Jonathan, PDP national chair, Adamu Mu’azu and APC nation chair, Odigie-Oyegun
In this piece, JOHN ALECHENU reviews President Goodluck Jonathan’s public declaration of his desire to seek re-election in 2015 and the hurdles ahead
The significance of November 11, 2014 will, without doubt, remain indelible in the minds of Nigerians – especially supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. It was a day the President, (after conferring with God and members of his family), answered their prayers. Jonathan removed the cloak of secrecy hitherto surrounding his desire to take another shot at the nation’s number one job – the Presidency.
Residents and visitors to the nation’s seat of power, irrespective of religious and political affiliations, will equally not forget this date. For this category of persons, it was a day the entire city was practically locked down by security operatives who restricted movement in and out of areas once taken for granted.
As was expected, the Eagle Square, venue of the occasion was filled to capacity with supporters and onlookers. Chairman of the Presidential Declaration Committee, Dr. Haliru Bello, set the ball rolling with a welcome address. He announced that for those who did not know they were at the square to ask “Mr. President to say yes to our demands” to seek a fresh mandate.
Selected party leaders and representatives of the six geopolitical zones listed what the Jonathan administration had done for the zones. They also gave reasons why they were calling on him to return.
Instructively, President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, spoke on behalf of his colleagues. Mark explained that members of the National Assembly were casting their lot for President Jonathan because he had demonstrated trust, dedication and steadfastness in the service of the nation.
Mark himself, a retired general, admitted that the nation is still grappling with immense security challenges. He was, however, optimistic that the challenge was a passing phase.
A former minister and leading member of the PDP, Alhaji Hassan Adamu, who spoke on behalf of the Boko Haram-ravaged North-East, claimed that the region produced seven million signatures out of the 17.5 million collected nationwide, urging the President to run.
Former senate president, Ken Nnamani, who spoke for the South-East, said the region was supporting the President because they do not want the Second Niger Bridge abandoned.
He also said the region wants the president to continue in office because the region’s busiest highway, the Enugu-Onitsha highway, was in a terrible condition and that only a Jonathan-led government beyond 2015 can fix it. “We do not want trial and error,” he said. He also added that the region’s only international airport in Enugu needed to be completed.
After several party leaders at the federal and state levels took turns to speak, the stage was set for the President himself to respond.
Before announcing his decision to accept the various appeals, President Jonathan listed some of the challenges he had to surmount in the course of steering the ship of state. According to him, his time in office has not been without challenges. Top on the list is the wave of insurgency which has crippled socio-economic activities in the North-East.
He said, “Only yesterday, Government Science Secondary School in Yobe State was bombed by insurgents, killing our promising young children who were seeking education to build the country and support their parents. Many Nigerians have lost their lives and property to these mindless killings. Let me crave the indulgence of all present here to stand up to observe a minute silence in honour of these young lads who lost their lives.
“Clearly, this has cast a dark cloud on our nation but we will surely win the war against terror. A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok.”
The President did not lose sight of the opportunity to reel out what his administration has achieved over the last few years. Listing improvements in agriculture, power generation and distribution, the railways, road infrastructure to poverty reduction, Jonathan scored his administration high on most if not all fronts.
Perhaps, in response to criticisms over his handling of the Boko Haram insurgency, especially in the North-East, the President announced that his administration was currently equipping the Armed Forces and deploying Special Forces to engage the terrorists and end what he called “this senseless war.”
While pledging to do everything possible to ensure long term stability and development in the affected areas, he said his administration inaugurated three programmes namely: The Presidential Initiative for the North-East, the Victim Support Fund and the Safe School Initiative.
He also announced that the Victim Support Fund, a partnership with the private sector, has raised about N60bn to help empower and rehabilitate victims of terror.
On power sector reforms, the President said, “We pursued the power sector reform to this point of irreversible progress. Nigeria has undertaken a most transparent and corruption-free bidding process, attracting global commendation. The ongoing 450MW Azura Power Plant in Edo State is a testimony to the success of this transformation. We have also resumed development of our hydropower potential with the construction of the 700MW Zungeru hydropower plant while construction work on the 3,050MW Mambilla hydropower plant is about to takeoff.
“Our power generation and distribution companies have now been privatised. We are firmly on the road to guaranteed regular power supply in the months ahead. This our bold move is paying off.”
He also said that in the past three and half years the water sector has witnessed unprecedented improvement. Access to potable water is now 67%, up from 58% in 2010, while sanitation coverage is 41%, from 32% within the same period.
According to him, “major developments in the water sector include the completion of 37 dams and rehabilitation of 10 with several others ongoing constructions. The flagship Kashimbila multipurpose dam, which is being built to contain flood from Lake Nyos, is now at 90% completion. We have also completed about 5,000 rural and semi urban water schemes among others.”
