President Jonathan Storms Ibadan, Vows To Stop Corruption In Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians of his preparedness to fight corruption even as he insisted that his government had done more in confronting the vices of corruption more than any government in Nigeria. He said he never believed in arresting anyone found guilty of acts of corruption and clamping them into jail. According to him, the idea of clamping those found guilty of acts of corruption into jail has never and would never stop corruption in the country. Jonathan made this known at the Mapo Hall in Ibadan, Oyo State capital where he campaign for his reelection in February along with top members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his cabinet. He said “If I jail 10,000 people for corruption or if I put 5, 000 people in jail for corruption that will not stop corruption”. He assured Nigerians that the issue of corruption would be effectively tackled such that by the time he runs through his second tenure of office, allegations about corruption in government circles would have been tackled effectively. He told the crowd of PDP supporters in Ibadan that his government has been deploying information Technology (IT) in the fight against corruption such that an attempt by some government officials to perpetrate fraud with workers’ salaries shut down the pay-roll system at the end of last year. According to him, the break-down of the pay-roll system due to the attempted fraud has been responsible for the prolong delay in the payment of salaries of civil servants. Jonathan also said his government has been working hard to combat terrorism, notwithstanding the perceived upper hand by Boko Haram insurgents in the north-eastern zone of Nigeria in their battle with the Nigerian authorities. “By the Grace of God, we will win the war against terrorism in Nigeria”, Jonathan told the crowd of PDP supporters in Ibadan. The president, however took umbrage in the proposal by the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the office of the First Lady, as he contended that the Office has been playing some significant roles in mobilising women and non-governmental organisations for meaningful participation in Politics. He said contrary to general impression; the Office of the First Lady has not been generating its spending from the federal government, stressing that the Office only enjoys patronage from well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations in the country in terms of funding. Jonathan, however vows to continue to accord women much more recognition in his cabinet by giving them top positions, arguing that so far, the capacity of Nigeria women to do exploits has not been utilized up to 50 percent. In soliciting support from electorate in Oyo State, Jonathan said the people of the state would continue to benefit from the transformation agenda by his government in agriculture which he stressed would see to the raising of large scale farmers in cocoa and cassava production. He also promised that young farmers would be raised from across the federation with a vow that his regime would be creating a total of 2 million jobs for the youths on yearly basis. He eulogized the people of south-west on their keen interest in the convocation of the National Constitutional Conference, as he disclosed that the initiative by his government to set up the last Confab originated from suggestions made by the elite from the zone. Jonathan said at the nick of time, he would create time to interact with the Nigerian youths, most especially the students who he said hold the chance to take over the cadre of leadership in Nigeria. He expressed conviction that the Nigerian youths, given the right encouragement have what it takes to take Nigeria to the moom. Like and Share if you #SupportPresidentJonathan
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 04:31:57 +0000