Unlike My Opponent, It’s Not My Priority To Build Prisons –Jonathan Declares

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Nigeria 2015 Election Monday, January 12th, 2015

By Funmilayo Omidiji, Abuokuta – “It is not my priority to build prisons, but to build more schools. I am hoping and dreaming of when Nigeria will not have any prison anymore. The choice is therefore yours whether to vote” for the candidate who would build more prisons or the one that would build more schools.”

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan

President Jonathan stated this on Monday, in Abeokuta, Ogun State during his ongoing nationwide Presidential campaign.

While reeling out his administration preference for academic excellence, President Jonathan restated that it was in a bid to bring out the best from the Nigerian students, that his government started the policy of sending on scholarship abroad, the best Nigerian graduates to the best ivory towers overseas.

He said it was not for any other reason but to expose young Nigerians who were naturally talented and gifted with capacity to take the country to the next level. Said: “I’m the President, I don’t make First Class, so I can’t take Nigeria to the moon”.

Mr. President who reiterated his administration would give more priority to building more schools for the Nigerian youths, rather than prisons, indicated his government has intervened effectively on University education, citing establishment of 12 additional universities, with two extra, one for Police and the second, specializing on Maritime, as he said, the sector was wide and very lucrative, and could play a major role in the economic turnaround of the country.

According to him, open eye surgery was being presently done in the premier University of Ibadan (UI) while Kidney transplant was done in both University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

He promised that the Nigerian students would not be charged exorbitant school fees as well as not exploited. “We must build a society that will be a proud of the future” he declared.

Mr. President who eulogized some indigenes of Ogun State such as Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo; Moshood Kashimawo Abiola; Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have led the country with zeal and viable vision also took a swipe on some (unnamed) South West Political leaders for rejecting last year National Conference.

He declared that some of them were hypocrites as they failed to join in the similar crusade they struggled for while they were in NADECO in late 90’s.

President Jonathan described his Agriculture Minister, Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina as the best so far since 1999 when he was elected alongside his former boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as deputy governor, based on revolutionary and outstanding achievements in the sector, during his tenure, including checking of corruption in the fertilizer distribution.

If re –elected, he stressed his government would not reduce women to baby production alone, rather would give them more opportunities to express themselves and excel, adding that he would not scarp office of the first ladies and officers Wives and political appointees associations, who he stated were run through NGOs .

Glossing over 1.8 million jobs which he stated his administration had provided in the last three years, President Jonathan again promised that if re –elected, his government would provide, “not less than 2 million jobs yearly”.

Meanwhile, the President will move his campaign’s train to Osun and Ekiti tomorrow (Friday). His campaign in Ekiti will begin at 2pm after Oshogbo rally.