Yoruba Elders Meet Jonathan To Complain About Marginalisation - Smh

Written by Leon Usigbe, Abuja
Friday, 26 August 2011

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan met with a delegation of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), led by Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo (retd), in the State House, on Thursday, as the leaders complained about being left out in the top six posts in the country.

The delegation also demanded for the dissolution of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which they observed had been unable to fulfill the objectives of its establishment, while also asking for action of the deplorable roads in the South-West.

But responding to their requests, President Jonathan said he was concerned about adherence to the principle of federal character and the zoning formula adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and he had tried to ensure that no section of the country was left out in the scheme of things by accommodating them in the subsequent appointments he had made.

According to him, “the issue of federal character and position, especially those political offices, were quite worrisome to me, but we had to achieve political balancing and federal character.

“That is why this thing you describe as zoning was to make sure that every zone should be represented in the one you describe as top six, but for some political reasons, it was not possible. But on my own, in terms of appointments, I tried to see that the way appointment was made, you will agree with me that the appointments we have made so far did not exclude any section.”

He promised that he would not preside over a government that would margninalise any section of the country.

Jonathan lauded the role of Yoruba elders in the 2011 presidential election, which enabled the PDP to win in the South-West saying that the success was made possible because of the leadership.

On the request for the dissolution of the NDDC, Jonathan said though there were many complaints about the commission, it could not be dissolved because it was made up of management and staff.

Jonathan restated his commitment to ensure that things were done differently in the country, adding that corrupt officials would no longer be allowed to go scot free, while outstanding performers would be rewarded.

afam4eva:

Why do they want NDDC to be scrapped?

Desola:

Apejopo awon Asinwin.

Yoruba haters of Nairaland,inc.

Awon asinwin aburo were.

alj harem:

this people are funny u know. Just i thought this people want to eat there cake and have it again

they all voted for ACN thus they want regional government ie fedralism

yet they still want the advantages of being in the mainstream politics

abeg make them go sit down

when it is time they should go meet tinubu there master

Rgp92:

Alj harem, shut up. Go help your useless brother in north instead

Rgp92:

Alj harem, shut up. Go help your useless brother in north instead

afam4eva:

Al_harem has spoken the truth. You cannot eat your cake and still want to have. PDP controls the center.So, states that will benefit from the center are PDP states. They should go and meet oga Tinubu if they feel marginalized.

mbatuku1:

He's a yoruba man like you.

alj harem:

this people are funny u know. Just i thought this people want to eat there cake and have it again

they all voted for ACN thus they want regional government ie fedralism

yet they still want the advantages of being in the mainstream politics

abeg make them go sit down

when it is time they should go meet tinubu there master

mbatuku1:

He's a Yoruba man like you.

alj harem:

this people are funny u know. Just i thought this people want to eat there cake and have it again

they all voted for ACN thus they want regional government ie fedralism

yet they still want the advantages of being in the mainstream politics

abeg make them go sit down

when it is time they should go meet tinubu there master

mbatuku1:

I thought they were cool with regionalism?

I've never seen a bush Yoruba girl like you. Are you sure you're not remotely 'ijebu' or grew up there? For a born and bred Lagosian to be this crude? I fear o.

ak47mann:

Yoruba people go and look for another brother to sell for cheap bargain Na2day

chino11:

This is a welcome development, the Yorubas should be effectively and perpetually marginalized and schemed out, because they deserve worst things also. What did they achieve for their rotten Yoruba states during wasted years of the baboon called Obasanjorijo Useless and woe tribe. They should step up the complaint, GEJ will as usual and as always mess them up. They forgot that Tinubo sold them out for a pot of 'ewodu', the same way their foolish leaders sold out abioala to the almajiris to be slaughtered.

buffny:

its your bastard father that is useless. .

hercules07:

These are not our leaders, we know who our leaders are, these ones are PDP guys that lost out in the elections, we yorubas just want true federalism.

seanet02:

Case of people like Orji kalu calling Himself Ibo leader

uche nana:

it has nothing to do with igbo or orji

aloy-emeka:

He is on your side afterall na fellow Igbo hater like you. Are you so tribalistic and anti Igbo that you can't even recognize those on your side?