Your president's broadcast below...
Dear Compatriots,
1. A week ago, I had cause to address Nigerians on the security challenges we are facing in parts of the country, which necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 Local Government Areas in four states of the Federation. That course of action attracted widespread support and a demonstration of understanding. With that declaration, government had again signaled its intention to combat terrorism with renewed vigour and to assure every Nigerian of safety.
1. A week ago, I had cause to address Nigerians on the security challenges we are facing in parts of the country, which necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 Local Government Areas in four states of the Federation. That course of action attracted widespread support and a demonstration of understanding. With that declaration, government had again signaled its intention to combat terrorism with renewed vigour and to assure every Nigerian of safety.
The rest of it is blah blah blah, but you can continue to read if you care to...
2. The support that we have received in the fight against terrorism from concerned Nigerians at home and abroad has been remarkable. We believe that it is with such continued support that progress can be made on national issues. Let me express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has expressed a commitment to support us as we strive to improve on the country’s security situation, and build a stronger foundation for the future. The recent mindless acts of violence in Gombe, Potiskum, Jimeta-Yola and Mubi are unfortunate. I urge all Nigerians to eschew bitterness and acrimony and live together in harmony and peace. Wherever there is any threat to public peace, our security agencies will enforce the law, without fear or favour.
3. This evening, I address you, again, with much concern over an issue that borders on the national economy, the oil industry and national progress. As part of our efforts to transform the economy and guarantee prosperity for all Nigerians, Government, a few days ago, announced further deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. The immediate effect of this has been the removal of the subsidy on petrol.
4. Since the announcement, there have been mixed reactions to the policy. Let me seize this opportunity to assure all Nigerians that I feel the pain that you all feel. I personally feel pained to see the sharp increase in transport fares and the prices of goods and services. I share the anguish of all persons who had travelled out of their stations, who had to pay more on the return leg of their journeys.
5. If I were not here to lead the process of national renewal, if I were in your shoes at this moment, I probably would have reacted in the same manner as some of our compatriots, or hold the same critical views about government. But I need to use this opportunity as your President to address Nigerians on the realities on the ground, and why we chose to act as we did. I know that these are not easy times. But tough choices have to be made to safeguard the economy and our collective survival as a nation.
6. My fellow Nigerians, the truth is that we are all faced with two basic choices with regard to the management of the downstream petroleum sector: either we deregulate and survive economically, or we continue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy and potential for growth, and face serious consequences.
7. As you all know, the subject of deregulation is not new, we have been grappling with it for more than two decades. Previous administrations tinkered with the pump price of petroleum products, and were unable to effect complete deregulation of the downstream sector. This approach has not worked. If it did, we would not be here talking about deregulation today. I understand fully well that deregulation is not a magic formula that will address every economic challenge, but it provides a good entry point for transforming the economy, and for ensuring transparency and competitiveness in the oil industry, which is the mainstay of our economy.
8. As a President, elected and supported by ordinary Nigerians, and the vast majority of our people, I have a duty to bring up policies and programmes that will grow the economy and bring about greater benefits for the people. Let me assure you that as your President, I have no intention to inflict pain on Nigerians.
9. The deregulation of the petroleum sector is a necessary step that we had to take. Should we continue to do things the same way, and face more serious economic challenges? Or deregulate, endure the initial discomfort and reap better benefits later? I want to assure every Nigerian that whatever pain you may feel at the moment, will be temporary.
10. The interest of the ordinary people of this country will always remain topmost in my priorities as a leader. I remain passionately committed to achieving significant and enduring improvements in our economy that will lead to sustained improvement in the lives of our people.
11. I am determined to leave behind a better Nigeria, that we all can be proud of. To do so, I must make sure that we have the resources and the means to grow our economy to be resilient, and to sustain improved livelihood for our people. We must act in the public interest, no matter how tough, for the pains of today cannot be compared to the benefits of tomorrow. On assumption of office as President, I swore to an oath to always act in the best interest of the people. I remain faithful to that undertaking.
12. To save Nigeria, we must all be prepared to make sacrifices. On the part of Government, we are taking several measures aimed at cutting the size and cost of governance, including on-going and continuous effort to reduce the size of our recurrent expenditure and increase capital spending. In this regard, I have directed that overseas travels by all political office holders, including the President, should be reduced to the barest minimum. The size of delegations on foreign trips will also be drastically reduced; only trips that are absolutely necessary will be approved.
13. For the year 2012, the basic salaries of all political office holders in the Executive arm of government will be reduced by 25%. Government is also currently reviewing the number of committees, commissions and parastatals with overlapping responsibilities. The Report on this will be submitted shortly and the recommendations will be promptly implemented. In the meantime, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies must reduce their overhead expenses.
14. We are all greatly concerned about the issue of corruption. The deregulation policy is the strongest measure to tackle this challenge in the downstream sector. In addition, government is taking other steps to further sanitize the oil industry.
15. To ensure that the funds from petroleum subsidy removal are spent prudently on projects that will build a greater Nigeria, I have established a committee to oversee the implementation of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme. I sincerely believe that the reinvestment of the petroleum subsidy funds, to ensure improvement in national infrastructure, power supply, transportation, irrigation and agriculture, education, healthcare, and other social services, is in the best interest of our people.
16. Fellow Nigerians, I know that the removal of the petroleum subsidy imposes an initial burden on our people, especially the rising cost of transportation. Government will be vigilant and act decisively to curb the excesses of those that want to exploit the current situation for selfish gains. I plead for the understanding of all Nigerians. I appeal to our youth not to allow mischief-makers to exploit present circumstances to mislead or incite them to disturb public peace.
17. To address the immediate challenges that have been identified, I have directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to embark immediately on all projects which have been designed to cushion the impact of the subsidy removal in the short, medium and long-term, as outlined in the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme Document.
18. Tomorrow, 8th January, I will formally launch a robust mass transit intervention programme to bring down the cost of transportation across the country. The programme will be implemented in partnership with state and local governments, labour unions, transport owners, and banking institutions, and supported with the provision of funding at zero interest rate as well as import duty waiver on all needed parts for locally-made mass transit vehicles, which will create additional jobs in the economy.
