Olusola Fabiyi and Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday took a swipe at the move by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to curb hate speech.

The ex-leader shared a picture of a quote he made on Facebook in 2014.

The post read in part, “I am the most abused and insulted President in the world but when I leave office, you will all remember me for the total ‘freedom’ you enjoyed under me.”


Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had said last week that thenceforth, the Federal Government would treat hate speech as terrorism, while the military said it would be monitoring comments on social media to tackle anti-government and anti-security views.

Jonathan’s re-post had elicited 3,190 comments from his over two million followers as of 8pm.

While some hailed the former President, others lambasted him for allegedly allowing corruption to thrive during his administration.

One of the followers, Ngweeh Anthony Klassik, said, “You are blessed GEJ. People now know what freedom really meant. During your time, we had every right to post and comment with all manner of recklessness. Today, we are being monitored on the social media with a death sentence hanging on us.”

Another follower, Raheem Abidemi, wrote, “To be candid, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan happens to be one of the most mature Presidents Nigeria has ever had. Despite the series of insults he received from the likes of Lai Mohammed while in office, he never for once used his political might on them. He was really a mature President and I will continue to applaud him for that.”

However, Falola Olayinka, told Jonathan to bury his head for failing Nigeria.

He wrote, “The freedom you granted Diezani to loot us dry; the freedom you granted all your cronies, including ministers and service chiefs, to empty the CBN vault. We have not forgotten how you killed unemployed graduates in the Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment scandal and so many other harm you caused this country.”

Khalid Adam wrote, “You should bury your face in shame. You allowed Boko Haram to kill people anyhow and Nigerian money to be looted with your comment of ‘stealing is not corruption.’ You are the worst president Nigeria ever produced.”

Speaking on the telephone with one of our correspondents, a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, described Jonathan’s re-post as a prophecy foretold.

Fani-Kayode, who was the spokesman for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in 2015, said the ruling All Progressives Congress got to power through hate speech and rigging.

He pointed out that it was hypocritical of the APC government to complain about hate speeches.

The ex-minister said, “Jonathan’s statement was a prophetic statement of fact. Those that wish to silence the opposition and dissenting voices by claiming that all they (opposition) are saying is hate speech shall fail.

“They came to power through hate speech and they will leave through hate speech. Jonathan and those who stood by him in 2015 have been vindicated because today, we have a government and a ruling party that cannot take as good as it gives.

“They insulted, threatened and rigged their way into power and all they have ever known is hate. Now that people are criticising them, they are labelling it as hate speech, which is not true. There is a distinction between vigorous opposition, harsh criticism and the expression of bitter truth on one hand and hate speech on the other hand. That is the lesson this government needs to learn.”

The President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Mr. Malachy Ugwummadu, said the re-post was a sign that the former leader regretted his inaction while in power.

Ugwummadu, a lawyer said, “The nostalgia that the former President entertains now is understandable. It is usually associated with people who had the opportunity to make history but failed to do it. I sympathise with him.

“He tends to make us to believe that the rights he talked about were given by him. The rights were not given by Jonathan, but were bequeathed by being human beings.

“The same rights are protected by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international human rights laws which Nigeria is a signatory.”

Ugwummadu, however, advised the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to handle its desire to tackle hate speech with the recognition of citizens’ constitutional rights.

“We recognise the need to moderate the rising incidence of hate speeches and their effects on social harmony and corporate coexistence of citizens of the country.

“However, the President’s desire (as handed over to the service chiefs) cannot foreclose the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely express themselves as guaranteed under Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

The Executive Director, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Debo Adeniran, said it was not for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to praise himself.

He said he did not use the tools of governance well, noting that it was under his administration that mind-boggling amounts of money were stolen by his lieutenants.

“I don’t know what kind of freedom he was talking about; maybe the freedom to steal, the freedom to violate people’s rights with impunity, maybe the type he gave his lieutenants to help themselves to the nation’s coffers. However, those of us at the receiving end of such freedom to steal by his cohorts are the ones that felt the pain,” Adeniran stated.

