Sundiata Post (Sundiata Post) – President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday took his 2015 presidential campaign to Benin, the Edo State, saying what the country needed for now was transformation and not change as being bandied by the All Progressive Congress (APC).
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Speaking to a mammoth crowd at the Benin Stadium, the president who demonstrated his literary supremacy in the local parlance by using the Nigeria’s local slang, popularly known as pidgin English noted that his administration had concentrated its effort in building schools instead of prisons.
He said it is for this reason that the Federal Government was building its construction technology institute in Edo State to take care of the young people who want to develop talent and skills in the construction industry.
Insisting that the country needs transformation at the moment and not change, Jonathan said, “Change takes place every day. If you move from your bedroom to your sitting room you have made a change but you have not transformed yourself. If you move from your sitting room to your kitchen you have changed but you have not transformed yourself”.
And addressing the people fluently in pidgin, the president said, “As we dey talk today, it is that we go move this country forward. If you don read some books, person wey transform a country called Singapore. Singapore and Nigeria been dey the same level but e transform Singapore from third world country to first world country.
“That is the transformation we are talking about. We are not talking about somebody turning and say ‘I have changed’ and turn this way and say ‘I have changed’.
“We dey talk about transformation and that is why as we dey talk about school, this is a government wey be say when we come we know say so many Nigerian young people no fit get space for our university because we know say universities wey dey our country no plenty reach.
“Them the go Ghana go every where to study. Na im we come say make we get enough universities too make we see whether people go come here. So, we open 14 new universities. For secondary schools, if you look our law wey them dey call constitution no be dey work wey federal government dey do but because we know say we go make sure say our young people go school we build them plenty”.
Maintaining that his government was interested in building schools and not prisons, he said, “We know say if person do bad thing, government say make you no do dat thing again. That is why Police dey.
“But wetin we like be say we go build schools for Nigerians. No be to build where we go go lock people where them dey call prison. Prison no dey bring better thing out. Na schools. The people wey dey say them want change, ask them say when they were there how many schools them build for us? Ask them; how many school them build?”
In his remarks, Vice President Namadi Sambo who urged Nigerians not to vote for a person who cannot produce his primary school certificate noted that President Jonathan is a PhD holder and scientist who can represent the country anywhere in the world.
He said, “He (Jonathan) is a PhD holder and he is a scientist. To every global standard, Mr. President can go anywhere as one of the most educated people in this world. And me, Architect Sambo, a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Architect, I am an experienced Vice President.
“We have been working with the president as we promised you, designing, developing, constructing and transforming Nigeria. Mr. President has moved this country forward, all our infrastructure there is no sector that has not been improved tremendously”.
Observing that PDP success story was not by accident, Sambo said, “it is by your right decision to elect Mr. President with the educational background and wealth of experience that he has been able to achieve this and to achieve more for you Nigerians.
“Would you want to vote for a president that cannot prove his primary school certificate? Do you want to vote for a president that do not have a primary school certificate at this age?”.
Also speaking, first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan reminded the women of Nigeria that PDP was the only party that had remembered the women of Nigeria and their children, the youths.
According to her, PDP is the only party that had given Nigerian women 35 percent, even as she added that APC does not wish Nigerian women good.
She said, “They (APC) can never come to power. When they were in power they did not carry any woman along in those days. They gave out appointments, they did not give any woman appointment.
“But when PDP came to power they remembered Nigerian women; they remembered that we women are intelligent, they remembered that we women are honest, they remembered that we women are trustworthy, they remembered that we women are educated, they remembered that we women can contribute to the development of this country and they carried us along.
“Because PDP knows that we women are trustworthy, they gave us a portfolio to coordinate the economy of this country and we have proven it by improving the economy. CNN has proven it when they announced that in economy we are doing well”.
Chairman of the PDP board of trustees, Chief Tony Anenih Anenih, said instead of the people of south-south to vote for tyranny and autocracy they will give President Jonathan their full votes with nothing left for the opposition.
Many Nollywood stars and top musicians in the country accompanied the president to his campaign rally in Edo State.
President Jonathan had earlier gone to the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo to seek his royal blessing for the February 14 presidential poll.
The Oba told the president not to worry himself as God already knew whom He would give power to in the 2015 election.