Read a summary of President Jonathan's 7th Media Chat

The media chat started with Cyril Stober anchoring the chat, Funke Fadugba – Ray Power, Bashiru Saad Abdulahi, BBC World Service, and Jide Ajani make up the panel.

The presidential chat started around 7:00PM Nigerian time, and was closely monitored by
NigerianEye. 


 The chat started with a review of the “trying times” in Nigeria.
 I promise, we will get over our challenges, President Jonathan said in his opening speech.

• Kidnapped Chibok School Girls

The issue of the kidnapped Chibok school girls was immediately raised.
 The president said the security agencies have been combing everywhere since the girls were kidnapped.
“Wherever they are, we will surely get them back,” he said.

 The president said he met with the Chibok school’s principal and was informed 53 students have returned. But the police insists only 44 have returned. He pleads with the parents and guardians o cooperate with security agencies to release information about the girls. He wants the guardians should give the police names and pictures of schoolgirls that are still missing.

• Negotaition with the terrorists?

When asked if he was negotiating with the terrorists for the release of the girls, he said: “You cant’t negotiate with people you don’t know,” pointing that it is not clear who has the girls.
“Some times, you people know more than me,” he said.

 530 were registered in that school, according to WAEC. 193 were relocated to other schools. The school, although a girls’ only collage was recently made a mixed school due to the security situation, explaining the reason the number of students in the school at the time of the kidnap was high.

• Unlike Boko Haram, The Niger Delta militants were not terrorist

While comparing the security situation in Nigeria’s northeast with what happened in the Niger Delta few years back, the president said they situations were different. He argues the difference is in Boko Haram’s clandestine operations and lack of distinct or public leadership.

“The Niger Delta militants were not terrorist. I’m not trying to defend them,” he said.

• Nigeria’s security agents, and security challenges in the country

While reviewing the capability of Nigeria’s security agents to respond to the increasing security challenges in Nigeria, the president said they were “capable”.

He added that he had reached a decision to recruit more and train them well.
“Were are receiving an unfair share of the global terror,” the president said while trying to blame external [foreign] forces targeting the destruction of Africa’s largest economy [Nigeria]. He argued that because of Nigeria’s size and economy, many world forces are interested in its downfall.

“Terrorism is not a phenomenon a six months or one year State of Emergency can solve,” the President said while justifying the performance of the state of emergency in place in the most affected northeast Nigeria states.

His explanation indicated a plan to extend the state of emergency in the affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Without the state of emergency, security operatives in affected states may be frustrated, he explains.

• World Economic Forum in Abuja

The issues then rolled to the World Economic Forum.
The president explained that his decision to shut down the entire city for the project is with good intention. He said it is to make movement of the attendees easier and faster. He appeals to the private institutions to join government offices and shutdown during the WEF.

“Nigeria will not be the first country, people in other countries do that,” he said. “It does not affect our economy.”
“We are not saying that private companies must close down, but we advise that they do,” he added.

• Request for Foreign assistance in tackling insecurity in Nigeria

He stated that Nigeria is discussing with U.S., France, Uk and China to help Nigeria tackle the terrorism in Nigeria.

The president said he has had personal discussions with Barrack Obama of the U.S where he requested for assistance to tackle Boko Haram.

•  Unemployment and Jobs

The president defended creation of 1.6 million jobs in 2013 He mentioned Agric, Nollywood, Sure-P, YouWin as areas were jobs were created, but did not give specifics. He insists that National Bureau of Statistics has details of the 1.6 mn jobs, “I have asked them to publish it,” he said.
He admits government cannot employ more than 5% of Nigerians but said he has created environment for small and medium scale enterprise to thrive.

People must know that re-basing the economy has not added anything to ‘us’, the president said while discussing job creation in his administration. “Re-basing the economy does not mean new things were created, it simply means proper stock taking of the economy,” he said.
Government cannot employ more than 5%, he said, arguing that government creates good environment for employers to thrive.

He said Nigeria must spend money to organize the World Economic Forum but justifies it saying it is necessary to create jobs.
“For you to create jobs, you must encourage the private sector,” he said.

•  Corruption

 The issue of the Missing billion was up again as the president tackled a question on corruption by Bashiru Saad Abdulahi of the BBC World Service.

The president, while reacting to that corruption question, spent a lot of time showing his dissatisfaction with the inconsistencies in CBN governor’s allegations.

“Sanusi is not an ordinary Nigerian,” he said.

The president’s argument is that it is impossible to steal billion in Nigeria. “If anybody steals billion, I am telling you, we will know… billion now in this country, we will celebrate it,” the president said.

He concluded by stating that 20 Billion dollars can't be stolen in Nigeria without America's Knowledge.

Some papers and magazine are specifically set up by to oppose government. He said a paper called NEXT was set up from the onset to to bring the government down and its target was the Ministry of Petroleum Ministry and when they didn’t succeed, it died. He spoke when defending alleged  corruption in the Petroleum ministry. He also defended the petroleum minister’s alleged extravagance on private jets.

• Fuel Scarcity

The president said he will not hesitate to increase pump price if he has to do it. But for now, he has no plans to increase pump price.

“I cannot increase pump price through the back door. if I want to do it, I will do it,” the president said in reaction to questions regarding recent petrol scarcity in Nigeria and rumored plans to increase pump price in Nigeria.

He also said if anyone manipulates sales points, it is criminal.

•  Power Supply

The president admited the power reforms were not moving as fast as expected but says the country will never go back to the days when it was producing just 2000 MW of electricity. He said the first problem he had was gas [for generation] and then distribution.

•  2015 to contest or not?

The president again evades to state categorically if he intends to stand for election or not.

“The issue of declaration should not be a problem for Nigerian,” the president said, while pressed for his ambitions.
He said Nigerians should be more concerned with issues the panel had discussed with him earlier.

• Response to Tweets from viewers at home

Tweet from Emmanuel Sunday requested for the introduction of other core subjects in schools and the offering of free textbooks.
The president said an agencies are in place to handle the request for free textbooks.

Olarenwaju Smart tweeted a question about the president’s earlier claim that Boko Haram had infiltrated his cabinet.
“I never said that Boko Haram has infiltrated my cabinet,” the president replied. “I used the word government.”
The president said some security agents in his government are currently under investigation for involvement in Boko Haram.

• ASUP strike

If you go on strike for one day, you are supposed to forgo your salary, the president said on ASUP Strike

• National Conference

The chat progresses into the legitimacy of the ongoing National Conference.
The president said the conference is legitimate. The key thing is how to work with the parliament to make the best use of what is output from the conference.

• Parting words...

“The issue of security, we are handling it…” the said as his parting words. “Let the parents [of missing Chibok schoolgirls] come forward and help us, and I promise we shall find the girls.]