Why I should be re-elected — Jonathan

Lagos Island stood still as President Goodluck Jonathan flagged off his re-election campaign in the nation’s former federal capital.

Supporters of the party's governorship candidates
in the South-West, who were bussed in for the function, also seized the opportunity to show off their principals on poster boards.

The only exception was Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Ms Jumoke
Akinjide, whose posters, with the inscription, “Jumoke for Jonathan”, were conspicuously carried by many women in the arena.

On ground to add colour to the flag-off were Nollywood actors and actresses led by the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fibersima.

Other celebrities, who made brief solidarity speeches, include Mr Segun Arinze, Joseph Benjamin, Kate Henshaw, Monalisa Chinda and
Onyeka Onwenu.

Gospel artiste Sammy Okposo, Double Wahala crooner Oritsefemi and popular Fuji musician, Obesere, thrilled the crowd at the flag-off ground.

Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo, also canvassed votes for the president.

One of the highlights of the flag-off ceremony was the presentation of the PDP governorship flag bearers in the South-West with the party’s
flag, which was carried out by the party National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu‘azu.

Jonathan a true democrat—Mimiko

Ondo State governor and South-West Chairman of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign
Organisation, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, was first to fire the salvo.

He hit at the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), on his academic qualification, which has stirred controversy in the
polity.

Mimiko recently rejoined the PDP after leaving the Labour Party.

He said: “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.”

Reeling out the achievements of the Jonathan administration, Mimiko said: “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.

Continuing, he said, “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.”

Solidarity speeches were delivered by the Director General of the Jonathan/Sambo PCO, Senator
Ahmadu Ali, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Chief Olabode George, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and Senate President,
Senator David Mark.

They were unanimous in their remarks on why Jonathan should be re-elected.

Following speeches by PDP Governors Forum Chairman, Governor Godswill Akpabio, and the
PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, the President delivered his speech which, he said,
would be mainly directed at the youths on the claim that his generation was a failure.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo, in his remarks, urged the people to reject the message of the opposition in Lagos.

Jonathan hits at the opposition
In his speech, Jonathan did not hide his feelings as he hit back at his opponents, who have consistently thrown mud at his administration.

While addressing youths at the campaign ground, the President told them to work for the future of
Nigeria, through hard work and dedication, adding that the youths are the ones to take the country
to the moon.

He also said that voting for the opposition APC was like returning Nigerians to prison.

The President, who had all serving governors of the PDP and some principal officials of the National Assembly in attendance, repeatedly
flayed the campaign agenda and endorsements received by his main challenger, General Buhari.

He, however, did not mention Buhari by name in his nearly 30 minutes speech.

Jonathan, for the first time, also disclosed that the October 1, 2010 attack by the Movement for
the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, on the Eagle Square, Abuja was an assassination attempt directed at him.

‘Our generation has failed’

Saying his generation has failed, he stated, “I believe that the young Nigerians are the future, we are finished.

We believe that the youths will
be the ones that will take us to the moon, my generation has failed because we could not take Nigeria to the moon.”

He continued: “I don’t want to address old people like me because we (his generation) are spent
already. I am going to dwell on three things because those who said they are going to take over from the PDP have been telling a lot of lies.

They have hired people all over the world and are feeding people with lies on the social media. They
are painting all sorts of colours and giving you all sorts of claims that they cannot defend.”

He listed the three points as his administration’s attitude towards corruption; alleged weakness of
his government and the perception of lack of planning.

Noting the challenge from Buhari on the administration’s alleged failure to address the insecurity in the land, the President said: “They
talked about insecurity.

They said they will fight insecurity. And I ask, are our armed forces weak?

If we have problems, what is the cause?

Equipment. Somebody who told young people that he is going to fight insecurity, ask him if he
bought one rifle for Nigerian soldiers when he was the Head of State.

These people did not buy anything for the Nigerian soldiers.

They refused to equip them. Ask them what they did with their
defense budget.

“They said my government is corrupt and that we are not fighting corruption. Only yesterday, I addressed anti-corruption agencies and told them that people are deceiving young Nigerians.

I said that they must tell Nigerians what they are doing.

“We have arrested more people and done more convictions. Let me apologise to some Nigerian
federal civil servants who did not receive their December salaries early enough and I will tell you
what happened.

I apologise to those families that suffered because we believe and I believe that for you to fight corruption, we must take measures.

If they had succeeded in fighting corruption, corruption would not have been with us today. If they had set up structures especially with the days of modern science and technology using ICT, to manage resources, we would not have been
talking about corruption today.

Fight against corruption

“What happened in December was because of a software that is used for processing salary packages. Sometimes, people steal through
salaries and some Federal Government agencies, including some ministries, try to divert funds to try and pay for some allowances and the system is scientific. It is not a human being.

Once money meant to pay salaries is diverted, it shuts you down and those departments of government were shut down.

This is the only way you can prevent
corruption.”
Jonathan also noted the administration’s success in combating corruption in the agriculture sector especially through fertiliser distribution.

The President explained his administration’s success in effective distribution of petroleum products affirming that Nigerians do not have to sleep in petrol stations to buy fuel.

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Source Vanguard