19. We will keep these incentives in place for as long as it takes. I want to assure you that Government will not rest until we bring down the cost of transportation for our people. Let me thank the transporters’ associations that have agreed to reduce transport fares. I have directed the Minister of Labour and Productivity to work with these associations to come up with a sustainable plan to guarantee this within the shortest possible time.
20. In addition, I have ordered the mobilization of contractors for the full rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt –Maiduguri Railway Line and the completion of the Lagos-Kano Railway Line. I have also directed the immediate commencement of a Public Works programme that will engage the services of about 10, 000 youths in every state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. This will create an additional 370, 000 jobs.
21. Government has taken these decisions in the best interest of our economy, so that we not only have benefits today, but to ensure that we bequeath even greater benefits to our children and grandchildren.
22. Let me assure Nigerians that every possible effort will be made to ensure that we march forward, with a collective resolve to build a Nigeria that can generate greater economic growth, create and sustain new jobs, and secure the future of our children.
23. This Administration will aggressively implement its programme to reposition and strengthen our economy, while paying adequate attention to the immediate needs of our citizens.
24. I assure you all that we will work towards achieving full domestic refining of petroleum products with the attendant benefits.
25. As I ask for the full understanding of all Nigerians, I also promise that I will keep my word.
26. Thank you. May God bless you; and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
President
Federal Republic of Nigeria
January 7, 2012
122 comments:
Roight!
bunch of garbage. one thing i noticed though, he seemed very scared while giving the address like he was threatened prior to the broadcast
A bunch of after thoughts. Did you guys notice that the 25% reduction in the basic salary is only for the year 2012, not that it is effective from 2012 henceforth. And why not a reduction on the total remuneration packages rather than just their basic salaries. How about the so called buses? Were the supposed purchases of these buses done with due process? At what rates? Were there competitive bids for the job? I mean common why does this GEJ think hes talking to animals? Abi is it because of his degree in zoology he thinks we are all animals?
Linda, i checked your Blog earlier and i got "service unavailable- Error 501"...i almost fainted. Tought the "powers that be" had put you on hold. Thank God.
Btw, what do you mean by your president? LMAO
d "once shoeless" guy has once again showed how clueless he is, O ga oooo.
Fa, fa, fa, fowl!
While I was reading this I actually became convinced that the subsidy removal would be better. But then I just remembered that this is Nigeria with all the usual empty promises so GEJ... screw you and your promises
Riddle of d day.......I am something when I was younger I had no shoes and I trek 2 miles 2 school nw I eat wit 3million per day and I wnt my pple 2 trek, if I cn mke it u cn mke it.WHO AM i
linda, google the most cursed person http://www.celebregion.com/2012/01/goodluck-jonathan-sets-world-record.html
Dis guy thinks we r joking... I cnt believe dis nonsense. GEJ is nt fit to rule dis country. #OccupyNigera jare
No, Linda, the rest of it wasn't "blah, blah, blah". There were some concessions made; yes, they probably weren't enough but they can't be described as "blah, blah, blah". I log in to your blog every day and much prefer when you're civil and humourous. I think it's much beneath your standing to use such condescending language on the president so publicly--no matter how much you may hate him.You're a public figure now (you better believe it), and therefore, have to watch your language. That said, may we continue the protest, civilly!
after eating @ least #2milla worth of fish 4 dinner dis ofe mmanu presido came out 2 deceive himself in d name of WASHING 9jirians...25percnt salary cuts(4 jst d executive arm of govt) is only a scratch on d surface...it's either DEE JOE makes it 70percnt n xtend it 2 d legislature or NOTHING#occupy9ja!
do we expect him to dash us the entire salary b4? Haba d guy has tried na, how many other past leaders av tried to do such .... #occupyNigeria# while i watch u from Home.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah
dis guy is just clueless
What a reactive and unplanned government we have.
Why does our president have to start talks about speeding up the rehabilitation of the railway lines AFTER the fuel subsidy has been removed? Why does he have to wait till TOMORROW to implement his inadequate transportation program?
What are 120 million people supposed to do in the mean time? Never mind, we are to spend 138 Naira on a liter of fuel.
E don do. We will occupy Nigeria until Mr. Goodluck is removed from office.
Nice initiatives I must say. However Mr. President you should have designed, communicated and proceeded with the implemention of these initiatives before you removed the subsidy unceremoniously.
We know that the subsidy removal is a necessary evil. There is absolutely no dispute about that. May I state here that a government that deceived us to think they were in dialogue with us and even named April 1st a possible date for deregulation implementation only to take us by surprise with an unceremonial announcement cannot be trusted.
Hopefully this occupy Nigeria movement would transcend beyond fuel subsidy reinstatement. We must demand Structures to ensure corruption eradication and promotion of transparency
P.s 25% is not good enough. Try 50% considering that our own expenses have increased by over a 100%.
Ode Jona Is trying to make us lose focus on monday.i hope my fellow Naija people no believe this rubbish that has hurriedly been given to him to broadcast to try to avert the march.we don hear am before all talk N no action .i still say theres no justifiable reason why we should pay fuel 141,no reason whatsoever.d bus hes talking about is it free N how long e wan last.in a year or two now e go be history.abeg jona go siddon somewhere jare cos monday I dey join my people to protect naija future
This is gud news, i always support d removal of fuel subsidy cos i knw it will be a benefit for niger, we are heading for the right direction. God bless Jonathan
Noticed the "your president" comment.. hes ur president too u know
@MANJARO, SHUT UP UR MOUTH! Y SHLD WE TRUST THESE PPLE. SHUT UP UR MOUTH AGAIN, GEJ IS YARNING OBATA.BLAH BLAH BLAH. DO U XPECT LINDA TO B A HYPOCRITE LIKE U? DO U KNOW THE POVERTY LEVEL OF 80% OF NIGERIANS N D FACT THAT THEY WILL NOW BE EVEN IN MORE PATHETIC SITUATION? IF I CLD C U, NA SLAP I FOR GIVE U.
Sharap there Manjaro! This is a BLOG not a national news network. The beauty of a BLOG is the absence of political/bullshit bias. It is Linda's blog and if she wants to call Goodluck an asshole, she is free to do so. If you don't like it, switch to NTA
All these comments wuld not solve or reverse this policy nor will it stop the people from suffering from this situation, we must therefore come together as one christain or muslim and pray for massive change in order to make our great again.
