Some statesmen are touts, Jonathan says

Jonathan spoke yesterday at Presidential Villa, Abuja when a delegation of the Northern Elders Council visited him.He maintained that anyone making provocative utterances that could cause disaffection and set the country ablaze could not be described as a senior citizen. According to him, the so-called statesmen often do that because they do not get certain […]

Jonathan spoke yesterday at Presidential Villa, Abuja when a delegation of the Northern Elders Council visited him.
He maintained that anyone making provocative utterances that could cause disaffection and set the country ablaze could not be described as a senior citizen.
According to him, the so-called statesmen often do that because they do not get certain things they want.
It was not clear yesterday whether the President was taking a pot-shot at two former leaders – Generals Olusegun Obasajo and Muhammadu Buhari – who have made critical comments recently about his government.
The President said, “Some people call themselves statesmen, but they’re not statesmen, they’re just ordinary politicians.”
He added, “Are you building this country? Or are you a part of people who tell lies to destroy this country, to create enmity and make people who ordinarily would have been living together to fight themselves? Are you planning to set the country ablaze because you did not get that particular thing you want?”
“Some people are hiding under some clogs; some big names and creating a lot of problems … making provocative statements  … that will set this country ablaze and you tell me you’re a senior citizen.
“You are not a senior citizen, you can never be, you’re ordinary motor park tout, because if you’re a senior citizen, you’ll act like one”.
The president said he felt sad the younger ones “are beginning to see a Nigeria as if we’re so divided–A Nigeria that a Muslim and a Christian cannot sit down together.
“I was told that even the driver of Tafawa Balewa was a Christian. Our people lived together in those days, why not now that we’ve even modern ways of life? Our children leave us and go abroad; they stay together and do a lot of things together.
“But when we come back home, we begin to build walls–this is a southerner, this is a northerner, this is a Muslim, this is a Christians, this is a Yoruba man, this is an Hausa man, this is an Ijaw man, this is a Nupe man. Is that the way we’re going to develop our country?”
The president said Nigeria could not develop until the country gets to a level where the citizens are not discriminated against based on primordial privileges, but are treated based on their competences.
‘I don’t hate the North’
The president denied allegation that he hates the north, saying most of his aides were northerners; while he had also provided educational infrastructure in the region.
“Some people say Jonathan hates the north. I’ve heard that statement and I used to ask Namadi Sambo, “they say I hate the north, but you’re here”. I asked the National Security Adviser and my Principal Secretary the same thing. In fact my Principal Secretary has been my Principal Secretary since I was the deputy governor. “My Chief Detail, Yusuf from Borno State, has been with me since I was a deputy governor in Yenagoa and I see him as a good person and I’ve carried him along with me. So, I had to ask how can somebody wake up and say I hate the north”.
“When I came on board, I said even though as a country, we’ve the policy on paper, every state must get a federal government university. Out of the 12 federal universities created, nine were in the north; while three were in southern Nigeria. The only three states that had no federal university were Bayelsa, Ebonyi and Ekiti. Those who were in charge of the university establishment were not fair.
“For us to liberate ourselves, we must go to school. If I hate the north would I have done that? We talk about Almajiris education, we felt we must change. Luckily, we initiated it, but now state governments are keying into it because I know that it was education that liberated me”.
Jonathan referred to a report published by this newspaper last week about geographical spread of development projects saying he had queried relevant ministers over the issue.
The president said that the report showed that some mischievous Nigerians merely wanted to play politics and paint him black.
“Today, I saw a publication in Daily Trust showing projects that have been awarded by the federal government, the ones for the north east very small, south-south very many.
“I had to make photocopies and distributed to all the ministers and I asked; is it true this is how projects are skewed by this government because somebody wants to play politics? Because I’m a president from the south, I’ve taken all the projects to the south? And I said all the ministers must come up and tell me how the projects are being distributed across the country and if its skewed you, must tell me why it is so.
“One of the ministers incidentally is from the north. She is in charge of water resources and she said that publication cannot be true because the Kashimbila Dam alone, the value is more than the amount quoted in that paper.
“This is to show you how mischievous Nigerians are because you want to paint Jonathan bad. All of lies that have been told about this government, I promise you that I’m working with your son and I will not cheat any part of this country. The ministers can attest to how they run their budget, how many of them have I met and say you must put this in my village or my zone? The ministers are here, you can ask them”.
North endorsed power shift – Yakasai says
The chairman of the Northern Elders Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, said Nigeria was created in such a way that no part of the country could rule without the support of other parts.
Yakasai, who said it was the north that endorsed the power shift that led to the emergence of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Jonathan added that it is unpatriotic for anybody to instigate people against any person or people because of a temporary gain, saying “Politics of insult, blackmail and castigation of individuals shall not take this country anywhere”.