At the presidential rallies yesterday in Abeokuta, and Ibadan, President Goodluck Jonathan spoke to the hearts of Nigeria citizens as a whole. He promised to create additional eight million jobs for the youths in the next four years, if re-elected. While speaking at both rally venues which was hugely attended, Jonathan called on the youths to be ready to work with him for a better and new Nigeria.
The president contrasted Gen. Mohammadu Buhari’s assertion that if elected, he would ensure that all guilty corrupt persons are jailed; by stating that “It is my prayer that a time will come in Nigeria that there will be no single prison in the country.”
He then told his audience: “You have a choice to vote for those who will build more prisons for you or my administration which will build more schools for you.”
He also told his audience that his administration was already working with eminent Nigerians in private sectors to make the mission of School and Wealth creation a reality.
The president said that the Federal Government had set up a technical committee to that effect which was headed by Vice-President Namadi Sambo to work the modalities for the creation of at least two million jobs every year. He explained that the Federal Government was also working with Tony Elumelu, Chairman UBA and other investors from the private sector in order to achieve the goal.
He said: “We are out to create jobs, our target is to create not less than two million jobs every year. We are working with the private sector. Tony Elumelu is part of them and when we are talking about Elumelu, you know we are talking about a serious investor.”
While explaining that PDP had changed the face of Agriculture in the country, President Jonathan declared that the PDP-led Federal Government would integrate Commercial Agriculture into the Secondary schools’ curriculum to create wealth, more jobs and to reduce the country’s balance of payment deficit on imported foods.
Meanwhile, President Jonathan has said his commitment and method of tackling corruption was not dependent on the number of people his administration tries or jails.
Though, he said his government has tried many Nigerians to show that it did not support corruption, he said the number of people tried on corruption-related offences would never stem the tide of the hydra-headed problem.
He said this at the ancient Mapo Hall, Ibadan, venue of his campaign rally, yesterday.
According to him: “If I try 10 million Nigerians and jail 5 million, that does not stop corruption problem. Let me re-assure Nigerians that we will win war against terror. My commitment and method of solving corruption is not in terms of the number of people I try or jail.”
President Jonathan, who used the forum to reel out the achievements of his administration, noted that his government had empowered over one million people through its various intervention programmes.
Other achievements, he said, include ongoing reconstruction of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, power projects, Ibadan Airport renovation, Ibadan-Lagos-Kano railway line rehabilitation, among other empowerment projects cited in Oyo State.
This came just as the president urged Nigerian women to vote him in for another four years to liberate themselves or risk being restricted to the kitchen by the opposition.
Though, some aggrieved chieftains of the party who felt cheated in the way the party’s governorship candidate was finally selected were conspicuously absent at the rally, their absence did not take the shine-off the event.
Speaking one after the other, many chieftains of the party including governorship and senatorial candidates gave reasons the South-West should back Jonathan’s re-election ambition.
The Minister of State, FCT, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide buttressed the achievements of the president saying he gave $200 million to the South West to check flooding which claimed lives some years ago in the state.
The Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko said the South-West belonged to the PDP, adding that Nigerians should not vote for a president that cannot boot a computer because “the 21st century requires a president that is young, computer compliant and current .”
Mulikat Akande, the leader of the House of Representatives said the rally was to receive the president and to flag-off the party’s campaign in the state.
In attendance were the Vice President, Namadi Sambo; PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; Minister of State, FCT, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide; Senator Hosea Agboola; High Chief Lekan Balogun, PDP chieftain; Olusegun Mimiko; Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of Media and Publicity, Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation and PDP senatorial candidates in Oyo South, North and Central among others.
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