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Nigeria's First Lady in outrage over missed trip to Washington, D.C

by, Rachel Rabinowitz
Lagos, Nigeria
July,31,2014

Reports emanating from Aso Rock yesterday indicated that the wife of Nigeria's President, Patience Jonathan, after being informed that she would not be accompanying her husband to the United States, flew into a rage and slapped a Protocol Officer and an unnamed female Minister in her husband's cabinet accusing them of infidelity and trying to break up her marriage. She has reportedly insisted that they be fired immediately.


Nigeria's First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been in the news lately for less than praise worthy reasons, is expected to attend the U.S/Africa Presidents summit in Washington, DC, next monday. Always known to travel with a very large entourage that could rival any Super Star rapper's posse, President Jonathan leads one of the largest contingent to the summit with a 77 man crew.

In a telephone interview, the Media Assistant to Mrs Jonathan, Ayo Adewuyi, denied that she had assaulted anyone.

"This is a complete fabrication of the events that happened and which you are calling about", he said. "It is true that Mommy (Mrs.Jonathan) was upset about not being included in the trip because she wanted to use this opportunity to meet with Michelle Obama and explain what is really going on with the Chibok issue".

"As you know, she has been lambasted in the press, especially on social media, and her position on the saga has been grossly misconstrued. She would have loved to sit down with Mrs.Obama to forge a cooperation agreement and working relationship on how incidents like that could be avoided in the future. Besides, as an African woman, her role is to be next to her husband and to guide him where he falters or is lacking. She might still make the trip, we are working out the modalities", he concluding before abruptly ending the interview.

President Jonathan, with a very low approval rating and facing an uphill task in elections slated for February 2015, has been rumored with having extra marital affairs with at least two of his top female cabinet , one of whom happens to be the powerful director of the country's Petroleum Agency, Diezani Madueke, wife of a former Naval Chief.

He is also prone to scandal.

In 2011, during the CHOGM summit in Melbourne, Australia, he failed to show up even though he was supposed to be one of the keynote speakers. There were reports of partying into the wee hours of the morning and a President in a drunken stupor ing for why he couldn't attend the summit, in the local Nigerian press. Other reports alleged an incident with a Sri Lankan prostitute, which was said to have been hushed because of diplomatic reasons. A few of his entourage were reportedly issued life bans from ever visiting Australia again as a result of the alleged incident.

Mrs Goodluck Jonathan herself is not averse to controversy. In 2009, while her husband was the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, in the Niger-Delta region, she was arrested at the International Airport in Lagos while attempting to transport $13.5million in her carry-on Luggage to Kuwait.

Again, in 2011, a woman claiming to be a courier for the then Governor's wife, was also caught trying to smuggle $15million en route to Switzerland.

Nigeria, ravaged with endemic corruption, high unemployment and a terror insurgency is due for Presidential elections in early 2015.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Front page thinz

Pressure Mounts In Nigeria As Fingers Point Towards Militant Leader in Assassination Attempt


One of Nigeria's Numerous Rebel Leaders Holding A Press Conference

By Robert Weinberg and Ngugi Msthativeli, CNN
updated 12:35 PM EDT, Wed July 30, 2014

Tension rose within Nigeria's Intelligence community between Northern Muslim Security Agents and their Southern Christian counterparts over preliminary findings that a vocal critic and self proclaimed Militant rebel leader from the country's Niger-Delta area, was behind the assassination attempt on the life of the leader of the main opposition party, Ret.Gen Muhammadu Buhari. There are suspicions that the Militant leader is being protected by the Presidency because he is from the same Ijaw tribe as President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr.Jonathan has since distanced himself from the attack and has reached out to Mr.Buhari and other Northern Political and religious leaders urging for peace and calm after the attack that took 82 lives.

Former Military Head of State and founding member of the main opposition party, Muhammadu Buhari, barely escaped death when his convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber. President Jonathan immediately sent a condolence message after the attack and has ordered a thorough investigation while also promising that no stone would be left unturned until the perpetrators "…and sons of devils trying to plunge Nigeria into turmoil are unraveled and brought to book" . Gen.Buhari, widely viewed as incorruptible, had--- two days before the attempt on his life--- written to the Presidency decrying the state of the nation and the endemic corruption ravaging it. He is a leading contender to fly the flag of the opposition party, and perhaps contest for the Presidency, in elections slated for late winter of 2015.

Nigeria, evenly divided between Muslims in the North and Christians in the South, has been ravage by a series of bombings that has claimed upwards of 10,000 lives. Official reports have linked these deadly incidents to the terrorist group Boko Ha'ram which is said to have links to Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda in Africa.

Requests for on the record interviews were declined, but a top Nigerian Intelligence Official who chose to remain anonymous told our correspondent that investigations were underway into the connection of the alleged assassination attempt of Mr.Buhari by the Militant warlord.

"It is true that we have found some evidence--financial and telephone text records-- linking the Rebel leader to the assassination attempt", he said. "Vigorous investigations are underway but for now we would like to keep everything secret so as not to intimate on our objectives and inflame the polity. The President has instructed us to prosecute anyone connected with this incident to the fullest extent of the law and we intend to do so in order to stop continued destabilization of the country". He declined to comment further.

Nigeria has been in the news lately over the kidnap of 231 school girls by the terrorist group. The girls are still missing and are assumed to have been sold into slavery.

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/