Politics
Jonathan Very Patriotic, Never Clueless As President – Ex-Minister
Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Bolaji Abdulahi, has defended former President Goodluck Jonathan who had been roundly criticised as weak and clueless during his reign as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2010-2015, saying that the former President was neither weak nor clueless.
Abdulahi made the assertion in Port Harcourt at the weekend, during the first quarter August Meeting organised by Education Champion League Committee for the review of his book “On A Platter Of Gold – How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria”.
The former Minister, who also served as the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (2016-2018), disagreed with the widely held claims that the former President was weak and clueless but instead described him as a patriot.
He said: “Definitely he’s not weak, definitely he’s not clueless from my experience. The most important thing I know about him is that he’s very patriotic. As a patriot he’s also someone who’s careful about how he uses power.
“He understood the enormity of the powers of the President and he used to say that if he uses 30 percent of his power as President of Nigeria, he will become a dictator. So he’s someone who is careful and who is also reluctant to hurt people. So because of his reluctance to hurt people, it’s possible that some will interpret it to mean that he’s clueless”.
“Some of the things that he did at the time, some other people have done the same and even worse. So I think he was just a victim of the kind of politics of that time. I think if he had been president at this time, he would probably have had a different approach”.
Abdulahi who also is the author of “Sweet Sixteen”, described his latest book as an attempt of “a journalist trying to practice history”, saying he was inspired to write the book a long time ago.
He added that as a Minister, he did not see every event that played out from the point of view of a typical Nigerian politician but as a technocrat and a journalist with the irresistible urge to document what he saw in Nigerian power play.
He stressed; “I saw everything in government from a news angle, but soon realized that I couldn’t report all that I saw in government. I saw myself mainly as a journalist and technocrat not as a politician and realized that I was excluding myself from the mainstream but the journalistic instinct in me took a better part, so the book came forth”.
The former Minister, while commending the organisers of the event, added that what inspired him to write the book was to document for posterity the inner political intrigues, complications and complexities that played out during the former President’s meteoric rise to the highest office in Nigeria as President and his eventual loss of the coveted office.
Abdullahi said he was elated that the review of his book was part of the programme of the first quarter “August Meeting” by the organisers who also used the occasion to launch the Port Harcourt Education Champions League.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.