Nigeria: 2015 Disintegration Prediction Won’t Happen – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan , last Tuesday, fielded questions from a team of senior journalists in a televised chat. Excerpts:

Would you say that the ship of state is on course?

That is correct. But let me use this opportunity to thank Nigerians again for the way they conducted themselves during the elections. You will agree with me and indeed most Nigerians and other international observers that people were quite happy with our elections. Nigerians participated in all the villages, people were proud that they had voter’s cards that meant something to them, that they could use it to change the course of history. I can assure you and all Nigerians that the ship of state is on course.

You must be aware of the prediction on the CIA website which states that Nigeria will disintegrate before the year 2015 some analysts have even gone further to say President Jonathan will be the last President of Nigeria as presently constituted. What is your take on this?

I don’t agree with that assertion. Nigeria will not disintegrate. This is not the first time people will come up with such idea. You must have read the book, “This House Has Fallen”. Nigeria may have challenges, just like other countries.

I remember in 1966 when I was in primary four, when we had the first challenge in the Niger Delta, when the late Isaac Adaka Boro declared secession and the Niger Delta Republic. In 1967 , we had the Biafran war. Ojukwu declared the secession of the Biafra Republic. We had a civil war, but we are back together. So these are major issues that affected the country. It is not just because people are detonating bombs here or probably because there is some level of agitation in the Niger Delta which, of course, is almost under control, then we begin to predict th