80% of my advisers have nothing to say – President Jonathan

80% of my advisers have nothing to say – President Jonathan

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said that more than 80
percent of his advisers have nothing meaningful to say to him.

Jonathan said this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at a special funeral
service for eight female politicians and their driver who died in road
accident on February 14.

The president noted that he had been experiencing this from his days
as deputy governor of the state.

He was responding to a comment earlier made by the Governor of the
State, Seriake Dickson, that he (the governor) was advised against him
organising a state burial for the deceased.

“I am surprised when the governor (of Bayelsa) said some people
asked why state burial. And I told the governor that more than 80
percent of people who come to advise you have nothing to say, but
just listen to them.

“From my experience as a deputy governor till today, more than 80
percent (of advisers) have nothing to say, but you listen to everybody
and do what is right for our people.

Jonathan also described the day of the accident as a black day.
“We are here today because of the sad event of February 14. Of
course, we lost eight of our best. To me, it is not just that people
have died, not just that Bayelsans have died. But these are people I
know too well. These nine caskets contain the remains of people who
were dear to me. People that touched me in one way or the other.

“Whenever I remember February 14, supposed to be a valentine day,
but a black day that coloured the landscape of Bayelsa state with the
worst colour we could ever imagine. When my ADC gave me the
information and my PA showed me the flaming bus on a phone
handset, I asked myself could these people be in this flame? And I
asked God why?

“When I saw that flame and imagined that these women were being
burnt and roasted, I just couldn’t imagine. Till today, it gives me
migraine. I lack words to console the direct family members. The
world is a stage where we have all come to play our part and go. I
believe they have played their own part. I plead we reason they died in
this circumstance probably so that we learn to be a little more careful.

The president asked people to be conscious of what would be said
about them when they die.

“In every nation, when so many people die at a time, it is taken as a
national calamity, not to talk about a state. Members of the bereaved
families, let me express my condolences to you. Your daughters and
brothers have though passed on, but we remember them.

“And the most important thing is that at the day of your death, people
will say positive things about you. Not the office you occupy. There
are people that have occupied almost the biggest offices in the land,
but people dance when they hear that they are gone”.

First Lady Patience Jonathan, in her tribute, said the late female
politicians were her faithful followers, lamenting that she had lost her
strong pillars of support.

Apparently referring to the perceived political crisis in the state, the
first lady called for peace.

She said: “Bayelsa State is a small state. I want everybody to live in
peace. We should love one another. Let us put politics aside and live
in peace and unity”.

In his own tribute, Dickson said February 14, 2015 would forever
remain dark in the minds of the people of Bayelsa State.
The governor pledged that the state government would stand by the
bereaved families.