I
Dear Omoyele Sowore,
RE: Sahara Reporters on “Culture of Waste and Insensitivity” and the 18th AU Summit
I observe that you have made no effort, following my earlier explanations, to amend your story titled “Culture of Waste And Insensitivity Continues As Mrs. Jonathan Arrives Addis Ababa With 32 Aides” (Sahara Reporters), and have allowed your readers to rely on deliberate misinformation. The story in question does not reflect the true state of affairs with regard to the President’s delegation to the 18th annual African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I therefore want to set the records straight by making the following observations:
Continue reading...
1. There is only one Nigerian Delegation to this summit not two as your report suggests. Specifically, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has no delegation, official or unofficial, to this summit, and she did not arrive in Addis Ababa with “32 aides.”
2. You correctly reported that Mr. President travelled with a “25-person delegation to Addis Ababa for the 18th African Union Summit” but after salting your story with a dash of hype and peppering it with innuendo you have managed to cook up the impression that there are 57 Nigerian delegates in Addis Ababa. This is not fair.
3. The Nigerian Entourage list contains 35 names in total, however three of those whose names are listed did not join the delegation and the total number of delegates in Addis Ababa is not more than 32. This includes two Senators (the Chair of the Senate committee on NEPAD and another member), a member of the House of Representatives (NEPAD House of Reps), essential aides of the First couple, and Foreign Ministry Officials. Mr. President meant every word of it when he said that only persons who have work to do will be allowed to travel, officially.
4. As you well know, Nigeria is a free country; President Jonathan cannot prevent Nigerians from travelling to Ethiopia or anywhere else without good reason, legal sanction or authority. If there are other Nigerians in Addis Ababa, they are certainly not official delegates, and they have nothing to do with the First Lady.
5. It has become Sahara Reporters’ favourite sport to taint and bait President Jonathan with hooks and details that are inconvenient with the truth. You do your readers and Nigeria no favours by this shrill and deliberate misrepresentation of information.
6. President Jonathan remains committed to the Constitution he swore to protect and defend. You have a responsibility to report the truth.
Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
January 29, 2012″
103 comments:
abeg make we hear o jare
Sahara reporters???? might as well be called national enquirer that reports unconfirmed political filth. I must admit I was a religious follower when they first started now they are just a destroy the current administrations efforts in what ever form necessary as long as the news can be sensationalized and blown out of proportion and most definitely unverified...*grunts*
rubbish!!!
sahara reporters can be too sensational though
wordddddd mr abati,tell this story to d marines
why are u bothered about what is been reported if ur president is doing the right thing have u heard Obama or BUSH or Blair respond to the press u are a total dumb
Hmmm me thinks the lady doth protest too much as they say. Funny how the office of the president chooses which battles to fight....
Pathetic really.
Make Abati go siddon joor. he don stain him hands like the rest of them & can lie freely too. Agbaya oshi.
Nonsense..cos u 160 million should you take 35 Delegates??..isn't that even too much...
All na wash
It shows that these knuckle heads are reading and know that people are watching.....they could only intimidate paper medias but can't supress the power of online media......Nigeria is heating up and the president could put traveling in his agenda......
He keeps up with Nigerian news? Hold up... so he KNOWS what's been going on in the country? Get out of here! I thought he was clueless.
I'm convinced his wife, the so called first lady runs the show and controls him. He's so quick to defend his wife, but not the country that he's the president of.
Jonathan, be a man. Your wife obviously wears the pant.
Mr. Abati we refuse diis ur half-baked truth, u r bin economical wit d fact. MR. GEJ should keep 2 his words also he should tame his wife, she & excesses are too much a burden & luxury 4 us 2 bear.
57, 32 what's the difference Mr Abbati?
Even if Sowore is lying at least it shows that the president will curb his own excess now. Word on the street has it that he had over 200 aides at the last CHOGM in Australia. I dont think that will repeat itself in future cos now he knows Naija is watching.
But the least SH can do is to publish this letter too
i muse to know and hear of Reuben Abati as a well respected journalist, but he has chosen to follow the way to his pocket, Reuben Abati if you really think you are honest then you start saying the truth, and stop all this protest to defend the president.
Essential aides? Lemme guess, some1 to pick his nose? He remains clueless as to what ails nigeria! And he serriously wanted to be AU president, when he hasn't sorted out nigeria! Oga gan o!