The activist said it was during Jonathan’s administration that the nation experienced several scandals, including the theft of billions of naira meant for weapons for the military to fight insurgency.

He said, “It was also during his time that several millions of dollars were ferried to South Africa; it was during his time that Diezani Alison-Madueke, the petroleum resources minister, had unfettered access to proceeds of petroleum products.

“Jonathan’s observation was that if $20bn was missing from the economy, the Americans would know. That was the dumbest statement anybody could have made. He said stealing was not corruption; so the kind of freedom he gave was disruptive to the lives of Nigerians and that is not what we wanted.”

Let Jonathan enjoy his freedom –APC

The APC described Jonathan post as a personal opinion.

It added that Jonathan did not mention the APC in his post.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “It is the personal opinion of the former President. We should respect it since he didn’t mention the APC in it. Let’s allow him to enjoy his freedom.”

Source

http://punchng.com/in-facebook-post-jonathan-reminds-nigerians-of-freedom-enjoyed-under-his-watch/#

I dedicate this space to my Jonathan himself.



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true talk

Prophet Goodluck ELIJAH Jonathan.

trash

The government of the day used hate speech to ascend and don't want to be brought down by the same hate speech.By the way, if you were told that rats chased your president out of the office, won't you take that as a hate speech?

At least nobody wished him dead............. That is the highest form of hate speech




Freedom in deed!

Afonjas just hate this guy only because he surrounded himself with Igbos...SMH.

Buhari think he can rule us with military dictatorship, let the government and de military investigate hate speech to all I care, they should build more prisons or buy more ropes for execution, buhari can not silence Nigeria with is empty threat... Buhari is a rogue...let them come and take me to Kuje... Who cares

Boko haram nko?

As far as I'm concern Jonathan remain the worst president Nigeria will ever produce.

Just because this current administration is failing in the midst of dwindling resources doesnt make the man that failed in the midst of plenty better. If Jonathan was still in charge things would have been much worse but then some groups of morons with selective amnesia are making this fool appear like a hero.

Jonathan we are not all dumb. We've not forgotten how you dated newspaper depots just because the news didnt favour you. We've not forgotten how a sitting governor in rivers state was placed on house arrest when your visiting wife blocked even the road leading to the government house. We've not forgotten how your wife made rivers state hell for the sitting Governor. We've not forgotten how you froze the account of Adamawa state after the Governor decamped to APC and you went after him with EFCC.

We've not forgotten how a sitting speaker was locked out of the NASS just because he decamped to the opposition party. We remember how he had to jump the gate against while daring the NPF under Jonathan to shoot him

Yes Buhari is failing in the midst of scarce resources but he doesn't even have half of what you had in resources.

To the fools trying trying so hard to make us feel we made the wrong choice in 2015 you've failed already

tigeress2011:
Afonjas just hate this guy only because he surrounded himself with Igbos...SMH.

next time try and put on your thinking cap before making a statement. Afonjas gave Jonathan about 43% of their votes. He even won in Ekiti state.
Basic statistics of percentage (ss1 level) you don't know. Yet you claim ti be educated. The reason the brown roof afonjas are much more intelligent than you is we don't vote based in ethnicity.
Jonathan had 6 good years and PDP had 16yrs to complete Lagos-Ibadan expressway yet it wasn't delivered.
Prior to the election PDP had the golden opportunity to tell us what they've done for us in the southwest but all we saw on TV was the campaign of calumny and mud slinging against Tinubu and Buhari. Prior to the hate campaigns by PDP I had friends and a relative (my dad) still sitting on the fence but after one of those episodes of the anti-tunubu programme my cousin said and I quote "PDP has nothing else to offer Nigeria". If PDP had told us it's plan for us instead of the pull him down campaign maybe buhari have lost 7% of his own 50+% to give Jonathan the majority in the south west.


