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President Goodluck Jonathan And His Top Political Quotes

By EDITOR
28 March 2015   |   12:23 am
After working as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental protection officer, he entered politics in 1998 and was voted Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State from 1999 till 2006, when he became the governor following the impeachment of his boss, Dr. Diepreye S.P. Alamieyeseigha. In 2007, he was picked as the running mate to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the presidential election, which they won. Upon Yar’Adua death on May 5, 2010, he became President.
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Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan was born on November 20, 1957 in Otuoke, Bayelsa State. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, a Master’s in Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology, and a Ph.D. degree in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

After working as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental protection officer, he entered politics in 1998 and was voted Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State from 1999 till 2006, when he became the governor following the impeachment of his boss, Dr. Diepreye S.P. Alamieyeseigha. In 2007, he was picked as the running mate to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the presidential election, which they won. Upon Yar’Adua death on May 5, 2010, he became President.

In 2011, he was elected Nigeria’s 14th Head of State/President in an election adjudged by local and international observers as free, fair and credible. He is married to Dame Patience and they are blessed with children. Here are some of his memorable political quotes. On this election, he said in January 2013. “My dear, I do not like to talk about it. I’m not interested in 2015, because you and I do not know whether we will reach 2015.

We do not know who will be alive to witness 2015. “The truth is, 2015 is really not my business and it is politically irresponsible for people to be talking about 2015.”  “No, no, no!! Boko Haram is not as a result of misrule; definitely not. Sometimes people say it is as a result of poverty; definitely not. Boko Haram is a local terror group,” he said in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2013.

“Over 70% of what are called corruption (cases), even by EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and other anti-corruption agencies, is not corruption, but common stealing,” he said during a presidential media chat. “Whether we are Muslims or Christians; rich or poor; from the north or the south; east or west; regardless of our political affiliations. This is a time to pull together,” on the 53rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.

“The stronger the boat (of democracy), the more it is able to meet the challenges of its voyage and deliver on its promise to citizens” “The air of freedom we breathe today is the result of the sacrifices of thousands of pro-democracy activists, human rights campaigners and others, who organised as civil society.” “My political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” “No minister will be allowed to go on a mission of endless search for solutions.” “In the comfort of our offices, let us not forget that majority of our people live below the poverty line.” “Terrorism has no conscience and spares no one.”

“Any society or country that closes the vital valves of its democratic space cannot develop at a reasonable pace.” “Where there is no opportunity for one man one vote, there will be no accountability and no responsibility.” “Democracy is a journey that every nation mindful of advancing the liberty of its citizens must undertake.” “Nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.” “Our votes must count! One man, one vote! One woman, one vote! One youth, one vote!” “Nobody should rig for me. I am assuring Nigerians that though I am contesting, nobody must manipulate votes in my favour. Our votes must count.” “I congratulate the candidates of the other political parties.

I regard them not as opponents, but as partners.” “In presenting myself for service, I make no pretence that I have a magic wand that will solve all of Nigeria’s problems or that I am the most intelligent Nigerian.” “I have come to launch a campaign of ideas, not one of calumny. I have come to preach love, not hate. I have come to break you away from divisive tendencies of the past, which have slowed our drive to true nationhood.

I have no enemies to fight. You are all my friends and we share a common destiny.” “Democracy calls for sacrifice and tolerance, an open ear and a strong voice.” “For the PDP family, the contest for party offices does not produce winners and losers.” “I believe in the politics of give and take.” “Separation of power is not separation of government.” “I am happy that the black man has put the shame of dispossession behind him and is moving on” “The dark patches in the Niger Delta will give way to light.” “On the football field, nobody cares who scores for Nigeria.

You can be a Musa or a Moses; you can be a Christopher or a Mustapha, nobody cares.” “We have a duty to stand firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state. Our will is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria.” “Nigerians are peace-loving people; these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our nation well have not changed the essential character of our people.” “No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror.” “Africa must declare an end to the era of self-inflicted wars and conflicts.”

“Africa must turn its begging bowls into baskets of prosperity and opportunity” “It is the supreme task of this generation to give hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak and protection to the defenceless.” “You have trusted me with your mandate, and I will never, never let you down.” “We must develop a democratic culture in which the will of the people will be treated as sacred and be immune to subversion by anti-democratic elements.”

“As we strive to advance our democratic development, there will be times when our will shall be tested, our patience provoked and our belief questioned.” “The beauty of democracy is that its practice is never final and always has room for improvement no matter how old a democratic society may be. Where we falter we must not fall. When we are weak, we must not surrender.” “Our first responsibility as citizens is to use the ballot.” “We are gradually reducing the footprints of government in business activities through privatisation, liberalisation and deregulation based on our recognition that the private sector should be the engine of growth in our economy.”

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