Patience Jonathan Oppresses The People Of Abuja

Residents and visitors to Abuja, Nigeria's
Federal Capital were on Thursday subjected to
unwarranted restriction and security cordon, as
the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, took
time off to sing and dance with women drawn
from the 36 states of the Federation.
The event, which was held at the Eagles Square,
effectively cut off workers from the imposing
Federal Secretariat on both Shehu Shagari Way
and Ibrahim Babangida Road, forcing them to
trek for miles to their offices.
The big event, which took the workers and
residents by surprise, also prevented commercial
and government drivers from dropping their
passengers, mostly workers in their designated
bus stops around the secretariat.
Instead, hordes of stern-looking and gut-toting
securitymen, who had arrived the venue before
dawn, ordered them to stop some 200 metres
away from the Square, which is surrounded by
the Federal Secretariat.
As vehicular and human traffic was effectively cut
off from all the routes leading to the venue of the
First Lady's rally, tagged, "Nigerian Women Rally
for Peace and Empowerment", frustrated
motorists were funnelled to any available space,
thereby leading to a chaotic traffic snarl for most
part of the day.
As a result, all major streets in the Business
District of Abuja, were overflowed with long
queues of human and vehicular traffic, giving
traffic warders a hectic day.
While the traffic chaos lasted, armed soldiers and
policemen in battle-ready mood took their
positions on strategic road intersections, frisking
commuters and pedestrians as if a war was on
the offing.
The armed men on the streets were given aerial
support by military helicopters, which hovered
over the venue of the rally as long as the
ceremony lasted, making occasional displays, as
they flew past.
Inside the rally venue, Dame Jonathan, backed by
Vice President, Namadi Sambo and some
ministers and their spouses, relished the show as
thousands of women danced and marched past
her.
Like the President would do during national
events, she smiled and waved at the women
groups. Displaying a sense of excitement and
satisfaction over the large mobilisation of women
and artistes to the venue, which must have cost
the nation a fortune at a time the government
claims it does not have N92 billion to settle
teachers demand, Mrs. Jonathan frequently
nodded her head and smiled as the various
groups performed.
Women in the various military and paramilitary
agencies in the country and women organisations
were mobilised to sing, dance and march all for
the First Lady, just as groups gave goodwill
messages to the President's wife.
The security lockdown in Abuja, Vanguard learnt,
was also necessitated by the suspicion that some
insurgents had planned to attack certain places in
the country this week.