I was advised to sack service chiefs - Jonathan •Says politicians should be decent and trustworthy •Alao-Akala’s achievements are visible to all - Primate Ola Makinde •Oyo people are yet to see anything - Alao-Akala

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday revealed that he was advised to remove Nigeria’s service chiefs when he was made the acting president, just as he declared that the country has started witnessing stability after two years of political turmoil.

The president made the revelation in Ibadan while speaking at the special thanksgiving service held at the Molete Baptist Church, Ibadan, to mark the 60th birthday of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State.
This is just as the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, said that the various projects executed by Governor Alao-Akala were visible to all the people of Oyo State, admonishing the governor not to relent in putting smiles on the faces of the people.
Admitting that the nation went through a serious political crisis during the period, Jonathan said that he was advised by some people to remove the service chiefs in the military, but declined to act upon the advice after considering its implications for the polity.
“When I was made the acting president, I was advised to remove the nation’s service chiefs on the grounds that they would be plotting my removal. However, I did not take to the advice because I knew that doing so would be against the dictates of my conscience and the Nigerian nation and its people,” he said.
Thanking the military for playing what he described as a vital role in ensuring stability in the polity, President Jonathan chided the political class, saying that there was no trust among the politicians.
“While we should thank the military for their role in the enduring stability in the polity, our politicians should learn to conduct themselves with decency and should be trustworthy. Elected political office holders, particularly deputy governors, should be loyal to their bosses, while the bosses should build trust in their second in command.
“The spate of impeachments across the country is an indication that the nation’s key political actors are not trusting their fellow politicians, but we should learn to understand that we are only holding public offices in trust for the people,” he said.
Describing the attainment of 60 years as a milestone in the life of man, the president said that he shared a common destiny with Governor Alao-Akala, adding that their friendship dated back to when they were both deputy governors.
In his sermon at the thanksgiving service, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr Ola Makinde, described Governor Alao-Akala as a senior citizen of Nigeria, having attained the age of 60 in a country where he said life expectancy had been drastically reduced by physical, spiritual and economic problems.
Reading from Psalm 103, the cleric said that Alao-Akala was able to attain age 60 not through personal efforts, but by the grace of God and likened him to the biblical King David who, he said, was favoured and blessed by God for his humble heart and service to God.
He said that God had kept Alao-Akala from destruction and admonished him not to forget God’s blessings and abounding grace on him.
“There are lots of things for the governor to celebrate; a happy marriage, a series of political successes- he had not been a political failure. His achievements are visible in all spheres.
“He has done a lot in road construction and rehabilitation and this is visible to the people. He has made an indelible mark in the rehabilitation of the medical institutions in the state and the rehabilitation of the famous Mapo Hall and this is known to the people,” he said.
Prelate Makinde advised the governor to continue to serve humanity and let the people of the state feel his impact more in the area of improved free and qualitative education, rural electrification and job creation.
He also advised the governor to move closer to God, adding that, now that he had attained the age of 60, his maxim should be, “Nearer my God to thee.”


Stating that there could never be any meaningful development without regular power supply, the cleric thanked President Jonathan for promising to ensure the conduct of  free and fair elections in 2011, appealing to Nigerians to vote for credible, honest and God-fearing people in the elections.
Responding to the call by the Vicar, Molete Baptist Church, Reverend Edward Kehinde Alabi, to give a testimony of his achievements and experience in the last 60 years, the governor said that God’s blessings on him were unquantifiable, but restated his commitment to continue to rule the state with the fear of God.
“God has been so good to me. In return, I want to assure the people of the state that they have seen nothing yet. We will continue to rule the state with the fear of God, but I want to tell our Primate that I am not in a hurry to go now,” he said.