Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan vows to defeat Boko Haram

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to defeat militant group Boko Haram, after a series of attacks blamed on the group in recent weeks.

An attack by Boko Haram in Gombe

Earlier on Thursday, at least 10 people were injured by a suicide bomber near a church in Gombe, north-east Nigeria.

On Wednesday, 11 people were killed when a bomb went off on a bus heading from Gombe to neighbouring Yobe state.

Mr Jonathan said the group had caused "agony" in the country. They killed at least 2,000 civilians in 2014.

"I want to assure you that the terrorists will not get away with the atrocities, they will not win," Mr Jonathan said in his new year's address.

"We will bring justice to the savage terrorists known as Boko Haram. They will be defeated."

Mr Jonathan, who is up for re-election in February, has made similar pledges before and has faced criticism for failing to stop the militants.

North-east Nigeria has seen a spate of attacks blamed on Boko Haram.

At least 26 people were killed in bomb attacks in the cities of Gombe and Bauchi in December. On 24 December, Nigeria's Borno and Yobe states imposed temporary travel bans in an attempt to prevent attacks by Boko Haram.

The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", has been waging an insurgency to create an Islamic state in the region.

Last year, a state of emergency was imposed in the north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in an attempt to beat back the militants.

However, the group has stepped up attacks since then, seizing large swathes of territory in Borno and capturing hundreds of people, including women and children, during raids on towns and villages.

I’m coming up with anti-corruption plan — Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said his administration’s strategy against corruption was to strengthen the capability of institutions to nip the menace in the bud.

He said his idea of anti-corruption war was not about arresting suspects and parading them on the television.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Jonathan spoke during a special New Year service at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

He admitted that the two main problems currently confronting the country were insecurity and corruption.

The President said his administration was making efforts to tackle the challenges.

He said, “There are two main problems confronting us as a nation: The issue of insecurity in the North where we have the Boko Haram terrorists and in the South where we have commercial kidnapping. The next thing that people worry about after security is the issue of corruption.

“We are coming out with programmes and plans to clean up. These are things that you don’t just use a magical wand to wave off, otherwise even before I became the President, there wouldn’t have been corruption in Nigeria.

“It is not just about shouting corruption. It is not about looking at one person, arrest the person and show him on television.

“It is about strengthening institutions and coming up with credible plans to make sure that anybody who gets involved with corruption, the system must have a way of detecting him and punishing him.

“Until you put such a system on ground, you cannot talk about eradicating corruption, you will just be celebrating corruption.”

On security challenges, Jonathan said the Federal Government was working hard to restore peace to the country.

He noted that the festive period had been relatively peaceful due to prayers and government’s efforts.

The President said, “You would have noticed that from Christmas to New Year, at least, it has been calm. It did not happen by accident.

“It happened because you have been praying for this country and the government has also been doing something. We do not need to announce what we are doing.

“With your prayers, we will surely get there. We will continue to come up with programmes that will help the ordinary people.

“The same way we won the war against Ebola, we shall win the terror war.”

Again, Jonathan described 2015 as a turning point in the history of the country because of the forthcoming general elections.

He said, “2015 is a turning point because of the elections. Some people will not mind if half of the country get burnt because of their ambition.

“I always say that we must have a country first, we must have a people first before talking about ambition.

“We must pray that God should give us the wisdom to do things with some decorum and we should not compromise the lives of the people for ambition.

“I always say that my ambition and the ambition of any politician for that matter, is not worth the blood of the smallest Nigerian.”

Jonathan argued that no nation could move forward without proper vision.

According to the President, before now the country had, at different times, been administered based on 25-year and five-year plans before the annual budget system was adopted.

He said after sometime, things collapsed and the government was being run on emergency basis.

The President said the old days when the government was run with vision would be revisited.

“For you to achieve anything, you must have a clear vision. Even if you look at what we have been doing as a nation, you will really see that before this time when the country used to have this 25 years plan, the budget was based on 25 years clear plan for the country. So you know where you are going for 25 years.