In the nation’s road sector, Jonathan said when he assumed office in 2010, out of the 35,000km of federal roads nationwide, only about 5,000km were usable. He said, “That number has increased to about 25,000km. We expect to complete the remaining 10,000km in three years while initiating new ones.”
On his plans for the future, the President promised to focus on reinforcing institutions, systems, and processes to tackle corruption, and also to bring to justice those that perpetrate corruption.
The opposition All Progressives Congress is, however, unconvinced. The party described the President’s declaration as selfish and its timing as absolutely callous and insensitive.
A statement by APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja, on the day of the President’s declaration, said the declaration, which came barely 24 hours after almost 50 students were killed and about 80 others injured by a suicide bomber in Yobe State, says how much of a leader the president is.
The APC said, the unacceptable level of insecurity and recent capture of territory by Boko Haram was a clear indication that the president has failed to earn his epaulet as commander-in-chief.
The statement partly read, “Today, the three North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are in danger of being overrun by Boko Haram and over 650,000 Nigerians are internally displaced in those states by the insurgency. Yet, President Jonathan says he puts Nigerians first. Lies have never worn a bolder face. The truth is that for President Jonathan, it is Jonathan first, Jonathan second, Jonathan third, Jonathan always.”
A leading member of the APC, Chief Audu Ogbeh, also faulted claims of progress made by the Jonathan administration. He asked, “They claim that power has improved, is it true that we have improved power supply now? We should not allow people lie to us and ask us to vote for them.”
The task ahead of the President as he seeks a second term is daunting, to say the least. This fact is not lost on the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio. Amidst the din of cheering supporters at Jonathan’s declaration, Akpabio while promising that PDP will win in no fewer than 30 of the 36 states of the federation, admitted that the road to 2015 would be anything but smooth.
He said, “Mr. President, we know that the route to 2015 is not going to be very smooth but we are assuring you that at the end of the tunnel, victory will be yours and the PDP’s.”
Apabio was obviously referring to the political hurdles posed by the opposition but a deeper challenge remains in convincing Nigerians who are more concerned about improvements in the areas of security, job creation and the general condition of living.
Nigerians will want to see if the nation can regain the territories lost to the insurgents and when the over 200 Chikbok schoolgirls will be reunited with their families.
With the 2015 elections barely three months away, most will certainly be more concerned about how much their lives will improve this time around. Jonathan’s declaration has, undoubtedly, set the stage for an issue based campaign to begin.
The significance of November 11, 2014 will, without doubt, remain indelible in the minds of Nigerians – especially supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. It was a day the President, (after conferring with God and members of his family), answered their prayers. Jonathan removed the cloak of secrecy hitherto surrounding his desire to take another shot at the nation’s number one job – the Presidency.
Residents and visitors to the nation’s seat of power, irrespective of religious and political affiliations, will equally not forget this date. For this category of persons, it was a day the entire city was practically locked down by security operatives who restricted movement in and out of areas once taken for granted.
As was expected, the Eagle Square, venue of the occasion was filled to capacity with supporters and onlookers. Chairman of the Presidential Declaration Committee, Dr. Haliru Bello, set the ball rolling with a welcome address. He announced that for those who did not know they were at the square to ask “Mr. President to say yes to our demands” to seek a fresh mandate.
Selected party leaders and representatives of the six geopolitical zones listed what the Jonathan administration had done for the zones. They also gave reasons why they were calling on him to return.
Instructively, President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, spoke on behalf of his colleagues. Mark explained that members of the National Assembly were casting their lot for President Jonathan because he had demonstrated trust, dedication and steadfastness in the service of the nation.
Mark himself, a retired general, admitted that the nation is still grappling with immense security challenges. He was, however, optimistic that the challenge was a passing phase.
A former minister and leading member of the PDP, Alhaji Hassan Adamu, who spoke on behalf of the Boko Haram-ravaged North-East, claimed that the region produced seven million signatures out of the 17.5 million collected nationwide, urging the President to run.
Former senate president, Ken Nnamani, who spoke for the South-East, said the region was supporting the President because they do not want the Second Niger Bridge abandoned.
He also said the region wants the president to continue in office because the region’s busiest highway, the Enugu-Onitsha highway, was in a terrible condition and that only a Jonathan-led government beyond 2015 can fix it. “We do not want trial and error,” he said. He also added that the region’s only international airport in Enugu needed to be completed.
After several party leaders at the federal and state levels took turns to speak, the stage was set for the President himself to respond.
Before announcing his decision to accept the various appeals, President Jonathan listed some of the challenges he had to surmount in the course of steering the ship of state. According to him, his time in office has not been without challenges. Top on the list is the wave of insurgency which has crippled socio-economic activities in the North-East.