So Ruben is telling us that President and his wife has a total of 32 people on their entourage. What are they doing with 32 people? This is still too many and still a waste of resources. He should'nt be travelling with more than ten. I would love to know how many people the other Presidents took with them.
Why are you Nigerian and especially readers so full of shit! Someone reported a story that was obviously false.. The tru story was released to you and all you can say is "rubbish" or "make we hear word" and stuffs like that. The country is full of bastardized people who only thrive on lies or misfutune and other people's downfall. When are you guys going to see any good in anybody. I believe that even if some of you are voted into offices in Aso Rock, you will still not believe in yourself. You will always look out for wrong things. It's truly and really a matter of the heart. Change your mindset people and move forward. Nigeria can never be developed with the kind of people in it. It's such a damn pity. Get the he'll out of your cocoon and think positive.
Honestly Linda, its about time you come up with a way of monitoring some of the rubbish comments by some of your contributors, really.Its not always about criticizing for its sake. Some of those who thing Abati's response to the Sahara report is nonsense can't help but expose their ignorance and limitation of the ability of their faculties to grasp even simple issues. The allegation by SR is serious against the background of the recent fuel subsidy brouhaha and so required a response from Mr. President's image maker else it becomes a deriliction of duty. Seriously, sensationalism won't get us no where and can't augur well for the polity particularly for the likes of some of the gullible respondents with the misplaced fortune of gaining access to LIB.
Oh plz, Obama and Bush always respond to media all d time, so dnt even go der. There is nothing wrong with what GEJ did. Remember dat its not jst bout his wife,dey hav reported false news bout him multiple times,this was jst the last straw I guess. He did d rational thing! Sahara reporters are knwon for smearing images and spreading junk, dey even had issues with aljezera in recent times, all cuz of dia stupid half baked stories and aljezera challenged dem,den dey avoided d matter.d sad thing is dat dz are d sources many people run to for information, copy paste and start sending stupid misinforming broadcasts dat end up social media sites and blackberrys and enrage d masses over nothing. No politician is a saint, yes, but people shud report facts and stop causing chaos.
Lwkmd!!!
I kno for them? Awon oloshi *mummy tunde*
@ orange..so happy am not d only one with my views. Thank Goodness I'm not alone! Very well said..people need 2 quit acting dissillusioned and negative..how do will change development and enlightenment come when we are so negative? Plz people need 2 rethink
Sounds like you have something to hide. How can the office of the President waste their time like this? Verdict...GUILTY! Next please...
Sahara stupid Reporters are based in America. Wot do dey know. Dey jst sit der spreading junk stories. Dat wz how dey said dat all blackberry network wud be disrupted during d mass protests? Up till today did dat ever happen??? I am asking oooo...and dis is jst 1 story, a stupid fabrication dat enraged so many..nw it didn't happn no1 will even mention d issue, had it been it trully hapnd dats how we won't rest.. I hissss in French
So make we kip on being positive, till we folo them enta grave abi, All the people, that are against wat sahara reported, should go and kiss a crocodile#agbaya brainz#
By their fruit u shall know dem, I hate their name sef" sahara reporters"..living up to their name...dryyyy...anytin to wet their scorching apetite..pls linda, research properly b4 posting stuffs in ur blog..I'm new here n loving it actually..thanx cheta for hooking me up!
Reuben Abati finally wakes up to his responsibilities!!!!!and he even begins to talk about what reports are fair and unfair,this drama keeps getting interesting,lets watch it unfold.
LINDA, many thanks for this balance of information.
Also, you need to take your stuff to another level please
Introduce your own website
intro skype talk, etc
allow people to contribute etc
dump information etc
We in diaspora are enjoying
More grease to your elbow
Once again
thanka
dey should go and hug transformer according to MI:mr incredible abi.
lol @ d people supporting GEJ! i refuse to believe that someone will still come on dis blog and try to defend GEJ despite all that GEJ has done and is doing in nigeria. gosh how can people be so blinded to the truth? people like orange, anon 11:33pm & anon 11:43pm would never know d truth even when it hits them on the head. staying positive doesnt provide security, electricity and d basic amenities in nigeria.
The apologist of the Jonathan administration made no attempt to specify the number of "essential aides" who were assigned to the delegation.
Blah,blah,blah!yada,yada,yada!32 aides, for what nau?
I see GEJ's stooges in full force here defending their boss. Mtshew! Keep it up folks. Very soon, Nigeria will sink like the titanic due to boko haram and then I will see which country GEJ will be president of.
