Jonathan Deceived Nollywood With $200m —Chukwurah

Popular Nollywood actress, Clarion Chukwurah, has berated President Goodluck Jonathan over his purported donation of $200 million to the entertainment industry saying it was a deceit.

The actress who joined her counterparts in the entertainment industry in support of the masses against the removal of subsidy by the President, said nobody in the industry can say he has received the money from the President.

President Jonathan had announced a donation of $200 million to the entertainment industry during a meeting with the stakeholders in the industry. He described this as a direct intervention lifeline for the exclusive purpose of supporting artist and developing the entertainment industry.

The announcement was made at the 30th anniversary of the Silverbird Group in Lagos.

He had immediately received commendations from actors, actresses and musicians most of whom released campaign songs for him and publicly endorsed him as their candidate.

Chukwurah, while reacting to the removal of fuel subsidy by the President and some of his policies since he assumed office, Nigerians should not believe in his promises adding that the President is like other politicians who promise and fail.

She said the President announced the huge sum for the entertainment industry as “a bait to get us all to endorse him for the election and sell our fans to him,” since the President believes that with such endorsement, their fans would do same.

Also, musician, Daddy Showkey, regretted endorsing him during Jonathan’s campaign, saying the President had reneged on his promise to the people of the country.

Daddy Showkey said: “though I followed him throughout the campaign period, endorsed him and campaigned for him, I don’t support this policy.”

He added in pidgin English: “Jonathan, they say I should tell you to revert to the old fuel price of N65 per litre,” he said.

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Jonathan, union leaders meet amid strike

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is meeting union leaders Thursday for the first time since the start of a national strike that has seen workers threaten to halt oil production, a unionist said.

“We are going to meet the president at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT),” Peter Esele, president of Trade Union Congress, told AFP after oil workers announced they would shut down crude production in Africa’s largest oil producer from Sunday.

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Subsidy protest: 11 rights groups drag Jonathan to ICC

Eleven human rights groups have dragged President Goodluck Jonathan before the International Criminal Court, ICC, over alleged killings of no fewer than 35 Nigerians by security agencies in the on-going protest against subsidy removal by the Nigerian government.

qHuman Rights Agenda Nigeria Network, HRAN and 10 other groups in the petition by HRAN chair, Mr Chino Obiagwu, want Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo of ICC, to open a preliminary examination of these alleged violations and to investigate and prosecute any international crime against the statute that might have been committed.

According to the petition, “on January 1, President Goodluck Jonathan’s government announced an official 120 per cent increase in the price of petrol. On January 9, 2012, the labour unions and civil society organisations, including HRAN and its affiliate groups, started nationwide peaceful legitimate protests in opposition to the increase.

“The protests are continuing across the country, and the armed troops are still on the streets shooting and killing protesters.

All appeals by opposition politicians, labour and civil society leaders for government to withdraw live lethal weapon from its officials were rebuffed. “HRAN and its affiliate groups are concerned that more killings of protesters will occur in coming days and urge you to urgently open preliminary examination of these killings, and where any crime under the Rome Statute of the ICC has been found to have possibly been committed, to hold President Jonathan and his security officials involved personally accountable.

Groups which co-signed the petition are Centre for Democracy and Development, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre-Nigeria, CLEEN Foundation, HEDA Resource Centre, Human Rights Monitor, Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Legal Defence & Assistance Project, Legal Resources Consortium, Partnership for Justice and Society for Gender and Child Advancement.

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