Jonathan: We’ll Overcome Security Challenges Despite Sabotage
13 Dec 2014
By Jaiyeola Andrews
Nigeria ThisDay
President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday reiterated that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges despite “internal and external sabotage.”
The President spoke when he held a meeting with a group of actors and actresses at the Presidential Villa.
Jonathan said: "One of our greatest challenges is this security challenge. But we are working very hard. We have our frustrations, we have issues of sabotage - internal and external - but we are working very hard and by the grace of God, we will overcome."
He noted that the creative professionals had brought value to governance and social issues in the country.
Jonathan told his guests that they were not just entertainers, as they were creating a positive image for Nigeria.
"Most of us politicians are just busy generating negative issues. Everyday, they talk about corruption, governance and other issues. It is you people that pump the positive news in the system.
"You promote our culture and that is why Edem Duke has always been passionate about you. You even bring value reorientation which I appreciate so much in some of the films you act and some of the music you play.
"I recall as a Vice President, during one of our deliberations, one of the ministers raised concerns and urged you to reduce the voodoo and fetish things in your movies. But I said the way I see some of the films, they resemble the kind of things I use to read in Hardly Chase Novels when men were boys. In Hardly Chase, if you commit a crime you must surely pay for it.
"So, the way I look at the films, those who use negative powers never succeed in the end. Though I don't know much about the industry but watching it from my ordinary person's point of view, I have seen that they are rather preaching good values because negative powers will land you where you don't want to be and you should not go there. So I said you should be allowed to do what you are doing.
"You are much more than entertainers to people who want to relax. You are also changing the psyche of the youths and I know through your films and songs, some of them will begin to abhor making money through demons, making sacrifices, killing people because you will always pay a price for it. So I value that," Jonathan said.
He added that in terms of the economy, the creative professionals were adding so much to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"Before, it was a sector that was not even regarded but you have created so many jobs directly and indirectly. It is only the pirates that are a problem to us. So, you are a group we must adore, we must appreciate as true ambassadors actually if you talk about outside Nigeria.
"We thank you for what you are doing. We will continue to encourage and provide funds to assist those of you who may need some support to come up with what you intend to do because we believe in what you are doing.
"Yes, we have oil. Now, we are talking about budget. Everyday, we are shifting the benchmarks upward and downwards because you can never know the price of crude oil. An economy based on primary commodity will always have that problem and that is one of the key things about transformation."
He stressed that the nation must move from an economy based on primary commodities, to one based on creativity and knowledge.
"What you bring into the economy is not affected by temporary fluctuations or the price volatility of primary commodity like crude oil, solid minerals, diamonds and all that.
"Take Switzerland that has little or no natural resources, but has one of the most stable economies because of their creativity and knowledge. Japan for instance is almost sitting on a piece of rock and traumatised by seismic activities of volcanoes and other disasters every time; but their economy is solid because of knowledge.
"And that is why we are passionate about you. That is why I love you people so much and I appreciate what you are doing.
Today I'm seeing you in person unlike when I see you on the television. We are proud of you, the country is happy with you and we want to especially thank you for coming to give us that reassurance.
“You have been very supportive of the government because of the creative minds and that is what it should be because a government must be encouraged to work for the people. Yes, there are challenges, every government has challenges but when a government is in place, a government should be encouraged for that period.
"We have challenges presently even in our infrastructure but we are committed to expanding it be it in transportation, aviation, ports, roads, power infrastructure," the President said.a
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has responded strongly to the allegation of fraud levelled against it by former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), saying such claims were untrue.
The Corporation, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe, on Friday in Abuja, described Buhari's allegation as “political mischief”.
It further stated that if by making the allegation in his acceptance speech at the just concluded convention, Buhari wanted the Nigerian public to believe what he had said, then it might as well be good for him to concede that the allegation of a missing $2.8 billion oil money against the NNPC under his watch as minister of petroleum was true.
NNPC said that coming from a former petroleum minister under whose watch a similar allegation of fraud was made, Buhari’s statement smacks of political mischief as he should know better than to peddle “beer palour gossip as facts.”
Said NNPC: “It is sad that General Buhari, one of the founding fathers of the NNPC who himself has tasted of the virulent but false allegations deliberately concocted to cast the corporation and the public sector management of the nation’s oil and gas industry in bad light, would be the one to allege that NNPC runs two sets of account books, one for public consumption and another for insiders.
“We consider General Buhari’s allegation in bad taste as it is nothing but a deliberate political mischief calculated to cast the corporation in opprobrium all in a bid to shore up his political capital.
“We find it difficult to understand how a former head of state who has also served as minister of petroleum resources could believe that NNPC keeps two sets of account books to perpetrate fraud, knowing that NNPC is the most audited and scrutinised agency in the country.
"In the past one year alone, the corporation has had its books scrutinised and audited by the senate committee on finance and an external auditor, PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC). Is it possible for the accounting discrepancies insinuated by General Buhari to escape the attention of such internationally-acclaimed auditors? “And in any case, why would an alleged fraudulent corporation keep two sets of accounting books knowing that such could be used as evidence against it?.”
The statement continued: “We hereby state emphatically that NNPC neither keeps two sets of account books nor is aware of the existence of such as the corporation is run in line with international best practice.
“If General Buhari believes such false information that are usually the subject of beer parlour gossip was true, would he rather that the Nigerian public believe that the allegation of missing $2.8 billion oil money against the NNPC under his watch as minister of petroleum was true?”