“Then it was broken down into five years plan and annual budget and we knew where we were going.

“But after some time, things collapsed and we run government on emergency basis and you see government start wobbling.

“We are going back to those good days when we had vision. We have plan for agriculture, we have plan for industry, we have plan for automobile and many other areas.

“If you have a vision, any proposal that comes in, no matter how good they are, must fall into your vision for it to go through. With your prayers, surely as a nation, we will get to where our vision will take us to.

“Having passed through school and being in government for quite some time, I have realised that for you to achieve anything, you must have a clear vision.

“If you have a clear vision, even if you don’t get the exact target, you will get something close to the target,” he added.

The church’s Senior Pastor, Dr. Paul Enenche, had in his sermon titled, “The life of vision,” pointed out to the congregation that how they began the New Year would determine how they would end it.

While saying that the quality of a foundation would determine the integrity of a building, Enenche said the quality of the year would be determined by the foundation laid by individuals.

He stated that a clear definition of a destination was a major requirement for a successful journey.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you may not like where you will end up. Vision is a clear picture of a preferred future. To live by chance is to end by chance,” the clergyman declared.

The pastor, however, said it was important for the people to follow the right principle if they must get the right result.

“God is not a respecter of persons. Either you know Him or not, if you follow the right principle, you will get the right result.

“Pastors go on holiday in Dubai without considering religion in as much as they get excellence. Nobody cares about your religion, sex or ethnic group, once you do it well,” Enenche said.

Jonathan was accompanied to the service, held under tight security, by his mother, Eunice; his children and top government officials.

The special service featured special prayers for the country, testimonies and special choir rendition among others.

Nigeria seeks new markets for crude oil

NIGERIA has intensified search for new markets for its crude oil, sequel to the shunning of its commodity by the United States (U.S).

  Besides, the price of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) basket of 12 crudes stood at $54.44 a barrel yesterday, compared with $56.03 recorded in the previous Wednesday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations yesterday.  This development has drastically reduced Nigeria’s revenue from crude oil exports.

  Crude oil prices are trading sharply lower in futures market yesterday amid speculations of U.S stockpiles, which fuel concern over a global supply glut.

  Light sweet crude oil futures lost $0.59 or 1.09 per cent to trade at $53.53 per barrel.  Brent crude oil futures also fell by 1.31 per cent to trade at $57.14 per barrel.

Already, the nation’s marketing team has been luring nations in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa, as new destinations for the crude oil.

  The U.S has reduced crude oil import from Nigeria by 97 per cent due to its massive exploitation of shale oil. 

  This information was contained in the September 2014 Petroleum Information report released recently by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

  According to the document, total crude oil and condensates lifting for both domestic and export was about 67.22 million barrels in the month under review.

  It explained that oil companies lifted about 35.49 million barrels (52.81%), while NNPC lifted 31.72 million barrels (47.19%).

“Lifting by fiscal regime shows 31.88, 28.79, and 6.55 million barrels for JVC, PSC/SC, and others respectively. Out of NNPC’s liftings, 24.15 million barrels was for Federation Account while 7.57 million barrels was for domestic use”, it added.

  The NNPC has put the total wellhead production for the month at 59.73 million barrels, stressing that this figure was short of actual as wellhead production data from some companies, which was not available. “Terminal production total for the month was about 62.85 million barrels representing 2.10 million barrels per day, 7.66% lower from production of 68.06 million barrels or 2.20 million barrels per day in August, 2014”, it added.

  The report disclosed that the country produced 214.63bscf of natural gas in September, which is lower than the August figure of 226.26bscf by 11.63bscf.  “About 13.74 per cent of the total production was flared.  The rest was utilised.  The total natural gas liquid produced for the month of September was 100,027 metric tonnes out of which Mobil had about 51 per cent; NNPC, 49 per cent.  A total of 14,877 metric tonnes was lifted for the month”.

  NNPC noted that zero (0.00) mt of dry crude oil, condensate and slop was received by the three refineries, with an opening stock of 253.26 thousand mt, total Crude Oil available for processing was 253.26 thousand mt, out of which 74.64 thousand mt was processed.