He said, “Only yesterday, Government Science Secondary School in Yobe State was bombed by insurgents, killing our promising young children who were seeking education to build the country and support their parents. Many Nigerians have lost their lives and property to these mindless killings. Let me crave the indulgence of all present here to stand up to observe a minute silence in honour of these young lads who lost their lives.
“Clearly, this has cast a dark cloud on our nation but we will surely win the war against terror. A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok.”
The President did not lose sight of the opportunity to reel out what his administration has achieved over the last few years. Listing improvements in agriculture, power generation and distribution, the railways, road infrastructure to poverty reduction, Jonathan scored his administration high on most if not all fronts.
Perhaps, in response to criticisms over his handling of the Boko Haram insurgency, especially in the North-East, the President announced that his administration was currently equipping the Armed Forces and deploying Special Forces to engage the terrorists and end what he called “this senseless war.”
While pledging to do everything possible to ensure long term stability and development in the affected areas, he said his administration inaugurated three programmes namely: The Presidential Initiative for the North-East, the Victim Support Fund and the Safe School Initiative.
He also announced that the Victim Support Fund, a partnership with the private sector, has raised about N60bn to help empower and rehabilitate victims of terror.
On power sector reforms, the President said, “We pursued the power sector reform to this point of irreversible progress. Nigeria has undertaken a most transparent and corruption-free bidding process, attracting global commendation. The ongoing 450MW Azura Power Plant in Edo State is a testimony to the success of this transformation. We have also resumed development of our hydropower potential with the construction of the 700MW Zungeru hydropower plant while construction work on the 3,050MW Mambilla hydropower plant is about to takeoff.
“Our power generation and distribution companies have now been privatised. We are firmly on the road to guaranteed regular power supply in the months ahead. This our bold move is paying off.”
He also said that in the past three and half years the water sector has witnessed unprecedented improvement. Access to potable water is now 67%, up from 58% in 2010, while sanitation coverage is 41%, from 32% within the same period.
According to him, “major developments in the water sector include the completion of 37 dams and rehabilitation of 10 with several others ongoing constructions. The flagship Kashimbila multipurpose dam, which is being built to contain flood from Lake Nyos, is now at 90% completion. We have also completed about 5,000 rural and semi urban water schemes among others.”
In the nation’s road sector, Jonathan said when he assumed office in 2010, out of the 35,000km of federal roads nationwide, only about 5,000km were usable. He said, “That number has increased to about 25,000km. We expect to complete the remaining 10,000km in three years while initiating new ones.”
On his plans for the future, the President promised to focus on reinforcing institutions, systems, and processes to tackle corruption, and also to bring to justice those that perpetrate corruption.
The opposition All Progressives Congress is, however, unconvinced. The party described the President’s declaration as selfish and its timing as absolutely callous and insensitive.
A statement by APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja, on the day of the President’s declaration, said the declaration, which came barely 24 hours after almost 50 students were killed and about 80 others injured by a suicide bomber in Yobe State, says how much of a leader the president is.
The APC said, the unacceptable level of insecurity and recent capture of territory by Boko Haram was a clear indication that the president has failed to earn his epaulet as commander-in-chief.
The statement partly read, “Today, the three North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are in danger of being overrun by Boko Haram and over 650,000 Nigerians are internally displaced in those states by the insurgency. Yet, President Jonathan says he puts Nigerians first. Lies have never worn a bolder face. The truth is that for President Jonathan, it is Jonathan first, Jonathan second, Jonathan third, Jonathan always.”
A leading member of the APC, Chief Audu Ogbeh, also faulted claims of progress made by the Jonathan administration. He asked, “They claim that power has improved, is it true that we have improved power supply now? We should not allow people lie to us and ask us to vote for them.”
The task ahead of the President as he seeks a second term is daunting, to say the least. This fact is not lost on the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio. Amidst the din of cheering supporters at Jonathan’s declaration, Akpabio while promising that PDP will win in no fewer than 30 of the 36 states of the federation, admitted that the road to 2015 would be anything but smooth.
He said, “Mr. President, we know that the route to 2015 is not going to be very smooth but we are assuring you that at the end of the tunnel, victory will be yours and the PDP’s.”
Apabio was obviously referring to the political hurdles posed by the opposition but a deeper challenge remains in convincing Nigerians who are more concerned about improvements in the areas of security, job creation and the general condition of living.
Nigerians will want to see if the nation can regain the territories lost to the insurgents and when the over 200 Chikbok schoolgirls will be reunited with their families.
With the 2015 elections barely three months away, most will certainly be more concerned about how much their lives will improve this time around. Jonathan’s declaration has, undoubtedly, set the stage for an issue based campaign to begin.
The Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment