Jonathan denies celebrating independence anniversary in Aso Rock

Posted by admin Goodluck Jonathan (2010-present), Presidency Thursday, October 6th, 2011

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday denied claims that his administration marked the nation’s 51st independence anniversary inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the president as making the clarification in Kigali, Rwanda, during a joint press conference with his Rwandan host, President Paul Kagame. Jonathan had travelled to Kigali on a two-day official visit.

The anniversary had been trailed by claims that government marked the nation’s birthday at the Presidential Villa out of the fear that the violent Islamic group, Boko Haram, might bomb the usual venue, the Eagle Square.

But the President said the event held in the Villa was not an anniversary event. The statement quoted Jonathan as saying that what took place on Saturday was the “ceremonial weekly change of guards at the Presidential Villa.”

However, media reports of all that transpired on that day at the Villa showed that the events that held had all the trappings of a low-key independence anniversary ceremony. According to reports, they included a commemorative presidential change of guards, the signing of the independence anniversary register by the President and the release of pigeons that signified peace. The President, the reports also said, later led dignitaries to cut the anniversary cake in the Villa.

But the President, in the statement, insisted that the events were not meant to mark the independence anniversary.

He said, “The decision to observe a low-key anniversary was not necessarily to conserve funds but because we cannot celebrate every year.

“It is a wrong notion that we celebrated in the State House. We had a low-key anniversary. No country celebrates National Day every year and invites foreign leaders.

“Last year we celebrated 50th independence anniversary on October 1 and my inauguration as President took place on May 29 this year and for both events, we invited world and African leaders. And October this year you want to invite them again?

“Even next year 2012 and 2013 will be low-key but we will celebrate in 2014 to commemorate 100 years of Nigeria’s amalgamation as one country in 1914. So, there will be centenary celebrations.”

Jonathan said that the issue of independence anniversary was not only “misunderstood” but was also politicised and manipulated by “vested political interests”.

He also dismissed the suggestion that the threat by Boko Haram informed the cancellation of the independence anniversary’s military parade at the Eagle Square, Abuja and shift of venue.

Asked if Nigeria was safe for foreign investors, Jonathan replied in the affirmative, referring to the recent visit to the country by Bill Gates, one of the richest persons in the world.

On lessons Nigeria can learn from the genocide in Rwanda, Jonathan, who had visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre where he laid a wreath in memory of the 250,000 victims interred in mass graves, said that Africans should learn to resolve problems and conflicts before they degenerate.

He announced that Nigeria and Rwanda were working on sharing experiences in public health, space technology and entering into a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to ease procurement of visas by potential investors.

He also promised that Nigeria would in the near future reciprocate by opening a diplomatic mission in Kigali as Rwanda did recently in Abuja.

President Kagame had thanked Nigeria for its long-standing support, especially through the country’s Technical Aid Corps programme, while a joint communiqué issued at the end of the visit committed both countries to ensuring the socio-economic transformation of their peoples in the area of infrastructure, energy, Information Communications Technology, education and health.wp_posts