President
Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday promised that his administration would
move faster in the New Year to accede to the yearnings of the citizens.
“In
all our key sectors of the economy, we have laid solid foundations and
now we are moving ahead. We will move very fast to make sure that what
Nigerians expect from us as a government, we will do,” the President
said during a New Year service at the All Saints’ Anglican Church, Zone
5, Wuse, Abuja.
“We are working very hard and I am convinced that 2013 will be a better year for this country,” he added.
The Jonathan administration has been criticised many times for its alleged slow response to the expectations of the citizens.
The
President, during a Christmas Service in Abuja last week, had said his
administration appeared to be slow in taking decisions on national
issues because he wanted to avoid making mistakes.
He
said experience had shown him that when rushing to take decisions,
government might make serious mistakes which would be difficult to
correct.
The
statement drew criticisms from opposition political parties and human
rights activists who felt the President could not justify the slow pace
of his government in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
Jonathan,
however, stressed that his government had been working hard to satisfy
Nigerians, especially in the area of checking insecurity in the
country.
He
said, “On the part of government, we are also not sleeping. We are
working very hard. I am constantly being briefed on security matters
that I don’t need to publish in the media. I can assure that our
security operatives have been working very hard.
“Most
of the people who have been involved in these crimes like bombing of
the Catholic Church in Niger State, bombing of the UN Building and
bombing of the police headquarters have been arrested. Almost all of
them have been arrested,” Jonathan said The President announced the
arrests while recounting the “silent” success of his administration as
congregants gathered to usher in the New Year.
The
violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, had claimed responsibility for the
bombing of St. Theresaaa’s Catholic Church in Mandalla, Niger State, as
well as the attack on the UN building, in Abuja, on August 26, 2011. A
bomb-laden car had ripped through security barriers and rammed into the
building, killing at least 25 persons, mostly aid workers.
A
lone bomber from the sect similarly attacked the Louis Edet Police
building in the Federal Capital Territory on June 16, 2011. The lone
bomber and a policeman died during the attack while more than 70
vehicles were destroyed by the fire ignited by the explosion at the car
park.
Jonathan
said his administration had been working very hard, mostly without the
knowledge of the citizens, to solve the insecurity in the country.
While thanking the Church for its prayers in the past, the President urged them to continue to assist his administration.
He
recalled that the support of the church for the nation dated back to
when the country was struggling to transit from military to civilian
rule.
“The
church has been praying for this country, not just now. I remember
during the period of transition from military to civilian, when this
country was drifting and we did not know where we were going, the church
prayed. God intervened and stabilised the country,” he said.
Jonathan
said because of the nation’s large youth population, his administration
was committed to job creation, adding that many of the problems facing
the nation were caused by Nigerians’ attitude and ways of life.
He
said the get-rich-quick syndrome had led many people into criminal
activities, including robbery, embezzlement in offices and other
anti-social behaviour.
Earlier
in his sermon, the Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most
Revd. Nicholas Okoh, had asked Jonathan and others in positions of
authority to circumcise their hearts so that they could deliver the
dividends of democracy to Nigerians in the New Year.
He
also asked those in the civil service and the private sector to take a
similar step in order to shun vices that had contributed to the
country’s woes over the years.
In
his sermon titled, ‘Circumcise Your Heart,’ Okoh defined circumcision
as the cutting off of the old life of sins such as corruption, cheating
and hypocrisy, among others.
He said it was the seal of the covenant between God and Abraham which could be likened to modern day baptism.
He
said, “As we start the New Year and mark the naming and circumcision of
the baby Jesus today, Nigerians should circumcise their hearts.
“Pastors
in the vineyard of God must circumcise their hearts. Captains of
industry must circumcise their hearts; civil servants who hide files to
make money must circumcise their hearts.
“Politicians
at all levels, federal, state and local governments as well as in all
arms of government, the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary should
circumcise their hearts.
“Lecturers
who harass female students for marks, and ladies who tempt lectures
with their skimpy dresses must also circumcise their hearts.”
Punch Nigeria
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