‘Jonathan failed because he didn't keep to one-term agreement’

‘Jonathan failed because he didn't keep to one-term agreement’

 

The Chairman Northern States Governors’ Forum and Niger state governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu has said the defeat of the President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party at the just concluded general election was the price of the failure to honour the single term agreement entered with the north in 2011.
Aliyu who spoke in Minna on Friday as a special guest of honour at 24th Convocation lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said that the defeat of the PDP at the national and state elections did not come to many Nigerians, especially party members as a surprise because “we saw it coming”.
According to Aliyu “many of us saw it coming, when I reminded us that we had an agreement for one term, they nearly crucified me, and when I led the G7 Governors, they did not do what we wanted them to do until five members left, and they later did what we asked them to do.
“I recalled also that when APC came on board, I was the first person to say I was very happy that now we have a strong party to put PDP on its toes and many people were asking me if I am really a member of PDP. Up to the last election, the accusation against me has always been that I was a supporter of APC and now you have seen the result,” Aliyu stated.
The governor also said the people are tired of the 16 year rule of the ruling party and that the people are strongly desirous for change.
“Nigerians wanted a change and Nigerians got the change. PDP has been around for 16 years and there is no way you will be around for 16 years and you will not make mistakes so there are many reasons that will be put together and we will be able to understand and guide people as to next time, these are some of the things you need to do.”
Commenting on the topic of the convocation lecture, “The role of Law in the Enhancement of Socio-Economic Growth of the Nation”, Aliyu said corruption is not limited to government officials, he argued that the cancer worm had its root from the family setting.

He said a junior civil servant with two wives and over twenty children also breeds corruption “because there is no way his salary can take care of those children.”
In his remarks, the chairman of the Governing Council Prof. Ahmed Alkali, who is the Presidential Adviser, Political said; “Nigeria is at a crossroad in his fight against corruption because every Nigerian is corrupt in one way or the other”.
“If Nigeria must fight corruption, we must all check ourselves to ensure that at all levels we kill corruption. Anything we do in excess is corruption.”
Earlier in his lecture the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Legbo Kutigi said that it has been acknowledged that corruption impacts negatively on economic development and that corruption is one of the major factors militating against economic growth in many developing countries, including Nigeria.
He expressed regret that despite the fact that there are criminal code provisions, statutory enactment and administrative institutions for combating corruption, the vice has continue to thrive in the country.
He blamed the development on weak legal institutions and culture for dealing with corruption.
He advised that, developing countries like Nigeria should create institutional structures and procedures that are designed to reduce the opportunities for corrupt practices and behaviour.