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‘South West has no basis to distrust President’

By Seye Olumide
26 March 2015   |   3:46 am
The Coordinator of Presidential Strategy Team, Akin Osuntokun, told SEYE OLUMIDE that the Southwest geo-political zone has no reason to doubt President Goodluck Jonathan’s second-term promises for the region. Excerpts:
Osuntokun. Image source uncova

Osuntokun. Image source uncova

The Coordinator of Presidential Strategy Team, Akin Osuntokun, told SEYE OLUMIDE that the Southwest geo-political zone has no reason to doubt President Goodluck Jonathan’s second-term promises for the region. Excerpts:

THERE is no basis for Yoruba to distrust President Jonathan. The strong point Jonathan is using to campaign in the South West is the pledge of establishing the recommendations of the National Conference to make constitutional amendments that would lead to the decentralization and devolution of power.

The process of implementing the resolutions of the conference is already on and there is no reason to doubt the fact that the process would be concluded. Don’t forget that the conference itself comprised delegates from all over the country and the decision they took was arrived at by consensus.

President Jonathan is not going to dictate to Nigeria to do something on behalf of the South West. He is not going to dictate a policy that favours the region against the rest of the country.

He is accepting what the country has decided, which the South West believes servers its interest, particularly in the areas of decentralization and devolution of powers. I don’t think any question of trust arises.

If it appears that his government in the past six years marginalized the region, it wasn’t deliberate on his part but it came about as a result of a default and also a scheming perpetuated by the Yoruba people against a fellow Yoruba person, to the highest position that was zoned to the region, the Speakership.

The South West lost that position because of the collusion that was designed and manipulated by the Yoruba people that were in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) now All Progressives (APC), in collaboration with some renegade PDP members.

They made that position eluded the South West. Therefore if you are looking for somebody to blame, we should know where the blame properly lies.

Why Jonathan deserves the region’s support
In the expenditure of national resources under Jonathan’s government, the South West has the second highest distribution in terms of money spent, zone-by-zone.

If you are thinking about where the infrastructure is located, what about the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, that is the biggest road in the country, although it favours the whole country but it is in the domain of the South West. That is not the only one. If you travel between
Ilesha and Akure; you will see that the road has just been reconstructed. There are other things he achieved in the region.

I am telling you what you should verify on your own and what you should tell people and not the issue of the South West being marginalized. The South West has never been known for running after appointments, it believes in what it can do.

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was in power for eight years, was there any indication that the Yoruba were favoured in terms of appointments to the exclusion of other zones? If I could remember correctly, almost the opposite was being asserted that the Yoruba people didn’t gain anything under Obasanjo.

There is a limit to how you can stress the issue of appointment as a basis for assessing what somebody has contributed to your zone. For now, the priorities of the South West are not for appointment but that those resolutions of the conference are implemented and anybody who does that would have done wonders.

 Allegations of failure against Jonathan
It is an illiterate argument to condemn President Jonathan on the falling economy situation because Nigeria is not isolated from the global economy. Nigeria itself is a very weak member of global economy and it is that weakness that is reflecting on the devaluation of the naira. The price of oil falls drastically and there is no way it won’t have a direct impact on the economy. It leads to the devaluation of the naira.

But he has also not done well in the area of electricity…
I accept that he should have done more in the area of power but at least the ongoing privatization of the sector is a successful unbundling of PHCN.  By their nature you are bound to encounter some little itches along the road in implementing things like these.

In regards to power, I want to agree that we ought to have gone further in actualizing stable power but we have to realize that where the problem is now, is mainly in the supply of gas. But this is because of the destruction of the gas pipeline by vandals, which is causing inadequate supply of gas to power the turbine for the generation of adequate electricity. To get power right, there is the need to get that area right as well.

On the economy, I don’t think he has fared badly. I am convinced the administration has done relatively well. Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa now and we have a GDP growth rate of consistently at least 6 or 7 per cent under Jonathan and we have almost a turnaround of the agricultural sector. He has also done well in the area of infrastructural development.

24 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    South west and indeed all Nigerians should not vote for Jonathan and PDP because of corruption and incompetence.Sai Buhari the change we need.

  • Author’s gravatar

    2 roads in 6 years of a government and 16 years of a party, indeed, it is a good reason to vote for him again. Your baba in Ota has correctly described you and your likes (FFK, Doyin etc.) as a toad always looking for a cool place to hibernate, ride on but watch your back, posterity and justice are closing on you brother.

  • Author’s gravatar

    This hypocrite called Osuntokun and his pack of lies will be disgraced along with his co-travelers on Saturday, Deo Volente.

  • Author’s gravatar

    It is well and truely an illiterate mind that will ask what Jonathan has achieved. How many of us will appoint a 73 year old as our Chief Executive? We are in the 21st century. If Fashola said that Jimmy Agbeje at 57 is old to be the governor of Lagos State and how he feels now in his fifties compared with his forties when he newly became the governor, why would people not see the reality instead of arguing blindly. Yes we need change but Buhari is not the change. Tunde Bakare said he trust Buhari but not comfortable with his environment. Which I call his company. Evil communication corrupts good manners no matter how good you are. People should vote whom ever they want. We are adults. We are not children to be guided and then mind our language because this is where violent will start from. That we have freedom of speech does not mean we come out and insult people. The Yorubas are known from their culture to be very respectful to the adults. The reverse has been the case just because we have freedom of speech and many havr joined suite. This is where most of the problems are emanating from.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Is the resolution of the confab for Yoruba alone? was the conference not for Nigerians? A fool knows that GEJ has no absolute power on the outcome of the confab. GEJ and his yorubas colaborators are just fooling the people of south west because of election. Yoruba does not need the resolution of the confab to be implemented. If Nigerians need it, they will call for it. Osuntokun and co. are just telling themselves a big joke about the implementaion of the confab.