These actions he is taking now are what he should have put in place before removing the fuel subsidy, the relationship bet a prez and his citizens is a give and take in a democracy not give when you want and take when you like, I personally think he has to make serious amends to his actions bc infusing the transportation sector with vehicles, still put a lot of people out of jobs, good luck to him
He is just anoda puppet receivin odaz from his cell phone.....fink abt d average nigerian not d rich.BadLuck badbelle jonathan
Did you miss Jonathan's speech on TV...thats the link to watch it on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVxxdvxWVnw
Does this idiotic douchebag of an accidental president think we are senseless? With the idiots leading us putting their empty heads together, all they can come up with is 2 options? Subsidy OR no subsidy abi? What about a middle ground? What about a phased approach? etc... What fools! "If you know say you no sabi, commot there make people wey know rule us". Enough of these lies and empty promises. Implement all these "I would..." and "I have ordered..." and MAYBE, JUST MAYBE we'll trust your trifling ass with the earnings from the removal of the subsidy. Obviously GEJ and his dumb-ass team of fellow idiots are out of touch with people. I hope the Nigerians do not let this one fly. Strike!!!!!
The next time a guy tells me he had no shoes while he was growing up I will just buy him some pair of shoes and move on & not make him a president3-|
Dnt mind our clueless presido(figurehead),he thinks evrione is as dumb as he is.remove 25% 4rm all politica office holders salaries,hw sure are we dat he wuld remove d money wen we dnt even knw how much he is bin paid...publish in newspapers hw much each minister earn as take home pay...olodo president
At first I thought "your president" did not know maths. Otherwise how come he increased our hardship by more than 100% but he is only ready to sacrifice 25% himself? That would be quite unfair!!! But then I realised that he would make gain because we sacrificed a 100%, which he would use to make up the 25% we would be made to believe he is giving. You see my point?
I was planning to occupy my house before. But now I will #occupyNigeria fully.
Dnt mind our clueless presido(figurehead),he thinks evrione is as dumb as he is.remove 25% 4rm all politica office holders salaries,hw sure are we dat he wuld remove d money wen we dnt even knw how much he is bin paid...publish in newspapers hw much each minister earn as take home pay...olodo president
Manjoro or whatever ur name is, pls go and hug a transformer. So public figures are not allowed to air their views Abi. That said, ur last sentence made sense.
pls note that he said 25% of their basic salary only!!!!! and this is only for the executive arm of government.
Dis dude is a joke. Of cause Basic Salary could be N100,000 what happens to the remaining allowances. A typical example, I as a person earn 150,000 monthly and my Basic salary is 30,000. Even we workers rely more on allowances rather dan basic salary.
I believe provision is made in d budget yearly for all these mass transit, rail roads and express road rehabilitation. so Y is this guy deceiving us.
They should reverse the subsidy removal else we MUST #OCCUPYNIGERIA. Rubbish
If that was a presentation and I was GEJ's lecturer, I'd score him F...
We will #occupy9ja.
UR FADA BAD LUCK PRESIDENT..U GO ROT IN HELL AND U N UR FAMILY WILL B WIPED OUT MYSTERIOUSLY FROM D FACE OF D EARTH....BARAWO
I Will cut international travels to save money (GEJ NTA speech on friday) & to show us how, GEJ jets to South Africa as recorded speech is being played to what he must assume is a mugun Nation, to attend anniversary of South African Ruling Political Party ANC with 2 Jets accompanied by Madam Umbrella and routine of aides. Whalai God just take CLUELESS GEJ Curse Nigeria 4 our sins. #OccupyNigeria
I am pained, i have never written on your blog or any blog before. Nigerians are not against subsidy,but before you bring in subsidy, you need to put certain things in place.United Kingdom has about 6million people and they have over 6000 buses, Nigeria has 160million and you want to give us 1600 buses, what would happen to the villagers, they would experience the hardship and not even see the buses.The buses are yet to arrive,clear by the port,registered and then begin to be shared among the major cities?
GEJ said the subsidy would start in April 2012, why did it start now?
Am sure if Nigerians can have access to 18hours of good power(electricity)access to good roads with street lights, good security system, i can assure you we can embrace subsidy to an extent.
GEJ and co....my joy is that upon all the money you steal, your children never really amount to anything,the wrath of God is coming, it happened before in the days of all!People are dying everyday and you dare tell me 25% cut in basic salary and reduction of foreign trips, why didnt you say this January 1st when you announced subsidy?Innocent lives are lost and you didnt think you should observe a minute silence on their behalf?Despite the state of emergency,the boko haram are killing in the north?O God arise and let your enemies be scattered!
Smh 4 anon 10.52 dat said we shld occupy nigeria,he will be watching frm home.u r so dumb and i dnt need to be told dat u r a beneficiary of jona's stolen money.i pray ur tv explodes in ur face at home when u r watching.ode buruku.ole,barawo,onyioshi.
@Manjaro and seun both of you should shut that your rotten fish gutter mouth and leave linda alone and btw whose president is he as you said? presi jona who? he must realy take 150 million nigerians for a mug but not this time shekena!!!
Give Jonathan a chance to govern,he has jst been there barely a year.this rot has been there for decades.you guys pls give him a break!Occupy Nigeria my foot!why didn't u guys occupy Nigeria during babangida,Abacha etc era*hisssss*
MY grand father,once told me that when ever a cat leave those rats that was left in the toilets for him to eat ,,,and we all knew that a toilet is secret place ,,and he decided to eat those dry meat that was kept or keep for people,,openly,,,,,hmm,that means his owner or his own people will soon kill him by there hands or self,,just a real messages for jonathan,and is about to happen,may God bless nigerians
25percent of 600million is 450m. thats what david mark will take home even if they reduce their money and they won't. what am i saying? f..k u mr shoeless president
Mr president is saying all the necessary things to fool himself, not the people. Accountibility should be the order of the day. Corruption is the soul of Nigeria politics. The only answer now is revolution. Nigerians need to create fear into the heart of Government. Political office holder should be made to pay back what they have looted whilst in office and face imprisonment thereafter. The president is very disrespectful to the Nigerians. where is the infrastructure promised by his party since they have been in office? God help us all.