  It stated: “Total national domestic refining produced 46.92 thousand mt of finished and intermediate products. Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), which lifts products from the refineries, evacuated 174.44 thousand mt of products. The three (3) refineries as fuel and loss used altogether 21.56 mt of products. Consumption as fuel was 28.89% while loss and flare accounted for 4.33% of production. Table 11.0 shows the breakdown by refinery”.

  The report disclosed that NNPC Retail Limited and Independent Petroleum Products Marketing Companies distributed about 276.90 million litres of various petroleum products in the 36 States and FCT in September, representing a decrease of 72.47 million litres or 20.74% when compared with the total volume distributed in August 2014.

  It explained: “The NNPC Retail Limited distributed 100.53 million litres (36.31% of the total sales) of petroleum products, while the Independent Marketing Companies distributed 176.37 million litres (63.69%).

  “Distribution by product shows, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) had the highest figure of 195.62 million litres (70.65%) of the total reflecting average daily sales of 6.52 million litres. This was followed by Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) with total sales figure of 21.40 million litres (7.73%) averaging 0.71 million litres per day. Household Kerosene (HHK) came third in the petroleum products distribution slate with total figure 18.23 million litres (6.58%), giving an average daily figure of 0.67 million litres. Low Pour Fuel (LPFO) and others constituted the remaining part of the distribution”.

Female suicide bomber killed

KANO -A woman suicide bomber was killed as she tried to enter a military barracks in strife-torn northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, eyewitnesses said.

Soldiers opened fire on the woman, who was wearing a hijab, after she refused to be searched as she approached the barracks in Bolari, and the shots detonated the explosives belt she was wearing, according to the accounts.

She was killed immediately.

"The woman refused to stop and continued to advance towards the military guards at the gates despite repeated orders from them to stop at a distance," said Shuaibu Nasir, who lives near the gates of the barracks.

"The soldiers opened fire on the woman who quickened her pace towards them and as they fired shots at her she exploded with a loud sound that shook our buildings," Nasir said.

The blast prompted policemen to fire warning shots in the air, causing panic among residents, Nasir said.

Another resident, Ahmed Baballe,said the would-be bomber was "blown to pieces" by the impact of the explosion.

"The soldiers didn't take chances with the woman and opened fire when she showed no sign of stopping to be searched," Baballe said.

Northeast Nigeria has been continually rocked by attacks mounted by Boko Haram extremists.

Experts have cast doubt on Nigeria's ability to hold planned national elections in February, because of the rising unrest in parts of the northeast.

Two (2) Germans Shot Dead In Abuja

Two German engineers were last Saturday reportedly shot dead by unknown gunmen in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.

According to reports from the German Foreign Office, the two engineers were shot dead while making a private outing on a motorbike.

According to a northern German newspaper, The Ostsee Zeitung, the two men, aged 34 and about 20, worked for Julius Berger Plc, a construction company,. Both originated from Germany’s northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the newspaper further said.

The Foreign Office provided no further details, saying the German embassy in Abuja was seeking clarification in close contact with Nigerian authorities.

However, when contacted, a source at the German embassy in Abuja said he would send the phone number and email address of the foreign office in Germany to LEADERSHIP tomorrow for further clarification.

When contacted, the spokesman of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahmadu Ogbole Ode, said he had travelled out of the capital city for the yuletide.

A source at Julius Berger’s head office in Abuja told Deutsche Welle that ‘two expatriate Germans’ were killed last Saturday while riding a motorcycle in Abuja.

Gerd Scharmberg, the mayor of the 34-year-old’s hometown of Born – on the Mecklenburg peninsula of Darß – said local residents were shocked by the news from Nigeria.

“There is enormous sense of commiseration here locally,” he said, adding that the deceased had visited Born only eight weeks ago.

LEADERSHIP recalls that in October 2014, gunmen shot dead a German construction expert in Nigeria’s southwestern state of Ogun while Julius Berger employees were being driven to work. A second German, a sub-contractor to Julius Berger, was abducted by the gunmen and released a week later.

