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Many Nigerians yesterday criticized President Goodluck Jonathan’s one-day visit to Burkina Faso. Many of the critics felt the visit was misplaced and illogical.
The President, in company with a few other African leaders, had gone to settle the political crisis rocking the West African nation. But many Nigerians kicked against the trip, arguing that he should have put an end to the ongoing carnage in the Northeastern states before accepting to mediate in another country’s domestic problem.
Although the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, had earlier explained that Jonathan’s mission to Burkina Faso was imperative, having been nominated by the Economic Community of West African States, his words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
The outrage became louder when Abati posted on Twitter, pictures of the President’s visit and interactive session with Burkina Faso’s interim Head of State, Lt.-Col. Isaac Zida.
Reacting to the visit, an online commentator, Esther Akin-Martins, lambasted Jonathan for failing to set his priorities right.
Akin-Martins said it was illogical for Jonathan to meddle in the affairs of another nation instead of quenching the fire burning in his home.
“His house is burning, yet he is mediating in another country’s political turmoil. He has failed to even step his feet on Chibok but he believes that the best thing he could do at this critical time is to poke-nose in Burkina Faso’s crisis,” she said, in a statement posted on Twitter.
Also, Abuja-based Eric Mallim urged the President to stop pulling a deceptive front by acting as if all was well at home, despite the fact that things were getting worse.
Mallim challenged Jonathan on Twitter to prove to right thinking Nigerians that his decision to travel to Ouagadougou is a brilliant one.
He argued that the continued killings on daily basis in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states must not be viewed by the President as mere setbacks in the ongoing war against terrorism.
“Your house is on fire but you chose to abandon it in order to help put out the smoke in your neighbours’ house, while your children perish. Is that a brilliant move?” Mallim asked.
In his reaction, online activist, Sada Abubakar, described Jonathan’s action as insensitive, inhuman and incompetent, while urging him to remove the speck in his eyes before attempting to remove the log in someone else’s.
“Boko Haram is ravaging a whole geo-political zone in the country and our President doesn’t give a damn,” he tweeted.
Okupe defends Jonathan
But, dismissing the outbursts, the Presidency said the business of governance and international relations should not come to a halt just because of the activities of insurgents.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, argued that only 16 out of 774 local government areas were currently affected by the insurgency.
Noting that the figure, by his calculation, amounted to only 0.02 per cent of the country’s territorial space, Okupe asked the President’s critics if anyone of them had refused to eat breakfast because of the insurgency ravaging the north east.
“Terrorists will not dictate to us how to run our lives. Have the pretenders criticising Jonathan not had breakfast in view of the insurgency? Life and government activities must go on in spite of terror. We shall remain unbowed. No matter what, we shall win in Jesus name. Evil will never triumph in our land,” Okupe argued on Twitter.
Insisting that the present government was not prepared for the insurgency, he said that President Jonathan was trying everything within his power to contain the menace posed by Boko Haram.
Okupe went on to place a ‘curse’ on those he claimed were accusing Jonathan of not showing enough commitment to the prosecution of the current war against terrorism in the country.
“How can you prepare for a war of this scale before you enter government? Are you people for real? Now all that is happening is about crass opportunism. Sometimes it appears that many of you defenders of the opposition suffer from ‘cerebral arrest.’
“If you say the government is not fighting at all, may the God of the widows and fatherless children of our fallen heroes judge you,” he wrote on his Twitter page. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Stupid Doyin Okupe, always talking senselessly. Mr Doyin Okupe I want to offer you a job. How will you take to wipe up your entire village you and your household inclusive?. Just name your price I will give you blank check.
ReplyDeleteshut up -irresponsible people , Jonathan is not the one setting fire it should have burnt the south he came from , it is APC former CPC that set the Fire as soon as GEJ came to power and vow to make the Regime ungovernable and it has happen , and now you are looking for escape goat , God forbit. As far as Nigerian know BH is not sponsored by the south but North to destabilize the Govt of GEJ. When they succeed this time , Niger Militant will come up to tout the economy and demand secession-watch out.
