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Speaking at the Abuja University Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada,
while visiting victims of the Friday Suleja bomb blast, President Goodluck
Jonathan reiterated that the perpetrators will be made to face the law.

He also expressed happiness at how citizens turned out en-mass
to choose those to represent them at the federal level during the weekend,
despite all the setbacks. He noted that during subsequent elections all hitches
witnessed last week would have been cut down as all mistakes would have been
corrected.

Mr Jonathan, who arrived at the Gwagwalada Teaching Hospital at
2:16 pm, was received by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Peter Alabi. He was
accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Ademola and senior
Presidency aides. He offered words of sympathy to each of the 14 victims.
Speaking to journalists after signing the hospital guestbook, Mr Jonathan
expressed sadness that anyone would want to cut down the future and hope of
Nigeria by hurting its youth.

A ray of hope

“As regards the elections, we all are happy that despite some
setbacks that were witnessed, Nigerians generally are happy that at least they
can decide who will represent them or who will govern them. I believe that by
2015 when elections are conducted in this country some of the hiccups we
witnessed on Saturday would have abated. I also believe that any subsequent
election, one coming up this Saturday and upper Saturday will definitely
improve on this. So, for that I’m quite happy.

“But having inspected the hospital wards, and I have seen young
people who are serving their nation just caught up in these dastardly act by
some antisocial elements I feel sad. These are young people in the prime of
their life. The hope and future of Nigeria. For anybody targeting the youth is
targeting the country.

“They don’t mean well for the nation. Well, in all societies we
have such people but as a government we make sure that we would look out for
them and God willing we would get them, not all but some of them. And they
would face the law,” he said.

Mr Jonathan promised that the federal government would pick the
hospital bill of the victims and subsequently take care of those incapacitated.

“For the injured the government will take care of all their
medical bills and by the time they are okay, we would look at their conditions,
the ones that are having pressure to take care of themselves, with what I have
seen government will definitely assist,” the President said.

Meanwhile, the Movement for Democratic Sustainability (MDS) has
described the outcome of elections as the clearest indication that the Goodluck
Jonathan administration is committed to delivering on its promises of
conducting the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.

The non-governmental organisation in a statement in Lagos after
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced some of the
results of the National Assembly polls, said that upsets which the elections
threw up has not only vindicated the administration, but is also a radical
departure from the traditions of past administrations that were not receptive
to changes.

According to the publicity secretary of the MDS, Afam Iheanacho, “The
transparency of the election has shamed divisive elements and
pull-the-house-down politicians who had doubted the credibility of INEC and
tried to instigate Nigerians not to venture out for the election following the
shift in the polls penultimate week.”

Praising Nigerians for their maturity which was demonstrated by the huge
number of voters that turned up for the elections across the federation, the
MDS said that “no bombing or other terrorist acts would stop Nigerians from
exercising their franchise which this administration has vowed to guarantee by
ensuring a transparent process.”