The power brokers in Jonathan Presidency

THERE are many definitions of politics. One of them is the art or science of determining who gets what, where and when. In any government, there are men and women who have the ears of the ruler and can influence allocation of resources, appointments, projects and day-to-day decisions of the administration. Such people are known as power brokers.

The power brokers in Jonathan’s Presidency

Under President Goodluck Jonathan, a number of men and women have clearly emerged as power brokers. Some of these personalities played crucial roles in getting President Jonathan elected and are wielding enormous powers of influence in the polity today.
Notable personalities of influence in Jonathan’s administration include First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Petroleum Minister, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke; Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Peter Obi of Anambra.
Others include Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; PDP’s acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal; Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim; Mr. Femi Otedola; and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi among others.
Patience Jonathan
From the outset, Dame Jonathan has remained a pillar of sorts to the President. She was in the thick and thin of the presidential campaigns. She crisscrossed all parts of the country, wooing the electorate for her husband. She has also remained very visible as First Lady. Unarguably, she is one of the greatest power brokers around Jonathan. Many who want patronage from government go through her. With her matrimonial bond to the President, she is said to have not only helped Jonathan at the home front, but also influenced some government decisions, especially appointments.
Mrs. Jonathan is said to have been the driving force in the decamping of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State from the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Her imprint is large in the politics of Abia State and it would not be surprising if her influence through her husband’s power expands to other neighbouring states, particularly Cross River State. She presently has very close relationships with Obioma, the wife of Governor Liyel Imoke.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo
Regarded as a loyal deputy, Namadi damned the consequences to work for the success of his joint presidential ticket with Jonathan at a time a section of the North where he hails from opposed Jonathan and wanted power to return to the North.
As a measure of his influence, President Jonathan recently dissolved the boards of statutory bodies such as agencies and parastatals, and appointed Sambo to head a committee of five to select new members for the more than 400 boards.
Other members of the powerful committee are Senate President David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, PDP acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, who is the secretary.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Arguably, Okonjo-Iweala is one of the most powerful female power brokers in government.
She is practically in-charge of President Jonathan’s economic agenda. Aside being the Finance and Co-ordinating minister of the economy, she heads the Economic Management Team, which has as members, business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru and two others.
Regarded as defacto prime minister, Okonjo-Iweal as heads a 15_member Economic Implementation Team.
Other new members of the economic team are Managing Director of Access bank, Mr. Aigboje Aig_Imoukhuede and the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kola Jamodu, Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison_Madueke; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adesina Akinwunmi; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen; Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu; Minister of State (Finance) Yerima Lawal Ngama and Minister of State (Health) Mohammed Ali Pate.
There are also Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Professor Nwanze Okidigbe; Special Adviser to the President on Monitoring and Evaluation, Professor Sylvester Monye; Director General, Budget Office, Bright Okogwu and the Director General Bureau of Public Enterprises, Bola Onogoruwa.
David Mark
Senator David Mark was said to have been a stabilizing factor in the difficult and teething days of the Jonathan presidency last year. Early in the week, he reportedly convinced his fellow senators against passing no confidence vote on President Jonathan over the rising wave of insecurity in the country occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency. Having been in the Senate since 1999, a record four terms, Mark is now Nigeria’s longest serving Senate President.
Willy_nilly as Senate President, Senator Mark has been shaping the character of the Jonathan administration through his consideration of the administration’s legislative proposals.
As chairman of the Senate committee on the whole, he has led the screening of the administration’s most prominent appointments, notably ministers. So far, Senator Mark, who has not blocked any nomination, is said to be highly regarded by the President, hence hie has been appointed into the committee of Famous Five.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Since 1999, Obasanjo has remained a major factor in Nigerian and Aso Rock politics. He played decisive roles in getting Jonathan nominated as running mate to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, his swearing as acting president when Yar’Adua became terminally ill and now as elected president. He backed Jonathan during the bitter debates on whether or not Jonathan should be elected because of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP zoning formula. Obasanjo play crucial roles in those appointed ministers especially from the South-West.
As the political godfather of the sitting President, Obasanjo would of course not be easily discountenanced even if his voting power was almost inconsequential to the President’s election victory. Jonathan, obviously, is not primed to go against his political benefactor yet.
Deziani Allison Madueke
The Petroleum minister is said to be one of those who calls the shots at the Presidency. She is one of the very few ministers who got reappointed into their portfolios after the May 29, 2011 inauguration. She is also a key player in the Economic Team led by Okonjo-Iweala. Allison-Madueke also played defining roles during the electioneering camapigns.


