After May 29, President Goodluck
Jonathan will leave the Aso Villa.
SIMON UTEBOR was at the
President’s Otuoke, Bayelsa State-
country home where he is
expected to retire to
The air around the sprawling estate
is amazingly cool. Looking around,
the answer to this quickly dawns on
our correspondent. The estate is
opposite a creek, and the rolling
breeze keep coming.
It is Otuoke, the home town of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
Otuoke is a small island community
in the Ogbia Local Government Area
of Bayelsa State.
And there, the estate sprawls over a
large expanse of land contrasting
sharply with its rustic surrounding.
It is said to belong to President
Jonathan.
On the long road to the gates,
soldiers and members of other
security agencies, apparently on
sentry duty, walked on the
grounds. The overall air suggested
guarded and protected serenity. No
one needs the gift of clairvoyance
to understand they are
approaching a restricted zone.
Behind the gates, shoving their
heads above the walls are no fewer
than eight different structures
apparently for different purposes:
recreation, security posts and guard
quarters. A visitor to Otuoke will
not be penalised for calling the
place a fortress.
Activities in this place, a source
within said had been at a lull until a
couple of weeks ago. And it is
largely believed that come May 29,
after the expiration of his tenure,
President Jonathan would relocate
to the place.
As if the President had the
premonition that he would not live
in Aso Rock beyond 2015, he was
reported to have begun acquiring
properties adjacent his sprawling
country home by late 2013.
The President, SUNDAY PUNCH
gathered, acquired properties on
an area which runs to about seven
acres of Otuoba which were around
his mansion that had been there
earlier.
The place was thereafter expanded
to encase the mansion while new
structures were erected round it.
It was also gathered that adequate
compensation was paid to the
owners of these properties to
enable them relocate elsewhere.
It was learnt that Jonathan after
acquiring those buildings in 2013,
engaged the services of a
construction company, Jiito, to
expand the estate to accommodate
his new acquisition.
Today, Jonathan’s mini – estate,
which overlooks a creek that links
Otuoke to other coastal
communities of Bayelsa, is a
cynosure of all eyes.
A visit to Otuoke on Thursday
showed that Jonathan’s mansions,
which had been undergoing
construction and reconstruction in
the last 10 years are now ready for
habitation. The area they sit on is
best described as an island.
It was learnt that before now, each
time the President visited Otuoke,
he usually slept in his wife’s
(Patience) castle which is directly
opposite the Federal University,
Otuoke.
It was also learnt that the Jonathans
own the choicest properties in
Otuoke. The President was said to
have built a two-storey building
each for his mother and father
opposite his own.
His wife, Dame Patience, asides a
hotel, is also said to have numerous
buildings that have been converted
into hostels for FUO female
students.
On the readiness of the Jonathans
to return to Otuoke, one of the
military personnel guarding his
houses said all the mansions in the
estate were ready except one.
The soldier, who declined to give
his name, said the contractors were
fixing air conditioners and window
blinds on the last mansion.
The security operative said, “I can
tell you that the houses are ready.
Everything is in order. It remains
only one building where the
contractors are putting window
blinds, curtains and air
conditioners.
“I overheard some of the workers
saying that they had been
instructed to finish the last building
before the second week of May. I
think it is because the President is
returning home.
“As of now, no domestic staff or
relatives are living here. All his
relatives have their homes. It is
only military men and policemen
that are living in some of the
buildings.
“Even at that, many buildings are
left unoccupied because the
buildings are so massive and it will
take a community to occupy them.”
The soldier, who said he had been
living at the place for the past four
years, claimed some of the
President’s domestic staff were in
his Kpansia, Yenagoa mansion,
which he built while he was Deputy
Governor of Bayelsa.
That the President will be
returning to Otuoke according to
the soldier, is only symbolic,
stressing that apart from the
mansions at Otuoke, Jonathan and
his family members have numerous
buildings at Okaka Estate, off Isaac
Boro Expressway in Yenagoa.
Many residents of Otuoke are
indeed longing to see President
Jonathan, one of their illustrious
sons, return home.
For them, Jonathan has made
Otuoke, once a relatively unknown
place, known to people outside it
and turning it to a city to be
reckoned with.
A resident, Prere Goodthinking, said
though President Jonathan lost his
re-election bid, he is God-sent, not
only to Bayelsa people but to the
entire country.
Prere said, “Whether people like it
or not, Jonathan can best be
described as an icon of Nigeria’s
democracy. He is a man of peace, a
gentleman and a great statesman.
“He has proved to the whole world
that he is not a power-monger. He
has shown the world that his
ambition is not worth the blood of
any Nigerian. We want other
leaders to emulate him. We are
going to celebrate his return and I
hope Nigerians and the world will
also celebrate our illustrious son.”
Another resident, who gave his
name only as Ebilari, said Jonathan
had made Otuoke to be on the
world map for good reasons.
She said, “About 12 years ago,
Otuoke was a jungle. Most houses
there were decrepit. But today, you
can see that the place that was
once a hamlet has become a
wonderful city.
“Buildings are springing up
everywhere. Life has become more
meaningful for the people. Before
you mention three prominent
places in Bayelsa, Otuoke must
come up. Thus, we are proud of our
son Jonathan. We are waiting
enthusiastically to receive him
after his national assignment on
May 29.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
