Jonathan pledges to tackle ‘culture of impunity’

[TGD]

Following the deadly violence and wanton destruction of lives and property that trailed the presidential polls in some parts of the North, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday vowed that the Federal Government would no longer condone "the culture of impunity" in any part of the country.

The President, in his remark at the opening session of the first induction/symposium of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) for newly-elected and returning governors at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said impunity of any hue "will no longer be tolerated in any part of our country. For me, this is an article of faith. We cannot allow unpatriotic elements to distract us from the task of diligently facing up to Nigeria's developmental challenges."

Also, following the success of the April polls, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will pay a three-day working visit to Nigeria during which he is expected to hold talks with President Jonathan and address governors and governors-elect on the platform of the Governors' Forum. Ban would also visit Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.

Resident Co-ordinator of UN System in Nigeria, Dauda Toure, announced the visit at the opening session of the first induction/symposium of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) for newly-elected governors and re-elected governors in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa'ad III, has condemned the post-election violence that erupted in some northern parts of the country following the April presidential election, saying that it is an "unfortunate" occurrence which "must be condemned by all right thinking individuals all over the world."

The Sultan, on behalf of the nation's traditional rulers, expressed support for the panel set up by President Jonathan to investigate the violence and bring its perpetrators to book.

Speaking on behalf of other traditional rulers under the aegis of chairmen of traditional rulers councils of the states and the FCT during a courtesy visit to President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Sultan, who co-chairs the Royal Fathers' Council with the Ooni of Ife, expressed sadness over the recourse to violence at short instigation, saying royal fathers across the country were particularly saddened by the killing of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in the mayhem.

He pledged that the Council of Traditional Rulers would do all it could to assist the committee in its task.

According to the Sultan, "we felt bad that somebody will leave his state to another state only to have his corpse taken back. We were indeed saddened by the unfortunate trend."

He, therefore, urged traditional rulers across the country to do all they can to protect members of the NYSC in their domains and make their safety a priority.

The Sultan also congratulated President Jonathan on his victory at the presidential polls and pledged the support of all royal fathers for the administration, saying "we are solidly behind you and your government, and we will continue to do all it takes, Insha Allah, to assist this government execute its programmes."

In his contribution, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, enjoined all Nigerians to rally around the current administration, and place the unity and stability of the country above parochial interests.

President Jonathan thanked the royal fathers for their support towards the success of the April polls, and his election as president for a fresh term.

The President said his administration would continually engage the traditional institutions and push for constitutional recognition of their functions.

He solicited for their continued co-operation in maintaining law and order across the nation.

"We will look at the committee's recommendations and pass them to the security agencies. Anybody found culpable will be investigated and if the security agencies feel they should be prosecuted, then they will be prosecuted. We will not tolerate the culture of impunity because ours is not a lawless society," the President said.

At another forum, President Jonathan disclosed that government had decided to institutionalise the leadership of federal delegations to all pilgrimages, to build institutional memory and establish an acceptable standard of operations.

He spoke yesterday while receiving the report of the Federal Government delegation for the 2010 Christian Pilgrimage to Israel, at State House, Abuja.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, leader of the delegation and Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), requested the signing of a BASA with Israel to reduce flight time and enable Nigerian airlines participate in the airlift, early inauguration of the delegation, as well as proper funding to enable the Nigerian Embassy in Israel serve as a pilgrims' post, similar to the roles of Mecca and Medina.

He thanked the President for giving them the opportunity to serve the country in this capacity.

President Jonathan also stressed the need for all incoming elected officers to deliver the dividends of democracy to the country, as failure to do so would amount to reneging on electoral promises to the people.

The President said: "The outstanding success of the 2011 elections and the wide local and international acclaim which the exercise has received imposes a huge burden of responsibility on all of us who have received the mandate of the people.

"Nigerians have unequivocally demonstrated their commitment to the sustenance of democracy. It is therefore, our collective duty as elected representatives of the people to work, not only to entrench, deepen and strengthen the structures and institutions of democratic governance in the country, but to also enhance the welfare and well-being of the people; promote growth and development; and inspire the people's confidence in the political leadership."

The President stated that the desired transformation of Nigeria could only be realised "through transparent, accountable, purpose-driven, people-centred, and God-fearing leadership."

He called "for renewed resolve and renewed courage as we face up to the sundry developmental and economic challenges confronting our nation. The times also call for a recommitment to the ideas of democratic governance, especially with respect to strict adherence to the principles of the rule of law, separation of powers, and co-operation between the three arms of government as well as between the federal, state and local governments."

He, therefore, challenged the Governors' Forum to "provide the platform for the generation of practical ideas and strategies for effective partnership between the state and local governments so as to mitigate some of the identified challenges of governance at the grassroots level. On our part, I aver that the Federal Government is unwaveringly committed to partnering with the state governments to drive Nigeria's accelerated growth and development."

President Jonathan congratulated the governors for their triumphs in the April polls, noting that "as political leaders, we must be in the forefront of preaching peace and harmony, not violence. As chief law officers, we have the obligation of ensuring the security of lives and property of the citizens of this country. On my part, I want to assure you of the Federal Government's preparedness to avail you all the requisite support at all times."

Welcoming the participants to the event, Chairman, NGF and Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, said: "With the just- concluded elections, Nigeria has once again demonstrated to the world what purposeful and committed leadership could achieve.

"In any federation, the role of state governors is quite critical in delivering democratic dividends to the people. Increased complexity of public administration occasioned by rising public awareness and legitimate expectations by the people we govern mean some form of preparedness is necessary before we take on this difficult challenge.

"Recent experience suggests that what we term as failure of governance is not necessarily a consequence of corruption or lack of desire by political actors to perform in office. Usually, lack of critical capacity or experience is a major factor."

Saraki noted that the "programme is organised to afford new and returning governors opportunities to share in the experiences of their peers as well as more senior colleagues and former governors from Nigeria and other parts of the world with more advanced democratic tradition.

"In the course of the next two days, we shall receive presentations and engage in conversations with experienced Nigerians and international resource persons as well as former governors on critical governance and policy issues. I am optimistic that this programme will greatly assist the new governors and the older ones to better engage with the enormous responsibilities of their office and ultimately improve the quality of governance in our country."

Other key speakers at the event included elder statesman and former Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Maitama Sule, renowned Catholic cleric, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

They all canvassed a redirection of the nation's hope towards delivering the dividends of democracy and meeting the aspirations of the citizens.

Source: Jonathan pledges to tackle 'culture of impunity'