Jonathan Opens Campaign in Lagos, Swings at Critics on “False Stories”

Spread the love

…Carpets Buhari

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria at the flag off campaign rally of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came out swinging at his critics on the defining issues of his re-election bid for another four-year term on Thursday, saying electorates, especially youths must judge those joggling for office on issues of security, privatization and corruption.

Jonathan accused his predecessors of systematically weakening the country’s armed forces by refusing to fund the military on issues of hardware and personnel development. President Jonathan also addressed the issue of corruption.

According to him, while first apologizing to workers who have not been paid salaries, he explained that the on-going effort to stamp out the corrupt practices of ghost workers and harmonizing procurement structure caused some delay.

He accused his critics of only being interested in the showbiz aspect of the fight against corruption.

“We have been shooting armed robbers, has that stopped armed robbery?” he said. “Any country that does not respect the rule of law is a jungle.”

Jonathan uncharacteristically sparked a major debate on the foreign relations philosophy for the country by hitting his lead opponent, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, on the unbridled attempt at crating one time Transport Minister, late Dr. Umaru Dikko, from Britain in 1984 in order to answer charges of corruption.

Jonathan said that the juvenile diplomatic gaffe led to a face-off between Nigeria and Britain. He asked his audience “if that is the past they want the nation to embrace”, to which the crowd voiced a loud “No”.

He also mocked Buhari for the regimental discipline introduced by the military often necessitating Nigerians to wait in line all night for articles like milk in the name of essential commodities, often whipped by soldiers. In contrast, Jonathan called for attitudinal discipline in order to destroy the ingrained seed of corruption in Nigeria.

Jonathan was still not going to allow his traducers to escape without further bloody blows listing how he has fairly sited Federal Institutions of Higher Learning in every state of the federation, he queried some of the past leaders who have become his most ardent accusers to name the nursery schools and institutions that they built with Nigerian tax payers money. He expressed desire for his country folks to appreciate his efforts in making fuel queues to disappear.

He challenged the past rulers who have been so loud in criticizing him to come and defend what they used the country’s money for in the past. He accused some of the past leaders of telling “false stories”.

Jonathan took a denunciatory swipe at Buhari for failing to include any woman in his cabinet when running an oppressive junta. He said that he would not join the league of those who would want to fight enemies or throw opposition in jail.

Various speakers at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Lagos rally, made very strong contra distinctions between Jonathan and his leading opponent, Buhari, a retired four star general, whom they want punished for the intransigence of using guns paid for by taxpayers to unseat a democratically elected government led by Shehu Shagari on 31st December 1983.

Carpets Buhari

Though Jonathan agreed that the complaint by soldiers had to do with not having the necessary equipment to confront the Boko Haram, he rather heaped the blame on Buhari saying as Head of State between 1984 and 1985, Buhari did not try to equip the military.

Jonathan, said even with $10billion the military, made of the Army, Airforce and the Navy, would not be adequately fortified, adding that it would still take some time for the government to be able to fully equip the military.

He noted that his address would be focused on the youth between age 20 and 24, because his generation has failed.

“We are a spent force,” he said. “My generation has failed…we are gone.”

He said the 2015 election was about the young and not the old that have become a spent force. He therefore warned the youths to vote for a youth so that they do not remain irrelevant in the next four years.

He warned women in the country against voting for Buhari because if they do, they would end up in the kitchen and even die there.

“Those who say they want to take over power from the PDP are hiring people on social media and coming up with issues they can’t defend,” he emphasised several times in his speech.

He warned Nigerians against trusting Buhari for saying he would ensure corrupt Nigerians are sent to Kirikiri Prison. To him, it meant that Buhari does not have regards for the rule of law.

He emphasised that he had no enemies to fight as his interest is Nigeria unlike Buhari who wants to incur enemies by saying he would throw people into prison.

For those accusing him of not fighting corruption, Jonathan also accused Buhari and past governments saying if they had done their parts in fighting corruption, it would not have been heightened beyond control today.

He said he met with the anti-corruption agencies in the country and told them that people no longer know if they are working. He attributed this to lack of publicity, saying his government had secured more convictions than any past government in Nigeria.

