Hard times await me, my ministers – Jonathan

The president said this yesterday at a thanksgiving and farewell service held in his honour at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja.
He said he sympathised with his aides and ministers, whom he advised to be ready for persecution.
“If you take certain decisions, it might be good for the generality of the people, but it might affect people differently. So, for ministers and aides who served with me, I sympathize with them; they’ll be persecuted. And they must be ready for that persecution. To my ministers, I wish you what I wish myself. They (his ministers) will have hard times. We will all have hard times. Our ways will be rough.”
 Jonathan said that he was  a very happy and fulfilled man, adding that governing the way he did to stabilise the country was a very costly decision which he himself must be ready to pay for.
The president said having benefited a lot from for Nigeria, he should do anything, including paying the supreme price, in the interest of the country.
He said: “When De Clerk (the last white president of South Africa) took the decision to abolish minority rule in RSA, even his wife divorced him. I hope my wife will not divorce me.”
Jonathan also stated that having lost his re-election bid, he knew more of his “so-called” friends would desert him.
On the just concluded presidential poll, Jonathan said there were people who supported him all over Nigeria, “but things went the way they did because God wanted it that way for a purpose.”
He said he would continue to pray for Nigeria’s peace and the success of the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari.
He said he had to thank Nigerians for giving him the opportunity to serve in such capacities as deputy governor and governor of his home state of Bayelsa as well as vice president and president of the country.
Archbishop of the Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, said Jonathan had not expired as the world would still need him after leaving office.
“You’ve graduated and entered the distinguished class of statesmen and women. There is no class higher than that…In your new office, you’re a peace maker. Nigeria, Africa, black world and the world will need you. You’re relevant, you’ve just started, you’ve not expired.”
The Primate said: “Again, you’re leaving the villa alive. Only God knows what would’ve happened. There is nothing greater than life…We give thanks for what God did through you in your distressed situation.”
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Jerry Gana described Jonathan as a man highly favoured by God who, according to him, has deepened democracy and restored dignity to the civilian authority.
Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo described Jonathan as a president who “had no dead squad, no statutory persecutors, no empowered witch hunters, no organised retaliators and no penchant for vindictiveness.”
The minister said Jonathan had broken presidential death jinx at the State House.
He said Jonathan had always been a listening and concensus president who gave room for dissenting voices.
Our correspondent reports that this was the first event First Lady Patience Jonathan attended in Abuja after her husband lost the March 28 presidential election.