Igbo Diaspora Group Mobilizes For Jonathan

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Nigeria 2015 Election Monday, March 23rd, 2015

The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has renewed its support for President Goodluck Jonathan in his re-election bid, as well as called on Nigerians of Igbo extraction to vote massively for him.

The group described President Jonathan as a true democrat who “strongly believes in due process and rule of law”, thus urged Nigerians to consider inner qualities of the ruling PDP candidate, noting that the wheel of justice in any civilized country takes a little bit of time to turn.

Chairman of the association, Engr. Joe Eto in a statement issued Monday, stated Nigeria was nurturing its democracy, declaring that the last thing the country needed was a jungle justice, hence the antagonists of Jonatahn’s “deliberate and methodical” approach “should rethink their assumptions because the alternative is the relic of the past, who does not belong in the stream of democracy.”

Eto stressed the alternative was morbid chaos and continued bloodletting in Nigeria’s northern states, regardless of regrets about situation of Nigeria today.

“We have again reviewed President Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda and found significant economic progress Nigeria has made in the past four years. The economic policies of the President have resulted in significant growth and the resultant high ranking of Nigeria’s economic position by some international institutions shows assiduous work Jonathan and his teams are doing. Thus, the overall economy improved during Jonathan’s administration.

“The poverty rate is continuously declining since the Transformation Agenda policies started taking foothold. While we applaud President Jonathan on the country’s significant increase in GDP and other economic indicators, we appeal to him to develop policies that will stabilize the country’s currency—Naira.  “WIC is using this opportunity to commend President Jonathan and the Nigerian security forces for their recent successes on the fight against Boko Haram. Boko Haram has terrorized Nigeria to inflict the maximum damage and pain to the citizens of Nigeria. Many Nigerians, particularly the Igbos have lost their lives, properties, livelihood in the hands of the terrorists. Nigerians cannot take any longer. We strongly support your leadership to use the Nigerian Armed Forces to wage a war of attrition against Boko Haram” the group maintained.   On infrastructural development, WIC highlighted the construction of the second Niger Bridge which it said replaced the old Niger Bridge, built in 1965, as well as the construction of Lagos-Benin expressway; Abuja-Lokoja expressway; Enugu-Abakiliki expressway, Onitsha-Owerri highway and most parts of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.

It equally applauded the revival of Nigeria’s railway system and the standardization of airports across the country, including the Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu which was upgraded into an international status and which directly connects the South-East “to the outside world for the first time since independence.”  With Jonathan’s transformation agenda on agriculture sector, the association stated Nigeria has now reduced its food imports by over 40 per cent as at 2013, while expressed hope that the country would be self-sufficient in the sector.

“The Southwest and Southeast zones recognize that Jonathan at this time is the only option for a better, stable Nigeria. Jonathan showed magnanimity and courage in convening a national conference. The national conference has already produced major resolutions to usher in healthy relationship with the various ethnicities and regions of Nigeria.

“Buhari and his political party, APC, discouraged the convening of the national conference and have not shown any interest in the outcome of the conference. The conference outcomes when implemented will unplug Britain from the Hausa/Fulani socket and eventually abate the British emasculation of Nigeria through ploys executed by those Nigerians who continue to see Britain as their brain power” Engr. Eto explained.