He also announced that he had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that every Nigerian is registered and must vote. “And I mean it,” he said.

He noted that in spite of a recent issue which he did not elaborate upon (but which some think could be the alleged money laundering scandal), his government has decided to be engaging in government to government transaction.

“Any procurement we are doing now is government to government. We are reducing corruption but I will not go further on that. The relevant agencies would address the people,” he said.

Jonathan noted that despite accusations from the opposition, the Nigerian economy is now the biggest in Africa. “We have cleaned up the fertiliser sector,” he added saying the country had not completed the privatisation process of the electricity sector and that this was why Nigerians were still witnessing poor supply.

Huhuonline.com notes that throughout the day, motorists and commuters remained stranded in most parts of Lagos as some roads were blocked to traffic because of the campaign.

Many commuters who could not get vehicles to their various destinations especially to the Victoria Island where the event took place, returned home.

Huhuonline.com also notes that there was heavy security presence on most parts of the roads leading to the Victoria Island.

At the campaign ground, the National Chairman of the party presented the party’s flag to all its governorship candidates in the 36 states of the nation.

The chief host at Thursday’s rally, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, while welcoming participants at the campaign rally, both PDP and independent enthusiasts described Jonathan as an original “democrat and not a born again democrat”.

Mimiko, who recently rejoined PDP, was afforded a blast as he welcomed participants in the following words:

We welcome you to the historic city of Lagos, a city that has produced icons in different fields of human endeavour – first generation medical doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers and entrepreneurs.

This is a city that truly prides itself as one of Africa’s foremost educationally advanced centres, a veritable city of culture and learning. Mr. President, leaders of our great party, distinguished

Nigerians, I stand on firm ground to state categorically that hardly is there any home in Lagos and indeed the Southwest that cannot boast of tenth generation school certificate holders. This is why, among others, we will not settle for a President with less than a University degree.

Let me welcome again, Mr. President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Ph.D – a democrat in words and in deed, a believer in the rule of law, a leader who is genuinely humble, kind, accommodating, forthright, competent, transparent and tolerant. A leader who in spite of challenges has remained cool, calm and level-headed.

We thank you Mr. President that, in spite of being the most abused and negatively-profiled President in the history of this country, you have refused to roll out any obnoxious law of the semblance of Decree 2 of 1984.

To you Mr. President, discipline is about compliance with high democratic ethos rather than the promulgation of retroactive laws to intimidate the citizenry through state murder.

You definitely are a true democrat (not a born-again democrat). You are a true lover of Nigeria – from the wetlands of the Delta, through the thick rainforest of the Southwest and East to the Savannah of the North, you have touched the lives of Nigerians, both high and low. You have allowed the private sector to thrive, yet you have not abandoned the under-privileged of the society. While the private sector is encouraged to invest massively in Agriculture, Power, Aviation and other strategic sectors of the economy, you are also building Almajiri schools and unprecedentedly expanding access to tertiary education. You are proactively investing in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and providing productive engagement for our young ones in Agriculture, ICT and the creative industry.

Mr. President, you are indeed a progressive.

On behalf of the people of Southwest, we welcome you and your entourage to Southwest Nigeria. You have started the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, you have also embarked on the rehabilitation of the rail system, you are giving a face-lift to our airports including Ibadan airport. For these and many more, the people of the Southwest are grateful. After all, we can remember the anti-human decision to terminate the Lagos metro line project by some other government. That project into which the Jakande-led administration had committed a whopping sum of N70 million (about $75 million at that time) was meant to put an end to the traffic nightmare in Lagos metropolis through the installation of a circuit of rail lines that would have stretched from Agege to Marina, Ikorodu in the north and Badagry in the east, ferrying nearly a million people a day, 31-years ago. While some chose to destroy, you have chosen to build.

Today, Mr. President, Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway is witnessing massive rehabilitation, the Lagos-Kano rail lines, moribund for over 15years have been re-activated, Agriculture has regained its pride of place and you have strengthened our democratic institutions through free, fair and credible elections.

I am convinced that the hands of Goodluck Jonathan that started these good works will surely complete them. Let the good works of Goodluck continue.