The reality of life has dawned on out-going President
Goodluck Jonathan as he lamented, yesterday, that his so-called friends have
deserted him having lost the last presidential election to the opposition All
progressives CongressAPC, candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking at a thanksgiving and farewell service in his honour
at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja, President
Jonathan said, however that he expected more of his friends to leave him. The
president declared that he was ready to pay the price for his refusal to
interfere with the electoral process which he ensured was carried out to its
logical conclusion.
He also said his decision to concede defeat at the election
did not go down well with some of his ministers and aides and jokingly
expressed the hope that his wife, Patience will not follow the example of the
wife of former South African Apartheid leader, F W De Klerk, who divorced her
husband for his decision to end the minority rule in the Republic of South
Africa (RSA).
He then expressed appreciation to Nigeria and Nigerians for
giving him the opportunity to serve in various capacities, reiterating his
willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice in the interest of the nation.
He said :
“I believe there are reasons for everything. Some hard
decisions have their own cost, no doubt about that. I ran the government in
such a way that stabilized certain things like the electoral process and other
things that brought stability to this country and took very costly decisions
which I must be ready to pay for.
“Some people come to me and say ‘look at this person or that
person, is he not your friend who benefited from you, has this person not
benefited from your government ? Imagine what he is saying’? I often tell them
that worse statements will come. If you take certain decisions, you should know
that those close to you will even abandon you at some point. And I tell them
that more of my so-called friends will disappear.
When FW De Klerk took the
decision to abolish minority rule in RSA, even his wife divorced him. I hope my
wife will not divorce me. But that is the only decision that has made RSA to
still remain a global player by this time. If we still had that minority rule
there, by this time, nobody will be talking about RSA.
“If you take certain decisions, it might be good for the
generality of the people but it might affect people differently. So for
ministers and aides who served with me, I sympathize with them, they will be
persecuted. And they must be ready for that persecution”.
While expressing appreciation for what God has done for him
and his family, President Jonathan said he had all the reasons to thank God.
“Very few of those in my age bracket have been that lucky.
All through my education I was on government scholarship. I have not suffered
lack not because I worked harder, but it was by God’s grace.
“When I look at the whole picture of my life up to when I
became the president of this country, I give glory to God. And I tell myself
that if soldiers and police officers who never received 0.5 per cent of the
benefits that I have received from the state can lay down their lives for this
country, I should be ready to do anything in the interest of Nigeria including
paying the supreme price.
“As long as I live, I will continue to do my best for the
state because the state has helped me as a person.
“I have to thank Nigerians especially my state for giving me
the opportunity to serve as deputy governor and the whole country for giving me
the opportunity to serve as Vice President and then president. First to
complete the tenure of the late President (Umaru Yar’Adua) and later serve as
president from which I am now exiting as a very happy and fulfilled man”.
Speaking on his decision to concede defeat which he said did
not go down well with some of his ministers and associates, President Jonathan
noted that the most important thing is that “the ordinary people appreciate
what we did.
“It is not what the elite or the privileged few talk or say
about you but it is what the majority of the Nigerian public think about your
actions and inactions that matter. We came to Abuja peacefully and we are
returning peacefully”, he emphasised.
While thanking the church and Nigerians for standing by him,
President Jonathan went philosophical, saying that the outcome of the elections
was the will of God.
“Even for the election, we had people who supported us all
over the country but things went the way they did because God wanted it that
way for a purpose. We will continue to pray for the peace of the country and for
the success of the incoming administration.
“When the country is in good shape, people benefit. When
things are going well, people are happy. You don’t need to know Mr President or
Mr Governor. The issue is not about Jonathan or Buhari or any other person. The
issue is how the government functions. Stability, buoyant economy that will
enable Nigeria to move forward and live happily is our interest and that is my
prayer point. All religious groups should pray for the country”, he said.
In his sermon, Primate of the Anglican Communion, Nicholas
Okoh, said thanks giving is for good things and not bad situations.
Reading from 1 Thess 5:18, the Primate said the will of God
can mean some uncomfortable situations.
“When Jesus was going to the cross it was not a pleasant
experience but today we have Good Friday. To give thanks the christian must be
a strong believer, so a child of God’s role is to bow to the situation. We are
here to join the president to give thanks to God as he rounds off his tenure.
When he started he gave thanks to God.
“The first one is the privilege to be President of Nigeria.
We are over 170 million, and if the qualification was the tallest, wisest,
strongest, he would not have qualified. Having been deputy governor, governor, vice
president, acting president and president, God has been good to him. It is a
rare privilege which may not come in many years”, he said.
Okoh commended the President for his contribution to the
country’s development saying that the legacy of the Jonathan presidency will
last for a long time.
“We also thank God for your contribution to the growth of
our country. Some of the projects you initiated have been completed, some at
advanced stage or at foundation stage, whatever stage it maybe, generations yet
unborn will read about Jonathan that he governed from so so time to so so time.
It will be studied by our children in history books, so we should thank God.
“Again, you are leaving the Villa alive. Only God knows what
would have happened; there is nothing greater than life.”
In his comment, former Minister of Information,
Professor Jerry Gana described President
Jonathan as a “a man of favour, highly favoured by God.
“If you seek to understand this man you will fail because he
is anointed by God for such a time as this. And, therefore, we want to thank
God for this opportunity, thank God for what He has done for Nigeria through
this man. A man of honour, a man of character, a man that is godly, a man that
has actually held most of the executive offices in the Nigeria constitution.
“One of the things that I have been tremendously impressed
by this man, is that his humility is awesome” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Power, Prof. Onyeabuchi Nebo
praised president Jonathan’s leadership saying that he “served selflessly,
altruitiscally, magnanimously, compassionately, humbly, meekly and most
diligently.
“Never have we had such a humane, gentle and unassuming
person as President Jonathan.”
He had no death squad, no statutory persecutors, no
empowered witch hunters, no organised retaliators, and no penchant for
vindictiveness.”
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