Sanusi Lamido
The controversial CBN governor has been known to dish out monetary promises that had kept the government, investors and the citizenry on their toes since he came on board two years ago.
Since his appoinment, he has remained a key player in Jonathan’s economic rejuvenation programme.
Rotimi Amaechi
The Rivers State governor, aside massing a lot of votes for Jonathan at the presidential polls, is a second term governor of one of the richest states in the country. He has now emerged as chairman of the Governors Forum and could rally the 36 state governors to buy into President Jonathan’s programmes and policies as exemplified by the governors’ initial opposition to the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
Femi Otedola
The business magnate has remained a great pillar and loyalist of President Jonathan. The president had travelled with him on most occasions since coming on board. The rapport between them is getting smoother and rubbing off on the policies of President Jonathan.
Dangote, Ibrahim
Unarguably, Aliko Dangote and Jimoh Ibrahim could pass for Nigeria’s leading business mogul now. The president met with them and other business leaders in Lagos shortly after his re-election to look at government’s business policies. Given their business empires and their rating in the business community, they are playing crucial roles in reshaping the economy.
Bukola Saraki
The out-gone chairman of the governors’ forum and now senator backed Jonathan ferociously at the polls after losing out in the preliminary battle for the PDP as a consensus Northern candidate. He had played key roles in the presidency through nomination of ministers and is still recognised and respected’ in the presidency.
Godswill Akpabio
The governor of one of Nigeria’s richest states was on the driving seat for the election of President Jonathan. He contributed a number of foot soldiers, who fanned out to get the job done. He is now a second term governor and hails from the President’s South_South geo_political zone. The current thinking, it was gathered, is that ‘the good music’ should play on and the outcome_ a major role for Akpabio in Jonathan’s government.
Peter Obi
Although he is of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Governor Obi is the chairman of the South_East governors forum and vice chairman of the NGF. He also alongside the Ohanaeze rallied the South_East and Ndigbo, to vote Jonathan at the last elections.
Oronto DouglasBarrister Oronto Douglas, renowned environmentalist, lawyer and civil activist is unarguably one of the President’s closest advisers. He did underground and open campaigns for Jonathan’s election last April.Since about 2004 when he crossed the Rubicon from activism towards public service he has consistently been near to offer advise to Dr. Jonathan.
Though he entered government as a commissioner for information and strategy under the Dipreye Alamieyeisia administration, he resigned when the later was impeached and though he was reportedly invited by Governor Jonathan to remain in office, he declined but remained very supportive of the Jonathan administration helping behind the scene.
He is playing a role in laying strategic blueprints and measuring key parameters that would define the Jonathan legacy.

Rep. Bachmann accuses Obama administration of ‘strategic blunders’ in US war against terrorism

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is accusing the Obama administration of committing “strategic blunders” that have hampered U.S. efforts to combat terrorism.

Bachmann concedes that President Barack Obama achieved a “tactical” success in bringing down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and in taking out some of his cohorts in drone attacks.

But she tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Obama “is allowing the ACLU to run the CIA,” complaining that it was wrong to ban waterboarding.

Bachmann argued in Saturday night’s foreign policy debate for reinstituting waterboarding. She said the intelligence community has been deprived of the ability it once had to get vital information from detainees in the war against terrorism. The Minnesota congresswoman said Gauntanamo isn’t a long-term solution and that “we have no jails for terrorists.”

Canada will join negotiations on Pacific trade zone

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday that recent decisions south of the border against Canadian interests are a result of the current "political season," rather than a change in U.S. policy towards Canada.

Harper made the remarks as he headed into a lunchtime meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the APEC summit in Hawaii Sunday.

CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife tweeted that the two leaders held their meeting at a picnic table outside the summit. Images from the scene show the two leaders with jackets off and sleeves rolled up, chatting easily with big smiles on their faces.

However, official statements about the meeting indicated that the two leaders covered serious ground during their talk, including the recent decision by the U.S. State Department to delay the $7 billion Keystone pipeline deal.

After Harper headed into the lunch meeting, Fife tweeted: "PM Harper to tell Obama Canada will sell oil to China if keystone pipeline not approved."

Before the meeting, Harper told reporters that decisions deemed unfavourable to Canadian interests, such as the Keystone delay and so-called "Buy American" budget provisions, are not final.

A budget proposal Obama put forward last week also includes a $5.50 "passenger inspection fee" for Canadian travellers to the United States.

