Avoid 'bread and butter' politicians, Jonathan tells Nigerians

Please share this story:

• Former president left lasting legacy, says Oshiomhole

The efforts of former leaders, especially those of the First Republic, to unite Nigeria failed because they were regional but not nationalist in their programs and policies, the former president lamented on Saturday Good luck Jonathan.

Jonathan, however, explained that the leaders were doing their best to also position the country for economic prosperity, while attempts yielded more to centrifugal forces that bolstered ethnic interests.

The former president also accused Nigerians of being cautious in exercising their right to vote, saying, "We must move away from bread and butter politics".< /p>

Jonathan said so in his paper, "Enduring Legacy: The Key to Nigeria's Development Problems", at the one-year memorial conference honoring the late Captain Hosa Okunbo in Abuja.

According to him, the current crop of leaders inherited a country already balkanized into three regions and then into four regions.

Jonathan said: "I believe that the heritage of the nation and the roots of unity were weak at Nigeria's independence and little has been done since then to strengthen the basis of union.

"The decision to move from the regional arrangement to a national approach, where Nigerians will begin to see their country as their common heritage, requires a different focus, planning, strategy and adaptation.

"My duty to Nigerians is to be circumspect in exercising their right to vote. We must move away from bread and butter politics and be careful not to elect leaders who will buy our conscience today and mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren. We should strive to elect only those who will leave a legacy of unity, peace and development."

At the event, a former education minister, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili urged politicians to develop the education sector she lamented would continue to elude in Nigeria and other African countries if the political class did not invest in education.

She said: "When you look at the parameters and the problems of our country, especially the current data, it shows that the continent is in crisis and has to deal with some of the things what former President Jonathan said of the society: is that nine out of 10 Africans lack the literacy and numeracy skills required of children their age in other parts of the world. /p>

Similarly, Atiku presidential campaign spokesman Dino Melaye recalled how Captain Hosa Okunbor had helped him in the past. He described Jonathan as "the most productive incumbent president Nigeria has ever had".

Meanwhile, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole said Jonathan left a lasting legacy that served as a foundation for his successors.

He said, "Part of your legacy was when you started the almajiri school and you believed that no Nigerian child should be left on the streets and you also appropriated special funds." he said.

Furthermore, the Olu of Warri and son-in-law of the deceased, Ogiame Atuwase III, denounced the glorification of stomach infrastructure in Nigeria's political culture.

While praising Jonathan for not overturning the 2015 presidential elections, the monarch denounced the lack of confidence in the country.

He said, "As a nation, we are in a situation of raw survival which fosters an environment that escalates grievances and creates social chaos. And before we know it, we are in a culture of deception and there is no peace where there is no trust and there is no trust where there is no truth in words, that is why it's easy not just for politicians, but for anyone to say something and they don't believe what they're saying."