Now they are paying SR notice, next they will settle them and they too will change camps like reuben abati
Why are you criticizing on what she let's out? Its called freedom of speech. Obvious one person is posting several replies, maybe the same that replied Sahara. What's the reply for the drunken behavior in Australia?
...and a big pant as well;d type they call kpata'nla or pint lol!
Nigeria governmnet is run on propaganda. Can Abati provide documentation to back his claims? Can he tell us how much exactly the trip is causing Nigerians? It's not enough to be exchanging words with Sahara Reporters. Abati should come out with proof. Shameless people in government. They have ran Nigeria economy aground. The pikin wey talk say him mama no go sleep, himself no go sleep. Abati Ole, Jonathan Ole, Iweala Ole. Ajibole, ole.
At least they are reading all the negative press about them. Good job Sahara reporters! As for Reuben Abati, I had a lot of respect for him before he sold out. Hmmm..the things people do for money.
I LOVE SAHARA REPORTERS!!!!
Since, most naijas are bunch of COWARDS, it's good to see Sowore and Abati.
It's good to have criticism, good or bad, just the way Fox news go after Obama all the time. I love Obama, but having critics, whether exaggerated or not, it makes you to be more aware, take more precaution and don't think you can just do whatever. YOU GO, SAHARA REPORTERS, KEEP IT UP!!!
Yes, so Sahara reporters exaggerated.....but thanks to them, now we know its was a 32 man delegation dat 'officially' attended the AU summit.....Now the million dollar question is, Y on earth do we need a 32 man delegation?????....its simply absurd. Y on earth does the Prez n First lady need so many ppl? To do wat??? Lay their beds??....dis same man who has told Nigerians to sacrifice isn't ready to do same. Truth be told GEJ needs to put his money where his mouth is!..... If it were his own personal money, will he take 32 ppl??? Enuf of wasting public funds abeg!!!
Reuben i want to believe you because i know you have integrity and a man of honour who would not want him name rubbished ---- But how many essential staff of the first couple ? you failed to say , let's put it mildly her friends abi ???????? is it necessary ?
Are you happy that yovi of benin republic defeated your ooga considering the aid finacially and otherwise we send to them , it's about time you brush your oga up , and make him get his acts right or else 2015 is just round the corner and we all be waiting for your story .
Anon12:10. Lol. Nice one.
BTW you can read Sahara reporter's reply here
http://247ureports.com/2012/01/saharareporters-replies-reuben-abati-re-sahara-reporters-on-culture-of-waste-and-insensitivity-and-the-18th-au-summit/
erm oga reuben na only 4 people u account for ooo.. what happened to the remaining 18
Ok, alright, odimma! Biko, do tell how many aides did she travel with???? Finish ur explanation nahhhhh. Onyioshi!
Abati please keep shut!The Nigerian youths and every other Nigerian Home and Abroad only see you as a HUGE TRAITOR to the true democracy and transparency that you preached before you crossed to the side of the government.You have no moral right or value to speak or even cough before Nigerians.Please keep shut!-RUBEN THE TRAITOR.
All you GEJ defenders shut up...isn't 32 aides still too much??????? Nigerians are jus dumb...the stupid spokesman opens his dirty mouth to say 32 aides and you are happy??? Bloody ignornant nigerians
Mr Abati.. Go chop chinchin. We don comot for ur back and ur mad president. Nigeria will stand again after ur deaths, all you thieves that are eating and dinning the nations wealth. U go fix come out and talk rubbish when u don chop in the nations CAKE.. U shall FALL, FAIL AND DIE like GOLIATH.... ALL OF YOU.. OLEEEEEEEEEEEE
@ I just can't send 11.10pm shaaarrrrrraaaapp u foooooool. So becos of the likes of u Linda should loose her numerous fans. R u her fada? D babe dey enjoy her life courtesy of her popularity and you wan spoil am. Even she sef dey receive serious yabis, tok less of morons like una. Mtcheeeeeew.ewu 10k. Commot for road make we (commentators) pass jooo.
People will believe what they want to believe even when the truth stares them in the face.
Linda Ikeji why didnt you upload my comment on ABati?Are u now one of them???
Lots of people are already frustrated, stressed from everyday life in Nigeria. Nigerian living takes its toll on the body.