Platform for entertainment or whatever that group is called. Do hey they know what they are talking about? Do they know that CJE is playing on Nigerian people's intelligence? How could he make such stupid broadcast as is he was addressing school children? He talked about 25% reduction in salary for one year for some certain people and did not tell us what happens after the year. He did not also talk about the huge allowances they give to senator and members of assembly. Who is he fooling? How many buses could he buy to compete with private transporters and would he put people with integrity to manage the buses or his wife would bring her people to benefit from their private business(Nigeria). Instead of this Zoologist to talk about how to refine our crude oil in our country he is talking about he feels the pain others are feeling. If more refineries are built would it not generate employment and reduce the cost of fuel for domestic use? People should come out en mass to protest and if possible bring this government down. There is no security for anybody in the country, there is no power supply and there is hunger everywhere which has resulted to people dying before their time especially the youth and these things do not matter for lame president Jonathan. Any way evil that men do lives with them these days. He is a young man who would live for more years after messing up in Aso Rock. History shall vindicate the just.
Am glad the strike is still on. We wud defo frustrate the heartless plans of this heartless peeps dat are governing us.
He talked abt transportaion. He did not talk abt repairing the refinery. He wants to cut down how much we spend on transportation. Does dat mean the molue drivers,and transporters will be buying the fuel at a subsidized rate? Cos the transporters nid to make ends meet as well o. I hope we Naija people wud truly occupy and avoid any form of negotiation with the govt like we did in past. Cos the govt has a way of inflating the fuel price and afta NLC negotiation, the fuel price money will drop. This time around, we must fight and say NO deir usual plans and let the price remain at 65naira. Afta GEJ puts everything rite, roads, refinery, etc den he can talk abt subsidy removal.
The truth they say is bitter. why is it that we Nigerians can not make a sacrifice for once. Lets sacrifice the comfort of today for a better tomorrow, for a better future for our children. We need to pay the prize now, yes removal of fuel subsidy may only make the cost of things go up slightly but at the end of the day every one will see that it was the best and most beneficial decision this president had ever made. If this country is to move forward the subsidy no doubt should be removed.
Now Linda just like someone pointed out. why would you refer to the presidents speech as bla bla bla. He made valid and reasonable points,points that were based on sound reasoning and logic and not emotions and sentiment. So what didn't you understand. Listen, you are like a reporter, you don't need to take sides you just have to be objective , besides He is our President and demands some measure of respect.
469 LEGISLATORS TAKE N1.12TRILLION ANNUALLY AS SALARY & ALLOWANCE! WHY REMOVE N1.3TRILLION FUEL SUBSIDY FROM 160MILLION NIGERIANS! FRAUD,
Jonathan,
Seemed scared while reading the speech-soemhow i thnik he was threatened to do it.NO sense of conviction whatsoever.
Also his reducing executive expenditure by 25% and foreign trip to 'the barest minimum' were not specific-as we speak, he has left for South Africa.How do we determine trips that are important and those thta are not.
As for me,I can only beliee him if the refineries ar emade to work in full capacity, constant powere supply is given so that most people do not need generators to survive and cost of governance at all levels is reduced.
Without actions, it is still promises as before.I am tired of hearing' his without shoes stories'.A president should say and do soemthing more convincing.
Linda...he's your President as well...
SlowJo at it again
I support the subsidy removal.
However like most Nigerian, I am of the view that the government should have taken these measures and a host of other measures such as refineries and mass transportation before the removal.
We have to learn to live with it. We will only be wasting our time with protests because the subsidy removal is actually in the best interest of the country on the long run. If you disagree look at Greece and a host of other countries facing huge debt problems.
Lets cut our coat according to our size. Discard that extra car, take public transportation, cut expenses.
Its interesting that some that support the tolling of lekki rad are actually against the subsidy removal. A case of pot calling kettle black.
Jonathan seemed scared while reading the speech-somehow i think he was threatened to do it.No sense of conviction whatsoever.
Also his reducing executive expenditure by 25% and foreign trip to 'the barest minimum' were not specific-as we speak, he has left for South Africa.How do we determine trips that are important and those that are not.
As for me,I can only believe him if the refineries are made to work in full capacity, constant power supply is given so that most people do not need generators to survive and cost of governance at all levels is reduced.
Without actions, it is still promises as before.I am tired of hearing'his growing up without shoes stories'-like they will solve any issue or elicit sympathy. A president should say and do something more practical and convincing.
God bless Nigeria
we nigerians are very abusive people , we dont think before we talk or comment. that includes you linda.when are you going to come out and occupy against killing of southerners in the north especially your own igboo people rather your all more concerned about money and how you have to adjust your budget.
Jonathan,whenever a cat has refused to eat all the rat that was in the toilet for him,,and decide to eat the meat and fish that is in the kitchen for people,,then,,his owner will kill him soon and eat his own meats,
mark this,8/1/12
Lets leave sentiment out of this matter please, this is not about fuel subsidy, never has been and never will be because every right thinking Nigerian understands why it should be removed. What this IS ABOUT are the MEDICINE AFTER DEATH POLICIES that this and every other Administration before it has forced down our throats year after year, If Countries were developed by Plans and Visions Americans would be lining up in front of the Nigerian Embassy for Green Card because our Country would be Heaven on Earth, but Countries are developed with action and honesty on the part of those in power. I #OccupyNigeria because the 1% that oppress us is our Government!
GRRRRRRR....Reading this made me soooo freaking mad! what does he think? that we are idiots? Reduction from basic salary? basic salary of our politician is less than 5% of their entire compensation, what about all extra allowances? can we maybe start with the inconvenience allowance? or maybe the wardrobe or personal assistance allowance?. Did he by chance take a look at his proposed travel budget for 2012? it's freaking >11M$.
370K jobs? for what? doing what? at what cost? why is that a new initiative? isn't that part of the reason he is a freaking president? TO CREATE FREAKING JOBS.what does job creation have to do with fuel subsidy??
I do not even want to get started on the railway projects or the bus service. will the services be provided at no additional cost to the masses? will these new transportation medium run on water?
Nigerians wake up! National funds don't fall from the skies, Nigerians expect alot from government when they dont pay no friggin tax ! Other western economy are in a better shape becos they pay 1/3 of their income to government for tax.I cann't image linda ikeji giving 1/3 of her blog income to Nigerian govt.