It therefore asked the Nigerian public to discountenance the allegation as there was no iota of truth in it.
By Jaiyeola Andrews
Nigeria ThisDay
President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday reiterated that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges despite “internal and external sabotage.”
The President spoke when he held a meeting with a group of actors and actresses at the Presidential Villa.
Jonathan said: "One of our greatest challenges is this security challenge. But we are working very hard. We have our frustrations, we have issues of sabotage - internal and external - but we are working very hard and by the grace of God, we will overcome."
He noted that the creative professionals had brought value to governance and social issues in the country.
Jonathan told his guests that they were not just entertainers, as they were creating a positive image for Nigeria.
"Most of us politicians are just busy generating negative issues. Everyday, they talk about corruption, governance and other issues. It is you people that pump the positive news in the system.
"You promote our culture and that is why Edem Duke has always been passionate about you. You even bring value reorientation which I appreciate so much in some of the films you act and some of the music you play.
"I recall as a Vice President, during one of our deliberations, one of the ministers raised concerns and urged you to reduce the voodoo and fetish things in your movies. But I said the way I see some of the films, they resemble the kind of things I use to read in Hardly Chase Novels when men were boys. In Hardly Chase, if you commit a crime you must surely pay for it.
"So, the way I look at the films, those who use negative powers never succeed in the end. Though I don't know much about the industry but watching it from my ordinary person's point of view, I have seen that they are rather preaching good values because negative powers will land you where you don't want to be and you should not go there. So I said you should be allowed to do what you are doing.
"You are much more than entertainers to people who want to relax. You are also changing the psyche of the youths and I know through your films and songs, some of them will begin to abhor making money through demons, making sacrifices, killing people because you will always pay a price for it. So I value that," Jonathan said.
He added that in terms of the economy, the creative professionals were adding so much to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"Before, it was a sector that was not even regarded but you have created so many jobs directly and indirectly. It is only the pirates that are a problem to us. So, you are a group we must adore, we must appreciate as true ambassadors actually if you talk about outside Nigeria.
"We thank you for what you are doing. We will continue to encourage and provide funds to assist those of you who may need some support to come up with what you intend to do because we believe in what you are doing.
"Yes, we have oil. Now, we are talking about budget. Everyday, we are shifting the benchmarks upward and downwards because you can never know the price of crude oil. An economy based on primary commodity will always have that problem and that is one of the key things about transformation."
He stressed that the nation must move from an economy based on primary commodities, to one based on creativity and knowledge.
"What you bring into the economy is not affected by temporary fluctuations or the price volatility of primary commodity like crude oil, solid minerals, diamonds and all that.
"Take Switzerland that has little or no natural resources, but has one of the most stable economies because of their creativity and knowledge. Japan for instance is almost sitting on a piece of rock and traumatised by seismic activities of volcanoes and other disasters every time; but their economy is solid because of knowledge.
"And that is why we are passionate about you. That is why I love you people so much and I appreciate what you are doing.
Today I'm seeing you in person unlike when I see you on the television. We are proud of you, the country is happy with you and we want to especially thank you for coming to give us that reassurance.
“You have been very supportive of the government because of the creative minds and that is what it should be because a government must be encouraged to work for the people. Yes, there are challenges, every government has challenges but when a government is in place, a government should be encouraged for that period.
"We have challenges presently even in our infrastructure but we are committed to expanding it be it in transportation, aviation, ports, roads, power infrastructure," the President said.a
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has responded strongly to the allegation of fraud levelled against it by former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), saying such claims were untrue.
The Corporation, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe, on Friday in Abuja, described Buhari's allegation as “political mischief”.
It further stated that if by making the allegation in his acceptance speech at the just concluded convention, Buhari wanted the Nigerian public to believe what he had said, then it might as well be good for him to concede that the allegation of a missing $2.8 billion oil money against the NNPC under his watch as minister of petroleum was true.
NNPC said that coming from a former petroleum minister under whose watch a similar allegation of fraud was made, Buhari’s statement smacks of political mischief as he should know better than to peddle “beer palour gossip as facts.”
Said NNPC: “It is sad that General Buhari, one of the founding fathers of the NNPC who himself has tasted of the virulent but false allegations deliberately concocted to cast the corporation and the public sector management of the nation’s oil and gas industry in bad light, would be the one to allege that NNPC runs two sets of account books, one for public consumption and another for insiders.
“We consider General Buhari’s allegation in bad taste as it is nothing but a deliberate political mischief calculated to cast the corporation in opprobrium all in a bid to shore up his political capital.
“We find it difficult to understand how a former head of state who has also served as minister of petroleum resources could believe that NNPC keeps two sets of account books to perpetrate fraud, knowing that NNPC is the most audited and scrutinised agency in the country.
"In the past one year alone, the corporation has had its books scrutinised and audited by the senate committee on finance and an external auditor, PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC). Is it possible for the accounting discrepancies insinuated by General Buhari to escape the attention of such internationally-acclaimed auditors? “And in any case, why would an alleged fraudulent corporation keep two sets of accounting books knowing that such could be used as evidence against it?.”
The statement continued: “We hereby state emphatically that NNPC neither keeps two sets of account books nor is aware of the existence of such as the corporation is run in line with international best practice.
“If General Buhari believes such false information that are usually the subject of beer parlour gossip was true, would he rather that the Nigerian public believe that the allegation of missing $2.8 billion oil money against the NNPC under his watch as minister of petroleum was true?”
It therefore asked the Nigerian public to discountenance the allegation as there was no iota of truth in it.
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