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has operated in Nigeria since 1965, working mainly on infrastructure projects, and has a staff of 18,000 personnel.

Its German branch, Julius Berger International (JBI), is based in Wiesbaden and has 600 employees assigned in Nigeria.

CBN defends naira with $5.3bn

The Central Bank of Nigeria sold $5.3 billion to defend the naira in October even as foreign exchange inflow into the economy fell by 5.4 percent during the month.

Disclosing this in its economic report for October, the CBN said that the decline in foreign exchange inflow was driven by 21.3 percent decline in receipts from crude oil exports.

The report revealed the impact of the decline in crude oil prices on the nation’s economy and especially on the foreign exchange market.

The report stated, “Provisional data indicated that foreign exchange inflow and outflow through the CBN was $3.23 billion and $5.30 billion, respectively, in the review month, resulting in a net outflow of $2.07 billion, compared with the net outflow of $0.02 billion in the preceding month. Relative to the level in the preceding month, inflow fell by 23.7 per cent, but indicated a growth of 1.7 per cent above the level in the corresponding period of 2013. The development, relative to the preceding month was attributed to the decline in crude oil prices, the absence of foreign exchange swaps and decline in non-oil receipts during the month under review.

“Foreign exchange outflow through the CBN, however, increased by 24.7 and 66.7 per cent to US$5.30 above the levels in the preceding month and the corresponding period of 2013, respectively. The development was attributed, largely, to increased foreign exchange sales at the rDAS, Bureau-de-Change (BDC) and interbank segments of the market during the review period.

CBN Governor Mr Godwin Emefiele

“Provisional data on aggregate foreign exchange flows through the economy indicated that total inflow was $14.09 billion, representing a decrease of 5.4 below the level at the end of the preceding month. It, however, increased by 26.9 per cent above the level at the end of the corresponding period of 2013. The development, relative to the preceding month was driven, mainly, by a decline of 21.3 per cent in receipts from crude oil exports. Of the total inflows, receipts through the CBN and autonomous sources accounted for 22.9 and 77.1 per cent, respectively.

“Non-oil public sector inflow, at $0.73 billion (5.2 per cent of the total), was down by 30.9 per cent below the level in the preceding month but rose by 58.4 per cent above the level in the corresponding month of 2013. Autonomous inflow, which accounted for 77.1 per cent of the total, increased by 1.9 per cent above the level in the preceding month.

“At $5.40 billion, aggregate foreign exchange outflow from the economy increased by 17.2 and 66.9 per cent above the levels in the preceding month and the corresponding month of 2013, respectively. Thus, foreign exchange flows through the economy resulted in a net inflow of $8.69 billion in the review month, compared with $10.28 billion and $7.86 billion in the preceding month and the corresponding month of 2013, respectively.”

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President Jonathan’s New Year Broadcast

Dear Great People of our nation,

1.         I greet and felicitate with you all as we enter the New Year today. As we mark the beginning of this New Year, 2015, a new nation is being born.  A new nation is being born because of the foundations we have all laid, working together for the good and progress of our dear fatherland.

2.        I join you all in thanking God Almighty who has brought us this far, for continually bestowing His Grace upon us and for guiding our great nation safely through all the challenges of the past year.

3.        This year, as in the year past, I reaffirm my commitment to work to ensure a secure future for our dear country and the generations yet unborn.

4.        Last year, we celebrated our hundredth year of nationhood. The year brought us further progress, challenges and fresh opportunities.

5.        We have contended with the normal challenges of nation-building and the unusual challenges of terrorism.

6.        But we have continued to vigorously confront those who seek to destroy the bonds of unity that hold us together.

7.         On this first day of the New Year, I want to pay special tribute to the gallant officers, men and women of our Armed Forces and other security agencies who have been in the forefront of the war against terrorism and violent extremism in our country and sub-region.

President Goodluck Jonathan

8.        I also commend all Nigerians who have remained vigilant and cooperative with our security agencies in the fight against the common enemy.