The man is trying pls, cut him some slacks ! Even a kid knows if u want a change you have to do things differently and thats wat GEJ is doing. Global ambassadors here in Washington DC love this man, they said he is the only Nigerian president they met that is creative, educated and certainly not arrogant like OBJ.
The man respect human rights,I give it to him, if it was days of Abacha & IBB, where una for get voice go protest? Even for OBJ era una no for try !
support the man you elected into office jor. The subsidy removal can work to bring about advancement. Nigerians invest in your country b4 u hear that oil has finished then ur collective eyes will open. Time is of the essence here.
If people want something to protest about, do it for "transparency in government " not subsidy. This is an investment for our kids' future.
Goodluck "Ebele" Jonathan!! Biko nwanne mere anyi ebele!!! this big english you are speaking abt subsidy will not work. There is going to be more poverty in the land, which will give rise to more kidnappings and armed robberies....(bcos boys got to eat mehn!)...implement your transportation ideas, and lets see if it works, before we can agree for you to remove fuel subsidy. about your yeye three hundred and something thousand jobs (listen muthafucker!!!) it aint going to work. that is a tiny amount of job creation for a country that has a population of 150 million. Ebele are u even sure you have a PHD? Because these your plans and your speech is very mediocre. Biko hapu fuel subsidy aka...Shikena..(I am based in the US and I dont have plans of returning to nigeria) I feel sorry for the people who live there, and who have never had to experience of living in a real functional democratic nation. God help Nigerians.
Jonathan,if you can decieve a 160millions nigerians with ur words,,then believe me,,there are alots of 170millions nigerians you never knew,,and believe me,,even computers and telephones or tomprit never knew about them,,so if you cares,then inter all the farm lands in nigeria and see,,,,,
Looking at our history, sincerely i don't think we've had a better leader (nt inferring dat he's a saint tho'). 4 d 1st tym we have a leader who cn cut down FEC's allowy (senate & house of rep no join o) even if it's by 1% that's sacrifice. Guys jst get a copy of the SURE scheme online & u'll see 4 urselves dat dis guy is actually closer 2 masses dan u think. Linda i lik ur blog bt pls u dnt have 2 tk sides, at least nt on ur blog.
Once upon a time....
Linda, u had better be careful. Its like this ur blog stuff
Is Ωoω getting into ur head! What do u mean byBlah, blah, blah? Is GEJ not ur president? *Hissing*
Also u guys should give GEJ a break! They guy is trying to
Make a change and since a typical nigerian is always
Negative,people r not seeing this change u guys are
He has taken another huge decision nd all people can do is to post nasty comments.
If any of u were d president,looting,looting and more looting wouldve been
The other of d day. All we ought to be doing Ωoω is collectively praying cos that's what d country
Needs Ωoω.
Ok Linda, we get it u disagree with him and am sure my stopping reading ur blog will make no difference to you, but u should probably think before you talk. You are suppose to present unbiased information. I wonder what you aim to achieve by this hate you are inciting? "the rest is blah, blah, blah" for real, why don't u let people decide that for themselves. For the rest of the people here do u really want something for nothing? Do you want the same of what u have always had? Every country, even USA had to go through some hardship to develop its country the way it is today. Some people just want to create unnecessary problem, someone was calling for the doctors to go on strike, you also need to understand that the people most hurt with all this strike are also the masses. If the doctors are to go on strike, ever considered what will be the fate of those currently sick, or a child that might get sick at night. Seriously, am tired of reading these comments cause the ignorance that radiate out of it is really too embarrassing, haba!
Well, since it seems most people here are bent of being ignorant, there isn't really a point talking anymore, but just be careful what you wish for. And the next time you want to abuse the rich and powerful in Nigeria, remember it was ur choice to make them richer while you make do with peanuts, Oh and know that with protests there is bond to be blood shedding... Just saying!
The 'your President' reference is actually insulting ! You may differ with someone on issues but deriding the number one office is Nigeria is stupid.
I feel like murdering smbody, when i hear the word dialogue..
Mr. Jonathan, you are so funny. Who do you and your foolish members think you are deceiving. You said salary cut abi. Please, who do we ask to ensure it is actually cut as you proudly stated. You think we are fools abi. You say cut in paper while you bribe and steal at the back. You, your cabinet members and all the foolish politicians in Nigerian are shameless. Playing smart on innocent Nigerians ain't cool at all. Think again. I am sorry for you. You are just making the lives of your own children less promising with the tons of curses on you now. Keep playing dumb and you think we have not become smarter. Oloshi PDP. Keep stealing and fooling yourselves. Judgement Day is coming.
Linda, as far as now is concerned, u are still a Nigerian and Goodluck is your president as well. please quit the unnecessary 'blah blah'.
As for his speech, we are not convinced cos this government cannot be trusted.
Please NLC and TUC continue the strike. These politicians think we are fools. Nigeria aint no man's property. Shameless politicians and GEJ trying to outsmart Nigerians with fake budget cut. You failed and will always fail.
iam very sorry to say this,,but every true son or child of igbo land must first try to destroyed every igbo man politicians first,just before nigerians governments,,they may betrayed you,,you know?linda
Promises. Promises. Promises... 0 Delivery!
Arrant Nonsense! 25% reduction in basic? Dis mumu president must really thnk we r dumb, wot abt d kitchen allowances, jogging allowances, bed allowances, talking allowances etc? Abeg, park well joor! Wot of d Senate & House of Rep. Bogus salaries? N5b on furnishing ur Patie's office ( wot does she do sef)? I laff in Swahilli, sorry Jona, u shldnt ve bothered reading dt script frm ur wife, clueless pple. Strikes starts on monday joor, Aluta Continues...
GEJ IS MAKING THE RIGHT MOVE. HE SHOULD BE COMMENDED. WE NEED THIS CHANGE. WE HAVE BEEN IN POVERTY FOR TOO LONG. WE ALL JUST NEED TO MAKE A LITTLE SACRIFICE
Having read the president's speech, I think the idea of removing fuel sussidy is a good one.
The only problem I have with it, is that as long as our system is very corrupt nothing will work in Nigeria.Policies that work for other countries do not work for us.
In the oil boom era, when Obasanjo and all the army people were in office nothing worked. All the money were misused.
