Newspaper publisher wins Jonathan’s car gift

On January 20, President Goodluck Jonathan played host to a delegation of business community from Anambra State led by the then state governor, Peter Obi. At that meeting, the President stressed the need for the Federal Government to industrialise if the country must become great as expected by all.

To this end, he said his administration would continue to encourage industrialists in the country. The President expressed the belief that with the measures put in place by his administration, especially the new National Automotive Industry Policy, the country would soon be exporting cars to other countries.

“We are totally committed to creating jobs. Nigeria is a country with huge population of youth. If jobs are not created, there will be crisis. The housing, agriculture and power sectors are also receiving attention. In the next few years, Nigeria will begin to export cars to other countries. We are encouraging government to support local manufacturers,” he had declared.

The President must have mentioned this because of the presence of the Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturer Company Limited, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma. The company has been producing made-in-Nigeria vehicles of different kinds.

On March 4, Obi who was about leaving office led another state delegation on a thank-you visit to the President. Again, Chukwuma was part of that team. It was at that second visit that Jonathan told the delegation that a newspaper took him up on his declaration during their first visit.

The President told them that the newspaper produced a cartoon in which the cartoonist said Nigeria will only be exporting vehicles to his (the President’s) hometown, Otuoke in Bayelsa State. All members of the delegation laughed while Jonathan reiterated that promise.

If you think the President had forgotten about the issue, you are far from the truth. He raised the matter again in his remarks during the 2014 Democracy Day Interdenominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja on Sunday.

This time, he went a step further by saying that he would give the publisher of the newspaper that produced that cartoon one of the made-in-Nigeria cars by the time full export would have started. Although the President did not name the newspaper or the publisher, I am sure the winner of that car gift knows himself or herself and will be waiting to claim it when the time comes.

I hope more cartoonists will not quickly go to work now in order to win cars for their publishers. Maybe I should also re-echo the words of the cartoonist in this column so that I can also win a presidential gift. After all, the President himself got locally-made cars as gifts from Nissan on Thursday. The cars included Nissan Patrol SUV, Nissan Almera (Sunny) saloon car and Nissan NP 300 Pick-Up.

When ministers, others join BringBackOurGirls campaign in style

A team of #BringBackOurGirls campaigners led by a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwezili, has been in the forefront of the protests calling for the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State on April 14.

The group which has its operational base at the Unity Fountain near Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja had embarked on several peaceful public protests on the matter. They have marched to the National Assembly where leaders of both arms of the legislature addressed them.

When it became clear that the girls would not be released so soon as expected, they decided to march to the Villa and hear directly from the President. They chose last Thursday to embark on that protest.

But in the early hours of the day, security was quickly briefed up around the Villa in order to ensure that the protesters did not get access to the seat of power.

But to avoid a situation where he would be accused of shunning the protesters, Jonathan sent a delegation to deliver his message to them. The high-powered delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, included the Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide; Minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed; Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; Minister of Women Affairs, Zaynab Maina; Minister of Environment, Lawrencia Laraba; Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Sarah Jubril; Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, among others.

Almost all the female government officials appeared in red outfits in solidarity with the protesters who have chosen red T-shirts as their uniforms. Okupe also used a red veil. I initially thought he collected it from one of his female colleagues.

Members of the delegation had earlier met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Brig.-Gen. Jones Arogbofa (retd.), in his office apparently to strategise before setting out for the assignment.

They were driven in a Coaster bus in a convoy that also included vehicles for journalists and security agents to the Federal Secretariat within the Three Arms Zone where the protesters were restricted to. The spot is a few metres away from the Villa gate.

By the time members of the delegation arrived, the protesters who were trekking from their operational base were not there yet. They therefore retired into one of the offices in the secretariat, waiting for them.

A few minutes after, the protesters arrived. By that time, policemen had formed human shield on the highway preventing the campaigners from moving beyond the National Assembly gate to the Villa gate.

Message was then sent to the government officials who came out to join the protesters. Having listened patiently to the protesters, Akinjide read the President’s message to them flawlessly. That was after she had told them that as a mother of three daughters, she was also concerned about the abducted girls’ ordeal. They were all driven back to the Villa after the event. On arrival at the Villa, they again retired into Arogbofa’s office where they assessed their performance.

FG’s funny job creation mantra

President Jonathan had at different fora said job creation is at the centre of his administration’s transformation agenda. Some of those who attended an event to mark the 2014 Democracy Day at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Thursday were however taken aback that the video recordings of the event were contracted to oyinbos.

That was not the first time that happened. The same set of people were brought for the same service during the nation’s centenary celebration held at the same venue. The office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation organised the two events. I am sure we have Nigerians who can render that service, let us start to be looking inward please. Happy Democracy Day in arrears.