Below is a revealing and candid interview given by Nigeria's Minister of Information, Dora Akunyili, to a Nigerian news channel, Channels TV. Some will recall that Channels TV was once shut down by President Yar'Adua and its broadcasting license was initially revoked but later reinstated.
Akunyili reveals that the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, is yet to see Yar'Adua. She goes on to emphasize that this and may other blunders by Yar'Adua and/or his handlers is "not just a slight on the acting Pres it is also a slap on the faces of almost 150 million Nigerians."
I tend to agree with Akunyili, particularly on her stance that is not too late to remedy the situation, but I am curious to know what you think.
What do you think of Akunyili's comments? And, what do you think is going to happen next in the 'Nollywood epic' that is the current political crisis?
AKUNYILI SENDS YAR'ADUA A MESSAGE
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Labels:
africa,
democracy,
dora akunyili,
goodluck,
jonathan,
Nigeria,
nigerian politics,
Yar'Adua
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I think this woman is playing with fire...
She has been saying stuff o, solomon give her advice lol
am scared for her
i admire her curage but am scared, because those in power never allow good people to survive, she has to tread carefully..
but i applaud her efforts
Akunyuli once said (of Aondoakka) that she was dropping her case against him cos she didn't want to give him cheap media publicity. That is exactly my case of her now. She is simply running her mouth too much.
Was she not the one that once said 'all' was well with Yaradua earlier at the onset?
Was she not the one that lied (oops, said) in the aftermath of Mutallab's incidence that the guy sneeked into the country?
*thinking* i thot one can only sneek somewhere if one is declared wanted there?
She is a wasted case (my opinion), the image (she got from NAFDAC) she is trying to redeem could have been effectively achieved if she had resigned immediately she re-canted and started (& rightly too) championing Yaradua is 'incapacitated'.
'Nollywood epic', hmmm, really there ought not have been any epic if only Jonathan had guts.
Who cares whether Yaradua is impeached or declared incapacited NOW? Afterall, Jonathan is already the acting President with FULL PRESIDENTIAL POWERS?
What will Jonathan DO if he is sworn-in President that he CANNOT DO now?
Jonathan should dare to be a 'man' even if just this once (and stop waiting for every other person to do his job for him). People that don't like him still won't like him anyways, moreover, what has he got to lose?
PDP (his 'party') has declared they won't field him for presidential elections in 2011. He (unfortunately) cannot be Vice President again hoping to run in 2015 (when it will be the 'Southerns' turn again according to his party).
Head or tail, this is the peak, zenith (& full stop) of his political career (unfortunately) with respect to Nigeria. Well, inretrospect, he can choose to become either a godfather or an elder statesman (the chioce is his).
Jonathan has a singluar and RARE opportunity to carve his name in the sands of time in the history of Nigeria's politics. His time is short (less than one 'effective' working year) and he can hardly achieve much in terms of policies et al.
Why doesn't he dared to get the Electoral Reformed Bill passed into law so, we can be sure that the ground works for credible elections in 2011 has been laid, damning his party's perceived ruling for the next 60years?
Rather, he is setting up a presidential advisory committee to tell us what we already know which he is obviously not going to do anything with the report they submit anyways.
Let's even assume he plans to do something with whatever report they submit, where will he have the time to actualise the recommendations?
Acting PRESIDENT Jonathan should DARE to be a Daniel (a character in the Bible) just this once. History will certainly not be kind to him if he fails this time.
As we say he, this woman has 'signed' finally and she is really going for broke. She knows she is on her way out - either way - but she won't go quietly.
Since her NAFDAC days, Aunty Dora has been a darling of the Nigerian press and even if she farts in her sleep, it would make front page news the next day.
This is her rage against those who have used her as their mouthpiece all these while and then Aondoakaa had the guts to call her 'stupid'. Hopefully, she can salvage whatever is left of her reputation with this last ditch effort.
Every time I watch her on TV, I cannot but see the resemblance between her and the late Kudirat Abiola. I sincerely hope - and pray - that she still has that her lucky headtie (the one that stops bullets). A shudder runs through me.
@Rethots: I don't know for how long we will deceive Jonathan and ourselves on this matter. Yar'adua is President. Full stop. If anything, Jonathan is acting on delegated authority from the President while he recovers - if he recovers.