Add to this the sensational headlines and something has to give. So people let out their frustration on easy targets. Whether the story is true or not, is not their concern.
Let us all face first our immediate leaders - governors.
No-one has "faced" their own governors in their own states. Governors have direct effect on what happens to us in our states and yet noone has really found out how they spend our money? We need to find out and they should account for it.
Have any of you ever seen the governor's entourage? We must not only look at international travel, but domestic cos they are spending our money.
The whole Nigerian system is rotten to the core. It needs an overhaul.
Even gateman at d ministry get entourage.
ode ma ni Mr ruben yii ke ooo, He shld just go and sleep jare... he shld leave sahare reporters alone jooooo. he shld go and face boko Haram jare.Idiotic corrupt Agbaya oshiii
SAHARA REPORTERS RESPOND!!!!
“Dear Reuben Abati,
“I read your cleverly written letter to me regarding our latest report on President Goodluck Jonathan’s junket to Ethiopia. In writing what purports to be a rejoinder, you deliberately left out details of our sms exchanges on the same issue. That omission, I suggest, was an attempt to evade the central issue raised in our report. Instead of confronting that issue – the list of delegates invited and sponsored by the Jonathan administration and his wife to Ethiopia – you chose to play a semantic game over what is a straight forward issue. I’ll respond to your rejoinder pointedly.
“1. You sent me a text message on Friday claiming that our report on the Ethiopia trip was false and malicious because, according to you, there was a “mix up” somewhere. I quickly responded, telling you that a truthful report could never be malicious. Thereafter, you sent another text saying you didn’t mean to criticize the report, but wanted to put matters straight. You proceeded to explain that there was only “one delegation” led by the president to Addis Ababa and that the number of people on the list was far lower than we reported. I quickly requested for the list. You responded by claiming that it was in your bag at your hotel room. However, you curiously sent another text claiming you couldn’t reach some people involved in getting the list as it was “past midnight” in Addis Ababa. My last text to you was a reminder that I would be waiting for your response regarding the list and size of the delegation. That response never came; instead, you released this letter that pretends to be a refutation, but is rather an attempt at obfuscation.
We maintain that “First Lady” Patience Jonathan traveled with a retinue of aides, friends and associates to the tune of 32 people. Their travels and accommodation were arranged and paid for by the Nigerian government.
For the concluding part...
http://saharareporters.com/press-release/%E2%80%9Cculture-waste-and-insensitivity%E2%80%9D-and-18th-au-summit-saharareporters-responds-reuben-a
sahara media hype regardless,i still believe its such huge waste taking along over30 delegates. i hope u realise that each delegate is entitled to feeding,hotel expenses,clothing expenses,out of base allowance and much more.
lets just call this what it is...WASTE,WASTE WASTE!
so is 32 not too much.what is 32 people doing there,i beg it is the same.
U dey craze,ur fada mst b one of d thieves,idiot lik u.watz d diffrnc btw 32 n 50sumtin.d bottomline is dey r still 2mch.comot 4 here
Even photo confirm am. Abi the photographers dey lie too. abegi, make you tell all this bullcrap to your children as bedtime story. Naija don get sense pass this kain trash!
Useless sahara reporters...all d report is junk ! Sorry for those that run to them for misinformation
At Anonymous 3:10 pm. Grow up, seriously. You shouldn't be tossed hether and thether by every wind of news publication you come across. Do develop the ability of sifting the chaff from the wheat and read between the lines; that way, you won't be misled. Try it, its a no brainer. Even Chimps taught to read have manged to develop that ability, so u can, if only you believe you can.
But common, what is the first lady doing in AU meeting? The constitution does not recognize the word "first lady" as a person. Did all the heads of states come with there wives? I am however, happy that they know that Nigerians are watching them. But any way shaa, Sahara Reporters is always anti Government.
Fools who have been misled by NTA are believing this letter from the government. Sahara Reporters at the is not controlled by the Government and as a result, have the freedom to publish the Truth. They have enlightened Nigerians inside and outside the country about the current events in Nigeria and are not afraid to tell the truth.
R u a lawyer?
for the sakes of commenting Mr Abati should know that u dont allow a person tell ur story. his team and the un-informed minister of information should mke sure they publish the truth b4 any one else that way no one can turn the thing around against the government..
medicine after death.. typical nigerian way of doing thing..
This half assed statement even makes the whole thing worse..lol.At the end of the day, 32 people are still too many from one country...
