Reno Omokri: APC, Tinubu’s lies & the facts that prove them wrong‏

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I was about to write this piece detailing the
positive effects of the Transformation Agenda
when I was confronted with a hypocrisy which
could possibly pass for the mother of all
hypocrisies.
On the 18th of December 2013 several
newspapers carried the statement from the All
Progressive Congress, APC. While the different
papers gave their own slant to the story, I
particularly liked the headline from a major
newspaper which said “Jonathan Must Respond to
Obasanjo – APC”.
Now, imagine my surprise that after President
Goodluck Jonathan did exactly what the APC
recommended, they changed their tune and on
the 26th of December 2013 the headline
changed to “APC berates Jonathan’s response to
Obasanjo’s letter”.
The story in fact was more telling with the
Vanguard Newspapers writing that “The All
Progressives Congress (APC) says the presidency
has been greatly diminished by its decision to
throw decorum to the wind and engage former
President Olusegun Obasanjo”.
With the above, it should now be obvious to
objective citizen that the APC stands for nothing
and is only against anything President Goodluck
Jonathan does.
For instance, Senator Bola Tinubu had been one
of the most vociferous champions for the
convocation of a National Conference. He had
championed this cause for years and many had
come to think of the idea as his pet project.
At the first Anthony Enahoro Memorial Lecture in
Benin City, Edo State which held on the 24th of
November 2011, Bola Tinubu had said “I submit
to you today that because of the multiple issues
surrounding our skewed federalism and
constitutional flaws, the Nigerian nation is weak…
The 21-member Presidential Committee on the
Review of Outstanding Constitutional Issues
(PCROCI) recently set up by President Goodluck
Jonathan falls short.  It is a backdoor approach to
the issue of national conference. In memory of
Chief Enahoro we must convoke a national
conference.”
And when on October 1st 2013, President
Jonathan listened to the cries of Nigerians and
decided to convoke the very National Conference
that Bola Tinubu advocated, the Asiwaju made a
characteristic 360 degree turn and went on
attack mode saying on October 6th 2013 “The
national conference is by whom, for whom, and at
what stage? How many levels of deception? I see
a contradiction. I see diversion. I see deception,
lack of honesty and integrity.”
If you think this is a case of multiple personality
syndrome, you may have a point.
On the 25th of March 2013 after a birthday party
that was reported in the media to have cost 1
billion Naira, Bola Tinubu gave an interview to The
Sun Newspaper and said “There are so many
news items that are seriously more newsworthy
than to be looking for Obasanjo’s congratulatory
messages in the newspaper. A man who had
great opportunity to put Nigeria on the right path
and failed to do so; failed to do even the Ota road,
not Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. What am I
celebrating about him? That’s the truth. He
deceptively dealt with the country and he handed
over to a man who he knew was ill. Obasanjo is a
leader that could not find another successor
capable of driving through his vision for the
country”.
Imagine my surprise when nine months later on
December the 22nd of 2013 the same Bola
Tinubu was at former President Obasanjo’s
residence at Ota and told the  same man whom
he had hitherto said “had great opportunity to
put Nigeria on the right path and failed to do so”
that “We’re resolved and determined to rescue
Nigeria. We want you as navigator”.
How can these two statements be reconciled?
It is glaring to objective minds that the APC is a
party without ideology, and a vision for Nigeria
cobbled together by people without scruples who
would be willing to work with anybody no matter
how odious as long as that person has a grudge
against President Goodluck Jonathan.
This is why they cannot argue with facts and
figures against President Jonathan and must
therefore conjure up lies, innuendo and
propaganda.
The APC’s attention is focused on the short term
goal of securing political power by whatever
means necessary. They have no long term focus
of transforming the lives of Nigerians. Who has
been to an APC rally, or heard an APC chief or
chieftain being interviewed and heard them talk
about their plans for the transformation of
Nigeria?
Over the past year, as if choreographed, APC
leaders have talked about 2015 in terms of doom,
soaking people in blood, civil war, destruction and
such militant language. Politicians ought to think
in terms of welfare for the people not warfare for
them. Talks of blood/war in 2015 are a result of
poverty of vision. They have no vision so they feel
must use scare tactics.
What makes these yesterday’s men bitter enough
to call for blood and gore? I posit that it is the
misuse of the opportunities God gave them and
the refusal to accept that it has shifted to others.
While the President stays on point talking about
his vision for the future, their focus is on insulting
and disparaging him. A persuasive leader is not
weak and a coercive leader is not strong. Anyone
can compel obedience by force but only the
strong get it by non violent persuasion.
I often encounter people on Social Media telling
me that the President and his team do not fight
fire with fire and insults with insults. Insults are
available to everyone but they are overlooked by
those who want to rise but embraced by those
who want to pull the risers down.
The Jonathan presidency is run on ideas because
at the helm is a PhD leader who has voiced out
severally that he believes in transforming lives
rather than conforming to the status quo. Ideas
are the building blocks of the Transformation
Agenda. Ideas lead to cooperation thus
expanding our sense of what is possible. Insults
leads to isolation thus limiting our sense of what’s
possible. This is the basic difference between
President Jonathan and the current opposition.
They have called the President a “clueless” leader
who is running a “kindergarten presidency”, but
do the facts support what they claim.
