How I resolved four months ASUU strike in one night — Ex-President Jonathan

A former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has narrated how his government resolved a four-month-old strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in one night.

Dr. Jonathan spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the birthday of the Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah.

At the conference to mark the birthday, the former president said on the ongoing strike action by the university teachers since February 14, 2022: “The society we are managing is quite complex.

“Yes, I was the president and I tried my best.

“Now, we are talking about ASUU strike.

“During my time too, ASUU had four months of strike.

“Different committees were meeting but nothing was working.

“I said: ‘How can our children stay out of school for four good months?’

“So, I had to call a meeting of all the leadership of ASUU.

“I presided over the meeting with my vice president.

“The Attorney General was there.

“I said that that night we must solve the problem.

“The Attorney General was there, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was there, the Ministers of Education were there, the Labour Ministers were there, the Finance Ministers and everybody that had to do with it (strike).

“And I thought that my being there would help us to do things quickly.

“But we spent the whole night.

“We finished like 5:30am and the strike was called off.

“So, there were issues.”

Jonathan extolled Bishop Kukah, advising him to keep speaking against bad leadership in society.…

Jonathan to APC, PDP: Your ongoing primaries a mess

Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has castigated the country’s political parties for the mess they have made of their ongoing primaries for the 2023 elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress are among the parties conducting their primaries now.

Jonathan, who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled: “Political Party Governance,” authored by Dr. Mohammed Wakil, a former Minister of State for Power, said: “These whole primaries going on across the country is a mess. “This is not a standard practice. “The process has failed.

“We cannot use the process to elect president, governors, senators and House of Representatives members and others.

“The process is already failed, which is not good for the country.

“But we will manage and move on.

“We pray that good people should come.

“I hope that what happened this year, 2022, will not happen again in this country.”…

We will welcome Jonathan to APC – Spokesman

The All Progressives Congress has said it would welcome former President Goodluck Jonathan if he decides to join the party.

The Secretary of the APC, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, disclosed this on a Channels Television programme on Wednesday.

Akpanudoedehe, who was a guest on Politics Today on Wednesday, said if Jonathan defects to the APC, it will strengthen the party’s structure.

He said: “I am hearing that for the first time that we are expecting the former President. “That will be great news.

“We will welcome him; that will also strengthen the party.”

When asked if the APC would pick Jonathan as its presidential candidate should he join its fold, Akpanudoedehe neither confirmed nor opposed it.

Rather, he said the ruling party has a special waiver for new members, including the privilege of vying for any political office in the country.

He said: “The last National Executive Council of the party actually gave a blanket approval to any individual that if you join APC today, it is as if you are a founding member of the party.

“So, anyone who joins today has the same opportunity to run for any office in this party.

“It has always been so, so I am not speculating.”…