Atiku Abubakar.
President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday denounced inflamatory statements by politicians, saying his administration would no longer condone such.
His warning came barely 24 hours after one of his major opponents in the race for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, told the Federal Government to beware of “violent change” if the will of the people was not allowed to prevail during elections.
Abubakar, at a national stakeholders conference organised by the Northern Political Leaders Forum, in Abuja on Wednesday, had said he had two messages, one of which was for the executive arm of government.
He then went ahead to quote an eminent writer, Frantz Fanon, saying, “Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.”
But Jonathan, in an apparent response to the statement, warned that no politician or group would be allowed to threaten Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“We will not allow anybody to take this country for a ride,” the President said during the decoration of newly promoted officers of the Nigerian Airforce and Nigerian Navy in Abuja.
His warning was reechoed hours after by the State Security Service which also warned that it would sanction any politician whose ‘unguarded utterances’ had the capacity of undermining the stability of the nation.
Continuing, Jonathan said, “I frown at people, especially politicians, who make statements challenging the sovereignty of this nation. Government will not take this lightly.
“I must say here that we will no longer allow that kind of culture, we will not allow anybody to take this country for a ride.”
The President pointed out that inflamatory statements had led to crises in which some men and officers of security agencies lost their lives.
He added that, “Government will not allow such utterances because when we have crisis in the country, we lose the men of the armed forces, the police and other security agencies.
“We will not allow anybody to take this country for a ride. When we lose our men and officers, their children are made orphans. This country will not allow this.”
Jonathan commended the men and officers of the Armed Forces for their commitment to the stability of the country.
He said that Nigeria was playing a major role at the regional and global levels because of the efforts of a committed and dedicated Armed Forces.
He said that world leaders had been calling him on a daily basis to take steps to resolve the political crisis in Cote d’ Ivore because of their belief that Nigeria had the capacity to solve the problem in the Francophone country.
“I have been receiving calls from presidents all over the world because they believe that Nigeria can salvage the situation in Cote d’Ivoire. That tells you how other countries rate Nigeria,” he said.
Congratulating the newly promoted officers, he canvassed for a greater role for women in the nation’s armed forces, saying “I look forward to seeing more Nigerian women flying our fighter jets in the near future.”
Those decorated from the Navy included Rear-Admirals J.N Amaino, J.A Akinwale, A.O.A Ikioda, O.B Ogunjimi, J.O Aikohomu, Ibok Ibas, Gabriel Okoi, J.O Olutoyin, I.A Oyagha B.M Mshelia and Itunu Hotonu. Hotonu is the first Nigerian female Rear Admiral.
Their Airforce counterparts were AVMs I.A Balogun, AA Ogunnaike, A. Adamu, I Umar, E.E Osim, O.A Idowu, MR. Morgan, C.N Chukwu, A.A Iya, S.B Abubakar, and I.A Shehu.
Also on Thursday, the President commended the out-going Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, Mr. Michael Dewez, for his role in improving and strengthening relations between the two countries during his three-year tenure in Nigeria.
Shortly after the President spoke, the SSS said it was worried by the “unguarded, reckless and divisive utterances of some prominent politicians’ which it argued had ‘deep and grave national security’ implication.”
It added in a statement by its Assistant Director, Public Relations, Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, in Abuja, that the daily assault on the psyche of Nigerians with statements of subversive nature was steadily fueling sectional hatred, violence, assassinations, abductions and stock-pilling of arms.
The statement reads in part, “The SSS wishes to seriously warn all politicians to henceforth desist from making unguarded statements, which have the capacity to undermine and subvert the stability of the nation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, democracy is about the rule of law. Accordingly, appropriate sanctions will be brought to bear heavily on any person found violating this warning.”
Reacting to the warnings, the Abubakar Atiku Campaign Organisation, reminded the President and the SSS that tolerance for dissenting views was the hallmark of democracy.
It said that Abubakar, a former vice-president, and his supporters would not be intimidated or deterred in their commitment to ensuring that the PDP complied with its zoning arrangement.
“As a responsible and dignified statesman, Abubakar will never resort to scare-mongering or any anti-social action which can undermine Nigeria’s co-existence,” the statement added.
The organisation argued that accusing Abubakar of causing tension was like putting the saddle on the wrong horse.
According to the group, no Nigerian leader in recent times had caused so much bitterness, division, suspicions and animosity among Nigerians like Jonathan.
Source:Punch
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