The major leaders of the coalition of the desperate
otherwise known as the APC have at one time or
the other governed the whole of Nigeria or a
major part of it, so they should be able to
compare their record side by side the president
and establish by such facts whether or not their
claims of a clueless leader has any basis in fact.
Since they cannot do it, I will help them by
bringing out facts about the Jonathan
administration vis a vis what existed before this
administration came to power.
They have said that the Nigerian Economy Under
President Jonathan has Retrogressed. Is this true?
Here are the facts with web based evidence so
that my readers may trust what I write but verify
for themselves:
Under President Jonathan Nigeria’s Economy Has
Grown To Become The Largest Economy in Africa.
( tinyurl.com/pbbld8r)
In 2009 Nigeria’s Per Capita Income Was
$1091.Today it is $1721 and increase of almost
70% ( tinyurl.com/y5tfwwd)
In 2007 Average Life Expectancy in Nigeria Was
47 Years. Today it is 52 Years ( tinyurl.com/
yyl5xy2)
In 2010 Inflation in Nigeria Was 15.60%. Today it
is 7.9% ( tinyurl.com/6pyhylf)
In 2007 Maternal Mortality Rate Was 750 per
100,000 Births. Today It Is 580 ( tinyurl.com/
lfr4jjb)
They have said that President Jonathan Does Not
Fulfill His Promises. Is this true?
Here are the Facts with web based evidence so
that my readers may trust what I write but verify
for themselves:
On August 26, 2010, President Jonathan
Promised to Privatize Nigeria’s Power Sector After
Heavily Investing in Improving It’s Infrastructure.
On November 1, 2013, That Promise Was fulfilled
After Successful Bidders Took Delivery Nigeria’s
Power Generation and Distribution Companies.
Before President Jonathan Ascended to Power The
Southeast Had no International Airport. He
Promised The Southeast One in 2011. On the
24th of August 2013, The First International
Flight Operated by Ethiopian Airlines Landed at
the New Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu.
(tinyurl.com/ovodpla)
In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Revive
the Railways. By 2012 The Nigerian Railways
Corporation Began Operating a Lagos to Kano
Service at the Cost of Just 1500 Naira. In 2013
Rail lines Were Revived From Lagos Port Direct to
Kaduna. ( tinyurl.com/dytx484)
In 2010, President Jonathan promised to Build at
Least One Federal University in 12 States of The
Federation That Had No Federal Universities.
These Include Bayelsa State, Katsina State,
Jigawa State, Taraba, Kogi State, Nasarawa, Ekiti
State, Ebony State, Gombe State, Kebbi State,
Yobe State and Zamfara States. Today, ALL of
These States Have One Federal University Each.
In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Build
Schools for Itinerant Scholars in The North Known
as Almajiri. As at Today, 123 Almajiri Model
Schools Equipped With Malam’s Quarters, Hostels,
Qu’ranic Recitation Hall and Science Laboratories
Have Been Completed While 277 Are Awaited.
In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Rebuild
or Repair Nigeria’s Roads. This Advert From ABC
Transport Company (a Private Company) Is Proof
He Is Fulfilling This Promise
In 2011 President Jonathan Promised to Revive
Nigeria’s Health Sector. By 2013 His
Administration Has Built 3389 Heath Centers
Nationwide. This Administration Built National
Cancer Screening Centers nationwide, including
at the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau in Zamfara,
The University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital
and the National Obstetric Fistula Centre in
Abakaliki. The Jonathan Led FG By 2013 Has
Modernized the Obafemi Awolowo University
Teaching Hospital, the University of Benin
Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and the University
College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and Built National
Trauma Centers at the University of Abuja and the
National Hospital also in Abuja.
These Investments in the Health Sector Led to
the First Stem Cell Transplant Surgery Ever in
Nigeria at UBTH in 2012. By October 2013 UCH
Performed the First Open Heart Surgery in
Nigeria.
In 2010 President Jonathan Promised to Overhaul
Nigeria’s Football and Sports Administration for
Better Service Delivery. In 2013 Nigeria are the
African Champions after Winning the 2013
African Cup of Nations in South Africa. We are
Also the World Under 17 Champions After winning
The 2013 U-17 Tournament in The UAE. Nigeria
Also Became the First African Nation to Qualify for
the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In 2010 President Jonathan Promised That
Agriculture Would Be Revived. In 2011 Nigeria
Imported $11 Billion Worth of Food Especially Rice
and Wheat. In 2013, After the Introduction of
Cassava Flour and The Duty on Imported Rice
Which Led to Massive Local Production, Nigeria’s
food Import Bill Has Been Reduced by 77%.
3 Million Jobs Have  Been Created in the
Agriculture Value Chain Since 2011. And Nigeria
is amongst only a handful of countries that
improved over the previous year I. The 2013
Global Hunger Index.
Fiction: Educational Standards are Falling in
Nigeria.
Fact: In 2009 only 25.99 per cent of candidates
had credits in English and Mathematics in the
WASSCE examinations. By 2013 70% of students
had credits in at least 5 subjects.
Conclusion: Don’t Judge President Goodluck
Jonathan and This Administration on the Fiction
That Opposition Linked Propagandist Media
Publish. Learn to Separate Facts From Fiction.
- Reno Omokri is Special Assistant (New
Media) to President Jonathan.