9.        We are re-equipping and re-positioning our armed forces to enhance their capacity to win the ongoing war against terror and insurgency.

10.    Regrettably, terrorists have unleashed much pain and agony on our land. They have made widows of our mothers and sisters and orphans of our children. They have shut down businesses, desecrated places of worship and brought untold hardship to both men and women. They have violated the culture and peaceful way of life in our country, which took generations to build.

11.     They have destroyed countless schools and displaced people from their communities, driving them into exile.

12.    I want to assure you that the terrorists will not get away with their atrocities: they will not win; they will be routed. As President, I feel the pain of all affected communities and families. I hear their cries and share their sorrow and pain.

13.    We will not forget; we will not look the other way. We have done a lot of painstaking planning and work to resolve the current security challenge. We will bring justice to the savage terrorists known as Boko Haram. They will be defeated.

14.    That is the solemn commitment I make today as President of the Federal Republic, and Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.

15.    By the Special Grace of God, the Federal Government, under my leadership, has continued, in the past four years to lead our country forward, even under the most trying circumstances.

16.    The progress we have made in priority areas bears us testimony.

17.    Amongst other achievements, we have rehabilitated and expanded our rail transportation network, successfully privatized power generation and distribution, significantly reformed and increased local participation in our oil and gas industry, and improved nationwide access to potable water from 57% in 2010, to 70% at present.

18.   We have also made significant progress in improving access to primary, secondary and tertiary education by building and equipping more schools, including special Almajiri schools, and establishing additional universities to ensure that each state of the nation now has at least one Federal University.

19.    Our national economy maintained a steady growth rate of close to seven per cent in the past four years and millions of fresh employment opportunities were created for our people as a direct consequence.

20.  Recently, we launched the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and the $100 million dollars Government and Donor Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) to fast-track the positive transformation of our agricultural sector.

21.    The Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) targets 750, 000 market-oriented young agricultural producers while the $100 million dollars Fund is to provide affordable long-term financing to support the development of small and medium agribusinesses in the country.

22.   This is in addition to a N50 billion Farm Mechanization Support Fund set up by the Central Bank to establish 1,200 agricultural equipment-hiring enterprises.

23.   Both funds will become fully operational this year.  Policies and programmes such as these to boost agricultural production remain topmost on the agenda of this administration.

24.   Being very conscious of the inherent perils of our over-reliance on income from crude oil exports for national development, we have focused on accelerating the diversification of our economy.

25.   The non-oil Sector which has grown by an average of 8% in the last few years, is now a major driver of growth in our economy.

26.   The 2015 national budget, which is now before the National Assembly, is targeted at deepening our efforts at becoming a non-oil economy.

27.   The budget also includes measures to ensure that the downturn in the price of oil does not affect our development plans and our national economy too adversely. We are adjusting our financial processes to safeguard our economy.  We are also taking steps to ensure that the poor and the low and medium income earners do not bear the brunt.

28.  In 2015, this administration will continue to lay the foundation for a vibrant economy that attracts significant Foreign Direct Investment and promotes policies that ensure economic stability.

29.   We will ensure stability in the value of the Naira by striving to take away speculative behaviours that cause market exchange pressures.

30.  We will continue to build and maintain a healthy external reserves position and strengthen fiscal buffers.  We will ensure the Naira remains strong, and gives foreign investors the clarity and certainty that they need, to guide future investment decisions.

31.    We will continue to improve our payment systems and strengthen risk-based supervision mechanism for Nigerian banks to ensure overall health and stability of the banking system.

32.   We are introducing a broad spectrum of financial instruments to boost sector-specific enterprise areas in agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), manufacturing, and oil and gas to enhance our aggregate supply capacity, reduce poverty, promote job creation and increase the general well-being of our people.

33.   These efforts and other measures being spearheaded by relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, are geared to ensure a secure future for Nigeria and create a much more prosperous country, where people live more peaceful and fulfilled lives.