  • Author’s gravatar

    THEN PLEASE YORUBAS THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY, JUST GRAB IT. . YOU SHOULD PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS BY SUPPORTING THE TICKET OF THE GRAND SON IN LAW OF THE GREAT PAPA AWO, PROFESSOR OSINBAJO FOR VICE PRESIDENT AND BUHARI FOR PRESIDENT. ANY THING OTHER THAN THIS IS NOT AN OPTION AND MAKES YOU A FAKE. EVERY TRUE YORUBA PERSON MUST SUPPORT THE TICKET OF BUHARI AND OSINBAJO. THIS WILL BRING GOVERNMENT AGAIN RIGHT ON YOUR DOOR STEP. YORUBA RONU

    • Author’s gravatar

      The Foolani Lords and Masters have not Released Ilorin to Yorobas
      Yorobo ronuoooooooo

    • Author’s gravatar

      Grand son in law of Awolowo ??? You are indeed talented at creating associations and stretching absurd relationships for gain . Lets now take it that Awo was really a political genius who nearly became president and that this genius flows in the gene.By what inexplicable mechanism can a grand son in law acquire the genes of his grand father in law ? Try waking up Mendel.Good luck in your quest.

  • Author’s gravatar

    While the failed Emperor Jagaban THienubu was reaching out to far North for Alliance GEJ Reached in South West for consolidation.
    Ondo and Ekiti States are in safe kitty
    Osun was missed by the whiskers
    Lagos and Ogun are set to be wrested from the Vice Grips of Jagaban
    Oyo is free ride for GEJ
    What a show

  • Author’s gravatar

    WHY WE MUST NOT VOTE FOR VERY CLUELESS AND VERY CORRUPT GOODLUCK JONATHAN IN THIS SATURDAY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. WITH GOODLUCK JONATHAN AS PRESIDENT WE DO NOT . THE MAN HAS THE MAN HAS PROVED TO BE A FAKE AND AN REPENTANT FRAUD.
    1. The Chibok Girls
    2. NNPC Scam
    3. Police pension fund
    4. Missing 20Billion
    5. $9million Arms deal
    6. Bomb Blasts
    7. Immigration job scam
    8. Petroleum pump price
    9. Devaluation of Naira
    10. Oil theft
    11. Perpetual Power outage
    12. Selling of NEPA to cronies and no results.
    13. Selling of Refineries
    14. Skyrocketed NEPA Bills
    15. ASUU, Judiciary & ASUP Strike
    16. Doctors Strike
    17. National Assembly tragedy
    19. Stella Oduah Aviation Scam
    20. Kerosene subsidy
    21. Insurgency institutionalisation
    22. Pardon granted to treasury looters
    22. Asked to declare assets… Response ..’Idont give a damn’!
    23. Asked questions on Economy..Response.. ‘Iam not in charge’
    24. Refusal to meet Chibok girls parents untilPakistan’s Malala Yusuf intervened.
    25. Foreign reserve depletion
    26. Nigeriha’s debt paid by Obasanjo. NowNigeria is back into debt!
    27. Not a single criminal in govt has beenapprehended or prosecuted
    28. Quote of the year: Stealing is notCorruption! (That from a PhD holder Pres.GEJ)

    29. Commander in Chief of Armed Forcewho couldn’t visit Borno, Yobe
    andAdamawa to commiserate with the people butwent there to campaign!
    30. Alleged cover up of the sum of $700 million cash found at Petroleum Minister Denziene Madueke;
    31.$500m Dollars Farm in AFCT;
    32.$10,000 Dollars gift to all Kings;
    33.1billion annual food budget;
    34.10 Personal Private Jets;
    35.
    $50m Arms in SA etc….WHAT OTHER PROOF DO YOU NEED TO PLEASE VOTE WISELY?

  • Author’s gravatar

    Now I remember, this name came up in the Ekitigate tape. Prof, better pray hard or get ready to go to jail.

  • Author’s gravatar

    BUT THIS IS THE TRUE POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IF THE ELECTION IS HELD TODAY

    THE APC TICKET OF BUHARI/OSINBAJO WILL CARRY

    SOKOTO

    KATSINA

    YOBE

    BORNO

    KANO

    ZAMFARA

    KEBBI

    KADUNA

    BAUCHI

    GOMBE

    ADAMAWA

    NIGER

    KWARA

    OYO

    OSUN

    OGUN

    LAGOS

    NASARAWA

    TARABA

    THE PDP TICKET OF JONATHAN/SAMBO WILL CARRY

    EBONYI

    ANAMBRA

    DELTA

    BAYELSA

    AKWA IBOM

    ABIA

    CROSS RIVER

    THE STATES THAT CAN GO TO ANY OF THE TWO PARTIES ARE

    FTC

    KOGI

    EKITI

    ONDO

    EDO

    ENUGU

    IMO

    RIVERS

    BENUE.

    IF YOU FACTOR IN ALL OF THESE BUHARI/OSINBAJO WILL WIN THE THIS ELECTION IF THE ELECTION IS HELD TODAY.