Thank you Abiti, for setting the story right. Sadly people want to believe only lies about their own country but its good, there are people out there who would want to also believe the truth.
Hey guys,go and read sahara reporter's response to Abati's claim. Let us reason together...
Sahara reporters na propaganda reports...
Linda, compare these two videos of the same event. The first was the doctored one presented by sahara reporters to make it look as if the minister was sitting while the national anthem was being sang while the second represents what actually transpired...
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa8nlCQ0Lzo
2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBfw_jA2_ZQ
Why will Abati not cover up for his Boss, if na u nko. He is jst telling story had it been he is not given appointment, he would have been the first to publish it on TheGuardian
whether nah 35 000 or no be 35 oooo it is still too much fullstop so abati and jona go and tell your stories of defending to the birds we naija no wan hear una voice nonsense okay!!! 35 and he is coming out to defend that number SMH, lond hissss and rolling my eyes infact *yawning* next?
Well, Linda, you and other media outlets should learn in future not to trust Sahara Reporters- I told you that before but you chose to ignore my advice- anyway, now you know the truth. Listen, readers, if you see a publication peppered with poor grammar, bad spellings and lack of consistency, then you should know it is a publication you can't trust. I don't know why Nigerian bloggers are so lazy and journalists don't check the accuracy of their works before printing it these days. The Concord, Vanguard and Punch newspapers used to be so good but now.... well, I won't comment anymore but at least you can catch my drift
Here is d response from SR
Dear Reuben Abati: I read your cleverly written letter to me regarding our latest report on President Goodluck Jonathan's junket to Ethiopia. In writing what purports to be a rejoinder, you deliberately left out details of our sms exchanges on the same issue. That omission, I suggest, was an attempt to evade the central issue raised in our report. Instead of confronting that issue – the list of delegates invited and sponsored by the Jonathan administration and his wife to Ethiopia – you chose to play a semantic game over what is a straight forward issue. I'll respond to your rejoinder pointedly.
1. You sent me a text message on Friday claiming that our report on the Ethiopia trip was false and malicious because, according to you, there was a "mix up" somewhere. I quickly responded, telling you that a truthful report could never be malicious. Thereafter, you sent another text saying you didn't mean to criticize the report, but wanted to put matters straight. You proceeded to explain that there was only "one delegation" led by the president to Addis Ababa and that the number of people on the list was far lower than we reported. I quickly requested for the list. You responded by claiming that it was in your bag at your hotel room. However, you curiously sent another text claiming you couldn't reach some people involved in getting the list as it was "past midnight" in Addis Ababa. My last text to you was a reminder that I would be waiting for your response regarding the list and size of the delegation. That response never came; instead, you released this letter that pretends to be a refutation, but is rather an attempt at obfuscation.
2. You claimed that there was a single list of delegates to Ethiopia. That claim amounts to a puerile effort to conceal the fact that Mrs. Patience Jonathan was attending a program of African First Ladies which was different from the AU summit being attended by President Jonathan. This meant that the "First Lady" was traveling with a retinue of staff, associates and hangers-on to aid or support her “official” activities at a separate event from that of President Jonathan.
hello sir reuben,SR reports a total of 52 or is it 62?you have confirmed 32.in my opinion its still too high.and then you tell us Nigeria is a free country and other Nigerians could have made the trip on their own.i really do not believe you sir.it is good to know that the government is following online news so i hope in the nearest future,you will read all publications online as most serious newspapers are now online and save tax payers money by budgeting 42million naira for newspapers as the 2012 budget highlights.
SR may report a lot of exaggerated news but lets be honest in accepting that they usually break the news first even if somewhat exaggerated.there is no smo9ke without fire.
Mr. spokesman to the President, is 35 or 32 as you said not still on the high side? We are talking about cutting down cost and you are justifying a 32 man delegation accompanying the President to the AU. Go hide your face in shame.
Sowore is finer than this sha...I love Saharareporters..its not easy to be a journalist!
Sahara Reporter's response:
http://saharareporters.com/press-release/%E2%80%9Cculture-waste-and-insensitivity%E2%80%9D-and-18th-au-summit-saharareporters-responds-reuben-a
I am glad that Sahara Reporters has been uncovered as liars 90 percent of the time. What happened to the guy? He used have his heart in the right place but something snapped. Now he has no credibility
thunder fire all politicians wey no want make Nigeria better.i know Abbati is lying.Remember judgement day in Nigeria is at hand...make dem continue all their thieving
This explanation/rebuttal would be more meaningful to me if Mr. Abati had specified the exact numbers of people in the various groups he mentioned' 'essential aides' could mean anything. If, for argument's sake, there were up to 10 people who needed to be there, it still doesn't explain the remaining 22. My 5 Kobo...