"Remember, not all these things are final decisions," Harper said. "I think Canadians would be wrong to interpret any of these decisions as against Canada.

"This is simply the political season in the United States and decisions are being made for domestic political reasons that often have little or nothing to do with what other countries may think."

In a statement, Obama's press secretary said the president used the meeting with Harper to discuss the recent developments in the Keystone pipeline issue.

"The President underscored his support for the State Department's announcement regarding the need to seek additional information about the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal to ensure that all questions are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood," the statement said.

Obama also outlined the importance of the two countries working together "to enhance economic competitiveness, create sustainable economic growth and jobs."

The president also extended an invitation to Harper to visit Washington in December.

In an appearance on CTV's Question Period, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the year-long delay in the Keystone pipeline is "a disappointment" that will force Canada to look across the Pacific for customers for oil.

"We've got to go where the trade is," he said from the APEC summit. "We're here at APEC. We have great friends in the Asia-Pacific community. ... This is a tremendous opportunity in the long-term and medium-term for Canada."

Flaherty said the pipeline delay will hurt the United States economically because it will erase "thousands and thousands of high-paying jobs, largely union jobs."

And he added that Canada will explore other avenues.

"The process is already moving forward," he said. "The sooner we can increasingly access markets in Asia the better."

The unexpected opportunity to raise some key issues privately with Obama came about because Mexican President Felipe Calderon cancelled his appearance at the APEC summit after the death of his interior minister in a helicopter crash.

Harper and Obama crossed paths Saturday night at the official opening dinner for the APEC summit as the president welcomed the various world leaders to his home state.

Obama asked whether the Harpers' two children had come for the meetings, but Harper's wife Laureen said "we wanted them to be away from all of this."

In advance of his special meeting with Obama, Harper met Saturday with American business leaders who were in Hawaii for an Asia Pacific business summit. They included executives from FedEx, Time Warner, Walmart Asian, Johnson and Johnson and Cargill.

The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who was also at the table, described the gathering as a meeting with family.

"We value the extraordinary relationship we have between the United States and Canada," Tom Donahue said. "We have a list of issues that will consume a lot of discussion."

Donahue cited the economy, the oilsands, and even the Keystone pipeline as matters to be raised.

The Harper-Obama sitdown came only days after the U.S. State department ordered TransCanada to reroute its proposed pipeline and subject it to further environmental assessment, which will delay the $7-billion project at least another year.

The 2,700-kilometre pipeline would bring crude from the new oilsands expansions in northern Alberta to be turned into gasoline and other fuels in Texas, the hub of the American refining industry.

Canada has lobbied hard for an expanded pipeline to be built, saying it would provide jobs and economic benefit to both countries.

But opposition in the U.S. has been vocal, including high profile environmental protests. The rerouting and subsequent assessments allow Obama to delay making a controversial political decision on whether to allow the pipeline to be built.

Harper said he was "disappointed" by the delay, but said the project is far from over.

"We have already indicated of course that we are disappointed," Harper said. "Nonetheless, I remain optimistic that the project will eventually go ahead because it makes eminent sense."

During his news conference, Harper also expressed Canada's willingness to join a new trade sub-group that Canada has so far been excluded from.

Harper said Canada now hopes to join the Trans Pacific Partnership, and can meet all membership criteria, "so it is something that we are interested in moving forward on."

The Harper government had opposed the requirement that Canada show a willingness to consider dropping supply management policies for certain industries.

Harper said Sunday that while "all matters are on the table" during negotiations to join the group, Canada will seek to defend and promote our specific interests in every single sector of the economy."

The visit to Hawaii has been fruitful for the Canadian delegation. The prime minister's Sunday session with Obama will be his fifth bilateral discussion of the weekend, including one with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Critical meeting with Obama

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a key bilateral meeting Sunday afternoon following the APEC summit in Hawaii, at a critical juncture in the Canada-U.S. relationship.

It was uncertain whether Harper would score some coveted face time with Obama after the North American leaders’ summit — to be held this weekend in Honolulu with Mexican President Felipe Calderon — was cancelled due to the tragic death of a Mexican minister in a helicopter crash in that country.

A helicopter crash Friday, in bad weather, approximately 70 kilometres south of Mexico City killed Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora, and other Mexican government officials.

In a statement, Harper said he was profoundly saddened to learn of the death and that he and his wife Laureen “offer their heartfelt condolences to the families of Secretary Mora and the other officials killed today, to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and to all citizens of Mexico.”

The accident, while a huge blow to Mexico, threatened to scrap any private meeting time Harper might have had with Obama this weekend, as the prime minister looks to address a growing number of irritants in the cross-border relationship.