Let's not pretend these problems started today.Previous governments have been clueless too.They were there when sharia court was established even though it was against Nigerian constitution.The result is today's Boko Harem.
As we occupy cities, Nigerians must come together and find ways of puting an end to corruption and establish rule of law in our country.Unless this is done, nothing will work in this great country of ours, regardless of who is ruling us!
Why did he av 2 remove subsidy witout providing alternatives? Nothing abt building refineries dis means dat we'll live in dis condition for d rest of our life...talked abt sacrifice, wat sacrifice has he made, still 1bn for food & entertainment**fellow nigerians GEJ is a bloody liar!
**nicedavo**
Linda why are u acting like this? Do you knw there are readers of yours dt actually support removal of fuel subsidy? You're alienating us. Remember u need us as much as u need others for traffic on ur blog o.
I think with the status u've attained in d society you shub be non-partisan to an extent. I remember during d elections hw you were posting what was happening on both sides. Till 2day I can't exactly say who u supported or voted. Now u blatantly insult d president on ur blog, playing to the gallery as a result and gaining cheap points.
Class and finnesse cannot be bought. Take a cue frm bellanaija, so far they've not made any stand becos they knw they've got a wide readership. If all I come to ur blog to see is bitterness and anger and insults I won't come again.
You can report stuff without making ur standpoint known. That's journalism.
Nobody is happy with wat the country is going thru but we all shudn't resort to calling the President names.
If you may, u can publish a write-up proferring solutions and making ur views known. Just like Fela Durotoye did and made exceptional points few of which were among d ones announced by the president e.g the pay cuts and job creation.
Nne try and be more professional. And I'm wondering if u'll post this.
linda,Mis.B don born.na girl!!
While listen to GEJ speak, I was convinced that he is really clueless.. He only talks about transportation like that's the only thing affected by this sudden decision of his after making up believe its till 1st April. How about the food price that's got up, fuel for gen (abii does he think he has provided uninterrupted power supply) mere services like salons, feeding, drinking water everything has increased. How is the salary of Govt affecting the fuel, most of them don't even know how much their salary is cos they make money through other means.. All I need is he shud remove subsidy and leave the price of fuel as N65, if he likes he should use part of his feeding, gardening and newpaper budget to support.
All d response he needs has been summarised by doll&replace basic with total salary(including allowances) biko.
God bless the republic of Nigeria
While listen to GEJ speak, I was convinced that he is really clueless.. He only talks about transportation like that's the only thing affected by this sudden decision of his after making up believe its till 1st April. How about the food price that's got up, fuel for gen (abii does he think he has provided uninterrupted power supply) mere services like salons, feeding, drinking water everything has increased. How is the salary of Govt affecting the fuel, most of them don't even know how much their salary is cos they make money through other means.. All I need is he shud remove subsidy and leave the price of fuel as N65, if he likes he should use part of his feeding, gardening and newpaper budget to support.
Bla bla bla??? Issues please, otherwise your blog would become bla bla bla..,Lets always infuse some maturity.
..On Mr President, i pray that God guides his thinking and may he do the best for our dear country. I recall my dad was never popular with us as we where growing up and he took stern measures to put us on the right path... Today he remains the hero. May Gej be the hero in time to come.
@ anonymous jan 7 10.40pm........thank you o. for a second i was hopeful.
The savior of nigeria economy has come,So fellow nigeians please let's support the fuel subsidy removal and trust this goverment for her change and transformation agender, God bless the president Dr.Goodluck .E. Jonathan, God Bless Nigeria
So the removal of subsidy will save Naija about $8billion a year. Supposedly, this is what will save our country from bankruptcy, as if this is what got us to the edge in the first place. What happened to the $40b that was in the Excess Crude account? I mean the one this fool used to bribe PDP governors so he would win the Primaries. And now we are supposed to trust that he has our interest at heart? Idiot! Occupy Nigeria!!!!
Wђã† da fuck ȋ̝̊̅ƨ̣̣̣̇̇̇ d̶̲̥̅̊ mad soul talkin bout? His he crazy, he fink we Nigerians α̲̅я̩̥̊ε̲̣̣̣̥ animal like him right? Oloshi agbaya omo ale rederede.
ALL YOU IDIOTS WHO VOTED FOR HIM BACAUSE OF SENTIMENTS SHOULD DEAL WITH THIS BULSHIT.BUHARI WOULD HAVE FUCKED THE HOUSE UP AND NOW YOU ARE COMPLAINING.AS FOR ME I WILL NOT WASTE MY TIME LET D'BANJ AND CO GO ON THE FUCKING STREET.
NIGERIANS CAN SELL THEIR SOULS FOR A CUPA.
LEAVE JONATHAN ALONE A NATION DESERVE THE LEADER THAT THEY GET.JONATHAN IS BEING CONTROLLED BY THE CABALS YOU DON'T KNOW? I FEEL SORRY FOR HIM .
God wuld punish him and he wuld nt live to spend d money he is extorrtn 4rm us .................thief oshi its his wife that is controln him
they cant even consider the masses
he cant even save Nigeria from from boko haram foolish man be removing subsidy that is going to his account..... thief he wuld nt live to spend dat money
God wuld help nigeria and give us a voice against all dis foolish stupid politians
This Govt is reactive and never proactive. He should stop telling us things they will do after removing subsidy, why not put those things in place before the removal?
Jonathan is a joker, if he were in our shoes, same old story, he will build roads, railways, same old story, he cut the salaries of some people, how does that reduce the suffering of the poor people or help my grand mum in the village, the truth is that their salaries is not where the money comes from, the money is hidden in their allowances........ GEJ is just clueless, misguided and misinformed. He seems to be shaking during that broadcast and has lost some weight too, thanks to #occupyNigeria, we will do more....... The NIC judge ran away to Germany after his ruling against NLC/TUC proposed strike, GEJ jetted out to South Africa immediately after recording that broadcast....... They will continue running. #occupyNigeria
He or she who thinks his father or mother,uncle or relation can be a better leader for difficult nigerians,let him throw the ist stone. Abacha looted the country$even assassinated those who dared to cough,but I dnt think he got the level of open cursing$hating GEJ is getting now. Nigerians,let's pray for him more$curse not. Let his plans work out at last. See the way he was elected,landslide victory. God wants to achieve sth thru him. Its difficult now. Cursing$going on strike will worsen issues. Prayers can make all d difference. On ur knees,nigerians. Be in prayer mood. God will see us thru
he means well 4 9ja, we only nid 2 pray 4 him not 2 lose focus.
