I Know My Ministers & I Will Be Persecuted- Jonathan

Punch Reports;

President Goodluck Jonathan has given an insight into the
fate that awaits him and his ministers  
after May 29, saying he believes they will be persecuted.

He stated on Sunday during  
a thanksgiving and farewell service organised in his honour at the
Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja that the persecution
would happen   because of the “ hard
decisions” his administration took while in office.

Jonathan told the congregation that he understood clearly
that “ hard decisions” had their own cost and was therefore   ready to pay any price for them

He   said that
experience had shown him that people would at a time desert anybody who
took   “hard decisions” like he did while
in office.

Jonathan added   that
he had always   believed that more of his
friends would desert him after May 29.

The President recalled the story of the last ruler of
apartheid South Africa, Frederik   de
Klerk, who was divorced by his wife for accepting to abolish minority rule in
the country, and said jokingly that he hoped his wife, Patience,   would
not also divorce him after the end of his tenure on May 29.

Beaming with smiles, Mrs. Jonathan, who on March 16 declared
that she was not ready to feed her husband in prison, replied with a shout of
“Nooooo.”

Her response was greeted with a loud applause by
congregation members.

The President   said,
“I believe there are reasons for everything. Some hard decisions have their own
cost; and there is no doubt about that.

“That I have run the government this way that stabilised
certain things, the electoral process and other things that brought stability
to this country. They are very costly decisions which I must be ready to pay
for.

“Some people come to me and say this or that person, is he
not your friend that benefitted? Is it not your government that this person
benefitted from? But this is what the person is saying.

“But I used to say that worse statements will come. If you
take certain decisions, you should know that those close to you will even
abandon you at some point.

“And I tell them that more of my so-called friends will
disappear. When de Klerk took the decision to abolish minority rule in South
Africa, even his wife divorced him. I hope my wife will not divorce me. But
that is the only decision that has made South Africa to be a global player now.
If they still   have minority rule,   by this time, nobody will be talking about
them.

“If you take certain decisions, it might be good for many
but it might affect others differently. So, for ministers and   aides who served with me, I sympathise with
them because they will be persecuted. They must be ready for persecution.

“Quoting Tai Solarin, may your ways be rough, I say to   my ministers, I wish you what I wish myself.
They will have hard times, we will all have hard times. Our ways will be
rough.”

Jonathan however said he was happy that ordinary Nigerians
appreciated what he did and that, according to him, is most important.