Btw we've not forgotten PDP campaign lines like:
-Buhari only wants to islamise Nigeria (what PDP told southerners)
- APC will only wants to build churches all over the north. That's why a pastor is the vice president (what PDP told northerners)
-APC is amala and ewedu party (what PDP south east leaders told their people)
- The northerners are born throway people (what PEJ told people in calabar)

So tell me which of these lines is devoid of hate?


For those saying I'm lying about 43% for jona in the southwest


APC got 2.1m votes from the southwest will PDP got 1.8m votes.
1.8m/4m * 100 is 45%

I did the maths as far back as 2016

This shows how hypocritical and capricious the PMB' s led government is.

greatiyk4u:
At least nobody wished him dead............. That is the highest form of hate speech




Freedom in deed!

Go and check Reno Omokri tweet about the terrible death threat your gutter drinking brothers wished Gej

That was a Democracy.
Now we are grinding to Autocracy, Ignorance and Depression. And Nigerians are treathened by their leaders.
What a Shame? And in 2017

I've noticed that generally the guys who attack goodluck are either Muslims or Northerners and few guys from the west, the guys who attack buhari are all Easterners and few from the west. The Hausa support their own, the East supports 'their' own. The west have always being neither here nor there.. First obj tenor they didn't support him (their own).. No superior knowledge for if they had, they'll question Buhari entrance into politics without requisite certificate presentation. So its not abt education, probably our politics has been 'ethniticize abi religionalize'

captleonerd:
Just because this current administration is failing in the midst of dwindling resources doesnt make the man that failed in the midst of plenty better. If Jonathan was still in charge things would have been much worse but then some groups of morons with selective amnesia and making this fool appear like a hero.

Jonathan we are not all dumb. We've not forgotten how you siezed a whole van of newspapers just because the publicydidnt favour you. We've not forgotten how a sitting governor in rivers state was placed on house arrest when your visiting wife blocked even the road leading to the government house. We've not forgotten how your wife made rivers state hell for the sitting Governor. We've not forgotten how you froze the account of Adamawa state after the Governor decamped to APC and you went after him with EFCC.

Yes Buhari is failing in the midst of scarce resources but he doesn't even have half of what you had in resources.

To the fools trying trying so hard to make us feel we made the wrong choice in 2015 you've failed already

its easier for a camel to walk trough de eye of a niddle than for a Buhari supporter to accept that His master is a failure, if really GEJ was bad as u all claim and still we fared very much better during his time, then please let ur master take us back to that very situation he took us from... Blind fanatics

Nukualofa:
Go and check Reno Omokri tweet about the terrible death threat your gutter drinking brothers wished Gej

Go where and find it?

Nigerians need to ubderstand that there is a difference between "my president is stupid" and "if the Igbos dont vote for my candidate, they will drown in the Lagoon"

There is a difference between "Buratai is an idiot and I hate his face" and "If any Yoruba man comes to your community asking about Radio Biafra, kill him"

There is a difference between "Kemi Adeosun is a massive failure, she even looks like a baboon" and "we give the Igbos 90 days to leave the north"

In each of the three instances, one is a commet by someone who is displeased with someone and is lashing out with insults and the the other is just hate. If we cannot see that then we can as well keep being idiots

greatiyk4u:



Go where and find it?

Google is still free though your data will be needed

captleonerd:
Just because this current administration is failing in the midst of dwindling resources doesnt make the man that failed in the midst of plenty better. If Jonathan was still in charge things would have been much worse but then some groups of morons with selective amnesia and making this fool appear like a hero.

Jonathan we are not all dumb. We've not forgotten how you siezed a whole van of newspapers just because the publicydidnt favour you. We've not forgotten how a sitting governor in rivers state was placed on house arrest when your visiting wife blocked even the road leading to the government house. We've not forgotten how your wife made rivers state hell for the sitting Governor. We've not forgotten how you froze the account of Adamawa state after the Governor decamped to APC and you went after him with EFCC.