Let's all try to be objective and open minded in what is being reported, even though there's freedom of speech we should endeavor to avoid an overkill of this preveledge. folks going around and reporting and saying sorry-ass things because they can get away with it. I will admonish us all to be more careful rather than hit up the polity withh sensational and unnecessary things. like the sorry ass traitor called bakere calling for a regime change during the strike for subsidy removal. He can only get away with that treasonable act because of the person of Jonathan, say that shit during OBJ's tenure and you will be spending some quality time in SSS jail trying to explain yourself. Or the statements made by some autocratic and ethnocentric presidential candidates who promised that the country will be made ungorvernable if they do not win the election and low and behold that is what is playing out now and you think boko haram is the engine behind all this shit going on up north? they are coming down south soon if you think y'all are immuned to this nonensense these hausa folks are doing. these guys need to have been arrested and tried for treason but nothing is happening because Jonathan is going out of his way and comfort zone to please them huasas.
Its an issue of trust. We do not trust them because dey too dey lie. Why is it that everything about government is always cotradictory. 2..3..4..5 DIFFERENT RESPONSES.
though am not sure what job a 35 man delegation would do in Addis Ababa because for me they are rather too much,but Sahara,has become a big disappointment.
errrmmm, 32 aides, i can bet my life dey were more than d@! i've seen dame arrive @ mia wit her entourage!!! who is dis abati tryn 2 deceive!
Like I said before, Sahara reporters fabricate the truth, how’s that different from the government? Nigeria will definitely survive all these ordeals but I promise you, it won’t be by telling lies. This is not the first story they have made up and it sure won’t be the last. They are doing these at this time when the good citizens of Nigeria will believe anything as long as it’s against the government. Yes, the truth is bitter but at the same time it shall set us free. I just pray Linda and the others will continue telling us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.. and believe me, Nigeria will survive.
This is the reason Nigeria is so backward.
There should be NO reason to be defending the government at this point. It's stupid that some IDIOTS do that. They FAILED, there's nothing there to defend. Whether, it's 32 or whatever it is, WHO FUCKING CARES.
My point is, it's nothing new or shocking that Nigerian government is TRASH, they spend millions to protect themselves but not the people of nigeria. The government sends the message of, as long as Book Haram don't attack Aso Rock, we don't care. But, the USELESS first lady is going to Ethiopia to do absolutely nothing, they make sure her safety is 100%. What about the security of the people?
And some want to sit there attacking sahara reporters. Are Nigerians that FOOLISH?
Oh I see, now concerning his wife, he wants to open his mouth and say something about the failed country. What about Jonathan, you act like a sensible president for once.
You can't because you are so CLUELESS. We are tired of it all. if Naijas themselves didn't allow these leaders to fool them for so long, Nigeria will not be where it is now. Which makes me question, if Nigerians have GOOD JUDGEMENT?
Nigerians, wake up and pick on IMPORTANT BATTLES, to fight.
Mr Abati, you have just shown us that poverty was your problem before joining this government. Now that they have called you to come and wine and dine with them, they have stuffed your throat with subsidy money that's why you feel you can come out and talk to Nigerians as if they are fools.
I am ashamed of you and whatever it is you stood for. Thank god Alex Ibru is not alive to see this show of shame!
SAHARA REPORTERS are a total disgrace. I concluded this after watching the video of them disrupting the town hall meeting. The fact that they edited the video to make it look like the officials sat through the national assembly made me loose my respect for them. I refuse to stay negative and antagonistic to the Government of the day. We as Nigerians need to grow up and stop being so negative. Ghana has that over us and keep laughing at us every time. Do you think Ghana is as fantastic as they sell it and we sell it? Well, they don't embarrass themselves the way we do and encourage others like Sahara reporters to do.
Jona..ode..still wasting money our nation's wealth getting his lackeys to come defend their pre-historic..roman times excessive gluttony..make una chop am die!!