The game changed the moment that plane landed and we all accepted that Yar'adua was in it. there can't be two Presidents in a country. Jonathan is not Acting anything again.
You guys probably thought Segun Adeniyi calling Jonathan 'Vice President' in the first official memo was a mistake. It was deliberate and by that communication, they took back whatever authority had conferred the acting status on Jonathan, then they went ahead and conferred their own 'acting' status on him.
That is shy the Senate has been silence since. They don't know how to respond to it. As a student of strategy, this was a masterstroke.
So whatever Jonathan does now, he does in the name of and on behalf of Umaru Musa Yar'adua by virtue of their joint ticket.
Jonathan is not his own man right now and thus cannot do anything without taking orders from the Ambulance. And we all know who the voice from the Ambulance is.
I do not envy Goodluck Jonathan right now.
N.I.M.M.O
Prof. Dora Akunyili is trying to restore her image. When this whole saga started, she was quoted as saying "all is well...". When it became very obvious that all is actually not well, she changed her stance and literally took the bulls by the horn. I think she is aware she is playing with fire! I just pray the fire does not burn her.
I havent followed very closely through this "political freakshow", but the people in government are too opinionated. While I agree with the lady, it is really not Akunyili's place as a Minister to admonish the president or give a personal opinion. It will suffice to say that " We have not received any information on the president's well-being, and do not know his current condition, but we expect to hear something on his state and plans in the near future...The acting president is yet to meet him"......All the extra advice on it never being too late to admit fault etc...should be saved for when she has resigned her position and wants to write her personal memoirs or something"....If we are mimmicking a democratic system, then we should do so by the book. You wouldnt hear Hillary Clinton on national TV criticising her president etc while she serves under him....I dont know what the governing system in Naija is, but it is a circus show as far as I am concerned...I mean, why do IBB, Obasanjo and company still have a say in anything; they supposedly did NO GOOD for the country right? Having said all that, I think Jonathan makes a good Acting President (as far as what the media relays), and Yar'Adua needs to just take time to heal, if that is possible. This ethnicism in politics is poison.
Akunyili is really big on "transparency." Despite any mistakes she's made, I like her vision. If the president has still not been seen at this point, yes I think it is a HUGE slap to 150million Nigerians. As Dee says though, I hope the fire does not burn her...the country is notorious for killing those who play with fire.
"These people arranged..." her phrases are daring. "These people," sounded more like "these foolish people."
Just when you thought it couldn´t get even more dangerous. Dear Dora, You accepted your role in the pack of hyenas and now that you are about to become dinner, you are crying foul. Hello? Why didn´t you resign in November? The Palm-Wine Drinkard and His Dead Palm-Wine Tapster in the Deads' Town is an incredible education.
However, below is a copy of my advice to Ngozi during her last days in the original OBJ cabal. Today, she is telling her tales from the World Bank far from the mad old men. Listen.
In The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Hannibal Lecter to Clarice
Hannibal Lecter: Fly, fly, fly, Clarice. Fly, fly, fly.
Dear Ngozi, Please get as far away as possible from these people and tell us all about it. Via your blog, of course!
She is so right!!!
i don't understand pple who r saying that Dora should have resigned? Like really, what purpose will that serve in righting the wrong? should every 'good' person throw in the towel cos d 'bad' guys are strong????? Why can't she criticize the govt who employed?? Nothing says she can't joo. If her employers den decide dat because she spoke dat she should leave, den she can. Until den, lady sit well well on ur seat & say the things we all know but needed an official confirmation!
I don't understand us o. someone is not saying something we complain, now someone is saying what is on the mind of most Nigerians, we are slicing her open. What do we really want? Are we okay with lily livered politicians and sycophants we have right now. She is fustrated because she it not allowed to do her job properly, as she said she has not been given any information to inform Nigerians, what is wrong with this...?
As an outsider looking in, my opinion may not count for much, but there's no way anyone could consider a man who disappears for over 3 months and then returns to confuse matters just when they're returning to normal to be anywhere near presidential material. I'll be proved wrong if the hand comes out of the puppet, but even then, really, how can someone who treats his country in such a way be considered presidential material?
Is there a transcribed copy of this interview available anywhere? It'll be great to quote.
this is simply daring,i pray God keeps her from evil men/cabal.Go Ma'am
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