Fellow countrymen and women,

34.   As we enter an election year, I assure you that our administration will remain fully focused on providing good governance and the delivery of better public services to our people.

35.   The coming campaigns and elections will not distract us from our ongoing work to significantly improve the living conditions of our people.  And I urge all tiers of government not to be distracted as well.

36.   The elections are very important for us as a country.  Their successful conclusion will further strengthen our democratic institutions and place our beloved country even more firmly in the comity of truly democratic nations.

37.   Given the challenges that have characterized some previous electoral contests in our country, the eyes of the world will certainly be on the conduct and outcome of our fifth post-military rule general elections.

38.  I reassure all Nigerians and the international community of our firm commitment to free, fair and credible elections. My commitment to free elections and one man, one vote remains unwavering.

39.   Our administration has worked hard in previous elections to prepare all key stakeholders including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the electorate optimally, to ensure a progressively improved electoral process in the country under my watch.  We will continue to do so for the coming elections.

40.  We will continue to provide adequate funding to INEC and maintain the Commission’s independence and isolate it from any form of interference or meddling in its day-to-day affairs.  This shall continue to guarantee its impartiality and ability to conduct more credible and acceptable elections.

41.    National security agencies will also be given all necessary support to enhance their ability to ensure that the elections are peaceful and violence-free. The Nigeria Police has already established an Elections Security Planning and Monitoring Unit.

42.   I am optimistic that with the cooperation of all law-abiding citizens of the country, our commitment to have a peaceful and violence-free election will be actualized.

43.   I will like to say this, once again, to my fellow politicians and political leaders. None of our political ambitions is worth the blood of any of our countrymen, women and children.  The improvement of their lives and living conditions ought to be our primary motive and the driving force of our quest for political power and leadership positions.

44.   Let us not promote sectionalism, disunity, intolerance, hate, falsehood or the malicious abuse of political opponents. Whatever we feel or seek, we must have a nation and a people before we can dream of political ambitions. Let us put the nation and the people first.

45.   Let us all conduct our electoral campaigns with the highest possible decorum and civility towards political opponents. Let us give INEC the fullest possible support and cooperation it requires to conduct credible and violence-free elections in 2015.

46.                   After the 2011 general elections, some unpatriotic elements embarked on an orgy of violence, resulting in the destruction of lives and property. That will not be allowed to happen this time around. This government will act decisively against anyone who disrupts the public peace, before, during or after the 2015 general elections.

47. All Nigerians, of voting age, are free to vote based on their convictions. It is our duty to defend and protect that basic right, and let no one be in doubt, we will.

48.  Fellow Nigerians, I urge all of you to enter the New Year with renewed zeal and patriotism, to serve our fatherland with love, honesty, faithfulness and hope for a greater tomorrow.

49.   As I have always maintained, none of the challenges before us is insurmountable.  We must come together as a people and work with single-minded unity of purpose to overcome them.

50.  Nigeria is a key country in Africa. We must work together to maintain our strategic position and collaborate with others to move the continent forward. I call for peace in Africa and an end to all conflicts in our continent.  I urge all Africans to promote democracy in their respective countries to ensure faster development of the continent and faster economic and political integration.

51.    We will continue to pray and offer hands of fellowship and assistance to our fellow Africans suffering from the Ebola Virus Disease.  I urge all Nigerians to show compassion and contribute in whatever way we can to help our African brothers and sisters.

52.   As we go into this New Year, I salute the indomitable and resilient spirit of our people in Nigeria and wherever they are in the world.  Our spirit of enterprise and the doggedness to succeed amongst all odds has been our strength.

53.   With our collective prayers and efforts, we will grow our economy and our people will become wealthier. Government will continue with programmes deliberately designed to create more jobs for our youth, to enable them contribute more to the growth and development of our nation.

54.   Let us continue our march to the future, towards the attainment of our collective vision of a strong, united, prosperous and harmonious nation – a secure nation for us and for our coming generations.

55.   I wish you all a happy and fulfilling 2015.

56.   God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

57.   Happy New Year, Nigeria!

58.   I thank you all.

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