I am no big fan of sahara reporters style of unconfirmed journalism. However, Abati shocked me as he sold his soul. He was always critical of other presidents and now GEJ does no wrong...well you can't bite the hand that feeds you, I suppose so close your eyes to injustice as long as you are getting paid.
sahara reporters can be too sensational though,Funny how the office of the president chooses which battles to fight....
mr abati u no dey shame...all those who they waste our money GOD go show dem pepperrrr!!!
Akuko!!!
I actually think she needs that much aids/entourage.... to make sure she doesn't speak in public!!!!
Nigeria leaders,una dey try o!!!!
Dear Reuben Abati: I read your cleverly written letter to me regarding our latest report on President Goodluck Jonathan’s junket to Ethiopia. In writing what purports to be a rejoinder, you deliberately left out details of our sms exchanges on the same issue. That omission, I suggest, was an attempt to evade the central issue raised in our report. Instead of confronting that issue – the list of delegates invited and sponsored by the Jonathan administration and his wife to Ethiopia – you chose to play a semantic game over what is a straight forward issue. I’ll respond to your rejoinder pointedly.
1. You sent me a text message on Friday claiming that our report on the Ethiopia trip was false and malicious because, according to you, there was a “mix up” somewhere. I quickly responded, telling you that a truthful report could never be malicious. Thereafter, you sent another text saying you didn’t mean to criticize the report, but wanted to put matters straight. You proceeded to explain that there was only “one delegation” led by the president to Addis Ababa and that the number of people on the list was far lower than we reported. I quickly requested for the list. You responded by claiming that it was in your bag at your hotel room. However, you curiously sent another text claiming you couldn’t reach some people involved in getting the list as it was “past midnight” in Addis Ababa. My last text to you was a reminder that I would be waiting for your response regarding the list and size of the delegation. That response never came; instead, you released this letter that pretends to be a refutation, but is rather an attempt at obfuscation.
2. You claimed that there was a single list of delegates to Ethiopia. That claim amounts to a puerile effort to conceal the fact that Mrs. Patience Jonathan was attending a program of African First Ladies which was different from the AU summit being attended by President Jonathan. This meant that the “First Lady” was traveling with a retinue of staff, associates and hangers-on to aid or support her “official” activities at a separate event from that of President Jonathan.
3. As the president’s chief spokesman, you ought to have the delegate list. I challenge you then to provide the public with a breakdown of Mr. Jonathan’s “one delegation entourage” to Addis Ababa, categorized in order of designation of officials, their date of travel, mode of travel, and explanation of whether they were part of the advance party or arrived in Addis Ababa in the same aircraft as the President – or in an extra aircraft that was deployed.
4. From your letter, it is clear that you concede that some “Nigerians” may have traveled with the delegation “unofficially.” Does this technical admission not defeat your initial insistence that there was only “one delegation”?
5. SaharaReporters has a history of documenting the culture of waste occasioned by the profligate junkets by the Presidency. We are glad that your principal appears to have realized that wasteful trips need to be eliminated and the size of delegations cut – especially after the president’s scandalous outing in Perth, Australia where an out-of-control delegation engaged in waste, corruption and even broke Australian laws. 6. We maintain that “First Lady” Patience Jonathan traveled with a retinue of aides, friends and associates to the tune of 32 people. Their travels and accommodation were arranged and paid for by the Nigerian government. What you owe the public is an obligation to be transparent. In this event, that entails releasing your official delegates’ list as well as names of associates, contractors, friends and “other Nigerians” the government gave a nod to visit along with the president and his wife on this trip to Addis Ababa.
In other words, we await the release of that list that you claimed was in your bag in the hotel room in Addis Ababa. Thank you
Sincerely,
Omoyele Sowore
NIGERIANS NEED TO GET A GRIP!!!!! WE ALL KNOW SAHARA REPORTERS ARE ALL ABOUT BLOWING THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION, SO WHY WOULD YOU DECIDE TO BELIEVE THEM OVER ABATI/GEJ.PLS BASE UR CRITISMS ON FACTS AND NOT JUST EMOTIONS, EMOTIONS WILL GET US NOWHERE.
Sahara reporters might end up instigating a civil war with their fake gist. I am for good governance but totally against poorly written unconfirmed reports. President Jonathan should give us at least constant power supply then maybe morons like sahara reporters will keep quiet.
Just curious to know how easy is it in Nigeria to obtain factual information from the office of Abati on Presidential delegates to the AU, without being told is non of your business? Information that is your right to know as a citizen?
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