Yes Buhari is failing in the midst of scarce resources but he doesn't even have half of what you had in resources.

To the fools trying trying so hard to make us feel we made the wrong choice in 2015 you've failed already

Thank you.


When has freedom of speech becomes achievement?

This guy is not ashamed of himself.


Baba carry on,rule while the Igbo's Wail's.

Mynd44:
Nigerians need to ubderstand that there is a differencer between "my president is stupid" and "if the Igbos dont vote for me, they will drown in the Lagoon"

There is a difference between "Buratai is an idiot and I hate his face" and "If any Yoruba man comes to your community asking about Radio Biafra, kill him"

There is a difference between "Kemi Adeosun is a massive failure, she even looks like a baboon" and "we give the Igbos 90 days to leave the north"

In each of the three instances, one is a commetn by someone who is displeased with someone and is lashing out with insults and the the other is just hate. If we cannot see that then we can as well keep being idiots

Oga don't be biased with your comments, there are far more hate speeches against GEJ government than PMB's.

Mynd44:
Nigerians need to ubderstand that there is a difference between "my president is stupid" and "if the Igbos dont vote for my candidate, they will drown in the Lagoon"

There is a difference between "Buratai is an idiot and I hate his face" and "If any Yoruba man comes to your community asking about Radio Biafra, kill him"

There is a difference between "Kemi Adeosun is a massive failure, she even looks like a baboon" and "we give the Igbos 90 days to leave the north"

In each of the three instances, one is a commet by someone who is displeased with someone and is lashing out with insults and the the other is just hate. If we cannot see that then we can as well keep being idiots

So Oba of Lagoon should be in Jail for hate speech.

Give me a link where NK said such in your second paragraph.


Thirdly, how come the Arewa youths were not prosecuted after making such comments.




Let's endeavor to speak up at the right time and not go to sleep when Truth will be the only thing to say

flowfury:


Oga don't be biased with your comments, there are far more hate speeches against GEJ government than PMB's.

1. This is false; again, learn to differentiate between hate speech and insults

2. So because there were far more means no one should do something about it?

AntiIPOB:
Thank you.


When has freedom if speech becomes achievement?

This guy is not ashamed of himself.


Baba carry on,rule while the Igbo's Wail's.

There is no greater achievement than one where citizens fundamental rights are not trampled on. Freedom of Speech is a great achievement in Africa. That's why South Africa is ahead of us

Jona and his group of liars. What about invasion of leadership newspaper many times and even court cases and locking up their journalist. What about sending journalist out of Aso Rock. What about the Nation newspaper seized with vehicle and driver. Invasion of Punch etc

Can we forget the invasion of National Assembly and using tanks and soldiers to disperse protest fuel increase in Lagos

I can go on and on. Wait let time come pictures memes and newspaper stories of jona year of locust will be rolled out.

Can we forget?

nero2face:
its easier for a camel to walk trough de eye of a niddle than for a Buhari supporter to accept that His master is a failure, if really GEJ was bad as u all claim and still we fared very much better during his time, then please let ur master take us back to that very situation he took us from... Blind fanatics

use your brain and read my comment again. I said and I repeat buhari is failing but Jonathan would have been much worse. Which means I don't pray for any of them to stay in 2020. I'm a rational Nigerian not a blind buhari supoorter

Remember who again ordered the Army to cease Newspaper travelling on the highway? Jonathan, a liar and conceited thief

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27749024

flowfury:


You must be very brainles$ for making such unprecedented and fallacious comment. How can you open your smelly mouth and mumble that GEJ got 43% of Afonja's vote. What lie! Claiming you know statistics. Idiat!!!

just hold on. I'll post the results here for you.



Right here do the maths

APC got 2.1m votes from the southwest will PDP got 1.8m votes.

1.8m of 4m votes in the southwest for Jonathan is 45%!!! You called me and idiot but I won't report you