President
Goodluck Jonathan has said that occupants of the offices of the first
lady across the nation “are not spending government money,” even though
the platform has become veritable means of mobilising women for national
development.
The President’s position was a response
to the complaints on social media that the offices constitute
unnecessary burden to government, as they have become avenues through
which public resources are frittered away.
The President, in an argument tweeted by
his Special Assistant on New Media, Reno Omokri, said, “I can tell you
that these offices (of first ladies) are helping to mobilise the women.”
He boasted that his administration had
made remarkable achievements in women empowerment, with several women
getting key political appointments.
“Nigerian women, I don’t believe that you are designed by God to pound yam for me, to be a baby factory,” he said.
The President also did self-evaluation on
key areas of governance on Monday as the campaign trains of the two
leading presidential contenders moved around the country.
Among the areas he mentioned was education. If re-elected, he said, he would not build prisons for Nigerians but more schools.
Apparently referring to the candidate of
the All Progressives Congress, Major-General Mohammadu Buhari, he said
many office seekers had started promising what they had opportunity to
do but never did in the past.
“I believe in you, I love you. We will
work hard to improve the quality of our lives. A lot of people are
coming to deceive you that they will do things they had opportunity to
do that they never did. This government has built more tertiary
institutions than any other government. We’ve built 14 universities.
“We are creating future leaders. We don’t
believe that you must be of a very high age to lead,” Jonathan, who is
seeking a second term, said.
He promised to use technology to deal
with graft, a national disgrace his administration has been severely
accused of, saying several people have used corruption to enrich
themselves.
In a response to the Baga attack where
scores were killed, the President said he had ordered the National
Security Adviser to give a “comprehensive report to Nigerians.”
He continued, “We are encouraging young graduates to go into farming and be the future millionaires and billionaires.”
Jonathan was also quoted by Omokri as
saying that the Peoples Democratic Party was the highest shareholder in
APC – a party he also described as “a subsidiary of PDP.” He based his
judgment on the number of ex-PDP members “in charge” of the opposition
party.
Meanwhile, the Buhari social media teams
on Monday also gave minute-by-minute account of the APC’s activities in
Imo and other parts of the country.
The retired general told Nigerians, “Get
your Permanent Voters Cards. Make sure you vote; make sure you defend
your vote. Make sure that your voice is heard.”
The Buhari Presidential Campaign
coordinator and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, said Jonathan
should not expect votes from Imo indigenes because he did not do
anything for them. He challenged the President to tell the Igbos what he
had done for them.
Also on twitter, the APC Chairman, John
Oyegun, wondered why the people should not be tired of the lies they had
endured in the past 16 years. If nothing else, he said, they should be
“tired of epileptic electricity.”
A former minister of the Federal Capital
Territory, Nasir el-Rufai, lambasted the Jonathan administration for the
Baga attack. He said it was shameful the government could not discuss
its occurrence even though it debated the number of casualties.
Amid the intense political horse trading,
news of confirmation by the United States Army College that Buhari,
indeed, graduated from the school went viral on social media.
The confirmation letter that was
purportedly issued by Carrol Kerr of the Public Affairs Office of the
institution said Buhari graduated with a diploma in 1980.
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