The Obama administration’s decision on Thursday to delay a final ruling on the Keystone XL oilsands pipeline until after the November 2012 presidential election is just the latest in a series of prickly issues in the threadbare Canada-U.S. relationship.

The U.S. president held bilateral talks with a number of global leaders on the sidelines of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, which wraps up Sunday.

Obama is slated to hold tete-a-tetes with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Harper originally didn’t have a separate bilateral meeting planned with Obama before the so-called Three Amigos summit was cancelled.

Harper will need a deft diplomatic touch to address a growing number of cross-border issues that are sparking more questions about the strength of Canada-U.S. ties.

The U.S. government’s decision to examine rerouting the Keystone XL pipeline — which would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from northern Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas — could postpone a final ruling for 12 to 18 months, and potentially longer if a new environmental assessment is needed.

Canada and the U.S. are also looking to finalize the Beyond the Border initiative, a bilateral trade and security agreement designed to better co-ordinate intelligence-sharing at the border and streamline cross-border trade.

The Harper government originally said the plan would be ready by the end of summer, but details still haven’t been unveiled.

Also, Canadians and Mexicans travelling by air or boat to the United States now face a new $5.50 surcharge implemented this month by the U.S government — which Harper has attacked as a bad policy designed to bail the U.S. out of a huge debt on the backs of Canadians and other visitors.

There has also been some tension between Canada and the U.S. in recent weeks after the White House included new Buy American provisions in Obama’s $447-billion job creation bill that could prevent Canadian companies from bidding on billions of dollars of infrastructure contracts.





“Perhaps the Harper government has failed to convince the Americans to go in the direction they wanted,” said Christopher Sands, a specialist in Canada-U.S. relations at the Hudson Institute, a think-tank in Washington D.C.

“There’s something in the air here where the Obama administration, as it heads into re-election, is in a couple of its significant gestures sending a signal that the way that Washington views things hasn’t changed,” he added.

“And that ought to be frustrating to the Harper government, I would think, because they put a lot of effort into not only telling the Canadians things had changed, but building these bilateral things.”

On the Keystone XL, Sands argues the White House simply “messed up” and is now in a serious jam over an issue that threatens to derail Obama’s re-election hopes.

Environmentalists were looking for an issue to grasp on to, he said, and the pipeline seems to offer something for several green groups because there are concerns about land, air, water and climate change.

“It’s just a sign of how badly the president is concerned about his re-election hopes, that he can’t afford to upset his constituency,” Sands said. “The delay we’re now stuck with is because the president mishandled the file.”

Harper and other Pacific Rim leaders are in Honolulu for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, where the 21-member group — including Canada, the United States, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Russia — will work towards greater economic integration in the region and eliminating trade barriers.

APEC’s partners account for more than 80 per cent of Canada’s total trade in merchandise and more than half of global gross domestic product. Two-way trade between Canada and APEC economies totalled more than $650 billion in 2010, compared to roughly $375 billion in 1994.

The Conservative government’s main objectives for the APEC summit include: promoting Canada’s international trade agenda and advancing regional economic integration; championing Canadian commercial interests in the region and showcasing the country to world leaders and senior executives from APEC economies; and advancing Canadian foreign policy goals such as emergency preparedness and open governance.

British spies halted Gaddafi attack

Britain's intelligence agencies thwarted a deadly attack on the leadership of the anti-Gaddafi rebels in Libya, Foreign Secretary William Hague has disclosed.

The agencies were able to warn the National Transitional Council in Benghazi of the danger after discovering details of the planned attack by Muammar Gaddafi's former regime, Mr Hague said.

He said the agencies - which include the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and the electronic "listening" agency GCHQ - had played a key role in the conflict which brought Gaddafi's 42-year dictatorship to an end.

"Throughout the conflict in Libya, the agencies used their global capabilities to provide insight into the intentions of pro-Gaddafi forces and to understand the progress of the battles around Brega, Misrata and finally Tripoli," he said.

"They worked to identify key political figures, develop contacts with the emerging opposition and provide political and military intelligence. Most importantly, they saved lives.

"For example the Gaddafi regime tried to attack the National Transitional Council in Benghazi, and to kill some of the Western representatives in Libya. The agencies obtained firm intelligence, were able to warn the NTC of the threat, and the attacks were prevented."

Mr Hague was delivering a rare public speech on the work of the intelligence agencies, which he described as "vital assets" with a "fundamental and indispensable role" in keeping the nation safe.

