I rejected Jonathan’s National Honours Due To Poor Performance –Fashola

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, Nigeria 2015 Election Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

By Niyi Adeyi and Adeseye Adebiyi, Lagos – The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) Wednesday revealed he and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila rejected National Award Honours last year from President Goodluck Jonathan majorly on principle and out of crave for high productivity.

Governor Fashola made the revelation at the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship rally in Surulere.

According to him, after rejecting the award, Mr. President called and told him that he was angry with him, but said he replied him that the tasks on ground were far more than giving awards, rather, the urgent need to meet the socio and economic demands and challenges of the people.

He informed the party’s supporters that he told Mr. President that the award could come after all the demanding obligations facing the country were attended to appropriately.

Governor Fashola tongue lashed President Jonathan, saying he failed to lay a good example, with respect to the over 200 abducted Chibok Secondary school girls. He explained the President failed to achieve the same feat he attained by identifying with the medical staff who attended to the Ebola victims as well as the infected, when the disease broke out in the State last year.

Governor Fashola declared if the State was in danger, he would put himself first, contending that “Jonathan loves himself more than the people; if he does not, till date why has he not visited the family of the chibok girls victims”?

He indicated despite this, President Jonathan surprisingly always credited his administration for a successful war against the Ebola outbreak in some States.

The Governor emphasized that his party deserved re – election in the State as it has many records of its 16 years till date, to justify such demand from the people.

Regarding the Presidential election, Governor Fashlola berated the ruling party, saying the present administration failed for inability to make the local refineries function, contending that a government which was unable to fix refineries before the price crisis could not perform any magic now that the price has fallen in the international market.

He said his party’s Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was familiar with the oil and gas terrain, referring to his statement on Monday when met with some organized private sector Chief executives, on the contrast between the time he was the Minister of Petroleum, when the country explored and refined crude oil locally and now that the finished products were imported into the country.

Governor Fashola referred to the State’s ruling PDP candidate, Jimi Agbaje as ‘’just kidding’’ and described his (bold ideas) campaign manifesto as, “bold ignorance”.

Fashola boasted that the State was the first out of the 36 states in Nigeria to pay minimum wage before it was legalized.

“The affairs of Nigerian government have nothing to do with religion as the PDP is ranting about, if our four refineries are functioning there will be job opportunities from every works of life for the people of Nigeria and that will also help to reduce the rate of unemployment”, the Governor restated.

He commended Hon. Gbajabiamila for his steadfastness in the Federal House and affirmed that the party’s State Governorship candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode would continue the legacies to be left behind by him, hence urged party supporters to vote en-masse for him and other candidates in the Lagos Central senatorial district in the coming general polls.