President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called on state governors to desist from insulting him and concentrate on the huge state functions they were elected to perform.
Speaking when a delegation from Anambra state, led by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka A. Achebe, visited him at the State House in Abuja, Jonathan said since governors were elected by the people to serve, it was in their interest to be at peace with leaders at the centre.
He said: “A number of politicians feel that the best thing to do is to be abusing Mr. President, abusing the federal government and so on. You are elected to develop your states. I think the best thing is to have good relationship with the centre. Whether you have a pin or you don’t have, but one day, it will come. Wearing boxing gloves, jumping into the boxing ring to face Mr. President does not help the development of any state.”
The president also spoke on the current security challenges in some parts of the country and expressed optimism that the challenges would soon be over.
He said: “The challenges of the country, I always say that most other countries passed through the same processes, if not worse, just like I mentioned in the church programme on Sunday that if a country like Sweden will be remembering and celebrating 200 years of end of wars, that means that part of the world was really devastated by wars before that period that those wars ended.
“We are even talking about 100 years, centenary celebrations. They are celebrating 200 years of end of wars. So, whatever we face is transient, very temporary, we will soon get over it by God’s grace.”
Jonathan also disclosed that the groundbreaking ceremony for the second Niger bridge would be done on March 10, 2014.
“But I said that until we are fully ready, until the finances have been worked out, I would not want to go for a groundbreaking ceremony and another two years, four years, another president would go there again for another groundbreaking ceremony that we must work out the finances.
“The finance minister and the works minister must work out details so that if we are going for the groundbreaking ceremony, we know that the work will not stop until the project is completed and God willing that is what it is going to be. We have agreed to come on Monday, the 10th of this month, we will quickly do the groundbreaking, I think it is about 11 a.m. on Monday morning, before we rush back to Abuja to inaugurate the National Conference delegates.”
The president commended the outgoing governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi, for demonstrating clearly that he was a person, stressing that the governor was “very distinct and he was able to manage the state assembly that was predominantly controlled by another political party.”