DeleteBabalawo continue to place cause. U only win when u fight. As one of the lots with myopic reasoning and short memory we feel for you. Rubbish is flowing out of your gutters cos ur folks are not among those blown to pieces, maimed or displaced. Those u call fallen Hero are those the government has decided to sacrifice on the alter of politics. Air force bombing military check point, commanders refusing to give orders when insurgence could have been engaged nd u call it mutiny. Okupe, let not the present security and position u enjoy be cloud ur sense of reasoning.
ReplyDeleteI have been following ur comment and noticed u breath from anus.....Most of u here dat comment rubbish abt the president,ur problems are not de Boko haram or Chibok girls dat were kidnapped by ur own people.....U are just annoyed dat a Southerner is de president instead of a Northerner since u guys claimed de leadership of this country belongs to u idiots........ GEJ is de President of Africa in General just like Obama the President of the whole world......Obama can not because dere was demonstration in Ferguson bcos of deliberately shoting of a black man by a white man and refused to pay attention to international crisis..... Likewise GEJ....Just a day visit to Burkino faso can not stop the insurgent from operating.....U idiot came together to make GEJ government Ungovernable just bcos a Northerner was not on seat as u claimed it ur birth right and de law of cama caught u guys up.......... Now de situation has gone out of hand dat even de people dat gav dem arms initially to make de government ungovernable doesn't even hav powers to stop them again.......U now come here everyday to talk rubbish......seat down in ur house and wait for GEJ to come and feed u and bath u as well...Fools
Deletewhen u wake up let us know. Johnathan president of Africa yet 16 LG have left his care in Nigeria. i can see that your problem is short sightedness which very soon will lead to blindness on ur part..
DeleteU said ur name is ay or what......i have 3 advice for u....1....Tell ur broders to stop Terrorizing de country or dey will end up destroying ur region......2...... Always pray for GEJ to come back to power come 2015 bcos if u people succeeded in pushing him out as u are all planning from dat una North,dere will be more problem than Boko haram dat will affect every Dick and harry in dis country......3....Stop dis ur stupid mentality of born to rule and starts seeing other region as equal as u are bcos u hav ruled almost 40 yrs and has nothing to account for....the country is still in a shamble condition and u are now expecting GEJ to fix de messed u Northerners put de country into within 4 yrs in office,GEJ can not do de magic over night....De country would hav gone to anoda level by now if not de distractions and madness from dis una born to rule mentality....I know everyone of u is afraid of Nigeria disintegrating but u will all witness it if dis madness of born to rule didn't stop.
DeleteAy, please leave this guy alone. He is so blind to the fact that some SS people are willing to let the country go to ruin before they see the inept leadership of Jonathan. Why do you people in the south south want to die for one man that just can't fight corruption. Shame on you.
DeleteHaba!! Okupe, is this not madness at its highest level? You wait for your reward ok? So 16 local councils is not enough reason to warrant FG taking serious actions to end this insurgency? Tell us now, Mr. Okupe, how many people live in these LGs. You must be a psychic - idiot!!!
ReplyDeleteonly 16 out of 774, is sixteen local govt only? Doyin na wa for you ooooooooooo. your mouth just leak like basket
ReplyDeleteLike Jona.. Like okupe...annoying pair.
ReplyDeleteDon't know who this Doyin Okupe is but I am show he didn't write this himself may be his aids otherwise he is not fit for public service.
ReplyDeleteDoyin Okupe, may the same God of the widows and the God of the same fatherless children of our fallen heroes bless you if you are saying the truth. May this same God condemn, deny you on the day of troubles and multiply your sorrow in multiple folds as currently experienced by the widows and fatherless children of our fallen heroes. May you experience the pains and anguish of soul the parents of the Chibok girls are passing through if you are not telling the truth. Amen.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that president Jonathan has bunch of fools and failure like Doyin Okupe around him. I wonder what qualifies Doyin to throw tantrums to Nigerians. "Only 16 Local Government Areas affected by insurgency", what a rubbish utterance. The issue of insurgency started in one Local Government Area and today many areas are been covered.
ReplyDeleteIf Doyin is reasonable, he should know that one community is as much important as the entire nation and thus worthy of full national defense as possible.
Believe me, this is an indication that this crew of worthless leaders in Nigeria has nothing to offer.
