of asking whether or not the presidency is willing to stand for accountability and true governance by giving them a truthful answer. We are not against them blowing the whistle if they know an unscrupulous activity or conduct is taking place, but what we demand is disseminating genuine and truthful information based on facts and a true reflection of the realities on ground.
As stakeholders in the project Nigeria, we must not send mixed messages to the international community to give a feeling of unseriousness about our wellbeing or unity as a nation. We must clearly promote genuine character and integrity in all our future endeavours.
Garrick is the President of National Coalition for Greater Nigeria and writes from Abuja.