72 Hours After Aso Rock Drama: Jonathan, Amaechi embrace in public

Barely 72 hours after security personnel stopped Governor
RotimiAmaechi of Rivers State from approaching President Goodluck
Jonathan at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, both men embraced
publicly yesterday in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The embrace took place at the Port-Harcourt International Airport when
Jonathan was returning from his home state of Bayelsa where he
commissioned a hospital facility.
Presidential Villa operatives had, on Wednesday, blocked Amaechi from
getting to Jonathan at the seat of power during a dinner, an action
that was interpreted in many quarters as stemming from the crisis in
the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
The Aso Rock incident was the climax of the crisis in the NGF which
saw the President disposed to Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State as
chairman of the body as against Amaechi, who secured a second term as
the NGF chairman with 19 votes to 16.
Jonathan, en route Abuja after the Bayelsa visit, yesterday, embraced
Amaechi at the Port-Harcourt Airport.
He arrived the airport in a presidential chopper.
As the president emerged from the helicopter, he made for the tarmac
where the Rivers governor stood with members of his state executive
council.

Astonishment
Both men were locked in an embrace after a handshake while those
around watched in astonishment.
Those at the airport included the Minister of State for
Education,Chief Nyesom Wike, the arrowhead of opposition to Amaechi in
Rivers State, and the managing director of the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC), Dr Chris Oboh.
Jonathan later boarded the presidential jet for Abuja.
Maternal Mortality
Earlier, while in Bayelsa, the President commissioned a 40-bed
Comprehensive Cottage Hospital in Otuoke, Ogbia local government
area, saying the nation's maternal mortality rate had dropped by 30
per cent in the last four years.
The multi million Naira health facility, built by the Bayelsa
StateGovernment, is located at the president's home town.
Speaking at the occasion, Jonathan put the nation's current maternal
mortality rate at 350 as against 500 deaths per one hundred thousand
women recorded in 2008.
His administration, he assured, would not relent in its efforts to
attain the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, target of 250 per one
hundred thousand women by 2015.
The President, who reiterated his commitment to the MDGs, especially
in the health sector, said all hands would be on deck at ensuring that
the nation achieves its MDGs objectives in all the sectors by 2015.