Ibime:

Its not good enough to admit that nobody investigated previous bomb blasts. There was nothing to investigate sef cos MEND already owned up to the previous blast. Its only when the blast makes GEJ campaign look bad that he deems it necessary to investigate. In Nigeria, life is cheaper than image.

Meanwhile Mr President says he was not absolving MEND, but he sent Presidential Jet to PH to go and pick up militants to come to Abuja and absolve MEND.

ITbomb:

Our problem as always been english language. we cant simply communicate with it Even here on nl one statement can be interpreted with different meanings. my own interpretation is that; Mr presido said that other bombings were tagged niger-Delta crisis and since resolution is on the way no need for new investigation. so this abuja bombing should be treated as a stand alone terrorist act as such investigation should be made involving everybody not limiting it to mend.
That is my humble interpretation

I just thought to contribute this important piece to the thread; English Grammar Lessons for Adults

wesley80:

^^^ Which of your fingers did he bite?

df2006:

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has clarified his statement following the Independence Day twin blasts in Abuja, which had been interpreted in some quarters as absolving the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) from blame, even before investigations were concluded.

He made the clarification while receiving members of the Northern Political Summit on a visit to the State House, Abuja, on Monday, adding that the statement, which he made during his sympathy visit to victims in hospital, was an attempt to ensure that all those who carried out the act did not hide under the umbrella of MEND.

“Why am I saying that it was not MEND? That is the sin I have committed. And I always explain to people that look, this car bombs first of all happened in Benin, Edo State. Somebody even died and another in Bayelsa State, nobody  made an investigation but they said it was Niger Delta crisis.

“It was buried under MEND, under Niger Delta crisis. Again, another one in Port Harcourt, luckily nobody died, but the incident was buried.”

He observed that not long ago, a national daily was organising a programme in Warri and a bomb went off, just as it did when governors and senior citizens were meeting and nobody ordered an investigation.

He said further “then now in Abuja on October 1, they said MEND again. I said no, we cannot continue to bury this under Niger Delta crisis or MEND. That is the sin I have committed.”

The president, who said he had decided to refrain from further comments on the bomb blasts to allow security agencies to do their work, was confident that all those behind the blasts would be unearthed.

He thanked the northern leaders for the visit which, he noted, was reassuring.

source http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/11974-my-position-on-mend-jonathan

Onlytruth:

To all the English language pedants here, I have a very simple question.

Please, who was the president of Nigeria when all these previous bombings occurred and was not investigated?
Did any other those bombings take place under Yar adua? I really need to know.

Maybe I need to take up Beaf's adult English class.

Beaf:

Na, you're excused from the class (no freeloading ). All the bombing events (aside from the Independence Bomb Blast) took place at state level. The governors never got FG assistance, cos they didn't request it or maybe turned it down (the governor is the chief security officer of the state); therefore, they didn't fall under GEJ's ambit.

The Independence Bomb Blast, however was a federal level event, so there was no structure or bureaucracy to navigate before getting to GEJ.

Beaf:

Na, you're excused from the class (no freeloading ). All the bombing events (aside from the Independence Bomb Blast) took place at state level. The governors never got FG assistance, cos they didn't request it or maybe turned it down (the governor is the chief security officer of the state); therefore, they didn't fall under GEJ's ambit.

The Independence Bomb Blast, however was a federal level event, so there was no structure or bureaucracy to navigate before getting to GEJ.

mikeansy:

Talk about devolution of National Tragedy and abdication of responsibility.

How come we have centralised Police, Centralised Army, Centralised security agencies . . . . but when a National tragedy occurs we start devolving responsibility?

You people will say anything to get GEJ off the hook. Please we need a President that takes responsibilities for his failures.

Jonathan's talk about bombs going off in Nigeria without investigation betrays a sense of a man who is over 8months into his job but yet does not understand his job description.

Beaf:

Here is an example of a state governor going to GEJ to ask for troops to be sent to his state; http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5629297-146/government_may_deploy_troops_to_borno.csp
GEJ can't just send troops anywhere like a military dictator. Thats the way it works; the governor, as Chief Security Officer of their state makes a request to the FG; when he percieves matters to be beyond his local abilities, he hops off to Abuja to give the President a report and ask for FG assistance.

wesley80:

@Onlytruth Yes you're right it was GEJ , but if u were in his shoes wat would u have done barely 2 months into an administration that u still had people questioning your authority? Would you have set the dogs out to chase an org.that still had public opinion massively in their favour esp in your own home region? Or would you have done what any rational Nigerian leader would do in waiting for public opinion to sway and have a sound footing b4 making your move? Lets not act like Nigeria is an ideal place like the US where everything seems 2 work becos GEJ is on the throne. Someone started a thread that Nigerians do not deserve a leader like GEJ and i quite agree cos if we had an OBJ or IBB dat would do their thing without recourse 2 wat d average nigerian thinks, by now this would have been a 4gotten issue and their re-election wld still b sure, yet GEJ is shouting himself hoarse trying to make a point and there he is being hounded by u and i. May God help us.

mikeansy:

So are you saying that if a Governor does not ask for Federal Support or refuses one, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has no power to intervein in matters that have to do with security of lives and properties in the State?

Please do not re-write the Nigerian constitution

Who gave Jonathan permission to send EFCC to State Governments you people want to have it both ways

mikeansy:

Onlytruth

May God bless you. Some folks think the solution to Niger-delta problem is amnesty to Militants. it simply is not.
The current amnesty programme will simply create a loop that simply produces billionaire ex-war lords while new commanders take their place on the fighting field as soon as the previous commanders embrace amnesty.

The long term solution to this crisis is honest leadership geared towards development that all can feel, genuine resource control. That way the people will see and experience real changes and MEND will no longer be popular. If anybody carries arms claiming to fight for Niger-Delta then they will have to explain why they think they can take the laws into their hands and why they are anymore responsible to the people of Niger-Delta than the Government in place. As we the Government of the day do not have the moral right to take this issue head on because of corruption.

Hence a whole industry has been built on the misfortunes of the Nigerian people expecially folks in Niger-Delta. You now have ex-thieves and ex-pick pockets lining their pockets all in the name of fighting for the common man. Asari, Ateke, Fara, Tompolo, Okah etc . all of these boys are now millionaires. How many have put up a simple bore hole for the sake of the people they claim to be fighting for?

And then you have the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who instead of focusing on his job is now trying to help us define who MEND are.

What a circus.

Beaf:

Do you actually feel the President can be everywhere, like some kind of spirit? And that governors have nothing to do, but twiddle their fingers?
Dude, I've given you the way things work and a link to prove it. Anyways, here is the pic of the meeting (cos I believe you never clicked the link);

LINK: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5629297-146/government_may_deploy_troops_to_borno.csp

A responsible governor doing right by his state in going to brief the President and request for troops to be sent.