Subsidy: Gowon, Shagari support Jonathan on N97/ litre

Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon and former President Shehu Shagari have commended President Goodluck Jonathan over his handling of the protests that trailed the removal of fuel subsidy and incessant insecurity across the country.Protests erupted across the country after the removal of subsidy which shot up the pump price of petrol to N141 from N65 per litre. But the President later reduced the price to N97 per litre from N141.Gowon spoke to journalists yesterday after the two leaders met with Jonathan at the State House, Abuja.Gowon said Jonathan has resolved the issue in the correct way to enable the country to move on.He also hinted that the President has cancelled the Council of State meeting that was billed to hold on Tuesday due the prevailing security situation in the country.Speaking on their mission to State House, Gowon said: 'We are here to greet the President. We were to have attended the Council of State meeting that was cancelled because of the situation in the country.'The former heads of state were to have met before now and advise on the most current issues: the subsidy as well as the security problem.'The President has resolved the subsidy issue in a correct way in order for things to be able to return to normal and we are grateful and we endorse what he has done.'And also to talk generally on things, for example, you saw how happy the Youth Corps members were yesterday (Monday at the President's Awards) when the President announced all the good things he had for them.'Drawing from his experience as a war time leader, Gowon assured that Jonathan and his administration were on top of the security challenges facing the country and urged Nigerians to cooperate with the government.'There is need for cooperation from all the people themselves. I am sure no stone would be left unturned in getting to the bottom of the problem and resolving it.'My trust and believe in this country and the goodness of all Nigerians to be able to resolve their problems themselves the way we did after fighting each other for so many years.'How did we do it' Was there an equivalent of the reconciliation that we were able to achieve in Nigeria anywhere in the world in the history of the world''It is only in Nigeria that impossible in fact becomes possible,' he said.
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