‘Jonathan deserves another term

A group, Peoples Patriotic and Con­cerned Citizens of Nigeria (PPCCN) has expressed support for the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Non-Governmental Organ­isation, which said it was concerned with good governance said its mandate is also to set the wheel in motion to ensure that the South-east would produce the president in 2019. The group further said it was convinced that the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi is the best man for the job come 2019.
In a recent chat with Daily Sun, president of the group, Chief Josiah Olumba, reeled out Jonathan’s achievements and insisted that he deserved another opportunity.
Do you think the present crop of leaders have fared well?
We are concerned with good gov­ernance. Our organization is not a political party. It is a kind of pressure group that has been in existence for decades now. Like I said, our prior­ity is on good governance. We are all concerned that during any political dispensation, only the best candidate is produced.
Often, we saddle ourselves in appealing to the electorate not to sell their consciences. To be critical and at the same time, be objective in their choice of candidacy for any political office. This is absolutely important. It is pertinent that they know the background of those whom they throw their votes to. This is absolutely possible because the politicians do not fall from the sky.
They are one of us. They live among us. Their people know them, know what they have been into or what they are into. Their integrity should speak for them.
Then, for the returning politi­cians, onus lies on the electorates to assess how well a local government Chairman faired in bringing good governance to their doorstep. The LG is the government closest to the people. And so, they should feel the pulse of the people in terms of their basic needs. And then, the people will in turn, feel their impact in de­riving the gains of voting in a leader.
The electorates should not shy away from this duty because they have the mandate in their hands. And so, the power is ours to elect a candidate of our choice. And this is what a lot of Nigerians do not know. We as a group, take time to scrutinize people who have been there. We assess what each politician was able to achieve while in office, to what extent he or she was able to positively transform the lives of those who voted him in; So that we work towards returning such a candidate to office or ensure he or she goes back to the roots.
This is why we are so much interested and often advised that everyone knows the antecedents of those who come out canvassing their votes. We are citizens of this country; we’re concerned over good things coming in. when good things come in, the lives of the citizens change for the better. So, this is our utmost goal and concern.
What are your expectations for 2015?
This forms the basis for which we believe that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the best President we have ever had. And for some time to come, there may be none to equal his achievements. He has done well in the area of providing infrastructure. He has achieved so much in ensuring there are good motorable roads in almost every part of the country. In terms of power, he has done what successive adminis­trations could not achieve.
We are all witnesses to the fact that the very teething area of energy, Jonathan has scored high. It is on record that Nigeria and Nigerians have witnessed stability in the ever nagging matters affecting petrol. Not only has the country under President Jonathan witnessed peace and stability in fuel supply, prices of petroleum products have been equally stable.
In the North, even though those who vowed with their lives have been bent on frustrating Jonathan’s good governance, he is still achiev­ing milestones there. His govern­ment has greatly enhanced infra­structure and other social amenities there in the North. Electricity has been improved; Al-majiri schools have been provided in every nooks and cranny in the North.
Even in the face of the insurgence, the Jonathan government is not rest­ing in its oars at ensuring that stan­dard of schooling in the whole of the northern states are sustained. We can see how through the ministry of Finance, he has continued to pump money into the insurgence-raved schools in the North to ensure that students remained in school.
How well can you say Jona­than has fared in the wake of the insecurity in some parts of the country?
I’m happy he has not allowed the insecurity situation in the North to distract him. But, what we know is that the security challenges there is political. We can see that such is not happening in other regions. And the leaders there are not saying or doing anything to end the problem. They are not interested in ending the crisis as was the case in parts of the South. For instance, when kidnap­pers reigned supreme in Anambra, the people went and demolished the house of the kidnappers.
In Anambra, the government of T. A. Orji did not condone the assaults from the likes of Osisikankwu. In the South-South, the oil militants in that region were not spared. The Northern elders there are not showing enough concern over the insurgency in the North. So, terror­ism has thrived in the North because some certain elements are hell-bent that power returns to the North. But they fail to sthat power is of the Almighty God.
In the South East, he is working very hard to ensure that the Igbo race is not left out in the scheme of things. This has been the case with past governments. But President Jonathan has turned the whole thing around. If you have travelled on the Lagos-Ore-Benin expressway. You will better appreciate his govern­ment.
The second Niger Bridge is on now. In Anambra and Imo, he has completed the Onitsha-Owerri road which Obasanjo abandoned during his tenure. The road runs from Up­per Iweka in Anambra State to Ow­erri in Imo State. It’s a dual carriage way. Likewise, the one in Enugu is going on. His policies have greatly boosted agriculture. And the nation is gradually becoming self-sufficient in food production.
In fact, the President has done enough that qualifies him to contest in 2015. We can’t ask for more. And I’m happy that he is being endorsed by all. This is the desire of Peoples Patriotic and Concerned Citizens of Nigeria. And we pray to God to assist him; help him to achieve all what he wants to achieve before leaving office. Jonathan is the best President Nigeria has ever had.
He is highly patient. In terms of endurance, you can criticize him, you can condemn him; even, you can say anything against him or about him; he will keep quiet. I think this is why in spite of insurgency in the North, he has remained focused. And he has been the most tolerant of opposition parties. He is practicing real democracy. So we must give him support in everything he is doing to make sure he succeeds. He has already succeeded.
The reality of an Igbo President, how soon do you foresee it?
Obi has done well. He did well and excelled as the Governor of Anambra State. To qualify him with what he did in Anambra State is to simply say that he is an achiever. In fact, with his achievements as governor, he is the man standing tall to be the next president in 2019. His own development while in office did not just end in the townships. He went into the villages to develop and improve the lives of the people.
We have resolved that while working towards the re-election of Mr. President, we should also, work towards ensuring the actualization of the dream of the emergence of an Igbo President come 2019.
To this end, we have decided and have gotten plans in top gear to seek audience with Obi in no distant future. We have no doubt that he will gladly welcome the visit and our request. We as a group have got our acts together to go get him to schedule a meeting to this effect. PPCCN is very hopeful that we will get him to consent to our request to be the Igbo President who Jonathan will hand over to. It is a demand that we are making.