Please i want a laudable voice of patriotic nigerians on this urgent matter: # okupe must go. He is beast and thinking that 0.02% of nigeria can be ignored to perish. haba! haba! what a heartless leadership. claiming to be a leader of all. rubish. something is wrong and must urgently be repaired. by the time we ve multiple of 0.02% ignored, nigeria will cease to exist in the hand of this reckless so called leaders. the blood of the 0.02% ignored hunt them to their graves. i can see, it is obvious the presidency has the capacity to stop this evil but they want it to continue in order to wipe us out, especially the northeast geopolitical zone. what a leader for christ sake! god is gradually revealing their hidden agendas. nigerians arise to ur rights! northeast arise! the military in the northeast are their as a cover to bh to continue with their onslaught to wipe out the 0.02%. what a leader! my heart bleeds. Jonathan should resign if he cannot control okupe. i am sure okupe is not a nigerian and he is the greatest enemy of nigeria and mr Jonathan. it is sad. #okupe must go!
ReplyDeleteYou Northerners created Boko Haram to frustrate GEJ Administration,now law of Cama has caught of you guys and you are now shouting.......Una never see anything...U guys created it and you guys alone will stop dem if you want.....if you dont want,keep shouting GEJ......Idiots
DeleteYou are such an empty barrel. You claim they want to make the govt ungovernable however Jonathan is the President of Nigeria. Think about what you are saying. Jonathan was not prepared to be president of a country like Nigeria. He is such an inept corrupt leader of fools.
DeleteMr. Doyin Okupe,first you claimed Nigerians need psychiatric test and now you have come to tell us that just 16 LGA's are affected by insurgency. Now let me tell you the real definition of madness- He who does same thing on and on and expect different result is a mad man and needs psychiatric test and evaluation. Tell me what different thing this GEJ government you claimed to have done better than all the past leaders from 1960 has done in fighting insurgency in Nigeria. I feel you are mocking President Jonathan. You know too well that the same strategy adopted 4 years ago in fighting insurgency is what the president is still adopting, that is share madness. How can you be doing the same thing daily and still expect different result. Its shameful to hear you make this foul and gutter utterances. To be honest with you, you cannot compare OBJ's administration with that of GEJ. Under Obasanjo, you dare not touch a Nigerian Soldier. Today under Goodluck Jonathan, our soldiers are butchered per second and yet you idiots have courage to talk and even go as far as mocking the kidnapped Chibok girls. Our girls had been in captivity for over 6 months and you are here doing eye service job. Also let me tell you and the GEJ government that we know your plan is to make sure that this crisis in the north east continues untill after 2015 election. This is Mr. Jonathan's interest. Its dissastrous and will backfire. Remember IBB tried power elongation, did it work for him, Abacha tried it and now he is 6 feet below the ground. For you Okupe and members of this administration, none of you will die. You will all leave to suffer the pains of your misdeeds. These lifes and souls you people are toying with must come to hunt and hurt you all. You think this is the end of the world? My dear Nigerians, remember what the scripture says, 'Be still and know that I am the Lord'. Also remember that none of God's promises to the wicked and proud must never go back to God Almighty unfulfilled. I rest my case.
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming out of ur shell,i once said it dat you guys problem is not de kidnapped girls or Boko haram bcos you guys created Boko haram to make his Government Ungovernable but de thing backfires on you guys........De only problem with you guys is dat GEJ is contesting for de next Election.........The soldiers fighting Boko Haram are not serious bcos dey are de same people who reads and believes in de doctrines of dis Devilish book called Koran.......Dey believe dey are killing dere brodas whom dey share de same useless idealogy with.......Ok you guys will be satisfied when you heard that GEJ is in North East of the country fighting the problem you created just to undermine his govt.......You are all fools.......Wait for GEJ to come to ur house and feed you as well....." Our girls have been in captive for 6 mnths" Who kidnapped ur girls ? Is it GEJ or GEJ's kinsmen ? The girls were kidnapped by de so called Northerners,if dey like,dey shuld free dem,if dey don't lik,let dem keep holding dem.....If i were you,i will keep praying for GEJ to return to power come 2015 bcos de problem dat will befall dis country will be more worse dan Boko Haram if GEJ happened to be pushed out de way u guys are goin about dis power.