The disclosure of the agencies' involvement in Libya comes amid criticism that MI6 had been too close to the former Gaddafi regime and was involved in the extraordinary rendition of anti-Gaddafi activists.

Speaking at the Foreign Office, Mr Hague acknowledged Britain's standing in the world had been damaged by allegations that MI5 and MI6 officers had been complicit in the extradition and torture of terrorist suspects. But while he said the Government was determined to tackle the issue, he strongly defended controversial proposals for secret court hearings in civil cases when evidence involving sensitive intelligence material was being discussed.

He said that it was essential the agencies were able to protect their sources and their methods if they were to carry out their work effectively. "A blend of people, technology and partnerships give us an intelligence edge. If our techniques come to light, adversaries benefit and are able to switch techniques and communications resulting in a loss of knowledge about their plans," he said.

Where is Libya going?

Although Gaddafi’s departure was swift and violent when it finally came, the dictator’s demise was long coming. What remains is a Libya in turmoil, as rebels in some part of the country have turned on each other to settle personal scores.

The National Transition Council, in many ways the country’s de-facto leadership since the start of a revolution, has set an eight month target for elections - meaning the if all goes well it will be the first democratic election the nation has seen since 1972.

This will be no easy task however, demanding courage and patience from leaders like Mahmoud Jibril. The country has only begun to rebuild and restart after a devastating year, and important income as that from oil is slow in recovery due to massive damage to infrastructure.

Insistence that the elections would give fair trial to the government loyalists the rebels fought to topple, is an important maneuver that will help deflate grudges and retaliation from this group. Some would-be Libyan politicians are positive to this, although the matter is far from settled.

To ban any political parties from standing, would make the next election another flawed story. Fears of regime loyalists returning to old ways should be abated by introducing laws which limit power of the executive and the implementation of a sufficient check and balance system which will not allow ultimate power to any one institution, party or individual.

New leaders will also have to struggle with the volatile society they wish to lead, which includes getting young rebels back to school, and organizing a system to control and collect the plethora of firearms that are now in the hands of countless former revolutionary forces spread around the country.

Ian Martin, UN envoy to Libya said that the country “is coming from nowhere in terms of useful electoral experience,” and he is right. The country has no electoral lists, no electoral districts and few people in the country – which has been undemocratic for the better part of the past 40 years - even understand the concept of a political party or running for office.

There is no doubt that much is still to be done, and in order to succeed the interim leadership will need great support from its citizens. This however, should hopefully be the smallest issue, as scenes from other newly democratic Arab states such as Tunisia tells us that the Arab Spring have dealt people newfound confidence in elected governments and the power of their own voice.

Such celebratory voting will in part aid the process of an election, but the challenges to Libya’s electoral infrastructure is by far the greatest amongst the Arab Spring siblings.

Gaddafi's son to remain in Niger

Moscow : Saadi Gaddafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will remain in Niger until the UN lifts a ban on his freedom of movement, Niger's foreign minister has said.

"We are obliged to respect this resolution. He (Saadi) is here, he cannot travel. Until that resolution is revised, he will stay in Niger," Foreign Minister Bazoum Mohamed told state television Tuesday.

Saadi, 38, fled Libya for Niger in September together with other members of his family after rebel forces established control over most of the country in August. He was granted asylum on humanitarian grounds in Niger.

Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for Saadi at the request of Libya's transitional authorities.

Libya has called on Niger to revise its "unjustified position" because such statements, according to Tripoli, "do not help build relations based on mutual respect".

Muammar Gaddafi was killed Oct 20. In September, Interpol put the ousted Libyan leader and his other son, Seif al-Islam, as well as his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, on a wanted list.

Baba Ramdev compares Congress leaders to Gaddafi

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is finding characteristics of Muammar Gaddafi in various leaders of Congress party.
"They (Congress leaders) all have the same characteristics as Gaddafi's. If they continue to have the same attitude, the day is not far when they will also experience the same end as Gaddafi, Ramdev told the media here.
Ramdev said the Congress party was responsible for various graft scams and said it was unwilling to draft an effective Lokpal Bill to fight corruption.

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"Why are they not making an efficient Lokpal Bill to fight corruption? Why do they not take any strong steps to make the existing system effective, transparent and accountable? Why are they not taking steps against the corrupt policies, whether it is about injustice to farmers or in the field of education and health," he added.
He challenged Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to undertake revolutionary changes in the country.
"If Rahul Gandhi holds an important position in the Congress party, then why does he not take any action towards changing the election process?" he asked.