Just got this. Sss confirmed report...Boko ready to hit 3churches.....Mountain of fire utako....Holy trinty maitama....Winners chapel dunamis....avoid ds places....bc pls sporadic Gunshots in garki area 10 abuja...pls forward this to those you know, abuja is not safe at the moment . Also From unidentified source! There is Road block along lugbe-airport road. Pls broadcast. This information could save someone u know!!!!!!!
Jona is the most insulted president Nigeria ever had. I'll keep saying it that everybody should go home and accept it.
Definately PEOPLE WILL BE SHOT ON MONDAY. the courts have banned the protest making it illegal. It's the killing that'll be legal tomorrow.
You had your chance during elections and you misused it. Now it's time to pay for your bad choice. Too late to change your mind.
He once had no shoes, now all of you will have no shoes before the year runs out.
Thank God I was never in support of him.
GEJ says:
For the year 2012, the basic salaries of all political office holders in the Executive arm of government will be reduced by 25%.
My opinion: this looks like an empty promise! he uses the word 'WILL BE REDUCED', my question is WHEN?
We want to hear 'HAS BEEN REDUCED'! and not just mere 25%!
GEJ says:
Fellow Nigerians, I know that the removal of the petroleum subsidy imposes an initial burden on our people, especially the rising cost of transportation.
My opinion: who are his advisers pls? HIS FOCUS IS ONLY ON THE INCREASE IN COST OF TRANSPORTATION!
MR PRESIDENT THERE'S IS TOTALLY EXORBITANT RISE IN COMMODITIES AND SERVICES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY DUE TO THE IMPROMPTU SUBSIDY REMOVAL, AND NOT JUST TRANSPORTATION (which your 1,600 "promised" buses cannot solve either)!
we want in our country stability not subsidy. Get dat!!
I pray 4 a better Nigeria someday,may God help us all
Apparently JOE-Lantern seem not 2 knw wat 2 do wt his 4yrs, stolen victory. He's experienmenting wt alotta tins; Single tunure, clueless on hw 2 tackle Boko Haram, fuel subsidy. After fuel subsidy only God knws which adventure he wil embark on again. Dis is truly a "Nollywood movie" *grabs pop corn.smh
I dnt believe anz word dat comes out of d mouth of Nigeria government.chikena jonathan we no b mumu ohhh no trz us naija pple ohhh
@Manjaro...January 7, 2012 10:49 PM, you have taken the word out of my mouth. Dalu!!
@Linda, pls take note..."a word is enough for the wise"!
Nwa afo Imo ka ibu..."ukpana okpoko gburu, nti tiri ya"
Sorry GEJ but given the FGs track record, I'm not buying this. Talk is cheap. Also this reactive approach is quite disheartening. These policies shld have been put in place before removing the subsidy. That's common sense, wonder what they were thinking.
Fimally, Linda you've been very unprofessional of late. Get your act together. Yes it's your blog and you can air your views. However, do so with class and without alienating others. Dont lose credibility nd integrity for traffic.
WHO KNOW THIS MAN SHOULD ADVICE HIM TO CUT DOWN THE PRIZE OF FUEL TO 80 NAIRA NOW BEFORE IT WILL BE TOO LATE. GADAFFI DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE PROTEST WILL TAKE HIS LIFE OR GO TO THAT EXTEND. HE IS TALKING NOW NAIJA NO BE IS PERSONAL PROPERTY SO HE SHOULD THINK WELL. NO BE EVERYBODY THE BUS WILL BE CARRYING ALOT OF PPL STILL HANG FOR VILLAGE, BECOX OF THIS MATTER
Dear Nigerians, This is not the time for jokes and unnecessary arguments. Nigeria as a country is on fire from inside and ouside political powers trying to bring down one of the most powerfull and the richest in resurces nation of Africa down in the name of the stateless Boko Haram or otherwise taged the war betweem Muslims and Christians, one of the biggest disgrace, instead of our literally confused Nigerian government concentrating on this huge war that is rapidly dividing the nation and claiming big amount of innocent lifes on a daily bases, instead, President Goodluck Jonathan and his ill advisers are distablising the nation more with there fuel subsidy issue which I personaly think that Nigeria may realise more found and a better economy with the cash stollen in an act of corruption than the one from the fuel subsidy removal which is further punishment on the poor/middle class Nigerians and complete further deterioration of the terror situtions we are facing in the country right now. The truth is there for every one to see,if the largest African nation is disteblised, all Africa is disteblised, the terror and killings is political/ecconomical never religious,is outside powers trying to bring down a promising great Nations of Nigeria never a faceless Boko Haram. Nigerians must be carefull not to be pushed into retaliatory wars once again but unite as people with love to fight the evil powers of politics.
Nigerians keep saying "we no be mumu" in one sentence while showing stupidity in d nxt. Why r u all abusing the one president who is thinking about d future of 9ja. Guess u r all used to business as usual. Come in, steal ur share, go. When 9ja was ranked 13 among failed states in d world, did u'all weep? What did u think will change dat. We need a president who is not scared to make a change, even if it costs him 2nd tenor. I pray he doesn't bow 2 pressure. Mind u all b4 u start abusing me, i bought fuel @142 & it wasnt funny but hey, i look forward to a great Nigeria for my kids. Long live GEJ, long live Nigeria!!
Someone posted that we should cut our coats according to our size. That is a stupid thing to say. As it is, my coat is so undersized i can barely manage it and there are millions of us in that situation. If i cut my coat any more, i would no longer be able to wear it. Jonathan should do the right thing and stop speaking empty words.
Pls lets give him a break .what is all dis insult for.The man meant well,it is God dat giveth strength nd i pray dat God shd strengthen him to move d country forward.