DeleteDear anonymous 12:11 Can u 4 God's sake act like a human? How do u know other peoples' mind to conclude they are careless about chibok girls like u and ur pay-master? How reliable is a leader who has all the arms within his authority and whose government is being frustrated by someone? Do u think only muslims are in army? Is North-East not part of the zones under GEJ control? Do u know dat GEJ is responsible for the protection of every soul in Nigeria?
DeleteFor your information, constructive criticism is always welcome in all developed nations including America and it challenges the leaders to soar for better welfare of citizens.It's either GEJ contest for president and be ready to face the leadership challenges or quit Aso Rock for the brave contestants who possess the courage to take to bull by its horn.
Anonymous 2:29, you have nailed it. Some people in the south are so power drunk to the facts of what the country is going through under this corrupt president. Ask that person if it is okay for Jonathan to rule for 10 years. If he says yes, please ignore and switch to a more open minded dialogue human being on this forum.
DeleteIn weep for Nigerians for looking sided on National issues but the end- all of us will suffer the consequence not GEJ cos he has tried his best but people are not seeing what he saw. Praise APC instead of challenging them on insurgency currently ravaging the North but Get prepare for another civil war because I can see it coming but it is a pity because it will be worst that Sudan , we have learnt lesson in Africa.
ReplyDeleteWe are calling on US , UN, and other allied to call for a referendum to vote for secession of Nigeria as we are not one. Each of the ethnic groups have fashion out for themselves what the are or wish to belong, we the youths are appealing for secession to North and South Nigeria. Asap to avert another civil war in Nigeria by 2015.
ReplyDeleteNice comment broda,i have foreseen it too......There is no way they will frustrate GEJ out and expect to be there peacefully,it is not possible.......They have been shouting one Nigeria all this while but with GEJ coming to power by divine grace,we have vividly seen that dere is nothing lik one Nigeria........Bcos dey immediately promised his govt ungovernable and kept to dere promised....Let's see how anyone of them will assume de position and ruled comfortably.....They tried everything at dere reach to avert GEJ from being president after Yaradua's death but it didn't work out for them,They den turn around to frustrate his govt which dey are almost succeeding and you expect others to answer one Nigeria.......Never,it is not gonna happen
DeleteSo bcos of bh the president is expected to shelve all his duties even internationally and bcome a local champion. Come to think of it, are there no people he has appointed in positions to act in different capacities? If they prove to be inefficient in tackling bh, must the president be physically present in bh sites for people to know he is concerned? As concerned as u all are, how many of you have visited those scenes? If they have promised to make the country ungovernornable bcos the leadership is not from the north, why are they all now crying Wolf?They should all go back to the drawing table and undo what they have done. The president will not be sacrificed on the alter of their wickedness for insurgency to come to an end. God is on the throne and watching all our utterances, actions and inactions and He is the judge of all. Let us remember that the day of reckoning will come and it will be sooner than later. Let us fear God. VANITY UPON VANITY SAYS THE PREACHER, ALL IS VANITY. Once has the Lord spoken, twice have I heard that power belongs to God. Beware!!!.
ReplyDeleteTo start with i don't know who that Esther Akin-Martins is and who the Nigerians criticising GEJ visit are, buh all I know is that until u guys of the media, who is interested in writing ill things about the country desist from feeding us with nonsense... If GEJ visit Burkina-Faso so what? I could remember Obasanjo going for a summit somewhere in Germany when kidnapping and unrest is in the south no one said anything.. As for who ever starts the BOKOHARAM, let him put a stop to it... As far as Nigerians is concern GEJ is only performing his responsibility as a leader in West African...
ReplyDeleteSo sad. Mr Jonathan is just contented being President and not executing the responsibilities of the office of which am sure he is not capable. For him the paraphenlia of office, the trips, wearing of military uniforms and the other symbols of the office are his priority. He lacks executive capacity and sadly we would keep watching until we are all consumed like joke. Knowing his inadequacy he will not honourably step aside, not with people like Okrupe/Albarkati around him making him feel he is the best thing to happen to the world since the discovery of slice bread. Feel real sad for my country!
ReplyDeletePlenty people get power too much inside this forum ohhhhhhhhhhh., I just dey laugh r Qwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwaqwa
ReplyDeleteOkupe should speak as a decent guy. we are talking about human lives here for goodness sake, even if it is just one
ReplyDeleteDoyin Okupe, God will soon visit all of you.
ReplyDelete