President Goodluck Jonathan has remarked that the constant attack he comes under in the media is due to selfish ambition of some politicians who want to rule Nigeria come 2015.
The President stated that he would not allow the selfish ambition of the few tear the country apart.
Speaking on the latest call by some members of the opposition to effect his impeachment President Jonathan compared the situation to the “wrongful overthrow” of Shehu Shagari in 1983. He said such a move would have negative effects on the economy.
The President spoke through the Minister of Information, Labran Maku at an Award Ceremony in Abuja.
He said, “There is a difference between ambition and reality. Go for your ambition, nobody is disturbing you because it is a free world. Go and compete, but don’t pull down this country called Nigeria because of your personal ambition. It is unacceptable.
“I think there is a difference between debates and insults. I reject insults and the fact that I am a public officer doesn’t give anybody the liberty to insult me. Most of the time you cannot detach the Office of the President and honour of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“There are people who are honestly trying to put things down for this country to move on. I think we can see the difference between facts and fiction.
“Let us not continue to behave as if we can pull down our own house; we as politicians and public servants should not behave as if we were picked on the streets. You don’t just go and pour acid on the faces of public officers.
“When Shagari was overthrown in 1983, there was a lot of noise that the government was not doing anything and nothing was not said about Shagari’s regime.
“Shagari was overthrown amidst lies….The greatest shame of this country is Ajaokuta Steel Complex. If Shagari was there, by 1986, he would have completed Ajaokuta.”
The President said the media was full of insults for President Jonathan almost on a daily basis.
He said, “If you look through our media reports today, we see insults and abuses, every day. If somebody did not abuse Mr. President, it will look as if there is no journalism on that day.
“We are talking about our country, our nation’s institutions and democracy; we are talking about setting standards for this democracy, standards of behaviour, standards of conduct and standards of principles of behaviour and every democracy must be parliamentary. We should not go personal, but we are going too personal.”
He added, “We must not destroy the mirror and present the image as ugly.
“The mirror is very important in conveying the good image of our people. We have completely ignored issues on the ground and we are embarking on personality debates.
“The way we are sensationalising the development of this nation in public debates, is so annoying and it is not supposed to be so. I am a big time journalist.
“But there is a difference between reporting events and articulating a position because the media are supposed to articulate public debates. When the media embark on abuse and insults, the people will be confused.”
He also stated that the liberty being enjoyed by Nigerians had been taken for granted simply because “the President believes in the rule of law.”