This blog is not NTA so if u need coated words go to NTA , most pple supporting GBJ do not live in Nigeria or if they do , don't r bad pple do that hv stolen or ur dad or mum did stole money ... It far beyond subsidy matter .. Look at what he is saying pple , hv u seen d budget for d year , we don't trust d govt anymore , they hv promise n not meet to there promise ... We hv always sacrfast for d govt let them do same for us now since we r saying no to subsidy removal , y ll u say in April u ll remove it n u did in January , y do we hv to get to this stage before u got of buses , n d 25% thing ... By d bus they r talk , each state ll hv abt 43buses , that means each local govt like in Lagos ll hv 1bus , so that one bus ll take pple to d island n come back pick up pple to d mainland , take student n still come back at nite to pick us all up .... Abeg haba ... We r not fools nah ... Do we rili had subsidy at d first place ? No , tell me what we r removing , do u know pple hv being killed since Xmas to date cos of book haram matter nothing has been done to solve that matter d govt is clueless abt d matter is that d govt u want us to trust ... Some body living in a 18M house annually is telling me in living in surulere to cut down on my living when I pay for everything myself without stelon money .... We don't trust d govt anymore that is d issue n we r not ready to trust them still they prove themselves worthy of our trust ... Read btw d line of what GBJ has said , read very well , u ll c it's all good in paper , sorry even in paper it's bad ... Think abt why ll happen to u if u earn 30, per month or 50k n u hv a fa,ily to take care of ....
Who is subsidising for whom??
When a Nigerian pays N65 for fuel rather than N40, he is subsidising the incompetence of Government by N25.
When a Nigerian has to buy a Generator and buy Petrol and Diesel because Electricity generation is worse off, he is subsidising the incompetence in Government.
When a Nigerian has to drill a borehole, buy pure water or Bottled water rather than get public portable Tap water, he is subsidising the inefficiency of Government.
When a Nigerian has to maintain 3 phone-lines or 3 different internet subscriptions just because of call-quality or crippled bandwidth, he is subsidizing the failures of Government regulation.
When a Nigerian has to pay heavily to secure his life and property through personnel and gadgets, he is subsidizing the failure of Government to protect him constitutionally.
For Bad roads, we subsidize by having to visit the mechanic more often than usual or sometimes with our lives.
We can go and on about the Educational system, Health sector, the Environment, Maritime, etc.
Its time for us to remove our own subsidy by making the government do what they are supposed to do.
@NK,Manjaro,Maneater and the rests. Kudos.
Linda no matter how much you disagree with the president and his policies,U should never disrespect him or insult him. its Totally unprofessional.
My analysis of the latest presidential speech: 1)The speech is just an after-though because of the reaction of Nigerians to the anti-people policy of subsidy removal. 2)The 25% basic salary cut for the members of the executive arm of government is flawed because the budget has already been prepared and it did not reflect this. It is common knowledge that the bulk of government officials' emolument is embedded in their allowances and this does not affect that. We need to note that the legislative arm of government will not be affected in any way by this. We also do not know how much government will save from this as we were told we would be saving 1.3trillion naira from subsidy removal. If anything, this pay cut is just a symbolic gesture. 3)The increase in the cost of transportation is a direct result of the law of cause and effect since the price of PMS has increased more than 100%. To tell transporters to reduce cost of transport is meaningless. We also need to note that PMS is not only used for transport in Nigeria. It is the main source of power generation. Every household, small and medium scale business depend on it to generate power. Hence the cost of production and living has automatically increased more than double. 4) That the government has the support of some transporters is also understandable since some of them will directly benefit from the buses the federal government intends to buy. 5) That contractors have been hired to repair the rail system is also flawed. We need to ask ourselves whether it the same old snail speed rail or a fast speed one they are providing. We need to also remember that in the first instance this project was initially contracted by the OBJ's administration and it is yet to be completed till date. To say that this will ease the hardship of the people is tantamount to deceit. 6) The president expect the people to take him for his word be he has consistently demonstrated that he cannot be trusted because he has reneged on most of his promises heretofore. For instance the minimum wage bill he signed and promised to implement during his electoral campaign is still to be implemented, he promised through his minister of finance that subsidy will be in place till April 2012 only for the people to wake up on January 1 with the rude shock of the withdrawal, we have heard the promises that he is on top of the Nigerian security situation many times but Boko Haram continues to kill and maim innocent Nigerians while their sponsors that are well known to the people in power still walk freely etc. 6) My dear fellow country men and women, I dare say that this is just one of the Nigerian presidential rhetoric without substance that will do no one any good. I urge everybody to reject the speech in its entirety and continue the fight until we get our freedom. God bless Nigeria!
pls see this link, very important. http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9123:boko-haram-justifies-biafra-and-vindicates-odumegwu-ojukwu&catid=25:politics&Itemid=92
pls see this link, very important. http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9123:boko-haram-justifies-biafra-and-vindicates-odumegwu-ojukwu&catid=25:politics&Itemid=92
U guys shud give him a break,dis fuel subsidy removal is actually a gud start and in d long run nigerians wil benefit from it so let's give him d benefit of d doubt. Where trouble wil com out is wen dey start stealing dat moni. So let's wait and pray
Linda abeg post my initial comet o. I fit write again.
Abeg abeg make una free Linda, if e too pain una open blog and support uncle Jonah. She's a Blogger and not a journalist so don't get it twisted. If u don't know d definition of a Blogger Google is your friend. That said 'tis good to respect authority so no need to disrespect uncle Jonah sha.
@oscar you must be very stupid! infact you are mad u hear me so?i feel like strangling you.idiot!ode buruku.God punish your generation.we should sacrifice abi?no worry.na u and your generation we go sacifice.how dare you??? what is the one thing that the government has ever done for this country?eeeh?answer me now!anumanu like you!why dont you tell your idiotic father jonathan to stop his fat allowances and salary so as to build a refinery with?its bad enough that we pay for every single thing in this country and now this!!!have you been to the market lately n see the monstrous increase in food supply?i dont think so!who doesnt know subsidy removal is good?but before that your father(jona) should put in place electricity supply(constant) good roads,create jobs for us,and pay us a minimum wage of N80,000,security etc then he can bloody hell remove it.and how dare you insult Linda? get the fuck off her blog!!silly twart!tscccccccccccccchh!
Nice speech Mr President (assuming he wrote it himself!). If i may say Linda, all his proposed "cushioning effects" should have been done before throwing 'fuel subsidy' removal in our faces. I would advice Mr president spends 2012 implementing the "cushioning effects" and then we can discuss.
how long will this be
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