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ABUJA REVIEW
THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015
ITH about a month to
the handover date,
President Goodluck WJonathan has started to receive
dignitaries on a thank-you and
farewell visits from beyond the
national borders.
One of the first visitors was
President Alassane Ouattara of
Cote d’Ivoire who was at the Presidential
Villa on Monday last
week to thank him for all the support
he has given him and his
country in the past five years.
Briefing journalists after the
closed-door meeting, Ouattara,
who was recounting Jonathan’s
role that ensured Ouattara took
over from Laurent Gbagbo who
was hanging onto power in 2010
in Cote d’Ivoire, became a bit
emotional as the two leaders
managed to fight back tears during
the session.
He was particularly grateful that
Jonathan, who was Nigeria’s Acting
President five years ago could
mobilise other West African leaders
to oust Laurent Gbagbo, who
had refused to relinquish power
after losing the presidential election.
Besides commending Jonathan
for shunning replay of the
Gbagbo experience in Nigeria, he
was happy that bloodshed was
averted in the country as Jonathan
peacefully conceded defeat to
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat
to him after the presidential
election, he said, resulted in a
four-month civil war in which
over 3, 000 people lost their lives.
He said: “So, I wanted to tell you
our appreciation over the leadership
we have received from you
during these years. You know that
about five years ago, Cote
d’Ivoire had elections and I won
the election and the former president
decided not to leave
office. This brought the civil war
and 3,000 people were killed.”
“We were put in a hotel for protection
by the United Nations for
four and a half months. We were
there without food because the
hotel was guarded by the
president’s men. It was only after
four and a half months of imprisonment
in that hotel that finally
we were able to leave the hotel;
after the former president quit
and finally left office for me.”
“I am saying this to stress that
what happened in Nigeria is a lesson
to all of us. Please, accept my
admiration. I think that avoiding
violence, avoiding civil war when
we have elections in Africa should
be our utmost objective,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “People are
more important than power and
Mr. President, my good friend, I am
not surprised about what you did
and I wanted to congratulate you,
congratulate the Nigerian people
and congratulate the Presidentelect.
“My brother, you have shown
support to me during the difficult
years I went through, you have
shown friendship to me all these
years. So, I want to tell you thank
you.” he added.
The following day, Tuesday, the
Ghanaian President, John Mahama,
who is also the chairman of the Economic
Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) also, visited
President Jonathan to commend
him on behalf of ECOWAS for his
statesmanship in conceding defeat
to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “I also took the opportunity
to commend him for the statesmanship
that was displayed after
the election. We all knew that he
congratulated the president-elect,
Igbo seek scrapping
of land-swap policy
INVESTORS in the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) have called on
the incoming administration of
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to scrap
the land swap policy which was introduced
by the FCT Minister, Senator
Bala Mohommed, saying that
the policy is against the interest of
the natives and residents of the territory.
The Chairman of Zaudan Pazeri
Property Owners’ Association, Elder
Friday Ugoala, who spoke on
behalf of residents of the FCT at a
news conference in Abuja, said if
the land swap is allowed to continue,
the rate of accommodation
or services that would arise from it
will be beyond the reach of the common
Nigerian who resides in the
capital city.
According to Ugoala, if the land
swap policy is scrapped, the average
Nigerian will have hope to acquire
land and build it at his own
pace. He debunked the notion that
From Gbenga Omokhunu
the FCT is not meant for everybody,
adding that they will have the hope
of having a home to stay in the FCT.
“Also, the land swap policy is
against the natives of the FCT, because,
many of them would be sent
out of their ancestral communities
for strangers to come and occupy,
all in the name of land swap. The
truth is that the greatest humiliation
you can give to a man is to send him
out of his ancestral home, where his
ancestors were buried. This is not
right.
“If the land swap policy is not
scrapped, I do not know how many
of the natives can afford the price
the estate developers would place
their houses when constructed, because
most of them would be out to
make money with their structures,
without considering if the common
man could afford it or not. The
Enter farewell visitors
From
the
Villa
By Augustine Ehikioya
policy is a conduit for corruption,
because it encourages corruption and
injustice.
“There are many cases where individuals
have been awarded plots of
land, just for the fact that their files
are being processed in the FCDA office.
The next thing is that they jump
Gen. Buhari after the election realities
and he conceded. I feel that was
a very great sign of maturity and
has earned the respect of all Nigerians
and the respect of the international
community for all what he
did.
“We expect a smooth transition
and possibly the role that Nigeria
plays in the ECOWAS being the
biggest economy not only in our
sub-region but also in the whole
continent.
“Of course there is a special relationship
that exists between Nigeria
and Ghana too and so, in my
second heart as the President of
Ghana, I wish to congratulate our
brothers and sisters in Nigeria on
what has been a very good election,”
he said.
To ensure continued support
from Nigeria after May 29, these
leaders did not fail to seek audience
with the President-elect, Gen.
Buhari, during their visits.
Jonathan and Buhari, no doubt,
will continue to receive such visits
upon allocation and they hand it over,
saying that it has been swapped.
There is capital vote approved for the
FCT Administration, but the logic
they gave for the land swap is that it
is saving the government the cost of
infrastructure, whereas there is budget
for infrastructure.
as the D-day approaches.
And Jonathan stings
Barely 10 minutes after bidding
the Ghanaian President, John
Mahama, farewell from the Presidential
Villa, Abuja on Tuesday the
defeat of President Goodluck
Jonathan at the March 28 Presidential
elections recorded its first casualty.
The President, through his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity,
Dr. Reuben Abati, announced
the sack of the Inspector-General of
Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba from
office.
The tone of the statement showed
that the Presidency was really angry
with the IGP as similar statements
normally avoid the use of
the word ‘sack’.
Although no reason was given in
the statement for the sack, his exit
was said not to be unconnected with
the role he was said to have played
during the 2015 general elections.
It is not clear whether the President,
in the coming days, will also
use his sledge hammer on politicians
in his party, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), who were
believed to have played roles that
had adversely affected his re-election
bid.
•From left: Justice Court of
Appeal, Abuja Division,
Justice Abdulkadir Jega,
Justice Court of Appeal,
Enugu Division, Justice
Amiru Sanusi and President
Court of Appeal, Justice
Zainab Adamu
Bulkachuwa during the
Retreat for Chairmen of
the Election Petition Tribunal
2015 at the FCT Ceremonial
Court Room in
Abuja.
PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN
“Within this period of land swap,
what new places and special things
have been done with the fund that
is supposed to have been saved as a
result of land swap? We have not
noticed tangible achievement in
terms of saving. So the land swap is
encouraging corruption,” he said.